The unbearable lightness of being unemployed

As the weather is not inviting at all to do ... stuff, I might as well write another rant about my situation here. I got a few invitations for interviews in Austria waiting for me. And I am so grateful, one can’t imagine! It really seems a slightly bit easier to get work after a few years of experience in your pocket. It might sound presumptuous, but maybe the UK thing did help as well. But I won’t wait until the money really comes in to get a nice flat in Vienna. This task might be a bit harder though, with us still being abroad. Those estate agents with their commission are not making it easier! I hate you! I won’t pay three monthly rents just because of your smart dress. There were voices out there to change that, and there did actually happen something but nothing big, because they are all complaining. Oh, come on!
What else? I am waiting for a few pounds from the UK (tax refund), the council (Council Tax) and the water company (thanks again for non-metered water!).
My family (parents and sister) is coming on Friday. We will explore London and hopefully Brighton. I haven’t been to Greenwich yet. So please! Rain! GO AWAY!
On Saturday is The Big Dance 2008 on Trafalgar Square. If you are in London either come and see or come and dance! There are still around 400 places left. I would’ve liked to do more during this event, but the weather was oh so disgusting. I guess we’ll have to turn on the heating again. I much rather spend the day in bed, sleeping. Brrrr.
Ah and for the record! Our flight home is on the 30 July. I am planning to be in Vienna the week after (4 August), to do a few interviews and hopefully look at a few flats as well. I am afraid it is time for me to get a Wiener Linien annual travelcard. Ah the fun of a new beginning! No! Honestly! I like it.


Let’s have some tea for my cold toes.

It’s gonna happen, man

Yes. Got the tickets, the voucher, tha monies. But still loads to do. I hope I won’t forget anything. But doing something like that for the first time ... When I went on a holiday for two weeks for the first time, I took to many clothes with me. Next time my suitcase was more like half empty then too full.
Good. Went to Regent's Park. I love it, I simply love it and I hope we’ll visit it more often in the summer.
So, now, the itinerary for the next few weeks:
18/05/08 LTN-VIE
22/05/08 VIE-JFK
02/06/08 JFK-VIE (arriving on 03/06/08)
05/06/08 VIE-LTN
And then on the 30 July we’ll fly home. And then there is the usual again. Job-hunting, solving the living situation and so on. But before that I’ll have a two months holiday! The family is visiting and I’ll have to make a nice plan where to go.
We watched Persepolis (Tickets in London are utterly expensive!) on the weekend and though it is an animation, I felt like being in Vienna (it is also set in Vienna, yes) again. Hmmmm, I’m really looking forward to it and everybody there and around it, near it ...


Votivkirche, May 2007 (analogue SLR)

Things to remember

If you want to get money from the UK, do not wait until they get back to you again. You have to call them and tell them, that they have to do something, i.e. working on your case again. And I really have to be carefull in order to get the money I am entitled to. And to all those people outside, who have their phones defaulted to "do not send caller ID": I hate invisiblo calls! Particularly if they hang up, after I picked up. What the ... ?!?
What you also ought not to forget: London is BIG! No not big it is BIG, HUGE, B I G. I guess one must either work in the centre or live in the heart of the city for at least six months to be able to say you know one hundredth of London. I still didn't encounter every inch (and not even the interesting ones!) of Vienna, though I have been living there for three years in total.
Ttyl.

Comatic Disbehaviour

Today I wanted to talk about how one values a city. Before one's moving to it, after one has to leave it. But I cannot. Not today. Because the society growing older right now, who hits the puberty and gets used to loads of alcohol is worrying me. I know why I hate booze, I know why I hate the U6 and I know why I hate (Viennese) Chavs. Drunken, about 14-16, getting attacked by some Turkish people. I am sorry, it was like that. The group of Chavs had one boy with them, who did not look like the others. I could compare him with a burning victim, I am not sure, but maybe you can imagine. One Turkish boy kicked him, which lead the Chavs to kick back and throw a bottle of white wine mixed with lemonade. Said bottle hit me and the girl sitting next to me. Do not praise a day before its end! It kind of escalated. Did not get much. It made me puke over my bag and I went a little back in the train to clean the mess up a bit. One of the Turkish boys found the cell phone of one of the Chav girls and they nearly smashed the windows. I hate politicans who make our youth like that (or the parents, who are influenced by the politicans and learn it their children). I hate Vienna, I hate the U6 and I still will not drink alcohol. As I jumped in the train I was frightened by the Chav crowed because I saw drunken faces and bottles and they screamed like little babys. The anger was stronger then the fear, otherwise I would have totally freaked out (shaked, cried). I know that my hatred will not help either. I just have to write it all down. At first I thought it was a glass bottle. Thank _fill in what you prefer_ it was only out of plastic! I do not want to imagine where the two of us (the girl and me) would be right now. I have to take a shower right now, though I just wanted to fall in the bed and sleep like a baby. I have to get rid of the rage, otherwise I will try each side at least a hundred times until I finally can be in my own little paradise again. Sorry. The value thing will hopefully be written some time soon.

