A weekend moment of Zen...

If you like to go weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! occasionally, you might enjoy this. If you don't, you probably won't. Don't blame me afterwards.

Exhausted now... Just cleaned up the apartment after my birthday celebration. I missed half the fun, of course, because I had too much Tequila early on in the evening, then fell asleep/passed out on my bed and woke up again at 4 a.m. ready to party on. Fortunately, there were still people there to party with. Ah, the joy of friends who know how to party :) But all in all it was a great way to celebrate your 25th birthday. (And I am sticking to that story).

Thank you for being there and thank you for all your lovely presents (Even if I did not thank you properly, that's just because of one tequila two tequila three tequila floor. I really liked all of them. I did.) Too braindead now to think more, I will go on the great Moo Adventure with my roommate now (i.e. we'll go out and have steak for dinner because that's what you need when you feel like we do).

Having woken up early again (don't drink and sleep) I reread the previous post and it's sort of misleading. I did feel spectacular when I was with my friends and they were performing the Happy Birthday Dance and everything. It's just that I don't feel any different than on any other birthday. Oh well, the 25th just isn't any different after all, I guess :)

My birthday today...somehow I thought I would feel more spectacular. Well, I don't.

Looking like a human being again, woo hoo! Thanks to Alejandra from Venezuela at the Cutting Crew... By all means, do go there if you want your hair done right!!! I should have gone there rightaway, mea culpa.

In the meantime I am sufficiently recovered to tell you that I discovered the following rules apply when choosing a hairdresser:

1. If you make the appointment and they tell you: "Better take off the whole afternoon because your hair might turn orange", it probably will.
   
2. The vacant stare on the apprentice's face will mean she's slower than a footsore snail.
   
3. If you witness droves of men coming in the door to be shorn like sheep, run like the wind.
   
4. Not a good sign: The hairdresser mixing your colour while a cigarette is dangling from his mouth.
   
5. Not a good sign either: The hairdresser unwrapping your head and saying: "Let's see if it turned green."
   
6. The last thing you want to hear at the end of an excruciating afternoon when your head is burning like fire and you fear all your hair will fall out in a moment is the hairdresser stating encouragingly: "Fortunately your hair is thick and we can dye it a couple of more times."

Now I'm taking the evening off to go to the nearest beer garden (though I really should clean the apartment for my birthday celebration tomorrow).

Oh, and while I'm at it I'd like to give a chin up to everybody who's not feeling so great today and say it with Kylie: Things can only get better. In my head, of course, I'm singing this other song Things can only get better, but its lyrics weren't quite upbeat at all :)

To expand on the subject, I look like a zebra. Only horizontal. The top of my head is grey, the rest orange. Now I have to go to university, woe is me and then I have another hairdresser appointment - this time at another hairdresser. And I was so much looking forward to my new hair. I'm putting this onto the "credit" side of my Karma account, I'm telling ya. Updates on the hair situation will follow this evening.

Where was your luck when I needed it??? Terrible, terrible mistake...oh dear.

Strangely, I am kind of nervous and woke up really early. Going to university to present my paper...wish me luck they accept it the way it is. Afterwards, I will be going to the coiffeur of my choice to do what I've been planning to do for some time (I did a poll and the odds were definitely in favour for me being a blonde again). That means if you'll see me in a hat this evening my head is probably orange or something. Again, wish me luck :)

And for your enjoyment (probably preferably viewed with a fast connection) here is a Fun Honda Commercial. Though it might be annoying if you see it on TV every five minutes. Disclaimer: I am not on the internet continuosly. I was out of the house today. Now I am back :)

Froogle Google. Hehe. Not really interesting, but I like the name :)

Blogging is kind of strange..usually I go around thinking: I could put this on my blog..but as soon as I have access to a computer, everything is forgotten. Might be the heat. Bloody hot around here. Just came back from grocery shopping for my birthday. (Though "grocery" might be somewhat misleading as it mainly consisted of alcohol :) Lugging around crates of Beck's made me reconsider going to the gym tonight.

