28.12.2004., utorak
I can't use Windows. My cat ate my mouse.
"ANY question addressed to a cat can be counted rhetorical." - E. Miller
An aquarium is just interactive television for cats.
Anything on the ground is a cat toy. Anything not there yet, will be.
As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat. - Ellen Perry Berkeley
Cat's motto: No matter what you've done wrong, always try to make it look like the dog did it.
Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia. - Joseph Wood Krutch
Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow. - Jeff Valdez
Cats aren't clean, they're just covered with cat spit. - John S. Nichols
Cats don't hunt seals. They would if they knew what they were and where to find them. But they don't, so that's all right. - Terry Pratchett
Cats instinctively know the exact moment their owners will wake up. Then they wake them 10 minutes sooner.
Cats know what we feel. They don't care, but they know.
Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want. - Joseph Wood Krutch
Curiosity didn't kill the cat, I got him with a 12-gauge.
Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly. - Arnold Edinborough
Dog's have owners. Cat's have staff.
Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God.
I had to get rid of my wife. The cat was allergic.
I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior. - Hippolyte Taine
In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats. - English proverb
In order to keep a true perspective of one's importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him. - Dereke Bruce
People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life. - Faith Resnick
Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel. True, and they have many other fine qualities as well. - Missy Dizick
There are many intelligent species in the universe. They are all owned by cats.
There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats. - Albert Schweitzer
There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast.
Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this.
Time spent with cats is never wasted. – Colette
Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. - Robert A. Heinlein
You can always tell a cat, but you can't tell him much.
Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will urinate on your computer.
To a cat, "NO!" means "Not while I'm looking".
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- 17:38 -
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Hello my good people,
I'm just writing this to let you all know I'm still alive.
I've got no will to write all that's happened these few Christmas days, so I'll probably give a detailed repot to you tomorrow.
In the meantime, I love you all, Merry Christmas and all that jazz :-*
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- 16:05 -
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21.12.2004., utorak
The cat is sleeping on my lap. Thank god, she's not running around wrecking havoc.
I got a Gmail account – I send you all an e-mail :).
I know it’s silly and I know thousands of people probably have it by now, but I’m very happy I got one. It’s like a really cool Christmas present :). My very own Gmail account :). Yeeey. Me happy :).
It takes so little to make me happy, and so little to bring me down. A wonderful example of that is – music.
I hear a happy song, and my mood is great, I hear a sad song, and I’m sad – it doesn’t matter whether my life circumstances are happy or sad, my mood matches the songs I hear.
But what was I going to talk about… right.
While I was in Split these few days, I was talking to my cousin. She was saying how cute my slippers are (I’ve got a pair of Sylvester the Cat slippers in Split :), very cute), and I was going to say to her – I’ve got an even cuter pair back home. Home. Meaning this apartment, here, in Zagreb. At the last second I changed my mind and said – in Zagreb. I was surprised by the idea that this apartment equals home to me.
I never thought of my places in Dubrovnik as home. Or any other places I lived at. Well, I did think of them as home, but in a way I think of a hotel room as home – home is where my suitcase is. Home is where my clothes are. Home is where I currently happen to sleep. But not anymore, it seems.
It looks as if, without my free will or conscious thinking, this place has become home for me.
You see, home, for me, is not a place, it’s a feeling. A feeling of a place belonging to you and you belonging in that place. A place where you feel safe and comfortable. A place in which you can walk around in your underwear, leave your dishes unwashed, know with your eyes closed where everything is. A place you think of when you’re tired and need to rest. A place you think of when you say the word home. A place you feel as you home.
It’s a bit inexplicable, this feeling, attached to a place and yet completely of your own imagining.
I think it’s the cat that did it for me. I always thought of a home as a place with a fireplace and a cat. Always a cat. Must be a cat. It’s silly, I know.
I may not have a fireplace here, but I do have a cat. And I finally have a place to call home :).
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- 13:42 -
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20.12.2004., ponedjeljak
Hello, my dear friends.
I'm back from Split, from the funeral.
I'm exhausted. The travel, the work, the emotions, the lack of sleep, everything that happened these past few days has exhausted me. I feel like I could sleep for a thousand years.
