the omnipotent labour wizard

It's been very quiet around here, I know.
I've been pretty busy with a lot of stuff and it will probably stay that way, but I have wanted to come back here and write something for a couple of days now and not even the weekend would provide enough time for that, so I'm using work time for blogging - I think it's a great idea!

I do still love my job and I still like the people I work with, but like with everything else, a look under the hood reveals a couple of holes in the oil can.

Like for instance, my company hasn't really come up with an image for themselves. We supposedly have a done marketing and business plan, but it doesn't seem they know where they want to go with it.
I was hired to run the office in all it's administrative aspects and do a little marketing on the side. I have done 38 hrs of marketing and business development and about 2 hours of admin work each week.
I've been designing business card drafts for a while now, coming up with different messages and styles but there is still no decision because it seems noone wants to be responsible for the final say in "who we are or who do we want to be".
It's a bit nerve wrecking, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I keep incorporating changes but it seems to never end.

Today, I need to hand in our video reel for a fair taking place in march. It's basically 2 minutes of any kind of video material we want to be played in a loop with other companies' videos.
One would think that such a thing exists already OR in our case as we are a new company subsidiary, we would have a graphic designer, animation company or something like that doing the video for us...that would mean someone would have to choose a subcontractor and make a decision on what we want based on who we are and what we want to be to other people.
Any guesses? Yes, correct the video was done by ME. In fact, I'm still trying to make it look ok. It's not that bad given the situation but it's nothing like it should look. Needles to say I'm slightly more than tinkering around and not at all qualified to do this. but being the resident geek will give you assingments you don't want.
I would volunteer to do such final decisions on what we want a video to look like but that would mean that I'd run the company and I don't get paid that much.
but if you think it's bad for a presentation video and a business card if you haven't really come up with a company profile yet, think again.

Next week we need to write a briefing paper for the fair staff, so they know what our company is and what we do...
It gets even better. In two weeks time we need to have - drumroll please - a press kit ready for all the media people who will be there at the fair.
To be honest it's kind of my favorite train wreck to be. I'm looking forward to who it's gonna be the one who writes the damn press kit because sure as hell, it's not gonna be me.

All of this might sound a little ranty. Well, it is but it doesn't do my job justice. There are things I need to vent but most of the time I'm having fun and I like what I'm doing.
I still have to figure out though, why I always end up getting jobs better suited for omnipotent labour wizards. I don't think I have had a job, where I have only (or at least mostly only) done what is in my job description.

The Viennese

I live in Vienna. I don't really like Vienna.
I'm officially Viennese as of yesterday.

I was born in Vienna because my parents are from here. But I grew up outside the city in Lower Austria. I went to school in Vienna, that's how near we lived.
Also it made sense to move back here when gf and I moved in together.
Yesterday, we went to get registered at the place we've been living in for quite some time. Getting registered just means that the state now knows that I live in Vienna and not in my parents home anymore.
So it hit me: I'm Viennese now. Now have something in common with THEM, who are grumpy in the morning, can't drive when it rains, snows or in general, who whine and bitch and moan all the time, who think they're so cool for living in a grey and dusty place.
Then again, nothing changes just because of a piece of paper, does it?

My dream is your fault

A couple of nights ago I dreamt I was pregnant with twins. To be fair - I had talked about having kids that day, so that's where the dream came from, I guess.

So, I was pregnant and it is all well and then I go into labour. The next thing I know is that I'm holding two newborns in hand and catch myself thinking that newly born babies aren't really that cute (wait two weeks and they are the cutest little things you've ever seen).
So then gf comes into the room (where has she been while I was giving birth?) and starts talking about how she feels left out because I had the bonding experience with the pregnancy and that it would be so cool if she could name the boys. I agree and ask her which names she chose: Hotzenplotz and Rübezahl!
(both are characters in books. Hotzenplotz is a bandit of a childrens book by O. Preußler and Rübezahl is the subject of many fairy tales and can be reduced to an ugly giant)

I had this dream a couple of nights back and I know that it was my own mind dreaming but I keep blaming gf for her choice of names for the poor kids every time I get a chance...
Did you ever blame someone else for your dreams?

let's play cops and robbers

My boss called me Tuesday evening to ask me which day of the week the 28th was, because he was without his calender. When I told him it was a Saturday I heard him swear for the first time. I thought it was strange to be upset about this but was wise enough not to ask.
Yesterday, I was minding my own business in my little corner room office, he called me up ten minutes before I left to let me know that he was talking about July and not June and had forgot to mention that and that he would need me that day for a bit longer than my usual office hours and if it would be possible for me to make no plans for that day. I was impressed by him thinking that far into the future (he's usually not planning further than 10 minutes, that's what he has me for) that I said yes without knowing what he really needs. I had an idea what it might be, because a case that we've been working on fitted nicely into that pattern. I was so wrong.
I can't really go into detail because it's highly classified information (wow, doesn't that sound cool?) but he needs me to play the resident Mary Poppins for some people.
I was fighting hard to keep my face straight. I'm not the nurturing type, that's a fact. But I don't know how I could make anyone believe that I was. Plus I may need to get myself a British accent. I obviously wasn't doing a good job at conceiling my amusement because he asked me if I thought his plan sucked. I honestly told him that it was a brilliant plan but that it wasn't so brilliant to make me a nanny. There's quite a bit of money in it for me, though. And I really don't know anyone better for the job itself, if it weren't for the nanny part.