Salespeople at Saturn Suck - Shocking Surprise! (Not!)

I tried to connect my car radio again, but the connection cable for the antenna seems to have disappeared. I thought it might be the one cable hanging out that I could not identify and I needed an adapter. Went to Saturn and I have to tell you: I hate it when salespeople there are really condescending. Imagine the conversation:
Me: "I need an adapter for this cable. Might be the antenna."
Salesguy: "The antenna cable should look like this."
Me: "Well, this cable doesn't."
Him: "Yes, it probably does."
Me: "No, it doesn't. Maybe it's not the antenna cable then. What cable might it be then? It looks like this ."
Him: "A car radio does not have a cable like that. Only the antenna cable."
Me: "I did not see an antenna cable, maybe I missed it, but there IS this OTHER cable."
Him (calling out to another salesguy, snickering): "This lady has no antenna cable on her radio, ha, ha."
Me: "I'm not saying I have no antenna cable, but what the hell is this other cable for??"
Both sales guys: "No, missy, you are wrong, there IS no such cable on your radio. It's the antenna cable." (Steam coming out of my ears)

This went on for some time until through me persisting it wasn't the antenna cable we figured out it was the cable that had connected the CD changer. Phew. Still does not answer my question where that frigging antenna cable is. I rummaged around all the cables until sparks flew but there was none. Then found out that the other cable did not fit into the new radio as well but did not feel like going back into the store.

I hate being treated like that because I am a woman. I'm not overly sensitive but this has happened to me really often and it PISSES ME OFF! It takes such a long time, too, because they never listen to what you're saying (The Little Woman Is Yapping About Things She Don't Understand) and instead of telling you the things you asked about are saying things like: "This can play MP3 files. That's MUSIC OFF THE INTERNET!!!" When you tell them that you know MP3s and that it's not music off the internet but a compression standard and that this particular DVD player says MPEG2 which really is not the same thing their eyes glaze over and they say "This also comes in the colour SILVER!!! And its menu is REALLY EASY TO UNDERSTAND!!!" Well, yes, that might be but I asked you whether this device could be rendered code-free...

Prague Pictures Alert!

I had a shot of vitamin B and am feeling significantly more upbeat..maybe it is only the chemical imbalances in my brain. Either that or I am just oscillating back up to "high". The other day I was thinking about things that made/make me happy. I've made a list (I like doing lists). In no particular order and varying degrees of "happy":

• Certain smells. For example: When you're walking around a (preferably mediterranean) city at dusk, it's still warm and there's people sitting in cafés..I like the way that smells. Can't really describe it. It's the "aroma of vacation". More profane but still good: the smell of coffee in the morning.
  
• Lying in the sun on a terrace in a (preferably mediterranean again) country, reading a book. Best experienced with a beverage of your choice (le vin rouge, le gin & tonic).
  
• Driving around in my car alone, belting out (show)tunes at the top of my lungs. Frank Sinatra. Elvis. Les Mis.
  
• Driving around with friends, singing happy songs ("For the longest time").
  
• Sitting in a café, having latte macchiato and watching people.
  
• The moment when you find out you're in love. Sitting on the windowsill at your open window, smoking a cigarette and just looking out, thinking.
  
• The moment when you find out he's in love with you, too.
  
• And while everything has a rose tint when you're in love, a really good thing is waking up and seeing somebody you really love next to you.
  
• Lying somewhere (maybe at the beach) at night, looking for constellations you know and watching out for falling stars to make a wish.
  
• Certain parts of certain songs (the beginning of "Clocks")
  
• The moment when you're sitting in a cinema to watch a film you've really been looking forward to and the curtain opens. (Helps to stay happy if the film really is as good as you expected it to be...then I'm really sad when the credits roll because I can never again see it for the first time.)
  
• When you arrive at your destination and somebody is there to pick you up.

This is what I can think of right now...if you have any suggestions, please share. I think a list like that is probably pretty useful to look upon whenever you're feeling sad to remind you of that happy feeling.

Prague and back again

Let me give you a quick summary of my trip to Prague...

