Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Absurdity in boxes or "look who's stupid"
A week ago our (almost) last things arrived from Australia being a total of 3 pallets = 5 cubic meters. All this assortment packed in about 70 boxes. Joy! For a few days this pile has taken a life of it's own because we couldn't really believe that we shipped so much crap. And crap it really is... at least say 70% of it. Jack and I kept looking at each other in disbelief that we really did send all this stuff and it really is here now, and is really taking up A LOT of space in our already full-of-stuff apartment.
Now when we were going through our things in March back in Melbourne we did get rid of a lot of things. But clearly not enough. And the main problem then was that we a) had limited time to sort through things, b) were sick of sorting through things over and over and over again (which is probably the most important point here). To illustrate the full absurdity of the kinds of things we packed (for reasons refer to point B of the previous sentence):
- empty half broken CD cases
- tiny ripped bits of fabric that I kept from my good old sewing days at school when I cherished (hoarded) anything and everything I had following the whole Soviet experience
- cups with IBM logos on them
- old floor towels
- an assortment of shoe polish brushes
But none of these demonstrates this absurdity more than the following conversation that we've had back in March and the result thereof.
Jack (as we're packing these said boxes): "You're not seriously going to take this stone with you?" (pointing at a big stone that I used as paperweight on my desk)
me: "Well... containers go by volume, not weight, right? So why not - I like this stone."
Jack: "Fine! Then I'm taking my stone, too!!!" (he also has a big stone that he used as a paperweight).
Yes - we shipped these two stones from Australia! At least Jack can remember the significance of his and where he found it. Mine? I think it might be from the Grampians but really - it's just a big grey stone... and now overnight they have become a lot more famous and valuable for travelling across the globe. Now these stones are trying to find a respectable place in the PILE of stuff that is our current flat and I am glad I want to become a psychologist, because the human psyche is one deep, dark, absurd abyss!!!
Now when we were going through our things in March back in Melbourne we did get rid of a lot of things. But clearly not enough. And the main problem then was that we a) had limited time to sort through things, b) were sick of sorting through things over and over and over again (which is probably the most important point here). To illustrate the full absurdity of the kinds of things we packed (for reasons refer to point B of the previous sentence):
- empty half broken CD cases
- tiny ripped bits of fabric that I kept from my good old sewing days at school when I cherished (hoarded) anything and everything I had following the whole Soviet experience
- cups with IBM logos on them
- old floor towels
- an assortment of shoe polish brushes
But none of these demonstrates this absurdity more than the following conversation that we've had back in March and the result thereof.
Jack (as we're packing these said boxes): "You're not seriously going to take this stone with you?" (pointing at a big stone that I used as paperweight on my desk)
me: "Well... containers go by volume, not weight, right? So why not - I like this stone."
Jack: "Fine! Then I'm taking my stone, too!!!" (he also has a big stone that he used as a paperweight).
Yes - we shipped these two stones from Australia! At least Jack can remember the significance of his and where he found it. Mine? I think it might be from the Grampians but really - it's just a big grey stone... and now overnight they have become a lot more famous and valuable for travelling across the globe. Now these stones are trying to find a respectable place in the PILE of stuff that is our current flat and I am glad I want to become a psychologist, because the human psyche is one deep, dark, absurd abyss!!!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Timmy at 17 months
As of the 23rd of September Tim walks by himself. Below is a video of his second attempt - the first one being very spontaneous and we were just in complete awe when it happened. Now, a few weeks on, he is already a lot more confident and even tries to run sometimes, with varying success. This has been one of these big milestones that needless to say we're very happy about.
A 9th tooth has gotten through - a first molar on the bottom right. Actually make that 10 teeth - first molars on top and bottom right.
We can't be happier to report that he's been doing very well at kindergarten. He gets along really well with the other kids in the group and is generally happy to be there. When we drop him off in the mornings the other kids start screaming "Timmi ist da!!!" (Timmy is here!), which is really cute to observe. The teachers asked me if I wanted to be (a scapegoat) on the parent committee, so now I am going to have my first 'parent committee' meeting this Wed... we'll see... I don't mind putting in the time to help them , since they're looking after Timmy so well.
Another thing to report is to say that Tim takes after his father in terms of his love of vegetables. This means that the only vegetable that he (usually) will eat is potatoes. But we have invented a little scheme to "assist" him. One of Tim's favourite foods is bread, so we would give Tim a little piece of bread for every spoonful of vegetables. It's not a favourite game to play, but so far it works... although something tells me not for long :)
Some photos from Sept/Oct:
A 9th tooth has gotten through - a first molar on the bottom right. Actually make that 10 teeth - first molars on top and bottom right.
