Did you hear the falling bombs
The flames are all long gone
But the pain lingers on
Goodbye blue sky
Goodbye blue sky
or
Snapshot in the family album
Daddy what else did you leave for me?
Daddy, what'd'ja leave behind for me?!?
What is this? Don't worry, i put away my nuts-o-meter, it was beeping the whole day already. it's a completly german discussion and issue.... dont wanna explain... bored with it.
so? what is it?
If I go insane, please don't put your wires in my brain.
If I were the moon, I'd be cool.
ok, yep. ll see you on the dark side of the moon. pink floyd. there are probably three songs everyone knows. money, another brick in the wall part ii, and wish you were here. i kind of couldnt hear it before, sounded too electronic, dunno know. once i heard the wall while being in a traffic jam in the summer three years ago. bloody hot, so windows down and at some point i heard some strange noises. i thought i had a flat tire or parts were falling off my car (which could be likely...). well, no it was just the wall. anyhow. bla bla bla
recently i listened to them again, but also more in the background. on the run sounded quite nice, i skipped money (because i was bored by it) and forwarded to brain damage. then this one sentence in the lyrics "i'll see you on the dark side of the moon". hey, wait. i listened to this one again and again. and then the others as well. and the whole album. forward to the wall. listening, listening, listening. back to atom heart mother. this was really get great. i listened to music and lyrics, it all made sense. listen to the one below. how you slowly become insane with everyday life. meanwhile the music with its crescendo accumulating in eclipse, the last song on dark side of the moon, closing it. to cut it short, pink floyd is a band plus lyrics. sometimes the music is the main focus, like in on the run where there is hardly any lyrics; sometimes the lyrics and the music goes to the background but serves as the stage. then almost every single letter gets its own personal musical note, and is the better. at the moment i like brain damage, mother, another brick in the wall part i, the great gig in the sky, and goodbye blue sky.
so, i was thinking this the other day. somehow itunes and selective hearing somehow destroy some albums' one piece character. you can hear money and grasp it's understanding but the issue of being disappointment, disillusioned, gets lost (so is it with the lyrics i put here). the same with most live albums, the songs can be played on their own but together you get the full impression and the changes between the songs.
no worries, not becoming monotheistic on pink floyd music. also at the moment NERD, Federico Aubele, Fink, Zykos, ... went out yesterday. lots of fun, magnifico :D
Sunday, 9 December 2007
Saturday, 8 December 2007
Nuts-o-meter
You wondering why there arent so many posts here? well, i'm currently working on a nuts-o-meter. every time a certain sentence or word is said, which might be just nuts or ridiculous, or generally confused, (so, everything like this post which is only ridiculous) the nuts-o-meter sounds a beep.
And i try to make it small and handy so you can take it with you everywhere you go (always take the weather...). then you could assess your friends nuts-o-ness, your workplaces' (Aussenstelle Julius Kuehn Strasse...), your degree's, basically everything can be assessed everywhere... this will be fun for the whole family and peers. you wouldnt want to miss it!
(my test nuts-o-meter is beeping like hell now...there is a story behind but i spare it, you would have to be german to understand its meaning, and why i.e. motorway or kindergarten are "dangerous" words)
And i try to make it small and handy so you can take it with you everywhere you go (always take the weather...). then you could assess your friends nuts-o-ness, your workplaces' (Aussenstelle Julius Kuehn Strasse...), your degree's, basically everything can be assessed everywhere... this will be fun for the whole family and peers. you wouldnt want to miss it!
(my test nuts-o-meter is beeping like hell now...there is a story behind but i spare it, you would have to be german to understand its meaning, and why i.e. motorway or kindergarten are "dangerous" words)
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
nothing against shrek itself tho. nice eyes, antonio... but i like donkey more. he hums so nicely...
ever heard of corporate sound? came across this and da-da-da-dum is the best. bbc used it during WWII and it stands for v in the morse codes and is the beginning of beethoven's fifth. quite a lot of message in it. and recognisable. mcdonalds the same. one tone is enough and you remember what company it is. really nice one. the music represents the brand.
Evel Knievel is dead.
ever heard of corporate sound? came across this and da-da-da-dum is the best. bbc used it during WWII and it stands for v in the morse codes and is the beginning of beethoven's fifth. quite a lot of message in it. and recognisable. mcdonalds the same. one tone is enough and you remember what company it is. really nice one. the music represents the brand.
Evel Knievel is dead.
Monday, 3 December 2007
the average women in the uk gets around 1.4 children (poor .4 kid, how can you survive or even stand?)
saw a burial ceremony weeks ago with lots of bikers following. i guess there is a motorcycle for sale... sorry, being sarcastic and wont come to heaven now. yes!
but im jumping around like a kangaroo (or is it me dancing..?!?) i especially like the fact that british employees could increase their wellbeing by getting separated, divorced or widowed. i have no clue why this is so. but there is always christmas in heaven, even for children sent to scientific experiments... so why wait my fellow workers? demolish your chains, unite, do something useful for your earnings, accidents happen all the time...
Rights are reserved, you know how this goes
apropos christmas:
CANCEL CHRISTMAS!
according to a research institute on electricity, a few electrical lights in each berlin household consumes the same amount of energy like a small village in a year. for ecological reasons i therefore request to cancel christmas until further notice. how much world we could save..!?! even if coca cola claims in ads to be part of a unique christmas experience. they already gave us santa claus, this should be enough...
i would rather prefer minnie ripperton singing jingle bells or the ave maria, she has the voice to it. however, i cant always stand it so i prepare myself with some country music.
BossHoss It's getting hot in here
i mean christmas isnt so bad and even on the tv there are some nice films being shown at the moment. the nuisance is the obvious friede, freude, eierkuchen at the end. or complete nonsense (why im upset, did i expect something else? enlightenment failed, im still singing to the shaun the sheep song) like this one: shrek, on place i-dont-know-which-one out of 100 best family films, gives disney a good beating because its good and not made by disney. and to underline this "the disney characters snowhite and cinderalla are fighting for the bridal bouquet at the end of shrek". hundred years of human narratives, who cares...
and now to something completely different and much more serious
The 9th of november happened which is a particuarlly important day for me as otherwise i wouldnt be here. through a misunderstanding günther schabowski, the 'public relations' secretary and who didnt really know what he was talking about, said the border was opened and all east german citizens could travel into the west. he said something like the following:
journalist: what does this mean, ddr citizens can cross the borders? is it effective from now on?
schabowski: well, wait, dunno. the zk of the ddr has decided that... i dunno, i think its from now on until the final law. i would say so from this sheet of paper. i guess its from now on. but dunno.
that was it. ddr was history. and the future was my oyster.
it would be nice to have the 9th of november as the german holiday even though it signifies bad and good times. the end of the first democratic movement 1848, proclamation of three republics on the same day in 1918, hitler's first coup d'etat in 1923, reichskristallnacht 1938, and 1989. it would have some meaning instead of october the 3rd.
germans democratic history is short but as the guardian put it some time ago, the country that once gave the world the magna charta (and was its workshop) now has the longest detention period for terrorists without any trial. the remainder of the comment is up to your imagination.
but im jumping around like a kangaroo (or is it me dancing..?!?) i especially like the fact that british employees could increase their wellbeing by getting separated, divorced or widowed. i have no clue why this is so. but there is always christmas in heaven, even for children sent to scientific experiments... so why wait my fellow workers? demolish your chains, unite, do something useful for your earnings, accidents happen all the time...
