The cockroach thing. And something a little nicer too.

Have received a rather chilling description of seven to nine centimetre cockroaches in South Africa which at night, while you’re asleep, aim for moist areas such as your mouth… and since they go really flat when you step on them you have to add a bit of ’scrunch’ to kill and hope to succeed. A [...]

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The cockroach walk

I just don’t get it.
“News staff sacked after insect invasion
Turkmenistan President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov fired 30 employees of the main state television channel after a cockroach crawled across the studio desk during the 9pm news programme, Vatan, the news website Kronika Turkmenistan reported on 21 February.”
After reading about this in both Index on Censorship and The [...]

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Let this be a lesson

It is not a good idea to organise a belated Burns Night on a Sunday. There is alcohol involved. Including in the haggis.
I’ve spent all day trying to feel better, I’ve even been desperate enough to drink HERBAL TEA.

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Looking forward to some top-notch misery

Got this wonderful e-mail from Tina today:
“Hiya,
How are you doing? Well, I sort of know, thanks to your wonderful blog, but I’ve become so f****ing British I can’t start an email without asking that.
Where was I? Oh yes, complimenting you on the blog, it’s great! Haven’t really had a chance to keep up with it [...]

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Might as well pass this on as it makes me laugh, and that can only be a good thing

Just rediscovered this ‘Letter to America’ on this blog. It’s been going around for several years now, but it’s still worth passing on as it contains a number of — uhm — truths, shall we say?
“Dear Citizens of America,
In view of your failure to elect a competent President and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby [...]

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A little nothing about something in Vienna

My walk to work goes across the Naschmarkt, and this is the exact point where I cross each morning. I don’t come back the same route. Don’t know why. Maybe there’s something wrong with me. You can tell the picture was taken in the morning as there’s daylight in it.

I am bored with winter, but [...]

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Wanna see my stamp collection?

The lamest pick-up line in history. But — I just love the fact that there is still a place for stamps and that we get them regularly here at work. Aren’t these just lovely? I must admit I find the ones from Bosnia Hercegovina a real treat. Look closely. You have the pretty ones with [...]

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Cancerous display case

As an ex-smoker I can’t wait for the smoking ban in Europe to come into full force. Here’s a good start, from Frankfurt airport:

All credit to them! The first time I saw one of these it was packed full of people and absolutely cloudy with grey smoke. Apparently they have these huge extractor fans in [...]

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Titulation*

One specific Austrian idiosyncrasy that has always made me tilt my head in wonder is this insistence on the use of titles. Even if you haven’t earned your own title via higher education, you can adopt your partner’s titles as part of your titulation on the entry into marriage. It’s marvellous! ‘Frau Professor Doktor…’! Does [...]

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Figure that

I went to the première of Donkey’s Years at Vienna English Theatre last night. Went straight from work as I didn’t quite have the time to go home first so got there nice and early. Comfortably early to hit the bar for a well-deserved glass of red wine.
I was not the first; a good-looking elderly [...]

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