The Hunt Is Over

Good news: I found myself and the cats a new home!

It is very close to my current flat, but in a quieter neighbourhood, and it is very spacious. There will be plenty of room for myself and the cats. Now I can’t wait to start arranging everything (mostly in order to get the agonizing process of moving over and done with).

Moving starts on 11th June, and the packing will probably start a bit earlier. Tasks for tomorrow: arrange movers, find boxes and notify my landlady I’m moving out!

Reunions

One of the funniest posts I read for ages: Rewombion @ Defective Yeti.

Make sure to read it to the end – and the comments are funny too.

Sebastian’s New Mate

Sebastian has a new friend. He has been showing up in the kitchen’s window from time to time, and Sebastian doesn’t seem to be upset by the intruder at all, so I guess he’s OK about it. Sebastian didn’t even mind when today the new guy had the courage to come into the flat to eat. Sebastian just sat there looking at him.

Maybe, like me, Sebastian mistook him for being William. They do look a bit similar, except that the new cat is a bit bigger and has more white spots on his back.

Sebastian’s friend is still afraid of me. I only managed to get close enough to take a few pictures, but if I get any closer he runs away. I think I should name him; he’s probably going to visit more in the future.

Incoherent

I realise that my postings lately have been very incoherent. One minute it’s all excitement and happiness, and the next it’s bland self-pity. I can’t help myself, it’s my mood going mad, or maybe it’s the weather. I guess a few men problems don’t help either, but I can’t write much about them because I’m not sure how to put it into words in my head, let alone complete sentences that might make sense.

My apologies.

I hope things will be sorted soon. Maybe I’ll write something funny or something about music. I bought three new CDs recently, which I’m hoping to review as soon as I find the time to listen to them properly.

Please bear with me.

Home At Last

I am back at home, and happy to be here. I enjoyed my short visit to Bratislava very much, but I also got very home sick. From the moment I left my hotel early this morning, all I wanted was to be at home already. Actually, even last night, as I was tossing and turning in bed, I wished I was at home already, in my own bed with my cats next to me. I was so home sick that the first thing I did after I got back was to go visit my parents, even though it meant eating my mother’s tasteless cooking.

I had plenty of time to think on the way, which may not be a very good thing. I think I am going through an emotional turbulence at the moment, and I’m not sure what I want to do. Maybe I need to think about it some more, maybe I’m just thinking too much.

Excitement

I woke up this morning to the sound of heavy rain knocking on the window of my hotel room in Bratislava. After yesterday’s gorgeous sunshine this was a disappointment.

However, nothing can spoil my excitement of being here again. Last night my friend Adriana came to pick me up from the train station. She drove me to the hotel and then we went out for dinner. We spent the evening catching up on everything that has been going on in our lives in the past few years, jobs, flats, men, the lot. It was wonderful to see her again.

I can now here the rain through the roof of the Internet cafe I’m sitting in. Good thing I bought an umbrella a few minutes ago. I’m happy to be here, but I’m also looking forward to being back at home. I guess the work part of the trip exhausted me. Still I intend to enjoy my rainy day in Bratislava, just walking around the city until I meet Adriana again tonight. Tomorrow morning I will be on my way home.

Laptops

Despite being such a connection junky, I am not a big laptops fan. For a start, if you have one, you have to carry it around with you (that is the point of owning one, no?), and it can get heavy and uncomfortable. Then, if it is one provided to you by your workplace, you are expected to be able to work at any time while out of the office, a thing I already do enough, even without a laptop.

On the other hand, I can sometimes see the benefits. For example, now, I have some time to kill while waiting for my train to Bratislava, and I can see how a laptop with a good BlueTooth connection would have helped me pass the time and be productive. For example, I wouldn’t have had to write this into my notebook and take the time to type it later.

Free At Last

We finally left our clients behind, with a bit of time to spare in Salzburg. Such a gorgeous city, I think I may have to come here again for a holiday. The weather is also lovely, nice and warm, but not too hot (or at least not in our view, the local people think differently). I am now on the train back to Vienna, my first stop on the way to Bratislava, and finally have access to a laptop with some Internet connection. For an addict like me, the time spent unconnected was very difficult. Plenty of catching up to do.

Globetrotting

This morning I woke up quite early in Bratislava, Slovakia. A couple of hours later, I got into a car heading towards Austria, which took a wrong turn and bought us into Hungary. We turned back to correct the error, and headed to Vienna, Austria, to have lunch. We are hoping to end the day in Salzburg, approximately 200KM from our current location, in a car park of a rest stop, somewhere near the highway in Austria.

During all this we have to work. Officially, we are supposed to be helping our clients with their test and receive immediate feedback from them. Practically, we here to make them feel better, know that we listen to them and their requests. It’s not an easy task. They have a lot of difficult demands, many of which do not make any sense, but we must avoid arguments, be polite and smile a lot. A total waste of time. I wish I could take my camera out more often and do the touristy thing while looking completely unprofessional by appreciate the gorgeous surroundings.

Some Things Change, Some Stay the Same

I am sitting in Bratislava, at the garden near the Hotel Forum, and writing in an actual paper notebook. I will probably have to type it all up later and back date it, as soon as I get some Internet connection.

Coming back to Slovakia was quite amazing. We were picked up by our clients at the Vienna International Airport and driven to the grand Hotel Forum in Bratislava. Going through the little villages on the way to the border brought back memories of the places I visited eight years ago. It was now sunny and bright, as opposed to that winter years ago, but other than that, it all looked the same.

This was not the case for Bratislava. As we entered the city I noticed a new shopping centre, all glass walls and a McDonald’s. Near the hotel there is now a Pizza Hut, and many more new cars and American chain restaurants. The people seem to be the same. The receptionist at the hotel seemed afraid to smile, just like the old days.

I was quite disoriented to start with. The streets and monuments looked familiar, but I found it hard to direct everyone to the city centre. However, as soon as I saw the little bridge leading to Michalska, things started to come back to me. It was a Bratislava summer, with sidewalk cafes, music in the restaurants, and a waitress that won’t spare a smile.

Being a business trip, I don’t have much time for myself. Even in the evening we have to be presentable and nice while having dinner wit customers. I hope I will survive the next few days without going mad, until my break back in Bratislava.