Manic Monday

humor me, play along

Of all your favorite foods, which one would you find the most difficult to give up for the rest of your life?
Carbohydrates, probably. Carbs are a magnificent thing - one that I should definitely cut down on ;)

Which month of the year do you thing best describes your personality?
Like LG I'm going to have to say September. I just love late summer/early autumn. Leaves beginning to change colour, the light is changing too. Indian summers are so fucking beautiful to me.

If you could be a contestant on any game show, past or present, which show would you pick?
I really don't know, I don't watch game shows (except American Gladiators, but that wouldn't work with my lack of discipline)... it would have to be one where I could win a shitload of money though :)

And I thought the glass ceiling would be an issue...

Face first. Full speed.
That's how I ran into a glass door when leaving work.

See, the door is evil. It is already responsible for a couple of other crashes of my co-workers. And today it claimed me. A colleague of mine sent out a memo yesterday that we should try to save money (and the earth) by turning lighs off and door closed to keep the warmth in. So when I left work I turned off the lights in my office and walked towards the exit. Unfortunately, it was so dark that I didn't see that the door in front of me was closed. I realised however that this was the case when my nose hit the glass.

My teeth are still ringing. My nose is swollen (it's not like it wasn't big enough to begin with). And I feel a little worn down by pain, shock and humiliation. But my head doesn't hurt and I don't feel sick. So I decided not to go to the hospital but to make myself feel better with Grammelknödeln, Coca Cola and ice cream. I hope my food is ready soon. Am hungry and in dire need of comfort. I'll just crash on the couch and watch some brainless TV.

I sure hope the swelling goes down. Got no ointments here for that. Just ice packs.
OK, I just called my mum to ask her to bring me some traumeel. Do I feel less grown up now? Maybe. But that stuff really works wonders. I was basically using it daily as a kid, even back then I always managed to constantly bump into things.

Journalists utilizing social media

Just some quick cross-promo (hey, it's not everyday someone asks me questions and not the other way round): fellow twitterer @hksully mentioned me and many other journos in this recent post. Head on over and check it out! Like, right NOW ;) /end of shameless promo

I once was lost... in a spice shop

Oh man! I should have know I was on a dangerous endeavor, but ever since it opened (about two months ago) I've wanted to head downtown to that spice & cookbook shop. I stopped by today after visiting Finn at the office to bring her some coffee and a bagel (because that's how good a girlfriend I am). The shop was right on my way home so I went in - and got stuck there for about an hour I think.

I originally only wanted to buy some curry powder, and maybe some cumin. By no means was I planning to get a cookbook. Because I don't know where to put my collection as is. But then I saw all those cookbooks, rows of books stretching from mediterranean to middle east to creole. I didn't even glance at the Austrian cookbooks because that's just not my cup of tea. And since I'm having a harder time each week finding recipes to cook for dinner, which don't take forever, are somewhat healthy and of course tasty, I figured why not buy one. I was going for Morrocan, leafed through a couple of those but couldn't really settle on one. Some had no pictures at all but unfortunately pictures are what triggers my appetite/willingness to try something. I know that the foods on the fotos are not really food but that's just how I work. Other's were not written in a manner I liked; for me it's gotta be fast, if I want to read I'll grab a fiction book. Other's were simply just not up to par. But damn, the variety!

I drifted further and further from the middle eastern food section and suddenly I was reaching for a book on carribean cuisine. Not usually what I go for, given the climate difference between here and there... but I swear this one was calling to me somehow.

 

Considering I'm a person who knows buyer's remorse quite well I decided to give the other Caribbean books a chance as well but after leafing through those I was still sure the first one was the one. So I grabbed it. Over all this took me probably about half an hour.

Then I went to collect my spices: grabbed some cumin, garam masala, and two curries: fiji and colombo (I barely refrained from buying the ceylon blend on top the other two). I was already on the way to the checkout when I saw this:

 

... and all I did was open in on two or three pages, glance at the price and take it with me! Just like that. *facepalm* But thank god I spent 30 minutes on selecting the other book... I still haven't had time to look through it properly because I basically just came home, looked at the Caribbean one and wrote this blog post. But I think my rash decision might have been a good one anyway.

