Corner of Christin

12 of 12 (3) - 2008

2008-12-22T14:44:00.004+01:00

January - My parents were visiting me after I had spent the New Year in NYC.

February - An "iSight camera 12 of 12" since my Exilim was at the camera doctor...

March - A day at home and menacing clouds.

April - Concert trip to Zwickau.

May - Poker night at Christin's.

June - Football (soccer) fever.

July - Museum Night in Dresden

August - Olympic fever!

September - Turning 25...

October - A golden October day...

November - Thesis stress...

December - 'Tis the season to be jolly, a.k.a concert trip to Frankfurt/Main.

12 of 12 (3) - DECEMBER 2008

2008-12-13T21:53:00.003+01:00

This is my December 12 of 12. It's up a little later than usual because I got home at 2.30am this morning (Dec. 13) from a trip to Frankfurt, then slept until almost noon and then went out with a friend. There actually is some change of scenery in this month's 12 of 12, so I hope you'll enjoy it. I took lots of pictures and couldn't decide on which ones to use to show you the Christmas market. So, in slightly bending the rules, this is more of a 17 of 12. Just think of it as a batch of bonus pictures. ;)

12 of 12 is the brainchild of Chad Darnell, to whom I'm sending lots of thoughts and prayers. *hug*

1) 0:30ish...
One of the first things I did after turning in my thesis was to start a puzzle, which I haven't been able to do for months. This is actually the second puzzle since my thesis-freedom. It has 1500 pieces.
2) 30something minutes later
Progress report. ;) A good stopping point for the night.
3) 1:ooish
I was watching a Katie Melua concert on DVD while working on the puzzle. Here she is singing my favorite song, "If You Were a Sailboat". Went to bed shortly afterwards.
4) 8:19
Wakey-wakey... A lot to do, a lot to see today, must get started.
5) 8:28
A quick glance out the window shows: it has been snowing during the night. That is not a bad thing in itself (even though I'm not a fan of snow), but since we were supposed to drive 460km to Frankfurt for an a cappella choir concert, I would have preferred more favorable weather conditions...
6) 8:29
This is my little Christmas candle arch (it has LED lights instead of real candles). Candle archs are widely spread in the Eastern parts of Germany - the most beautiful are manufactured in a region in Saxony, the federate state I'm living in - and they illuminate the cities at nights. It is always a lovely view from my balcony when all the candle archs in the windows illuminate Dresden. :)
7) 12:50
On our way to Frankfurt. The roads were free of snow, but the scenery along the roads was...
8) 13:09
snowy and very beautiful.
9) 17:13
Rehearsing for the concert. This is our conductor giving some instructions. For what, I don't remember. :D
10) Between 18:30 and 19:29
We had some time between the rehearsal and the concert, which allowed us to visit the Christmas market of Frankfurt. It is a very lovely Christmas market with a lovely carousel, some glogg, craft shops and great buildings. These are a only a few impressions.
11) 19:29
The poster announcing our concert! The church was filled to the last seat and we did have a really nice concert.

12) 21:54
And back to Dresden we drive. This was supposed to be a night shot of the Frankfurt skyline, but just as I took the lights switched to green and we started moving. It's still a nice picture. :D I got home at 2.30am. What a long and exhausting day!
See you guys next year. I wish everyone a lovely Christmas season and all the best for the New Year! *hugs*

There are still people...

2008-11-14T08:28:00.002+01:00

...that can speak my mind. Bravo, Keith Olberman!

Amen.

Unconscious Mutterings Week 302

2008-11-13T12:12:00.002+01:00

I say...and you think...

Coverage :: The Presidential election in the US! Lots of news coverage, even in Germany.

Cynical :: I prefer sarcastic.

Gust :: The coast.

Improvised :: Lots of my cooking. I love experimenting with what I got in my fridge.

V :: "Two-level diplomacy", or: the multilateralism excuse, which is Chapter V of my thesis.

Guests :: My parents are going to visit me for New Year's!

Brutal :: Wrestling

Grant :: I'd love to have one for a Ph.D.

Pull :: Push

Streaming :: Soundtracks.com <-- One of my favorite internet radio stations. (Streaming Soundtracks)

Wanna mutter, too? Go here!

12 of 12 (3.0) - NOVEMBER 2008

2008-11-12T21:32:00.006+01:00

Welcome to my November 12 of 12! For the first time since I've been participating I've actually thought about not participating this month for three reasons:
1) My thesis is due in 18 days, so there should be more pressing things on my mind than taking 12 pictures of my day.
2) Writing my thesis means that I wouldn't leave the house and I've shown you my share of in-house days since March last year, so why add another? :D
3) I'm sure there was a third one but I can't remember it right now.

Well, as you can see, I ignored those reasons and did it anyway. :D This is still Chad's brainchild and his blog is still the place to go for seeing everyone else's days.

Here we go!

1) 08:04
Goooood morning! The weather seems to be okay for the day. 4 days ago, Dresden finally emerged from having been fogged in for more than a week! It looks cold. *freezing*

2) 08:22
Part of my daily morning routine is to solve my "Puzzle of the Day" on Facebook. (Jigzone application) This looks solvable. *nod*

3) 08:29
And done! Not a bad time...
4) 10:09
Today's task: transform these notes and texts into thesis chapters. Only 18 days left...
5) 13:40
Lunchtime!

6) 13:40
One of the things that gets me through my final thesis writing days: lemon tea. Usually two pitchers per day.
7) 14:19
Just got off the phone with one of my choir directors, the one from the church you can see on the small outer display of my mobile. :D

8) 15:00
I usually opppose indulging in Christmas-y pastries and delicacies before Christmas, but when I saw them at the supermarket I craved these gingerbread biscuits, so here I am. Indulging. :D

9) 16:03
I was a soloist at a concert on Sunday (the only non-professional singer of the quintet of soloists!) and my mom had asked me if there had been a critique in one of the newspapers. So I looked online and indeed! There was one. They only wrote a very short passage about me, but what this passage entailed can only be described as a rave review. *biggrin*

10) 16:51
The sun is gone...
11) 17:20
...and only half an hour later it is completely dark outside and the moon is the only light. I hate November. :(
12) 21:02
Watching Clear and Present Danger, one of my favorite Harrison Ford films. I've also read lots of Tom Clancy novels. I love political thrillers! Yesterday they showed Patriot Games, which is the precessor of CaPD.

13) Bonus pic:
Some flowers for you, Chad. :) Hope everything will be alright! You're in my prayers.

See you in December when I don't have to write my thesis anymore! There's something to look forward to...

Unconscious Mutterings Week 301

2008-11-04T09:15:00.004+01:00

I say... and you think?

In love :: Not at the moment...

Be my guest :: Would you like to write my thesis?

Number one :: No.1 Song in Heaven by Sparks

Swallowed whole :: My thesis does that to me.

50 percent :: Halfway

Made in :: Germany. Ha!

Supplement :: For what?

Right for :: me.

Endless :: Although there is an end in sight it feels like my thesis work is just that.

Ceramic :: Flowerpot.

Seems like my thoughts are pretty much dominated by one thing right now. :D If you want to mutter, too, go here!

Unconscious Mutterings Week 300

2008-10-26T23:56:00.003+01:00

I say... and you think...?

Contemplate :: My thesis.

In the house :: A gnat, and it's driving me insane.

Classical :: Music

Quest :: Looking for a job.

Best friend :: Indispensable.

1991 :: The year I was in 1st, 2nd AND 3rd grade.

Never will :: Climb the Mount Everest.

Fool :: A Fool's Life.

Unhappy :: My poinsettia, because it is completely green and drooping.

Best man :: One day...

Interested? Join here.

Unconscious Mutterings Week 299

2008-10-19T18:00:00.004+02:00

I saw this on Kerri's blog and thought I'd join is as well.

I say... and you think...?

Magical :: Sunsets

Shrimp :: Yum!

Project Runway :: Heidi Klum

Economy :: Decline

Porch :: I want summer back!

State of affairs :: Chaos.

.com :: www.

Fifty cents :: Half a Euro.

Ripping :: Apart.

Bull :: ...'s Eye

To join, go here.

12 of 12 (3.0) - OCTOBER 2008

2008-10-12T22:48:00.005+02:00

Here we go again! See Chad's blog for the rules and for other people's 12 of 12's. :)

8:39
My iPod woke me up. Yay! I love to wake up to music...

10:19
I was a bit slow getting my day started, so breakfast (honey toast) was almost two hours after waking up. :D

10:37 ff.
It's a beautiful day outside, which allows me to show you the beauty of the autumn foliage right outside my apartment. It is a beautiful day and there's a balloon up in the air.