Rights are reserved, you know how this goesapropos christmas:
CANCEL CHRISTMAS!
according to a research institute on electricity, a few electrical lights in each berlin household consumes the same amount of energy like a small village in a year. for ecological reasons i therefore request to cancel christmas until further notice. how much world we could save..!?! even if coca cola claims in ads to be part of a unique christmas experience. they already gave us santa claus, this should be enough...
i would rather prefer minnie ripperton singing jingle bells or the ave maria, she has the voice to it. however, i cant always stand it so i prepare myself with some country music.
BossHoss It's getting hot in here
i mean christmas isnt so bad and even on the tv there are some nice films being shown at the moment. the nuisance is the obvious friede, freude, eierkuchen at the end. or complete nonsense (why im upset, did i expect something else? enlightenment failed, im still singing to the shaun the sheep song) like this one: shrek, on place i-dont-know-which-one out of 100 best family films, gives disney a good beating because its good and not made by disney. and to underline this "the disney characters snowhite and cinderalla are fighting for the bridal bouquet at the end of shrek". hundred years of human narratives, who cares...
and now to something completely different and much more serious
The 9th of november happened which is a particuarlly important day for me as otherwise i wouldnt be here. through a misunderstanding günther schabowski, the 'public relations' secretary and who didnt really know what he was talking about, said the border was opened and all east german citizens could travel into the west. he said something like the following:
journalist: what does this mean, ddr citizens can cross the borders? is it effective from now on?
schabowski: well, wait, dunno. the zk of the ddr has decided that... i dunno, i think its from now on until the final law. i would say so from this sheet of paper. i guess its from now on. but dunno.
that was it. ddr was history. and the future was my oyster.
it would be nice to have the 9th of november as the german holiday even though it signifies bad and good times. the end of the first democratic movement 1848, proclamation of three republics on the same day in 1918, hitler's first coup d'etat in 1923, reichskristallnacht 1938, and 1989. it would have some meaning instead of october the 3rd.
germans democratic history is short but as the guardian put it some time ago, the country that once gave the world the magna charta (and was its workshop) now has the longest detention period for terrorists without any trial. the remainder of the comment is up to your imagination.
Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Books from Heaven
Yesterday evening I accidentally were in heaven. I gave a lift to a friend who wanted to pick up some free books from an old lady (ok, she got divorced and we suspect it were husband's books...). While I bored myself the lady offered me to take some books as well. In the end I had two big bags full of books as well. Some are quite interesting. This was really great. Im looking forward to read them. It was lovely to browse through the bookshelves and take whatever I wanted. My paradise looks a bit like this... A very nice evening and yet another nice end of a lovely day.
A friend of mine showed me his liking of the Clash. The only Clash song I knew so far was Should I stay or should i go. Reminds me of my a-level celebration...
A friend of mine showed me his liking of the Clash. The only Clash song I knew so far was Should I stay or should i go. Reminds me of my a-level celebration...
Sunday, 14 October 2007
Hola, esta dias festiwo!
alrite, my spanish is crap. i admit. it should translate as today is your (female) birthday. every spanish speaking person, please have a proper laugh now! mi casa es su casa! it was a bloody attempt to learn spanish from a dictionary more than 12 years ago. and it defo failed. i did a spanish course a few years after but i forgot everything again. i could introduce myself and ask some very simple questions. i could even understand a bit (but more due to my blessed knowledged of latin). but, really, i dont know any spanish.
however, its not what im talking about here. i had dinner with friends yesterday again, which was really good. only two of them and i did the cooking. it was rather spontaneous. really nice. these kind of occasions are really nice to top up my social balance. it means that this is one thing i learned during the last year. doing a phd involves a lot of working and thinking alone. a hell of a lot. at the end, there is no one who know as much about your topic as you know. it is a bit loophole and more than tempting to stick to this pattern and try to work it all out on your own. but it doesnt work, nor is it healthy. you need something else. no matter what it is. either you talk about your topic with someone to get another opinion or just go out and drunk. it helps quite a lot. you ll see that there is a life beyond the desk and you can recharge the battery for just another round of papers and proposals. one of the main objectives for me now is to go out on a regular basis and/or to visit friends. and get things working.
however, there was a somehow festive day for me. for the first time in my life i got stopped by police in the night to have a breath test. im not proud of it and it showed me that i should stop this immoral behaviour. i had more drinks than allowed, i wasnt drunk tho. tipsy, yes, but not drunk. i took the test and stated that i had half a pint, I didnt say the whole truth to be really honest. i think i never lied this much before. the test was positive and showed a warning. the officer allowed me to finished my journey and recommended to have at least a one day's rest. nothing happened, except that i somehow changed my mind regarding driving. this was really a warning and nothing less.
dunno what to say. i have been driving tipsy or otherwise intoxicated (i can recall a trip back home from a gig where we had a few bits of weed, this is all i say) before but this was the first time i was stopped. and further from that, i think im defo too old to prove my manliness by driving toxicated. bloody hell, i should be a grown up by now.
p.s. and on tv there is stansted airport, my main hub to the world (something with nicole kidman)
however, its not what im talking about here. i had dinner with friends yesterday again, which was really good. only two of them and i did the cooking. it was rather spontaneous. really nice. these kind of occasions are really nice to top up my social balance. it means that this is one thing i learned during the last year. doing a phd involves a lot of working and thinking alone. a hell of a lot. at the end, there is no one who know as much about your topic as you know. it is a bit loophole and more than tempting to stick to this pattern and try to work it all out on your own. but it doesnt work, nor is it healthy. you need something else. no matter what it is. either you talk about your topic with someone to get another opinion or just go out and drunk. it helps quite a lot. you ll see that there is a life beyond the desk and you can recharge the battery for just another round of papers and proposals. one of the main objectives for me now is to go out on a regular basis and/or to visit friends. and get things working.
however, there was a somehow festive day for me. for the first time in my life i got stopped by police in the night to have a breath test. im not proud of it and it showed me that i should stop this immoral behaviour. i had more drinks than allowed, i wasnt drunk tho. tipsy, yes, but not drunk. i took the test and stated that i had half a pint, I didnt say the whole truth to be really honest. i think i never lied this much before. the test was positive and showed a warning. the officer allowed me to finished my journey and recommended to have at least a one day's rest. nothing happened, except that i somehow changed my mind regarding driving. this was really a warning and nothing less.
