OK. I just came back from the cinema. And I want to add one thing to my hate list:

Fucking Commentators.

You know what I mean? People who do not frigging stop commenting on the movie. "Wow, look at this!", "Yeah!", "That must have hurt!", "tsk, tsk, tsk"...I don't want to listen to your bullshit after waiting for the "Two Towers" for a year. At least they shut up when there was dialogue. I guess they did not speak much English. Quote: reading the subtitles "What's a falter?" Noooooooo....

It was a great movie, by the way (whenever I was able to concentrate on it). It has the same great cinematography as the first part (New Zealand rocks, too), CGI Gollum is really amazing (I almost cried at one of his scenes) and the battle scenes are awesome. There were a couple of "overdone" scenes like Gandalf's horse galloping towards him in slow motion like straight out of a Marlboro commercial, but oh well. The only thing that I really did not like were the Ents. Their design did not fit my inner picture of an Ent (much, much bigger), plus, there were some special effects that really did not compare to the rest of the movie and really looked like blue screen used to. Maybe it was blue screen.

But that wasn't too bad, so I would have thoroughly enjoyed the movie if it hadn't been for the assholes next to me. It's especially frustrating because there is nothing you can do about it. If somebody is heckling a movie I do not like it, either, but I can understand it (I have to admit that I've done that, too, but only if the movie reeeallly sucks aka "The River Wild"). But why comment? If you want to comment on something, go and direct your own movie and then you can do a director's commentary. Or go into journalism and comment on football games. Or fucking stay at home and fucking rent a DVD where nobody gives a fuck if you yak and yak and yak. Pardon my French here but I am really pissed off at those morons. Having said that, I sort of feel better (thank you all for listening :)

Tried to get images to appear on my blog...to no avail...and I so much wished to show you the ChristBonsai :)

I've got a new scanner, too and wanted to show off. Bad luck. (More for me than fore you, but anyway.)

Actually I got lucky today, because I first won third prize at Tini's Mom's Christmas Raffle (not what you thought, as if...). Afterwards, I got a gift bringing additional luck: an elephant from Sri Lanka. I hope carrying it around in my wallet will increase my hitherto rather meager luck to infinity and beyond!!

We also opened fortune cookies, but alas, mine was boring....it said: FORTUNE COOKIES ARE FUN or something to the extent, which really did not tell me anything about my future. But nothing ever will beat my favourite fortune which I will offer to you now as it may also bring joy, happiness and enlightenment to your life:

Your dentist has made a mistake. But it doesn't matter.

Thank you and good luck to all of you!

There, there, my dear. It's all big and shiny now. :)

And for all of you who are bored by now but somehow feel musically inclined here one final link for today. Courtesy of Paul^TM

Sheep and penguins. Oh my god.

Well, I do not know whether all my thoughts are that good, but I am glad Uli likes them :) I like your posts, too, my dear...it's fun to go on the blog and read new stuff.

Today I just want to add one thing that I forgot: food. One lengthy rant I thought of yesterday concerned seafood and how much I think it's disgusting. But I will spare you the whole thing today, just so that you know: I won't eat food that still looks at you from your plate. Yuck.

What else? Nothing much happening at the moment...Still at home, still unemployed, still not doing anything of note...I am feeling so lazy these last few weeks, it's disgusting. My ex-boyfriend said I should enjoy it while it lasts, but I still have the feeling I should be doing something with my time, not slouching away on the couch. That's probably why I am never relaxed. I think part of it has to do with being in University for so long...there always is something that you SHOULD be doing like studying or finishing a paper or getting books or meeting with other students...

I wonder if I'll be able to stop worrying once I start working. Whether I can keep work to work hours and not fret about it afterwards. If I can't manage that, I'll never be relaxed, I guess..and I wish I could be for once in a while. Actually, it's strangely paradox. Being high-strung and nerve-wrecked while you are lying on the couch. But it's gotten so bad lately that I can't even concentrate on a book properly. I would say I needed a vacation, but I just returned from one. And what do I need a vacation from? Doing nothing? It's ridiculous. Maybe that's the stress of the unemployed you hear so much about. I think I'll go and get some coffee. That'll probably help :))

I was walking home from Uli's today (who was really sick today, poor girl...) and I thought about how it's much harder to specify things that you like in contrast to things you hate. Maybe that's because there's more things I like so it's hard for me to decide which ones to name. Take music, for example. If asked what I like I can't really say as I don't have a favourite genre, I just like songs or I don't. Or men. Really hard to put together the list of the "ideal man". I'd rather be able say what is an absolute turn-off. So while walking, I put together a list of things I hate. First it was to be a top ten list, but then I decided to go with categories and just choose the "winner".

OK, here goes:

Might as well start with music: Music that pretends to be something but isn't. First and foremost the "techno-drivel-bullshit" that is clogging up the German charts left and right. Who in their right mind wants to listen to "Boys of Summer" with a techno beat? If you requested something like that at a techno club they would beat you up and kick you out. Also fake classic music...Helmut Lotti immediately comes to mind here. If you do not know who he is, consider yourself lucky. (He's actually one of my pet peeves...if I ever run amok, he is on the top of the list of people I am taking with me. And you know why? Because I saw this video and hopefully not many videos like it have been produced since 1945. The pictures might give you an idea, but it was much, much worse. Love of Africa? *coughbullshitcough*) But I digress.

