Random things

Boss and I had our evaluation talk on Thursday. There is a standard form which must be used but is wholly unsuited to the purpose, i.e. civil servants. Nevertheless, we have to use it, and we all hate it.
Boss: So how does this stupid thing work? What goes where?
Me: I always use the left side for future goals, and the right for evaluating whether former goals have been achieved.
Boss: Really? I always use left for writing down goals agreed on in the past, and right for evaluating them.
Me: Uh, but where do you put the goals we're going to agree on now?
Boss: Good question. These forms are total crap, you know.
Me: My thoughts exactly.

We go through the blasted form and try to formulate goals for 2011, without much success.

Me: OK, and now that we're finished with those stupid forms, I think now would be a good time for some real talking. Is there anything you want or need to tell me re. my work, our working relationship etc.?
Boss, looking at me out of wide blue eyes: Why?
Me: Uh, you know, because this is supposed to be an evaluation talk, so I thought...
Boss, fascinated: Yes, you're right, excellent idea.
Me, slightly apprehensive: Well then, tell me. I can take it.
Boss: Erm, I can't... I really can't think of anything...
Me: Nothing?
Boss: Well, no. Your work is great anyway, and otherwise... No. But I promise I'll think about it.

When Elena, Pinar and I had our girls' night out, she told us about her troubles with her boyfriend: they've been together for 9 years, i.e. since they were both 20, and the relationship has changed, and obviously not for the better. She's constantly afraid of a marriage proposal being sprung on her, but doesn't really want to end the relationship, because 80% of her friends are also his friends, and it would be a messy break-up etc. etc.
On Sunday, when we had our first lesson of the new year, I asked her how she'd spent New Year's Eve. Not well, she said, I actually started the year crying.
Oh great, I said, same here. And isn't that highly ironic, that we both should have been crying, but for diametrically opposed reasons? You got one you don't want, and I want one I can't get?
That actually made us laugh, and so we hugged each other and had a great lesson.

I think it's pretty obvious how much I love Lola the cat.
But I'm thoroughly fascinated by the way she plays. Favourite toys are: a mouse on a rod, and a pink, octopus-kinda thingy, also on a rod.
Favourite playground: the bouncy bed.
We play wih the mouse, and she has to chase it.
We play with the pink octopus, and she has to hide under the bedspread  and ambush it.
She never chases the pink thing and she never ambushes the mouse.
And I wish I knew what's going on in her head -- why the difference? 

Did I mention that I woke up at 4 a.m.? Eurgh.
Thigh muscles are still a bit sore, so today's workout at the gym will mainly be about upper body and abs.
Oh, and I'm going to have lunch today with Alesa, my Slovenian colleague, and Pinar. Looking forward to it very much. I think I'll visit Lola not before work but before lunch (and then again after gym of course), because I'm feeling rather tired; better to start working right away than relaxing with the Black Beast.

Shower now. Hope it helps.

2010 review, resolutions for 2011

The quarterly report is still lurking, but doing this post is way more fun. Depending, of course, on one's definition of "fun"...

2010 in review:

Got my body back, so to speak. Am physically much fitter now, at age 46, than I used to be 10 years ago, which was the fittest I'd ever been.
Improved my tennis and participated in the dreaded diplomatic tournament.
Discovered running.
Made enormous progress with Macedonian.
Dyed my hair blonde and love it.
Got rid of Mighty Crush on Very Inappropriate Crushee, by means of developing Even Mightier Crush on Basically Appropriate But Evidently Not Interested Crushee, still not over it.
Made new friends, some of whom will hopefully stay friends for a long, long time.
Bought more clothes than you can shake a stick at.
Developed serious addiction to various TV-series, among them In Treatment, How I Met Your Mother, Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.
Came to the conclusion that driving a car just isn't my thing.
Didn't read as many books as I would've liked, mostly due to abovementioned addiction.
Failed miserably at SSHG Exchange, because the Muse has left me and doesn't seem to intend to come back any time soon.
Improved handling of my own weaknesses and defects.

Resolutions for 2011:

Fall successfully in love, i.e. with somebody who falls in love with me. Have great sex and build a great relationship (possibly in that order).
Start learning Albanian.
Get over Mr H by means of falling sucessfully in love. Unless a miracle happens, and he falls in love with me, in which case I wouldn't have any objections.
Get over Mr H, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!!!!
Accept that boss will leave in summer, try not to compare new boss to this one. Establish good working relationship with new boss.
Badger brother until he finally comes to visit.
Take a week off and climb the Vodno every day.
Win the 2011 diplomatic tennis tournament.
Go to Poland and Lithuania to visit Gabriele and Jasmin.
Go to France to see dickgloucester , dacian_goddess and duniazade .
Go to Australia to see Daniel the Lovely Nephew, or at least make preparations for the trip, in case I go in January 2012 so I can see some of the Australian Open.
Start renovating flat in Vienna and maybe sublet it.
In case no.1 proves to be difficult, bugger the relationship and just have great sex. (And yes, get over Mr H)
Participate in 2011 Skopje marathon, doing at last the 7 km run but possibly the half marathon, no matter how long it takes.