The whole family came to the funeral, and is it horrible from me to say that I was happy? Happy to see them all, my dear relatives from all over Croatia and Germany, who I haven't seen in ages. It was a sad occasion, but I was happy they all came.
The funeral itself... well, you know, this is the first time someone of my immediate family died. It was strange being the one others gave their condolences to.
In the chapel the first thing that surprised me was how small the coffin looked. I remember my grandfather as a strong, large man, and I couldn't believe that he could fit into that small coffin. But there it is, death makes us smaller.
I don't know how the funeral arrangements go where you are, dear people, but this is how it goes, with small variations, over here.
The coffin is displayed in the funeral home chapel. We, the family, stood on one side and people came over to express their regrets for our dear grandfather (and father, and husband) passing away. Then came a short sermon by the priests, and after that we left for the graveyard. There the priests also said a short prayer, there was an appropriate song, and it was over – the grave sealed with a marble panel, the flowers placed, the coffin inside. Off we went to the church for a mass for the dead, and afterwards the whole family and friends came over to our house, where we prepared snacks and cookies.
I didn’t know half the people who came. Everybody was saying – My condolences – and I was thinking – Who in all the hell are you?
I kissed so many unknown people, my cheeks were aching from all the beards and moustaches they touched.
I noticed there are two kinds of people – those who kiss you, those who don’t. The ones that want to kiss you on the cheek have all the same behavior pattern – immediately after grasping your hand they pull you towards them. They don’t wait for you to lean – they pull.
The kiss is inevitable.
They don’t give you a choice – they are here and they will kiss you, whether you like it or not.
Personally, I hate being kissed by strangers. I hate public displays of affections.
I don’t do hugs.
I don’t do kisses.
I don’t do physical contact.
I don’t like it and I don’t need it. In somebody else’s arms, I feel trapped. I don’t feel comforted, I feel caught. The only thought I have when somebody’s hugging me is – get off me. Only in rare emotional situations with very close friends and relatives do I enjoy physical contact of any kind – hugs or kisses. (well, except honeybunny :). I like kissing and hugging honeybunny :) ).
So these hours of kissing and hugging total strangers were quite an ordeal for me. Every molecule of my body wanted to push them away. Who are they, I don’t know them, I’ve never seen them and never will see them again, and for propriety’s sake I have to stand there and shake hands, hug and kiss them.
What can I say? I hated it.
And now, after these few days, I’m left exhausted and very, very sleepy. I could fall asleep on my feet, I feel so drained.
This morning I accompanied honeybunny when he went to do his regular car check. I woke up at 6.45 – way too early for me.
Anyway…
Hope you’re all well, thank you for your concern and love to you all from Tiamat.
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- 16:53 -
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16.12.2004., èetvrtak
This morning my grandfather died.
I just found out a little while ago.
Strange how I don't really feel crushed by that.
He was very sick for the past two years. He had cancer. Lately, the only medicine he took was painkillers. And even they did not help.
He was deteriorating in front of our eyes from a strong, capable man to a blubbering, aggressive child. It was horrible to watch.
He was in constant pain. He could not sleep at night or at day. He could not walk anymore.
He told me the last time I was home, in one of his more lucid moments that he prays God will take him soon, because he couldn’t take it anymore. He was a very proud man and it pained him to not be able to wash himself or dress himself. He couldn’t take the pain, and he couldn’t take what he was becoming. He couldn’t take the fact of his mind slipping away. He could feel it, of course, and that scared and horrified him – such a man, who always had a strong grip on life, now regressing into the past and not knowing which day it is, or in which city he’s at (he traveled a lot and lived in different cities, just like my father and me. It seems constant movement is in our genes.).
So now he got his wish – God has taken him.
I try to remember him not as he was during his disease, but as he was when he was healthy.
