Meme-time!

… happiness? Somehow it takes so little, yet describing it is hard.

…. pain?
It’s part of our life, sometimes it’s just the prize we have to pay. It’s human to want to avoid it, but one should not overrate (=fear) it.

… fear?
We’d be gods if we didn’t know it. Not a good thing to feel.

….music?
Sometimes I think our lives should have background-music. The simplest conversation would turn into a soap-opera/social-drama/love-movie if it only had the right, sentimental music.

Do you like being alone?
Absolutely not. I mean, for a few hours it’s fine with me (I get my work done this way). But I don’t like being alone. Being alone is not good for humans (human: zoon politikon *shows off*). People who are often alone are hardly ever happy, hardly ever sane.

Do you like being in huge groups?
Depends on the defintion of „huge“ and the circumstances. 10 persons I know are okay. 20 persons led by me (like teaching stuff, moderating or showing the way) are okay. But mingling with 40 persons at a party – no, not me.

- meme developed by L. –

food-meme

What’s your favorite dish?
Maybe pasta and salad. I like most things but I would not want to eat anything more than 2x a week.

Your least favorite dish?
I eat everything. I don’t like horse-meat (I’m very fond of horses, they are so noble and strong. Eating them is like eating something a bit holy…) but I even ate that at a universitarian invitation because I didn’t want to offend the (Veronese) professor who chose this special Veronese dish.

…dessert?
Coffee and a small piece of chocolate cake. In winter: vanilla kipferl.

Decoration for table?
We usually have colorful paper-napkins, a jug of water, salad, salt and pepper on the table when we serve food. Real decoration just does not work out with small kids.

What is essential for a good meal?
Time and good company. I like the combination of talking and eating.

Are you a good cook?
Yes. I can’t bake very well, though.

- meme developed by L. –

C.

This is my little girl.

At the moment she has achieved the following:
- knowledge of how to put Lego ™ together
- knowledge of how to open a box of milk (and spill it all over the table)
- knowledge of how to stand with her fists raised like karate-kid
- knowledge of how to use a fork all by herself
-knowledge of how to kick a soccer-ball

Very often she pretends to read, mumbling syllables with her little head bent over a book. She can also say a few words. („Crocodile“, „cat“, „no“, „yes“, „anti-social“, „banana“, „I“, „shoes“, „good-bye“, „thank you“. And of course, „mama“).

3 months passed since taekwondo and I last met

Did I mention before that I greatly miss taekwondo?
I miss the people: the children and their strange, dance-like combinations cut-off by sudden snickering, the men exchanging their serious glances, the trainer laughing his ass off about his own joke.
I miss the refreshed or exhausted feeling after training, I miss this sudden clearness in thought that only comes from hard work-out, I miss this feeling of total control over my body (Did you know that it takes only one third of the time it has taken you to build up the strenght to lose it again? Well, it is so.).
I miss sparring. (*hehe* and watching it… youtube just can’t catch the spirit.) This rush of adrenaline, this sense of danger without being in any actually, this surprise that muscle does not matter as much as brain after all – and the knowledge of moving much faster than our boys (tiny little women just move faster than musculus men).
If I had more time I’d probably start to write kung-fu-novels to compensate.

Not grown up twens

They really are top on my pissing-me-of-list.

Of age, usually with nice background (parents with a little money, willing to share it with them; nice enough education; blessed with below-average looks and intelligence), and a self-perception that goes like „I am an infant. Daddy cares for me but I would so much like to do it myself.“

I was always astounded to meet such ideas in otherwise very clever, educated people. They know how to pass difficult exams, how to drive a car, how to tell a good opera from a bad one – but they let their parents choose theire way of life (like where to live, what to study, what jobs to take ) even though they claim to want to live it their own way. These unhappy suckers who always wanted to dance and were forced to do law-studies instead (they will tell you every time you meet them how terrible this is). Their faith is cruel. They are the victims of their parent’s unjust choices to make them lead the law-firm.
Yeah, I don’t really feel sorry for them. I mean, if they really want to do their own thing, why don’t they do it? Why do they not rebell? Because it is so inconvenient. Well, folks, then this was your decision.
I think you can choose to take the path appointed to you, or you can go your own way. Both choices deserve my respect. But doing what daddy says and always crying about not being able (able! Boy, are you in chains or what?) to doing his own thing – is he a man or a mouse?

For me, being mature means taking one’s own decisions and having the willingness to face the consequences.
In my eyes it can be good to accept a friend’s suggestion, to follow a father’s order, to fulfill another person’s will. The important thing is the element of choice. If bending your will to your dad’s is what you want (p.e. by considering that it is not so bad and that you have no plan anyway) – so be it. I really think it is okay (oh, I would love to have a dad willing to hand me his law-firm by the way).
But doing what daddy says and crying that you have no other choice- jeez! These are the words of a boy (and a rather small, stupid kind of boy) not of a man.

I have met this strange idea of being imprisoned by surroundings in so many people. Especially in women, but also in men. And always intelligent upper-middle-class people. And I really do not understand it. It’s like hating the golden cage around you without realizing that the door is open anyway.

Zivilrechtliche Ansprüche und sonstige Katastrophen

Ich bin mit dem österreichischem Recht durchaus vertraut, habe dies studiert, verstanden und erfreut durchschaut.

