Blowing a fuse

When making dinner last nigh,t rather late after a wonderful run and a long shower, (Yes, I need to get a life instead of go running at 6 in the evening on a Saturday...) I was brought back to reality with a big bang and then most of my flat went black. Thankfully I have modern fuses in my flat which means you just switch them back up again and everything should be working. But being Saturday night it didn't...

After consulting with my brother-in-law over the phone the most likely was that the main fuse for the flat had gone. And I have no access to that one. Of course... So my bedroom, bathroom and half of my living room together with half the kitchen(cooker)was without power. What a joy!

There is number for non-office hours to call but being close to 9 pm on a Saturday night of course no one answered. My half done chicken stuffed with feta cheese and chopped up vegs went back into the refrigerator and I had to get dressed again to go out to get some Thai takeout.

I love candles and go through tons of tea candles during the dark parts of the year, but going to bed with a candle and torch ready next by the bed felt a bit strange. A bit like camping, but more comfortable.

Some "emergency" maintenance guy called about 10 this morning and by noon I finally had power back everywhere. I'm happy it wasn't in the the middle of the winter because then it had been really dark... Now it was just a bit more complicated and I finally got to use the torch my stepfather gave me for Christmas about five years ago - "You should always have a torch at home. You will never know when you will need one." He was right.

Quote of the day

Never brush your teeth if you're dressed in black. Don't trust a man whose eyebrows meet in the middle. Always put the shower curtain inside the bath. Life is forever teaching us lessons, and here's another that I learnt last week: it's impossible to be mates with celebrities.

~ Sathnam Sanghera ~

Checked baggage

Security checks and different conveyor belts at airports can be a bit confusing.

A 78-year-old lady flying from Stockholm to Germany misheard some instruction from the airport personnel. Instead of putting her bag on the conveyor belt at an unmanned desk she hoped on the belt herself.

Quickly whisked away to the baggage handling area she was met by some surprised airport personnel who could assist her further on.

According to the airport police she didn't suffer any injuries and were able to catch her flight to Germany.

I guess that's what you call checked baggage...

Political correctness gone too far

I'm all for promoting and supporting women and I believe that a woman is as good as man in any job. I also get very upset when I realise that men can get way with certain behaviour just because they are men.

Reading The Telegraph today though, got me wondering if things haven't gone too far and what knuckle head that came up with the stuff. A man probably...

Council staff in Chichester District, West Sussex has been issued a politically-correct language guide for which states that "Man on the street" shouldn't be used since it's offensive to women.

The document claims the popular saying is based on the assumption that the world is male and makes the views or work of women invisible.

It suggests that town hall officers should use "general public" a positive and less offensive alternative.

The guide also kills off the phrase "manning the switchboard" and suggests "staffing" or "running the switchboard" instead.

Knighted penguin

I have soft spot for penguins and I've just been to Edinburgh, so here goes...

Nils Olov a resident of Edinburgh Zoo was knighted by the British Maj. Gen. Euan Loudon on behalf of Norway's King Harald V two weeks ago. The king (of course) penguin has already medals for good conduct and long service as well as being honorary colonel-in-chief of the elite Norwegian King's Guard.

Nils Olov became the mascot of The King's Guard back in 1972 and is actually Nils Olov number 3. The original Nils Olov died in 1980 has since then been replaced twice.

Before receiving his knighthood he traditionally reviewed the troops with his colonel-in-chief badge tied to his flipper and then waddled into history as the first penguin that can to be called Sir.

Band of brothers

I've been spending a better part of the weekend watching Band of brothers. My step dad is a WWII buff and bought the DVD box a while back. I watched most of the episodes when it aired on TV way back, but I don't remember being so memorised and struck by the story as this time. The series really shows that war is hell for everybody involved. Civilians, enemies or the the ones fighting for you.

All of my grandparents have told me stories about how it was during the war. Even though Sweden wasn't involved (and hasn't been in a war for 250 years) times were rough, but nothing really like it was for the Dutch, Belgians, French or indeed the Germans in the end. I mean they literally fought in people's back garden. And the boys in Easy Company which the story is all about, were absolutely heroes no doubt about it. So watching all episodes over again was definitely worth it. It really makes you think and be grateful for what you have.