Very proud, very dominating person. A regular patriarch :), my granddad. Loved to laugh and make jokes. Loved to tease my brother and me. Was a great fan of our soccer club, Hajduk. Never missed a game. Once, long ago, he took my grandmother to Belgrade (during communist times) to see a soccer game Hajduk vs. Crvena Zvezda. She got him in a fight :). She insulted a Serb, the Serb insulted her back, and granddad had to defend his wife’s honor. Such a chevalier :). And a hard working man. He earned the money to build our home. And very, very emotional. He loved us all deeply.
So that’s how I’ll remember him – playing cards with his friends, cheering his team on in front of the TV, giving me advice on life while drinking coffee, teasing my brother at Christmas lunches, looking over my grandmother’s shoulder while she was cooking, driving his old Yugo, digging in the garden.
That was my granddad. A great guy.
I hope he’s doing great, wherever he may be now.
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- 12:51 -
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15.12.2004., srijeda
Hey you guys!
Šime iz Kine :), I'm so happy you finally saw my blog :). Kisses to my China girl :). Knowing I can count on you means more than you think to me.
It’s so wonderful to have Internet. You know when you talk to your friends about stuff, there’s always a subject - in which time would you like to live. And you always get answers like, oh the Roman times, or, oh the Baroque times; me, I’d like to live tomorrow!
Just imagine those past times, without Internet or cell phones, without painkillers or proper dentists, without conditioners or proper toilets.
I would never, never want to live in those times.
For one, I would probably never meet any of you, my wonderful people, and even if I did get so lucky to meet you, we could never keep in contact. How long does it take for a letter to reach England? Mexico? China? Japan? France? Any of the places you are right now?
But with my little Blacky attached to a telephone outlet, I connect to you in seconds. You and heaps of other people I talk to but have never met. I can remain your friend even though you’re miles away. I can share your joys and sorrows as if I’m there with you. I can talk to you, laugh with you, have fun with you, even though we’re not in the same place anymore.
I don’t think a physical place matters in today’s world so much; a spiritual place matters. As long as we’re on the same level spiritually you can be on the Moon for all I care, we’re still together.
Unable to quarrel and get on each other’s nerves, bound together by memories, happy when we talk after a long time, in this virtual reality we can be friends and companions forever.
Ah, I love modern times. I would not change all this technology for an extra ten years of my life!
Now…
What else is new? Let’s see…
Oh, right, I have classes again this week. It’s economics this time. I tend to drift off during lectures. It’s not that the professor is boring, he’s not, but I can’t seem to concentrate. Maybe it’s a passing thing.
I was never very interested in economics until one college professor, a brilliant guy, made me interested. You know how good he was? He made me sorry I didn’t go off to study economy, that’s how good he was. His lectures were so interesting he could make the worst of us stand to attention.
Of course, that was five years ago and I’ve forgotten just about everything except what GDP is :), but the idea that economics can be fun stayed with me. So I think these classes will go well.
I’m off to feed the cat now. She demands attention again. My god, it must be frightfully hard to have children, if just one kitty takes so much time to look after!
Love to you all from Tiamat!
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- 10:41 -
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14.12.2004., utorak
Today is another great day for doing nothing.
I'm decorating the house for Christmas. And making presents. Yes, that's right, making presents. Not all, just a few that I can make, since I'm not very artistic. I get great ideas, but have no knowledge or skill to realize them. I wish I knew how to paint or sculpture or something. But the only thing I know how to do is cook :). Well, that’s art too, for me.
So I’ll be cooking some presents and making some others, which will cover about three people and two families. For all the others I still have a big question mark above my head.
I got an e-mail from Keny, she’s off to high seas again – good luck darling, and as we say it here, mirno more; or in translation may the seas be peaceful (direct translation would be mirno – peaceful, more – sea)
And on that note a big hello to all my sailor girls! A peaceful sea to you too :); all of you – there are so many of you, my sailor girls. I miss you all :(, when are you coming home?
Well, I’m off to finish decorating the Christmas tree. I would show it to you, but honeybunny took the camera to Sarajevo with him.
Kisses and love from Tiamat.
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- 14:13 -
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13.12.2004., ponedjeljak
I have no self-control.
Grr. Argh.