dunno what to say. i have been driving tipsy or otherwise intoxicated (i can recall a trip back home from a gig where we had a few bits of weed, this is all i say) before but this was the first time i was stopped. and further from that, i think im defo too old to prove my manliness by driving toxicated. bloody hell, i should be a grown up by now.
p.s. and on tv there is stansted airport, my main hub to the world (something with nicole kidman)
Germany
Well, then, with a two month delay, here is a post on my germany stay during the summer. there are several reasons for this trip. first, there is nothing else to do really during the summer. essex uni dies shortly after the exames, meaning that there is no one around really after mid june and it is kind of boring to stay in essex during late july and august. second, i had a job in my old university and i had to be present a couple of days a week. third, catching up with my german friends. fourth, getting some vacation... there are probably more reason why to go back to germany.
i already wrote that i went to berlin with a friend and here are some pics from it. it is quite nice to see berlin more from a side of a foreign tourist than of a german going to his or her capital. it is different. as a german, i would say, berlin is arrogant and all berliners are ignorant people. i feel a bit strange there. every time i went there before i always got the feeling of "feel inferior, you are just a bloke from the country site". anyhow, this time it was quite fun. we had sushi and went to see some museums (apart from generally hanging around and feeling like "city slackers"). i enjoyed it and changed my mind a bit (tho, i still wouldnt see berlin on top of my places-to-live-list). We went to the german history museum which was very interesting. i have never been there before, partially because i took history in a-level and studied history. but it was really interesting to fill my book-knowledge with some real pictures. for my company it was interesting to see this as well as the knowledge only comes from books or films otherwise.
soon after berlin i re-started my uni job. it was interesting in the end. there were some boring times and things to do (entering 2000 numbers on a few days each, repetitive tasks....etc.). but i learned a lot of things: more things on social network analysis, how the german uni systems really works (or rather, confirmation), i even were invited to giving a paper next year. i really enjoyed doing the work. after finishing it i felt like as i have done something very important. it also showed me, that this is the thing i will do for the next years...
apart from that i tried to have a vacation. i went out with friends and were drunk more than once. i went to potsdam to see sanssouci where i havent been for ages. i went to krefeld to see my godchild whom i havent seen for ages either, etc. i met friend i havent seen for ages, even quite sad encounters (on of them has HIV but he's alright, quite strange to meet him tho, depressive a bit). One got married in september (congrats!), others managed to get the break even in business or music. i really cant put it in words. this summer was like a journey back and forth in time at the same time. it was the final realisation that lifes go on, mine and others, and that at some points you have to more on somehow. ypu can read into it what you want. but there is no need for nostaligia. i think the most important lesson of life is to enjoy it every second and if you can't then enjoyed it afterwards and be happy. it is defo too short to miserable and depressive all the time. when i look back on my post a few weeks ago i kind of start to laugh. of course, i felt really pissed off then, but at the end of the day i have to look forward and now i enjoy it again. i made my peace, no hard feelings. but most of all, i had a really good time overall in germany. i dont and cant live there anymore. but it is always nice to go back and have a time off. to know, that there is a place where i feel at home and which is not just my laptop.
omg, quite sentimentel here. this is not really how i feel. there was one incident where i was moved and happy at the same time. on a church's wall directly on the german border were inscription, dating back to the 1920s. and from the time of the berlin wall. it was impossible to get to this church during that time but the soldiers serving at the wall wrote things on it. the church as such was pretty much boring and normal but those writings were like a book full of stories. i loved reading the inscriptions and think about those people who have written "i love you marta, K.R. 1934" or "4.35 o'clock 1984, EK 4.6.1985", referring to the time of patrol and the date of discharge of a border soldier. This was really interesting and i would love to have pics here. or invite you over to read them yourselves. It's not only my history being an east german but also the history of the cold war where the leaders might have followed a hard stand but the people at the bottom where just ordinary beings, happy with their family and pissed off with being on guard 24/7 for the respective other enemy and freezing their bums in a cold winter night. especially if the "enemy" was just across the lake.
however, here are some pics. im not really in the mood to write anything more. it was nice in germany and it did me good and i really enjoyed it (in the retroperspective), even tho i dont wanny go back. love it. first there are some pics from berlin and potsdam and then from the area near my hometown.
Sushi 4 4 4 2
Bit of physical exercise here and there
Well, short trip to England in between
If the arrow goes up, It just can get upwards
i already wrote that i went to berlin with a friend and here are some pics from it. it is quite nice to see berlin more from a side of a foreign tourist than of a german going to his or her capital. it is different. as a german, i would say, berlin is arrogant and all berliners are ignorant people. i feel a bit strange there. every time i went there before i always got the feeling of "feel inferior, you are just a bloke from the country site". anyhow, this time it was quite fun. we had sushi and went to see some museums (apart from generally hanging around and feeling like "city slackers"). i enjoyed it and changed my mind a bit (tho, i still wouldnt see berlin on top of my places-to-live-list). We went to the german history museum which was very interesting. i have never been there before, partially because i took history in a-level and studied history. but it was really interesting to fill my book-knowledge with some real pictures. for my company it was interesting to see this as well as the knowledge only comes from books or films otherwise.
soon after berlin i re-started my uni job. it was interesting in the end. there were some boring times and things to do (entering 2000 numbers on a few days each, repetitive tasks....etc.). but i learned a lot of things: more things on social network analysis, how the german uni systems really works (or rather, confirmation), i even were invited to giving a paper next year. i really enjoyed doing the work. after finishing it i felt like as i have done something very important. it also showed me, that this is the thing i will do for the next years...
apart from that i tried to have a vacation. i went out with friends and were drunk more than once. i went to potsdam to see sanssouci where i havent been for ages. i went to krefeld to see my godchild whom i havent seen for ages either, etc. i met friend i havent seen for ages, even quite sad encounters (on of them has HIV but he's alright, quite strange to meet him tho, depressive a bit). One got married in september (congrats!), others managed to get the break even in business or music. i really cant put it in words. this summer was like a journey back and forth in time at the same time. it was the final realisation that lifes go on, mine and others, and that at some points you have to more on somehow. ypu can read into it what you want. but there is no need for nostaligia. i think the most important lesson of life is to enjoy it every second and if you can't then enjoyed it afterwards and be happy. it is defo too short to miserable and depressive all the time. when i look back on my post a few weeks ago i kind of start to laugh. of course, i felt really pissed off then, but at the end of the day i have to look forward and now i enjoy it again. i made my peace, no hard feelings. but most of all, i had a really good time overall in germany. i dont and cant live there anymore. but it is always nice to go back and have a time off. to know, that there is a place where i feel at home and which is not just my laptop.
omg, quite sentimentel here. this is not really how i feel. there was one incident where i was moved and happy at the same time. on a church's wall directly on the german border were inscription, dating back to the 1920s. and from the time of the berlin wall. it was impossible to get to this church during that time but the soldiers serving at the wall wrote things on it. the church as such was pretty much boring and normal but those writings were like a book full of stories. i loved reading the inscriptions and think about those people who have written "i love you marta, K.R. 1934" or "4.35 o'clock 1984, EK 4.6.1985", referring to the time of patrol and the date of discharge of a border soldier. This was really interesting and i would love to have pics here. or invite you over to read them yourselves. It's not only my history being an east german but also the history of the cold war where the leaders might have followed a hard stand but the people at the bottom where just ordinary beings, happy with their family and pissed off with being on guard 24/7 for the respective other enemy and freezing their bums in a cold winter night. especially if the "enemy" was just across the lake.
however, here are some pics. im not really in the mood to write anything more. it was nice in germany and it did me good and i really enjoyed it (in the retroperspective), even tho i dont wanny go back. love it. first there are some pics from berlin and potsdam and then from the area near my hometown.
