I always think of funny bloggy-things when I’m nowhere near a computer. Then I finally take a break from work and allow myself the pleasure of doing my own computer thingy during my lunch break or after hours before going to my German class — and find that my mind has entered that thing called Empty Space. So perhaps wandering down to Naschmarkt to inhale all the wonderful food-smells there + the seasonal scent of pine trees from all the Christmas trees, would be a better idea than continue to sit here and stare at this screen which craves a TITLE and something soulful and/or entertaining in the bigger box underneath.
But with the state of my empty head, all I can think of is — in a couple of days I’m going to Norway to see my mum and dad! Whoopeee! It’s idiotic, really. I’m supposed to be a grown woman (don’t let the size deceive you), and I honestly thought that homesickness was something one left behind at, say, the age of 10 or 12 or so.
But that’s not the only thing that’s been on my mind today. I’ve thought about the two money plants on my office desk which both need re-potting. Then that today is freezing cold. My left shoulder really hurts. Telekom has still not got their bleedin’ act together to give me an appointment. And UPS has still not found the parcel they were supposed to deliver from Hong Kong — how on earth do you go about losing a parcel that weighs 23 kg?? According to their tracking list it arrived in Vienna on the 30 November and has not been seen or heard of since.
My bum hurts — I’ve been sitting too long today. Kevin looked exhausted when I saw him earlier; we were going to do that thing they refer to as ‘Meldung’ which is a big-brother type thing all people residing in Austria is required to do each time they move. Of course they wouldn’t let us as our forms didn’t have the requisite stamp from the Hausverwalter. Next time they’ll tell us the stamp should be round, not square or something like that. And we have to prove that we’re married each time, which I’m not sure how to do in public. Poor Kevin really did look exhausted, but at least they’d had their last student performance today which is a bit of a relief to us all. They’ve been having 2-3 performances each day, and Kevin writes teasers for bwin.com in addition, so he leaves at 8ish in the morning and comes home around ten at night. Really, can you imagine being Scrooge 3 times a day and then try to write something catchy about sports? No?
We’re going to IKEA tomorrow. That will be fun. In the Christmas throng. To find out if we can manage to carry the bed frame I found the last time I was there. Because taking Cleo is not an option; we have no winter tyres. And it is decidedly winter here now. Gosh, what an impractical buy she was! And continues to be. But she is gorgeous. A bit like me that way. Useless, but cute.
And now —– now my mind is even emptier than before. I think I’d better go home. And watch wonderful Austrian dubbed TV, because that’s just such a great finish to the week. Hugh Laurie as a German, limping around a hospital in the US somewhere. It’s just that he doesn’t really sound like himself. That’s all. Really. OK, so I don’t mean that. The really irritating thing(s) about dubbing is that there seems to be a VERY limited number of actors who have the franchise on it and when you have no more than 5 actors to choose from, ER and Grey’s Anatomy and others with more than 5 characters get really confusing to follow. And then there’s that thing about how ‘no’ in no way resembles the look of the word ‘nein’, or most of the other words they use. What’s wrong with subtitles, I ask? Or is it perhaps part of a greater plan to Control The People of Austria? Don’t make them read subtitles ’cause it makes them read really fast, and fast readers are a notoriously difficult to deal with, as we all know, and hearing what another language actually sounds like is soooo bad for them! They might end up speaking it and all! And get the right stamp for the Meldezettel, or else!
And one more thing — how do you use these things?:
MidgetViking 