Photo sharing

Queen's University
Originally uploaded by cathy257

This very simple snapshot of Queen's University in Belfast taken from a tour bus has been picked to illustrate the rising tuition costs in the UK. Cool! It's the second time this this happens to me. Last year it was deer in Phoenix Park, Dublin and now this. Apparently my photos from Ireland are appreciated... It also shows that the idea behind Flickr or any other photo sharing site really works.

Mindset list

For the last 11 years Beloit College in Wisconsin has put together a mindset list of the students entering college for the first time this autumn. This year most of them were born 1990 and have always lived in an era where computers and digital communication is normal. They haven't got a clue that there used to a wall through Berlin or that the Cold War kept everybody on their toes for more than 40 years. Reading the list also make you feel very old...

Students entering college for the first time this fall were generally born in 1990.

For these students, Sammy Davis Jr., Jim Henson, Ryan White, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Freddy Krueger have always been dead.

1. Harry Potter could be a classmate, playing on their Quidditch team.
   
2. Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying people at parties.
   
3. They have always been looking for Carmen Sandiego.
   
4. GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.
   
5. Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.
   
6. Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle.
   
7. Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.
   
8. Their parents may have dropped them in shock when they heard George Bush announce "tax revenue increases."
   
9. Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.
   
10. Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene.
    
11. All have had a relative--or known about a friend's relative--who died comfortably at home with Hospice.
    
12. As a precursor to "whatever," they have recognized that some people "just don’t get it."
    
13. Universal Studios has always offered an alternative to Mickey in Orlando.
    
14. Grandma has always had wheels on her walker.
    
15. Martha Stewart Living has always been setting the style.
    
16. Haagen-Dazs ice cream has always come in quarts.
    
17. Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole family.
    
18. WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.
    
19. Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.
    
20. The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents.
    
21. Students have always been "Rocking the Vote."
    
22. Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.
    
23. Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.
    
24. We have always known that "All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten."
    
25. There have always been gay rabbis.
    
26. Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.
    
27. College grads have always been able to Teach for America.
    
28. IBM has never made typewriters.
    
29. Roseanne Barr has never been invited to sing the National Anthem again.
    
30. McDonald’s and Burger King have always used vegetable oil for cooking french fries.
    
31. They have never been able to color a tree using a raw umber Crayola.
    
32. There has always been Pearl Jam.
    
33. The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.
    
34. Pee-Wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.
    
35. They never tasted Benefit Cereal with psyllium.
    
36. They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with in the crib.
    
37. Authorities have always been building a wall across the Mexican border.
    
38. Lenin’s name has never been on a major city in Russia.
    
39. Employers have always been able to do credit checks on employees.
    
40. Balsamic vinegar has always been available in the U.S.
    
41. Macaulay Culkin has always been Home Alone.
    
42. Their parents may have watched The American Gladiators on TV the day they were born.
    
43. Personal privacy has always been threatened.
    
44. Caller ID has always been available on phones.
    
45. Living wills have always been asked for at hospital check-ins.
    
46. The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting quarterback.
    
47. They never heard an attendant ask "Want me to check under the hood?"
    
48. Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles.
    
49. Soft drink refills have always been free.
    
50. They have never known life without Seinfeld references from a show about "nothing."
    
51. Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.
    
52. Muscovites have always been able to buy Big Macs.
    
53. The Royal New Zealand Navy has never been permitted a daily ration of rum.
    
54. The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the heavens.
    
55. 98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear.
    
56. Michael Milken has always been a philanthropist promoting prostate cancer research.
    
57. Off-shore oil drilling in the United States has always been prohibited.
    
58. Radio stations have never been required to present both sides of public issues.
    
59. There have always been charter schools.
    
60. Students always had Goosebumps.

Priorities straight

I was talking to my little darling Frida on the phone the other day and that girl has got her priorities straight at the age of two.

After we had said hi the first thing she said was paint. Paint I asked. Yes paint she said again and then her mum took over. What she meant was painting her nails as we did when she was here. She happened to see my storage of nail polish in the refrigerator and what to do other than paint the nails just like Gamma and Cathy.

