Goodbye for a (little) while…

This blog is taking a break for the next two weeks, while I will be exploring Toronto, getting soaked (hopefully not too much *g*) at the Niagara Falls and cheering for Team Germany during the Icehockey Worldchampionship in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

See you in two weeks…

LOST 4×09 – “The Shape of Things to Come”

Well… that was … quite something.

Beware! Spoilers ahead…

Grey’s 4×12 – “Where The Wild Things Are”

I made it a rule to not watch LOST at night, because that’s too scary :-) So I’ll do that tomorrow when there is daylight again and thus could watch Grey’s again tonight. And I have a lot to say about it, so beware, spoilers ahead…

That sucks….

We’ll be landing in Toronto around 4 p.m. on Sunday and will leave for Halifax on Friday at noon. So we’ve got basically Monday – Thursday to enjoy the city. Here’s the weather forecast…

I guess we’ll be spending some time in a museum after all. Or in coffee shops. And sportsbars. At the movie theatre. Still… 1° C – 4 °C and rain? Seriously ?!?! And according to the 14 day forecast it won’t get any better in Halifax the week after :-(

On a much happier note: Grey’s is back! YAY! And I really enjoyed the episode. A complete review will follow later today, now I have to do some ironing and then start the “suitcase packing rehearsal” …

Miscellaneous, 2008/04/24

I couldn’t really enjoy Grey’s episodes 4.09 and 4.10 when they aired last year, because my mom was in a hospital at that time and fighting for her life. The episodes had just way too much blood and death and patients in life-threating conditions for my taste. My mom’s doing pretty ok now, but I still couldn’t really enjoy watching these episodes in German TV this week. Not so much because of the storylines, but more because I couldn’t help but remember the first time they aired and how terrified I was in these days.
And Rose was and still is a painfully obvious plotdevice, it’s actually embarrassing. It’s not going to get any better in the next few episodes I’m afraid. At least that’s what I gather from the spoiler clips. Oh yes, spoiler clips. Grey’s is back! Yay! I can’t wait for that extraordinary present. I won’t be able to watch it until Friday around noon I guess, because I have a appointment at my hairdresser in the morning.

++++

I finished reading “Das Spiel der Könige”, the last part of a wonderful historical novel trilogy taking place in the England during the 15th century. I already praised this trilogy and this author last week, so I don’t have to do it again. But I feel a bit sad to say goodbye to the Waringham family and their friends. And I really really like the author Rebecca Gablé. She’s not only got a capturing writing style, but also a fine sense of humor, which is shown in her afterword. I hope I translated it correctly. “I ocasionally said I’d never write a novel about the war of roses. Only a maniac could expect his readership to read a story, in which almost every leading male character is called Edward or Henry and every woman is called Margaret. But as mania and writing are generally known to be close to each other….” or about the fact, that the latest forensic methods probably could determine if the skeletons found in the Tower really are the the sons of Edward IV and how they had died. “We definitely won’t find out any time soon, because the Queen denied another exhumation and examination of the skeletons. It’s her right, because she owns the Tower – with all the skeletons in it’s closet.”

++++

How do you never find the things you’re looking for, when you need them? Bro #3 had some real handy piece cutlery he kept from his military training. I wanted to take it with me to Canada (in the suitcase not the carryon bag) to have a fork and an spoon in case we get some takeout food in the evenings. He spent the whole evening searching for it, without success yet. I guess I have to pack some ordinary cutlery. And he will find his the minute my plane took off.

++++

Every once in a while I still get a very annoying almost painful scratch in just one spot at the back of my throat. ARGH! It makes me cough really hard and it probably sounds worse than it is. It’s just itching so bad!

