...which always makes the city so much more fun!!! There are decorations everywhere, Xmas markets (I kid you not: 5 or 6 on the way home from work), and a merry spirit! I have to say though, and I don't say this often, it is not quite cold enough right now... Xmas markets are to be enjoyed with cold hands, and preferably some snow, like in the past years. Right now, temperatures rise to around 8-9 degrees during the day: far too warm for a real xmas market feeling!
In any case, for the past bit of time I have not really been able to enjoy Berlin anyway, since I have been travelling. I spent 4 days in Barcelona (20° and sunny: lovely!) for a conference, and some work with a potential co-author. I then returned for about 18 hours, to attend a workshop I was organizing on a new project proposal, before hopping back onto a plane to go to Brussels. We spent the weekend with M&L who live in Brussels, and G who came over from Milano. It was great fun, with lots of boozing and board games and other bits of fun! On Sunday night Fedor returned to Berlin, and I stayed as I was presenting in a seminar in Leuven. That was successful as well (and oh my, Leuven is so cute!) and I came back into Berlin last night. That also means that, according My Flightmemory, I finish the year with around 75,633 km of flying, a little down from last year when I flew about 78000 km.
For next year, I already have some 45000km of flights booked: I will go to Chicago for the American Economic Association in the first week of January and then we're going on vacation, for a short period of, ehm, 7 weeks... We're flying to Kuala Lumpur via Cairo and then on to Yangon, Myanmar (assuming we get the visa: I sent our passports off to the Embassy today). We will stay in Myanmar for around 24 days, then return to Malaysia and Singapore for a week or so, before going to Indonesia for the final 2 (1/2) weeks. Doesn't sound too bad, right?
Obviously, this trip is our attempt of avoiding Winter (leaving mid-January, returning in March) because we actually decided to stay in Berlin for now! I have today informed my boss that I would like to stay, given the quasi-promotion he has offered and the fact that, actually, I really enjoy what I do!!! (I may not enjoy the Institute that much, but I think I can avoid most of the shit fairly easily). So for those of you interested in coming to visit: there is no rush! ;-)))
Tschüßi,
OJ
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
November
Wow, what a month! I don't even know where to start. Let's just summarize:
- China was awesome. I didn't get to see the Great Wall, as I missed my connecting flight in Frankfurt. But I did get to see Number 16 of The List (The Forbidden City) and had an interesting experience at this military conference in Wuhan.
- Greifswald turns out to be a lovely little town. Old Hanseatic League, well-preserved, etc. The conference was pretty interesting, and I got the opportunity to visit the Nazi rocket factory of Peenemünde.
- Halloween was fun as always! We were dressed as Jakob and Edward from Twilight (although I only managed to get one of my contacts in) and there were lots of people who adhere to our Haunted Hollywood theme (and a few who didn't).
- The weather has been brilliant! (relatively speaking, that is, given that it is November)
- I said 'no' to a job offer... In Thailand... With pain in my heart, I must admit!!! But unfortunately, the job offer wasn't simply imperfect, it was terrible... So the search continues! (another interview didn't come to anything)
- Last week, my brother and his wife came to visit. The weather was absolutely brilliant, and we went to visit Charlottenburg park, which was really really pretty!!!
Now over the next weeks, I am going to Barcelona for a few days, Brussels/Leuven for a few days and seemed to have to go to Bonn for a job thing (I booked the ticket and everything, and was then told the test was taking place in Berlin anyway... bugger!). So in between lots of work, there is still a few bits of fun to be had!!!
Tschüßi,
OJ
- China was awesome. I didn't get to see the Great Wall, as I missed my connecting flight in Frankfurt. But I did get to see Number 16 of The List (The Forbidden City) and had an interesting experience at this military conference in Wuhan.
- Greifswald turns out to be a lovely little town. Old Hanseatic League, well-preserved, etc. The conference was pretty interesting, and I got the opportunity to visit the Nazi rocket factory of Peenemünde.
- Halloween was fun as always! We were dressed as Jakob and Edward from Twilight (although I only managed to get one of my contacts in) and there were lots of people who adhere to our Haunted Hollywood theme (and a few who didn't).
- The weather has been brilliant! (relatively speaking, that is, given that it is November)
- I said 'no' to a job offer... In Thailand... With pain in my heart, I must admit!!! But unfortunately, the job offer wasn't simply imperfect, it was terrible... So the search continues! (another interview didn't come to anything)
- Last week, my brother and his wife came to visit. The weather was absolutely brilliant, and we went to visit Charlottenburg park, which was really really pretty!!!
Now over the next weeks, I am going to Barcelona for a few days, Brussels/Leuven for a few days and seemed to have to go to Bonn for a job thing (I booked the ticket and everything, and was then told the test was taking place in Berlin anyway... bugger!). So in between lots of work, there is still a few bits of fun to be had!!!
Tschüßi,
OJ
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Lazy Sunday
...and loving it!
Last weekend, thanks to Reunification Day, we were able to spend a long weekend in the Netherlands. And it was lovely! We partied with Jochen, visited friends, saw allllll the familly (mine in Assen, Fedor's in Nijmegen) and were merry all around! It was great to actually have a reasonable amount of time with everyone, and the weather was simply gorgeous, so that was pleasant too. Oh, and another great thing: the trip back Nijmegen-Berlin in only 5.5 hours... That made me a happy pumpkin!