Bottom line: if any one of you has any hints and tips on how to appear like a nanny for two kids age 15 and 17, feel free to fire away and let me know. The kids will of course know that I'm not the nanny, but some other people really need to believe that I am.

living on the dark side of the moon

usually, when a movie starts in Germany, the movie hits the theaters in Austria one day later.
In these cases there is no air date for Austria. none.
They will play this movie in Germany starting May 24th. Let's hope for the best.



They Germans also have an air date for wanted and we don't. Now, this bugs me a little less, but both are movies that I wanted to see on a big screen and not just on my computer at home...so get an air date, dammit.

my 2 cents

I called in sick today. i'm not acutally sick. I'm sickened. I found that counts too.

Thank God it's not my own thesis but yesterday I realized what I should have known one and a half months ago. Mr. Advisor is not qualified to be an advisor.
The Vienna University, where I'm still enrolled because I haven't yet done my last to term papers, one of which is due today (do I really need to mention that I'm not done?) - bach to the point - the Vienna University is a chaotic and unorganized lot of people who usually don't have an idea what they are talking about. I was lucky enough to have found some professors who know their trade and therefore taught me at least a little bit of scientific knowledge.

Mr. A* (insert *dvisor or *sshole here) told the gf that she wouldn't be able to write thesis one and a half months back. fair enough, it seemed undoable. But when the gf came home from the meeting without any real input from A* I should've known something was fishy. I have someone stepping on my toes with every term paper I have to write. that unnerves me but it at least makes me finish the papers sooner or later.
Mr. A* was never heard of again until gf handed in a first version of the thesis last week. Back came the famous e-mail in which he elaborates that it's a little late, isn't it. Hmm. let me think a bit, who set the deadline again?
Well, some hours ago he sent another e-mail claiming he read the thesis and had some things to critisize. I was shocked, literally.
I knew that the University gf went to is organized differently from mine, but her kind of Universities are rumored to be less unprofessional and yet it was possible for that A* to send gf a completely useless piece of shit called feedback. where he claimed that the thesis lacked structrure while his own feedback didn't even have so much as a thread to work by. If I hand in on time I get back my hard copy of the paper with comments, or I get an e-mail sticking to the structure of my paper explaining in the last bit of detail what was problematic and what was good. Not doing the corrections for me, but at least so that I know what the problem was. The mail of Mr. A* was a guessing game, mixing layout with content and much worse stuff too. I read the mail and while gf was shocked because it said that the work wasn't good enough (which I strongly disagree with), I was shocked because of the way it was written. I honestly thought there was some sort of attachment that I hadn't seen yet, something to work with.
Well, acutally I wanted to leave the ranting to the gf but after staying up almost all night to correct the whole thing with her, I have a right to rant too.
And bless my good Dr. P, who's organized ways are valued even more now.

that also means I'll go work on my paper now, so I might even hand it in today or tomorrow.

how do you call absence of stress?

I'm a student. I do have to work most of my time though to afford being a student. So I'm not as much of a student as I'd like to be.
Work usually stresses me out. I thank the gods that I went to a school that actually taught me practial stuff, so I'm better off with the student jobs that I hold in comparison to the usual crappy jobs that students have. Still, work stresses me out. That's because even though I have the cool student jobs, they're still student jobs. And being the resident Veronica Mars is only so much fun.

Today however, work is fun. Because there isn't a single thing to do. I worked my ass off yesterday to shrink the pile of things I have to do and I actually made it. I'm done. Nothing left. Nada. Except for the Austrian Airlines bill on my desk that I don't know what to do about. I'm getting kind of bored (Yes, S, mark the day red in your calender, it happened!)

So, I'm sitting here reading awesome comics (with my fav so far being this strip), watching stand-up comedy and tending to my village. Then I figured gf could send over her thesis so I can start with proof reading (because reading my own research stuff - not gonna happen.) and she did. Holy crap, that thing has 97 pages! And it's not done yet. Oh, the fleeting times of picture books, where have they gone?

Today I met Thomas J. Brown

If I am completely honest I have to say that I hardly ever read his blog, but when I do I enjoy it.
And no, we've never met, but it came quite close to that today.

I was waiting on the tram to arrive and past me walks Elder Thomas J. Brown and his buddy Steven to join me and the other people waiting for the tram to come.
I tried not to but I had to grin - a lot. And Elder Brown taps me on the shoulder and asks me what's so funny.
He was very friendly and understanding after I explained myself, even though in the end I didn't want to join his church.

Sometimes I like coincidences.

blame it on the weatherman...

