Oh my. It's nearly the end of the year and my last post is from - what - August??? Shame, shame on me for being so dreadfully negligent of my blog!

Well, I guess Christmas wishes are no longer appropriate, so here's to the old year - we've jumped from the stratosphere (I still love the pun "Baumgartner Höhe" which sadly only Viennese people or people from Lower Austria understand) and we've survived doomsday! Can this even be topped in 2013?

Anyway, I hope you've all had nice holidays. I've spent most of the time in the kitchen - on those days, people usually expect special meals prepared in the most laborious fashion you can imagine. If things went wrong, there wouldn't even be any backup, as most restaurants are closed on the 24th. So you just hope for the best and if everything goes according to plan, you can at least call it your personal Christmas miracle... But I shouldn't complain so much, this year went really well.

Here's a little heart- (and body-)warming image of our fireplace. Fortunately, it has been rather mild lately, no snow and temperatures always above zero. Just perfect for me :-) As nice and cozy a fireplace might be, it still doesn't beat a boyfriend, so today I've packed my things and travelled to my honey to spend some time with him and his lovely family and, most importantly, to let him warm my icy hands and feet...

If I don't manage to write another entry before New Year's Eve (chances for that are relatively low, I suppose, as I'm easily freezing... ;-)), I'd like to wish everyone of you a HAPPY, SUCCESSFUL, and BLISSFUL 2013!

So - it's been quite some time since my last update... Life's been busy and most time in the evenings I hardly manage to creep under the shower and then straight to bed. Nevertheless I do write - I compose whole blog updates in my head when I'm walking on the streets, waiting for the bus, washing the dishes, but due to some procrastinative talent of mine they never actually make it to paper or even the laptop.

Actually there's something I really need to get off my chest... It's the lack of basic civility and respect in certain local areas and professions and, of course, human individuals. Mind you, I won't speak of these things having deteriorated over the course of time, because honestly I think they didn't and former times have in this respect not been any better. Therefore I won't blame the younger generation, as I've observed this phenomenon in the last few weeks only among people between 40 and 60 (which doesn't mean there aren't any rude young people, too).

Some people in certain fields of the tertiary sector still haven't realised that they should provide a service and, in consequence, act accordingly. They are paid to help, not to nurture prejudice and treat people with suspicion. You couldn't even say that they are having a bad day, as their behaviour is standard and can be felt and observed most of the time you have to deal with them. Still - suppose they just were in bad mood (which would be 90% of their working time then!), it's childish and unprofessional to show it that obviously and let it out on others.

I could rant for hours about that, but I guess I've covered the main things without going into too much detail. Sorry that my first posting after three months of absence isn't more positive.  

I've had a pretty weird dream last night. Well, honestly speaking, I always do, but this one was different - it was not so much centered about surreal plot pieces but rather heavily visual instead. In fact, I've seen several places and rooms of my childhood, teenage and early twen years, all covered in red ivy, something like this:

Funnily, most of those places were indoors, and I was wondering how those thick ivy branches could spread their way all across the walls and the floor and ceiling and why nobody has noticed them earlier. But then, I realised it doesn't matter and went to the door. I turned around for the last time, had a good, final look at everything, smiled, said good night and switched off the lights.

I somehow know that something is about to change. It's hard to pinpoint it and it's rather a vague feeling than real knowledge. See, I'm often a close observer without actually knowing it. I unconsciously take in little details that weave patterns in my brain and then, after some time a picture emerges and I wonder where it came from and try to follow all the little threads back to their origin. Which is, as you probably can imagine,  in many cases an impossible task.

It's the same with this dream and I know that the basic idea is not that entirely new - I can trace back many of the threads. But there are still some missing and pose a riddle, a mystery to me.

All I can say is I feel that a whole era is going to end, and I'm a little sentimental about that.

This picture was taken at the annual town festival yesterday. I remember the last years when we used to wear knitted cardigans and cuddled up in the tents, hoping they would support the rain water gushing from the sky... Not this year! It was one of the hottest days and evenings in Northern Austria I can even remember. 28°C shortly past 10 p.m. was truly a record! As far as I can tell, the festival was a success, it was really hard to get a seat.

As usual, here in Vienna it's much hotter - I won't complain, though. It's summer and I clearly prefer this kind of weather to rain and chilly temperatures. Besides, summer holidays have started - finally!!! - and I'm planning to have a drink somewhere on the banks of the Danube and enjoy the summer feeling (and maybe get my clothes stained, like last year :-))

The great things about holidays are 1) living according to your preferred rhythm, 2) as a consequence: sleeping long, and 3) doing things you didn't have time for so far. No 3 also entails a few unpleasant things, such as, for instance, check-ups with the doctors and that juggernaut of thesis, but also a few wonderful pastime activities, such as playing Gray Matter (I'm already in love with it, but didn't expect otherwise) and trying to shorten my reading list. And I'm definitely going to drop by at that great festival at Rathausplatz where they play lovely classical music while you're having a food rush... My boyfriend and I love it!

What are your plans for summer?

Today's still life: Calderon, carrot cake, theatrum mundi and soy latte. Intellectual and culinary stimulation - what a perfect afternoon!
Finally, after eons of procrastination, falling asleep in front of the screen or on exercise books, and chewing nails above exams, I've finally found some time to write! Yay!

My current read is Radetzkymarsch by Joseph Roth. Not quite the typical summer book, but I've started it when the weather was still cold, sizzling and windy outside. Not quite my first choice, I have to admit - it definitely makes my schoolbag even heavier than it already is. I've originally intended to read Das Orangenmädchen by Jostein Gaarder, but soon laid it aside, being tired by the somewhat tedious style of the text.