Day 1

11 p.m. Went to the bus stop with no ticket and got the last seat on the bus (Thank you, Universe). Fell asleep cramped on the bus seat.

2.30 a.m. Woke up at the Czech border when Marco had to get off the bus because his ID had expired the week before and he hadn't noticed. Tini and me decided to go on as there really was no point in wasting all our tickets.

6 a.m. Arrived. Went looking for a hotel and got czeched out (Attention!!! Pun!!! Get the t-shirt now!!!) by a Czech with not a lot of teeth really. The nationalities I look like are apparently in the following order: English? French? Polish? German. Found no free room.

8.30 a.m. Had breakfast (Jumbo latte with a capital J) and decided to try the Tourist Information for a hotel. Took a picture of the clock tower.

9.30 a.m. Got a hotel (v. expensive), wandered around looking at sights, ate fast food (v. cheap), saw a May Day Demonstration (didn't know whether it was a left-wing or right-wing one...they looked left-wing but were carrying a confederate flag...) and then it was 12 a.m. Decided to get up at 5 a.m. every morning when we are on holidays. Makes the day feel like two.

1 p.m. Needed some refreshment and did a "coffee cruise" on the Moldau river (whatever its name is in English). Afterwards sat in the sun having cocktail/beer (resp.)

4 p.m. Went back to the hotel by subway. Got lost in the subway tunnels once and I fell onto a fat Czech lady when the subway started moving rather abruptly, but other than that found the hotel alright. Bought Czech soft drinks.

4.30 p.m. Dumped Czech soft drinks down the drain as utterly disgusting. Found chips/crisps in my bag and my long lost sunglasses. Ate the chips (v. salty) and regretted the no softdrink situation. Rested. Watched the news. (RTL)

7 p.m. Went to pick up Marco (with passport) from the train station and then straight to a restaurant for dinner/beer/cocktails/all of the above.

10 p.m. Went back to the hotel to smuggle Marco into our double room (guests only being allowed till 10 p.m.) Fell asleep on the bed and missed

12 p.m. Tini's birthday

Day 2

9 a.m. Got up 4 hours late. Had breakfast including champagne to toast Tini's birthday.

11.30 a.m. Did a city tour on a bus wearing headsets (v. stylish). Saw the Prague castle, too. Were told by stern looking soldiers to keep off the grass. Tried to decide whether that was a worse job for a soldier than standing in the little houses being photographed by giggling tourist ladies. Voted for the latter.

2 p.m. Had gourmet lunch (3 golden Michelin spoons!!!) at Restaurant Flambee.

4 p.m. Rolled over the Charles Bridge (?). Rubbed Nepomuk's feet for wish fulfilment. Tini & Marco decided to stay in a park to enjoy the sunshine, while I decided to do some more sightseeing.

4.15 p.m. Saw the Prague Baby Jesus.

4.30 p.m. Saw steps leading up a hill to a tower (Guide earlier: "Just like the Eiffel tower.") Decided to check it out (pls. notice and applaud the restraint in using pun again).

5 p.m. Still climbing the hill. Cursing my persistive attitude. Tower just around the corner.

5.15 p.m. Tower apparently just around the next corner. Overtaking a lot of Czech women wearing high heels though.

5.30 p.m. Reached the tower. Eiffel tower simile gross exaggeration. Disappointment followed by quick goat-like descent down the hill.

6 p.m. Rejoined Tini and Marco in the park. Went to a restaurant/bar/etc. to have a refreshment beer. Deleted 30 of our hitherto 130 pictures.

7 p.m. Bought Krtek t-shirts. Mine is carrying a mushroom. Krtek. Not the t-shirt.

8 p.m. Had dinner/birthday cocktails at a bar and counted our losses.

11 p.m. Boarded the bus back. No incidents, apart from the driver trying to break the sound barrier.

4.30 a.m. Arrived an hour early in pouring rain and went home to go to bed.

11 a.m. Woke up from every muscle in my body hurting due to unexpected use while climbing the hill. Put on Krtek t-shirt and started the day.