So this week ended up being a short one, with only 4 days of work, and a rather unproductive one, unfortunately. This week is the "anniversary" of Germany's tenth year in Afghanistan, so there was a lot of media attention to that. In order to celebrate this, we re-hashed our numbers from last year, and we ended up getting a lot of email from journalists, concerned citizens etc. I even got a phone call from someone whom I thought was a journalist, but turned out to be an army representative, to ask about our numbers: oops!
This weekend was supposed to be really lazy. We had dinner with Fedor's friend Wouter on Friday night, and yesterday consisted of Shopping: supermarkets, shoe shops and most importantly... Halloween shops! I know, it sounds a little too early, but with me being away to China next weekend, and Greifswald the weekend after, this really was the last opportunity. So we got all the stuff we need for our fantastique costumes... :-)))) This year, our party actually has a theme, which makes it a bit more of a challenge for people: Haunted Hollywood. Come dressed as your favourite dead celebrity! So looking forward to that!
I am also still working on creating the perfect cupcakes, but progress is slow, I must admit... Anyway, I will be leaving for China on Tuesday, let's see whether I can pick up some more cupcake inspiration there! (somehow, I doubt it, but hey, it's worth trying!
Tschüßi,
OJ
Last weekend, thanks to Reunification Day, we were able to spend a long weekend in the Netherlands. And it was lovely! We partied with Jochen, visited friends, saw allllll the familly (mine in Assen, Fedor's in Nijmegen) and were merry all around! It was great to actually have a reasonable amount of time with everyone, and the weather was simply gorgeous, so that was pleasant too. Oh, and another great thing: the trip back Nijmegen-Berlin in only 5.5 hours... That made me a happy pumpkin!
So this week ended up being a short one, with only 4 days of work, and a rather unproductive one, unfortunately. This week is the "anniversary" of Germany's tenth year in Afghanistan, so there was a lot of media attention to that. In order to celebrate this, we re-hashed our numbers from last year, and we ended up getting a lot of email from journalists, concerned citizens etc. I even got a phone call from someone whom I thought was a journalist, but turned out to be an army representative, to ask about our numbers: oops!
This weekend was supposed to be really lazy. We had dinner with Fedor's friend Wouter on Friday night, and yesterday consisted of Shopping: supermarkets, shoe shops and most importantly... Halloween shops! I know, it sounds a little too early, but with me being away to China next weekend, and Greifswald the weekend after, this really was the last opportunity. So we got all the stuff we need for our fantastique costumes... :-)))) This year, our party actually has a theme, which makes it a bit more of a challenge for people: Haunted Hollywood. Come dressed as your favourite dead celebrity! So looking forward to that!
I am also still working on creating the perfect cupcakes, but progress is slow, I must admit... Anyway, I will be leaving for China on Tuesday, let's see whether I can pick up some more cupcake inspiration there! (somehow, I doubt it, but hey, it's worth trying!
Tschüßi,
OJ
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
September blues
Our trip to the US was pretty cool, if not a little longer than originally planned, but rather than repeating everything, I suggest to check out Fedor's blog for more info on the trip. I will just add that I also had a superdupercool time.
Except for the fact that, while on vacation, we found out that the new job in Nepal fell through. So, this is now no longer the new job in Nepal. Instead, we're still in Berlin! It really sucks, since I stopped applying for jobs as the Nepal opportunity was moving forward, but on the other hand, they did seem a little disorganized and bureaucratic, so maybe it is for the best in the end.... (oh, and that earthquake a few days ago also makes me feel a little queasy). However, it opens up the Big Question: Und Jetzt? The answer: I don't know yet.
Anyway, that was pretty shitty, but there have been a few pleasant things to distract from that shittiness. We had visitors with whom we had a lot of fun, we went to Milano last weekend to see all our old friends, and the weather has been surprisingly pleasant the last few days. So it it really is not all bad! I even managed to convince the head of department to allow me to go to a conference in Wuhan, China. So in a few weeks I will be able to spend 3 days sightseeing in Beijing, and to visit Wuhan too. That is, if I manage to get the visa, which is what I spent half a day trying to do today:
A colleague asked me yesterday whether I was sure whether I'd be able to get the visa at the Embassy, or whether I should actually go to the Consulate. So I looked it up and found this was actually true. I thus googled for the address, which was somewhere out near Schönefeld Airport. So this morning, after the gym, I wanted to go there, but realised I forgot my wallet at home. So I borrowed a little money from a colleague to pay for my train ticket. I then left for the consulate, but upon my arrival at Schöneweide station, I realised I obviously needed to pay for the visa as well, and that I really did need my wallet. After some contemplation, I returned home, picked up my wallet and went back to Schöneweide to go to the Brückenstraße. Upon arriving at the building, I realised, the Consulate was not there at all, but that Brückenstrasse was probably a really common street name. And yes, a phone call cleared it up: the Consulate is actually in the same building as the Embassy, just in a side entrance. And it is on the way from home to work!!! Of course, by now it was about to close so I wasn't able to go. On the way back to the office, I also managed to enter a wrong train, to make matters even worse and I finally got back to the institute after a MORE THAN THREE HOUR journey on the train.
Without a visa.
FUCK.
Anyway, I'll give it yet another try tomorrow morning. I hope it will work, because I need my passport back before next weekend, when we're coming to the Netherlands... I assume that my Murphy's Law experience of today will be over my tomorrow and that everything is going to be fine. Right? Right????
Tschüßi,
OJ
Except for the fact that, while on vacation, we found out that the new job in Nepal fell through. So, this is now no longer the new job in Nepal. Instead, we're still in Berlin! It really sucks, since I stopped applying for jobs as the Nepal opportunity was moving forward, but on the other hand, they did seem a little disorganized and bureaucratic, so maybe it is for the best in the end.... (oh, and that earthquake a few days ago also makes me feel a little queasy). However, it opens up the Big Question: Und Jetzt? The answer: I don't know yet.