10:40
Time to get the best use out of the genius that is Time Machine, now that I have an external hard drive that is bigger than my iMac's internal hard drive.

14:01
Having lunch and going through the next job applications I'll send out.

17:04
And the balloons are back. Soon they'll be stuck in their winter quarters. :(

18:49
The days are over much too soon these days...

20:38
Watching The DaVinci Code. I haven't read the book and had not seen the movie yet, so I was pretty excited. And the movie didn't disappoint. It actually made me want to read the book, but that will have to wait until thesis days are over. :D

22:44
Multi-tasking! I'm still watching the movie, uploading the first 12 of 12 pictures and IMing with a friend who, by the way, had a dream last night that her name was mentioned on Chad's website. Well, now I made that happen, at least indirectly. :lol:

Good night!

12 of 12 (3.0) - September 2008

2008-09-13T22:05:00.003+02:00

Another month, another 12 of 12 (for further information go see Chad's blog). And a very special one it was, especially for me. :D I turned a quarter-century yesterday and spent a fun day, complete with partying into my birthday (together with my very good friends Maik and Christian), some swimming, a relaxed afternoon and choir practice in the evening with subsequent party. Woohoo!

00:22
We inconveniently forgot to take a picture at midnight, so here is a close-to-midnight and slightly fuzzy shot of Dresden city hall...
00:22
...and of the birthday girl, together with Maik. Christian took this very cool picture.

01:31
Finished frosting the cake before bed.
07:25
After being rudely awakened by the janitor mowing the lawn right under my bedroom window at 7 am and several unsuccessful attempts to go back to sleep I decided to bite the bullet and finally get up.
07:26
Me? Not a very happy camper, which the somber picture aptly illustrates. :D
07:34
Weather? Check. Not the best, but at least it didn't rain. It has gotten quite chilly over the last few days. Summer suddenly seems to be over. Bummer!
08:38
The breakfast of birthday girls. :D
11:32
Swimming! Or rather: observing the water before the...

11:33
...actual swimming and mostly diving part. I'm sorry for the pixel-y picture, the friend who went swimming with me took this picture from the distance. I would have preferred not putting this picture in with the other 11 (clearly not a very flattering one *blush*), but at the end of the day it seemed that I was short one photo so I had to include it in order not to have a 11 of 12. :D
17:02
Drying and styling my hair, which isn't exactly fun after hours in chlorinated water...
17:11
The result. The whole process took a mere 37 minutes.

18:31
Ready to leave for choir practice, which - on birthdays - involves bubbly and birthday cake.

Photo-wise, my day unfortunately stops right there because I had so much fun afterwards that I forgot to take more pictures. :D

See you next month!

12 of 12 (3.0) - AUGUST 2008

2008-08-12T20:19:00.005+02:00

It's this time of the month again! *happydance* 12 of 12 is the brainchild of Chad Darnell. Just go to his blog for his 12 of 12 and the 12 of 12's of many other people from all around the globe. :) Mine is actually more of 17 of 12 this month -- I got a little excited. *blush*

8:30
The obligatory alarm clock shot.

8:42
The first thing I did after waking up was turn on the TV for the Olympics. This is our women in the 10m platform diving competition. No medal for us this time...

8:58
Breakfast on the couch.

13:20
I had to go to the post office to send a letter to my mom. Just as I was about to leave it started to rain.

13:21
Christin was not amused.

13:33
Post box in front of the post office.

13:40
I already saw this on my way out, glued to the front door of our building. It's a letter from our superintendent, complaining about a white paint stain in front of the door and asking for the delinquent to remove it or else the whole house will have to pay for a professional removal. :o

13:40
The object of dispute. No way, I'm not going to pay for this to be removed!

16:48
Taking a break from working on my thesis, I got inspired to write something non-thesis-related for a word/photo prompt on a message board. This is the first draft, still lacking some formatting and editing.

17:43-18:23
Olympics!! Our 3rd and 4th Golds for today, sport: eventing! This was very fascinating! I was so excited so I took quite a few pictures and then couldn't decide, which ones to post so I posted all of them. :D

19:40 & 19:47
Anatomy of a salad.

20:15
I've entered a photo competition on a German website (something like Facebook). It's titled "MeinVZ verbindet" (something like "'German FB lookalike' connects people") and the photos they are looking for should show people/animals/things that are in some way connected. The three best pictures will be published in a monthly magazine and will win a dSLR! I'll keep my fingers crossed. The second picture shows which photo I've submitted. It's from my 366 blog.

See you next month for my birthday 12 of 12. :D

12 of 12 (3.0) - July 2008

2008-07-13T01:46:00.005+02:00

Time for another 12 of 12!! This was all his idea and more and more people all over the world are participating and showing us their 12th of every month! Yay! Here's my humble addition:

1) 02:49
Got home late after a choir summer party and looked at some pictures I took and can hopefully use for my 366. Won't be long until...

2) 03:10
...bedtime.

3) 10:00
Wakey-wakey...

4) 12:52
Time for some household chores like emptying and re-filling the dishwasher.

5) 18:01
On my way to Dresden's annual Summer Museum Night, where every museum in the city and a few other interesting places are open until after midnight and you can access them all with one ticket. I went with a friend whose feet are probably hurting just as much as mine do now. :D

6) 18:43
First stop: the Transparent Manufactory in Dresden. There was a long waiting line so we decided to come back later and try out the German Hygiene Museum first.

7) 18:51
On our way to the German Hygiene Museum. In front of the museum there was a little fairground with different attractions for the kids. There was a booth that had the equipment to produce gigantic bubbles.

8) 19:09
A gigantic drosophila melanogaster, or fruit fly, and an equally gigantic dust mite in the background. Eep.

9) 19:12
A transparent cow.

10) 20:31
Waiting in line to get inside the Transparent Manufactory of Volkswagen where they produce the Phaeton, Volkswagen's luxus car. At this point we had been waiting for almost an hour already...

11) 21:41
Finally inside the Transparent Manufactory. The tour started with this model of the manufactory and we got to see almost everything you can see, from the little tower with the lounge to the actual manufactory part with Phaetons in different stages of assembly. It was very interesting and definitely worth the 2-hour wait!

12) 23:46
Waiting in line to get up the tower of Dresden City Hall, which you can see here. It was another long wait (close to an hour) but definitely worth it. For some of the "Dresden by night" pictures, check my 366 blog. :)

Finally a 12 of 12 that included more than 12 variations of my apartment. Yay!! See you next month. :)

12 of 12 (3.0) - June 2008

2008-06-12T23:10:00.003+02:00

My June 12th was supposed to be much more exciting than it turned out to be because I didn't feel well at all today and had to cancel choir practice and didn't get to do other fun things. But at least there was football/soccer, which meant that I got at least a few pictures together. *lol* For more 12 of 12's, visit Chad's blog. He's the genius behind all this. :)

8:50
I was up before that actually, but I suddenly remembered that it was the 12th so I looked for a clock for my first picture - like always, it seems. *lol*
11:14
I called in sick at work today but that didn't mean that I had nothing to do for work. So it was actually a work-from-home day. This is getting started on the reading part of the assignment...

12:20
...and now onto the typing part.
14:39
Taking a break from typing for some more reading. *lol*
16:38
Despite my condition (or actually because of it) I had to go to the supermarket to get some things. I had decided not to go to choir practice by then so I thought I could at least make the best of it and bought a pizza to go with the football/soccer matches.

16:39
I get a little patriotic during sports tournaments. *lol* This is the flag that adornes the rear shelf of my car.

16:39
And a slightly blurry close-up without the rear window.

18:43
Close to the end of the first half of Croatia v. Germany it's pizza time!

18:43
Things are not looking to well for Germany at this point. And it got even worse. The match ended 1-2 for Germany. *sob* Maybe the next match will be a little more cheerful...

22:29
Not looking well for Austria either. :( Well, in order to not get even more depressed I turn to some other things...

22:31
...like a glass of white wine, watching videos on youtube and chatting with a friend. :)

22:49
Things actually did finish on a happy note. Austria tied thanks to a penalty kick. Now I can go to bed a little happier. I'm still not back to feeling a 100%, but at least I had some fun today, even without choir practice. *nod*

Good night!

12 of 12 (2.0) - May 2008

2008-05-13T02:18:00.002+02:00

Another 12th, another 12 of 12. See Chad's website for the days of other 12 of 12'ers.

01) 08.48

Wakey-wakey... Meet Jeannie, my little fluffy bed kitty.

02) 08.48
And the alarm clock up close. Yeah, it really is time to get up... Today is a holiday in Germany, so I was able to sleep in a little.