Sushi 4 4 4 2
Bit of physical exercise here and there
Well, short trip to England in between
If the arrow goes up, It just can get upwards
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Rain all over the place
Today was one of those days where you are glad when you have a car... it was raining the whole day until 5 o'clock sharp. my office moved and the new one is more or less at the other end of the campus in a portacabin. really nice. as there is no proper internet connection i have to go to a computerlab to check and write emails. this wouldnt be a problem as such but today it took about 50mtrs until i was drown by the pouring rain. hence i had quite a lot of showers today and i was thinking why the hell did i had one in the morning..? anyway, i read a few pages today and got some things done. actually quite successful. i didnt go by car to uni tho. it wasnt that hard raining in the morning and from my experience as a proper ex-germany-now-living-in-england-german i was expecting the rain to stop after a few minutes. it didnt. anyhow. i had nice dinner in the eve and met some very nice known and unknown people. i just got in and probably will go to bed soonish, excited about what tomorrow will bring me! happiness all over the place. the thoughts are free (i aint sure if this translation of Die Gedanken sind frei is actually right... my english is crap)
Proper '90s music. For me one of the best clips ever made. And, of course, the title - No Rain - fits perfectly the agenda of today. Maybe not the lyrics as such, but the title. I did a few sun dances today...
Proper '90s music. For me one of the best clips ever made. And, of course, the title - No Rain - fits perfectly the agenda of today. Maybe not the lyrics as such, but the title. I did a few sun dances today...
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Sunday, 7 October 2007
Saturday, 6 October 2007
Softer than a shandy drinking Southener...
The title of this post was an advert i saw quite often in scotland. i liked it for three reasons: soft, shandy and south. Im from the south of england (something which has become clearer during my germany stay. i cant convincingly say im german anymore. i feel more english now...). i liked and like shandy, especially in the summer. sitting in a beergarden, under trees, sun on my mind, friends,... great. well, yep. im kind of a schattenparker. i like warm showers. so what?! get over it.
so, i was in scotland recently. i have been there before with friends, but it was more camping and driving around the west, north coast. this time i was invited to give a paper at the work employment society conference of the bsa at aberdeen university. its a triennal event and internationally recognised (even tho i didnt got into their journal because of my bad english writing. one of the papers i submitted while in germany...maybe because nobody really can make sense of my confusing things. who knows. if these are my only worries, great...!?!). my papers was due on thursday, the 13th of september, and i went to aberdeen on the wednesday before. the train journey was already a highlight. it was along the coast and long enough to get some work done. it reminded me of my trip through america a few years ago. it was almost like going up the no 1 highway alongside the pacific again. there was supposed to come someone with me but it didnt happen. i wish i could have shared this with someone. it was some of these moments where you think, great this is why im here. it just makes you happy, no matter what else happens. aberdeen was great. i stayed a bit outside, near a mcdonalds and a lidl. still fun. aberdeen looks a bit like iceland. the town is somehow cuddling itself to the mountains. it ducks into the valley and its greyness is really attractive. its not the prettiest town in the world, for sure, but it is quite attractive. i really am in love with it. i want to go there as soon as possible. the presentation went fine. i saw some familiar faces around ( i guess at some point, you always meet the same persons at conferences...and they will be your only friends...;) )but rather false than no friends. i had a serious discussion about my paper with someone from finland. there were quite valuable comments on my paper. on that eve, i went to the conference dinner where there was nice scottish music and talks. not like the usual stuff, where you only get tuna mayonaise and chicken sweetcorn sandwiches at conferences. it was really worth the money. of course, i did some sightseeing around the conf. aberdeen is the port for many oil and gas rigs in the north sea. the coast is europanised, meaning that a lot of funding has gone into recultivating old ship yeards. it is quite nice out there and i even managed to nick a golf ball from a golf range. no one caught me. meanwhile i was preparing to become the next king of scotland, but without that head off part. it worked well and we even had a dinner to praise royalty... but im distractive now. back to scotland. i love aberdeen. its a strange city and somehow dismissive on a first sight. but behind its face, its attractive and one of the most beautiful cities of the world. one should defo go there once in a lifetime. I love it.
on the following friday i went to edinburgh to have a bit more of a holiday. i cant say anything coz im still speechless. i have been to edinburgh before but only to the princess street part. this time i had much, much, much more. i saw holy road park. the quays, high street, leith,... it was breathtaking. im really serious now. it was breathtaking. i could have sit down and died there, with a broad smile on my face. the sun was setting down, mirroring in the new scottsih parliament and holy road park, from which you could overlook the whole city. it was more than amazing. i didnt thought it would be like that before. i didnt really do. i was surprised and overwhelmend. at that moment something changed in me. i dont know yet what, but something did. it was amazing. this is really all what i can say. im really in debt to the conference organisers for inviting me. for the people giving me such a great time over there. i cant express my graditute enough. now its going sentimental: i would like to thank michel hall for her laughing, lara for her caring, my parents for saying its a state of emergency, bsa for considering my already known paper worthwile, john for his unexpressed comments, gnrail for taking the traditional route, the dancing queen for texting back, the orange something for being in my life, my brother for being my brother, my friends here and there, for the mentioning of "you cant buy really shoes before you try them", the soul who needs to let catch up the soul, dave the punk, frau t., emss, yvonne, ms fagin. its strange. there are so many people in my life i would like to thank and still there would be only one who i would mention. anyhow. im not starving for going sentimentel now. its not the time and place right now. scotland was really nice and i defo want to got there again. it attracted me and made me falling into love with it. i never thought so before but aberdeen and edingburgh are a few of the cities i could live in immedialy. like vancouver. seattle. hamburg. flagstaff. chicago. st jordi. wustrow. frisco. quebec. freyburg.
im crying now deep inside my heart. i really do.. scotland was really moving, more than i could ever express in a post in my blog... if i could be able to stop the time it would have been there... i cant go into detail anymore, have a look at the pictures. it was certaintly one of the best times of my life. there are defo others, but this was great as well.