Anyway, that was pretty shitty, but there have been a few pleasant things to distract from that shittiness. We had visitors with whom we had a lot of fun, we went to Milano last weekend to see all our old friends, and the weather has been surprisingly pleasant the last few days. So it it really is not all bad! I even managed to convince the head of department to allow me to go to a conference in Wuhan, China. So in a few weeks I will be able to spend 3 days sightseeing in Beijing, and to visit Wuhan too. That is, if I manage to get the visa, which is what I spent half a day trying to do today:
A colleague asked me yesterday whether I was sure whether I'd be able to get the visa at the Embassy, or whether I should actually go to the Consulate. So I looked it up and found this was actually true. I thus googled for the address, which was somewhere out near Schönefeld Airport. So this morning, after the gym, I wanted to go there, but realised I forgot my wallet at home. So I borrowed a little money from a colleague to pay for my train ticket. I then left for the consulate, but upon my arrival at Schöneweide station, I realised I obviously needed to pay for the visa as well, and that I really did need my wallet. After some contemplation, I returned home, picked up my wallet and went back to Schöneweide to go to the Brückenstraße. Upon arriving at the building, I realised, the Consulate was not there at all, but that Brückenstrasse was probably a really common street name. And yes, a phone call cleared it up: the Consulate is actually in the same building as the Embassy, just in a side entrance. And it is on the way from home to work!!! Of course, by now it was about to close so I wasn't able to go. On the way back to the office, I also managed to enter a wrong train, to make matters even worse and I finally got back to the institute after a MORE THAN THREE HOUR journey on the train.
Without a visa.
FUCK.
Anyway, I'll give it yet another try tomorrow morning. I hope it will work, because I need my passport back before next weekend, when we're coming to the Netherlands... I assume that my Murphy's Law experience of today will be over my tomorrow and that everything is going to be fine. Right? Right????
Tschüßi,
OJ
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Irene...
We are on vacation! And a much longer vacation than planned at the start of the trip... How does that work? All thanks to Irene (with a little help of Delta along the way). We flew to New York a week ago, rented a car and started a slow drive up to Canada. We stayed at Sleepy Hollow (famous for the cemetery), visited the Dutchess County Fair (the biggest and most famous fair in NY State, after the State Fair) with friends of mine and drove through the Catskills, the Adirondacks and the Finger Lakes Region. In between, we visited the university towns of New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz) and Ithaca (Cornell), as well as Seneca Falls: the birthplace of the American women's movement. It was all lovely!
The last night before crossing to Canada was spent in Buffalo (what an absolute shithole), and we went on to visit Niagara Falls from both the US and Canada sides (my 43rd world wonder; Fedor's 39th) and on Thursday, we went to Nissrine's wedding at a winery in the Canadian Niagara region: it was stunning!!! So beautiful, such lovely people, simply great to have been there!!!!
Around the same time, the first news reports about Irene making it all the way up to New York started popping up. We drove back to NYC in one go on Friday, going against the majority of the traffic, which was full of people evacuating from NYC. Oh my, was I happy to get rid of the rental car, before anything bad could happen! Thankfully, we were staying with friends in Brooklyn (just outside the mandatory evacuation zone) with their two kids.
On Saturday, with the underground shut down and those people still in the city in some sort of giddy anticipation, we made sure to gather the last bits and bobs before the storm hit: 2 gallons (8 litres) of milk, 20 bagels, a few kgs of fresh produce, filling up all buckets and vessels with water, batteries, flashlights, etc, and then we waited.
and waited
and waited
and waited
I mean, it was stormy, don't get me wrong, but at no point did it actually feel like a hurricane. The next morning, it still didn't look too bad. By the afternoon, we went for a walk to the park, where there indeed was more damage: uprooted trees, huge branches all over the place, etc. But it still looked more like a bad storm than like a hurricane in my book!
Anyway, we were originally supposed to fly out on Sunday night, but our flight was (obviously) cancelled. However, apparently things are going rather well for Delta, so they didn't have a lot of free space in their flights over the next days and the earliest time we get to fly out is Friday! In other words: five days of New York City, which will be paid for by Delta (they don't know this yet, but they will)... I'm not sure whether I am happy or sad (happy seems to be the prevailing emotion, particularly now that it is sunny and pleasantly warm). We moved into a hotel (in order not to bother K & A too much: 4*, 2 blocks from Central Park, Midtown Manhattan and we are going to have a grand time!!!
So I bid thee goodbye, from New York City!
Tschüßi,
OJ
PS Update: we managed to get a flight that goes out on Thursday night instead, which is nice because we're expecting friends for the weekend, and it would suck if they couldnt come...
The last night before crossing to Canada was spent in Buffalo (what an absolute shithole), and we went on to visit Niagara Falls from both the US and Canada sides (my 43rd world wonder; Fedor's 39th) and on Thursday, we went to Nissrine's wedding at a winery in the Canadian Niagara region: it was stunning!!! So beautiful, such lovely people, simply great to have been there!!!!
Around the same time, the first news reports about Irene making it all the way up to New York started popping up. We drove back to NYC in one go on Friday, going against the majority of the traffic, which was full of people evacuating from NYC. Oh my, was I happy to get rid of the rental car, before anything bad could happen! Thankfully, we were staying with friends in Brooklyn (just outside the mandatory evacuation zone) with their two kids.
