February Fun - 2012

9/27/2024

We checked out of our apartment on Mollstrasse on the 31st January 2012 and took two trams to get us to Finowstrasse in Friedrichshain where our new apartment was.

Two women checked us in and I just remember us asking what the password for the wi-fi was. It was a shared modem with the next door neighbour so we had no access to it. One of the women replied deadpan, "dildo..." and sort of looked at me waiting to see what my reaction was. I chuckled and she smiled. The apartment itself was nice, just right for us. The bed was in the living room but that was no problem, there was a couch and dining table and it was cosy.

We were looking forward to being closer to the shops during this stay with Kate's difficulty walking. I'd arranged for a parcel to be sent from Edinburgh with some stuff in it - my Bob Marley guitar songbook being one item. It ended up arriving on Bob's birthday, 6th February.

With some money we had to spare we also ordered some musical items from a German internet music store. Shaker, tambourine, hand drum, guitar strings, a few music books... These were all for the coming months, to help with practice and recording.

On the 8th February we had quite a surprise! We had been watching this live fortnightly guitar lesson broadcast on uStream by a guy from America since Christmas/New Year time. We stayed up late to watch it live on the 8th Feb in this apartment and they were running a competition to win a guitar and amp combo. You had to be logged in to be entered and Kate (who had an account) forgot her password. At the last minute we scrambled to create a new account and trying to think of a username I just suggested 'SoulJahm'. Midway through the show and they announce the winner and we couldn't believe it when he read out 'SoulJahm'. First time with that username and we win!

It turned out that they were not able to send a guitar and amp outside of the U.S. and thinking we'd be disappointed, they apologised and offered to send us a bunch of their courses. Little did they know that this was much better for us anyway since we didn't need an electric guitar and amp.

What was also strange about this was I'd seen an advert for their latest course a few months earlier, while in Paris, called 'Song Hits' and I said to Kate at the time "I'll have that soon!". It was about £100 so where spare money was going to come from for that I didn't know but I was sure I'd end up with that course. It was one of the courses they sent us as our prize.