Last night I staid up all night watching reruns of Star Trek – Voyager and reading a book, despite the fact that I had to wake up at preferably 8 this morning. At 3.30 AM I said to myself – Go to bed, you’ll regret this in the morning – but did I go to bed? noooooo. Of course not.
And I regret it. I can barely keep my eyes open, I feel like I have an IQ of a household plant, and like somebody beat me up with a stick last night. And the only thing I did was sleep way less than usual.
Mornings like these, I feel really old. I remember those times when I could party all night, sleep for three hours, work all day, party all night, sleep for four hours, work all day, party all night, sleep… well, you get the picture. I could go days without sleeping properly, and now… I sleep less than eight hours, I feel like shit. And then I wonder, how could I have been doing that just a few years back, and now I can’t do it for more than a week without a total collapse?! Maybe it’s my memory of the past that is false; maybe then I also felt like shit in the morning but I forgot.
Argh, whatever.
It looks very very cold outside. I don’t even have to open the window, I can smell the cold. Last night honeybunny and I were walking through the city and my forehead was freezing so bad I got a headache. I’ll have to dig out a hat from some forgotten regions of the closet.
I hope it’s warmer where you are.
Love from Tiamat.
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- 09:48 -
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12.12.2004., nedjelja
Hello my good people,
And how are you all doing on this fine day? Good? Great.
Honeybunny and I had a great breakfast and now we’re both reading web news and stuff. It’s still early morning for us (never mind it’s almost two o’clock :) ).
Last night we went to see Alexander. The Great. Or, as we came to see him after three hours in the cinema, Alexander the Pussywhipped Crybaby.
This, my dear people, is a horrible movie. It’s just a big, very, very big disappointment. I haven’t been so let down by a movie since Troy.
I brushed up on my history just now by looking up facts on the web. Alexander was one of the greatest warrior overlords of all time. At the age of 25, Alexander was: “the king of Macedonia, leader of the Greeks, Overlord of Asia Minor and Pharaoh of Egypt, and Great King of Persia”. He founded over 70 cities, he linked “the entire area from Greece in the west, north to the Danube, south into Egypt and as far east as the Indian Punjab”.
Primarily a soldier, Alexander was an acknowledged military genius who always led by example, although his belief in his own indestructibility meant he was often reckless with his own life and that of those he expected to follow him. The fact that his army only refused to do so once, in the 13 years of a reign during which there was constant fighting, indicates the loyalty he inspired.
(facts taken from BBC History)
So, you have this amazing historical figure, who conquered what was then all the known world and then some, and you decide to make a movie about him. What do you describe in the movie?
His military genius? No. His cunning as a politician? No. His brilliance as a scholar? No. His curiosity as an explorer? No.
No, no, no - you show his supposed obsession with his mother, his supposed obsession with his father, and his gentle, feminine gay side.
Well, after all, he was gay; he must have been gentle and feminine. You show one of the greatest warlords as a pussywhipped crybaby.
From the very beginning Alexander is portrayed as a child under the great influence of his mother, denied love from his father, craving the throne. And instead of leaving such childish behavior in his past, the authors of the movie use it constantly thought to give us fake Freudian explanations for his actions in the future. So, the great warrior becomes a weak slave of his mother’s ambition, and a psychotic lunatic haunted by his fathers ghost. Does this sound like a man who is able to conquer lands and lead vast armies? This doesn’t sound like a man who can tie his own shoes!
And the there’s the matter of the whole I’m-so-in-your-face-gay thing.
Alexander the Great was gay, yes (or bisexual, whatever). But Alexander the Great was not a Gay Overlord; he was an overlord who was also gay. Can you see the difference? By putting so much emphasis on the fact that he was gay you get the idea that the authors are trying to tell you – look, even gay guys can fight. Wow. Who would have thought it? Even gay guys can fight. Even gay men can act like, just imagine this, men.
By playing his gay dimension for all that it’s worth, Alexander is shown as a gay guy, who is basically so sensitive and of course in touch with his feminine side, like all gays are in the minds of straight people, that he weeps throughout the movie and has great pains at killing a fly, let alone a few people. A man like that could not be a president today, let alone an overlord in those days. He wouldn’t last a week.