On Saturday, with the underground shut down and those people still in the city in some sort of giddy anticipation, we made sure to gather the last bits and bobs before the storm hit: 2 gallons (8 litres) of milk, 20 bagels, a few kgs of fresh produce, filling up all buckets and vessels with water, batteries, flashlights, etc, and then we waited.
and waited
and waited
and waited
I mean, it was stormy, don't get me wrong, but at no point did it actually feel like a hurricane. The next morning, it still didn't look too bad. By the afternoon, we went for a walk to the park, where there indeed was more damage: uprooted trees, huge branches all over the place, etc. But it still looked more like a bad storm than like a hurricane in my book!
Anyway, we were originally supposed to fly out on Sunday night, but our flight was (obviously) cancelled. However, apparently things are going rather well for Delta, so they didn't have a lot of free space in their flights over the next days and the earliest time we get to fly out is Friday! In other words: five days of New York City, which will be paid for by Delta (they don't know this yet, but they will)... I'm not sure whether I am happy or sad (happy seems to be the prevailing emotion, particularly now that it is sunny and pleasantly warm). We moved into a hotel (in order not to bother K & A too much: 4*, 2 blocks from Central Park, Midtown Manhattan and we are going to have a grand time!!!
So I bid thee goodbye, from New York City!
Tschüßi,
OJ
PS Update: we managed to get a flight that goes out on Thursday night instead, which is nice because we're expecting friends for the weekend, and it would suck if they couldnt come...
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
wtf@weather
I know it is totally tacky to be complaining about the weather this Summer, but come on! This is getting ridiculous!!! I mean, the fact that, well, there was no Summer is one thing, but the weather for the past week or so has just been outright crazy!
Example, yesterday: I leave the house at 7.45 when it is dry. As soon as I get on my bike, it starts raining. I get to the gym (soaking wet), exercise and when I come out, there isn't a cloud to be seen. During the morning, I don't pay attention, because I'm working but at my planned lunch time (12.30), it is raining torrentially. Lunch is postponed (unrelated to the weather) by half an hour and by the time we go outside, it's simply glorious! The whole afternoon is spent opening the window when it is sunny and warm in the office and closing them again when the wind is blowing all my documents through the office or the rain is threatening to soak my computer... in the evening, it is dark and thundery until 19hr, but by 19.05 there isn't a cloud to be seen. This is driving me nuts!
/rant
Anyways, it's been a few relatively quiet weeks at the office. I've been tying up loose ends with the possibility of leaving at rather short notice, and I must say that this has been quite productive. I had another publication accepted (woohooo) and finished some long-suffering projects as well. So that's all good. Unfortunately, there is STILL NO NEWS on the job-front, but there should be a final outcome this week (or next week at the latest). Trust me: I'm not liking it anymore than you are...
Oh, I just realised that there is one thing I hadn't mentioned yet: we had an arson attack at our house 2 weeks ago... Someone set fire to the strollers in the staircase. For some photos and a detailed description, see Fedor's blog. I must say, it was quite a stressful experience and I hope they catch the fcking bastards. Anyway, my brother and his wife were visiting at the time, so they must've gotten a bit of an odd idea about Berlin :-S. Afterwards, my former Research Assistant Matt and his boyfriend came to stay with us for a few days, which was very nice. But since their departure, we have had two weekends WITHOUT VISITORS: It has been glorious. In fact, I would say even a little boring. I have (and yes, I say this with a little shame), taken up baking... Really, Fedor should be the one commenting, but the red-berries cheese cake was glorious, and this weekend's Real English Scones with clotted cream and jam was quite delicious too... :-))))
The fact that Sundays have recently been around 16° and very rainy have something to do with my new-ish baking obsession...
Cross your fingers for good news on the job front...
Tschüßi,
OJ
Example, yesterday: I leave the house at 7.45 when it is dry. As soon as I get on my bike, it starts raining. I get to the gym (soaking wet), exercise and when I come out, there isn't a cloud to be seen. During the morning, I don't pay attention, because I'm working but at my planned lunch time (12.30), it is raining torrentially. Lunch is postponed (unrelated to the weather) by half an hour and by the time we go outside, it's simply glorious! The whole afternoon is spent opening the window when it is sunny and warm in the office and closing them again when the wind is blowing all my documents through the office or the rain is threatening to soak my computer... in the evening, it is dark and thundery until 19hr, but by 19.05 there isn't a cloud to be seen. This is driving me nuts!
/rant
Anyways, it's been a few relatively quiet weeks at the office. I've been tying up loose ends with the possibility of leaving at rather short notice, and I must say that this has been quite productive. I had another publication accepted (woohooo) and finished some long-suffering projects as well. So that's all good. Unfortunately, there is STILL NO NEWS on the job-front, but there should be a final outcome this week (or next week at the latest). Trust me: I'm not liking it anymore than you are...
Oh, I just realised that there is one thing I hadn't mentioned yet: we had an arson attack at our house 2 weeks ago... Someone set fire to the strollers in the staircase. For some photos and a detailed description, see Fedor's blog. I must say, it was quite a stressful experience and I hope they catch the fcking bastards. Anyway, my brother and his wife were visiting at the time, so they must've gotten a bit of an odd idea about Berlin :-S. Afterwards, my former Research Assistant Matt and his boyfriend came to stay with us for a few days, which was very nice. But since their departure, we have had two weekends WITHOUT VISITORS: It has been glorious. In fact, I would say even a little boring. I have (and yes, I say this with a little shame), taken up baking... Really, Fedor should be the one commenting, but the red-berries cheese cake was glorious, and this weekend's Real English Scones with clotted cream and jam was quite delicious too... :-))))
The fact that Sundays have recently been around 16° and very rainy have something to do with my new-ish baking obsession...