We can't be happier to report that he's been doing very well at kindergarten. He gets along really well with the other kids in the group and is generally happy to be there. When we drop him off in the mornings the other kids start screaming "Timmi ist da!!!" (Timmy is here!), which is really cute to observe. The teachers asked me if I wanted to be (a scapegoat) on the parent committee, so now I am going to have my first 'parent committee' meeting this Wed... we'll see... I don't mind putting in the time to help them , since they're looking after Timmy so well.
Another thing to report is to say that Tim takes after his father in terms of his love of vegetables. This means that the only vegetable that he (usually) will eat is potatoes. But we have invented a little scheme to "assist" him. One of Tim's favourite foods is bread, so we would give Tim a little piece of bread for every spoonful of vegetables. It's not a favourite game to play, but so far it works... although something tells me not for long :)
Some photos from Sept/Oct:
Academic future of the great-to-be psychologist
It has been a while since we posted here. Mainly due to extreme lack of time. Jack has gotten a new project at work that keeps him busy days, evenings and weekends. I have been busy organising my future academic life and various things around the flat (to be reported in due course). And Tim has been busy being Tim - growing himself, growing teeth, practising walking and running, making sure his opinion is heard loud and clear and generally being cute :)
I haven't been accepted into masters at my old uni because my average score wasn't perfect. So I had the option of either waiting a year and re-applying, giving me an advantage of having two Wartesemester (semesters where you wait for a place and don't study in the meantime, which somehow gives you a competitive advantage) or applying for a course at a paid university. The problem with the first option was that there's no guarantees that I'll get a place next year. Additionally I was hoping to use this year of waiting to get some work experience, but for most work-experience places it turns out that you need to be a student to be able to do it. Because if you're a student you can't sue your employer for not paying you a cent - normal German practice. Finding a paid placement for someone with a Bachelor of Psych is next to impossible since there isn't actually much you can do with this degree as it is.
Thus as of next week I'm going to study at International Psychoanalytic University doing a Master of Arts in Psychology. Unfortunately it costs an arm and a leg, but for that I don't have to wait a year. It also looks like the education that I'll get there might just be a little bit better than what the previous university was able to offer me - smaller class sizes, better facilities, what-looks-like lecturers who are a little bit more interested in teaching rather than just doing their research. The other upside is that it's in the centre, so it cuts my travel time by about 20 mins and I can also get there on my bike riding through central park.
We'll see. I don't want to get my expectations too high to avoid being too disappointed, but so far it's looking good.
I haven't been accepted into masters at my old uni because my average score wasn't perfect. So I had the option of either waiting a year and re-applying, giving me an advantage of having two Wartesemester (semesters where you wait for a place and don't study in the meantime, which somehow gives you a competitive advantage) or applying for a course at a paid university. The problem with the first option was that there's no guarantees that I'll get a place next year. Additionally I was hoping to use this year of waiting to get some work experience, but for most work-experience places it turns out that you need to be a student to be able to do it. Because if you're a student you can't sue your employer for not paying you a cent - normal German practice. Finding a paid placement for someone with a Bachelor of Psych is next to impossible since there isn't actually much you can do with this degree as it is.
Thus as of next week I'm going to study at International Psychoanalytic University doing a Master of Arts in Psychology. Unfortunately it costs an arm and a leg, but for that I don't have to wait a year. It also looks like the education that I'll get there might just be a little bit better than what the previous university was able to offer me - smaller class sizes, better facilities, what-looks-like lecturers who are a little bit more interested in teaching rather than just doing their research. The other upside is that it's in the centre, so it cuts my travel time by about 20 mins and I can also get there on my bike riding through central park.
We'll see. I don't want to get my expectations too high to avoid being too disappointed, but so far it's looking good.
Barcelona, Catalonia
Over the long German Unity Day weekend (a day that doesn't mean anything for something like 69% of Germans) we flew to sunny and warm Barcelona. For Jack and I it was our second time there and for Tim Spain makes it a fourth country where he's been to so far (not counting a few hours stopover in Qatar).
Our five days over there involved a little bit of sightseeing, lots of walking and wondering, and most importantly actually having a chance to see one another, which has been difficult over the last few weeks.
Some highlights of the trip included:
Our five days over there involved a little bit of sightseeing, lots of walking and wondering, and most importantly actually having a chance to see one another, which has been difficult over the last few weeks.
Some highlights of the trip included:
- eating the most amazing soft meringues at Jaume square
- nearly having two rats fall onto our heads from a rat nest on a palm tree (!) in Park Güell - probably wins the most eeky prize of the holiday
- taking a cable car up to the castle on Montjuïc mountain
- watching jets practice for the air show on the beach
- Timmy eating and very much enjoying seafood (a big surprise to his parents)
- going inside Casa Batlló and La Pedrera - two very cool houses designed by the great Antoni Gaudi
Got ink?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)