++++

And now I’m opening the package, that I got in the mail today. Finally! Patience is a virtue… :-)

Miscellaneous, 2008/04/21

I so do NOT need a cold right now! obviously my immune system hates me (well yes, it attacks my CNS every once in a while, but that’s a totally different story). Usually my immune system and me get along very well. But not right now. I felt a little off balance already yesterday, but it was hockey day, so I decided to not pay too much attention to my scratchy throat. Being at the hockey game, shouting, singing, cheering and screaming probably didn’t do much good for my throat though.
I spent last night and today with hot lemon, hot soup, lots of liquids, cough drops, Meditonsin (a homeopathatic medicine for a beginning cold) and a throat compress, altough I still doubt that the compress is really helping. But it can’t make it worse. I don’t feel so sick, that I want to stay in (or go back to) bed, although I probably should get back into bed anyway and try to sleep or something. But that’s usually the hardest part for me, when I’m sick. Unless I’m really really sick, than I don’t want to get up at all. I rested a lot today though and I’ll go to bed early to get lots of sleep. It gets in the way of the getting ready for Canada plans, but I can’t help it. I don’t want to go to Canada not feeling fit.

Cologne Sharks lost the final series :-(

It’s a sad, sad day today. Berlin won the fourth game and thus won the series with 3:1. In Cologne in our home arena. It’s bitter to lose the finals but to lose it at a home game and to see the other team get the Cup in YOUR arena is …. almost too much. Cologne definitely would have deserved a game five, because they fought so hard and got the lead with an awesome goal of “my” Sebastian Furchner. But Berlin tied with only 90 seconds left in the last period (again!). And they just were a bit luckier in overtime, because the overtime and the whole game was actually really balanced. Cologne fought a bit more and it was their home so they really really would have deserved to win this today! Damn!

The players were really crestfallen after the game, especially our goalie :-( He kept us in the playoffs so many times and I guess a sudden death goal in overtime is extra bitter for the goalie, because he can’t undo it with some great saves later on. Oh boy, this is so so sad! I can’t even tell you how sad it is. And what really really sucks, is that the season farewell party will take place on Tuesday, the only day of this week when I can’t be there! I wanted a last chance to say goodbye (even if not in a one-on-one personal talk) to some of the players who leave Cologne. And to celebrate the team and to thank them for really great playoff hockey and a great season. And now I can’t:-(((( I’ll probably spend the next few days moping!

And what do I have to see on nhl.com? Even the Habs might not make it to the next round? They led 3:0, how is it possible that Boston won three games in a row? Damn! I was so looking forward to Boston being elimnated, because then Marco Sturm definitely would be on Team Germany in Halifax right from the start and we really really need him. I thought the Habs were a safe candidate for round 2. And the Flames have to fight really hard to keep their chance tonight as well. It can’t be that I’m in Canada during the NHL playoffs without any Canadian team still participating… So please: Habs & Flames, don’t let me down !!!

This game is killing me

Why am I not a fan of some sport like synchronized swimming? Or anything you can watch without being in danger of dying from cardiac arrest? I don’t know if I can survive more of these games. Sven Felski (Berlin) found the right words: “It must have been even harder for the fans to watch, because unlike the players as a fan you just can’t DO anything to help.”

Final series of the playoffs, best of five, the series is tied 1:1. Cologne @ Berlin.

The ugly side of politics…

Being a Green Party member of the towncouncil where the majority consists of narrow-minded and pig-headed democrates and conservatives calls for a thick skin. I don’t have that yet and don’t know if I’ll ever get one. Sometimes, especially before an heated debate over a controversial topic I think I’m way too thin-skinned for politics (and way too stupid and unintelligent and all the worse things anyone can think of themselves).
But strangely enough, during the debate I usually take the (low) blows pretty well. And there always are low blows, because that’s what they turn to, when they are running out of arguments. It’s so obvious it’s almost funny, but I don’t have that thick of a skin to laugh about it. But it doesn’t really bother me on a personal (self-perception) level and that feels really good. I’m just once again surprised over how low they stoop to counter any of our arguments. And not surprised in a positive way. It’s appalling actually. But I guess that’s politics :-)

Work rant…

I know I’m a lazy person. And I know I sometimes spend an unusual amount of time doing personal stuff at work. But, and that’s an important BUT, I don’t ignore work that has to be done. Not on the professional level anyway. Talking about work for my postgraduate studies or work for local politics… totally different thing :-) There are some times when there is less work to do at the office than at other times. And if that’s the case I do personal stuff here without having much of a bad conscience.