the political dilemma is slowly kicking in

so I'm at my parents' place in Lower Austria enjoying the fresh air and the quietude. Also I managed to master twitter and successfully use my account (feel free to follow me!).

Earlier today, I joined my grandmother watching TV. There was this political debate thing going on. The head of the Green party was facing the head of the social democrats. I'm telling you, I've never seen such ignorance and pseudo-intellectual discussion that my head started spinning.
They were talking about "non-issues" in such detail that I wanted to scream at the TV.
These people are supposed to run our country. These people want my vote come September 28th - I really have no idea what to do.

Petition for cool nights

If you by any chance were wondering were global warming went - it's here!
It's the end of May and it's normal be hot by now. But I still believe in a cold night breeze (call me old fashioned) and when I can't get that plus feeling all sticky and sweaty all day at work (no we don't have air conditioning) then...grrr. I'm all for a little heat in summer and in between the sheets but I don't appreciate the night not doing it's fricking job to cool off the air.

end of rant in 5...4...3...

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 week, so far

As I left for work this morning gf claimed that I look unhappy and that she wants me to cheer up because she'll start worrying about me if I don't cheer up any time soon.
I told her that I didn't sleep well and that that's probably the reason, nothing to worry about.

On my way to work I started thinking and concluded that my week so far was pretty bad and maybe that's why I'm not all chipper.

Ironically, Monday was a good day. I left work on time and got myself a snake board.
Tuesday, I forgot my little sisters birthday. Well, I didn't forget it, really. In the morning I thought of it but I don't like texting in general and much less if it's a happy birthday text, it's not personal enough. So I thought of calling her later when she leaves school. Naturally, I got caught up in stuff I needed to write for Uni and completely forgot to call. So at around 10 or so she sent me a text to ask if I had forgotten. I called her back and apologized and she wasn't mad at all, but I still felt very bad about it. She turned 18.
Wednesday, I had to wait 45 (!!!) minutes for the bus to come. Luckily, I was only 5 minutes late for work but even that is too much for a punctual person like me. Also, the bus schedule was fucked up for the last three weeks already so I called and asked and even though the person on the phone was a real sweety it didn't lift my mood. I thought to myself that at least I'd be able to leave work on time. Ha! I didn't. I stayed an hour longer than I wanted to and came home beat.
I didn't sleep well last night, god knows why and so today - although it's a sunny and so far ok day - kind of pisses me off too.

I HATE it when I am that way. I am a fairly balanced person usually, but when at some point I somehow fall out of balance it takes me forever to get back...Does anyone have a suggestion on how to stop this mood of mine?

the ruler of...

since my last day at work was thursday and it's now wednesday, you can probably imagine how my desk looks and how I don't get anything done because my phone is ringing at all times...well, it made me wish myself on a star and then I had a look at shazza's blog and found the perfect quiz for me. Thanks shazza!
Here's the result:
I should rule Mercury!

Close to sun, Mercury has very long days - and is rarely visible to the rest of the solar system.



You are perfect to rule Mercury, because you live for the present - and can truly enjoy a day that goes on forever.

Like Mercury, you are quick and elusive. Your wit is outstanding, and you can win any verbal sparring match.



Some people see you as superficial, but in truth, you just play many roles and have many interests.

A great manipulator, you usually get what you want from people. And they're happy to give it to you.

What Planet Should You Rule?

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.

NEED HELP!

originally, I wanted to let you know that I heard the birds chirping this morning and that I love how that is a sign that it's gonna be warmer soon. I wanted to let you know how much I used to like the cold and how it all changed to hating it and yet still hating the heat of summer...

but then my computer went nuts on me again and I might have to buy a new hard drive if it keeps doing that. It's not that I can't afford the money to buy me that thing, it's just that I don't want to. The laptop is not brand new but it's DEFINITELY not old enough to go all crazy and kaputt just now.
So now I'm trying to find out if I just should order a new HD and hope for the best, which would take 2 or 3 days to order it and a trip to the store and have it changed. With that I might be taking the chance that the technician who repaired my laptop a couple of days ago wasn't right and it isn't the HD (although to me it looks like it is, too)
The other possibility is to send it in. This will cost some money for sure and they also will hopefully find the problem and be able to repair it (even if it is just changing the HD). Also, this will take up about 2 weeks in which I would have to work on our wacko desktop computer that we use for downloading only (and for a reason), which will make me even more grumpy than I am right now...

I could really use some input on that matter as I'm pretty insecure about what to do. Risking the repair of a component that might not be the evil-doer but saving time if it is or giving it time and maybe more money than option 1 but having it repaired for sure.

Random rant # 1

Dear Dr. P.,

Thank you for suffering from the usually extraordinarily annoying habit of underlining the important parts of a book with pencil. It comes in so handy when reading these books of yours, because it seems I'm always looking for the same answers that you were when reading your books.
It makes my life so much easier not actually having to read all the stuff in the book and being able to skip the unimportant pages. Thank you again!

