Tag 75: Burning Insights

12.09.2016

During the night, I can hardly find any rest and I am still fighting imaginary battles with Master Seal. The positive thing is that I wake up in time to warn Gudi about the looming flames. Still with a slightly sleepy look, I am more than sure that we are in the middle of a sea of flames, as it seems to be burning brightly through the fogged-up windows. Only upon closer inspection and after about a one-minute, slightly panicked shaking of my friend, the now definitely awake Gudi realizes that it is probably just the sunrise.

I am fascinated!! If I had known that the appearance of the sun fills the whole landscape in such a moving, touching, captivating, yes, so wonderful deep red glow, I probably wouldn't have stayed in bed every day, only getting out of my sleeping bag with the first warming rays of the sun. Captivated by these miraculous processes of nature, I grab the camera and go to the place where I barely escaped death last night. Almost ecstatic, I press the camera shutter button like a madman and try to capture everything, yes, really everything, photographically. After the most exciting moments calm down a bit, I gather myself and start wondering what is actually in the lower left corner of the screen. With narrowed eyes, I can see: "Please insert SD card". I'm an idiot! All in vain. The essence of the whole thing: Not only have I rarely moved at this time of day, I'm pretty sure I've never run as fast as now. Back to the car to get the missing piece, of course.

Later, I'm not sure if I should be proud of the still relatively successful photos, or if I should mourn the forever lost, in the truest sense of the word, golden snapshots.

To distract myself, I decide to reverse the established circumstances and make breakfast for Gudi. I realize in the next moment why I don't do this more often. As soon as Gudi opens her eyes, I am demoted to a lackey and have to continue working under detailed and extremely meticulous instructions from the newly awakened one. The creative development and the element of surprise are unfortunately lost in the process.[1]

After a long, miserable car ride on winding roads, Gudi and I agree that we cannot agree. She firmly believes that I drive too roughly in the curves, and I am of the opinion that she is too prudish. Whatever the case, several mountain panoramas later, we reach the port city of Nelson. I expect an artistically valuable, vibrant place with great cafes and a bustling nightlife. However, it becomes clear to us once again that we are in the off-season and the streets are so empty that only an obligatory hay bale missing in the wind would complete the picture of desolation.

The surroundings are so tiresome that Gudi and I have no choice but to go to sleep. This time it's around 7pm, a new record even for us.

Gudi's glorious laws:

"Smack, slurp... damn Matthias, let me sleep, the sun is just rising, I see that every day... grrr."

It's hard to show more indifference at once. How can one be so lazy as to want to sleep in when the night is just being replaced by the day? What an excuse to have seen it before. Which would explain why Gudi is usually already awake when I open my eyes. Mysterious, these processes while I sleep.

[1] In truth, I probably had to wake Gudi up because I had no idea how to prepare porridge.