Cross your fingers for good news on the job front...
Tschüßi,
OJ
Friday, July 22, 2011
Not as bad as they say!
Recenlty I've had two wisdom teeth removed, twice... Uhm, rephrasing that: they removed two wisdom teeth last week, and did the other two the day before yesterday. And after all the horrible stories I had heard, last week's were a piece of cake! Okay, there was some swelling, there was some blood coming out of different orifices (well, nose and moth, mostly), but I felt I was quite able to go back to work three days later, as long as I wouldn't laugh, grimace or exert myself.
This week, however, I realised that last week's experience was actually relatively severe: Now I have much less swelling and 24 hours after the surgery, I felt like was ready to go back to work!!! Oh, and only blood coming out of my mouth this time, and not too much of it at that... However, following doctor's orders means I have to apply cooling semi-continously for the first three days, and since there is no freezer available at work, I have to stay at home. The fact that it is pissing it down with rain and that cycling to work would have been terribly unpleasant is only tangentially related to that! (in fact, I had a check-up at the dentist at 9am, so I got soaking wet anyway, twice).
Before all this teethy happiness, we had Lou, Micky and Gerry visiting us two weeks ago. We had a fabulous time, mostly Karaoke-based. Of course karaoke at Mauerpark, but also a proper night in a proper karaoke-bar. Absolutely hilarious: I had never realised that doing karaoke was this much fun!!! It'll be a keeper.
In between, I've been really busy with travelling and work: After Bristol, there was Amsterdam for a conference, Frankfurt for the medical check and an unannounced trip to Brussels to replace my boss at some networking meeting. And of course, in the meantime, other requests and things pile up as well... At least my colleague Marc has returned, so I can dump some things in his lap too...
Regarding Kathmandu: no news yet. Tuesday, I will be doing a Skype interview, hopefully there will be some real news after that!!! Let's wait and see (I am getting impatient: Fedor is being driven up the walls)
Tschüßi,
OJ
This week, however, I realised that last week's experience was actually relatively severe: Now I have much less swelling and 24 hours after the surgery, I felt like was ready to go back to work!!! Oh, and only blood coming out of my mouth this time, and not too much of it at that... However, following doctor's orders means I have to apply cooling semi-continously for the first three days, and since there is no freezer available at work, I have to stay at home. The fact that it is pissing it down with rain and that cycling to work would have been terribly unpleasant is only tangentially related to that! (in fact, I had a check-up at the dentist at 9am, so I got soaking wet anyway, twice).
Before all this teethy happiness, we had Lou, Micky and Gerry visiting us two weeks ago. We had a fabulous time, mostly Karaoke-based. Of course karaoke at Mauerpark, but also a proper night in a proper karaoke-bar. Absolutely hilarious: I had never realised that doing karaoke was this much fun!!! It'll be a keeper.
In between, I've been really busy with travelling and work: After Bristol, there was Amsterdam for a conference, Frankfurt for the medical check and an unannounced trip to Brussels to replace my boss at some networking meeting. And of course, in the meantime, other requests and things pile up as well... At least my colleague Marc has returned, so I can dump some things in his lap too...
Regarding Kathmandu: no news yet. Tuesday, I will be doing a Skype interview, hopefully there will be some real news after that!!! Let's wait and see (I am getting impatient: Fedor is being driven up the walls)
Tschüßi,
OJ
Monday, June 20, 2011
Nr 42
I seem to have picked up a habit of visiting World Wonders in torrential downpours... I am writing this in a KLM plane that is returning me from a business trip to Bristol, which I used as an opportunity to visit Stonehenge, my 42nd Wonder of the World (at Nr 78 according to Hillman). And like Delphi three weeks ago, it was absolutely pissing it down when we tried to make our way around the monument. Unlike Delphi, though, it was also absolutely FREEZING! Who knew a trip to England in the second half of June would be accompanied with 11 degrees and quasi-hail blowing across the planes... Anyway, no problem: I saw the henge (which according to Wikipedia (and my colleague Adam) is NOT actually a henge, although the Stonehenge people were not particularly forthcoming with that information in their audiotour. Admittedly, I did not actually listen to the audiotour as I was incredibly cold and wet...) so that counts! I also managed to visit Bristol, which I had never seen before and I must say it is quite pleasant.
In other news, we have booked a trip to a friend's wedding in Niagara, Ontario in August! We will fly into NYC and make our way through NY State to then tick off another Wonder (the Falls) and go to her wedding. Afterwards, we drive back to NYC, spend a weekend there and return to Berlin. It is going to be fabulous! In other "other news", I just had a paper accepted (conditional on a few very minor changes) in the Journal of Peace Research!!!! This is a top-5 journal in Political Science, so I am very excited about this, as you can imagine... Even more excitement is happening on the job front: I will return to Frankfurt this week for a physical examination and after passing that hurdle, a final decision will be made about my potential new job... Right now, it seems about 90% certain I will get it, but just to be sure, I am going to be keeping the suspense a bit longer: Suffice it to say that it is going to be in a country far, far away!
Tschüßi,
OJ
PS Potential job in Kathmandu: moving steadily ahead... Will be undergoing a medical exam real soon and then it only requires the consent of one more person...
