So

So tomorrow's the big day. Or the day before the big day, depending on how you see it.
Anyway, that makes today sort of a medium/large day too. Plus, it's the last day of August - and that's got to mean something.
Yeah yeah yeah, I'm stuck thinking too much again. Have a look at this.

Children

And beware of men with hair this well kept.

Streets of love

You're awful bright
You're awful smart
I must admit
You broke my heart
The awful truth
Is really sad
I must admit
I was awful bad

While lovers laugh
And music plays
I stumble by
And hide my pain
Mmm, the lamps are lit
The moon is gone
I think I've crossed
The Rubicon.

(Streets of love - Rolling Stones)

Bridge of sighs

These are cool!

Sad but true

Hate, I’m your hate
I’m your hate when you want love
Pay, pay the price
Pay for nothing’s fair.

(Sad but true - Metallica)

I need one of these

Heh heh heh

Curse

I am #9986

This is a cool website. Good design, smart idea, and fun to play with for five minutes.

Jane Austen, exploded

Just how many versions of Pride and Prejudice are around exactly?

• The book, by Jane Austen.
  
• Little women, by Louisa May Alcott.
  
• Bridget Joness' Diary, book by Helen Fielding and 2001 movie.
  
• Bride and prejudice, the 2004 movie.

Comment and help if you can think of others...

Lemon cheesecake

My official favourite place: lemon cheesecake, the nicest waiter ever, and only across the road from the Headington Shark.
There was no way Manu could leave Oxford without taking me there (thank you!).

Here we go

Time to start seeing Oxford in terms of "things I'll miss". Sorry, I can't help it: I have too much free time.

Funny to me

In what I suppose to be a passive reaction to the dark humor I've displayed lately, there have been no comments on my posts for about ten days now.
I refuse to give in, so here you go.


(The case might also be that everyone is busy writing their dissertation, or on holiday, but I like to put a little drama in my blogging).

Magic roundabout for Sarah

Bored

Oh the stuff you can get lost in, with enough time on your hands and few photoshop skills.
In two weeks, this is where I hope to be.

The Nietzschean Diet

Sorry to use The Onion again, but oh my --- this was too funny: "Remember, as you stare into the lettuce, the lettuce stares also into you".

New Nietzschean Diet Lets You Eat Whatever You Fear Most

NEW YORK-By conquering your Fear and eating it in Heroic Portions, one can avoid the Eternal Occurrence of weight gain.

The Godfather

I spent the better part of the day watching The Godfather. The whole thing, the whole trilogy back to back.
It seems to me that each movie has a different look and style, and I prefer the first one because it's the most epic; of course there are never-ending postings about it on the Internet Movie Database, and I had to chuckle at the following comment - despite my currently enhanced fear of offending someone.

Arguing on IMDB is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded.

(From the IMDB discussion forum)

Hee hee

Scholars Discover 23 Blank Pages That May As Well Be Lost Samuel Beckett Play

PARIS—The pages could represent the bleakness of life and might even be the inimitable Nobel Prize winner's greatest masterpiece.

Who knew

I'd like to beat up whomever it was that said men are sociable animals.
Those who tell me to relax, ease up, wind down, cool off, lighten up. And, of course, the two Chinese girls talking loudly in the IT room where I've taken refuge from my own anti-social tendencies.
Who knew I could be so aggressive? I am not equipped for it, with my thin whitish arms and piano-player hands.

Buffalo wings

I had buffalo wings today for the first time. In an Irish pub. In England. Hmmm. But yum, anyway.

Oh baby!

Humanitiy's survival, you'll agree, depends on the cuteness of baby clothes.

Back from Copenhagen 3

It was first called "Tivoli & Vauxhall": "Tivoli" alluding to the Jardin de Tivoli in Paris (which in its turn had been named from Tivoli near Rome), and "Vauxhall" alluding to the Vauxhall Gardens in London.

Tivoli's founder, Georg Carstensen (b. 1812 - d. 1857) obtained a five-year charter to create Tivoli by telling King Christian VIII that "when the people are amusing themselves, they do not think about politics". The monarch granted Carstensen use of roughly 15 acres (61,000 m²) of the fortified glacis outside Vesterport (the West Gate) at the annual rent of 945 kroner. Therefore, until the 1850s, Tivoli was outside the city, accessible through the West Gate.

From the very start, Tivoli included a variety of attractions: buildings in the exotic style of an imaginary Orient: a theatre, band stands, restaurants and cafés, flower gardens, and mechanical amusement rides such as a merry-go-round and a primitive scenic railway. After dark, coloured lamps illuminated the gardens. On certain evenings, specially designed fireworks could be seen reflected in Tivoli's lake.

Composer Hans Christian Lumbye (b. 1810 - d. 1874) was Tivoli's musical director from 1843 to 1872. Lumbye was inspired by Viennese waltz composers like the Strauss family (Johann Strauss I and his sons), and became known as the "Strauss of the North." Many of his compositions are specifically inspired by the gardens, including "Salute to the Ticket Holders of Tivoli", "Carnival Joys" and "A Festive Night at Tivoli". The Tivoli Symphony Orchestra still performs many of his works.

In 1943, Nazi sympathisers attempted to break the Danish people's spirit by burning many of Tivoli's buildings, including the concert hall, to the ground. Undaunted, the Danes built temporary buildings, and the park was back in operation after a few weeks.