The other book certainly look gorgeous, I can tell you that so far. The recipes are Sylvie Clément who came from France to Guadeloupe 20 years ago and built a life there with her husband Georgeand her five sons. Literally built it, since George is a carpenter and built all the little huts of their holiday village Tendacayou with his very own hands. The pictures are beautiful and I'm really looking forward to trying them out - though most of them will probably have to wait til summer, when I'll be thankful for this type of cuisine.

This girl wants the corner office

I should be writing my article about university drop outs right now, because it's due today. However, I can't even remotely concentrate on it before I get the following off my chest. Then I'll write the article and then I'll probably read "Nice girls don't get the corner office 101. Unconscious mistakes women make that sabotage their career". That book's been lying around here for a while now, since Finn bought and read it about half a year ago. I never felt like reading it, because I never felt the need for it. Now I do.

The thing is, I've never been much of a feminist. In fact, for a very long time I was quite "appaled" by feminism because - at least in the german speaking world - it shows itself mostly in the destruction of language. And while I get that sometimes language is discrimination I'm still a big fan of language and I don't very much appreciate it being destroyed in utterly idiotic ways (for all my german speaking readers: I hate the way some people substitute "mensch" or "frau" for "man", that's just plain stupid).

My other reason for not immediately taking to feminism is a much more understandable one. It's simply that I never needed to. I was never personally confronted with any injustice based on gender. Sure, I encountered resistance at my very straightforward, direct way of dealing with things and people. I'm naturally assertive and people don't tend to like that. I had a hard time accepting this but somehow it never occured to me that it might not just be me. That it might partly have to do with the fact that I don't have a dick.

Now that I'm working in a field that is typically dominated by men (e-sports, gaming) I'm beginning to - more consciously - understand the things that set men and women apart in a work environment. And I'm disgusted. For some reason I have to constantly prove myself. For some reason if I make an honest mistake it is treated like this big thing. For some reason the guys are constantly allowed to make mistakes, no questions asked.

I have to work my way through every door - literally, because they simply get shut in my face, when I'm not invited to participate in meetings, not getting the code for the door to the "inner sanctum" that is the office where they guys are. Now, I do get that I'm the new girl and that they won't immediately trust me with access to everything, but the emphasis does seem to be that I'm the new girl. I get the feeling that were I a man I'd have that code already - and had they not given it to me freely I'd probably have asked for it and then received it. If I were a man, that is.

So it seems that for most of my life I've been on the right path by being assertive. Unfortunately, I was then taught to be less so, to be more socially acceptable, to be less me. And now, for fear of offending someone I'm keeping my mouth shut, secretly seething with anger. But the thing is, I'm not just a girl. I'm a woman and I'm (I gotta be) capable of speaking up for myself. I'm going to have to get not less but even more assertive if I want them to respect me. And while I still condemn that I have to do more than a man to earn respect for who I am and what I do, I'm still going to have to do it if I'm heading for that corner office.

It's possible that I might be going completely crazy

I'm a sorry, weepy mess.
I don't know why, but I just came home and had a good cry.
Actually... I do know why, but it's embarassing and idiotic and I feel stupid about it.
The thing is.. I'm really bad at being away from Finn. Like, away away. Far away. It's not that I don't appreciate and need time for myself and respect the same thing for Finn. It's that I'm always horribly worried something might happen to her.

So today was the going-away-revelations-day. First, my trip to Cologne in August became a surefire thing - I'll be away for about four days. Then Finn called to tell me she'll be going on a business trip to London about two weeks from now - and we started to make plans for me to go with her so we could extend the trip and spend Valentine's day's weekend there. But then everything fell through because her sister can't look after the bunnies. So I will be staying here while she's on a plane - which I hate. And next week(end) I have to go to Budapest to see my grandma. I love her and want to visit her, but it's always such a drag to get there with all the striking in Hungary. Away again.

Now that I've written this down it doesn't seem like such a big deal. I know it's such co-dependent bullshit but I can't help myself. I guess it's just that everything came all at once today. Just too much. So... I remain reduced to the abovementioned sorry, weepy mess.

