Spicing up your travel time OR: when it's better to throw stuff away!

Alert: Don't read if you have a weak stomach ;)

Only a couple of days until my next trip to Seattle. Meanwhile I'm trying to get all my work done here first AND continue settling into my new place. It is good to have a permanent place of residency again!

In that process I am having encounters with the past. I'll spare you all the letters, documents and memorabilia I have come across - but I want to leave you with some quick advice!

IF you go away for a significant time - don't think about keeping your spice collection, no matter how elaborate it is or how long it took you to collect it! Just throw it out or give it away, trust me, you don't want this kind of company ;)




As we are on the subject of "Mags", I am going to see Maggy, my old Seattle roomate when I'm over. She is moving to Costa Rica for a job - I'll find out if she has a blog, I'm expecting there will be looots and lots of awesome pictures!
So long, see you in Seattle ;)

Oh and while I'm gone, don't forget to let me know how I can make my portfolio (http://pcbritz.com) better, so I can incorporate that when I come back with new pics from The Emerald City!

The Portfolio (Tadaaaa)

I proudly present: My new portfolio!! Now: What's wrong with it?

Here's the recipe: Go through your entire pictures, make a tiny selection, add some audio and video, stirr it up with some web design, make it both functional and aesthetically pleasing and press go!

Seattle Winter vs. Paul - Round 2

Here we go, I haven't even gotten a chance to put (or even sort) some of the pictures from my trip through Turkey and Germany with Filiz when there's more travel news!

I just booked a ticket to Seattle in February!! Returning to the Emerald City after - wow, has it already been five months? I'll be missing Valentine's Day (which this year is actually a shame!) and President's day, but I'll sure be there for Seattle's fearsome winter! Sunset at 4pm and everything. Maybe I'm lucky and it's not as cold as last year, but I won't bet on it.

Why would I want to go to Seattle during such an awful time? Well, aside for the obvious reasons: As rough as the weather might be on your soul, the people give me a warm feeling in my heart. Funny enough, most of the people I'm talking about aren't even American or from Seattle, but the city brings all these nice people together.

Also, Seattle winter is the time when people crowd into tiny coffee shops and try to warm their souls on a hot drink more than ever. There are a couple of characteristics and stories about Seattle that I don't feel I've sufficiently told with my camera, this is one I am trying to cover. If I'm successful, you'll see the pics on my new portfolio site: http://pcbritz.com and of course here - in all their randomness!

It's over? NOOO, it's never over!

You know, Germany is just as curious a country as the USA is, especially when you just got back to it. Besides, I will go to many more foreign funness countries, so I should keep on writing here!

If you wonder why I haven't been posting a lot in the last few weeks before returning home, take a look at this video of my roomies - well, my fictional roomies ;)

I'm guest starring in Team Marco Polo's very own sitcom "Leo & Mike". And aren't I a pleasant character... not ;)

The End is near: Post 100!

What? Only 10 more days?
Yes, it's true. My stay in Seattle is almost over and this is my post 100! Ready for 1001 posts?

I just got back from New Orleans last night with lots of moskito bites and a couple of pictures ;).
They will probably have to wait a bit though, because tomorrow, I am heading out to the North Cascades this weekend for camping!

I need to take advantage of being here in the Pacific North West, don't I?
I hope I can get some of that up before I leave, but I can't make any promises.


And on a side note for all those who don't know yet: The busy-ness (ha, pun!) doesn't stop with me leaving the US. Upon return I will start an internship in Social Media development at the Rhein-Zeitung! Just to make sure I don't get rusty with a break or something ;-)

Intern? Slave? Same Shit, Different Name!

An intern's life is hard and many have compared today's internship system to the ancient concept of slavery.
At Filmateria, interns ARE slaves, seriously!

As TeamMarcoPolo produces new episodes of Florence and Rome, we all get drawn into the project. Today, I literally became the symbolic intern slave. Do you like my table cloth Toga?



We didn't get to actually shoot the scene today. I might be able to provide an update with an actual film still soonish.

Whereas I don't get paid for what I do in cash, I learn a lot on set, often get free food and drinks and I have plenty of fun. Of course part of the fun is that it is temporary ;-).

However, it does make me wonder if there were unknown advantages to being a slave under the Roman rule? Anyone got ideas? Might have been good for "Social Networking"? ;-)

Follow TeamMarcoPolo on Twitter to get more updates from the #tmpset!

The Emerald City Scorched by the Sun!

Seattle is the city with the most rainy days in the US.
While that sounds like a great record, most people here refuse to call the continuous light drizzle rain anyway. Umbrellas and rain coats are for whimps!

Faced with other weather than the infamous drizzle, Seattlelites start panicking, however! Snow in winter comes as a total surprise blocking all possible traffic (although it has been forecasted about a week earlier).

Now Seattle is faced with a new, highly uncommon "threat": HEAT!
Thanks to global warming, a nuclear explosion or some other incredibly annoying phenomenon, Seattle is sweltering. Since the records have been established 1851, there has not been a single day in Seattle over 100 ° Fahrenheit (37.78° Celsius). (See CNN: Pacific NorthWest Heat Wave Catches Many by Surprise)

Today, the record has been broken! Seattle measured 103° F (as of 4:30) and the temperature is still climbing!

So what should you do on a day like this? You go to a film studio, where there are no windows, no air conditioning and many many hot lights to shoot a Kids TV Show called Team Marco Polo, of course ;-). Well, at least that's what I did.



Crazy? Well, it's for a good cause :-). We started shooting early this morning anticipating the heat, but it was still almost unbearable during the shoot, as Jonathan's face clearly shows. He was fully dressed and made up as Marco Polo in this weather!