(From the wikipedia article)

Back from Copenhagen 2

Smørrebrød: anything starting with bread and butter has to be pretty damn good.

To construct a sandwich, Larsen says, start with a thin slice of good, dense rye or dark bread (use German-style breads). You can also use sourdough or French baguettes.

Butter the bread - this seals the slices and prevents them from getting soggy later. Then place lettuces (Boston or leaf lettuce work well) directly on the buttered surface. The next layer is the featured element - shrimp, egg, or liver, for instance. Finally, add a garnish such as olives or anchovies and a sauce (the creamy, mayonnaise-based remoulade is popular) to enhance flavors.

(From here)

Back from Copenhagen 1

First of all, the famous statue of the Little Mermaid is pretty small. However, in my opinion, this only adds to its beauty: it sits there defenseless, waiting for a prince who will never come back for her.
It sits there defenseless of vandals, as well: and you can see the whole story here, if you like.

Thursday

This is in case you were offended by anything I've said or done or posted lately. Can we still be friends? I'm not bad, just a tiny but weird.

Wednesday

Horrible, I'm just horrible.

Tuesday

Monday

I know, I know, I have the worst humor ever.

I love you, grrr

You know when you blow up on someone because you're trying to tell them you love them, and they're not listening? Oh, grrr.

Lucky

I found £30 on the pavement tonight, walking to Oxford with a couple of good friends - who were treated to drinks, of course.

In 1987, Clayton Bailey was asked to design ceramic tiles for the pavement of the 16th Street Station of the Sacramento Light Rail System. The tiles were supposed to "visually enhance the station and provide it with a unique identity".
Bailey's pavement enhancement project consisted of thick porcelain tiles resembling $16 bills imbedded in the pavement near the telephones, news stands and benches of the rail station.

Bailey claims, "The tiles contribute to the physical, the psychological, and possibly the financial well-being of those in the neighborhood by providing them with the rare and uplifting experience of feeling lucky. People dream of finding money, and when they visit the 16th Street Station, their fantasies are fulfilled, if only for a moment, when they first see the tiles and think that they have found some money. This moment can create a positive attitude that lasts all day. The Tiles also provide healthful exercise when they cause lucky viewers to bend over and attempt to pick-up the money."

Those regular commuters who have already attempted to pick-up the "money" advance to the role of observer who can enjoy laughing while watching others "discover" the money. Laughter is known to be good for one's health.

(From here.)

Done!

This is how I feel.

On your marks, get set, yawn

On your marks, get set, go.
Maybe one tiny exclamation mark would make me more enthusiastic about the last reading of my dissertation. Yawn.
Yeah, I'm doing it, sometime today. It's long boring work. I've wasted hours looking for motivation. A little adrenaline. Tried panick, but it doesn't work this far ahead of deadline.
Hmmm. Let's search for inspiration on You Tube. Then I'll definitely start.

Pause

Mi ricordo che una volta mi alzavo alle sei e mezza spaccate, tutti i giorni tranne la domenica. Una routine perfezionata in cinque anni di liceo: sette e dieci, ero alla fermata del bus in centro paese; con Nicole che si lamentava del freddo d'inverno, con Luca che dal secondo anno arrivava sempre in anticipo come per uscire di casa il prima possibile.

E' successo anche a me, di non riuscire ad aspettare in casa che qualcuno mi passasse a prendere: dieci minuti prima, venti minuti prima, "ciao, io vado ad aspettare in cima alla salita" - e la porta d'ingresso che mai mi sarei permessa di sbattere: all'interno ha la maniglia, ma fuori un pomello di bronzo che non sta in una mano. A volte freddo, a volte lucido, a volte ci stavo attaccata un secondo di troppo, ma poi ero fuori: che sollievo, senza motivo.

Pensare che odio stare ad aspettare il bus perché è un tempo morto, sprecato. Allora meglio camminare. Ma in un anno di aeroporti e pullman inglesi, ho imparato che non è poi male stare un giorno in viaggio a non pensare. A non leggere, non scrivere, non parlare con nessuno. Solo check-in, attese, e tutte le cose nelle edicole di Luton, nei negozi borghesi di Caselle, nell'atrio impossibile di Stansted. Pausa.

Come stare ad aspettare in cima alla salita: guardavo il campo da una parte, la siepe dall'altra, mi dava fastidio se un qualche conoscenza passando per caso si fermava a salutare. No, non ho bisogno di un passaggio, sì, saluto a casa, arrivederci, grazie, lasciatemi in pace.

Joke

The Purina Diet

I have two labrador retrievers, and I was buying a large bag of Purina at Wal-Mart.

In line to check out, a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. On impulse, I told her that no, I was starting The Purina Diet again - although I probably shouldn't because I'd ended up in the hospital last time, but I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet, and that the way it works is to load your pants' pockets with Purina nuggets, and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry; I told her that the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.

I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story.
Horrified, the woman asked if I'd ended up in the hospital in that condition because I had been poisoned. I told her no: it was because I'd been sitting in the street licking my balls and a car hit me.

I thought one guy was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard as he staggered out the door.

Etimology

I think I might have found myself a new favourite website: The phrase finder.
After a look at The nonsense nine, I was ashamed to have believed - and repeated - some of the explanations I had read on internet before (# 7, 8, and 9, I admit).

(From Toothpaste for dinner)

Monkey wrenches

Sometimes you just wish you could be there.