Not even a queen on those ones
In an academic world you sometimes have to turn your head to find the truth... Aberdeen University (and I right in the middle)
Big smile there
Scottish Parliament, Rebus would have been amazed and Queen Mary anayway
Nice one, a bit like Amsterdan
Inspector Rebus would be attentive there
p.s. im a bit lazy now, tho i have quite a lot to write here. maybe not sophisticated, high-flying stuff. but yet. i try to do a post on my germany stay (pics are already uploaded, for weeks) and the stats thing soon. i have very nice graphs for the stats of which im very, very proud of and happy about. they really make me smile.
so, i was in scotland recently. i have been there before with friends, but it was more camping and driving around the west, north coast. this time i was invited to give a paper at the work employment society conference of the bsa at aberdeen university. its a triennal event and internationally recognised (even tho i didnt got into their journal because of my bad english writing. one of the papers i submitted while in germany...maybe because nobody really can make sense of my confusing things. who knows. if these are my only worries, great...!?!). my papers was due on thursday, the 13th of september, and i went to aberdeen on the wednesday before. the train journey was already a highlight. it was along the coast and long enough to get some work done. it reminded me of my trip through america a few years ago. it was almost like going up the no 1 highway alongside the pacific again. there was supposed to come someone with me but it didnt happen. i wish i could have shared this with someone. it was some of these moments where you think, great this is why im here. it just makes you happy, no matter what else happens. aberdeen was great. i stayed a bit outside, near a mcdonalds and a lidl. still fun. aberdeen looks a bit like iceland. the town is somehow cuddling itself to the mountains. it ducks into the valley and its greyness is really attractive. its not the prettiest town in the world, for sure, but it is quite attractive. i really am in love with it. i want to go there as soon as possible. the presentation went fine. i saw some familiar faces around ( i guess at some point, you always meet the same persons at conferences...and they will be your only friends...;) )but rather false than no friends. i had a serious discussion about my paper with someone from finland. there were quite valuable comments on my paper. on that eve, i went to the conference dinner where there was nice scottish music and talks. not like the usual stuff, where you only get tuna mayonaise and chicken sweetcorn sandwiches at conferences. it was really worth the money. of course, i did some sightseeing around the conf. aberdeen is the port for many oil and gas rigs in the north sea. the coast is europanised, meaning that a lot of funding has gone into recultivating old ship yeards. it is quite nice out there and i even managed to nick a golf ball from a golf range. no one caught me. meanwhile i was preparing to become the next king of scotland, but without that head off part. it worked well and we even had a dinner to praise royalty... but im distractive now. back to scotland. i love aberdeen. its a strange city and somehow dismissive on a first sight. but behind its face, its attractive and one of the most beautiful cities of the world. one should defo go there once in a lifetime. I love it.
on the following friday i went to edinburgh to have a bit more of a holiday. i cant say anything coz im still speechless. i have been to edinburgh before but only to the princess street part. this time i had much, much, much more. i saw holy road park. the quays, high street, leith,... it was breathtaking. im really serious now. it was breathtaking. i could have sit down and died there, with a broad smile on my face. the sun was setting down, mirroring in the new scottsih parliament and holy road park, from which you could overlook the whole city. it was more than amazing. i didnt thought it would be like that before. i didnt really do. i was surprised and overwhelmend. at that moment something changed in me. i dont know yet what, but something did. it was amazing. this is really all what i can say. im really in debt to the conference organisers for inviting me. for the people giving me such a great time over there. i cant express my graditute enough. now its going sentimental: i would like to thank michel hall for her laughing, lara for her caring, my parents for saying its a state of emergency, bsa for considering my already known paper worthwile, john for his unexpressed comments, gnrail for taking the traditional route, the dancing queen for texting back, the orange something for being in my life, my brother for being my brother, my friends here and there, for the mentioning of "you cant buy really shoes before you try them", the soul who needs to let catch up the soul, dave the punk, frau t., emss, yvonne, ms fagin. its strange. there are so many people in my life i would like to thank and still there would be only one who i would mention. anyhow. im not starving for going sentimentel now. its not the time and place right now. scotland was really nice and i defo want to got there again. it attracted me and made me falling into love with it. i never thought so before but aberdeen and edingburgh are a few of the cities i could live in immedialy. like vancouver. seattle. hamburg. flagstaff. chicago. st jordi. wustrow. frisco. quebec. freyburg.
im crying now deep inside my heart. i really do.. scotland was really moving, more than i could ever express in a post in my blog... if i could be able to stop the time it would have been there... i cant go into detail anymore, have a look at the pictures. it was certaintly one of the best times of my life. there are defo others, but this was great as well.
Not even a queen on those ones
In an academic world you sometimes have to turn your head to find the truth... Aberdeen University (and I right in the middle)
Big smile there
Scottish Parliament, Rebus would have been amazed and Queen Mary anayway
Nice one, a bit like Amsterdan
Inspector Rebus would be attentive there
p.s. im a bit lazy now, tho i have quite a lot to write here. maybe not sophisticated, high-flying stuff. but yet. i try to do a post on my germany stay (pics are already uploaded, for weeks) and the stats thing soon. i have very nice graphs for the stats of which im very, very proud of and happy about. they really make me smile.
Thursday, 27 September 2007
The way the mind crumbles...
I have been invited for a talk in Germany in late October and booked flights yesterday. The return journey wasnt the difficulty. Only the outward journey. Well, I was looking for the cheapest fare and there were a few to Germany. Even one to the closest airport. So I booked it and got the confirmation email. When I entered the exact date into my diary I saw that I accidently booked a flight to berlin which isnt't exactly what i thought i did... and it would have been 7 in the morning but i have to teach on that day. my mind is really crumbling right now. There have been other such things before (rental car for one instead for 4 days, deleting my most important variable, ...) They would never have happened before. I mean little things, yes, of course. But not such things. Ah great. The sappy PhD.
(Oh, I could change the flight to the airport i originally wanted to, for free)
(Oh, I could change the flight to the airport i originally wanted to, for free)
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Wellbeing for wellbeing
What happened yesterday then with my stats which screwed everything a bit? Stata (the stats software im using) has two nice options. both are metaphorically taking notes of what im doing (log files where commands and outputs are echoed in. this would be the technical explanation). one is just writing down what im typing in while the other does that and also makes notes on all things that happen around, writing down tables, graphs, things like those. Yesterday evening i cleaned the simple note taker to have only useful things in them and not every little piece of shit (yes, i really just mean stats, nothing else). I also told it to rewrite itself and the other, extended note taker. As I said it worked well. Except that I forget to include commands for creating my wellbeing variable. so at the end of it all, i had a good looking note taker but i had no dependent variable. and the dependent variable is usually the core of every advanced analysis. if you dont have any you are practically screwed.
when i worked on it the first time i turned the simple note taker off because i didnt wanted to spoil it with my trial and errors. i remember that i wanted to write down afterwards what i did so i could write the proper syntax into my note taker. but i somehow forgot to do it. and while cleaning the simple note taker yesterday eve i forgot again. To cut it short, It was completely my fault. And it is something which shouldnt happen at all. it is quite embarrassing to be honest. Same category like Schumacher kills his engine during start, you order two double shots when a police officer stops you in your car while you are drunk, you call your new girlfriend by your ex's name...
anyhow it is. today i created a new wellbeing variable which is even better than the old one. it took about two hours, much less than anticipated. now im happier than i was before and everything is fine. with wellbeing i did something for my wellbeing. tomorrow i will do the rest of the analysis. yep, these are my woes but im fine with them, even if they are overrated compared to others'.