In other news, we have booked a trip to a friend's wedding in Niagara, Ontario in August! We will fly into NYC and make our way through NY State to then tick off another Wonder (the Falls) and go to her wedding. Afterwards, we drive back to NYC, spend a weekend there and return to Berlin. It is going to be fabulous! In other "other news", I just had a paper accepted (conditional on a few very minor changes) in the Journal of Peace Research!!!! This is a top-5 journal in Political Science, so I am very excited about this, as you can imagine... Even more excitement is happening on the job front: I will return to Frankfurt this week for a physical examination and after passing that hurdle, a final decision will be made about my potential new job... Right now, it seems about 90% certain I will get it, but just to be sure, I am going to be keeping the suspense a bit longer: Suffice it to say that it is going to be in a country far, far away!
Tschüßi,
OJ
PS Potential job in Kathmandu: moving steadily ahead... Will be undergoing a medical exam real soon and then it only requires the consent of one more person...
Monday, June 13, 2011
Loving all these 3-day weekends!
This week, Bart & Tineke came to visit us: we had a lot of fun, visiting biergartens and enjoying the weather... The World Cultures' Carnaval also took place this weekend, so we took the opportunity to see the parade and all that: good times were had! Last weekend, Jorryt and Lilian came over (not pregnant, for a change), and we visited biergartens and had a jolly good time!
That also included finishing the Berliner Mauerweg! We did it, the whole 160 kms... I should organize a bunch of photos at some point, but let's just say it is absolutely worth doing it, because you get to see some parts of Berlin that you would never randomly encounter... :-)
I also finally had the opportunity to do a Berliner Unterwelten Tour in one of the WW2 bunkers. A really interesting tour inside an old gas tower, later converted to a bunker, then converted to an old people's home, a hotel, a homeless' shelter et cetera. Fascinating stuff... That was with my colleagues, with whom we had our annual retreat (accept that there was no budget, so we couldnt actually retreat anywhere to and ended up staying in Berlin).
And as for the latest news: I had a job interview and it went really well. I have to decide whether I really want it and then they are going to decide whether to offer it to me... Exciting times, but also difficult times because the job's location isn't particularly convenient for Fedor and for the probability of him finding a job... It's in Kathmandu, Nepal... Stay tuned and I will keep you updated!
Tschüßi,
OJ
That also included finishing the Berliner Mauerweg! We did it, the whole 160 kms... I should organize a bunch of photos at some point, but let's just say it is absolutely worth doing it, because you get to see some parts of Berlin that you would never randomly encounter... :-)
I also finally had the opportunity to do a Berliner Unterwelten Tour in one of the WW2 bunkers. A really interesting tour inside an old gas tower, later converted to a bunker, then converted to an old people's home, a hotel, a homeless' shelter et cetera. Fascinating stuff... That was with my colleagues, with whom we had our annual retreat (accept that there was no budget, so we couldnt actually retreat anywhere to and ended up staying in Berlin).
And as for the latest news: I had a job interview and it went really well. I have to decide whether I really want it and then they are going to decide whether to offer it to me... Exciting times, but also difficult times because the job's location isn't particularly convenient for Fedor and for the probability of him finding a job... It's in Kathmandu, Nepal... Stay tuned and I will keep you updated!
Tschüßi,
OJ
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Athens photos!
As promised, here are a few photos...
Oh, and in answer to Esther's recent question: I have a job interview on Tuesday. The interview is in Germany, but the job brings me about 6500km closer to where you are!
Tschüßi,
OJ
Oh, and in answer to Esther's recent question: I have a job interview on Tuesday. The interview is in Germany, but the job brings me about 6500km closer to where you are!
Tschüßi,
OJ
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Athens!
Wow, that was a lovely trip to Greece! The flight to Athens, and subsequent bus trip to Volos gave me a 7-hour meeting with my boss... Totally awesome, because now I could make him read everything I wanted to and we could discuss it in extreme detail. It was great... Anyway, when we got to Volos finally, the workshop was actually pretty interesting. It was very small (like, 8 people), but it was absolutely interesting. On Friday, Fedor arrived (he flew directly to Volos, without having to do the Athens thing) and we had dinner at night. We had hoped to be able to go to Delphi on Saturday, but it was simply too complicated, so instead we took the 6.15 train to Athens. Unfortunately, it turned out that everything closes at 3pm (every day, apparently), but we managed to tick a few boxes, including the Acropolis, which was Fedor's 37th Wonder of the World). On Sunday, we did Keraimikos and then went to Delphi after all.
That is, on the way there the bus broke down. When we finally did arrive, we quietly ambled to the actual site, to hear there that it was closing at 3pm too (we arrived at 14.35). PANIC! Unfortunately, it also started pissing it down: an absolute deluge! Anyway, we ran across the site anyway (to generic disappointment: the views are great though), doing Fedor's 38th and my 41st Wonder of the World. The weather cleared up again, but we failed to get onto the 4pm bus (full). Rather, we hid from further deluges by drinking beer in a local bar and made it back in the evening.
Monday, we started by going to the Monastery of Daphni. Very cool, particularly because it was being reconstructed and somebody took us up onto the stands and scaffolding and we were able to admire the mosaics from very close. It was super! And a UNESCO World Heritage site... Unforunately, our trip to the Archeological Museum was useless, as it was closed... It felt like dejá vu to me, with the Museum having been closed for my entire period of living there, back in 02/03. It was great to be back though...
