Run through forests? Meet up with friendly Forest Rangers? Get told that you are expected to get the f*** out of their preferred hunting grounds? Since I couldn't make last Sundays run out in the 14th district it is a bit hard to comment, were it not for our beloved King Ralphs comment on the happenings. I won't replicate those here as you can find his explanation on the Vindobona Mail Newsgroup.
Vell, vot have we got? The first advents Sunday is just around the corner and Christmas Markets are sellung their glorious stuff ranging from Glühwein, Beer, White Wine and even that horrible Punsch and - the now famous local VH3 Christmas Party will happen on Monday, Dec. 7 with a some features, similar to a few occasions in previous years. Be there. Get registered through the Viennahash Page.
On an entirely different note, I am really happy with the Yoga Lessons that I have started (again) in a local Yogaschool.
Very much to be recommended if that is of your interest too. I do think it is a great mindset. Concerning the run on Sunday, we should all try to give MOM a decent sendoff into his retirement that will start next week on Tuesday. One day in the not too distant future he will be the local Hasher with the most runs, regardless of all us other ones.
And, do not come to the run venue in Seibersdorf on your Scooter
A high-ranking local Hasher sent me an SMS a few days ago that read the following" " Now u can go 2 brussels and writh High Cow (Haikus) together with the new Grand Meister of Europe". Signed... Nah I am not going to to tell that it was Richard Kopf who tried to drag me out of Vienna as well as a certain Gentleman (hey Ladies out there, where are you?) dropped me a Mail of the following content " Überschrift in der FT: From Haiku to high office. So, so, der neue EU Präsident Herman Van Rompuy schreibt in seiner Freizeit Haikus! Und er ist ein regelmäßiger Blogger.Da habt ihr ja gleich einige Gemeinsamkeiten. ONON to Vorderhainbach J(oy)S(tick)".
Well, the following needs to be said about these regarded statements: What's wrong with an aesthete being appointed to play the Grand Meister or dare I say Miser of Europe for the next couple years?
Just look at Mr. Van Rompuys Website and judge for yourself if Haikus are a beautiful art form.
I do think that they certainly are. And, after having spoiled some of you through the Vindobona Hash Mail Newsgroup with Haikus of all topics over the last years, here's another example of the beauty that lies within:
I wonder if Mr. Van Rompuy also did some Hashing in his former life when he was the Grand Meister of Belgium. As there is no chance for me to partake in to-days Hash as we're off to see a musical, here is my musical thought of the day, the artist is Herbie Hancock and the album is called Secrets, from 1976. Nice one, altogether.
bed>
On out, to another Christmas Market in all likelyness.
AGM day is here again and a year after I quit my duties it felt comfortable to take a back seat as a paying customer and watch the proceedings unfold. After having left our little daughter with her grandparents (mind you Fallen Angel will be running with us in the not too distant future) the arrival at the Hash House was marked by a BMW driver who displayed typical behaviour i.e. driving like a tw*t as the driver overtook us from the right in the roundabout around the Lusthaus and the driver was none other that the Famous Pimpsqueak.
Second impression was Mr. Sentimental Richard Kopf reminscing about the old times (again) and telling me what a different kind of terrain he and the dearly beloved Grand Meister St Norman have covered this time.
The run started a bit late and down towards the Golf Course and the Freudenau Horsetrack (from behind) with a few interspersed Checkpoints that only the newbies to this area must have taken half-serious. In no time was the forest being left behind and thank you very much Hares for avoiding the forest for the next 25 minutes or so. Running alongside the Handelskai (a local mainroad) reminded me on Hashing in Rome many years ago when those bastards set many a trail alongside the city motorways (on the walkways of course).
Crossing the bridge on over to the Donauinsel, leaving that Pagoda behind and a little later on back towards the Prater, greeting a few latecummers such as Pussy Schumi, Whoppa and I thought that I might have seen Alice, probably a beerinduced Hallucination as he never was there.
After another and more pleasant while alongside the Heustadlwasser back towards the carpark (75 minutes in total) it was pleasant to see that the crowd must have easily reached more than 40 people.
Watch out for our friend Herr Josef (Bierher) to open the cricle in style:
Usual circle routine with Richard Kopf and Multiple Entry sharing things a bit and punctually at 5 p.m. it was on off into the Hash House.
Sly as Sex Energy sometimes is she, Casting Couch and myself took off shortly before the circle ended, the advantage were drinks more or less immediately on our table and some very nice Cevapcici also that Cordon Bleu looked fine to me. But of course one must not forget about those Martini Gansln.
To cut things short, after some encouragement St. Norman started the meeting and after the annual breathtaking and painstaking display of wot's hot and wot'S not by the GM, by Mr. Vindobona Hash LGB (OVH) and with the fine moderation of that guy we never seem to be able to get rid off (Mr. Multiple Entry) the elections were started. Were it not for Standing There (suggested new Masthead post of "Hash pain the the *rse" was neglected (UPDATE 18/11: Nope it was not, check out the New Masthead Page and see for yourself! ) everything would have gone down it's peaceful way. The delectable Casting Couch stood against St.Norman as Grand Meister and the outcome of the clearly (cough, gasp!) democratic vote was (please turn on drumroll before you read further)....