It's meme time again

I have a really bad conscience about not blogging properly. Here's me trying to make up for it:
Saw this over on at LG's.
Rules: Take the list (copy and paste to notepad - it will remove all bold and italic formatting). Copy list back to Word or whatever where you then bold the items you’ve done. Don’t bold items you haven’t done.

1. Started your own blog (duh)
2. Slept under the stars (I'm planning to. Slight bug issues to be resolved first.)
3. Played in a band (Briefly, practice only. Didn't quite work out, but I had a lot of fun nonetheless.)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (Being Austrian I probably did, but I honestly can't remember. I definitely was on mountains in order to ski down on them, so yeah.)
9. Held a praying mantis (have I... mentioned... *gasp*... the bug issues?)
10. Sang a solo (See question #3)
11. Bungee jumped (head down - no good - bleargh!)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (Considering how much I eat and how likely I am to try new things - probably yes)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (Unfortunately I've still not been to NY *grumble*)
18. Grown your own vegetables (Dad and I were never quite successful at this, but at least we tried. Usually the snails won though)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (Interrail will do that to you)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (I'm crazy but not that crazy)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (Noooooo, never!)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (I'm a maverick ;)
27. Run a Marathon (Ha haha ha... have you looked at me?)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (I think when I was very little. I definitely haven't when I went to Venice the second time.)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (The only two times a day the bastard can't hurt me)
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (I'd love to though)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (Finn and I had a brief period of trying to teach ourselves ASL a couple of years back)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (I'm not an artsy person but that was a very awesome moment in my life.)
41. Sung karaoke (I love karaoke. Unfortunately I don't have any friends who do too.)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (Again, I'd love to go.)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (I hate to say it but: totally overrated.)
46. Been transported in an ambulance (I was just accompanying Finn, doesn't make it the experience any better though.)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person (In between getting ushered in and out again... the crowds are absolutely crazy!)
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (I went snorkeling. I'd love to try scuba diving but it's just too risky with all the inner ear issues I had as a child.)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (I'm realising that freelance journalism is just that though)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (Needles? Where are the needles? GAAAAAAH!)
65. Gone sky diving (This is totally on my to-do list as well)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (not exactly an emotional highlight in my life since my grandmother was interned in Auschwitz during WWII...)
67. Bounced a check (checks are not really in use here, but I've had a big fat minus on my account.)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square (See question #17)
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem (It's such an amazing place but it can be very strange and humbling to stand on a market and eat your falafel pretty much exactly on the spot where a bomb exploded only weeks earlier)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (Bylines make me a lot happier)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (I'd really love to though, especially now.)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (Possibly, probably not. There was someone with anorexia, pretty bad case. I like to think that I managed to help her get help.)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (only Austrian "celebrities")
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (But I did float in the Dead Sea.)
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Blogging on-the-go

First the good news: There's a list of topics I want blog about. Long content-filled posts. The kind that faithful readers like. The bad news: I don't get to write them, not yet.

I have been swamped with work lately. And when i'm not actually working I just want to hang out on the couch and switch my brain off. Right now i'm on my way to a gaming event the company I work for is hosting. It's what we've been working on these past weeks. Tomorrow as well.

I'm looking forward to taking it easier next week, at least that's what I was planning on. By now I'm convinced that I have been postponing so many tasks and meetings to just-not-this week that I'm going to be even busier once this 2-day event is in the past.
I have a ton of articles to research and write and I promised a couple of ppl to meet them come january.
I'll also have to organise my getting back to studying, re-apply for uni, get someone to help me with my taxes, tell social security that my working circumstances have changed, start working out again etc. etc.

Come to think of it, next week doesn't exactly sound slow to me. But what terrifies me most of course is the exercise part of it...

OK... Almost there. Keep your fingers crossed for loads of media attention at our event, please.

---- 
Sent using a Sony Ericsson videophone

How "going back..." in the new year is a good thing!

The new year that has just begun is bringing a lot of change. The timing, however, is purely coincidental.

I'm going back to university. Even though I swore only a couple of months ago never to study again I've apparently been toying with the idea for a while now. Mostly subconsciously, I wasn't fully aware of the process. I had been thinking about getting an MA in the UK or the US, sometime in the distant future, when I'd have the money to do it. That was an "If-when-then" plan. I don't know how and when it turned into an idea for the present. Actually I do, I was thinking that going back to uni would make me eligible for public transport student tickets (which are much much cheaper)... but somehow that turned into an honest desire to learn something again.

