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Because I am. Very, very dead. Woke up at 3 a-bloody-m, because I'd had a bad dream about somebody having entered my flat and looming next to my bed. With accelerated heartbeat, it was impossible to go back to sleep, and then the nose started to misbehave, and then I was hot under the covers, and then hot even without covers... So, after trying and failing to go back to sleep I dragged myself out of bed at 3.45, much to the surprise of the Critters.
I already cancelled today's tennis -- will go to gym instead -- because it's completely pointless to even attempt to play; when I'm that tired, I'm slow to move and slow to react, and playing just isn't any fun.
It snowed this morning for the first time, but there's only a thin layer on trees and grass, nothing on street and pavements. Poor street cats, they don't like it at all. If my estimations are correct, they are all born in May, so the first cold and snow of their lives must be quite a shock. But they all have thick, shiny winter coats, and the lady from Israel and I continue feeding them, so they ought to get over the winter.
Since Irene was having a bathroom problem yesterday -- water dripping through the ceiling from the flat above (lucky her; unlike what happened to me last year, it wasn't the toilet downpipe...) -- and had to wait for the plumber, I got the luxury of a private Pilates lesson; Lulieta, our instructor, knows very well how far she can push me, and push she did. After many months with the rubber band we've gone back to working with balls (the giant exercise balls) about two months ago, and I must say I really prefer exercising with the balls. It's more effective, because -- due to having to keep your balance on the ball on top of doing the exercise -- the core muscles get a lot more action, and also because there's less possibility of doing an exercise in a wrong position. Not that that's a big issue as far as I'm concerned, but better safe than sorry.
The Critters watched the goings-on with a mix of curiosity, puzzlement and slight contempt, but were mercifully uninterested in the ball.
And since I'm going on about a vaguely health-related issue, I also have to say that I can't wait for the next diplomatic mail to arrive: it contains, among other things, my latest order from querfood.de, i.e. gluten-free bread! As I'd suspected, staying completely carb-free was much easier in the warm season than it is now, and so I've ordered enough to cater to the occasional craving for bread. Not before December 14, though. I do hope I'll be strong enough to fight the temptation for the next ten days... Since I'm still sporting three (small, but still) pimples on my chin as a reminder and punishment of last Thursday, when I caved in and had half a baguette with cheese, ham and butter (and OMG was it YUMMY!!!), I hope to succeed. Allergy pimples, unlike the common or garden pimple, are incredibly long-lived -- till the body has got rid of the last traces of the allergen, I suppose. So there's motivation for fortitude, hopefully sufficient.
I'm big on ceterum censeo-s, I suppose, and this season's cc seems to be Gerald-themed: After being fairly insufferable on Monday morning, he did:
- ask whether I'd book a hotel for him with my credit card (I already wrote about that)
- ask whether he could leave 30 minutes earlier on Monday
- arrive 20 minutes late for work yesterday
- ask for € 200 in cash (not my own, but from the Embassy's cash funds) yesterday, because he currently doesn't have either a credit or debit card (which was the reason for asking to use mine)
- ask me to use my credit card to book a flight for him today
- ask for more cash today
To understand fully why I'm rolling my eyes, you must know that public servants get their salary every 15th (unlike civil servants, who get it on the first of every month); all or part of it may be paid out to them in the host country's currency in cash, and they have to transfer the corresponding Euro-amount to the ministry's account in Austria. This, however, can only be done on the 15th (or first working day after). Which means that I have to give him the money and put a receipt into the cash box, and he'll give it back as soon as he can, BUT: this is something I can do -- not exactly against but certainly around the rules -- not something I have to do. If he makes such a mess of changing his credit and debit card provider and finds himself without money, it's not my problem but strictly his. So I'm doing him a favour.
Anyway, I think I'm going to have another talk with him -- it's not that I want him to be constantly grateful, but I think he ought to understand that 1) he's getting a lot of goodies, and 2) that he's getting them regardless of his behaviour, which means that 3) he, too, ought to show a certain amount of goodwill.
I already cancelled today's tennis -- will go to gym instead -- because it's completely pointless to even attempt to play; when I'm that tired, I'm slow to move and slow to react, and playing just isn't any fun.
It snowed this morning for the first time, but there's only a thin layer on trees and grass, nothing on street and pavements. Poor street cats, they don't like it at all. If my estimations are correct, they are all born in May, so the first cold and snow of their lives must be quite a shock. But they all have thick, shiny winter coats, and the lady from Israel and I continue feeding them, so they ought to get over the winter.
Since Irene was having a bathroom problem yesterday -- water dripping through the ceiling from the flat above (lucky her; unlike what happened to me last year, it wasn't the toilet downpipe...) -- and had to wait for the plumber, I got the luxury of a private Pilates lesson; Lulieta, our instructor, knows very well how far she can push me, and push she did. After many months with the rubber band we've gone back to working with balls (the giant exercise balls) about two months ago, and I must say I really prefer exercising with the balls. It's more effective, because -- due to having to keep your balance on the ball on top of doing the exercise -- the core muscles get a lot more action, and also because there's less possibility of doing an exercise in a wrong position. Not that that's a big issue as far as I'm concerned, but better safe than sorry.
The Critters watched the goings-on with a mix of curiosity, puzzlement and slight contempt, but were mercifully uninterested in the ball.
And since I'm going on about a vaguely health-related issue, I also have to say that I can't wait for the next diplomatic mail to arrive: it contains, among other things, my latest order from querfood.de, i.e. gluten-free bread! As I'd suspected, staying completely carb-free was much easier in the warm season than it is now, and so I've ordered enough to cater to the occasional craving for bread. Not before December 14, though. I do hope I'll be strong enough to fight the temptation for the next ten days... Since I'm still sporting three (small, but still) pimples on my chin as a reminder and punishment of last Thursday, when I caved in and had half a baguette with cheese, ham and butter (and OMG was it YUMMY!!!), I hope to succeed. Allergy pimples, unlike the common or garden pimple, are incredibly long-lived -- till the body has got rid of the last traces of the allergen, I suppose. So there's motivation for fortitude, hopefully sufficient.
I'm big on ceterum censeo-s, I suppose, and this season's cc seems to be Gerald-themed: After being fairly insufferable on Monday morning, he did:
- ask whether I'd book a hotel for him with my credit card (I already wrote about that)
- ask whether he could leave 30 minutes earlier on Monday
- arrive 20 minutes late for work yesterday
- ask for € 200 in cash (not my own, but from the Embassy's cash funds) yesterday, because he currently doesn't have either a credit or debit card (which was the reason for asking to use mine)
- ask me to use my credit card to book a flight for him today
- ask for more cash today
To understand fully why I'm rolling my eyes, you must know that public servants get their salary every 15th (unlike civil servants, who get it on the first of every month); all or part of it may be paid out to them in the host country's currency in cash, and they have to transfer the corresponding Euro-amount to the ministry's account in Austria. This, however, can only be done on the 15th (or first working day after). Which means that I have to give him the money and put a receipt into the cash box, and he'll give it back as soon as he can, BUT: this is something I can do -- not exactly against but certainly around the rules -- not something I have to do. If he makes such a mess of changing his credit and debit card provider and finds himself without money, it's not my problem but strictly his. So I'm doing him a favour.
Anyway, I think I'm going to have another talk with him -- it's not that I want him to be constantly grateful, but I think he ought to understand that 1) he's getting a lot of goodies, and 2) that he's getting them regardless of his behaviour, which means that 3) he, too, ought to show a certain amount of goodwill.