03) 10.35
I took my time this morning, so it was a while before I had decided on my clothes for the day. Here they are...

04) 12.47
The top C is back! :w00t: I had lots my top C for a while, for no particular reason, at least none that I know of. I was listening to one of my favorite CDs (Renaissance music) and there's a piece that we once did that requires several top C's, which I once had. I thought I could at least try, just for fun. And there they were. All of them! :relieved: It's back, and with a vengeance. :lol:

05) 13.58
The poker set I acquired on ebay. Tonight is its premiere. I've invited a few friends from one of my choirs and we're going to try our hands at Texas Hold'em poker.

06) 14.17
I've never played poker before and since I share that fact with most of tonight's poker stars I printed out the rules and a quick overview of the winning hands. *lol*

07) 15.23
Enjoying some relaxing time in the sun, working on my tan. The weather was perfect today!

08) 17.13
Preparations complete. Meet my little poker buffet.

09) 20.22
My lovely little poker round.

10) 20.22
Strategizing...

11) 20.23
"You trying to sneak a peek?"

12) A little after 2 am, the last guest just left...
I know it's not the 12th anymore, but I got stuck at 11 and needed another one. Changing into my pj's I was very happy to see a slight tan line, which made me quite happy. Just thought I'd share my joy with y'all. *lol*

That's all, folks. See you next month.

Quote of the Week -- Week 19

2008-05-06T09:38:00.002+02:00

Aaand it's this time of the week again...

Quote of the Week - Week 19 of 2008:

Professor: Wow, you looked so tough! Like Michael Jackson in "Beat it"!
Male student: ... That wasn't tough.
Professor: Exactly!

Overheard in NYC in Brooklyn

Quote of the Week -- Week 18

2008-05-01T00:00:00.001+02:00

Here we go again...

Quote of the Week - Week 18 of 2008:

Thoughtful receptionist: What are you getting your wife for Valentine's Day?
Sales shark: Nothing. She's already my wife.

Overheard in the Office @ Madison Avenue (New York City, New York)

Quote of the Week -- Week 17

2008-04-21T18:30:00.002+02:00

After strict scrutiny, here comes the new quote:

Quote of the Week - Week 17 of 2008:

Office clerk: Wait, this doesn't look right.
Manager: It has to be right -it's highlighted.
Office clerk: Maybe someone highlighted the wrong thing, because that's not right.
Manager: I highlighted it.
Office clerk: Well, I think it may be wrong.
Manager: It can't be wrong. It's highlighted.

Overheard in the Office @ 5th Avenue, Portland, Oregon

Quote of the Week - Week 16

2008-04-15T18:27:00.002+02:00

Quote of the Week -- Week 16 of 2008:

Small Asian girl, crying on cell phone: Where are you guys?
Security guard: No talking on cell phones!
Asian girl: But... But I lost my friends.
Security guard: And no crying either!

Overheard in NYC @ The Met

12 of 12 (2.0) - April 2008

2008-04-12T22:40:00.003+02:00

It's time for another 12 of 12! Visit Chad's (it was his idea) blog to see what everybody else's days looked like.

01:05

My weather widget shows what's happening outside: a thunderstorm. In April and at 1 am in the morning. *passout* The flashes of lightning were enormous and the thunder very load and rumbly. *shudder*

01:13

Checking the tram schedule for my morning trip into the city. It's good to know in advance when you have to leave. *nod*

08:00

Wakey-wakey! It's a little blurry, but that makes it a perfect picture because it looks just like I actually see it through my eyes in the morning without my glasses on. *lol*

08:19

Quickly setting the timer on my DVD recorder. I won't be there for my regular Saturday afternoon TV show, so I have to record it. *lol*

08:45

A quick shower before I head into the city for a pre-concert choir rehearsal. I'm running a little late...

13:30

After the rehearsal and a quick lunch in the city, I'm on my way back home to grab my concert things and my car and fetch the three guys who are driving with me.

13:31

In the tram, looking ahead to the driver's cabin and the tram ahead of us.

16:02

It's a concert day! I went to Zwickau, about 120km from Dresden, with one of the two choirs I sing in for an afternoon concert. This is the room (not really a room but a hallway) where we changed into our concert clothes.

16:45

I haven't been in Zwickau before so I take a quick look at the city before our concert. It seems pretty lovely, and the weather sure adds to that.

16:45

And another look at Zwickau.

20:00

Home in time to see one of the first balcony sunsets of this year. During winter, the sun sets behind the house on the left hand side of my balcony, so I can't see it. Now the days are getting longer and the sunset is moving even more to the West. Yay! I'm so happy that there was no sign of thunderstorms during the day!

21:10

There's nothing on TV, so I'm watching Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. This will keep me busy until bedtime. *lol*

Another meme...

2008-04-09T22:10:00.006+02:00

Empire Magazine has revealed its list of the "50 Greatest TV Shows" ever.
And the meme was born...

1. Bold the shows you've watched every episode of
2. Italic the shows you've seen at least one episode of
(I've put mine in colours as the bold didn't show up very well)

50. Quantum Leap
49. Prison Break
48. Veronica Mars
47. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
46. Sex & The City

45. Farscape
44. Cracker
43. Star Trek
42. Only Fools and Horses
41. Band of Brothers

40. Life on Mars
39. Monty Python's Flying Circus
38. Curb Your Enthusiasm
37. Star Trek: The Next Generation
36. Father Ted

35. Alias
34. Frasier
33. CSI: Las Vegas
32. Babylon 5
31. Deadwood

30. Dexter
29. ER
28. Fawlty Towers
27. Six Feet Under
26. Red Dwarf

25. Futurama
24. Twin Peaks
23. The Office UK
22. The Shield
21. Angel

20. Blackadder
19. Scrubs
18. Arrested Development
17. South Park
16. Doctor Who (new version)

15. Heroes
14. Firefly
13. Battlestar Galactica (new version)
12. Family Guy
11. Seinfeld

10. Spaced
09. The X-Files
08. The Wire
07. Friends
06. 24

05. Lost
04. The West Wing
03. The Sopranos
02. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
01. The Simpsons

Quote of the Week -- Week 15

2008-04-08T13:23:00.001+02:00

Got an early reminder so here's a (relatively) early Quote of the week...

Quote of the Week - Week 15 of 2008:

Blonde with group of tourists: Is New Jersey that way? [Points toward the west.]
New Yorker: Yes, but there's a river between here and there.
Blonde with group of tourists: You mean we can't walk there?
New Yorker: Not really.
Blonde with group of tourists: Damn girls, what are we going to do tonight? We can't go to Jersey and there's nothing to do in New York.

Overheard in NYC @ 40th & 6th

Quote of the Week -- Week 14

2008-04-01T14:00:00.002+02:00

No quote last week, as I was in Italy. Yay! Now I'm back and there's a new quote:

Quote of the Week -- Week 14 of 2008:

Father: Do you want some juice now? Want juice?
Two-year-old boy: Be patient.

Overheard in NYC @ G train

Quote of the Week -- Week 12

2008-03-19T12:22:00.001+01:00

With the help of another gentle reminder, here comes the new QotW:

Quote of the Week -- Week 12 of 2008:

Old man: Where are the seat numbers?
Usher: On the right.
Old man: When I'm facing which way?

Overheard in NYC @ Helen Hayes Theater, 44th St

12 of 12 (3.0) March 2008

2008-03-12T19:40:00.003+01:00

Another month, another 12 of 12. See Chad's blog for the rules and other people's March 12 of 2008.

1) 00:15
I drove to my hometown today for a meeting and originally intended to stay overnight, but since the meeting was shorter than usual, I decided to drive back to Dresden right afterwards. Just exited the freeway, almost home. It's 9km into the center of Dresden, but only 4km to my home. Almost there!

2) 00:17
Only 275m and 50s to go. It's just around the corner!

3) 00:20
And home! 484km in one day for a 2-hour meeting. *passout*

4) 02:20
Still up, talking with Kerri and already uploading the first three pictures. I went to bed shortly afterwards and slept like a stone.

5) 09:21
A motherly prescribed, wildly foaming multi-vitamine shake. I have two very busy concert weeks coming up and since I just recovered from a cold, my mom ordered me to do something about my body's defenses. *lol*

6) 09:29
Onto some more solid and less foamy breakfast.

7) 14:52
Late lunch. Salad as usual.

8) 17:19
Watching some vintage ALIAS while waiting for the second load of laundry to be done.

9) 17:23
Weird light over some parts of the city where the sun is still able to make its way through the clouds. It usually doesn't look this yellow. We had some crazy weather here today. One minute it's sunny, the next there is heavy rain or even hail, then it's all stormy... No wonder I've been having a headache since morning.

