… or something like that.
Well, between my last post and this, a lot happened, and yet, nothing too overly out of the ordinary, either. I completed yet another lap around the sun at the end of August – and for once, I wasn’t frolicking at the beach, but visiting my godson -, September came and went in the blink of an eye and now October is almost in the books as well. Time does fly, no?
For the most part, my mental health was holding up just fine, although there were some things I wasn’t too overly enthusiastic about, but I do not wish to elaborate much on that.
While I was spending time with the family, I caught wind of two things:
a) Top Gun: Maverick was going to be part of the Cinema Festival at Zoo Palast; Atmos Sound, and 5EUR per ticket. Did any of y’all think I’d pass up on that? Meaning: I’d be re-united with that silly plane film after a year since I’d seen it last on the big screen. However, Yours Truly wouldn’t be Yours Truly if they didn’t do anything special for the occasion, right? I had gotten myself a second-hand Top Gun flight suit costume for Christmas last year, and well, I deadass rolled in at the cinema wearing that bad boy, plus cap, T-shirt, sunglasses and Top Gun cap. Hey, I never said I was “normal”, fam!
Dude who was scanning my ticket that day already grinned when he saw me waltzing in and said, “Let me guess – Top Gun?” YES SIR! Several other folks gave me impressed nods or chatted me up about the outfit. Not one person who spoke to me that day in any way or form said I was “nuts” (in a negative sense) about doing that.
Honestly – I am DOWN ON MY FUCKING KNEES thanking Tom Cruise for convincing Paramount et al to keep “Top Gun: Maverick” under wraps and postpone the release until it was safe to go to the cinemas again, as opposed to move it straight to streaming platforms. I doubt it would’ve had the effect it had on me that it had if I had only seen on a smaller screen at home. But that way? It sure gave me something to hold on to and made 2022 a lot more fun. And I am entirely unapologetic about it! It was, is and will be mine to keep me happy. Nuff said. So is the Tom-Cruise-fandom on Twitter (we’re not calling it X in this house, kthxbye) for the biggest part. Shits and giggles on a daily basis, banter, pictures and videos being shared, friendships being built …you name it. I love it.
As for b) … FC St. Pauli. Well, after the Old Lady got relegated, I finally got my wish to support FCSP in an away game here in the Olympiastadion as well. The game was scheduled for September 30, in the evening. Nice. The only issue? How to get tickets for the away end, even more so since club members bought all the available ones the day they went on sale. Hrmph. However, FCSP stated they were negotiating with Hertha BSC to obtain more tickets …which eventually happened, and the day they went on sale, I refreshed the page like the possessed dork that I am …and scored myself a nice little ticket in the away end! YAY!!
I mean, I am, for the biggest part, still done with football / soccer. But that was something I couldn’t miss out on, y’all. And boy, was that a fun evening! (Minus the long-ass waiting period at the guest entrance because they apparently didn’t realize that FCSP would have a lot of supporters coming down from Hamburg – or, in my case, Berlin.) The atmosphere was sizzling, over 66,000 spectators on a Saturday evening in a Second Division game, one HELL of a game on the pitch, and FCSP went back home with 3 more points, having won 2-1. The Old Lady could consider themselves lucky that they didn’t get hammered on their home turf, because while FCSP came out steaming hot and fired from all cylinders, they just somehow managed to not put the ball in the back of the net a little more often. But hey, I’ll take it. I had a blast. I enjoyed myself immensely. I sang, clapped, shouted. Just like back in the day, when football / soccer was my life.
Anyway.
The picture for this entry was taken by me, the moment the home squad’s players were announced. It looked even better in person, tbh, but I still love that photo. And the little white-ish dot you can see above the stadium is the moon. Told ya – the atmosphere was clearly something special that evening, and I do not regret having purchased that ticket at all. It was basically just what I needed – letting loose for a while, forgetting the state of the world, doing something that is good FOR ME.
Sometimes, I just need to get out of my safe space and face situations that would otherwise totally stress me, aka crowds. It really helps me to find coping strategies, too, especially when I squished myself into an over-crowded bus on the way back home. That was also when I did something for someone – I gave the driver 2EUR for being patient while the bus was crammed, driving us safely, and I just wanted to show some appreciation for this: “This is for you, buy yourself a coffee or something when you’re done with your shift!” is what I said to him when I got off the bus at my stop. He was totally surprised: “This is so nice! Thank you!” I just felt like doing that, and the way he thanked me for it was so downright lovely that it made me feel good, too. It may have only been 2EUR, but I am pretty sure I made his day.
So, as I’ve said a couple of times already: if you have the chance to make someone happy, put a smile on someone else’s face – go for it. It’s rewarding.
Well then. Just letting you know I am still around and what I’ve been up to lately. Let’s see what else the next couple of weeks will bring.
Have a good one!
Ocean Soul 