So I found myself making a call to the university student information desk last week asking about tuition fees. It turns out that the old new government actually delivered on their promise to take them off the table. Of course Austrian tuition was way below what an American or British university would charge - but those were still 400 Euro per term a lot of people couldn't afford.

To go into my opinion on the issue of free access to higher education, university fees and numerus clausus would take some time - especially since I can see and understand all sides of this. But right now I am happy and thankful that I do not have to pay money to continue my education. The way things are now someone going for an MA doesn't have to pay if they stay within the minimum study period of two years plus 2 so-called "tolerance semesters". If they take longer than that because they're working part-time or full-time they can request to continue their studies without tuition fees even beyond that.

So my job would make me eligible for that. My only problem: The University of Vienna doesn't offer an MA program for communications/journalism - not yet, maybe not ever... who knows? By the time I found out about this little issue I was already invested in the idea of studying something though and decided to simply follow up my "Magister" (Austrian degree, between BA and MA, takes four years, a thesis and a final theiss exam) with a BA.

So beginning in March I'm going to be student of political science. This has been a long way coming actually, with my interest in the topic continually rising. And I'm definitely looking forward to using my head that way. I still have to clear it with my boss but given that I only work 20 hours a week it really shouldn't be a problem if I'm attending classes on my days off. I could still be flexible in emergencies, as longs as work would mainly affect courses that don't require attendance.

So take that, 2009! I'm totally gonna kick ass :)
At least I'm terribly exited about trying to do so.


Anyone else got big plans for the new year?

The new year and Carrie Fisher (again)

Just another  ...

OK. Now that I have successfully gotten that terrible song stuck in your head, I'll diligently answer this year's last Manic Monday questions. And resolve to do it more often come 2009 :)

What is the biggest mistake you made in 2008 and will not make again in 2009?
Choosing the wrong thesis advisor. That idiot basically fucked up my whole schedule. The chances of me writing another thesis already next year are very slim, but I'll try choosing work partners in general more carefully. Plus: I'm gonna make the best of that thesis and try to win a contest with it. Seriously.

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Why or why not?
I usually decide not to but end up having a couple of "I should"s anyway. If only to make myself feel better about my failures of the past year - "Forget 20XX, 20XY is going to be way different anyway!"


Who do you nominate as “Man or Woman of the Year” for 2008?
Carrie Fisher, because she's talking openly about mental health issues and addiction while being funny. She also gets brownie points for titling her autobiography/stand-up routine Wishful Drinking. That's beyond ingenious. Take that, Angelina Jolie. No wait, Angie! That doesn't mean I don't love you anymore!

What was your greatest accomplishment in 2008?
As lame as it sounds: Finishing university. Actually I'm thinking about going back for a second degree now. Nevermind that I swore never to go back to uni again...

I think this would be a good moment (before I either forget or don't get around to it in time) to say: HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you! I wish you lots of good and may you stay healthy and content in 2009.

Christmas past

I was bad. I didn't mean to leave my blog unattended for so long, but I've kind of been wrapped up in work and Christmas. I really wanted to wish ya'll a merry Christmas before the event, but I kinda got stuck in my kitchen... I hope you all had a nice couple of days and spent them nicely whomever you wanted to spend them with. What did you do for Christmas and did you have a good time? Any cool presents? :)

I actually had a really nice time. Finn and I had my parents over for dinner on the 24th. Actually, it was more like a roast... I had decided to make turkey for the first time in my life and turned to Nigella Lawson's book Feast. I ended up making maple-roasted turkey, lemony beans, parsnips, roast potatoes and sweet potatoes & marshmallows. And it was good! My mom's still over-the-moon about my food three days later and even my finicky father liked what I cooked.

Then we spent the 25th with Finn's family, whose grandparents behaved... considerably well. And on the 26th we basically curled up at home, sleeping in, stuffing ourselves with leftovers, watching The West Wing, finishing the last season of Angel and playing Lego: Batman - which I got for Christmas from my baby and which is an awesome game by the way, probably even better than Lego: Star Wars :)

We managed to go out to restock our fridge today (that brining turkey sure took up a lot of space pre-roast) and are now back on the couch watching Out at the Wedding (meh). I don't think I'm going to do a lot more tomorrow. Another day off before I have to go back to work on Monday... *sigh*

Carrie Fisher is hilarious - again.