France Gall "Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son" (yep, she did "Ella, Elle l'a" later on...)
when i worked on it the first time i turned the simple note taker off because i didnt wanted to spoil it with my trial and errors. i remember that i wanted to write down afterwards what i did so i could write the proper syntax into my note taker. but i somehow forgot to do it. and while cleaning the simple note taker yesterday eve i forgot again. To cut it short, It was completely my fault. And it is something which shouldnt happen at all. it is quite embarrassing to be honest. Same category like Schumacher kills his engine during start, you order two double shots when a police officer stops you in your car while you are drunk, you call your new girlfriend by your ex's name...
anyhow it is. today i created a new wellbeing variable which is even better than the old one. it took about two hours, much less than anticipated. now im happier than i was before and everything is fine. with wellbeing i did something for my wellbeing. tomorrow i will do the rest of the analysis. yep, these are my woes but im fine with them, even if they are overrated compared to others'.
France Gall "Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son" (yep, she did "Ella, Elle l'a" later on...)
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Change of plan
You shall not count your chickens before dawn. I intended to go to bed shortly after my last post and have a good night's sleep before I get into that vicious circle of less sleep for the praise of academia again. However, I got an email from my supervisor around 1ish asking me to write something for him. Well, to be honest, I asked him to write something for me and he just asked if I could prepare that writing for him which is just fair enough. Because it is more than urgent (not very much too write tho, yet I have to think about every sentence 10 times for making it accurate) I did it now. It's off to him now and hopefully he can already sign it on Wednesday. Little things like these are just adding in right now but I'm still happy. Sleep later.
Monday, 24 September 2007
YES
...Today was a particularly good day. I was working on my stats syntax for 4 hours to make it all clean and straight before I go into multivariate statistics. Getting rid of variables I just had for testing purposes. Adding comments to each command. At the end I had a good looking syntax which produces me a good looking dataset with a clean output file. It works really nice. It even irrevocably deleted my wellbeing variable. The core of my analysis, the one I definitely need. Yes, finally, I'm happy. Last time it only took me 5 hours to create the variable. I think I will have a very nice tomorrow morning. Seriously, I'm happy. I'm laughing.
My cousin sent me this one. I like the lyrics. K-OS "Sunday Morning"
My cousin sent me this one. I like the lyrics. K-OS "Sunday Morning"
what I do next
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." Einstein
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely...” Emerson
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely...” Emerson
OMG
...I can mourn. I had to let steam off yesterday. Deep inside, Im really pissed off by how it is at the moment. Yesterday, I could have thrown my computer out of the window, screaming you "fucking blessing-of-the-postindustrial-age-bastard, do the hell i have in mind on this bloody statistics!!!!" I didnt. It felt good to "scream" and mourn in my blog instead. No swearing anymore in the near future.
Sunday, 23 September 2007
My problem has a name
... and it is called Eurobarometer44_2-Stata. Of course, everyone who thinks something of her-, him- or itself has a double-name. By the way, these were quite fashionable during the 90s in Germany. Now you are going back to one surname only. anyhow it is, my problem is stata in conjunction with Eurobarometer 44_2 (not to mention Eurobarometer 56_1, this is the next on my desk). To put it short, I'm basically screwed. I have been sitting on this for month now and all I managed to do was to write the syntax, so that I might get some results from it. I'm stuck. I'm more than stuck. This is almost getting nowhere. I could finish it tomorrow if I want to (or have to). But with every little thing I solve there will be a new thing/problem. I have several difficulties: firstly, this is a huge dataset and Im scared that i will mess it up and get some "subjective" outcomes, things im looking for but which are not true in the end; i manipulate the data until it fits my imagination. second, its the first time im working with stata and almost everything is new; nonetheless, stata is better than spss, but only once you figured out how it works (and im still working on it). thirdly, i have no one who i can talk to about this; who in hell is bothering with stats??? i dont want to talk to geeks; stats isnt my favorite and will never be, but the only ones who know about stats seems to be geeks. paska. fourthly, once i cracked one problem there will be defo another one. this is what i am working on today, yesterday, the day before, the day before the day before, the day before the day before the day before, ...
ok, what im trying to achieve is to have a variable which comprehends 15 (or so) others and gives me an indication how people will or wont get sick from their job. it would be easy if there is only one option, people can choose from, and not for each variable one. this problem isnt really solvable in a good way, except ignoring individual choices and just comprehend them somehow. This would be the easiest one. but why do i want to have it like this? everyone can do it. i really dont know why. im really screwed here. i really would need one, telling me you will be fine. i believe in you. you will get it done. this is what i would need right now. no pity, no tipps (tho i wouldnt say no to them). all i need is emotional support. the rest will be solved. i hope i can somehow solve this kind of problem quite soon and everything will be alright. about the other difficulties i have. i think i can manage them somehow. of course it is a new software but the more i do the more i will know about it. it was the same with spss. before i did my masters i know the basic functions of spss but nothing more. the more i did on spss the more i got to know and i now know what someone can do on spss and what not. Secondly, i wont mess up the data really. i have a play-along dataset with which i can try out commands, im not quite sure about, and at the end only things i need will be saved. i dont have any worries there. even if the outcomes just fit my imagination, so be it. no one will ever bother to calculate things i did. too much work. im defo on the safe side there. just, thirdly, i do miss a person i can talk to. not necessarily about specific commands or so. the person doesnt have to be an expert in stats. just someone who can give some valuable feedback in the form of, you will get through it or maybe even, why havent you tried this. this would be great. but there isnt anyone like this, tho there are a few in germany (but far away).and finally, also problems are not solvable as luhmann would say. i think i can solve them. and they are just some form of excitement. with every new problem that evolves i will get the motivation to solve it. it made me really, really, really happy the other day when i solved that one problem which bothered me for weeks. all i need to do was to type an ` instead of an ' . but you have to know that. i was really, really happy. i know i will crack the problem i described above and in the picture. i will defo laugh about his in a few days time.