In three hours the story of the greatest emperor-warrior of the past turned into a story of a man who cries a lot.
And, of course, so that the movie would not be a piece of shit, but a complete piece of shit, there’s the “subtle” all-American propaganda.
Alexander is attacking Persia (the place where today’s Iraq is), and he gives this long pep talk to his troops that they are fighting to defend the Macedonian/Greek freedom! Hey, they are invading Persia, they are the bad guys, the conquerors, and he’s talking about defending the freedom of a country a sea away! Can you say Bush? It was so “subtle”, even without the great eagle (trick question – the symbol of which country is an eagle?) flying overhead the whole time.
My advice to you is: if you want to know something about Alexander the Great, pick up a history book or google for it. Don’t go see this movie; it’s just three hours of pain in the butt.
Love to you all from Tiamat.
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- 13:13 -
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11.12.2004., subota
Well, hello everyone!
I must say I feel like a weird sort of pirate – the cat is sleeping on my shoulder as I'm writing this :).
Honeybunny’s home and I’m happy now :). We have eaten the sarme (which have turned out quite nicely, thank you). Another kitchen success :) !!!
We bought our Christmas tree; you can see it in the picture above. It’s a live tree, we’ll take it to Istria after Xmas and plant it there. Well, give it to honeybunny’s sister to plant, anyway – she’s got a green thumb and anything she puts in the land grows. I, on the other hand, have successfully killed every houseplant I owned. Except my cactus. That one still lives. For three full months now. It did turn a bit yellow, but I think that’s from cigarette smoke :).
Remember those pitiful plants we had at 801 when I moved in? Those died too, didn’t they? Well, I guess none of us are plant people.
I wonder how the cat will react when we put the decorations on the tree – she’ll probably pick a fight with it. I can already see her charging at the sparkling colorful balls :).
We’re off to the movies now – going to see Alexander the Great. Colin Farell and Angelina Jolie – something for both my honeybunny and me :).
Love to you all.
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- 19:06 -
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10.12.2004., petak
Hello my dear friends,
I hope you're all well and good today. I know I am :).
I don’t know why, I feel very optimistic today. Maybe because honeybunny is coming back from Sarajevo :). Maybe because I have cooked.
I love cooking. It’s so relaxing.
Cooking is a form of art for me. A yummy art, since you get to eat what you have created :).
Last night I made sarme. That is, I think, a Hungarian specialty, but I’m not sure. Maybe it is original Croatian, I have no idea.
Sarme – a meal made out of sauerkraut and minced meat. The meat is combined with rice, egg and spices. Leaves of sauerkraut are filled with small portions of the meat, the rest of sauerkraut finely chopped and then cooked for an hour or longer to produce a yummy sour meaty meal. Eaten with mash potatoes or bread. Mmmmm.
So today we are eating sarme, and if my good mood continues, maybe I’ll make a cake too.
I’ve been spending way too much time on the Internet lately. I get carried away. Just this one more page to look at, just this one more post to answer, just this one more thing to search… and I end up spending four hours straight on-line. Then I wonder why my bum hurts :).
So today I’m going off early. Kisses to you all and love from Tiamat.
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- 12:15 -
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09.12.2004., èetvrtak
I love my dad.
I really love my dad.
Not just because we're the same horoscope sign :), but because I can talk with him.
I know lots of woman have a great relationship with their mothers and can talk with them about anything, but I never could talk with mine. She was always either too distant or too critical.
When I was in my teens, I’d try and talk with her about something very important to me, but I could never get to her. I still remember one time when I had a big problem and I went to her. She was watching TV. I started to talk (and you who know me, know how hard it so me to talk about my feelings and problems. Very hard. Almost impossible.) , she turned around and said: “Can’t you see I’m watching television? Go away, we’ll talk later.” Of course, being a teenager, full of raw emotions, later, I didn’t want to talk. And so, after a time of her not wanting to listen, or criticizing everything I told her, I didn’t talk to her anymore.
But I could always talk to my dad. He was never too busy to listen, or too impatient to interrupt me, he never jumped to conclusions, and usually had a very sound piece of advice later. So, thank you, daddy.