Her mum also told me about when Friday was opening the birthday present I sent here. - This is from Cathy. Do you remember Cathy? Yes, bath. Bubbles .

Indeed right again, because every night when visiting Frida had a bath with my duck and of course loads of bubbles. I told Frida's mum, my cousin, that this young girl certainly has her priorities straight. Painted nails and bubble baths. She is going to grow up a perfect lady.

Working hard for the money

People will probably never be happy their salary. We all want more, at least if your not Donald Trump or Richard Branson, and we all work hard but nothing really change.

A recent study show that there are actually some factors correlated to higher pay which are impossible for a person to control.

• Taller people make more money and so do lefties.
  
• Male and female drinkers make more than non-drinkers, men who hit the bar at least once a month—thereby satisfying the definition of social drinkers—seem to make even more.
  
• Married men tend to make more than men who have never been married.
  
• Young urban women earn more than young urban men
  
• Men who go into Christian ministry will make less money than their female counterparts.
  
• Women choose college majors that pay less—majors such as education, psychology, and healthcare. Men choose more lucrative majors, like engineering and mathematics.
  
• Cohabitating lesbians earn about 10 percent more annually than married women. They also earn more than cohabitating, unmarried, heterosexual women.

So what does that leave me? I'm tall which is good, but I'm not a lefty. I do drink, but I do not hit the bar at least once a month. I'm not married and I'm not a man, but I do live in an urban area. I might not be considered as young any more though... I was in Christian ministry but left after a year (looking at the stats I shouldn't). My major was Computer Science so that's at least something. I'm neither lesbian or cohabitating so that doesn't fit the profile either.

I do work a lot of hours and another study shows that 37 % of workers with an income of $100 000 or more work 41-50 hours a week, whereas 8% of those with household income less than $25 000 work as many hours. Which to me give some hope that putting in all those hours actually will pay of. Eventually.

Just do it!

Or really, I just did it . Running that is. Back in April I was so happy that I was back at running twice a week. Not fast and only 3K, but I did it and I enjoyed it very much. Then May came and I spent three out of four weeks travelling. In June I went out once and I hated every minute of it. I was tired and worn out before even starting and home I almost cried because it felt so bad and depressing. July was more or less one month of eating and drinking and being on holiday. Back in my mind I knew that at some point I had to take charge of things again, but that feeling of wanting to wasn't there.

Starting back at work last week a colleague and I somehow ended up talking about exercising. I told him that back in the days I did weights, running and swimming all in the same week. A bit shamefully I admitted that since I started at my current job things had gone downhill. No time or really not prioritizing exercise. My colleague and his wife more or less had had the same problem but decided before the summer that they were going running twice a week, rain or shine. Now, two months later they are actually about to do a 10K race.

I guess that conversation has been mulling in my head and today I decided just to do it. I took it very slow and walked a lot, but it felt very good. And the best thing is that I want to do it again. Soon.

To London again

I'm off to London again tomorrow. Someone said that on the third day being back at work everything starts to feels like normal and you are back in the routine. Yes the routine of going to London... I haven't been there for seven weeks...

Back home again it will be Friday which means the first week is over and done with. And when the last of my colleagues come back to work next week I'll be one of the perky ones who grins and says Welcome back, which feels rather good.

First day done

Well, I survived the first day back at work after being off for four weeks. Getting up at 6 and the whole morning went very smoothly. Not that many emails that had to be dealt with immediately and some chatting with colleagues who had been away just like me. First hour after lunch also went fine and then bang, suddenly I was wondering if everybody had gone totally nutters over the summer. Rude emails, emergencies that have to be dealt with immediately and people just behaving erratic. For a moment I just felt like getting up and walk away, but a walk down the corridor and back helped. Leaving for the day two hours later felt like a huge relief and tonight I've been feeling rather annoyed because I don't want to feel like this the first day back. Christmas is a long time away...

