recipe for getting sick

this is what you do: you go out every night of the week, spend quite some time in some wet grass on a cool evening, don't sleep too much, and don't cancel previous engagements although you already have a fever. tried and tested. result garanteed!

the second nicest compliment

my gay colleague said to me, the other day, that i looked so lovely that he should go straight.

awr....

what a day!

it's 2.30am, been up for, oh, about 20hrs, and only just got home.

after the normal teaching, i rushed home to pick up my car and drive back into town. there i met up with a friend and we had a nice chat, after which i met with another friend. she (and i) had just been invited for some impromptu sailing on the lake. how could we say no? so we met the two guys, got on the boat, and spent an amazing 2 hours just floating around while one of the guys was trying to learn more about winds and how to steer the boat. it was really great, and such a shame we had to head back, but some other people were actually waiting for us at a party in town and we were already seriously late.

so after dropping in at my friend's flat, one of the guys came to pick me up on his scooter while she rode over to the place. i hadn't been on a 'motorbike' in a long, long time, but it was a lot less stressful than the first time. we found our friends, among the other hundreds of people who'd turned up, sat ourselves down in the grass while we dined on ice-cream and pancakes (we'd all decided the paella didn't look too good). at half past twelve, we headed for bar in town (actually, we were trying to go dancing, but none of us wanted to pay the outrageous weeknight cover), and only just got back.

i can't believe the last 10 hours. i've done so many things and met so many people. it truly was a great day! ;)

minor catastrophe becomes major headache

i thought the water problem was over. how wrong could i be?

on Friday, i got a letter from the company that takes care of my building, saying they were going to charge me for the leak search, as said leak apparently came from my flat (which i still think is debatable...). which would have been ok, i think, if the bill had been vaguely normal (which, according to my own plumber, means about 50 euros for an hour's work). this guy, the plumber the company called, is billing me 327.05 euros! for, as far as i can tell, nothing much, considering he spent 15 mns in my flat, a possible 30 mns outside (but NOT where the leak first declared itself, ie my garage) and that it took him over 7 weeks to show up. oh, and i had to call him back several times, seen as he 1) thought he'd made an appointment with me, which he hadn't, and 2) didn't show up cos he thought i lived elsewhere, which as far as i'm concerned means he had no grip whatsoever over what was going on.

so i've spent my entire weekend (well, most of it) writing a letter to the company, telling them it's totally ridiculous and that if they want me to pay for anything at all, they'd bloody well come up with a lot better than a bill saying: 'search for leak in building: 280 euros; travel expenses: 30 euros; add tax'. and a much cheaper one.

music in the rain

the day had started rather well. met up with date guy number 2, the Canadian one, and had lunch in the weirdest and probably relatively unknown spot on the lake. it was nice. then, as there are about 500 free concerts taking place over the weekend, i was heading for one, and asked if he'd join me. he relented and postponed whatever it was he had to do, and we had a great time listening to some really nice jazz. he then had to leave, but i listened to the next jazz band, which was less my style but still good. from there i was looking forward to a Celtic rock band, and it was packed with people in front of the stage. and the music was amazing. unfortunately, after about half an hour, the rain they'd been promising us for two days finally came, and within a minute, we were all totally drenched. people were running for cover, except there wasn't much, most concerts taking place oustide... although soaking wet, i managed to find a relatively dry spot to wait out the rain. it was such a shame, though, cos the band was really good (they also had to pack up, after an attempt at staying on, cos the gear was getting wet), and whoever's playing now that the rain has stopped is probably not getting many spectators, as i think most people went home to dry up/change.

The Da Vinci Code

i was one of those who were excited to hear they were making a movie out of the book. and one of the not-so-excited to hear Tom Hanks was going to portray Robert Langdon. already, the movie seemed doomed. but ok, saw the trailer and thought: 'this could be good'. then heard of the reaction of the critics when it was shown at the opening of the Cannes Festival, and decided i probably shouldn't waste my money on it.

as it turns out, it was showing in English at my local cinema, so i decided that, seen as i had very low expectations, the worst that could happen would be that they'd be confirmed. and frankly, it wasn't bad at all. i can understand that the critics thought it was bad. i mean, Ron Howard is a good director, and this kind of movie probably not what he's best at. but then you have to look at what he had to work with. whilst gripping, the book is poorly written (i do wonder, btw, whether people who translated it also wrote it better...) and does go on a bit on the religious, whilst not really giving us much on the people. and yes, how do you put 24 hrs into a 2.5 hr period? but how do you put weeks, months or years into the same amount of time? something's gotta go, we all know it.

as a movie, it's not bad at all. and Tom Hanks does ok (even with his hair, which apparently sparked a bit of a controversy in the States - i thought it really helped cos i wouldn't have liked to see the normal him in this movie). the star, of course, is the brilliant Ian McKellen, whom i love to bits. he is, as usual, magnificent!

time of the day

with the current heat that has descended upon us, it's a lot nicer to stay inside, which of course, is annoying as hell considering we'd been praying for hotter weather. we certainly got that... so it was a nice contrast to be out yesterday evening. there was a nice breeze on the lake, the sun was setting and giving pearly pink hues to the water. it was divine! and once again, the terrible trio was together (i'd better mention N. and S.), and we had a great time. if only it hadn't been a week-night!

swimming pool

so, having lost my swimming pool (well, my father's), the summery weather was getting a bit much. having spent some time sunbathing on my balcony, i really felt the need to jump into some cool water. took a shower instead. but today, i found out the local pool, which is only 5 mns walk away, had opened again. not only that, but it was also free to locals this week. great. but after all the work, they've taken the open-air pool and made it to a closed one. kind of kills the mood... so i went to another open pool with a friend. it was the first time i'd been to a public pool in 13 years (apart from my gym pool, when i was abroad), and it was fun! then we continued with the water theme, we went to a grassy area on the lake and spent some more time dozing in the sun. so nice.

hurray!

the sun is back! it's hot again! yeah!!! after last week, which was amazingly cold (was wearing a winter sweater), it's now turning around 30C! nice. who is going to spend some time sunbathing? me, and loads of other people...

recipe for dealing with anger

there's nothing i hate more than being angry with a friend. but the thing is, it sometimes happens. i mean, you can't always be totally happy with each other.

option 1: ignore him until he figures out that a) he's done something wrong and b) he tries to figure it out for himself. my favourite. major problem with this option: he's leaving tomorrow for about 6 months. can't let this linger for 6 months. damn.

option 2: go over there and scream at him for 10 mns. great plan. gets rid of all the pent up energy. so i went. all ready to make a huge scene (i can be a great drama queen when i have to). except his parents had only just arrived to spend some time with him before his departure. no screaming then. damn.

option 3 (and getting more run-up-the-mill): talk it through. oh well. so we did. and sorted it out. a relief, let me tell you. whilst there's nothing worth than the feeling before the 'fight', there's nothing better than the feeling after, when everything's back to normal. whatever normal is, of course :)

churches in Fyn

on the island 'in the middle' of Denmark, all churches are white and have a red roof. they're really gorgeous, especially in the summer, when it's nice and the sky is blue...

nice, eh?