I’m feeling much better and almost optimistic today. Vin Diesel swung my mood to whatever and a good conversation with my best friend and my father got it all the way to I’m ok, really :).
Today I’m driving again. Yesterday I almost killed us by slamming into a line of really fast moving cars. The guy said, ok, now look over your left shoulder to see if anyone’s coming. I turned my head to the left, and my hands followed :) which got us turning to the left, right into an oncoming line of cars driving about 60 km/h. If he didn’t hit the breaks, we would have been minced meat :). Poor guy, I can see his hair growing grayer already :).
So, good people, kisses to you all, and love from Tiamat.
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- 13:19 -
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08.12.2004., srijeda
So, the solution to my depression was to go to the movies and see The Chronicles of Riddick.
Well, this was long overdue. Of course I’ve seen this movie as soon as my dear friends brought it from China :). I’ve got 2 DVDs, and a third one on the way :). Now, finally, I’ve gone and seen it in the theater. And let me tell you, nothing, I mean nothing beats a cinema experience. The movie took a whole new dimension while watching it on the big screen. Vin Diesel was bigger, for one thing :). Larger than life :).
Ah, this movie has taken my mind completely from my current problems and immersed me in a whole new dimension. The Diesel dimension :).
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- 20:55 -
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In need of friends...
I didn't get the job.
Which job, you ask?
Any job.
So far, I've got two rejection letters, five rejection e-mails, and countless offers not answered.
All of them going - we think you're wonderful, but not for us, better luck next time.
The job I really wanted to get was by our Ministry of Foreign Affaires. And last night my bro tells me he’s seen the list of those who got in, and I’m not on it.
I must say it didn’t hit me like I thought it would, but then again, I’m probably under shock. You see, I don’t see how I can, by the same criteria, the same tests and the same interviewers get one thing and not another. When I got in the Diplomatic Academy, which had almost exactly the same tests as the job in the Ministry, I thought the job was bagged and tagged and just a matter of time before they notify me to tell me I was in.
I have dared to hope. I have dared to think I got it made. And of course, every time I hope and think things are going to turn out great, they don’t.
That is the story of my life. You know, the one thing repeating itself throughout my life.
I hope for something I want, I show the universe my desire for getting it, I don’t get it. I don’t hope, I don’t show the universe my desire for getting it, I get it. Everything I wanted with my whole heart, I did not get. The things I passionately craved for, I did not get. Those I was indifferent to, I got.
There’s just one exception to this rule I can think of, and that’s honeybunny. I wanted him with all my heart, and I got him. But even then I was sure that since I wanted him, I wouldn’t get him.
So why is this? Why am I always left empty-handed whenever I desire something badly?
I’ve developed a theory that softens the blow over the years. Now don’t laugh.
My theory is: God knows that in the further course of events the future which would be by getting my heart’s desire would not be good for me, so he denies me that future regardless of my wishes in the present.
And so far the theory’s worked for me. Whenever I wanted something and didn’t get it, it would turn out the thing would have totally messed up my life in the end. For example, every boy I loved but didn’t get, turned out to be a jerk as time went by, and I could see, after time has healed my wounds, that he would have messed me up completely. And I was happy I did not get my wish, because not getting it turned out to be the right thing.
You know, I don’t think I’m very religious, not in the sense that I go to church every Sunday and pray daily, but I do believe in God. I believe he loves me and knows what’s best for me, and I love him and trust him. So maybe everything will be all right in the end.
It’s just that, although I say everything will be all right in the end, I can’t see it now.
I wanted that job. I really did. I wanted to start working. I’m sick and tired of sitting at home and answering ads. I’m sick and tired of not having my own money, and having to beg my father for scraps. I’m sick and tired of honeybunny having to pay for everything, although I know he doesn’t mind. I’m sick and tired going to coffee with my friends and being the only one unemployed there. I’m sick and tired of having no goal, no purpose. I’m sick and tired of not living up to my own expectations.
I think I’m gonna call a friend and get drunk tonight. I’m in the mood to drown my sorrows in a bottle (or two) of wine. I know that’s not the way to solve one’s problems, but that’s the only thing I can think of right now.
