Paula's Diary

Short Note on My Absence

2012-02-27T15:31:00.004+01:00

This is the time, once again, where I would love to post more frequently, because a lot of interesting and exciting things happen, but I am running out of time!

The reason is my second job, the one at the radio station. It consumes all my free and spare time. This month I have been meeting the community of Philippinas in Vienna. I will portray their lifes in Vienna. Well, as good as you can portray lifes within in 10-12 minutes time. Those women are almost invisible in our daily lives, when they come and clean our offices early in the morning or late at night, while all the employees are at home.
I wanted to get to know them better, to understand how they came here and how they feel in our culture.

Picture taken during a women's fellowship-meeting at one of the women's home.
After sharing, praying, singing and eating it was playtime.

I have been listening to hours of interviews. Above all is their wish to find and have a job, work is what they search for when they leave home. This sounds so different from what many Austrians think about foreigners – that all they want is to come here so they can exploit our system of social welfare.

Their openness and hospitality during those last weeks was so different from the way I approach foreigners. I truly enjoyed this project. I love to meet new worlds, particularly those happening behind next door. This is the reason why I do this 2nd job that does not pay well at all!

So much for the update!

Thinking about my motiviation for this project - the wish to get to know those women better - it seems as if I've succeeded. "Hey, hello Paula!" "Tschüühüss Paula!!" Those who had no idea of the other's existance before became acquainted.

Funny Argument on Hair-Issues

2012-02-25T14:19:00.008+01:00

Hello Debbi and Rosemary, thank you for following!

te hehehe. You all should have seen me earlier this afternoon - when I went to a hair-salon to buy a bottle of shampoo (Shu Uemura), for my sister's birthday. I asked for a certain product and the women/stylist in the salon asked if I the bottle is for me. I said no, it's for my sisiter. Why you ask?
She said that my hair is too thin and the shampoo would not work for my hair.
That's when I frowned my eyebrows. Thin hair? Excuse me? Thin?
Having just asked my hairstylist (at another hair-salon) to cut me a Cameron Diaz-short-bob, having listened to my hairstylist who told me that he can not cut the Cameron-bob with my hair, because Cameron's Hair is thin and fine and mine is strong and thick and that Cameron would love to have hair like I have. My hair, thin? Excuse ME? May we have a word ...

I started explaing the woman that I am not naturally blonde, even though my hair looks natural, I am a brunette and you know what, brunettes usually don't have thin hair. You really think, this is thin hair? And I started going through my hair with my fingers.

The woman was Persian. She said "you have European thin hair".
Oh yes, then she told me how to use a conditioner properly. She could not know that I am the Queen of correct usage of any product and that no conditioner ever touches my scalp but only the lenghts.

It's during moment's like this, where I like to have Larry David on my mind - when I start defending my hair towards a women I have never seen before who is supposed to sell me something. No doubt, the other person IS usually doing the right thing in the situation, only Larry/me is too convinced of his/my belief, one ends up arguing. Mostly on luxury problems.

When I left the salon (with a bottle of shampoo which she recommended, not without thanking her for her advice), I reflected upon Shu Uemura's products, how Japanese and Chinese women have thick hair, Persian women probably, too. In the eyes of a Persian women, my hair might, just might seem a bit thin. It's a global market. I had compared my hair to other Caucasian hair, not realising that thick might be thick in terms of Chinese and Persian hair.

News on my "new "haircut

Sorry, I have to disappoint you, since my hairstylist has disappointed me. The planned "new cut" became nothing more but a mere maintenance haircut, since the hairstylist did not want to cut more than an inch! The Cameron photos did not convince him. He said that my jawline is too distinctive to go with this short cut (=polite speech for "you are way too chubby and fat around your jaw line")
Isn't it supposed to be the other way round: the woman begging the stylist not to shorten the hair too much. What is wrong with my hairstylist? Why won't he shorten cut my hair?

Ok, I will have to return to my "other" stylist (yep, by now we have reached stylist #3 in this posting), the one I had visited in December, the one who chopped off inches and more inches.

Final thought for today: do you know what I really appreciate? Colleagues who won't faint when you tell them that the best haircut yuo can get is a bit costly. It costs 82 EUR. Because those colleagues (those who WON'T faint) have lived in London in the past, and they KNOWthat a senior stylist cuts better than the junior stylist and that a good hairgut is ABSOLUTELY worth those 82 EUR. Taking in consideration how large the label "Hair" has become on this blog, I better make the investment, since hair seems to be important for me.

Have a nice weekend and in case you experience any Larry David Moments, try to find the fun in them. Makes life easier and more fun!

Strandbad Gänsehäufel and Alte Donau Off-Season

2012-02-15T19:44:00.014+01:00

Hello!

I am not overexaggerating when I tell you looking at these photos I just uploaded almost brings tears to my eyes. The beauty of the frozen Alte Donau (that's where I use to go for an after-work swim during the summer months) and the magical atmosphere of the largest public bathing beach in Vienna during its hibernation touch me. May those photos move you, too. (You know who you are!)

But first things first! Last Saturday I had an appointment across the Danube River. The beauty of snow and ice fascinated me.

I know these waters very well from the summer months.