Viennese everyday Life

Today the whole city is insane! An old ugly guy gets up from his table and grabs my arm. As I am listening to music I do not understand a thing of what he says. Only something about „bad”. Bad things, I did something bad? First I went out of his way. He got me anyway. Next stupid guy. Before the dance class he asks what is next. „Modern.” „Modeln?” (Only makes sense in German as modeln means to pose, to model.) „Modern!” „Modeln?!” „Yes!!” He recognizes that one of my dance colleagues is stretching. „Does one have to be well stretched for that?” „No, you could join us today” He murmurs something about not allowed and such. She says someone must have taken his brain. Later on my way to Einbaumöbel the nightmare continues in the train. A woman who could easily get a role in a david lynch movie (e.g. that spooky lady with the polish accent in Inland Empire). And a guy who has a beard consisting of two dreads down to his belly button. Argh.
...
On Wednesday we won tickets for Inland Empire. I have seen almost every movie of David Lynch last year in May it was I guess. As I am not a big fan of him, Inland Empire was too much for me. I was tired and slept a bit in the last third. Waking up everytime when there was a scream or horror music. Yesssss.

Update to my last entry: I got the chance to attend the project. But I have not decided yet. We allready booked a flight and the rebooking costs € 100,–. And we would not get to the UK before September 16. I will go to the first meeting today and if I know that it is really worth it, I might do it.

What a bummer!

I finally found the one thing, I will not be able to be part of.
CALL: turn terror into sport



My aunt told me about it, but nothing specific. I searched the homepage of Tanzquartier Wien a few weeks ago and could not find anything. Today I found it. And ouch! It hurts. But it will go away sooner than later. 100 tap dancers will perform in mid-September. That will be awesome! Hopefully my aunt will be one of them. Or I know anyone else who will be. An exciting thing, but impossible for me to be in Austria for part of the rehearsals and all the performances.

Tilly and the Sign on the Wall

Today we finally saw the new sign in the waggons of the viennese underground. They exchanged an old man with an old woman, a blind man with a blind woman and a mother with her kid with a father. They did leave a few of the old ones though, which is good.



I like that idea. But they also intended to change the emergency exit. Quite horrible. You can see it in the story of Mr. Zachbauer on fm4.orf.at (in German).
And now a question to you my reader: I am planning to go to the Tilly and the Wall concert on April 13^th in the Flex. They are going to support CSS from Brazil. They are funny and I like the idea of leaving the drums at home and having a tap dancer do the work. So if somebody wants to come, join me.
Other concerts in April:
MXPX, WUK, 11.4.
Garish, WUK, 17.4.
Anajo, Arena, 18.4.
Kosheen, WUK, 21.4.
Chicks on Speed, Gartenbaukino, 28.4.

And my recommendation/selection from the Donaufestival 2007:
Jamie Lidell, Pablo Fiasco, Gonzales & Mocky, Klangraum Krems Minoritenkirche, 28.4.
Maybe as an addition: Gonzales Solo Piano, Klangraum Krems Minoritenkirche, 29.4.

Hella

The last four weeks were fascinating and turbulent for my (emotional) life. I got to know a very special person (though not as much as I would have liked to).
Yesterday I decided to come back to Vienna for one last dinner before he would leave Vienna. And the short trip back to Vienna was totally worth it. The guy sitting next to me opened my eyes again to see and name the person's abilities and just awesomeness.
One woman said, that she just has acquaintances and no real friends. "The guy" called that "lived misanthropy". I thought I am the only person, who lives like that, but it seems that there are others too.
The words are missing right now. I will upload a few photos of that evening later on.

Winter

Winter
Originally uploaded by .·˙ƒain˙·..

The weather is going crazy right now in Vienna. Still no snow. Today sunshine and a short shower. I am really afraid of the Winter, when it finally gets to us. Today I got myself new glasses. It really was time! But so expensive that plastic thing. Crazy.

Gidon Kremer, Martha Argerich, 06/12/06, Konzerthaus, Vienna

Sometimes I am a really bad listener. Yesterday I was at the Konzerthaus enjoying a great female pianist and a passionate violinist. After minutes my thoughts were drifting. I pondered about everything which I was not able to in the last days. I even considered things, which made me slap myself (but not for real, just virtual).



Though I was not as attentive as I wished, I did recognize the great abilities of the performers. Gidon Kremer was somehow crawling into his violin. During specific Béla Bartók passages you were barely able to see the instrument. I guess one can only be a good musician, when she/he is moving with the music (and I am hardly ever moving when I play the piano). Martha Argerich gave her first concert at the age of 8. When she was 14 her parents decided to move to Vienna so she could get the
best education. As she played the Kinderszenen from Robert Schumann you were able to see her passion. One woman behind me was totally going "Bravo" during the applause.
The Béla Bartók pieces were challenging for both, the musicians and the audience (mostly above their forties). Few people left after the Kinderszenen. And about a quarter of the listeners did not hear the three encores, which were nice and fluffy like snow flakes dancing. I have to admit that I did not like the Bartók pieces that much either. As I learned all kinds of stuff concerning music from 5^th to 8^th grade, I was always searching for repeating patterns which were hard to find. At school the teacher shows you the stuff and you have the score in front of you.
The architecture of the Konzerthaus is also nice to look at. I guess it is Jugendstil. Let me know if that is wrong.

The programme:
Robert Schumann
        Sonate Nr. 2 d-moll op. 121 für Violine und Klavier (1851)
Béla Bartók
        Sonate für Violine solo Sz 117 (1944)
                ***
Robert Schumann
        Kinderszenen op. 15 (1838)
Béla Bartók
        Sonate Nr. 1 Sz 75 für Violine und Klavier (1921)

Space Invaders against ...

The Space Invaders are in Vienna and have a mission.
See here.