Dear everyone else,

stop underlining random words in books that are not your own and that are of no value to me! It irritates me and everyone else who reads the book after you! I hate you.

the mystery form of Brussels

imagine that:
You're at work, you mind your own business, typing peacefully. The dull work makes you a bit unnerved but other than that nothing happens. Then, the telephone rings. It's your boss.
He asks if you could do him the favor of finding something online.
"Just google "form" and "brussels", and you'll find the form I need. if you have it could you fax it to the bank. I'm at the _insert bank name here_, just fax the form through."

That's what happened to me today. Does my boss seriously think that if I type in those things I will find him a form that is called A4 and provided by some part of the way to bueaucratized EU by googling brussels and form? Does he seriously think that I KNOW what he is talking about when he says, "you know the one form that Prof. _insert name here_ said was at the homepage of Brussles"
Brussels obviously is his synonym for EU.
I'm talking about my boss, who has worked his ass off all his life to be where he is now, a rich and ignorant white guy who can make everything happen to his favor, because he knows the right people.
But seriously, seriously! What was he thinking with that one?
Later he described the form to me (reading, was he holding it in his hands I wonder?) "This says, form A4 and on the bottom of the page it is marked 101".
WTF???

I still don't know which form they actually needed there at the bank.

time warp

last week I wanted to transmit an excuse note to a judge. the matter was urgent because the trial was set an hour later. I called and asked if they could tell the judge that our employee was not gonna come because he had a funeral to go to. the impolite jerk clerk on the other side of the phone line told me that they were no messenger service and that I should fax them the excuse note. I wanted to ask him if he was the messenger boy that would deliver my fax to the judge and were the difference was. I bit my tongue, thinking that I don't want him angry because it was one hour before the trial and everything sort of short notice and an angry judge is not favorable for our cause...anyway, so he give me a number to fax it to and hangs up.

I do as told and try to fax through the stupid note. and fail a couple of times. So I call again and ask him for an e-mail address instead. He tells me that they don't use e-mail and I'm like "how do you mean you don't use e-mail?" the clerk feels offended by my obvious astonishment of his technical ignorance and tells me to fax the thing and to hurry because the trial is in half an hour already. (thanks for noticing) So I go on and ask him for another fax number because this one is obviously so busy that my note can't get through. and he has the nerve to tell me that there is no other and that it was my problem if I didn't know of the funeral earlier...
to make a long story short. it took ages, but i finally faxed the note...we're talking about an Austrian court house here...

fast forward to the age of technology. I haven't done it yet for this paper but I have in the past and I know how this works. I call Statistics Austria and say I need material about this and that and the person on the phone line (who is always polite and friendly) asks a bit further so s/he can help me a bit better. The person writes down my phone number, just in case. and about 15 minutes later I have an e-mail with the exact data that I need including a call back number in case I need something more or different or whatever...and all for no money at all.
I could also download it from the website but I usually can't find anything there and knowing about their service I'm too lazy to do the search myself. They are obviously faster than I am...

how is it possible that two state institutions are technically apart by what seems centuries?

'nuff said

a couple of numbers to be amazed by.

can someone kick my ass please!

somehow I can't get anything done. I have less and less time to do all my work for university and yet I went to work today (on my day off!) and spent more hours there than I would on a normal work day. yay.

and now all I seem to be able to do is procrastinate.
the library seems to have swallowed my gf and I'm all alone with a bunch of mad bunnies who seem to have some conspiracy going on. every time I sit down to actually start working they do something they shouldn't. Like bail.
I love them. but today they are YOUR bunnies, McC!

I never had such a hard time getting into gear for writing a couple of stupid papers. but I feel like a neanderthal hacking at my computer perchance to make fire or something...anyone wanna write my papers?

how come good ideas never come when the time is right?

everytime I should do something important like write two papers in four weeks, study for an exam during the same four weeks and do two presentation in exactly the same four weeks, I get creative. Stuff just comes out of nowhere and hits me. I have this idea and wouldn't it be so cool to actually do that? and I have the next idea and so an so forth and every single one of them seems so much more interesting than what I actually have to do. and the closer the deadline comes the more ideas I have and the more panic my face is stricken with...I hate these kind of things. when I have time on my hand this absolutely never happens...

ill gimmick geek

I haven't been blogging much lately. Part of that has to do with my lack of motivation, part of that derives from my being ill. I can't seem to shake that stupid cold and keep blowing my nose and coughing my lungs out. By now my nose (and the skin around it) feels kind of like butterfly wings and my lungs feel like they're gonna explode soon. I'm taking my meds but I'm a little fed up with the whole thing...juuuuust a little bit. I'll have to live with my weakness attacks until the end of january I guess, that's when university is over. yay! [end of rant]

the cool thing is though, my old cell phone is about to die and so I got myself a new one that is so much cooler. you know that I'm a gimmick geek and that cell is just the kind of toy I like. watching tv, reading my mails, listening to the radio and playing some sort of snowboarding game. it also has this cool trackID thing where you let the phone record a cut from any song on the radio or elsewhere and it'll tell you which one it is...very cool.
I love my phone...

gadget geek

and today is day 2 of having fun with gps-tracking systems.
I'm a gadget geek. give me some sort of electronic toy and I'll hook it up blind and with my left hand tied to my back (I'm left handed, that's why).

