Business as usual

"Hey, welcome home! You're early. Here, let me take this..."
He pulls a bag out of her hands and immediately pokes his nose in it. "What have you brought here? Ah, I see... doughnuts. I wanted to get these, too, but I didn't know where to buy them. So, how was..."
"Oh, give me a break. I haven't even taken off my shoes yet."
"Right. So, how was your day? I bought some liver for you to make. And that friend called, you know, the one that held a grudge for over a month, she needs transport to her doctor Tuesday and she asked me to drive her there but you know I've got that specialist then and can't take her and..."
"Please! Don't you understand what 'give me a break' means? I'm tired and I need to change and you assault me here on the very door as if your life depended on it."
"Sorry? What's wrong with you? There's something wrong, I know it..."
"The only thing wrong is your pestering me from the moment I open the front door! As if that madness at the office wasn't enough. And what's there on the table? Oh my, what have you done with the onions?"
"You said I could peal them, so I did."
"Yeah, but I never told you to dunk it in the middle of that liver. Damn, I'm supposed to slice it yet and they're all bloody and sticky."
"What does it matter? They'll be cooked together anyway"
"OK, now get off my way, will you please! I've got work to do... again."

Cold Journey

I wrote this some time ago but since I don't seem to be able to come up with anything remotely interesting, and I've run out of photos to use, I'm reposting it...

Saturday, March 5, 5 p.m.
Right now we should be running out onto the court, beginning our warm-up for the match. Instead, we are stuck here, on the road, in the middle of nowhere. Standing still for about 12 hours already, the blizzard not relenting a bit. Limbs ache from all kinds of uncomfortable positions. Cold sinks in. The heating has been out for hours. And the wind... you could hear it, see it, feel it, taste it.

Friday, March 4, 7 p.m.
A dozen young tallish women embark on a bus, followed by a few men: a basketball team on a mission. Just as we reach the outskirts of the town, one of the men tells the driver to pull up. »Have you guys any idea where Split is? I'm off!« And he disappears into the drizzle.

Saturday, March 5, 8 p.m.
By now we should be out of the locker rooms, showered, refreshed, heading for dinner in the hotel. Instead, we haven't eaten for hours, all the food supplies gone. The cold gets unbearable, despair creeps in. We squeeze tight to each other, seeking some comfort, trying to preserve as much warmth as possible.

Sunday, March 6, 1 a.m.
Something is happening! Faint light from the opposite side, followed by a huge plough breaking its way through the snowdrifts. Rescued at last!

Sunday, March 6, 5 a.m.
Somewhere on the Adriatic coast, waiting for the petrol station to open. The wind is relentless. I'm awakened by my own chattering teeth. These last few hours before the daybreak seem endless.

Sunday, March 6, 11 a.m.
Reaching Karlobag, we are stopped by a road block. Black ice, they say. Starved, we try to find some place to eat. A nearly impossible task! The small coastal town is almost deserted out of season. Finally we stumble upon an inn. Yes, they can make us ham and eggs. The food is greasy and it tastes bad, but we eat anyway. They even sell us some waffles. Finally the block is removed and we move on.

Sunday, March 6, 7 p.m.
Home at last! We'll have to play that darned match some other time.

Tower, come in...

Stil uninspired to write anything creative so I'll leave you with just a bit of foolishness...

Pilot: We're running out of fuel. Please advise.

Tower: What is your position? We don't have you on our scope.

Pilot: We're standing on runway 2 and are waiting for an eternity for the fuel truck.

Hay,

wood you rather stay in shadow or in light?

This is...

what my life looks like at times...

Look at them!

Some move around, others stand still. Some are out in the open, others hide behind objects, yet another is walking into the picture and there, at the top, only a shadow remains. Some look friendly, others less so. But all are standing on thin ice with their webbed feet in water.
Looks a bit like human lives, no?

Sometimes...

...I feel like a helium balloon... one moment soaring up high, listening to the wind's tunes, talking to the birds, indifferent to the world below, the other entangled in a tree, empty and torn to pieces...

Chaos

I'm sitting behind my desk in the office, feeding the computer with one thing or another when, out of nowhere, I hear the sirens outside. I'm busy so I don't care to look what's going on. It's not uncommon for a police car to rush through. Sometimes it's the firemen and rarely an ambulance. They take other roads to the hospital.

Twenty minutes or so pass and there are the sirens again, blaring into the early afternoon. And again, some time later. It dawns on me. Of course, there is a conference on who knows what and those EU diplomats are rushing in their vehicles to and fro around the city centre, escorted by the police.