I mentioned Carrie Fisher's book Wishful Drinkin a while back. The book arrived a couple of days ago (while I was still engrossed in Poison Sleep). I was planning to read it after getting through my PR for dummies book, but now I'm seriously tempted to just crack it open right away and spend the next two or three days laughing my ass off.

And here's why:

In need of some christmas cheer

Oh great, it must be THAT time of the year again - someone in my family is dying. Last November my grandfather suddenly died. This year's it's my father's first wife who's in the hospital and, apparently, dying. She went in for an operation at the beginning of October, to have a tumor in her asophagus removed. Everything went absolutely fine and she would've recovered perfectly were she not anorexic. This woman has had an eating disorder for 25 years and is now down to about 27 kg. She's dying of frickin' undernourishment, or physical weakness or I don't know what. The doctors say it's a question of days.

Now my father's first wife - that's not exactly traditional family. But her and my mother have been friends for a very long time, and occasionally I'd have even considered her friends with my father. To me she's kind of an aunt, who used to look after me a lot whenever my parents were on business trips (which used to be quite frequently the case). As a kid I used to hate her of course, because my child's mind couldn't grasp the idea that my father used to be with someone other than my mom *gasp* :) I was a horrible brat to her, which in turn made her resentful towards me. But we learned to treat each other right over time and since then I've always considered her family. Her dying... it's not made any easier by the fact that her real relatives come directly from hell. Her sister already has an eye on her money (it's not that much and she's not that much in need of it, but that doesn't seem to stop her), constantly taking money out of her sister's account. While my mum and I were at the hospital yesterday this evil woman got my father to drive her to her dying sister's flat to get clothes to dress her in when she's dead! She's so "pragmatic" it makes me sick... She even talked to an undertaker already today. These are only some of the worst things she's doing. And we can't do anything about it, because we're not officially immediate family. It pisses me off...

However, this is the reason why I'm in dire need of some Christmas cheer in my life, so I got out all our Christmas decorations today, put on some Christmas music Finn had taken out because she's organizing a Christmas party at work. And then I went all out :) I decorated our living room cupboard with reindeers and baubles and the little silver stars Finn made for our first Christmas together 3 years ago. And of course there's the token chain of lights. On the window pane there's also a little pot I decorated last year with wonky but lovingly self-made candy canes and a reindeer sticking out of it.

 

 

I love Christmas. I always have, however dysfunctional it might be - in my and everyone else's family. Maybe that's because it's so close to my birthday (23rd) and that automatically makes it one big holiday for me. Or maybe it's because I have the fondest memories of my grandparents (Viennese and Hungarian together) taking me for a walk in the snow so the "Christkindl" could come and bring the presents (back then the Baby Jesus as a gift-giver was still more common than Santa Clause). I remember the empty and snowy streets of my district as completely peaceful. Almost everyone was at home, with the lights sneaking out of the windows into the streets. And whoever wasn't home yet, was just biding time like we were.

When we got home, noses red from the cold the door to the living room was closed and I waited anxiously for the sound of the bell which the Christkindl would ring once it was done laying out the presents. And I'd barge into the room torn between the flickering candlelight and the neatly wrapped presents beneath it. I had to sing through a whole round of Christmas songs and play some on my recorder. When I was older I'd accompany the singing on the piano and even later I'd play some music on my bassoon with my mum accompanying me on the piano. Then, and only then would I finally get to open my presents. I loved that model railway (no, wait, I had actually gotten that the day before for my birthday). There were matchbox cars and other toys, and always many many books that would barely last me for the holidays.

Today Christmas has become much more about giving for me. I love the christmas calendar I made for Finn this year simply because she loves opening the little presents. I love giving self-made foodstuffs to family, knowing they'll be eating something that I put a lot of effort into. I love how my mum "oooh"ed and "aaaah"ed about my homemade slow food pesto (no food processor came near that!) and how Finn's dad's eyes lit up when he reached into the jar with the homemade toffees or sipped the eggnogg I'd bottled only a day ago. This year I'm making mozzarella (ok, I'll try making mozzarella) and a chocolate spread (nutella style) and some rucola pesto. I love searching for my newest gift-ideas or experimenting to find out the perfect nut-rucola combination...