10) 17:24
This also illustrates the really spring-like weather we had today. Blue sky above dark clouds and some light still shining through.

11) 18:41
Two loads of laundry ready to dry. I wanted to do a third load, but as you can see there isn't any space left to hang it.

12) 18:48
My freshly tidied bedroom. It was time to get it back in order since I hadn't done it in a while. It somehow completed my household day. *lol* And the laundry load for tomorrow is already ready to be washed and sitting in a basket in front of the heater.

That's it, and wow, still more than 4 hours until midnight. *lol*

Quote of the Week -- week 11

2008-03-12T02:12:00.002+01:00

Tadaa...

Quote of the Week -- Week 11 of 2008:

Girl: Last night we went to a party in New Jersey.
Guy: On purpose?

Overheard in NYC @ Cherry Tree Bar, 4th Ave, Brooklyn

New puzzle!

2008-03-09T19:29:00.001+01:00

Done in under 5 hours. *passout* I've clearly been puzzle-deprived.

Quote of the Week -- Week 10

2008-03-04T21:16:00.004+01:00

Here we go again...

Quote of the Week -- Week 10 of 2008:

Tourist girl #1, looking at Statue of Liberty: I don't get it.
Tourist girl #2: Don't get what?
Tourist girl #1: Why a chick with a torch? I mean, honestly -- what American came up with the idea of building a giant chick with a torch?
Tourist girl #2: Actually, it was designed by the French.
Tourist girl #1: Well, that makes more sense. They're always putting up giant, crazy things. The guy who did this should get together with that Eiffel Tower guy.
Tourist girl #2, shaking head and sighing: Why am I friends with you?

Overheard in NYC @ Circle Line Ferry

Quote of the Week -- Week 9

2008-02-27T11:58:00.002+01:00

A little late again, but I prefer to think of it as fashionably late. ;) Oh, and thanks for the reminder. :D

Quote of the Week -- Week 9 of 2008:

Lit professor: Reading Ulysses for the first time, like other life experiences we have for the first time, is not quite as pleasurable as we might have hoped it would be. However, unlike other life experiences we have for the first time, reading Ulysses lasts much, much longer.

Overheard in NYC @ Eugene Lang College

Quote of the Week -- Week 8

2008-02-18T14:36:00.002+01:00

On time! And without a reminder! Unbelievable... *lol*

Quote of the Week -- week 8 of 2008:

Student #1: I finally finished that annotated bibliography.
Student #2: Oh, that's not due until Thursday.
Student #1: Thursday?
Student #2: Yeah, didn't you get the e-mail?
Student #1: E-mail?!
Student #2: Well, it was mentioned in class on Tuesday.
Student #1: Class?!

Overheard in NYC @ NYU

12 of 12 (3) -- February 2008

2008-02-12T22:13:00.000+01:00

This 12 of 12 is a bit different from the other months and the basic concept, developed by Chad. My digital camera is broken so participating got a little difficult. At first I thought that I'll have to skip this month, but then I remembered that my mobile phone has a camera (with two megapixels even) and I took a few pictures. When I uploaded them onto my iMac I found out that they weren't any good. :( A friend of mine suggested a new approach. I have to admit that pictures 1) to 7) are "staged", but the things in them really happened before! Photos 8) to 12) are "live" again. *lol* I hope you still enjoy them a little bit... All pictures taken with the iSight camera in my iMac, or via screen shot. Next month, if the camera God allows it, I'll be back with real pictures. *fingerscrossed*

1) 18:04
Suddenly remembering that I need to put up a new Quote of the Week, thanks to the by now pretty regular reminder. *lol*

2) 18:13
And done!

3) 19:28

Trying to connect my mobile phone with my iMac via Bluetooth in order to transfer the 12 of 12 pictures I took (was up to 9 pictures at that point)...

4) 19:31
...and getting impatient and slightly frustrated.

5) 19:36
Alas--connection established! And I am...

6) 19:37
...happy again. But not for long...

7) 20:05
...as I soon had to realize that the photos I took with my mobile aren't any good for 12 of 12. *cry* Thanks to my friend Maik a new idea for 12 of 12 was born!

8) 21:10
Enjoying a late dinner and reading a newspaper on the screen.

9) 21:30
That's what I'm reading. It's the e-paper of Die ZEIT, one of the important weekly newspapers in Germany. This article is about my city, Dresden, and the ongoing struggle between supporters and adversaries of a new bridge.

10) 21:49

Pimping my CV. Need to add a few things, most importantly a new picture!

11) 22:03
Checking the result. Content for now. :)

12) 22:18

And bye-bye. See you next month. Hopefully I'll be back with "real" pictures by then...

Quote of the Week -- Week 7

2008-02-12T20:37:00.001+01:00

After a nice reminder (thank you! ;)), here comes the new QotW!

Quote of the Week - week 7 of 2008:

Flight attendant: Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you aboard JetBlue flight 1024 with nonstop service to Boston. Before we depart, I would like to take the time and make sure that everyone is on the right flight -- we don't want people finding out that they're going to the wrong city after we shut the cabin doors. Is everyone here going to Boston? [Silence.] I said, is everyone here going to Boston?
Passengers: Yes!
Flight attendant: Thank you. You have to answer me, people!

Overheard in NYC @ JetBlue flight, JFK

Lent 2008

2008-02-06T08:29:00.000+01:00

I am a Christian person and always try to live by it. Today is Ash Wednesday, which might bring all the Carnival lovers in my country to tears but is actually of much more significance than just the end of the crazy season. And I, personally, don't like Carnival anyway, so thank God it's over!

Today marks the last 40 days until Easter (and I can't believe it's time for this already since the year just started...). So it's Lent from now on. I've always tried to abstain from things that I like, sometimes more and sometimes less successfully. This year I've decided to do a comprehensive Lent period and abstain from more than just one thing. The things I'm going to forego are:

Alcohol - not a very hard one as I hardly drink any alcohol
Meat - I could never be a vegetarian, but I can live without meat for a while...
Sweets - that's the really hard part...
Cake & Cookies - equally hard as the above...

The only exception are birthdays where cake and cookies are usually one of the key factors. To all those who just rolled their eyes: Have you ever been to a birthday and asked for a carrot? It would simply look stupid if you just sat there, sipping on your coffee or tea and drool at all the cake. So yeah, no cake or cookies except at a birthday party.

I'll go on a concert tour in Italy with one of my choirs on Easter Sunday, which marks the end of Lent. So there really is something to look forward to in all this. I wouldn't want to abstain from anything in Italy, that'd be torture.

So... I'm resolved and plan on going through with it all. Let's see how it goes!

Quote of the Week - Week 6

2008-02-06T08:06:00.000+01:00

Wednesday seems to be a good day for quotes, so here goes another one...

Quote of the Week -- week 6 of 2008:

Marketing assistant: He's really changed his tune on that.
PR associate: Yup, he's come around 360 degrees.
Marketing assistant: If not more!

Overheard in the Office @ 105 Madison Avenue; New York, New York

Quote of the Week -- Week 5

2008-01-30T01:01:00.000+01:00

Not much earlier this week, but at least I remembered it myself. ;)

Quote of the Week -- week 5 of 2008:

Four-year-old boy to stranger: Do you have a little boy?
30-ish single man: No, not yet.
Four-year-old boy: Why not?
30-ish single man: Because I don't have a wife yet.
Four-year-old boy: Why not?
30-ish single man: You sound like my mother.

Overheard in New York @ 38th & 2nd

Quote of The Week - Week 4

2008-01-23T18:25:00.001+01:00

A little late, I know. But that's the thing with new traditions. They need some time getting used to; to actually become traditions. But here goes the quote for this week:

Quote of The Week -- week 4 of 2008:

NYU dude: Muffled i-Pod noises are the new elevator music.
NYU chick: I miss the old elevator music.

Overheard in NYC--Elevator, Silver Center, NYU

Quote of the Week

2008-01-14T12:54:00.000+01:00

I've decided to start a new tradition this year for my blog, which I'll call "Quote of the week". First, it will get me to post more regularly, second there are some really funny quotes out there, and third it'll be nice to have a few picture-less posts every once in a while. ;)

While we were in New York (story and picture post still to come), Kerri found this great book in the Barnes & Noble at Union Square and it was so hilarious that she decided to suspend her rule of not buying any new books as long as she has unread books on her shelf and bought it. It's called "Overheard in New York" and contains quotes of random people, overheard by other random people in the streets, buses, subways or other locations in New York City. There also is a website, where people can post the things they overhear.

