...and it's DONE

Woohoooo, on Friday, I have finally handed in my dissertation: it is DONE. And wow, it is quite a relief, I must say! Of course there are many other things to worry about, but having this dissertation out of the way is really a great boost for me. Now I still have to wait until the defense, which for bureacratic reasons has been postponed until May. I don't really mind, because my getting-paid is contingent on my not-having-defended-my-thesis-yet, so this postponement is not a problem for me at all! Some day soon i will upload the whole thesis on this blog so all you interested people (ie NO-ONE) can read the thing for yourself...

Of course the first thing I did after finishing was to get ill. Part of a long-lasting tradition, Felix brought another killer German virus (the Felix Virus) and I was one of its first victims. However, this did not stop me (or Felix) from celebrating both our birthdays last Friday with a great party in a bar nearby. I got exceedingly wasted (hey, I was also celebrating my dissertation hand-in, so I had a good excuse), similar to last weekend's movie night with Lou and Micky, so I ended up spending the whole saturday nursing my headache and generic misery... HOWEVER, I did get an absolutely awesome present from my mates: Dinner for two in the ATMosfera, which is the driving tram-restaurant operated by the Milan transport authority. Very, very, very cool! I have been wanting to go in te ATMosfera for ages, but never had the opportunity until now! Of course, Fedor is also very happy about it...

For the rest, all is quite well. I am in a bit of a low for my Italy-love, which has to do with the university bureaucracy and lack of communication. Another interesting one was some christian extremist begging letter I received this week. I get them all the time (it's Italy after all), but this was directed personally at me. However, it had the exact typo in my name that our internet provider Fastweb also has. In other words, that means that Fastweb, despite the contract that SPECIFICALLY FORBIDS it, sold our addresses to some christian extremist organsation. That really, really pisses me off!!! And in Italy, it is highly illegal as well, because they have some really strict privacy legislation here...

Which reminds me, thinking of legislation: i am having to renew my drivers' licence. But long live the European Union, licences have been standardized and as a result, you have to get your new licence in your country of residence. So that means, I have to get an Italian licence. But obviously, that is easier said than done! So far, I have not come much closer to the licence, despite several attempts and several trips (to the Consulate, for example). However, this Tuesday, I do have my appointment with the Medico. Of course, you need a medical certificate to have your licence renewed (uhm, what? Wtf is the medico supposed to do? Noone knows! It is just a way to get 50 euros of the people, adding further to the running cost of renewal). Anyway, I am very frustrated about this bureaucratic bullshit in Italy: I'll keep you posted how this is doing...

Ciao,
OJ

PS WHAT DA FUCK?

PPS Hmmm, I found some more interesting links recently, but now I cant remember. Mental note to self: post links immediately when you find them!