These days, as I'm reading so many english-written cook blogs and cook books, Christmas has probably also become more American around our own flat. A chain of lights would have been out of the question back when - still is today for my parents I think -, but I just love how it softly lights up my room, making it homely and just a tiny bit festive - with only a fireplace missing. I have to keep myself from putting the decorations up too early - that's how much I love Christmas. Since I never especially liked any of the german language songs my Christmas music has become strictly American/English too.

Now, in memory of the for now sadly dormant Soundcafe I give you my Top 7 Favourite Christmas Songs

1. Hard Candy Christmas (Dolly Parton)
2. All I want for Christmas (Olivia Olson from the Love Actually soundtrack)
3. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire)
4. White Christmas
5. The first noel
6. I'll be home for Christmas
7. Santa Baby

On the 24th Finn and I will have a lazy morning and a lavish breakfast accompanied by the movie Love Actually. Love Actually is my favourite Christmas movie so I've turned it into a tradition that we watch it on Christmas day. And then I won't mind however the evening goes or where we'll spend it (my parents / her's / driving from one to the other like crazy).

Goodbye or Auf Wiedersehen?

I just got dumped - by a friend. Actually she's probably the only real friend I had besides Finn who just happens to be my person, my lover and my best friend. But some things Finn doesn't get about me, however much she loves me. And that's OK, because for those things I had someone else who understood. Don't get me wrong, I have other friends, but they're all aquaintance-like friends. I like them all a lot, but in a moment of need I wouldn't trust them 100% to be there for me. I trusted C. with that, and I still do - we both made it clear that the door will never be closed. But she decided that since we've been living in different galaxies for quite some time now we might as well properly part ways. And as much as it hurts me to say goodbye (even if only temporarily) I have to admit she's right. We were simply not good together lately. And I admire that she had the strength to take that step. I know I wouldn't have, because I'm just not good with saying goodbye and letting people who are generally close to me out of my sight.
Maybe we will one day be in the same room again and be able to really hear the other person again. I'm pretty confident that we will. And I know that I can always call her if I need to. But for now our ways have parted, for now I have lost a friend, someone who was dear to me. To be fair, I'm not the only one she's cutting loose, but that doesn't make it easier for either of us.

In any case, she just left (ironically, we had a better talk than we did in a very long time) and I had to think about the following song. I thought about the music, but figured the lyrics are quite fitting themselves.
I think she'd like it. So this is for you, C.


I apologise to those who don't understand a word of this because they don't know any german. I'm sorry.

gotta love twitter

This is awesome. Click to enlarge.

"Prop 8 - The Musical"

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

wow, Neil Patrick Harris is kinda hot...

music to my ears

I've had two longer posts in planning for about a week now. I just can't seem to get around to writing them. What I can do quickly though is this one here.

YouTube is doing something really awesome, they're casting a symphony orchestra!
It is something I'd totally do, but damn! Why haven't I practiced in such a long time? I've printed out the sheet music for basson and realised I have a hard time reading it. Like, a really hard time. But maybe my fingers will know where to go automatically. After all, that's how music always used to work for me. Also, I'm not even sure I can play this piece. After years of not playing it looks real hard to me.

I was planning to begin playing again, but I thought I would do it after getting my braces off. They're a bit of a pain when trying to wrap your lips around your teeth is a fundamental part of playing your instrument of choice. But maybe I will try. It sure looks like a good push.

my new alarm clock just arrived

LEGENDARY!

Because How I Met Your Mother is awesome!
Click on the picture for the whole napkin.

"Wishful Drinking" is an awesome title for a book

There are some books you see/hear/read about that you know gotta have. One of those just happened to me: Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (yes, Princess Leia).

She not only happens to be quite the interesting person, but also one helluva humorous writer.

So thanks to my favourite online ordering website the hardcover book of Wishful Drinking is now on its way to my home. I'm pretty confident it will be the perfect holiday read.