Yesterday, I had to learn though, that there are devices that are practical in theory but so fucked up that they don't work as simple as they should. it took me 6 (!) hours at work to hook up one fucking tracking device. It was one rare occasion where I was willing to read the manual; the only problem with that was, that it was partly in thai. great.
so kind of blinded by language troubles I fumbled around, rewired the thing and stuck it back together. now it works. When I came in this morning I thought were just gonna test it, which we did and was great fun (we stuck the tracker on a police car :)
Then Mr. Boss decided that I should hook up the other tracking devices too...Now, I'm sitting here and I'm done with the devices that are just the same like the one I re-wired yesterday but now I figured we also have another kind. and to make this even more fun: it's from the same company but it's totally different. grmpf.

so I'm back to square one, figuring out what to do with that stupid thing. I really wished that throwing it around the room would help.

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!

christmas meme

LG and Shazza both had it on their blog and with nothing really happening to blog about, I thought about taking on this meme. Everyone who knows me that I'm not the biggest fan of christmas and try to avoid the fuss that is made...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Neither. Even as a child I would use newspaper pages to wrap the gifts and I was pissed as hell if my own presents weren't wrapped in newspaper as well. I don't like supporting the whole useless business of wrapping something in paper and then throwing it out. Too green for that.

2. Real tree or artificial? I love real trees...My parents switched to a fake one a couple of years before I moved out. Before that we always had big real trees that smelled like it. One year we had one in a pot and planted it in our garden. then the artificial one came and I do see why my parents went for it but I can assure you they really don't make more or less mess than real ones. in fact the one gf and I had last year made no mess at all and as surprised as we were there were no needles under it even two weeks after christmas!

3. When do you put up the tree? on christmas day, very traditional.

4. When do you take the tree down? Jan 6th. also very traditional.

5. Do you like eggnog? not so much, but a sip or two is ok.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I was spoiled with gifts but my LEGO was probably my fav. or my snowboard (although I wasn't a child then anymore) or my first pair of skis or my mini-car racing track,...I was spoiled.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? My parents have one, but gf and I don't. I don't put much thought into it though.

8. Hardest person to buy for? I'm not good with presents. although I have a complete list this year. I don't know how, really but somehow the ideas just came to me.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Usually mom or my little sis.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? neither. I don't like them via mail because it's another thing that just goes into the trash and via mail they just fill up my inbox. so no thanks. call if you will please.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? most probably something one of my grans got me without asking my parents or me first if I even like that...probably music or clothes.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? gf convinced me to watch "love actually" every year. it's very sweet movie.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? As early as I can, which usually is too late because of my lack of gift idea skills.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't remember. so I guess not.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Vanillekipferl. google for yourself.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I'd never in a million years use colored ones.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Have yourself a merry little christmas. I love the Tori amos version very much. it has that sort of sadness to it that would reflect my christmas mood so well.

17b. Christmas Song That, When You Hear It, Makes Your Eyes Bleed And Your Brains Start To Leak Out Your Ears, Because That Is Less Painful Than Having To Listen To That *&%^&$# Song One More Time! That would be Wham! - Last Christmas. I do so hate the song that I get aggressive when hearing it. even if I am in a shop and can't properly hear it and it works its way into my subconscious being...grrrrr.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I would like to stay at home but that wouldn't work out with my parents and grandparents and also not with the in-laws...

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeers? I know blitzen and rudolph. but then again it's an american thing to watch christmas movies when it's not even cold and put up lights that use more power than the local hospital...Did I mention that I like my christmas without all the fuss?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? none. before my dad broke it we used to have some sort of pointy tree top thingy that I don't know how to describe. them mom went and bought the most tasteless angel I've ever seen. but she's a bit kitchy that time of the year.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? traditionally on christmas eve. but gf and I tried to adapt that whole business of opening presents in the morning. so we celebrate with our parents on christmas eve and open the presents there and the next morning we open the presents that we have for each other.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? the way people think they need to buy everything they find and the way christmas becomes the most expensive, wasteful and hectic time of the year.

24. Favorite Christmas Tradition? I don't know really. probably the whole dinner thing but I wouldn't say that I enjoyed that a lot except for the last 2 years.