I'm going to start this tradition with two quotes, since I've been using one as a signature on a message board I visit, and even though I'm going to put in a different one later, it's too funny not to be posted here as well. I'll just back-date it. ;)

Here they go...

Quote of the Week -- week 2 of 2008:
College kid #1: I want to see the Messiah.
College kid #2: Like, actually? Or Händel?
College kid #1: ... Händel.

Overheard in New York @ Lincoln Square

Quote of the Week -- week 3 of 2008:
Old Brit, pointing to float: Who is that?
Wife: Oh, come on, Bill.
Old Brit: No, really. Is it Joey the Clown or something?
Wife: It's a symbol of America!
Old Brit: [Confused silence.]
Wife: It's Ronald McDonald!

Overheard in New York @ Macy's Parade, Columbus Circle

12 of 12 (3) - January 2008

2008-01-12T21:34:00.000+01:00

The first 12 of 12 in 2008! A Happy New Year to everybody!! Hopefully, this will be the first year where I do all 12 of 12's, since I only started participating in March 2007. 12 of 12 is the brainchild of Chad Darnell.

01) 00:58

Okay, technically not one but three pictures, but all taken within seconds. I liked them all, so I included them. I was talking to Kerri via IM, and these pictures describe the history of a reply: type-check-like. :lol:

02) 11:08
Santa's last day, at least until December. Immediately after taking this picture, I put Santa back in the closet where he can sleep for the next 10.5 months.

03) 15:55
The Dresden Frauenkirche in the late afternoon light. Lovely!

04) 15:56
View to Dresden Castle. Lots of construction work going on around the Neumarkt.

05) 15:57
My dad, paying the parking garage ticket.

06) 15:58
In the parking garage.

07) 16:03
Now on the way back home. Unfortunately a little blurry, but I still like it. You can see a tram coming.

08) 16:05
Dresden city hall. The light is lovely.

09) 16:07
Still on the way back home, Dresden at dusk.

10) 16:09
Still on the way back home, more Dresden at dusk.

11) 18:10
My mom is making each of us a Martini rosso with lemon. I love this picture because the Martini seems to be frozen in mid-air, since it hadn't reached the glass yet when the picture was taken.

12) 20:08
While trying to sort through and put in order my box of sweets, my mom accidentally held an open bag the wrong way and spread a load of gummi bears throughout my living room. So much for more order. :lol:

See you next month!

12 of 12 December

2007-12-12T22:48:00.000+01:00

The last 12 of 12 of the year 2007 is here... My day started in Dresden and ended in Magdeburg, my hometown. 12 of 12 is the brain child of Chad Darnell. A happy Advent season to all 12 of 12'ers and everyone else. *hugs*

1) 00.26
My day ended (or started) with a horrible tummy ache. I took a painkiller and went straight to bed. Sleep didn't come for another two hours. Yikes...

2) 09.00
As you can see, my alarm was set for 10 am, but the guy who wanted to take the meter readings in my apartment woke me up. I greeted him at the door in my Tweety pj's. *profuseblushing*

3) 09.11
I take a look at the weather outside, instantly wishing that I hadn't...

4) 09.13
Retrieving today's egg from my Christmas calendar.

5) 09.17
Say hello to Chip. Or is it Dale?

6) 11.15
Working on a birthday surprise for a friend. I hope he doesn't check my blog. But I think I never gave him the link to my blog, so there's nothing to worry about...

7) 11.45
Now busy with preparations for my trip to the U.S., I also check the current exchange rates and they are very favorable. Yay!

8) 18.05
After 3 hours and 258 km I arrive at my parents' house.

9) 19.15
It's the season... On my way to a meeting of the choir association I am a member of. I'm actually a member of the executive board. Halted at a red light, I get a glimpse of the Christmas decorations of my hometown.

10) 22.18
Some cookie goodness. Makes the following part more enjoyable. *lol*

11) 22.20
Now that the choir association meeting is over, I'm re-reading my notes and trying to transform them into meeting minutes. Three pages need to be cut to at best one and a half... It was a very productive meeting!

12) 22.35
I'm throwing a little pre-Christmas dinner party for a few close friends from the choir on Monday and here's how my mom supports it. I won't have much time to go grocery shopping as I'll still be busy with concerts, so my mom offered to do it for me. :)

Bonus: Believe
After countless nights of going to bed at 3 am or even later, I strongly believe that once I'm done with my blog post I'll go hide under these comfy sheets and get a good night's sleep.

Update...

2007-12-07T17:14:00.000+01:00

It seems that this puzzle isn't going as quickly as I thought it would. It's not because of it being an especially tricky one, but because I haven't found any time to work on it in the last few days. It's the season and it has me busy with choir stuff every weekend and most days of the week. Oh, and then there's school. Talk about priorities here... *lol*

Anyway, by now the kitties are complete. What's left is lots of grass and a few flowers, the latter being hastily assembled in a loose heap in the middle.

More soon, at the latest in five days...

12 of 12 November

2007-11-12T23:27:00.000+01:00

Here we go again! People all over the world are taking 12 pictures of their days on the 12th of the month. Thank you to Chad for the idea. Check out his blog to see what everybody's days looked like.

Here goes my November 12th, 2007... Nothing fancy and no outside pictures today. The weather has been horrible... *shudder*

1) 00:30
Not ready for bed yet, instead I'm working on my latest project...

2) 00:30
This what it will look like....someday. It's a bit dark, but I had to do it without the flash or else one wouldn't see anything due to the reflection.

3) 09:30
Checking yesterday's laundry. Not dry yet...

4) 10:00
The books I ordered more than a week ago finally arrived!

5) 14:00
An "Italian Job" ;) - doing my Italian homework.

6) 18:25
Getting the newspaper...

7) 19:00
Watching the news and the weather forecast. Doesn't look too good for the next few days...

8) 19:15

Dinner time--potatoes and tomato-cucumber-quark. Yummy! This is only the quark, the potatoes were still boiling.

Bonus Pic: Grateful
I'm grateful for all the people I have or had in my life. They are all somewhat represented in this picture. I am grateful for my family (the second picture from the right shows my dad and me), for family members and friends whom I've lost--they are still with me (the second picture from the left shows my great aunt Erika who died in 2003), for all the friends and people I share my greatest passion with--music (the picture on the left shows one of the choirs I sing in on a trip to Italy in 2004), and all my friends, some of whom I met over the internet and spend most of my days with, even though I have never seen some of them in person (the picture on the right shows me and Helen, a fellow 12 of 12'er and dear friend, whom I've met on a message board). Hugs and kisses going out to every one of them.

9) 22:47
Time for one of the less pleasant tasks of the day: unloading the dishwasher.

10) 23:00
Spending some time on my little "piano". It's more of a keyboard, but playing a few pieces on it calms me down and helps me through my studying and exams.

11) 23:15
Finally getting around to reading today's newspaper. This is an article on the fall of the Berlin Wall and the German reunification.

12) 23:30
And the puzzle at the end of the day. I didn't make that much progress today. Continuing it will have to wait since I need to go to bed early today. Well, earlier than the last few days... *lol*

12 of 12 October

2007-10-12T22:52:00.000+02:00

One month has passed, and once again I didn't get to post anything in between one 12th and the next... But alas, it is the 12th, so this blog gets its regular update. 12 of 12 is the brainchild of Chad Darnell. Thanks to him once again for this wonderful idea.

October 12, 2007 in the life of Christin...

1) 09:45
I slept in. *blushing* But since I didn't have to be anywhere in the morning it is very excusable. First things first: checking emails and my cyber-home.

2) 09:51
One, or actually two of the reasons for why I slept in. These are my latest DVD purchases and so it got a little late last night...

3) 09:55
Breakfast. Checking Chad's blog for this month's bonus picture theme.

4) 12:16
I went to my workplace this morning to return some books and to get a few things sorted out. I also picked up my last history paper and got an A-. Yay! This picture was taken on the way back from the institute.

5) 12:19
On the way to the supermarket to do some long overdue grocery shopping. I've been pretty sick this week (a very nasty cold with fever and almost everything else that goes with it), so I've been living on my last reserves. It's clearly fall in Germany...

6) 12:30
The supermarket. It's more of a mall, only everything is in one giant room. *lol*

Bonus picture: Orange.
Still in the supermarket. At first, I wanted to go for orange, but then I saw these orange peppers and thought they'd be a little more funny.

7) 15:15
Fall picture #3, taken from my balcony.

8) 15:15
Fall picture #4, also taken from my balcony.

9) 18:14
View over Dresden at dusk, taken from my living room window.

10) 22:18
I'm back home from another night of CD recording. I'm singing (or rather guesting) in another ensemble (in addition to the two choirs I'm already singing with) and we're doing a CD recording of two pieces by Francesco Feo that have never been recorded before. Exciting!

