The Other Cat is now named Cookie (c)Paul. And they seem to be getting friskier. They even ventured under Silke's bed... I guess they'll be alright.

We're proud to announce the arrival of two new members to our little household..Das Paulinsche & ???. We still need a name for the second cat, they're both girls, so we can't name them Herr Schmidt. If you have any suggestions please feel free to tell me. She is grey with stripes and has a white chin, by the way. As soon as I have pictures I'll share them with you...

Wanna be on top of the world? Click here...

Those Smart people are evil. They shouldn't have put that roadster in my way the other day. Now I've been calculating the whole day whether I should get a loan to finance one. It would look so good on me.. I already have one configured on smart.com (Yes, Paul, I know, just cover your eyes, ears and hum or something :).

It's metallic-blue (+350,- Euros, grrr, I had to have the colour that costs extra). It has an electric soft-top. I also went for the board computer (if you're going for broke you might as well really go for broke) and the "Security Package" (airbag! v. important!). I'm still debating the radio options with myself. So far, I'd have to pay 400 Euros a month to get it. Or else I could lease it. But I've got the vague impression that leasing is baaad. Don't know why.

But I'd have to take into account that I would have to sell my Mazda to get it. That would sadden me greatly...I love my car. And how would I transport IKEA stuff? And I need to take into account that I probably have to pay huge sums to get the dishwasher repaired (yes, it's still broken). *sigh* Maybe I'll win the Smart from Quelle. Then I can maybe exchange it.

Are you a geek? Major geek reporting here. 36%.

Maybe you were wondering why I did not post anymore yesterday. Well, wonder no more. I think I am getting old. Had one beer and fell asleep on the couch - nothing new, you say. But I fell asleep sitting upright while watching the Champions League Finale. That's a first. OK, there were only Italian teams involved. By the way, an Italian team also won!! (Apparently Milan 3:2 in penalties, I wouldn't know, I fell asleep during overtime, waiting for the Silver Goal). I had picked Juve as the team of my choice (purely coincidental), but Milan had been the better team throughout the part that I witnessed, so I guess the outcome's fair.

Currently I am involved in Operation Save the Dishwasher, we'll see how that goes. Keep your fingers crossed, it's the only way Europe can be saved, otherwise terrible epidemics will spread from the piles of dishes in the kitchen. At the moment it sounds like a dishwasher should, slurping and swishing. But it did that last time I tried, too, and it wasn't healed.

Other news: Going to get the kitten(s) on Saturday. Maybe we'll get two...Herr Schmidt and ??? If you have a name suggestion please feel free to volunteer it. Don't know wheter it would be a female or a male cat, so keep your options open.

Couple of links to keep you entertained until I return from "Smack the Bulgarian":

Really Bad Country Song Titles

Gizmos

A Barbie Autopsy

And of course, Maus and Elefant. That was English.

Am feeling pretty content now. Wonder why. Maybe because I set my salmon free. It's that time of year when salmons yearn to migrate to Southern countries and it would have been cruel to keep him in the fridge. He had grown the customary "migration" beard, after all.

I'm going to bed now. Good night, y'all!

Still at work...couple of thoughts

As a rule of thumb, the not-so-well-German-speaking people (yeah, I know, that sounds horrible but you know what I mean) are always very friendly and really want to do everything right. That of course leads to them taking three times as long as everybody else. Had to suppress the urge of yelling: "It's just a stupid experiment, dammit!" a couple of times today, when they were writing down stuff - erasing stuff - writing down stuff - erasing stuff - writing down stuff - erasing stuff - you get the point.

And what is it with the slow people on bikes... They always do the following which annoys me no end: You overtake them. Not very easy because they have those huge basket thingies and whatnots sticking out. Then there's a traffic light. Red, of course. So you have to stop. Not so Mrs. I-am-so-slow-nobody-knows-why-I-don't-keel-over-on-the-spot. Nooooo. She comes puffing along, and sidles past you planting themselves in front of you again. Why do you do that? You know that I am faster - I have already overtaken you a couple of times. Is it the view? Maybe you don't like my butt. Well, I don't like yours either, missy. And now I have to inch along behind you waiting for another opportunity to get past the baguette you have there in your basket, you French-loving hussy.

Entertainment lowdown

• Have heard several bad "Matrix reloaded" reviews so far. Am concerned.
  
• Finished Filth. Think it's a really great book and everybody should read it pronto. I cried at the end and didn't quite know whether that makes me strange or not.
  
• Finished Driving Mr. Albert today (waiting for the Bulgarians). Weird but good. The description on the back is spot on...it's a strange mixture of road trip, Einstein biography and musings. Somehow meditative and comfortable...and funny at times.
  
• Next on my list: Finish Galatea 2.2 (I did tell you I participated in a book swap, didn't I? I got sent the Mr. Albert book and Galatea, which was kind of amazing as I really wanted them). Hi Diana. (By the way, the list of the books I am supposed to read grows longer. Apart from the pile in my apartment, I now have to add Middlesex to it.)

I've been informed that it's "speak German properly" instead of "speak proper German". Sigh. Me-sa no speak-um de English. My bad.

Just a quick middle-of-the-day thought: Just returned from Uni and am wondering why almost none of the sociology students seem to speak proper German ... Discuss.

Still deciding whether this is a Good Morning or not. Tending to not. But ah well, what the heck:

Good Morning.

Will this be a good day for you? Only time will tell. It's a Schroedinger's Morning. Sometimes it's best not to open that box...

Watched the Grand Prix yesterday. Fun Facts:

• Turkey won. Good thing, because if the Russian Idiot Girls had won they would have played that song over and over again and it hurt our eardrums. Nobody will care about the Turkish song and it will return into oblivion, where Eurovision songs belong.
  
• Lou had had a botox injection and looked scary. Ended up on the "respectable 12^th" place. In the old days, German singers who returned 12^th would have been beaten to death by Ralf Siegel's henchmen. Those were the days.
  
• The Irish song sounded like "Wings of love" and actually was written by the same guy. The Swedish people sounded like ABBA. No relations, though.
  
• We rooted for the Austrian song (which was hilarious) and for the Estonians who astonishingly sounded like actual music. And I rooted secretly for the Ukrainian guy who was really trying. I think he got 5 pity points from Latvia. Hey, it was the Ukraine's first time.
  
• Great Britain was the only nation with nil points. Politics aside, the song was just awful. Awful. Awful. Why is it so hard to find a couple of singers who can hold a note ... and the right note for that matter? This goes out to most of the other nations as well. The Romanian Pseude-Techno-Lady? I had to leave the room, her voice was so piercing. TootToot (Russian Idiot Girls)? Had to grind my teeth together to bear the pain.

But it was quite fun, we had scorecards and everything. Didn't guess right, though, we thought Sweden would be much better than it actually was.

Now I have to go to work - yes, that's right, on a Sunday - and I don't really feel like it. Haven't slept well (I am starting to think it might be related to my low blood pressure) and my foot with the glass splinter in it is starting to hurt. Damn, I thought it would just come out somehow but I guess I need to go and have it cut out. Yecch. Too much information? I am really sorry :)