25. Outdoor decorations? No.

Now, if you want you can go ahead and do the thing yourself. I won't tag anyone...

the socialists' lament - a rant

gf and I went to a concert today. we're in vienna, in one of the most prestigious and pretentious buildings the city has to offer. The Musikverein. gf's mom is playing in this orchestra and they played Grieg and Carmina Burana. I like the Scandinavians, so Grieg wasn't a problem. Carmina Burana is ok in the beginning and in the end, but I'd be ok with cutting out the middle part. Carmina Burana in 15 min - my ideal.
We sometimes go see gf's mom, and we're both not the biggest fans of classical music but today's music was ok.

I have a "problem" with the audience and the environment usually. First off, they had a fence on the edge of the stage. I wasn't sure if it was to keep the musicians from falling down or to make it clear to the audience that they are "just down there". After all, the musicians sit; unless one of them has a seizure they CAN'T fall off the stage!
The room is all golden and really pretentious, but only for people without legs, because I have the shortest legs, and my knees would hurt from crashing with the front seat...

So, apart from listening to ok music in a building I find ugly I really don't get the people there.
None, and I mean NONE of these people there smiled at one point. They didn't have fun at all in there. Why do they go? because it is so beautiful. Serious music. "we don't listen to music to be entertained". bottom line: they don't have fun.
during the middle part of carmina burana - the one that I found so boring - I could see people shift in their seats, keeping straight faces to appear as if they were taking serious what happens down there. they all have sticks up their ass and the nerve to suit up on sunday morning. I don't get them.

why do people like the pathos of all this? why do people like to listen to the same thing over and over again for centuries and not change a single thing? why can rock bands incorporate a bach sonata but a symphony orchestra hardly ever play korn?
why is there no real variation? no wonder they were all bored to death.
I hate their arrogance, their elitist thinking.
the musicians thinking they are better than the rest because they are up on that pedestal and ALL these people came to see them. and the audience thinking how good they are being there listening to all this great music and really being a part of the upper crust.

I'm gonna stop this rant now. I think you get my point.
Sorry to come back from hiatus with a rant, but I felt like it.
btw, I met the deadline and my paper was handed in just in time to be accepted for grading. YAY!

song of the day: ani d. - grey

yes, it snows. it's mid-november and it snows. it's not that unusual to happen - a couple of years back. We didn't have snowy winters the last few years thanks to global warming.
this year it seems global warming was turned off, because not only did it snow it also didn't melt away instantly.
I took a couple of pictures out of the living room window and put it into my flickr account. here's one of them.

I love snow - to snowboard, to build snowmans, to throw snowballs at the other kids...BUT, I hate snow in the city. it always turns into this grey to black-ish color dirty cold mass or it just half-way melts away and when cars drive by they spray you with wet, dirty mud that once was snow. Also public transport isn't able to be on time for a couple of days and I don't even wanna start ranting about all the car owners who pretend never to have heard of snow and drive like it. also it usually hits them that summer tires might not be appropriate anymore the very first morning they see it snows, but who has the kind of time to change tires...!?...and they drive like that until the snow goes away, it seems.
I know this is an utter pessimistic view on snow in the city but hailing from a rather rural area and having spent all my childhood holidays in a region that still uses oil stoves to heat up their houses, I just can't get over the fact that people here in the city like their snow experience.
I'm used to walk knee deep through the snow to get to the next house because snow plows would only be used on the main roads. I'm used to building snowmans and having snowball fights where we would be wet only afterwards and not dirty and wet. I'm used to picking up a hand full of snow when thirsty and "drinking" snow that actually tastes like fresh spring water and not like pollution and unhealthy.
I know I sound like the next environmentalist here, but I miss those days. Maybe because I was a child back then, but I don't believe it's the only reason.
the house I spent my childhood holidays in was torn down (that story is too long for now) but this is actually not too far away and the only picture I could find that was half-way decent was this one.

I have to say thought, that gf brought me a snowball when she came home from getting breakfast...isn't she cute? I put the snowball into the freezing compartment in our fridge that sadly isn't freezing fast enough for the snow not to melt, so I took a picture and then let it melt in the sink...

for a more positive view on city snow try gf's blog...she hasn't yet, but I assume that she will blog about the first snow too...

Attention: pop culture reference

When I took this job last year in August, I thought I'm gonna be the next Veronica Mars. Given the job description my idea wasn't so far off...on some days I feel more like an assistant to a PI than anything else. BUT...

Now, after a little more than a year, I realise I'm more of a Donna Moss. Not that this bugs me or anything. I guess I like Donna more than Veronica but the first clearly has the harder job. Basically, I'm paid for thinking for a whole bunch of people. Mostly I think for my own boss, organising his whole damn company but usually there are a few other people I have to think for because their own assistants are not qualified to do the job or simply won't do it.

At least today, Mr. Boss is out of the office...