11) 22:19
Some chocolate to reward myself after a fun, but exhausting evening.

12) 22:40
I am exhausted, but I can't afford to go to bed yet, so some reading and studying is in order. This is my monthly literature picture. The topics for my next oral exam (which was supposed to be on October 4th, but my professor got sick so it had to be postponed): U.S. Foreign Policy after the End of the Cold War and International Environmental Regimes. Yeah...

Good night! See you next month (maybe earlier, but I wouldn't hold my breath ;)).

12 of 12 September

2007-09-12T23:59:00.000+02:00

It's 12 of 12 time again. (See Chad Darnell's blog for details.) And it's my birthday!! It wasn't a fancy birthday with lots of activities and different locations, but a lovely day nonetheless.

1) 00:00
Happy birthday to me. *cheers*

2) 00:01

Meet Lexie, the newest addition to my household. It's this year's birthday present to myself.

3) 00:45
The birthday cake is baking in the oven. As always, when things aren't supposed to go wrong, they usually do. So, the cake crept out of the pan. lol

4) 00:55
While I'm waiting for the cake to finish baking, I do what I've done for most of the days recently: study for my next big exam a week from today...

5) 01:15
IM'ing with Helen (fellow 12 of 12'er). She stayed up past midnight (her midnight) to wish me a happy birthday. :)

6) 08:00
I was awoken by an unexpected phone call. Yes, it's my birthday and phone calls aren't really that unexpected, but I didn't expect a call from this specific caller... After breakfast, I went to the copy shop, then to the library and did more reading once I got home.

7) 13:00
Reading is exhausting, so it was time to take a nap. lol

8) 15:15
Checking the message board I post at I saw all these lovely birthday posts for me. :)

9) 17:45
Finished setting the table for tea and cake with two of my closest friends who arrived shortly after.

10) 20:50
We went on a little shopping hunt to buy an adapter that connects my PC screen to Bert, my MacBook. The stores we checked first didn't have one, so we went to a third shop and although they had already closed they sold us an adapter. This is one of my friends doing the actual connecting work.

11) 21:30
And it's done! :)

12) 23:20
The inauguration of the double screen: watching an Alias episode with Helen - the video on one screen and the chat window on the other.

This was my birthday. :)

The theme for this month's bonus picture is "unexpected". I don't have an idea yet, but maybe I'll add a picture later on.

Oops, I did it again...

2007-08-17T13:10:00.000+02:00

After my first big exam last Friday, I decided that I needed a couple of days without reading and studying. The next exam is in 5 weeks and the third two weeks later. Not too far away, but it allowed me to catch breath and do something else for a while. So I did another puzzle. I bought it 4 months ago and wanted to do it much earlier, but I never found the time. I finished it in under 72 hours, 10 of them were spent actually working on it.

12 of 12 August

2007-08-13T00:48:00.000+02:00

I can't believe I haven't updated my blog in 4 weeks... Well, at least I remembered that today is the 12th. lol For more information, see Chad's blog.

Here we go. August 12th, 2007 in the life of Christin. I spent half of it in Magdeburg, at my parents', then drove back to Dresden in the early afternoon.

1) 08:07
Waking up...

2) 10:30
Me, playing on my wonderful piano...

3) 10:32
The piece I practiced. A "Song Without Words" by Mendolssohn-Bartholdy.

4) 14:32
Yay! Bio diesel is 5 cents cheaper than regular diesel.

5) 14:33
The bio diesel pump doesn't look too good. Regular diesel it shall be then...

6) 14:52
Waiting... It took the train five minutes to appear. *grumble*

7) 15:50
Halfway between Magdeburg and Dresden. Yay!

8) 22:40
On my way back from the birthday party. I'm trying to hurry, but the car in front of me is going terribly slow. *grumbleagain*

9) 22:50
Still on my way back from the party. I'm waiting at a red light and this guy is staring at me from my left. lol

10) 23:15
Back home. Checking the consultation-hours of one of my professors.

11) 23:45
A couple of things to unpack...

12) 23:59
The 12th is almost over. Time to turn another page in my Yann Arthus-Bertrand calendar book.

Bonus pic: light.
This is a sunset shot through the holes in my balcony balustrade.

Stay tuned for next month's 12 of 12. It's on my birthday!

12 of 12 July

2007-07-13T01:43:00.000+02:00

It's time for a new 12 of 12. It seems like only a week has passed since the last one. 12 of 12 was created by Chad Darnell. See his blog for further information.

This is my July 12th, 2007:

1) 07:45

It's the 12th! Picture-taking-day!

2) 08:30

Gathering the books I want to (have to) return today.

3) 08:45
My bandaged left foot. I sprained my ankle last Thursday. It's much better now, but I have to wear the bandage for a couple more weeks.

4) 09:10
On my way to class. This is the library of my university.

5) 11:10
A lovely flower I came across on my way back from the last seminar of this semester, which also was the last seminar of my studies!

6) 16:15
Just about to finish work. Yay!

7) 18:30
A couple of minutes of leisure reading. :) And while I'm reading my magazine, I try to not to feel guilty, because...

8) 18:45

...this dreadful pile of literature for my written exam on August 10th is staring at me from my left side. I'm halfway through...

9) 23:15
I'm going to be in Berlin next week, so the plants need an extra dose of water to survive without me. This is my little lemon tree.

10) 23:30
Packing some clothes for next week.

11) 23:58
Ready for bed, the sheets look very warm and welcoming. *tired*

12) 23:59
Filling a glass with water to put on my night stand, just in case thirst strikes during the night. And to bed I go... Well, after I post this of course.

I haven't thought of a bonus pic for "HOT" yet, but I might add one later on.

Genesis!

2007-07-06T00:17:00.000+02:00

Genesis are on tour again! My parents and I went to the Berlin concert (July 3rd, Berlin Olympic Stadium) of their "Turn It On Again"-Tour and it was absolutely fantastic! They played for 2.5 hours, without a pause and presented some of their best and most famous songs, as well as wonderful interludes, drum solos and an all-around wonderful sound. Phil Collins even tried to speak some German. lol It was a wonderful experience. *inheaven*

For more information about the tour, or Genesis in general, go to http://www.genesis-music.com.

I needed a distraction...

2007-07-01T16:56:00.000+02:00

from reading about constitutional jurisdictions in Europe, so I did the Super IQ Test on www.tickle.com. This is my result:

You're a Intuitive Investigator!

The Super IQ Test

Brought to you by Tickle

Apparently, my Super IQ is 147. And I'll be more than happy if it actually helps me through all of my exams. lol

A little film meme...

2007-06-29T22:38:00.000+02:00

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times:

The Great Race (1965)

2. Name a movie that you've seen multiple times in the theater:

The Matrix. (The second time in a Matrix I/II double-feature and the third time in a Matrix I/II/III triple-feature... It got worse with each movie.)

3. Name an actor who would make you more inclined to see a movie:

Harrison Ford. And George Clooney. Can't think of an actress right now...

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to see a movie:

Leslie Nielsen. I don't like him at all.

5. Name a movie that you can quote from:

Life of Brian

6. Name a movie musical that you know all the lyrics to all the songs:

Chicago and Moulin Rouge

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with:

Chicago and Moulin Rouge. lol

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see:

There are a couple...

The Great Race
Moulin Rouge
Serendipity
Before Sunrise / Before Sunset
Philadelphia
Something's Gotta Give

9. Name a movie that you own:

Casino Royale is the last one I bought.

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops:

I can't think of one. An actor who recently surprised me with another talent though is Hugh Grant. His singing performance in Music and Lyrics was quite remarkable.

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in?

Nope.

12. Ever made out in a movie?

No.

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven't gotten around to it:

Ocean's 11, 12 and now 13.

14. Ever walked out of a movie?

No, but I can't say that I wasn't close a couple of times.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater:

It's not rare that I cry in the theater. lol *blush* The Lake House was the last movie that made me cry in the theater.

16. Popcorn?

Not anymore.

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?

There are times when I go quite often, but there are also times when I don't see the inside of a cinema for 4 or 5 months. Right now it's once or twice a month.

18. What's the last movie you saw in the theater?

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

19. What's your favorite/preferred genre of movie?

I like (romantic) comedies, a little sci-fi and fantasy and political dramas. I'm not a fan of horror or thriller.

20. What's the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?

The Lion King in 1995. (or was it 1994?)

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?

Matrix: Revolutions.

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

23. What is the scariest movie you've seen?

The first time I saw it I found The Sixth Sense very scary...

24. What is the funniest movie you've seen?

A German film called Traumschiff Surprise: Periode 1. And Something's Gotta Give is also very funny.