I am writing this in the airplane back to Berlin, and will post it on Blogger later. Laptops are good... Tonight, we will be saying goodbye to Carlos, my Argentinean colleague and coauthor. It is a sad day :-(((((((
Tschüßi,
OJ
PS Photos to follow
That is, on the way there the bus broke down. When we finally did arrive, we quietly ambled to the actual site, to hear there that it was closing at 3pm too (we arrived at 14.35). PANIC! Unfortunately, it also started pissing it down: an absolute deluge! Anyway, we ran across the site anyway (to generic disappointment: the views are great though), doing Fedor's 38th and my 41st Wonder of the World. The weather cleared up again, but we failed to get onto the 4pm bus (full). Rather, we hid from further deluges by drinking beer in a local bar and made it back in the evening.
Monday, we started by going to the Monastery of Daphni. Very cool, particularly because it was being reconstructed and somebody took us up onto the stands and scaffolding and we were able to admire the mosaics from very close. It was super! And a UNESCO World Heritage site... Unforunately, our trip to the Archeological Museum was useless, as it was closed... It felt like dejá vu to me, with the Museum having been closed for my entire period of living there, back in 02/03. It was great to be back though...
I am writing this in the airplane back to Berlin, and will post it on Blogger later. Laptops are good... Tonight, we will be saying goodbye to Carlos, my Argentinean colleague and coauthor. It is a sad day :-(((((((
Tschüßi,
OJ
PS Photos to follow
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Oh such a perfect day!
Apart from the fact that Fedor has to teach one class (he started at 11am), today is the perfect Sunday: I am meeting him in an hour to take the train to Greibnitzsee, from where we will continue our journey along the former Wall. approximatel 90km or so down, 70 to go. I am sure we will find a few biergartens, to soak in the Sun (although it is currently clouding over, but I am going to ignore that) and afterwards, we are going to see Haydn's Die Schöpfung in the Berliner Dom. Life is good!
Yesterday we helped some friends move (well, carry IKEA boxes up 4 1/2 flights of stairs, that is) and had a Birthday-BBQ. One of those: "omg, we're getting old" moments. It was only about a minute before we got there when Fedor told me: you know what, it could be one of those children-and-dogs-and-family-fun kinda parties actually... The thought hadn't crosse either of our minds, but of course: people in our age group have children. Maybe not when they are phd students, postdocs or language teachers living in different countries, but this was a party by a Germany person with other Germans... And yes, indeed, children, dogs, the works! Anyway, it was good fun: just an odd realisation that this is the kind of party that most of our Dutch friends in the Netherlands would also be throwing by now...
For the rest, it's been interviews central the past week. We have some positions open, and I have taken up the role of hiring advisor, spending lots of time with my boss interviewing candidates via the phone or in live interviews: some odd people out there! And it takes up a whole lot of energy! Anyway, should only be three more or so this week and basta... Anyway, the coming weeks should be nice and relaxed. Two three-day weeks (in terms of office work at least). I am flying to Athens with my boss on Thursday, making our way to the town of Volos, where there is a one-day workshop on Friday. Then on Friday, Fedor will fly in to Volos and we will hopefully make it down to Delphi and then on to Athens, returning to Berlin on Monday night. Should be fun!
Tschüßi,
OJ
PS Once we finish the whole Berliner Mauerweg, I will post some photos. The previous leg I actually forgot to bring my camera, but I will not repeat that mistake today!
Yesterday we helped some friends move (well, carry IKEA boxes up 4 1/2 flights of stairs, that is) and had a Birthday-BBQ. One of those: "omg, we're getting old" moments. It was only about a minute before we got there when Fedor told me: you know what, it could be one of those children-and-dogs-and-family-fun kinda parties actually... The thought hadn't crosse either of our minds, but of course: people in our age group have children. Maybe not when they are phd students, postdocs or language teachers living in different countries, but this was a party by a Germany person with other Germans... And yes, indeed, children, dogs, the works! Anyway, it was good fun: just an odd realisation that this is the kind of party that most of our Dutch friends in the Netherlands would also be throwing by now...
For the rest, it's been interviews central the past week. We have some positions open, and I have taken up the role of hiring advisor, spending lots of time with my boss interviewing candidates via the phone or in live interviews: some odd people out there! And it takes up a whole lot of energy! Anyway, should only be three more or so this week and basta... Anyway, the coming weeks should be nice and relaxed. Two three-day weeks (in terms of office work at least). I am flying to Athens with my boss on Thursday, making our way to the town of Volos, where there is a one-day workshop on Friday. Then on Friday, Fedor will fly in to Volos and we will hopefully make it down to Delphi and then on to Athens, returning to Berlin on Monday night. Should be fun!
Tschüßi,
OJ
PS Once we finish the whole Berliner Mauerweg, I will post some photos. The previous leg I actually forgot to bring my camera, but I will not repeat that mistake today!
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Rambling along
Happy liberation day! In the Netherlands that is… I guess you could call it Defeat Day here in Germany, but in fact: it is simply the case that nobody cares. Anyway, it is a sunny day with the temperature finally reaching agreeable heights again (although it was below 0 overnight). The weather really is crazy, with 25° at some times, and 10° max temperatures on other days! Anyway, we are in an upswing again, so I am looking forward to the weekend!
