The Hobbit and the pleasure of audiobooks

At the age of about 12 we have been reading "The Hobbit" at Cub Scouts.
Wölflinge in german. It was rather fun.
A couple of weeks ago I have seen the first part of "The Hobbit" in Cinema in a rather brutal version. And now I am listening the audiobook from the BBC. It is quite an old version, but I like it so far.
Fortunately I have a couple of days of, so I can listen to the story in peace.

I have just finished an audiobook of quite a different story, by quite a different author: Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy. About 10 Years ago or longer I used to love her books, but somehow I'd gone off her. But I got the book of a colleague, called Scarlett Feather. I remember, that I liked it.
I had decided though, a little while after, that I would not read the one taking place in Greece. Now, the book I just finished hearing included a lot of characters from other books I had read and from this greek book.

I liked that. I liked the idea of following a story, that had ended in another book. It is very nice. Do you know this feeling, that you finished a book and wondered how the story might have progressed, if the book had gone on?
I have that quite frequently. And this book is one, where several stories go on. It is lovely. If only it was for the fact that you meet people again, you became to like.

Before that, I heard another Francis Durbridge story: "Paul Temple and the Margo Mystery". Now I was very arrogant about Paul Temple and Francis Durbridge and thought them to be below myself. And I did not see the latter to be the inventor of the former. I just didn't know.
Then about 5 years ago, I heard a case in installments on BBC Radio 7 as was then (now it is BBC Radio 4 extra). And I fell a victim to it and became a fan. They are perhaps similar, but Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury made them comfortable to listen to. So I  followed any, that came on. And then I borrowed one from the library. Lovely.

Another story I heard on BBC were the Lord Peter stories by Dorothy L. Sayers. There are several and I have them on CD. A colleague of mine has the newes Lord Peter story on CD and is listening to it. Now, since Ms. Sayers has been dead quite some years, how can that be? Well, P.D. James finished it and in rather a good way: "The Attenbury Emeralds". We had read the book (I bought it in London two years ago) and she bought the CD. Great Fun. Exciting. Somehow sad. But very good writing and the style is like D. L. Sayers style.

Now what I am waiting for, is an audio-version of the Watsons, begun by Jane Austen, before her death and finished by "Another Lady". Very well done too. If anyone knows how to get that on CD: just write a comment.

Other than that I hope you all have a happy easter or passover or what your religious-traditional festivities you might have around this year.

So, what do I write about?

I just wanted to write something. So this is probably just another one of my mixed "information" texts. But hey: you can get concise information almost anywhere else. Plus: this blog isn't called "Just some ideas" for nothing. It is just a jotting down of ideas. One of those I do not mind other people to know. Outside myself, outside my friends or outside my family.

I presume that everybody has private thoughts. Maybe thoughts even, that are not written down in a diary for posterity.
When I was in school - about ages ago - and even now, when I am in a boring class or can't concentrate, I write things down, that I do not want anyone to be able to read. How do I prevent people from reading or at least understanding my meaning? I only use the first letter of the word AND I alternate between languages. These are thoughts I do not wish others to decode. And also I do not need them remembered by myself. Well most of them. Some end up in my diary anyway. This worked, when I was 14 and it works now, that I am older.
The beauty of changing languages is, that people don't know, which language. At 14 I was able to write in three languages and the girl(s) I liked least, where hardly capable of writing sensibly in german. So they might say:"Oh, she is so stupid, she can't even write in prober german words." But they couldn't find out what I had written. I loved it. It was a way to express annoying, without being bullied.
So I can really recomment it. Try it out, it is fun.

Yesterday I passed another exam, so I feel good about that as well. Today I skipped walking, because I had enough of people for a while and therefore I stayed well at home. It was nice. I watched a couple of stupid teenie-films on TV and tried to play sims 3, but since I couldn't see the cursor I gave that up. Tomorrow I am going back to school and I absolutely have to wash some clothes.

Oh and on Friday I found out, what the annoying sound is, that sometimes keeps me awake: it is a branch of a tree behind my house. But by bending it away from the house I can get some little sleep. And from knowing what sort of sound it is.