The sun was out today and I refused to wear my winter jacket to pick up a book from the library. I didn't even feel the slightest chill at all. I then went shopping and everything was fine. I picked up some carnival decorations and when I came home I redecorated the apartment. I'm not exactly a big fan of carnival but I like that it's colorful and since I'm doomed because of my papers I thought I might as well have a cheerful apartment.
As soon as I had finished and started to get ready for studying the weather changed. The sun was gone and the sky was one thick blanket of yellowish gray and a couple of seconds after I turned on my laptop it started hailing.
Do you believe in coincidences? Does the weather reflect my mood? Did I cause the weather to change?...very freaky.
But at least the apartment is all colorful now...

'nuff said

a couple of numbers to be amazed by.

cleaning up with feminism

I do consider myself a feminist. not radical or activist, but a women with a sense for the feminist cause.
I don't support role clichés and I don't like the inequality that still exists between men and women, and so on and so forth...

Yesterday, I got a vacuum cleaner for my birthday. I asked for one, so it's not the typical "I-give-that-woman-a-household-device-for-her-birthday" kind of thing. BUT...the whole evening I was crazily happy about having a new vac-cleaner and finally being able to throw the old one out. I became my great grandmother's grandmom! I put the whole thing together like a child builds a house with LEGO and was happy as a clam when the thing worked and acutally sucked in the dirt instead of spreading it throughout the apartment, like my old and broken one does. I felt horribly like a TV ad of the 40ies or 50ies.

Then I figured, feminists have to clean too!

Purzeltag

it's a fairly good day. I could leave work a bit early, the bunnies aren't feeding on the card board boundary of their enclosure, and the speakers surround me with a nice and happy melody.
It's one of those non-particular days where nothing in particular happens and non-particular people are smiling at the few rays of light and freezing their ears off because they refuse to wear hats in the cold but sunny weather.
Everything was on average, the exception proves the rule. The exception being my phone that seemed to be ringing constantly. But since I have very bad reception in my office and not having time at all I didn't pick up and grew more unnerved with every caller wondering what they want.
then someone texted me instead of calling and I took the time to have look. It was my little sis, wishing me a happy birthday.

Talk about oblivion. I guess that's what happens to people who never had anyone explain to them why the passing of time needs to be celebrated. I like my presents though.

opening hours

surfing the net I just found this:
the uppers sign says "Republic of Austria" and below it reads "open from 6 a.m to 9 p.m"
I love these kind of things.

crayon philosophy

After I saw shazza's green crayon I wanted to take the test too - and be a red one, but...

You Are a Green Crayon

Your world is colored in harmonious, peaceful, natural colors. While some may associate green with money, you are one of the least materialistic people around. Comfort is important to you. You like to feel as relaxed as possible - and you try to make others feel at ease. You're very happy with who you are, and it certainly shows! Your color wheel opposite is red. Every time you feel grounded, a red person does their best to shake you.

What Color Crayon Are You?

what do you say now?

globalisation?

being a student of political science, which belongs to the big family of social sciences I am aware that globalisation is something worth fighting against. Now, more than ever!
I didn't have an epiphany while watching the news with all those hungry kids in africa on, I didn't see oppressed indigenous people fighting their government in latin america, no, none of that.
I tried ordering exes and oh's on iTunes.
we saw the pilot and the show is not the best we've ever seen but it's nice entertainment. after giving it some thought I went to order it via iTunes. I couldn't find it in Austria's iTunes store so I went to the US one...I can go there, but I can't order there...laws, regulations and what not forbid that I order exes and oh's on iTunes, or Amazon for that matter, how lame is that. Why does everyone keep complaining about how the world is growing into one big market place for global players when it's simply not true!
I hate being in Austria. Ok, maybe the US is a third world country concerning social issues but when it all comes down to economy Austria is still in the middle ages.

I know I shouldn't be so cynical, after all I'm talking about peoples lives here, but I'm so pisses with amazon and apple right now, I can't rant any other way.
I never found the switch for my cynical side to shut down.

I have to admit though, that I found a way of buying at iTunes US. I have to open an American account for an American address with an American bank, get myself some sort of credit card issued to that account and then I'm an iTunes US citizen.

Crap.

problems are cowards...

...they always come in a crowd.

first, our electric bread cutter pushed up the daisies, was autopsied and is now gone.
second, the emergency operation on our toaster was successless.
now, our heating is not working anymore. we've had a couple of problems with it over the summer, but we thought we'd had some time still to get a new one in time.
Saturday night we were taught that it's now a rather pressing matter and I now wish we would live in Russia, where you just get a new heating and don't have to bother with regulations and stuff.

I hate it when that happens. everything at once.

well, at least mom is visiting tomorrow noon. any suggestions for a nice but quick dish that is not much work and vegetarian?

Adieu Lazy.

After an all time low of one whole month I'm back to training. I thought of starting with a light work out again and stranded on that cross ramp for a whole hour...And do you know how many calories I burnt there...
the equivalent of one Milchschnitte. that's nothing!! Why did I even bother?
But then again it feels good to be moving again. Goodbye to Lazy.