birthday

today would have been my great-aunt's 92nd birthday. i know she's happier being dead, but i still miss her.

animal rescue

after rescuing Othello the horse 3 years ago and several bumblebees, it was the turn of a little robin yesterday. the poor thing obviously didn't see my window and flew straight into it. it kind of hopped under the garden table when it saw me come out, so i moved very slowly and hummed all the way through crouching near it, then extending my hand. it didn't seem to mind too much, even started closing its eyes and finally seemed completely asleep. so i picked it up - which is certainly didn't like - stroked it for a bit to reassure it i wasn't dangerous, and put it in an open box, so it wouldn't get too cold if it had to stay there for a while (it was early evening, and looking like a freezing starry night). it may not seem like much, but i remember my father doing that when i was a kid and i couldn't think of anything else to do. it probably wasn't necessary at all, but i couldn't just leave it like that... about half an hour later, it was gone, hopefully feeling better for the little rest.

Manfred

i scored 2 free tickets to see this concert, so off we went. i'd never heard of this piece (by Schumann), but i like classical music. the whole thing was kind of a short opera with the focus being on the orchestra (actually, it's called a 'musical poem'). and the music was good, as was the singing, especially when the choir joined in. it's just that it's there was also an actor talking (Manfred), and the was way overdoing it, which was unfortunate cos i can see how it's a nice piece.

the point of life

i've heard this twice in less than a week so i think it's worth thinking about. what did i hear? that life has no meaning. we just live and die, no point. but the thing is, i don't buy it. i get the idea, but it strikes me as a license to do whatever you want. i mean, if you just live for today, why go to work? why stay faithful to your spouse? why keep promises? why pay bills? we all do it because we know that tomorrow is another day, and that it might make things better (or worse, of course). i understand what my friend was saying earlier today, which really was carpe diem, but i think that's different. yes, you should definitely do what you want to do today and not procrastinate, because you might not be there tomorrow. and that i embrace. and i understand that, in the big scheme of things, life, Earth, the universe, what we do means nothing. but surely you're supposed to make it a life to remember? if life has no point, surely we're supposed to make it have one, don't you think?

haircut 2

it's ok, i'm getting used to the shortness of it. and blow-dried the right way, it's just fine. things are back to normal.

haircut

i got my hair cut yesterday. i'd been growing tired of my hairstyle, which i'd sported for a good 4 years. i was starting to feel that it was too messy, so i told the hairdresser to chop off more than the usual amount, to end up with a simple bob. which brought me back a good 10 years. it didn't last very long then, and i don't think it's going to last that long this time around either, cos let's face it, it's not me. it might look sleek for about an hour, but thereafter it's a complete waste. oh well. thankfully, it'll grow back and i'll be able to get something messier next time around!

dating

my father can be quite unexpectedly proactive at times. when his girlfriend left him, less than a couple of months ago, he immediately started looking for a new one. none of the wishy-washy having to get over her stuff for him: he can't live alone (or rather, doesn't want to), so he must find someone quickly!

ok, granted, it does help that he didn't love her and that he's not looking for 'the' woman (that was my mother, with whom he spent 42 years). nevertheless, it amazes me how he can just go online and find 15 potential partners, narrow it down to about 7, all of whom he will meet when in Denmark next week. and at the same time, some women in his village are apparently throwing themselves at him. i don't know how he does it.

amazing (full of irony!)

i know the news has been all over this, but what is with those bankers/traders/...? i mean, a state pays to keep the bank/organisation afloat and they go and spend tens of thousands of dollars on a week's vacation for the whole office????? with taxpayers' dollars! what is wrong with these people? it pisses me off no end!

apparently, the spokesperson for the group said the point had been to pamper their employees a bit, make them feel valued and get them to stay with the company. i'm sorry??? like they would have left?? they'd have been lucky to still have a job it i'd been in charge! they're lucky to still have one, and they get a week of winding-down time? again, what's wrong with this picture and why are we letting it happen?

first snow

there was snow on the mountains this morning when i woke up. they'd said it would happen, but honestly, snow this early hasn't happened in years, so it was still quite a surprise. who said anything about autumn??

it pissed me off...

i saw in the paper last week, that a church in the States had, in response to a song we hear a lot on the radio these days, put up the following notice in front of their building: 'i kissed and girl and i liked it and i went straight to hell'.

it took me a minute to take it in, cos it's the kind of thing i don't understand. for me, everyone is free to have their beliefs but shouldn't try to make others adhere to them. i mean, i'm pretty ambivalent as to whether i believe in god, but i won't try to make others not believe in him/her. as far as i'm concerned, that's a personal choice. now, i know that religions always try to get more followers, but it's one thing to inform them and hope they'll join and it's quite another to make others feel like crap. personally, i wouldn't feel threatened by the notice if i were lesbian, but i have loads of self-confidence and it's the kind of thing that goes right over my head. but there are lots of people out there who do feel pressured by what other people think, and it's just not right that an institution that is supposed to accept all human beings as they are goes around and does exactly the opposite. it reminds me of why i so dislike organised religion...

smoking or no-smoking?

Switzerland being the most democratic country in the world, its people are always asked to vote on one matter or the other. so back in March, the people of Geneva had to decide whether they wanted smoking banned from restaurants and coffee-shops. they'd voted yes. and some things being very efficient, the 1st of July marked the first smoke-free day around the city. and what a pleasure it was! coming home not smelling of cigarette smoke is really great. smokers had moved to the terraces, and owners were making plans for the winter (keeping their terrace, getting outdoor heating, etc).

and then, 'coup de theatre!', as we say in French. the federal government decided that there was a legal void on this issue and that banning smoking from one day to the next was not legal. that was the news yesterday morning, and by lunchtime, people had already started smoking indoors again, except in those places where the owners had decided to keep the ban on anyway - as they were allowed to. i hope lots of places keep the ban on!