my parents offered me that i can come back to germany when i cant cope with this anymore. i dont even have to say a word. just come back to germany. i said no because, so far it has been more or less the best time of my life. i have developed and im the person i like to be, with past and history. im happy about all what happend, what it made out of me. i rejected the offer. tho it is really good to know i have it. im not seriously thinking about it. im spending a thought here and there. there are many issues involved with it. its somehow again a crucial turning point. i cant go back to germany really. i dont fit it there anymore. i could stay here. but somehow it feels, as if i decide now how the rest of my life will look like. the option which seems quite likely is that i will finish my phd and then go to the place wherever i find a job. be it england. be it us. be it canada. be it australia or alaska (both are the ideal, at least for a year or so). my holidays will depend on conferences where i will give papers (and these can be everywhere). my relationships will be long distance or short-term until the next move. most friendships will be bound by time, basically limited by the time im at one certain place. this mind sound tempting to some, that you can travel, will see places, be international, be excited all the time.... but on the other hand, it is quite scary because at the end of the day, my only HOME will be my laptop where i have access to the internet. there i can chat with friends, talk about my life, check my emails. it will be my base, nothing else. i will be homeless in a global age (no worries there, i possibly wont end up sleeping under a bridge). you can say its ok, come over it and get yourself together. but think seriously about it. do seriously. i will always be somehow on the run. to the next job. to the next country. there wont (probably) a fix point, except my laptop. it is tempting tho. but scary as well. i know i can go back to germany and will meet friends i ve known for ages. but at the end of the day, i will be somehow a lost person. lost in globalised world. i cant even start a relationship now because who the hell knows where i will be in 2 years?!? not in essex, not in germany. thats for sure. but were else. im lost. im really lost. i hope that at the end of the day i could say "all right now". I really hope so.
Free All right now
I think it will be like this. Being a lost person. nowhere at home, except where my laptop is and where i can communicate with my friends who might be next door or 1000s of kilometers away. i will be alright, and i dont want any pity. just some kind of, you are strong, you will get through it, i believe in you, would be nice. i will arrange with it. i will defo laugh about this post in 20 years time. now, it just scars me. im really scared. deep inside i feel lost, whatever i pretend to be on the outside.
I dont know what to write anymore. Im screwed here and I would have needed some mental support. that's all. nothing more and nothing less.
ok, what im trying to achieve is to have a variable which comprehends 15 (or so) others and gives me an indication how people will or wont get sick from their job. it would be easy if there is only one option, people can choose from, and not for each variable one. this problem isnt really solvable in a good way, except ignoring individual choices and just comprehend them somehow. This would be the easiest one. but why do i want to have it like this? everyone can do it. i really dont know why. im really screwed here. i really would need one, telling me you will be fine. i believe in you. you will get it done. this is what i would need right now. no pity, no tipps (tho i wouldnt say no to them). all i need is emotional support. the rest will be solved. i hope i can somehow solve this kind of problem quite soon and everything will be alright. about the other difficulties i have. i think i can manage them somehow. of course it is a new software but the more i do the more i will know about it. it was the same with spss. before i did my masters i know the basic functions of spss but nothing more. the more i did on spss the more i got to know and i now know what someone can do on spss and what not. Secondly, i wont mess up the data really. i have a play-along dataset with which i can try out commands, im not quite sure about, and at the end only things i need will be saved. i dont have any worries there. even if the outcomes just fit my imagination, so be it. no one will ever bother to calculate things i did. too much work. im defo on the safe side there. just, thirdly, i do miss a person i can talk to. not necessarily about specific commands or so. the person doesnt have to be an expert in stats. just someone who can give some valuable feedback in the form of, you will get through it or maybe even, why havent you tried this. this would be great. but there isnt anyone like this, tho there are a few in germany (but far away).and finally, also problems are not solvable as luhmann would say. i think i can solve them. and they are just some form of excitement. with every new problem that evolves i will get the motivation to solve it. it made me really, really, really happy the other day when i solved that one problem which bothered me for weeks. all i need to do was to type an ` instead of an ' . but you have to know that. i was really, really happy. i know i will crack the problem i described above and in the picture. i will defo laugh about his in a few days time.
my parents offered me that i can come back to germany when i cant cope with this anymore. i dont even have to say a word. just come back to germany. i said no because, so far it has been more or less the best time of my life. i have developed and im the person i like to be, with past and history. im happy about all what happend, what it made out of me. i rejected the offer. tho it is really good to know i have it. im not seriously thinking about it. im spending a thought here and there. there are many issues involved with it. its somehow again a crucial turning point. i cant go back to germany really. i dont fit it there anymore. i could stay here. but somehow it feels, as if i decide now how the rest of my life will look like. the option which seems quite likely is that i will finish my phd and then go to the place wherever i find a job. be it england. be it us. be it canada. be it australia or alaska (both are the ideal, at least for a year or so). my holidays will depend on conferences where i will give papers (and these can be everywhere). my relationships will be long distance or short-term until the next move. most friendships will be bound by time, basically limited by the time im at one certain place. this mind sound tempting to some, that you can travel, will see places, be international, be excited all the time.... but on the other hand, it is quite scary because at the end of the day, my only HOME will be my laptop where i have access to the internet. there i can chat with friends, talk about my life, check my emails. it will be my base, nothing else. i will be homeless in a global age (no worries there, i possibly wont end up sleeping under a bridge). you can say its ok, come over it and get yourself together. but think seriously about it. do seriously. i will always be somehow on the run. to the next job. to the next country. there wont (probably) a fix point, except my laptop. it is tempting tho. but scary as well. i know i can go back to germany and will meet friends i ve known for ages. but at the end of the day, i will be somehow a lost person. lost in globalised world. i cant even start a relationship now because who the hell knows where i will be in 2 years?!? not in essex, not in germany. thats for sure. but were else. im lost. im really lost. i hope that at the end of the day i could say "all right now". I really hope so.
Free All right now
I think it will be like this. Being a lost person. nowhere at home, except where my laptop is and where i can communicate with my friends who might be next door or 1000s of kilometers away. i will be alright, and i dont want any pity. just some kind of, you are strong, you will get through it, i believe in you, would be nice. i will arrange with it. i will defo laugh about this post in 20 years time. now, it just scars me. im really scared. deep inside i feel lost, whatever i pretend to be on the outside.
I dont know what to write anymore. Im screwed here and I would have needed some mental support. that's all. nothing more and nothing less.
So
Ich habs heute beendet. Ging einfach nicht, der Kopf war nicht wirklich frei und ich konnte nicht das geben, was sie verdient hätte. War trotzdem sehr schön. Und ich bin um die Erfahrung reicher, dass es auch wirklich "normale" da draußen gibt. Ich werd dann mal ins Bett gehen. Bis denn
Friday, 21 September 2007
Es geht doch
Man konnte ja schon etwas verfolgen, wie das hier so läuft. Von wegen, europäische Mitbürger erklären mich für verrückt, das mit ihrem exfreund ist nicht so wie es aussieht (alles ganz anders, ja...), und ich könnte ohne sie nicht überleben. nunja, wie auch immer, heute hatte ich ein paar freunde da. solche freunde, die mich - laut aussage unserer Mitbürger - immer wie nichts behandeln und alles arrogante a.löcher sind. und überraschenderweise, es war sehr schön. ich habe ihnen salat als vorspeise (eigenes dressing), frikassee als hauptspeiße und eierkuchen mit eis und custard als nachspeiße gereicht. sie waren hin und weg und es war sehr schön. wir haben uns so um 6 getroffen und dann ein paar schöne 4 stunden miteinander verbracht. sehr erholsam und ganz ungezwungen. und das beste war, dass ich nicht meine ganzen bücher verstecken musste (im übertragenen sinne), weil ich ja sonst mit ihnen angeben würde... es geht wirklich auch anders und ich hatte eine schöne zeit und die anderen auch. keine endlosen debatten darüber, ob meine vielen bücher ein ausdruck meiner ddr-vergangenheit sind. ob mein zuhören, wenn andere reden (auch wenns manchmal langweilig ist), ein zeichen von asperger syndrom ist und nicht etwa einfacherweise nur höflichkeit. im grunde konnte ich ich sein und musste mich nicht verstellen oder irgendjemandens vorstellungen genügen. hätt ich das mal (sehr, sehr) viel früher gewusst...