The traffic, chaotic as it is, becomes even more so. There are policemen in every junction, directing the traffic, making way for the privileged lot. Several drivers are perplexed, they don't know how to react when the traffic lights no longer apply. Pedestrians have no idea whether they may cross or not. Eventualy, some sort of order is restored but when it's time for me to go home, I choose to walk.

Stuff

I quite enjoy spending my time outdoors and become nervous if I'm unable to go somewhere for a longer period. I prefer natural environment and places where few humans go. However, finding places that are not human infested has become nearly impossible. So I settle for less and go hiking on the near-by hills. Winter, however, is not a favourable time for going places. The days are short and periods of fair weather are few and far between.
I also enjoy snapping photos. I have always known, I think, that photography is something I could fall in love with but never did so until recently. The digital era has no doubt contributed to rediscovering my passion for photography. But I have much to learn if I ever want to make good photos. Time will tell where this takes me...

A monster

In the picture above you can see clear evidence that the Monster of the Alps truly exists. Its ethereal nature makes it hard to spot but last Sunday I managed to capture it with my camera drifting above the mountains, supervising, no doubt, the thickness and consistency of the fog in the valleys. I blame it for the weather we had for over a month. But now the monster has been disclosed its powers are evaporating and the sun, even if only in traces, has returned to the valleys.

Boo!

It's nearly midnight and I'm tired and really can't think of anything to say so this pic will have to suffice.

Fog

Living in a valley can be very depressing in winter. One cannot be able to see the sun for days, even weeks. And I've complained about the lack of light a lot this winter. This is the view from above, though. Beautiful sunshine and quite warm where I stood. I was lucky, though, that the layer of fog wasn't very thick or the base wasn't higher up, otherwise I would remain within the grey stuff and continue cursing the weather. The sad thing was, I had to return down there adn believe me, it wasn't very nice.

Winter blossom

Hellebore is certainly a typical winter flower. When everything else is asleep this tenacious plant will begin to sprout pretty pinkish-white blossoms which make their way through often frozen soil, dead leaves and even a thin layer of snow.

I found this one today...

A miracle!

Oh yes, this is how the sunset looked tonight. It could hardly be anticipated after another grey and drizzly morning but finally the clouds broke in time for a display of burning colour.

Odd couple

The weather was miserable again today. But I needed a break from the office travail so I took my umbrella and headed towards the park near-by just to walk in the rain and try to clear my head. The birds greeted me and squirrels played around trees and empty flower beds and when I approached a feeder, there was a gang of sparrows picking seeds from underneath. I reached for my snapper trying to capture the commotion but the birds wouldn't wait and the light was poor. I snapped a few shots at random anyway, not expecting much. But when I downloaded the pics, I discovered this. Another visitor had been waiting in the wings to join the feeding frenzy and there he is, top left under the yew.

Strange creatures...

roam the town before sunrise

...

This morning, at daybreak, there were clouds in the sky. But, for just a couple of minutes these clouds took on an indescribable hue of deep purple and scarlet. But before just as the colours appeared, they faded away into another grey day. And then, just before dusk, the clouds broke for the waxing crescent to appear for no more than a few moments. Needless to say, I was unable to capture either on camera so all there is are my impressions.
And now I'm beginning to realise this blog resembles a weather report than anything else lately. But I don't mind and I'm the owner so pft!

At last!

After almost full two weeks since the beginning of 2008 the cloud cover finally began to break and show some texture. Even some blue sky could be seen through the cracks in the clouds and faint shadows appeared here and there but hid timidly just as soon. However, this isn't to last long. More clouds and rain are forecast for the next few days...

Visitor

He sat alone in a coffee bar, silent, motionless, his eyes fixed on the door. He didn't move a muscle nor avert his gaze when I passed him to take a seat at the adjacent table. He didn't move when the waitress brought me and my partner the coffee. He sat in silence, like a statue, which he might as well have been if not for the breathing. Meanwhile, I was chatting about insignificant things while sipping my coffee. Somebody entered, one or two people left, but he barely moved. After a while another man entered, a box of cigarettes in his hand. He suddenly jerked up and pulled towards the man, then backed up as a leash tightened. The man came to him, sat at the table and stroke his dark hair. "Good boy! You looked after our table while I was out smoking. Now say hi to your friend over there."
The big black mutt's snout touched my hand, his tail wagging.

288 and counting...

indeed, still no sight of the sun. I haven't seen it at all in 2008 although the meteorologists say it showed up for about half an hour. 30 bloody minutes out of 17.300 minutes already gone this year!!! Damn, the world has gone mad (not that there's any news in that)!