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- 12:10 -
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06.12.2004., ponedjeljak
Just an afterthought...
I hate ironing. That is one housework thingy I really don't like to do.
However, I had to wash tons of laundry and iron it in the last few days.
And I'm still not finished! What you see on the left are the last remains of laundry to finish up today.
The thing about winter is you can never get the damn things to dry! It takes days. And we don't have a dryer. Those are not very common in Croatia.
Anyway, just thought I'd share my loathing of laundry with the universe. Love!
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- 13:24 -
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Happy St. Nicholas day!
Today is St. Nicholas day. Is a well-celebrated day in Croatia, if only because you get presents.
St. Nicholas is the protector of children, sailors, and all people who are in trouble. According to legend, he gave some money to some girls for dowry (who would have otherwise become prostitutes) and performed miracles. From the legend of St. Nicholas grew the custom and story of Santa Claus. He was the original Santa. On St. Nicholas day you have people dressed as St. Nicholas and a devil called Krampus going around schools and kindergartens – St. Nicholas gives presents to the good, and Krampus sticks to the wicked (of course, no one gets a stick :) ). Sort of like Santa with presents and lumps of coal.
Unfortunately, I’m not a kid anymore, so there was no candy in my boots this morning. It sucks not being a kid.
In other news…. Yes, we did go shopping this Saturday. It was tiresome, but fun. We bought loads of stuff.
We got up at five in the morning to get ready for the trip. We had to meet my brother at six. It would have been easier if I hadn’t gone to sleep at two. So, after three hours of sleep I could hardly keep my eyes open.
The four of us went in the end – honeybunny, my bro, his girlfriend and me. We were in Graz at nine, right on time for the opening of stores. Gosh, I had so much fun. I haven’t been on an all day shopping spree in months! It feels like years!
I bought a suit, some shirts, sexy underwear and not so sexy but still adorable underwear, and of course, food for the cat :).
We went to IKEA and I wanted to take the entire store home with me. They have such cute stuff! Little adorable plastic kitchenware, furniture with a soul, cute stuff all over the place…
All in all, it was a fun and exhausting weekend.
A brother of a friend of mine came back from Russia. He works over there. Came back with stories of Russians drinking incredible stuff like paint remover and gas. He says, when the temperature drops below 20 degrees Celsius, the Russians take some gas (yes, the stuff that makes your car run) and run it over a stick. The cold freezes all the metals and shit in the gas on the stick, and the only thing running unfrozen is pure alcohol. And they drink it! God. He told us the life expectancy of an average male Russian is 50 to 60 years of age. No wonder. The wonder is they get to live that long at all.
Honeybunny left for Sarajevo again. Great. I get to see him only two das in a week now. And then we spend those days doing some high quality shopping. Poppycock.
Oh well. I play with the cat. She’s demanding enough for a few people.
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- 10:06 -
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03.12.2004., petak
Hey people!
Good morning/evening/day (whatever your timeline is) to you all.
I really have nothing special to retell today – I had a pretty normal, no surprise time since last I wrote.
I went to my classes yesterday and I’m loving it. Right now the professor is a guy who is the ambassador to Sweden, and he’s full of interesting stories and, of course, knowledge. I learned so much from him in this week. Today, we have another test. It’s weird having just one week of class and BUM testing right away, but the last one wasn’t hard so I’m hoping this one won’t be either. Tonight we’re all going out for drinks to get to know each other better. Funny how people always find a common language when drinks are in question :).
You know what I like best about any kind of college? Intelligent people. Sometimes it’s so hard to find intelligent people to talk to. People who can have a conversation with good arguments, people you can learn new stuff from. So far my conversations weren’t too intelligent, but I think they will be – everybody there has some international experience and a college degree. Those two put together in most cases make for interesting people. So I think as this thing progresses, I’ll have a really good time.
In other news… Tomorrow we are going in Graz for shopping time :) yey! Honeybunny, my brother and me. Maybe his girlfriend too, I don’t know.
I have nothing to wear.