Nur, die Praxis (und damit meine ich meine Praxis) funktioniert anders. Ich bringe es nicht übers Herz, meiner Putzfrau, die den Staubsauger mittels Kastanieneinsaugung ruiniert hat, „Schadenersatz“ an den Kopf zu werfen und compensando ihren Werklohn einzustreichen.
Ich weiß, dass ein alter Bescheid durch einen neuen in der selben Sache aufgehoben wird und dennoch lasse ich mich von einer Beamtin dazu auffordern, den alten herzubringen, dass nicht „zwei Bescheide existieren“.
Und bei all den Dingen, die mir mit gekauftem Zeug passieren, bitte (bitten. Nicht fordern) ich, dass das misslungenge/kaputte Zeug ausgetauscht wird, anstatt den Erfüllungsgehilfen-Angestellten zu sagen, dass sie das besser plötzlich machen weil das ihre verdammte vertragliche Pflicht ist. Warum? Weil ich sonst mehrere Stunden damit verbringe, dass sie schluchzend den Filialleiter holen müssen und der erzählt mir dann, dass „die Firma des auf Kullanz mocht“ (Nicht: dass das Unternehmen, das das vertraglich geschuldete nicht lieferte , eine Verbesserung vornimmt).

Grml. Ich hasse es, wenn Sachen schief gehen, und wenn die „Verantwortlichen“ (oder jene, die greifbar sind, und bei erster Gelegenheit schreien „Ich bin ja nur angestellt/dumm/klein/schwach“ oder „Ich hab’s nicht gewollt!Drum kann ich ja nicht ersatzpflichtig sein“) dann nicht von selbst dafür einstehen. Ich finde, dass Leute von selbst ihrer Pflicht nachkommen sollen. Und zwar mit Bedauern über ihr Versagen, und mit Selbstverständlichkeit. Und keinesfalls so, als wäre es ihr netter Einfall.

Noch mehr hasse ich es, wenn Leute so tun, als gehe sie ihr scheußliches Verbrechen nichts an. („Na, do bin i ned zuständig“/ „Ja, das Rad was kaputt ist gehört ja dir, da musst auch du’s reparieren, weißt“)

… ich weiß auch nicht. Vielleicht sollte ich die Anwaltslizenz machen und diese kleinen Dinge gerichtlich erledigen, für Eigenvertretung 120 Euro pro Gerichts-Briefchen berechnen und mir ins Fäustchen lachen, weil sie mir nicht gleich gegeben haben, wozu sie verpflichtet sind.

Ich habe immer davon geträumt, (im juristischen Sinnbild gesprochen) Drachen zu bekämpfen. Mittlerweile sinniere ich drüber, ob ich nicht erst mal die Mücken fertig machen sollte. Diese kleine Pisser, die, nur um einen zu nerven, ihre Pflichten leugnen.

1. Last movie you saw in a theater?

“Michael Clayton”.

2. What book are you reading?
I just finished a short book about the 19th century potato blight in Ireland.

3. Favorite board game?
DKT (Monopoly).

4. Favorite magazine?

….I’d so greatly like to name any magazine published by friends of mine, but so far they are always only talking about their ingenious plan to make their own magazine. So, none yet.


5. Favorite smells?

Freshly fallen snow. Forest. The smell just after a summer rain. Angelo the cat’s fur. Chloride from the swimming pool. “Blush” by Marc Jacobs.

6. Favorite sounds?

Rain falling on leaves. The silence of expectation or of a child concentrating on something. A’s voice. Church bells. The sound of a fight between sportsmen (real fights give me the creeps).
7. Worst feeling in the world?
…. I guess one will know when one is feeling it.

8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?

Can the cat, please, leave it's place on my chest so that I can go and take care of baby-C's breakfast needs?

9. Favorite fast food place?

Pizza Chemp! (Doener place near our home that also sells Pizza and surprisingly fresh salad)

10. Future child’s name?
This is hard to answer on a blog.

11. Finish this statement. “If I had lot of money I’d….?

Buy a huge house and a small one for my housekeeper nearby.

12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?

No.

13. Storms - cool or scary?

The coolness comes from being a little scary.

14. Favorite drink?
Water. Sprite. … I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I can’t stand coffee at the moment. I have to force it down my throat to get awake

15. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would….”?
I think I would do exactly the same (in percentage), only longer in total time. I would like to get more sleep, but I am sure I wouldn’t really sleep more if I had the time. ...

16. Do you eat the stems on broccoli?

Yes. Who is so déclassé not to do that?

17. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?

I like it as it is. When I am really old, though, I will dye my hair snow-white if it gets grey instead of white.

18. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in?
Vienna, Salisbury, Friesach, Flattnitz. (All in Austria)

19. Favorite sports to watch?

All kinds of martial arts, ice-hockey, cricket, volleyball. (As I don't have a TV this is a rather hypothetical question though)

20. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you?
This is Kalafudra. She is the most helpful and kind person I know of.

21. What’s under your bed?

Floor.

22. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
I like my life as it is, and wouldn’t want to change with any human/animal. Yet “born again” implies starting over again when it is finished which I find a strange notion.

23. Morning person, or night owl?

Morning person.

24. Over easy, or sunny side up?

Scrambled.

25. Favorite place to relax?

Drawing/writing prose on my desk. Balcony. In the garden. In the woods. On the top of the mountain (not that I do this often).

26. Favorite pie?

Sachertorte. But I’m not really into pies.

27. Favorite ice cream flavor?

Lemon. See above.

28. Of all the people you tagged this to, who’s most likely to respond first?

Whoever wants to answer, feel free. I’ll tag McC as she is the only blogging person I know who was not tagged already. As this is the case, she will ergo-concordingly-vis-a-vis be the first to answer.