12 of 12 June

2007-06-13T00:01:00.000+02:00

Time for another 12 of 12. And today I almost forgot about it... Thank you, Maik, for the reminder! :) That's the reason why there are no morning or afternoon pictures this time. lol Once again, thank you to Chad for the wonderful idea!

Here we go...

1) 18:49

Chaos on my desk - multi-tasking with two computers and heaps of paperwork.

2) 18:55

A hastily prepared dinner, tastes better than it looks. lol My stomach had been growling for a couple of hours. I didn't have lunch and spent 4 hours at the library today, both things that make you pretty hungry. Crisp bread with Nutella - yummy...

3) 19:10

27.4°C in my apartment. :o

4) 19:11

The two pieces for Saturday's choir concert in my hometown. I had to practice them today since I haven't had too many rehearsals for this project and both works are pretty contemporary, thus a little difficult to sing and memorize...

5) 19:20

On my way to choir practice. (Not the same choir as mentioned in 4)...)

6) 19:21

Dresden's main train station.

7) 19:23

The spire of one of Dresden's famous churches.

8) 21:24

Some green in the middle of the street. The one tree in the middle struck me as odd since it's practically leaf-less...

9) 19:25

Almost there...

10) 21:45

After choir rehearsal. Apparently, for some of us, including our conductor, singing for two hours wasn't exhausting enough. lol

11) 22:50

On my way home - temporarily halted...

12) 23:07

Back home from the choir rehearsal I'm watching the last few minutes of tonight's episode of Grey's Anatomy (3.11) on German TV.

13) Bonus pic: Secret

Shh, don't tell...

Let me introduce you to...

2007-05-27T14:46:00.000+02:00

Bert!

Bert is my new (and first) MacBook, who joined Einstein (my not so old Fujitsu Siemes desktop) on Friday. He's replacing Lila, my old Sony Vaio notebook.

I sometimes have the impression that computers, or more generally technology, and I don't get along very well. Lila started out wonderfully and I enjoyed working with her for the first year or so. Then she started freezing on me, sometimes even blue-screening. That was shortly before Service Pack 2 for Windows XP came out. I installed it and Lila started to behave again. Then I went to France for a year where I had to write lots of essays and other assignments. That's when Lila started to misbehave again. She constantly froze on me and when I had to restart an essay 6 (!) times - not even telling Word to save my document every 2 minutes helped - and ended up in tears, I knew things couldn't continue like this. So I got Einstein. Einstein has been very dependable, except that he is very, very noisy. But I've heard from several people with Fujitsu Siemens computers that they're having the same problem. He's mostly doing his work, but in times when you have to work at the computer for a couple of hours, the noise can become very annoying and even deafening.

Meanwhile, Lila had been converted to Linux and has been working nicely ever since. But since she is pretty old (I got her in 2002), heavy and the battery has a durability of approximately 10 minutes, I can't take her anywhere. And that comes in the way of researching and writing in the library (well, not in the narrow sense of the word, but since many of the books I'll need in order to prepare my finals and probably my thesis cannot be borrowed from the library I'll need to read and write on the spot). Which means that I had to buy a new laptop. And since more and more friends of mine are getting MacBooks or iMacs and are extremely satisfied with these (and other) Apple prducts, I decided to opt for a MacBook myself.

Now I have Bert, and he appears to be working excellently. And he's white and beautiful, quiet and slim, and Mac OS X is very easy to get used to. Let's hope that this time I have a couple of years until I need to start worrying about him... My dad will be taking over custody for Lila.

Being happy with Bert does not mean though that I don't have any more technological problems. My PDA (a HP iPAQ Pocket PC) decided not to read my SD cards anymore, which means that I can't listen to music or use my mobile navigation system. I'll try and contact HP later this week to ask them if this is a problem that I can fix myself, or if I'll have to send my poor little PDA (which, come to think of it, I never named...) to HP...

Yep...technology and I really aren't best friends...

Seriously?

2007-05-20T20:41:00.000+02:00

I'm not a TV junkie... Okay, maybe I am...just a little. But I have to say that, right now, I hate myself for being a TV show fan, because every spring (or whenever it is that a TV show goes on hiatus) I go through the same ordeal:

1) *boom* A huge thing happens in one of the TV shows I like. It could be a person dying (or looking as if), a bomb exploding, someone claiming to love someone and waiting for a reaction, a sentence starting with "I never told you, but...", a person flying to a planet far, far away, someone reading something he or she should have never read, a marriage proposal, and other such wonderful things.

2) *silence* Seconds, minutes, hours passing by...

3) *zoom into a face* Mostly of utter shock, or indecisiveness.

4) *fade out* Sometimes followed by "to be continued..."

Or, to say it short, a cliffhanger.

Most of the TV shows I liked or loved at one point in my short life have brought the art of cliffhangers to perfection: Alias, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lois and Clark - The New Adventures of Superman, Gilmore Girls, Emergency Room, Charmed, and most recently Grey's Anatomy, just to name a few. They all have left me with summers of speculation, anticipation and impatience. In addition to that, some of these shows love(d) to leave you hanging with a cliffhanger from one episode to the next one. Those cliffhangers I can deal with, because it only takes six days before I know how they turn out. Season cliffhangers? Yep, not my strength.

Take for example Alias, episode 22 of season 4: "Before the Flood"... After having saved the world from ending, Sydney and Vaughn (the two main characters) are driving towards the beach. They seem happy since Sydney had agreed to marry Vaughn shortly before the world was supposedly ending. A happy song is filling the inner sanctum of the car.

Sydney: "Vaughn, what are you telling me?"
Vaughn: "Well, for starters, my name isn't Michael Vaughn."
The camera turns to the right and we see a car coming towards us, crashing right into the side of the car.
Fade Out.

Huh.

I know, it's just fictional, a TV show, nothing serious, not the main focus in life, blablabla.. I know that speech, I've given it to myself countless times. But when I watched that scene, my heart stopped for what felt like minutes. A TV show that can do that (without physically endangering its viewers) has to be a great show, I acknowledge that. And I know that cliffhangers are supposed to keep viewers interested in the show. Well, all I can say is: success!

Alias is finished, we all know how it ended. Grey's Anatomy and other shows will be back next season...

Now I have to wait until September to find out what will happen... I'm glad I have lots of more serious things that will keep my occupied all summer: trying to graduate from university, music, family and other stuff. Or: a real life... (it's a miracle I actually have one...)

One good thing about cliffhangers: All the speculations and theories about Alias brought me to an internet forum where I've made many, many friends. Thank you, cliffhangers. :)

The end.

*Fade Out*

12 of 12

2007-05-12T23:43:00.000+02:00

Another 12 of 12! And it's a Saturday, which means that I actually had something interesting to do! To see what everyone else's day looked like, see Chad's blog.

1) 02:30

These boots were made for dancing... Just came home from a night of Dixieland at a club. Fabulous!

2) 11:00
Waking up...

3) 11.30
An apple-cinnamon muffin for breakfast...

4) 14:45
Done washing and drying my hair. It takes 45 minutes of blow-drying to make it look this good...

5) 15:45

Enjoying some self-cooked rhubarb. Yummy! I love its typical mixture of sweet and sour.

6) 16:30

Ready to go, everything I need is packed up in my new purse, which I bought 2 weeks ago.

7) around 17:25

It's the annual Dixieland Festival in Dresden - the biggest Dixieland/Jazz festival in Europe! There are Jazz and Dixieland Bands in every club and every corner of the city. Thousands of Dixieland fans are crowding the inner city...

8) around 17:30

...and that's what will be left of them at the end of the day...

9) 17:50

Going with the flow of the crowd. Target: the building on the right side of the picture.

10) around 18:15

Listening to The Dixie Ramblers from Belgium. I already heard them at the club I went to last night with a friend and they were really great! So I was more than happy when I read that they'd be playing today outside a building that is only a mere 100 feet away from the building I was supposed to be in later on.

11) around 18:30

I liked the reflection in the mirrored windows of the building.

12) 18:55

From Dixieland to Bach - after listening to the Dixieland Band I went around the corner to "my" church. We had a rehearsal at 7 pm for our 8 pm concert.

13) Bonus pic: Dreamscapes
I took this picture in March 2006, on a choir trip to Japan.

The latest addition...

2007-05-09T10:51:00.000+02:00

...to my puzzle collection. It's a pretty famous German comic strip by an equally famous German comedian. The line in the bubble says "The egg is hard!", which - in itself - isn't all that funny, but in the context of the cartoon it belongs to it's one of the funniest lines ever delivered by a comic creature. lol

I already have a new puzzle project piled up, and it's going to be even more difficult than this one...