So, now I will end - if I can manage - with Michael Ball. Because I like his music and I think he is charming and talented. If I can't get a video from him, I'll try French & Saunders, because they are funny. Or maybe my favourite  scene from "The Vicar of Dibley"... :-)  (That's quite a mix, actually, isn't it?)

Good Night all...

Fighting Sims 3 and Snow

So I did write - several times indeed - that I do love snow. And so I do. At its proper time. And the official beginning of springtime is not the proper time. Doesn't Petrus read the human calendar? What's wrong with him? Did he forget that he was human once?
I don't like to switch the heating on and off. It is off now and it will stay so, unless it gets really beastly cold and that can't be combated with hot drinks and warm clothes. It is expensive to heat! End it uses more energy than using my computer (I have decided that, I do NOT claim, that it is true).

That is the first thing. Next up is the sims 3 with windows 8. I do not actually dislike windows 8, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that I like it.
In the beginning I was able to play it. Now I am not. And I find that VERY annoying. O.k., I shouldn't be playing anyway, I should be learning, but the fact that I can't play it does not make me happy anyway.

Something positive? For one of my classes my mark won't be all that bad.
A 3 at the worst, which is a good average in Germany. I do not know, if it is an actual C in other countries. Anyway: I only wanted to pass, I did that, I am now going on to the next point. Today, at about 7.00 pm (it is now almost 4.30 pm) I will go on with my PPP for the thesis. What does PPP stand for? You say: Power Point Presentation.. I say Practical Problematic Pain. But either might be correct.

Ayurveda:

I am very slowly getting back to that. Correcting my eating and drinking habits, working to get into a regular daily rhythm, balancing myself out.
Writing here does help the balancing. And reminding me, that swearing does not help any matter. It only makes things look worse than they are and it does not make me feel better. On the contrary. So I wrote that on a big red piece of paper and hung it, where I can see it, when I need it. That is usually, when I am working on my computer.... :-)

Well, I will now listen to "The Big Sleep" by Raymond Chandler, drinking a hot tea and snuggling into my coziest blanket... and I leave you with some spring-music... Keep spring in your minds, maybe if more and more people determine on it being spring, where it is supposed to be, we can convince Petrus (or St. Peter) with this psychological weapon... :-)

Adding Add-Sense?

I am not sure. It is not, that I do not like the idea of getting a little money in. But I do not know, wether I would be be comfortable with advertisement on my blog albeit in connection with my post.
The question is: what is the topic of most of my blogs? Life? Saving? Staying happy? Being compassionate? Getting along with school?

It is a bit of all of that, in a way. Still, do I won't to have adds concerning these topics? I do not know. There is earning a little money, and there is getting on peoples nerves with adds.
People do not have to go on the adds though, it is everyones free decision.
Hmm, I am not sure now. I might do it though at some point. I am not out of money. I do have quite enough to get by with and a little extra.

Then again, I could use it, to give it away to people who really need it. Or can buy presents for other people. Renovate my flat. Buy a cleaning person for myself, buy a new printer. I do not know. On the other hand (as to the printer: I only need it until the end of August for school purposes. Other than that I don't need it all that much. So I do not have to buy one. I shall have to keep the old computer for it does only run along with Windows XP, it is not compatible with Windows 8. Whatever, I am not going to buy one now, I just bought new ink-cartridges.

It is 9.08 pm here, I have just decided to go to bed now. Tomorrow I shall bake muffins and a bread (well, the machine will do that), go on with my presentation and hear my Dads' choirs spring-concert. That is always a lot of fun. Maybe I can find something of them on YouTube? We'll see... Otherwise it might be something from Sister Act or John Rutter...

 

Where is my toast?

A week ago I bought a new bag of toast. I stored it in the freezer. Today I wanted to take it out there, so that it would be unfrozen by tomorrow and it was gone! But where could it have gone? I don't have mice or other vermin in my flat. Except for myself nobody eats toast in this household.
Why you ask? Because this is a one-person-household. So who ate all that toast in the last week? I did. Without realizing it, I sort of inhaled a whole bag of toast. Gaaaaaah!! Unbelievable.  Well, I'll survive and I was going to go grocery-shopping tomorrow anyway. So there is no harm done.