ST.NORMAN!!! Wahey! Sincere congratulations from your Hash Blogger, may you lead us up into so far undiscovered and yet unknown heights of drunken depraved debauchery .
Musical recommendation of the day is Tito Puente, here teamed up with Celia Cruz.
Is saw these two back in 1991 in Rome, and that was one of the best gigs I ever saw.
On out, may the beerforce be with you for another year!
No, I am not and never was a fan of the wings (Paul McCartneys vehicle in the 1970s). I just thot that these four words fitted when I wanted to put down my memory of a Hash trip to West Berlin in April 1989 while I was working at some funny Ostrich Office en Varsovie, Pologne.
Mind you that in early 1988 my first impression of Warsaw was WOW, now I know what the 1950s must have been like here in Wien and surroundings.
A mere 6 months after my (our) Hash initiation (SE and I) we took off with a few local Hashers to partake in the Berlin H3 run number I couldn't care less. Simply don't remember anymore. All I do remember is that the show was being run by British Army Soldiers - very friendly lads I have to say - and one of the main features of that weekend besides some okay running was a drive around town in a genuine Doubledecker Bus, lotsa times straight alongside the wall which for long stretches consisted of Plexiglass, behind you could see the death strip , the soldiers with their Machine Gun, the dogs and everything perfectly alright. There was this really murky feeling all the way alongside that "Antifaschistischer Schutzwall" and I will probably have a hard time trying to explain what this was all about to ny little daughter who is three years old now.
Anyhow, I just wanted to express that Hashing used to be great fun also back then and especially with the Warsaw Hash House Harriers in the late 1980s.
Such experiences certainly are helpful to shape one's view. In one way or another.
Try to come along to the AGM this coming Sunday and fight for your rights., if only to get a Martinigansl. I will stick with the Cevapcici which are great.
Musical recommendation of the day is Paul McCartney
Support your favorites, at the Hash and elsewhere!
Your tickets please! Yesterdays Hares Casting Couch and Sex Energy have set themselves the noble goal of bringing each and every neighboring village that is be found southwest of Vienna to you in form of a Hashrun.
The first impression after getting into Achau was the following:
<
br />
I hope that Hash Flash will publish the pic of those defunct waggons that have been placed near the local trainstation soon for your viewing pleasure, I reckon they provide housing for the local clochards. Very nice view indeed and looks all warm and cuddly from the outside. The abovementioned song must have been in the Kraut Hitparade in the early 1970s and gives a nice motto of yesterdays run I think.
Update Nov. 17: Check out the Pic from Hash Flash which makes the song above even more suitable, IMHO.
Further with original text, dare I say lyrics:
Since there is only flat flat flat terrain the subsequent run was a challenge primarily in getting rid of the chewing-rum like mud on ones shoes and it was only unfortunate that that bridge crossing at the end of that field did not lead by the Südbahn railway tracks which would have been a true-life linking to the song above.
Give the Hares credit I say not because just one is the love of my live (still crazy after all these years) and the udder one has been a successful GM of Vice for many years but that they incorporated a few local places just like the Backside of the Schloß Achau (I didn't know of its existence and neither did Munk in the last 35 years) and also a few old fashioned backroads. The last part of the run was a casual affair, with the usual sight of 80 % of the pack walking (have ve bekum geriatric?) and just of the very end towards the railway station that a little running could be seen.
One circle feature were the future of the Hash (playing kids including mine that is) and another one was Dear Alice, who completed his first 400 runz.
Since I enjoyed my Blunzengröstl at the OnIn a lot, you can check out a recipe here.
Oh, and do take part in all AGM proceedings. Remember that voting is a privilege in all democratic countries.
It's a Saturday morning, the first Martinigansln of the season have been digested and lerv is still around. I recommend to check out environments like die Wiener Märkte. My current favourite is the Vikor Adler Markt in the 10th district with a great and run-down Würstelstand in the midst of it, yet there are so many more spread around town. But of course you know about all them anyway or don't you?
Maybe it would be worth to combine a few of those for some sort of a Hash thing one day.
Musical recommendation of the day is the following:
I am going to see Mr. David Sanborn on Nov. 17 in the Wiener Konzerthaus together with my remarkable friend Mr. My Pint of View. This video is of 1987, the bass player is Marcus Miller. Don Grolnick keys, and the late Hiram Bullock on guitar. Neraly forgot to add Kenwood Dennard as the drummer.
Eat your heart out. If not, see you tomorrow in Achau.
Bei dem Weg, this blog is also intended as a link to their inglorious past for all those ex Vindobona Hashers who took the torch of the once World's Worst to new Shores. Cee Dee, Mindphuck Minuteman, Mr.Davolino, Mr. BOB Davolino, No Mercy Master, Multiple Entry...
Here's to you, friends.
Since the AGM is coming up in no time (Sunday a week) and it should be in the best interest of just about anyone out there to at least try and contribute to the noble sake of the regarded VH3 I thot i'd be appropriate to include a little something here that deals with inner values, if you like.