Another YouTube find of the day

2007-04-19T23:46:00.000+02:00

Hilarious!!!

12 of 12

2007-04-13T01:54:00.000+02:00

It's this time of the month again, but I almost forgot about it... But luckily I remembered just in time to make it to 12 pictures for the day. Thank you to Chad for this wonderful idea. *hugs*

Here's my day...

1) 09:09
On my way to class. The weather has been beautiful today, around 75°F...

2) 13:05
On my way to work... One of the blue windows is mine.

3) 17:47
The literature I'm using for my paper. I've been writing and writing and never seem to get any closer to the finish line. *sigh*

4) 19:19
Watching some season 2 episodes of Lois and Clark, one of my favorite TV shows ever!

5) 21:33
Listening to one of my favorite oldies...

6) 21:57
On my way to the cinema... Had to stop at a red light, which gave me enough time for this picture. This is the city hall of Dresden.

7) 21:59
Crossing a bridge...

8) 22:12
Someone stole the parking space that I wanted to take right in front of my nose, so I had to park my car in a garage.

9) 00:34
Empty streets...

10) 00:35
The beautiful scenery, this time crossing the bridge on my way back home. It's fuzzy, but it's dark and I'm driving...

11) 00:36
A sign on my way home. At the top it says "all directions", which is the sign you love the most when you are in a city you don't know. Luckily, I am quite familiar with my city and have no problems in finding my way home.

12) 00:44
Okay, technically it's not the 12th anymore, but this picture marks the end of my day. I'm back home from the cinema and about to exit my car, taking one last look at one of my favorite parts of the car. Blue makes me happy. :)

13) Bonus pic...
My random word was "watch", so this was an easy one for me...

This has been fun. I can't wait for May...

YouTube find of the day

2007-03-26T23:24:00.000+02:00

I found this on YouTube a couple of minutes ago and I think it's awesome:

The two are very, very talented, yet not free of faults, which makes them all the more likable. I spent 12 years of my life playing the violin, but I never got this good (though I'm proud to say that I played first violin in J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio twice, which is a pretty good thing to achieve when you're not a professional violinist).

I have three professional violinists in my family - two aunts and an uncle. My grandfather has been building violins for more than 30 years now. I play his "Number 8" out of a current total of more than 40. He is currently working on his first cello. My parents were spared from musician genes, instead they directly transferred them to me. At one point I played violin, piano and organ and I've been singing in choirs for more than 15 years. Singing is what I'm really good at. Maybe - one day - I'll be able to turn that into my profession...

Yay!

2007-03-24T13:01:00.000+01:00

My new TV arrived on Thursday and this time it's working! What a relief... I'm not a TV junkie (okay, maybe I am), but I like to have something playing in the background when I'm reading or working. I'm a born multi-tasking person. *nod*

Usually, I am not a list person, but I think I need to do one for this weekend. Maybe writing things down helps in getting them done eventually... So here's what I plan to do today:

finish the reading for my history paper
clean my windows (3 windows and a balcony door)
work on my blog - done!
throw away old newspapers (at least some of them)
watch the last episode of Charmed on German TV - done!
watch Casino Royale on DVD - done!
watch an episode of Alias Season 5 - done!

Okay, those last three points should be a piece of cake... I think my to do-list looks pretty doable. Let's get started!

Sometimes old is better than new...

2007-03-14T23:11:00.000+01:00

So... I got my new TV yesterday. I had to get up at 6.15 am since the TV people were supposed to stop by between 6.30 am and 1 pm - isn't that precise? They came at 7.20 am, brought the new TV and took away my old one. I unpacked it but didn't turn it on immediately, since it came in from the cold. I waited an hour and then - thinking that the TV had adapted to the room temperature - I turned it on. And ... the TV is broken! So now I have a brandnew, dysfunctional TV instead of an old one that had its flaws, but still gave me a picture. I called the store and they promised to send me a new one, but that might take a while...

*grumble*

12 of 12

2007-03-13T00:27:00.000+01:00

This is my first 12 of 12!! I'm very excited to participate. Thanks to Chad Darnell for this wonderful idea.

That's what my Monday, 12th March looked like:

1) 07.50 am
Wakey-wakey... I love my alarm clock, it plays a typical Bavarian tune. *lol*

2) 08.15 am
Reading the newspaper and eating some oatmeal. It takes at least an hour (the paper, not the outmeal *lol*) since it's one of the biggest - if not the biggest - daily newspapers in Germany.

3) 10.30 am
The weather was beautiful which allowed me to let the laundry dry on the balcony.

4) 10.31 am
While I'm on the balcony, this is what I see: the city that is Dresden.

5) 03.23 pm
No mail today...

6) 05.00 pm
Rehearsing for tomorrow's informal audition at a music college.

7) 06.30 pm
Watching my favorite cooking show on German TV. I'm getting a new TV tomorrow, so this is farewell...

8) 06.45 pm
I burned today's lunch (for the first time in my life...), so in order not to challenge fate I opted for a cold dinner: a nice salad.

9) 06.50 pm
Lovely scenery on the other side of my balcony. The days are getting longer...

10) 07.25 pm
Checking the last things for tomorrow's audition, which involved calling two people and taking some notes.

11) 08.20 pm
Continuing "Summer Crossing" by Truman Capote.

12) 11.30 pm
My pre-bed tea. Today: chocolate cinnamon Rooibosh.

Bonus pic - Green...
When you squeeze him he makes a frog noise. Oh, and next to it is an energy saving lamp, so the picture is green in a double sense. *lol*

That was fun!

In loving memory...

2007-03-11T16:17:00.000+01:00

Today would have been the 24th birthday of one of my former classmates. He died of brain cancer in July 2002, shortly after our graduation.

It's days like today that I think about all the people I've lost - beloved family members, friends, people I shared my hobbies with, or people I "only" knew. They were parts of my life and therefore I miss them...

Christin in the city...

2007-03-11T15:48:00.000+01:00

It's been a long time since my last post... But I've been very busy. And sometimes not so busy at all... And so much has happened!

1) The Oscars (25/02/07). It was a nice show, I liked Ellen DeGeneres as a host and the general flair of the whole event. There weren't too many surprises (but - as every year - I lost the Oscar bet with my best friend and now I have to pay next time we go and see a movie - as every year *lol*), I was especially glad to see Helen Mirren and Jennifer Hudson win. And though it was nighttime and completely dark outside (in German time the Oscars air from 1 a.m. to approximately 6.30 a.m.) I didn't yawn. Not.once. Oh, the things that make me proud...

2) I turned in my law paper - one day before its due date!

3) I visited my father in Berlin. I love Berlin, it's a great city. And now that I finally remembered to bring my camera, I even took some pictures. The weather was lousy, but the pictures aren't too bad.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

There are a couple of things lying ahead of me, like for example driving to an informal singing audition at a music school. Or finishing (better yet: starting) my history paper that is due at the end of this month. And there are a couple of choir things: a rehearsal weekend and lots of concerts.

Oh, and I'm getting a new TV. *grin*

I love puzzles...

2007-02-18T10:31:00.000+01:00

And that's why it happens fairly often that I spend nights putting puzzles together, which are of the 1000, 1500 or 2000 pieces variety. Last night was such a night. I had to finish the puzzle because I'm having a friend over from my hometown on Tuesday and that means that the living room table has to be free. When I am alone I don't mind blocking my table with puzzles, since I rarely sit down at it to eat. And when I work at the table it is fairly easy to spread the sheets of paper and the books over the puzzle, without disturbing it. But having a friend over means eating at the table, which means no puzzle. Long story short: here is the puzzle I finished last night:

And here are a couple of other puzzles I did over the last 2 or so years, going from the most recent before the one above to the oldest:

This one was done in September 2006.

This is one of the most difficult puzzles I own, because of all the colors. I did it in June 2006.

May 2006. 1500 pieces...

This puzzle has 2000 pieces. I had to do it on the floor because my table isn't large enough for it. I did it in October 2005.

This puzzle was done on the floor of my Strasbourg apartment in June 2005. It shows Boston Harbor.

Another poor quality picture. I also did this one in Strasbourg. And I did finish it, except for one piece that is missing from the puzzle. *cry*

I did this one in October 2004, when my father visited me in Strasbourg. Sorry for the poor quality, I took this picture with my old cell phone camera.

I have plenty of other puzzles that still need to be done. So stay tuned for more puzzle pictures...

Hello!

2007-02-17T13:08:00.000+01:00

Today marks the glorious entrance of Christin into the world wide blog-o'-sphere!

This will be my little corner in the world wide web...

Welcome!