Randnotiz
Nur mal so am Rande: Ich arbeite türlich nicht nur an Statistik die ganze Zeit. Dat wär ja wohl auch etwas zu langweilig. Nebenbei arbeite ich auch am 10. Punkt meiner Liste.... Wir erinnern uns, die berühmte 10DingedieichbiszumEndedesJahresmachenwill-Liste, wo nur 9 Punkte drauf waren... Bisher zwomal getroffen und es jibt tatsächlich noch vernünftge auf dieser Erde... Sehr schön. Wat will man mehr.
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Bloody hell, I'm getting old
I'm sitting on stats now for almost two months. Not every day tho, still. While in Scotland I wanted to start with bivariate and multivariate analysis, facing one problem: how can I repeat a command for a set of independent variables in relation to a dependent variable? (e.g. I'ld like to know what increases wellbeing: haggis, music, milchreis, safeing the world, drunkeness, speeding, whatever, individually and together... nah seriously, participation, higher payment, respect, ...) bla bla bla. I never found the appropriate command that repeats others. Why? Instead of a " ` " i used " ' ". It was all there, in the manuals. But who is supposed to see that? Eagles with their sharp eyes but not average persons like me. Bloody hell. One simple character can screw you up.
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
What are the philosphical implications?
A:
By the way, Margarita and I will probably be at yours by 5.30pm. Hope that's fashionably late enough? The Commoner
B:
yep, the devilish details... but i'm working on that. come whenever you think its late enough to have a glorious entry. (but isnt the unexpected part of a fashionably late arrival? if so, then you wont arrive late as i now know when you will come and we just can adjust the starting time; or in other words, the unexpected is expected and the uncertainty of your arrival is certain. to retain the unexpected element of a fashionably late arrival, i think you shouldnt have said at what time you will arrive late so that we could have been sitting here and waiting, not knowing when you will come and, thus, being surprised when you come. I'm still not sure about the real philosophical implications... I think I should discuss this with x and y. Maybe a graph helps.
A:
Well, I'm lost for words, that last post should be published (not sure where). Just when I think I've got your number as an illiterate foreign royal, you astound me with your verbal acuity. Keep x out of the equation (even though we all enjoy mocking the afflicted, there are some limits) and literary success could be assured. Standard therapy's over-rated, too (other variations gratefully accepted). You could use a graph for illustrative purposes, perhaps? The Commoner
By the way, Margarita and I will probably be at yours by 5.30pm. Hope that's fashionably late enough? The Commoner
B:
yep, the devilish details... but i'm working on that. come whenever you think its late enough to have a glorious entry. (but isnt the unexpected part of a fashionably late arrival? if so, then you wont arrive late as i now know when you will come and we just can adjust the starting time; or in other words, the unexpected is expected and the uncertainty of your arrival is certain. to retain the unexpected element of a fashionably late arrival, i think you shouldnt have said at what time you will arrive late so that we could have been sitting here and waiting, not knowing when you will come and, thus, being surprised when you come. I'm still not sure about the real philosophical implications... I think I should discuss this with x and y. Maybe a graph helps.
A:
Well, I'm lost for words, that last post should be published (not sure where). Just when I think I've got your number as an illiterate foreign royal, you astound me with your verbal acuity. Keep x out of the equation (even though we all enjoy mocking the afflicted, there are some limits) and literary success could be assured. Standard therapy's over-rated, too (other variations gratefully accepted). You could use a graph for illustrative purposes, perhaps? The Commoner
Thursday, 13 September 2007
Haggis contd.
I just want to say that I might have Haggis now. Maybe it's better than last time. Apart from that the Oil Capital of Europe (quote) is astonishing.
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
Blessings of the post-industrial age
I wrote before that they have closed down my second office (outside the entrance to the sociology department) because they are renovating the computer labs there. Today they were tearing down the outside walls. Manually. A man standing on a ladder with a somewhat bigger hammer, punching against the wall until it collapses (or at least parts of it). Come on, this is ridiculous. He should enjoy the blessings of the industrial revolution where everything has become electric, even hammers. He's standing there for a good part of the day and will have muscle ache in the evening while it would take him half an hour with a proper electric machine. But maybe this is already a sign of a blessed post-industrial age where more 'personal' labour and efficient energy use is valued again... Who knows?!? I have just been laughing about this. Poor man. Job-creation measure; this is what I'm talking about.
Monday, 10 September 2007
3 years later
The Queen is on this one as wellThey do really exist, 50 pound notes. Unbelievable. Never saw one before and I guess even English have only heard of. Maybe I will see them soon again when I pay my rent. But maybe they will only be given to respectable people. Then I won't see any again.
On the road again
I just can't wait to get on the road again While driving back to england i was thinking quite a lot. One was would it be possible to get from england to germany with only one gas filling. if i drive carefully my car needs about 4.8 litres per hundred kilometers. the distance is approx. 1040 kilometres and the car tank is 55 litres. doing maths. it would be theoretically. Next time I will have a go at it.
(1040 kilometres might even be for some 1040 too much. Hm.)
(1040 kilometres might even be for some 1040 too much. Hm.)
Saturday, 8 September 2007
A sign?
After returning to england i went to my office in uni for checking mail and moving into my new office. anyhow, they closed down my second office!!! Remember, i have had two offices: one inside and the other one outside near the entrance where i smoked. Now only the inside office is left. maybe this is a sign and i should really stop smoking. or did i already? cant remember...
Saturday, 1 September 2007
Duck you sucker
Well, then, I think my experiment was a success. I could sleep shortly I wrote that post. So I can drink coffee again. Yippee-ki-yay, you coffee-makers. I'm back for coffee. I'll be pain in your coffee machine. I'm happy about, something good after days of misery.
For a fistful of coffee
I had a day off today and used my time for an experiment. I already wrote that I cant drink any coffee after 11 in the morning or coke after 8ish in the evening, without having to fear a sleepless night. In the last 5 weeks or so I have been drinking coffee here and there after that time and I could sleep. am wondering if this is just possible because I'm completely knackered or not. So today, I wanted to know it. I had coffee at 5 in the afternoon. And I'm still awake. It's quarter past 2 continental time. I guess, I will tell you tomorrow how this fistful of coffee has been dissolved in sleep.
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