Yesterday I was a very good girl and completed the text for my corruption-thesis. And I learnd something very interesting:
Last year Italy made a law against corruption. I must admit, that I would not have thought that possible. But it happened.
Yesterday I learned, that Germany did sign the UN-Convention against Corruption in 2003 (!!!)  But as yet, 10 years later, it has not ratified it.
That is really astounding. German politician have not seen a way to make a law against corruption in a country, where there are some very good laws (and some stupid ones, but I think, that is in any given country the case).

However: I would have thought, that german politicians nowadays where to righteous NOT to make a law against corruption. They seem to be - on the contrary - to be too corrupt do make one. That is really embarrassing.
But it is a lesson: one should not go by what one is used to and assums to be right. One should go by what one gets as a fact. And the fact is, that I have every reason to be ashamed of the politicians in my country.
Well, there is an election coming in my country this Septembre. So I just thought, that I might write an e-Mail to every party in Germany, that is in the parlament and ask it, what it intends to do, to get a law against corruption through.

I am very curious as to what the answer will be.

Meanwhile outside it looks like it is snowing again. I know, I wrote it often: I do love snow. I have to qualify that now, though. I love snow in WINTER.
And to me it was already spring. Not just because it is march. Also because I could smell the spring. And hear it in the birds. And feel the spring-sun on my skin. If winter holds on, then spring might be longer, summer as well and it will be AGES until we get to my personal favourite in seasons: autumn! Anyway. Since it is the way of nature, I won't give up on spring. There is a saying in english that goes: March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Or was it the other way round? I hope not....
So we hope for a spring-lamb like this...

Guantanemera

Just caught the end of this song on the radio. But it is not the topic of todays blog.
It is of nothing particular really. I did some good work on my thesis and I had - before that - an intense study of my eyelids-inside... :-)

After the brainwork I did some good work in my kitchen with my dishes. And I baked some muffins. But I have just found out, that I forgot the sugar. So I have Muffins, that are meant to be sweet, but are not. Annoying, but they are not really bad. I just addes some honey to one and it was great. So I will treat them like a pancake. Just drown it in honey...

Other than that I was just finished with shutting down my work-pc when I remembered, that I was supposed to print out some law-texts. So I booted it up again and print it out while I write and Diana Ross sings along.

It has been a lovely day. I got up late, my weight was down a little and I was completely useless. Apart from the thesis, the dishes and the muffins.
So actually I wasn't all that useless. I also answered the e-mail of a friend.
And read some material.

It is often the case that I think: "You lazy dame! You have been nothing but lazy today. But when I reflect before sleeping, I find that I did some house- work, some schoolwork, contacted someone, did something small but usefull. So I wasn't lazy at all.

A couple of days I dreamed about killing brown mice, that were running under my bedside-table. It did worry me a bit, but after looking at a couple of dream-decoders (can't find the right word) I found, that the mice portray minor problems disregarding the colour. And killing them, means getting rid of them. Or getting rid of enemies.
Some of my problems feel like enemies (e.g. the dishes) so I got rid of them. :-) It relieved me and gave me some security as well. At first I thought I was killing money, from coming to me. Because Mice or in German "Maeuse" (pronounce moise  e (short e)) is another word for money. But this I like far better.

I did start with Guantanamera, but I think, I will end with Louis Prima:

It'll be a couple of hard days nights

Because I really have to work on my thesis. I have material, I have parts of my presentation, but I have to fill it with information as well.
What I do not have, is a dame, no.. I mean: motivation.

I can't make myself to sit down and write. Simply because it does not count not so very much. Out of 180 Points I can only gain three. That is not much in my eyes or anyones.

But: I have coffee and Jell-o and licorice and material. I should be fine. I think. And it will not really take very long. I need to write 12 pages at least, but in a big scale and with large distances. So those are written fast.