Ready for work I guess

It's time to go back to work tomorrow after four weeks off and I guess it's OK. Getting back into all the normal routines seems now like a little struggle, but after a week or two it will feel like my holiday was ages ago. I'm very happy with the things I've done during my holiday though. Scotland, having Frida and her family come to visit, spending time with friends, reading books, gone to the beach, fixed overdue things like my old computer and just taken the day at is comes. A week and half with almost tropical weather has given me a great tan and hopefully all that sun will make me survive the autumn until the sun comes back again.

Traditionally my friend Cia and I went out for some drinks last night. Ending the summer and time off in style or something like that. In a moment of insanity I decided to be a bit girly and wear some rather pointy high heels shoes. Well, it could only end one way. Huge blisters on most of my poor toes (and now I have no idea what sort of shoes I'll wear to work tomorrow). One block from home I totally gave up and walked the last bit barefoot. Wonderful, but dirty feet instead.

We started at a winebar where we said we were just going to stay for one glass, but ended up staying the whole evening. One glass with some bread, brie and serrano ham to nibble on became two more glasses of wine, chevre and fig toast, crème brulée and a glass of marvellous desert wine from South Africa. The wine bar belongs to one of the four restaurants in town which has a star in the Guide Michelin so everything was just marvellous. Wine, food and service nothing to complain about. Pricey maybe, but cheap for being in epicure heaven for a couple of hours. So indeed we ended our last Saturday on holiday with a bang. And with blisters...

Beautiful Scotland

On the train from Edinburgh
Originally uploaded by cathy257

After spending the afternoon organizing my pictures on Flickr (and I'm not done yet) this photo has become one of my favourites. The clouds, the hills and the different shades of green. All showing what I would call typical Scottish Lowlands. Pretty scenery along the railway from Edinburgh to Glasgow.

Real reality TV

I haven't watched reality TV in ages, but I did love the first couple of series of MTV's The Real World and I watched seasons 1-3 of both Big Brother and Survivor. Then somehow it all became too much. People acting out just get five minutes of fame and become so called C and D-celebrities. Not my style and there is only one word for it - trash TV.

In Scotland one night I was zapping through the channels right before midnight and then I stumbled over a reality show that I first almost thought was a joke, but no it was true. A series called Cathouse about a legal brothel located outside of Reno. Fascinated I watched on for awhile and the featured girls were actually rather sweet and very open about what they were doing. For them it was just like any other occupation and of course no moral aspects or thoughts were discussed. Some customers was also interviewed before they disappeared behind closed door with the girl(s). Just like going to the doctor or the dentist for the rest of us.

Home again I looked up the show on the Internet and it turned out it's actually an HBO production. Quite a surprise, but that's what HBO is famous for. Producing series that are cutting edge in some sense or another.

SATC – The movie

A couple of weeks ago in Glasgow when the rain had been pouring all day (just like today ) I decided that I had had enough and went to the cinema. A bag of Minstrels and two hours with my favourite girls from NYC would definitely make me feel better. And of course they did!

I laughed, cried and got terribly mad at Big. He has always been THE man so what he did was almost unforgivable in my book. But on the other hand it actually shows that he does have feelings and issues just like any other normal person. He's not too good to be true...

Sam is my girl as always and I thought the scene with the sushi was hilarious. She knows what she wants and just goes for it. Charlotte is Charlotte and it was lovely to see her pregnant. Something she has wanted for so long. Miranda is still her old cynical self, but with slightly changed priorities. Being a mum and attorney doesn't mix all the time. Carrie, well she got her prince and a flat with a walk-in closet big enough for all her shoes. So what more can a girl want?! And the rest of us who's been watching all these years, we got a happy ending and felt fabulous with our NYC girlfriends. For real or not, but everybody needs moments of glitz and glamour.

Techie again

Today I finally got around and removed the hard drive from my old computer, which crashed in October last year, and installed it as a slave in my new computer. To my great joy all photos that I had been so careless not to take a backup of was still there unharmed. Needless to say they are now backed up on several data devices both off- and on-line.

Again what surprised me must was that I knew how to do and that it actually worked. I probably haven't done anything like that in 10 years or so. Looks like I have fall back career if I ever have to leave my current job...