Men, then: It's a close call: Mustaches or itty bitty round glasses. You say...superficial bitch..it's the inside that counts!! But noooo...because both of these features most of the time betray the inner workings of said man. And those do not fit my line of thinking, I am sorry, all you mustache-wearers out there...but at least you can redeem yourselves and shave it. Itty-bitty-round-glasses-carriers on the other hand most of the time are those toenailcurling "intellectual" types. You know what I am talking about. They have a "carefully disheveled poetic" haircut, usually wear nothing but black or brown, consider berets a valid option and also tend to wear scarves. All that in itself not so bad but they also go into the basement if they have to laugh, consider everything to be beneath them, pretend to like modern interpretations of classic theatre ("You just don't get why Romeo is wearing ski boots and a mafia outfit, because you are not as INTELLECTUAL as I am") and probably carry a copy of "Death in Venice" everywhere they go. Nuff said.

Cities (yes, I really thought of everything :): Hannover. The ugliest, most boring city I ever visited. It's so boring I can't even rant about it.

Cars: The Fiat Multipla. A carbuncle on humanity's ass. I shudder everytime I see one. Though I have to admit they are spacious. And some of them run on natural gas, which is a good thing. But damn, are they uuuuuuugly.

Movies: This was actually hard as I like movies in general and am hard pressed to say I hated one, I'd rather say it was boring or analyse what I did not like. But finally I came up with The Fifth Element. The reason probably is because I was looking forward so much to seeing it as I usually love Luc Besson movies and really was disappointed. Way overrated by many people. Lame jokes, crappy effects and make-up, a Milla Jovovich that really grates on your nerves...at least Bruce got to save the world. On a cruise ship. Actually, there is a crappy German movie that Fifth Element reminded me of: Die Sturzflieger. Watch and weep.

Books: Again, hard category, same as movies. Two things came to mind. First, I hate Thomas Mann. At least the things we read in school, I admit that I never read "Magic Mountain" or "Buddenbrooks". If you are a closet homosexual, don't take it out on your children and your readers and for God's sake, use a frigging full stop once in a while. Second, totally different (I already mentioned it once on this blog, but just in case you forgot): I hate that Science Fiction writers always have to come up with weird names like Flmp Gaxzoomp YYurf. While I do not advocate naming your average Alien George I think one could go easy on the consonants, y's and x's.

I feel the list should not stop there but I should not go on too long...if you feel a category has been neglected, by all means, email me.

For good measure to cheer you up after all that negativity, a general
list of things I like (not categorised and in no particular order):

Snow. Especially when a lot of it just fell and it makes that crunchy, fresh sound under your feet.

New York City. Best damn city in the whole world. If you can't make it there etc.

Having breakfast at a café with friends.

When you get up and your roommates have already made coffee.

Coffee in general. Nothing beats a good latte macchiato.

Reading a book up until 5 o'clock at night because you don't want to stop.

Good Omens. Lord of the Rings. Harry Potter. (see above. Yes, Harry Potter. I can put on my list whatever I damn well like.) Shakespeare. Steinbeck. Astrid Lindgren. (see?)

The sad feeling that you get when you watched a really good movie and you realise you'll never see it for the first time again.

Taking a bubble bath.

Rollercoasters. Best pointless invention ever made.

Dishwashers. Best invention ever made.

My car. Never leave home without it.

Bad Steven Seagal/Jean Claude VanDamme/Michael Dudikoff/Hulk Hogan movies if you watch them with friends at 2 o'clock at night

Friends and/or your boyfriend picking you up at the airport/train station after a trip. With presents. Well, even without.

Chocolate pudding. Really anything with chocolate.

Here also, I think there might be room for improvement. So if you want my opinion on other subjects, be my guest and tell me.

To comment on Uli's comments...actually, Jule would have won that game as I was stuck in WWII for quite some time. But Uli and Jessi ganged up on her to prevent her from winning because of a MINOR technicality. So there. Anyway, nothing wrong with winning a game, Ms. Wizard-Queen!

Now for something completely different. Yesterday, I worked at my computer the whole evening and that made me discover that I never can work anywhere. My whole body seemed to be one aching...well..whatever it is that aches a lot... If I one day have to do this all day I might as well kiss my neck good bye because it will cramp up so much that I'll look like Charles Laughton any time soon.

Anyway. After working until like five in the morning I was so tired that I could not write on my blog anymore. But while lying in bed I had the best ideas...brilliant thoughts...sentences flew through my mind...but I have to disappoint you. When I woke up, it was all gone. Zip, nada, zilch. I don't even have the faintest idea what it was about. So no deep thoughts today, instead I'll tell you how I bought a Christmas tree.

I bought a Christmas tree today.

Ahem. It has been decorated, too...and we also saved some decoration for my little bonsai tree which has now been officially declared a ChristBonsai. I'll have to see if I can find some lights for it as it seemed kind of sad next to the big sparkling other (whatever kind of conifere it is) tree.

Seems that I am at a loss for words today...that's because I had to translate 21 pages of senseless drivel into English, all the while using up all my vocabulary...

Yess!!! I just remembered something I wanted to tell you...I just wanted to say that this blog thing has sucked me up...I am turning into a leech on other people's lives. Whenever you enter the blogger homepage, it gives you links to the blogs most recently published. And I look at them all until I find a diary, which I then read. Kind of sad, really... but there's a pattern here that I read about in Cosmopolitan (ahem again): It's the concept of co-emotion. Which basically means that you have no life of your own and thus thrive on other people's love stories/emotions/action news. Like a vampire. (Which, by the way, not necessarily has to be a bad thing. But never mind)

Why co-emoting is a good thing:
Some time ago, I thought: I am just too complacent...never any emotions, just existing..day by day...I wish I would at least fall in love sometimes so that I would feel something. Then I fell in love. With the wrong guy. Which was not too pleasant. And I thought: I had forgotten how bad it actually can be to feel lovesick. This is horrible. I wish I was back to being complacent...it wasn't all that bad. Now I am feeling better, but recently I caught myself at the thought: I wish there was some emotion in my life...but I suppressed it really fast. Co-emoting is fine with me.