I asked my publishers if I could have a look at some of the work that they do, so they took me to the prepress proofing place:

What an awesome feeling to have my photos checked (and prepared for print) by a pro:

They showed me their machines…

…and explained their workflow:

I didn’t understand much, but it sounded both very sophisticated and very reassuring.

BTW, for those of you who are planning on getting the books, even the maps that we are using had to be printed and checked again and again:

…

Then we went to a place where they were doing something utterly mysterious called typesetting:

If you had asked me, I would have guessed that typesetting means that you can just load a DOC or a PDF into a computer and have some software run over it to prepare it for the printing process.

But how wrong I was!

Did you know that every paragraph on every page has to be carefully designed by a professional, so that there will be no “widows and orphans”, not too many hyphens, so that the space between the words and letters will look appealing, so that the text will read nicely?

I didn’t.

Soundtrack: Soprano – “Sale Sud Anthem”

Leave a comment

…two years to complete.

Leave a comment

A sophisticated mind

The story: In 1953, NB, law student from Switzerland, and his friend take a Fiat on a road trip to Afghanistan. They make their way through Yugoslavia and Turkey, hang out in Iran for a while, and they eventually arrive at their destination after some complications with their car and the friend’s marital situation.

The book is beautifully written. In fact, sometimes it seems rather like a poem or some other form of heavily polished literary work. NB displays some humor and some charming insights when he is talking about the people he meets along the way.

I didn’t feel very much when I read this though. I thought it was too polished, the language was too artificial sometimes. It seemed as though NB knew everything, but I didn’t feel much of his presence.

Anyway, if you enjoyed Leigh Patrick Fermor‘s writing, then you will probably also like this. But I didn’t find it just as good.

A 7/10.

Leave a comment

Scary shit.

Leave a comment

And because of that, I would like to share with you some of my latest findings.

The first one (the one I had on the day I turned in the manuscript) was spectacular:

Camitz Sparkling. SPARKLING vodka?? On second thought: why not. Anyway, this vodka from Sweden tasted very mild (probably because of the sparkling effect), but it was still 80 proof. Anyway, it successfully sent one of us in a sort of “meditative” state.
I liked it enough to award it a 9/10 (one point added for the fun factor).
Here’s one hint though: if you want to try this stuff, make sure to have a few friends around, because you basically need to finish it in one session, otherwise the sparkling effect will be gone and the vodka will probably taste stale.

…

And here is contestant number two:

Эталон (Etalon). This one confused me a little. The manufacturer is supposed to be Belarusian, but the import note said that it was manufactured in Moscow, Russia. Anyway, the vodka had a strong taste, so strong in fact that I didn’t really like it that much. 5/10.

…

#3:

Smooth vodka. Much like 360 and Tarpan sort of organic spirit, only this one was from Sweden. Cool bottle / whacky name, I thought. But the vodka was surprisingly good. No pun intended, but it was smooth. 8/10.

…

#4:

Samaani. This one was from Finland, made in what was supposed to be the “most northern distillery in the world” or something. Samaani means shaman, and there is a funny drawing on the bottle, so I thought: this will be fun. And it was! The vodka isn’t exactly smooth, but it has a very unique aftertaste to it that was very enjoyable. I wouldn’t recommend mixing it. It’s best when it’s pure. 9/10, Finland being awesome again.

…

#5:

Żubrówka. Bison-grass flavored vodka from Poland. Remember when I tried Grasovka and I liked the flavoring but not the vodka itself? Well this one, Grasovka’s bigger brother from the old country, was a total home-run. Awesome stuff. Try it. 10/10.

…

#6:

Partisan. Apparently, this one is manufactured in Belarus for a German company, I am not sure about the specifics. Anyway, the bottle looks like someone said the word “bottle” – and I like that very much. The vodka itself is definitely no kiss on the cheek. It goes down like fire. But not in a totally bad way. 6/10.

…

#7:

Столичная Элит (Stolichnaya Elit). Okay, I am a big fan of the original Stoli, so maybe I was expecting miracles from this one, it being so expensive and all. And it was definitely a good vodka. Awesome smell, smooth finish. But I am not sure if it was that much better than the regular stuff. Maybe a tad better, that’s all. I would even have considered giving it a 10, but it seemed to expensive for that. So there: 9/10. Same rating.

…

And finally, number eight:

Nemiroff Honey Pepper. Now after having tried the regular Nemiroff and finding it “reliable”, I was reluctant to go into any of its flavored varieties, but the lady at the Russian shop where I do most of my vodka shopping put it in front of me and said: “Give this one a try, believe me!”
And she was right. This is a very interesting drink. The original Nemiroff is smooth, but not very special. This flavor combination makes it awesome. 9/10.

Okay, done.

…

But wait, one thing I haven’t told you yet: the more vodka brands I try, the more I realize that the actual drinking experience is made up of many factors. The temperature. The food. The mood. The level of alcohol-intake.

Even the sound is important:

(The first one was Partisan, the second one was Żubrówka – I just loved the second sound!)

Anyway, what I am trying to say is basically: I realize that my own ratings are not reliable. But hey, it’s fun anyway! Get a few friends together, prepare some snacks, put on some music, open a bottle.
First time I ever did this was when I was 27.

PS: Today’s soundtrack is a totally awesome song, perfect for vodka tasting sessions. Believe me!

Soundtrack: Red Army Choir – “Partisan’s Song”

Leave a comment

They didn’t know each other. Well, the dude and the kid did, I think they were father and son, but the dog was a friend that they had made just a few minutes before.

Apparently, all it needed was a ball.

Leave a comment

…and because I am not used to doing nothing anymore, I decided to make some adjustments to the “Where I Am” map:

A good day.

Soundtrack: Haiku D’Etat – “Firecracker”

Leave a comment

Soundtrack: Luke – “Freaky Bitches”

Leave a comment

Not done yet.

Sweating.

Leave a comment

(Beware of the “interview” video though LOL.)

I am still writing. The manuscripts are still not 100% done. Deadlines are approaching. Everything is supposed be on the German market in June. I am dizzy.

So what is this stuff that’s making my head spin?

One is a travel book for Piper:

(If you are interested in reading about what was really going on during those 4644km, maybe even about the stuff outside of the blog, then maybe you want to get this one.)

The other one is a photo book for National Geographic:

(If you want to walk the walk on a photography level, if you like big beautiful glossy books, then maybe this one might be something for you.)

I don’t know yet if there will be foreign language editions.
Maybe if I’m lucky?

Soundtrack: Mr. Freeze – “Imperial Master”

Leave a comment