Blind Faith were a real shortlived so called "supergroup" back in 1969 , consisting of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker (both Ex-Cream), Ric Grech and Stevie Winwood.
They just did one album and a tour in support and then, well check out the aforementioned link.
Stick to your beliefs, wotever they may be and then come along on AGM day (as on every udder Hashing day) and make things happen.
OnOn to Achau on Sunday!
Just got back from the dentist and I can't think of a more suitable occasion to post a really defining moment for my musical upbringing here (Warning, might be downright crazy and weird to some):
I first listened to Frank Zappa's 200 Motels in 1982, long before I had seen the movie and frankly, back then I didn't have much a clue of what this was all about. After all this time the music and the film are still intriguing. Just like JS Bach. Or Miles Davis. What I am trying to say is that an eclectic taste of music is certainly most helpful for a better understanding of Life, the Universe and Everything.
Just a few words or more specifically a question on the topic of locating a Hashrun near or right outside a railway station, meaning the only thing left for those without a car is to catch a train:
What's feasable in Lanzarote should also be possible and worth trying here in Vindobona, so better start saving for your own camel, guys!
And, getting a little sentimental (yet again?) about the 25th anniversary weekend down in Horitschon/Burgenland in 2007, here is the music that I had in mind when we started to plan the weekend based around this 21 km train trolley ride:
The Vienna city limits are being drawn where responsible Hares want them to be drawn and so it was only fair and square that the run on Oct. 4 was held in Deutsch-Jahrndorf. "DEUTSCH-JAHRN-WOT??" I hear you rightfully asking.
That tiny village "where public transport has ceased to exist since no-one ever goes there" (said the Directions on the Schedule) is in sight of Bratislava and a good hours drive east from Vienna.
A few traditional Burgenland houses and apart from that just flat and more flat area I haven't tasted the local wine though. Might be really good.
Mind you that 20 years ago there was still the old Iron Curtain only a few hundred metres or less away. The run with threatingly looking Hares in army uniforms and Tickpleaser even brought a homemade wooden rifle was long, boring and flat (Did I say that already?)
After quite a while the beer stop came up right next to where the old borderline with both Hungary and former Czechoslovakia ran by.
Three border markings, three different brands of beer were provided and none of them COLD!
Tickpleaser came up with a really strange quiz that Ice Queen won hands down and then it was on back all the way long flat and boring (but nice and warm outside temperature).
Since I had to leave to Circle a bit early there is nothing much more to add here.
Vell, not much that hasn't been said yet about the past few days. Rejoice by the fact that the local Christmas Markets will soon be opening up and (Quote Sex-O-Phone) "selling P*ss on the streets" as if this wouldn't be the case all year round anyway. Here is a little something from run # 1432 in Deutsch Jahrndorf (Hares Unlce Bobby aka No Balls Prize and Tickpleaser), a run on the borderline of sanity by all means. More on that in a bit.
Some sort of tactical drinking is required if want to survive an entire day in the Schweizerhaus or in any similar form of Beer Garden. Meaning, as an absolute regular costumer you are required to turn up on time (9:50 a.m. that is) and then slowly slip into the days routine which is to have a nice and relaxed time with people you like to be around with, have a bowl of soup as a basis or one of the houses specials, which of course is the STELZE in addition to the endless flowing beers.
Allow to add the fact of a little live Muzak and then try to not lose count of how many pints you have already consumed. I tried it repeatedly without success. Anyhow. Moosehead, an absolute first-timer onc losing day accompanied King Gook, Munk, yours truly and quite a large number of Hashing and related people through the day. Richard Kopf arrived minutes before closing time and I was told that his worthy contribution consisted of buying five beers and the next thing was that the beer counter was shout down. Until next year. Oh, to-day Hare King Ralph was also around at the Schweizerhaus (NATÜRLICH!) and ze Germanic way of overcoming a Hangover is SELBSTVERSTÄNDLICH to set a sucker of a run.
Which brings us straight to to-days special: "HALT ENDLICH DIE KLAPPE!!" sayeth the King to his poor doggie Vilja, then going on to spread some gibberish on how he got lost this morning, mysterious markings were being explaing such as false trail sign with a double X and one even with a quadruple one (I'm not referring to XXXX Beer from Oz here). Vell, OnOn down the hill for a kilometer or so only to find out a Double X sign, then back up to the carpark again. There find a pair of brandnew arrows pointing across the road, run on up the hill, after another huge check (and a pissing on trail stop) take off to the left and run another 1 1/2 k's downhill, just to find ... you know what.
Needless to say that it is on back to the carpark to find -> the brandnew set of Hash arrows pointing to the far end of the carpark and all the way UPHILL from there. Of course Fellow Hashers like Tickpleaser ("Hashblog? Useless info!") and Sperminator ("Hashblog? Civil servant with lots of time at hand?") were fast enough to even do a little jogging steep uphill. I somehow save my breath for this marvellous piece of information here and, having arrived on top of the hill on some kind of a meadow, the way was XXXX false trail meanng all the way back we came, this time for good and on home.
A decent time seemed to have been had by all, augmented by last Friday nite's Haloweenie party chez Squeeze Box Mama.
My personal conclusion for this entire weekend:
