![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Yay, it's Friday!!
May. 27th, 2011 11:49 amWhat an original subject line...
Anyway, it's Friday, the weather is fine, the workload not heavy, and I'm going to have lunch at 1 with Stefan. Then tennis from 5 to 7. Doesn't sound too bad, does it?
I have to admit that I took the coward's way out yesterday. I really ought to have gone to that cocktail, but had absolutely no wish to see Alexandra. My bad, I know, and rather unprofessional. We had a pilates lesson, though, from 6 to 7, Irene and Stefanie and me, and since I knew that Stefanie planned on attending, I simply said at the end of the lesson that it had obviously been a bit too much for my still-delicate lower back, and that therefore I couldn't go. I also sent an sms to Alexandra, excusing myself for that very reason.
You know what's funny, though? Not that the sms remained unanswered, but that Her Underworldly Highness Lola tripped me a little later, so I actually *had* to put a heating plaster on my back... It wasn't serious, but the jolt *did* cause me a bit of pain, which is fortunately gone. Now only the muscles are sore, because yesterday we did pilates with those big balls, and that -- as Stefanie rightly observed -- is serious business.
The return ticket I booked yesterday cost € 360, not 200, and I'll be arriving in Skopje at 1.15 a.m. on Saturday 2 July. That's ok though, since it's the weekend, and I also have the following Monday off work.
In other news, I waited for Slavica today so we could have coffee and a chat, and she told me that Alexandra asked her to come and look after the cat over the weekend. To be fair, she'll be paying her extra and arranged for a driver to pick Slavica up and take her back home. She also answered Slavica's question re. whether/when she plans to take the cat to Austria rather vaguely with "oh, probably some time this summer". We'll see.
Boss has gone to Austria today; his mother has been to visit since the beginning of May, and he's taking her back. No worries re. the trip there, but I do hope he's not going to do any stunts on the return journey and will drive by day.
Yesterday's snort-worthy phone conversation with boss:
Phone rings, display shows it's the boss.
Me: YESSIR!
...
Me: Erm, Mr Ambassaor? Are you there?
Boss, sounding a bit distracted: Uh, yes, um...
Me: Ye-es?
Boss: I have a task for you.
Me: Oh, bloody, I mean, YES! FANTASTIC! THANK YOU SIR, FOR YOUR CONFIDENCE!!!
Boss, snickering: It's, um, a very stupid task.
Me: That's all right then. I can do stupid.
...
Me: You don't have to comment, you know?
Boss sighs deeply.
Me: Tough, huh? I mean having to work with me.
Boss: Well, not as such, but...
Me: I know, I know. But I, too, must be allowed the occasional fit of silliness.
Boss: What do you mean, you too?
...
Boss, snorting: You don't have to answer, you know?
Oh, and last but not least: I arranged for a trip to Ohrid on 13 June with ex-SIL Renate. So, after almost two years in Macedonia, I'm finally going to see Ohrid. Boss will be disappointed, because he used to tease me about not having gone there yet.
Did I say last? Ooops. There will be parliamentary elections on 5 June, and boss, Stefan, Stefanie, Anita and I have registered ourselves as independent observers with the State Election Commission. Call me a wimp, but I'm not going to go with a woman -- not that I'm afraid as such, but visiting villages with an Albanian or Roma majority without a man in tow just isn't on. This is not meant as an insult to either of these ethnicities, but compared to ethnic Macedonians, they have a rather more, let us say patriarchal approach, which is exactly why we'll be going there, in order to see whether women are being forced to vote for a certain party or accompanied into the polling booth by a man. Going with the boss would be fun, but since he does have a slightly reckless streak I'll opt for going with Stefan. Boss would love to go to the north-western part of the country, which is notoriously lawless and where every man possesses at least one illegal weapon (where men are men and sheep are nervous, so to speak), and I honestly need neither a stone on my head nor a bullet in my knee or, indeed, anywhere. The probability of that happening isn't too high, but still I think it's better to keep it as low as possible, not to mention what the ministry would say if both Ambassador and deputy were more or less seriously hurt. It's like parents not using the same plane.
Given Stefan's build and looks, I doubt any miscreants would even dare approach him, and I'm pretty sure we're going to spend a great day.