A foolish copy / paste

carpe diem........ sieze the day

carpe deum........ god is a fish

carpe carpe....... sieze the fish

crape diem........ bad day

carpe diem........ complain daily

carpe per diem.... sieze the check

carpe canem....... sieze the dog

carpe devo........ sieze the record

carnivore carpe.... RUN!!

carpe calypso.... .sieze the DAY-O

               or  sieze the dance

               or  sieze the boat

carpe Teva........sieze the sandal

carpe noctum...... sieze the night

carpe horribilis.. sieze the ugly bear

carpe badjokius... sieze the teller of these jokes

240 and counting

and still no sight of the sun... I hate winter!!!!!!

What a load of rubbish!

I've been feeling rather miserable lately and just for the heck of it, I borrowed a quiz from another blogger so that anyone remotely interested can see who they're dealing with. So despite the fact that my only occasional reader has deserted this nonsensical blog, voila, here's juliana for you (yes, you!) :-

What Juliana Means

You are fair, honest, and logical. You are a natural leader, and people respect you. You never give up, and you will succeed... even if it takes you a hundred tries. You are rational enough to see every part of a problem. You are great at giving other people advice. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

216

hours into 2008 already and not a single hour of sunshine... what a fucked-up beginning to the year!

Thank you, Europe!

As of January 1st Slovenia has taken over the six-month presidency over the European Council from Portugal. The consequences already show.

It's just past 3 p.m. and the rush hour has begun. Suddenly, the wailing of sirens pierces the fog and a few police vehicles with flashing lights make way through the already chaotic traffic, followed by a number of limousines containing diplomats from all over Europe.

Now, imagine you can't wait to get home to get rid of coffee-stained clothes (don't ask!) and you leave the office about 20 minutes after the delegation has passed hoping to catch a bus as soon as possible and you wait at the bus stop and you wait along with an increasing number of other people also eager to get wherever they are going and you wait some more and nothing happens. The traffic is barely moving and there's not a bus in sight, let alone your line. So you have enough of waiting and getting your feet cold. But you've already lost half an hour or so and you know it takes you about 50 minutes to get home on foot. But anything is better than waiting in the crowd which grows by the minute. So you walk, you walk through the fog along the main street, cross at the green light, take a turn, then another, then you walk some more and you get home almost an hour later than usual.

Well, thank you, Europe, for the stolen time (the exercise was useful, though)!

Hibernation

I can't think of anything interesting to write. The day was grey and wet and dismal. I have no photos to show. I haven't been anywhere other than in a shop to buy the essentials and at a cafe for a cup of coffee with my significant other. Oh, I stroke a big black furry beast of canine origin and a friendly disposition there.
The rest of the day, or most of it (one must still eat and stuff like that), I spent with a book (Kurt Vonnegut's Mother Night if my only occasional reader happens to be interested).
Oh well... boring, isn't it - the tripe I write, that is, not Vonnegut. He is bitter and funny and anything but boring, by the way.

Slam dunk

I used to play basketball. Oh yes, I did. Was good at it, too. But it seems like eternity since I last put a ball through a hoop. Not that I miss it much... well, sometimes I do. But I can't play anymore. Can't move fast enough. Can't jump. Can't dribble. My knees don't allow me. And my Achilles' tendons. And my age and all the gained weight... blah blah blah...
My body bears the consequences of hard workout and matches and countless sprained ankles endured with nothing but gritted teeth and bandageing. And yet, I have some fond memories (and some less so) of the times I spent in and around basketball courts.

Sometimes...

...I look up at the old buildings and wonder about the stories hidden behind their ramshackle facades, about the people who used to live there... who still live there... but I never see any faces, any signs of life... and I wonder a little more...

Fallen sky

frozen... and ran over... no wonder it never shows up anymore...

Mystery of a glass (ctd)

Before Christmas I posted about a wine glass wedged in a tree fork that has been there for nearly a year. Well, after the New Year it's still there and none the worse for wear, it seems, and it has put on a tiny snowy cap for the occasion.

New Year's Day

Oh well... everybody and their uncle seem to be doing New Year's Resolutions. Bollocks to them, I say! I'll just live in the here and now and face things when they come my way. And if opportunity arises, I shall buy myself some nice things and perhaps travel and so on.

Hapy New Year everyone!

I had intended to record myself but sorry... no voice by me this time (but a lot of noise from the outside). This was meant as a trial video (shot from my balcony) and I was hoping to get another one at a more appropriate time but it didn't work out the way I had wished.