I had planned to go to sports today, but I am really to tired. I did go on wednesday, but today my back aches, my tummy aches, my legs ache, my head aches. So I don't want to ache any more.

Since this weekend will be very workintensive, I will now listen to one of my audiobooks (or that of the library rather): "The age of innocence" by Edith Wharton. So far it isn't half bad. And tomorrow morning, bright and early I'll be sitting at my old computer and write my thesis on corruption.

Hooray! Since I doubt, that I can use a rendition of the Beatles "A hard days night" here, I will try something else. If you do see that song though, I have been lucky. :-)

I am FLYing

Quite recently, after reading Dr. Dyers book "The Power of Intention" I decided to reconnect with a system that I have read of in Womans Day a couple of years ago.

They had an article about a FLY-lady who said that the clutter we have accumulated wasn't there over night. It took a good while to get there.
Likewise it will take a good while to go away.

So I am making it go away. She suggests to shine ones sink first and keep it shining every day. Also to clean for 15 Minutes each day. You can keep time with music or with the usual kitchen-timer.

After that it is baby-steps. One step after the other. So I will be taking baby steps. It is less stress and I don't like stress.

What else happened? Well I created the raw bones of my presentation for the corruption-seminar. And I have the date and time for my exam in Ecology. That is a nice thing to know.
Tomorrow my Nephew has his 9th birthday and the family has a party. Always nice. I think.

And I have decided to end my engaging in congregational work. At least for the time being. I have told my sister and someone who ought to know, before I officially write to the reverend about it.

It feels good, actually. I wasn't really able to give it my full concentration and this way I can stop having a bad concience about not being able to go.
I have stopped choir-practice as well. That is o.k. for me as well.
Now I am thinking about going to do some sport but on the other hand it is 7.40 pm and I have a machine of jeans in the machine and want to shine my sink. So I will resist the non-existing urge. My sport will be housework.
That just has to be enough. And now, like a "nice little penguin" I will go FLYing.....

Doing the shopping on a big scale

I have decided, that I will not spend so very much money on food. Mainly on snacks and Cappuccino-to-go. That meant, that I had to buy provisions, who would make it easier, while not overspending. Also I did not want to shop for groceries after this for another two weeks.
So, while not spending much, it had to be enough to last me two weeks.
Added to that I had to be able to carry it in one go. Since I do not own a car, that was not all that easy. Plus: car or not, I still would have had to carry my shopping onto the first floor. We do not have an elevator in our house. Therefore I first wrote a list. Then I decided on one luxury-item. That was one piece, that was not on my list and today my choice fell on red beets. I like the beets. But I had not put them on my list, as I didn't think of them, while writing it. So that was my luxury item.
I also had a lot of empty bottles to return. That made 5 € return on my shopping, which kept it in the budget. Otherwise I would have had to return something. Not needed though. Pooh. Lucky. But an easy choice really, as to what would have gone, apart from the luxury item, if needed.
What I did forget to take was my calculator. I had planned to not what I spent, while walking through.
I had at first thought of buying 12 bottles of water, but I did not like the idea of carrying 18 liter of water home. And then I still have elderberry syrup and woodruff. Then, too, I drink a lot of tea and Cappuccino during the day. So there was no need to buy that much water, even for two weeks.
It was reduced. I took some grape-juice though (yes, it was on the list).

I am also very proud to have combined going shopping with taking out the trash, filling the washing machine and going to the pharmacy. Go once, get rid of four tasks at once, without trouble. I just love it.

The machine will be through by now, so I will do another load, for I love that. And hang the bedclothes of the first load.
Other than that I got a membership in a big library, rented some books on corruption and yesterday some audiobooks. It works out nicely.

The weather is turning more into spring and it is lighter, when I start for school in the morning. I also got on with my knitting and started on sudoko. Though I sort of suck as yet. I will get better though. It is not, that I am stupid, I just don't really concentrate and I used to give up sooner.
But since I decided, that I won't do that any more, it should work out.

As to giving up early, it is not always, as proven by three job-trainings, hard work to getting my drivers-licence, just living and working on my blanket. So I do go through with the important stuff...

And now to do the washing...