So I was positively surprised when I first picked up Radetzkymarsch. Regarding stylistic choices, it is certainly a masterpiece. It's sophisticated, yet captivating, it's elaborate without wasting a single word - it is beauty. What I currently enjoy so much is the imagery and the subtlety - just to give you one example: a final goodbye between a young lieutenant and the widow of his (formerly) best friend. Instead of describing things like movements, hesitations, looks, words and thoughts, Roth just refers to a quick, warm and gentle waft of air and the lady's request to write to her.

But another brilliant feature is the use of motifs, which is definitely one of the most challenging aspects of modern writing (as you easily slip into sounding too pathetic and kitsch). The image of the emperor - for the protagonist Carl Joseph heavily loaded with the burden of keeping up his ancestor's achievements - seems to follow him everywhere, even into the brothel. Disgusted to find it in such a place, he puts the picture down, folds it and puts it into the pocket of his coat. His grandfather saved Franz Joseph's life in the battle of Solferino - but now, this is the only way and opportunity for Carl Joseph to prove himself worthy to be part of the same family line as his grandfather, who was celebrated as a hero even in school textbooks.

I don't want to go into too much detail about the plot. It is set in the late 19th and early 20th century, a time when the heyday of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy has passed and a new era is about to come. The former glory has passed, people see that traditional means do no longer suffice in various situations, there is more that has to be done, but they feel unable to cope. They have learned set phrases and behavioural patterns appropriate for the majority of social moments that occur in their lives, but at some point they realize the complexity of the new times and have to face situations in which they feel powerless.

This novel has touched me in many ways - it has made me think of my own ancestors and even given me a way to try to understand their actions. It is fascinating, as I often have the feeling social changes happen much faster nowadays and individuals also often struggle to keep up. On the other hand, the social sphere of the former empirial bureaucracy and military seems rather alien to me. It is fascinating, yet rather detached from today's world, as terms like honour today just don't have the same impact or meaning anymore (fortunately, I'd say)...

I've just found this wonderful spring picture from 2008 - it was taken in my Grandma's gardens. I really love it, it's so picturesque :-)

Unfortunately Easter holidays haven't been so nice this year, on Easter Sunday it was actually snowing most of the day and the rest of the days were quite nasty - foggy, grey and chilly. Only today it brightened up a bit... Such a pity, really. However, I was quite busy meeting friends and preparing for a flood of incoming Easter visits, so there wasn't too much time left for lamenting current weather conditions ^^

Hope you all had nice holidays :-) 

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!

As you can see, spring is already there and everything is turning green again... I just love this season!!! I spent my lunch break at Rathauspark today and enjoyed the warm sun and the chirping of birds... I'll be off to the countryside the next few days so there should be plenty of nature for me, but the weather forecast predicted the comeback of winter... Let's hope for the best, maybe it won't be this terrible in the end...

Have nice and relaxing holidays and lots of treats from the Easter bunny :-) 

That's the way my knee looks today, one day after my second jazzdance session... There's this huge red bruise below my knee and even the side is a bit green and yellow. In a few days, when that turns purple, I've got all rainbow colours on my leg ;-) Floorwork is definitely killing my knee and it's high time to find some sort of protective pads. Apart from that, it's just great to dance again, even if I've changed to a different style. What I love about jazzdance (as, for instance, in contrast to bellydance) is how you use your space - it's definitely big, dramatic, powerful. I also love the moves, they're elegant, but not restraining, you just let it out -  maybe that's the jazzy thing about it... Mind that I'm still an absolute greenhorn in that field, so these are just my first impressions and thoughts about it.

Apart from the knee issue I really love my sore muscles at the moment, I know I've worked hard and I just feel good - maybe also because of the massive amounts of sun I've had recently. It's been a long time without warmth and sun and I've really noticed how my body and my mind ached for every single sunbeam they could get... In the last days I've really been doing fine healthwise, and the dancing also helps to get my legs, belly and butt shaped for summer ;-)

I know the frequency of my postings are absolutely lousy, I'm still trying to work on that. I often had plenty of ideas, though, but unfortunately I was not always in the position to formulate them or even jot them down, and the next time I had the opportunity to write a posting I've lost all the energy, motivation or inspiration... Regarding health and private life, this winter was maybe not the best time for me, but at the moment I'm gaining strength and motivation. It always surprises me how seemingly trivial conditions such as temperature and light vastly affect my whole perception, even my whole being...

First post in this year - OMG!!! So first of all, I wish you a great 2012, lots of love, laughter and happiness :-)

Finally there's some snow in Vienna - this was what I saw from the bedroom window at about 7 in the morning:

You can easily imagine my enthusiasm about leaving our cosy warm flat... Oh well, at least there was no delay with the trains. I just hope they'll also be on time tomorrow...

There's still a lot of work to do, but I've had very relaxing Christmas holidays and some nice quality time with my own and my bf's family. And last, but not least, one of the most crucial things - sleeping in! The simple circumstance of there being no pressure whatsoever  to get up in the morning has become such a precious thing to me (oh wow, I think I've just strained the possibilities of English syntax to its maximum here... XD) 

Beside all the work-related stuff, however, there's still some space for the small things that make life pleasurable - friends, dancing, meeting new people, eating outside, gaming and reading. Right now I'm still busy with that Agatha Christie novel, but I'm already itching to start with that lovely series I got from a friend... I've already had a glance over the first few pages of the first volume and just can't wait to go on, but I'm forcing to finish my present read first.

Oh god, what a crappy first entry... Sometimes it's just so hard to focus... Especially when you're tired... Just can't wait for the weekend!