You know, I say so too often for anyone to believe me, but honestly I have nothing to wear. I’ve used up all my winter clothes and need a total change of wardrobe. And besides, all the clothes I have are totally informal. If I get to find a job (oh, god pls!), I’ll need some formal clothes – I can’t appear at work in military boots, punkish pants, and an old faded sweater. What kind of statement does that make?
So, I have nothing to wear, even though my I’m full of clothes.
Ah, the cat demands my attention. I’ll go feed her. Kisses to all!
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- 12:33 -
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02.12.2004., èetvrtak
So, I drove the car again!
This time, I actually drove in second gear!
And I got the car turned off accidentally only about six times :).
And I parked it :)!
And didn't hit anyone in the process, nor did I run over any pedestrians :)!
Of course, I was late again. I overslept, but the cat woke me up by jumping all over me. She’s very playful in the morning, keeps trying to pick a fight with my right hand. So I got up and blew my nose a few dozen times – I still have a cold. I’ve gone through a whole box of tissues and I sound like Darth Vader having an asthma attack.
Those of you who live in big cities (well, all of you do :) ) wouldn’t be surprised to hear it takes me about 45 minutes to get from my apartment to the place where I drive. I’m still surprised it takes that long. So much time spend trying only to get from one place to another. When will they invent teleportation?
But anyway. I got there 15 minutes late, sat in the drivers seat, turned on the engine and off I went! Or would have if I didn’t take my foot of the clutch too soon so the car stopped :). And after the first circle around the parking lot, the guy says:
- ok, now we’re going to shift to second gear.
- What?! Here, in the middle of the road, with other cars coming my way?
- Yeah, you’ll do fine (he always says that, and strangely, he’s right.)
So I did. Managed to do it without killing the engine. And found out to my surprise there’s no big difference between the two gears. Well, if you hit the gas pedal there probably is, but I’m really not there yet.
I annoyed a few people by giving the signal I’m going to go when I was trying to stop and vice versa, and I think I scared a few pedestrians by running straight at them, but well, beginners mistakes.
All in all I can say that driving a car seems like playing a video game to me. You’ve got to learn which buttons to press and how hard to press them to control your player and achieve victory. Only, if I make a mistake in a game I play it again, but here there is no restart button :).
I’m driving again on Monday and honestly, I can’t wait. It’s such fun!
In other news… Christmas is coming. I became aware of that today when there was feature about what to buy to your dear ones this Christmas.
God, all the stuff is do expensive. Got me depressed in a second. I compared my account balance to the prices of potential presents and concluded that this Christmas I will buy everyone a biiig… merry xmas card. Because it seems that’s about all I can afford.
I hate being moneyless. It frustrates me.
Well, anyway, that’s it for now, kisses to all, love ya.
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- 12:03 -
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01.12.2004., srijeda
Finally, finally, I got to drive!
I had another driving lesson today, and I actually drove a car. Two circles around the parking lot. Yey.
Damn, it’s really not that easy. First, I’m totally confused by the amount of things you have to do simultaneously. Press the clutch, shift the gear, press the gas, hold the wheel, look right, left, front, back, turn the wossaname blinky light thingy on, off, turn, straight, reverse…. Oh, my god!
I didn’t hit anyone, that’s what counts :).
So when I first got in the car, the guy says:
- ok, now we’ll drive.
- where? - I said
- right here on the parking lot, of course! - says he
I look around me, and there’s cars parked all over the bloody place, with about two meters between them for me to pass. I have no idea how long my front end is, how long the back is, or how wide the whole car is. I look at him and say:
- you’ve gotta be kidding me! I thought we’d go somewhere where I wont be able to cause complete havoc.
- Oh, you’ll do fine, says the guy.
And, you know, I did. I even managed to park the car.
Of course, I almost hit about ten of them, and would have if he didn’t turn the wheel at the crucial time.
I also scratched it a bit on the sidewalk, but I’d say, pretty good for someone who has never driven before.
I’m still really confused; you know, I start going in reverse and then I remember I should have looked if there’s anyone behind me… little things like that.
Well, I’ll do better the second time around.
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- 13:45 -
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