Anyway, it's Friday, the weather is fine, the workload not heavy, and I'm going to have lunch at 1 with Stefan. Then tennis from 5 to 7. Doesn't sound too bad, does it?
I have to admit that I took the coward's way out yesterday. I really ought to have gone to that cocktail, but had absolutely no wish to see Alexandra. My bad, I know, and rather unprofessional. We had a pilates lesson, though, from 6 to 7, Irene and Stefanie and me, and since I knew that Stefanie planned on attending, I simply said at the end of the lesson that it had obviously been a bit too much for my still-delicate lower back, and that therefore I couldn't go. I also sent an sms to Alexandra, excusing myself for that very reason.
You know what's funny, though? Not that the sms remained unanswered, but that Her Underworldly Highness Lola tripped me a little later, so I actually *had* to put a heating plaster on my back... It wasn't serious, but the jolt *did* cause me a bit of pain, which is fortunately gone. Now only the muscles are sore, because yesterday we did pilates with those big balls, and that -- as Stefanie rightly observed -- is serious business.
The return ticket I booked yesterday cost € 360, not 200, and I'll be arriving in Skopje at 1.15 a.m. on Saturday 2 July. That's ok though, since it's the weekend, and I also have the following Monday off work.
In other news, I waited for Slavica today so we could have coffee and a chat, and she told me that Alexandra asked her to come and look after the cat over the weekend. To be fair, she'll be paying her extra and arranged for a driver to pick Slavica up and take her back home. She also answered Slavica's question re. whether/when she plans to take the cat to Austria rather vaguely with "oh, probably some time this summer". We'll see.
Boss has gone to Austria today; his mother has been to visit since the beginning of May, and he's taking her back. No worries re. the trip there, but I do hope he's not going to do any stunts on the return journey and will drive by day.
Yesterday's snort-worthy phone conversation with boss:
Phone rings, display shows it's the boss.
Me: YESSIR!
...
Me: Erm, Mr Ambassaor? Are you there?
Boss, sounding a bit distracted: Uh, yes, um...
Me: Ye-es?
Boss: I have a task for you.
Me: Oh, bloody, I mean, YES! FANTASTIC! THANK YOU SIR, FOR YOUR CONFIDENCE!!!
Boss, snickering: It's, um, a very stupid task.
Me: That's all right then. I can do stupid.
...
Me: You don't have to comment, you know?
Boss sighs deeply.
Me: Tough, huh? I mean having to work with me.
Boss: Well, not as such, but...
Me: I know, I know. But I, too, must be allowed the occasional fit of silliness.
Boss: What do you mean, you too?
...
Boss, snorting: You don't have to answer, you know?
Oh, and last but not least: I arranged for a trip to Ohrid on 13 June with ex-SIL Renate. So, after almost two years in Macedonia, I'm finally going to see Ohrid. Boss will be disappointed, because he used to tease me about not having gone there yet.
Did I say last? Ooops. There will be parliamentary elections on 5 June, and boss, Stefan, Stefanie, Anita and I have registered ourselves as independent observers with the State Election Commission. Call me a wimp, but I'm not going to go with a woman -- not that I'm afraid as such, but visiting villages with an Albanian or Roma majority without a man in tow just isn't on. This is not meant as an insult to either of these ethnicities, but compared to ethnic Macedonians, they have a rather more, let us say patriarchal approach, which is exactly why we'll be going there, in order to see whether women are being forced to vote for a certain party or accompanied into the polling booth by a man. Going with the boss would be fun, but since he does have a slightly reckless streak I'll opt for going with Stefan. Boss would love to go to the north-western part of the country, which is notoriously lawless and where every man possesses at least one illegal weapon (where men are men and sheep are nervous, so to speak), and I honestly need neither a stone on my head nor a bullet in my knee or, indeed, anywhere. The probability of that happening isn't too high, but still I think it's better to keep it as low as possible, not to mention what the ministry would say if both Ambassador and deputy were more or less seriously hurt. It's like parents not using the same plane.
Given Stefan's build and looks, I doubt any miscreants would even dare approach him, and I'm pretty sure we're going to spend a great day.