Recently, we’ve been having quite a bit of fun: lots of visitors, a fair few visits to the local Biergarten and a few holidays in between. Like last week, when we went for another fun Queen’s Day event at the embassy. This time, we did not get embarrassingly drunk (Pieter and Nicole: we miss you guys!), which was good, because it turns out that I am on the list of “Zichtbare Nederlanders”: visible Dutch people (not to be mistaken with visibly Dutch people). This explains why we were actually sent an invitation without asking for anything, rather than having to beg for one like previous years… The week before that, it was Easter. Double fun, because not only was it a four-day-weekend (and wow, four-day-weekends are FANTASTIC), it was also a full-on parents’ weekend, with both my parents, as well as Fedor’s Mum+1 coming to visit. Lots of fun was had, board games were played, Potsdam was visited, Biergartens were enjoyed, etc. It was simply great! They all left on Easter Sunday, which gave us the opportunity to start doing something we had planned for quite a while (nope, not Spring cleaning):
The Berliner Mauerweg! It is a cycling/walking path that follows the path of the Berlin Wall (link). We started off near our house, in Mauerpark and managed to do a good chunk of the 160 km that is the total length of the way. We actually made it all the way to Staaken (going anti-clockwise, obviously), which is 56 kilometers off the whole length of the way. It is a beautiful trip, coming by the lakes, through the forests, across agricultural land, wealthy suburbs and many other interesting places. I am looking forward to doing the rest of the way (it is also a great way of getting to know some different Biergartens…)
Anyway, no news yet on jobs or our future!
Tschüßi,
OJ
PS OMG, I was in the Economist!!!!! LINK
Recently, we’ve been having quite a bit of fun: lots of visitors, a fair few visits to the local Biergarten and a few holidays in between. Like last week, when we went for another fun Queen’s Day event at the embassy. This time, we did not get embarrassingly drunk (Pieter and Nicole: we miss you guys!), which was good, because it turns out that I am on the list of “Zichtbare Nederlanders”: visible Dutch people (not to be mistaken with visibly Dutch people). This explains why we were actually sent an invitation without asking for anything, rather than having to beg for one like previous years… The week before that, it was Easter. Double fun, because not only was it a four-day-weekend (and wow, four-day-weekends are FANTASTIC), it was also a full-on parents’ weekend, with both my parents, as well as Fedor’s Mum+1 coming to visit. Lots of fun was had, board games were played, Potsdam was visited, Biergartens were enjoyed, etc. It was simply great! They all left on Easter Sunday, which gave us the opportunity to start doing something we had planned for quite a while (nope, not Spring cleaning):
The Berliner Mauerweg! It is a cycling/walking path that follows the path of the Berlin Wall (link). We started off near our house, in Mauerpark and managed to do a good chunk of the 160 km that is the total length of the way. We actually made it all the way to Staaken (going anti-clockwise, obviously), which is 56 kilometers off the whole length of the way. It is a beautiful trip, coming by the lakes, through the forests, across agricultural land, wealthy suburbs and many other interesting places. I am looking forward to doing the rest of the way (it is also a great way of getting to know some different Biergartens…)
Anyway, no news yet on jobs or our future!
Tschüßi,
OJ
PS OMG, I was in the Economist!!!!! LINK
Friday, April 15, 2011
NATO's in town
And it is a hassle! Half the city is closed down, in order for a few ministers to be able to drive through... Poor Fedor nearly arrived late to work yesterday after ending up on the wrong side of the road and not being allowed to cross the road for ten minutes! Anyway, they should be leaving today, so I hope thing will get back to normal.
Oh, and guess who else was in town? The Queen!!! But since it was raining a lot this week, most of her programme went down the drain (haha). I am enjoying the Schadenfreude, because Fedor and I had wanted to go the official reception at the Embassy, but there was a lottery and we lost. So I am happy she got rained on! Anyway, that is not going to stop us from going to the Queen's Day Reception of course, because who can say no to free booze and Dutch snacks? Particularly because, for the first time, I actually received an invitation without having to ask for one: they sent it to me without prompting! I am particularly looking forward to the oysters and the fresh stroopwafels.
Anyway, before that is happening (in 2 weeks), we still have two more weekends, full of family! This weekend, Fedor's father is coming and next weekend we are going to have my parents, as well as Fedor's mum (+man). So lots of fun is going to be had!
For the rest, this week has been fairly quiet. Lots of worries about the new management possibly wanting to close the department, which causes some anxieties among my colleagues, but the danger seems to be waning now... I have been sending out a bunch of applications again as well on four different continents, so let's see whether anything comes from it. The problem with many of these applications is that the recruiting periods are incredibly long. I mean, the World Bank's YPP and the EU recruitment both have cycled of about 12-15 months, which is simply crazy, but even many other jobs take months to decide anything! Oh well, like I always say: let's wait and see!!!
Tschüßi,
OJ
Oh, and guess who else was in town? The Queen!!! But since it was raining a lot this week, most of her programme went down the drain (haha). I am enjoying the Schadenfreude, because Fedor and I had wanted to go the official reception at the Embassy, but there was a lottery and we lost. So I am happy she got rained on! Anyway, that is not going to stop us from going to the Queen's Day Reception of course, because who can say no to free booze and Dutch snacks? Particularly because, for the first time, I actually received an invitation without having to ask for one: they sent it to me without prompting! I am particularly looking forward to the oysters and the fresh stroopwafels.
Anyway, before that is happening (in 2 weeks), we still have two more weekends, full of family! This weekend, Fedor's father is coming and next weekend we are going to have my parents, as well as Fedor's mum (+man). So lots of fun is going to be had!
For the rest, this week has been fairly quiet. Lots of worries about the new management possibly wanting to close the department, which causes some anxieties among my colleagues, but the danger seems to be waning now... I have been sending out a bunch of applications again as well on four different continents, so let's see whether anything comes from it. The problem with many of these applications is that the recruiting periods are incredibly long. I mean, the World Bank's YPP and the EU recruitment both have cycled of about 12-15 months, which is simply crazy, but even many other jobs take months to decide anything! Oh well, like I always say: let's wait and see!!!
Tschüßi,
OJ
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