The very next day, Sunday, it did not take much to convince Mr Paula for a trip on the ice. He went for the onion-style (4-5 fleece sweaters and jackets), whereas I went for the fir tree-style, that never lets me down.
We planned a one-way trip, starting at the U6 Alte Donau and ending at U1 UNO City, heading south.

We took the subway (not very underground as you can see) Here the train arrives at the station Josefstädter Straße)

The weather had changed over night, blue sky accompanying the white snow perfectly.
I can only tell the best things about ice covered with snow: you don't slip and you easily can push aside all those worrying thoughts about cracking ice - because it is out of sight.

Who knew Vienna is a city for kite-surfing?

First we could not get close enough to the kites but as soon as we were surrounded by kite-surfers we hurried to get away from them. Too many strings attached!

ccchhhhhhhhhth. ccccchhhhhhhhhhhth. (I heard one in my back while I was taking this photo)

The wind had blown the snow away and around, we kept on looking out for the perfect trail.

You find a lot of cracks and there were the cracks happen, you can see how thick the ice is.
Mr Paula's shoe left gives you a clue how thick the ice was.

Loyal readers might know this place from here, back then.

Cornices we usually get to see above 1500m

Humble, but nevertheless beautiful cornices

We walked down south and reached the Lower Old Danube after one hour. The man who walks his dog tried to convince his wife that the ice was safe. He had not convinced her by the time we left this spot but he took it easy.

The Old Danube is not to be confused with the Danube stream. The Old Danube is a groundwater lake, which known for perfect rowing conditions during the warmer months since there are close to no waves during the early morning hours.

A Rowing Club-House

Another Rowing Club-House

Sports in front of the Rowing Club-House. Can you see all the thermoses to the left? We did not leave the house without a proper thermos in the backbag.
Urban development close to the Old Danube, reminds me of a comic strip, somehow unreal. Unfortunately it is real ...
Not far from this spot is the Strandbad Gänsehäufel.
Walking towards the lido. just like Jesus is one of the funniest things I can imagine. You approach the lido you know by heart from swimming there by walking there instead of swimming. Things like that make my day!
The Strandbad provides hundreds of cabins and lockers. The cabins in the towers are quite exclusive.

The Strandbad dates back over 100 years. The architecture you see was built after the damages that the bombardements during the last weeks of the 2nd World War had caused. The old architecture had been completely destroyed. The modern architecture from 1950 still looks so fresh. Of course after a complete renovation a few years ago it better looks fresh!
The cabanas are the de-luxe-cabins. People stay there during the day and seldom visit the beach with their beach chairs. They leave for a swim and come back after the swim. Over the years (regular customers own their cabanas over decades) people form a neighbourhood in their little community. De-luxe for the lower middle class and working class.

You need to picutre me, hopping around like a happy rabbit, drunken from all the beautiful details and sights and the scenery.
We climbed one of the cabin-towers to enjoy the view ...

It seems a bird had enjoyed the view, too.

From above the cabanas resemble a military camp!

Down there you don't realize how dense it is

my footprint

The watch-tower is the iconic building of the Gänsehäufel.

My and my parent's childhood memories date back to this wave pool. All the screaming during the short minutes where the waves were rolling through the pool and the unbelievable boo-ing and hissing when the pool attendant ended the waves. During those minutes, everyone turned into a child again. You could see people my age and above having fun just like the kids, moving up and down in the waves in the pool.

We used to rent a cabin in one of these blocks for many years.

Hibernation

An almost Japonesque patio with buoys waiting for the ice to melt.

A few showers that have not yet been replaced by modern stainless stell showers.

Recycling-bins (blue=metal, yellow=plastic, red=paper, brown=organic) during hibernation.
By the sheer number of bins you get the picture how large this public beach is.

This has been Mr Paula's first visit to the Gänsehäufel ever. He might have gotten a wrong impression what this place is like ;-)

This afternoon ended around 10pm, with Mr Paula and me returning from my parent's home where we enjoyed coffee and dinner. We are good in spontaneous self-inviting. Politics were not on the agenda, but Aveda shampoo and home improvement projects such as the new broom closet which is in the works. Nice!
Who would have thought that it is possible to tan during the winter months? I obviously tanned a little. And not doubt, these 2,5 hours we spent on the ice were a great anti-depressive-therapy, with all the bright light.

Visible Monday: My Russian Boots

2012-02-13T16:55:00.006+01:00

(A silly, frozen smile – due to a not-relaxed-at-all-posture in front of the webcam, waiting for it to "click")

Hello,

and again it's time for another Visible Monday. In case you want to play, too, click here and visit the Visible Monday gallery: http://notdeadyetstyle.blogspot.com

Only 1 item of my wardrobe is visible today, the rest is urban-camouflage in marine-blue and navy. I call these boots my Russian Boots, because of the bling-bling. And they have embroderies. And the lining is red and white with flowers. The crystals are by Swarovski Crystallized and the boots are HÖGL (a smallish Austrian Company).
The upper part of the boots is made out of anthracite-grey loden, the lower part is black leather.

The only reason, why I did choose these boots today was that my comfy brown suede boots with silent rubber soles needed to go to the shoe-doctor, the zip broke.

Not only are my black Russian Boots sparkling, no, they also make quite an appearance, they are loud! The heels make "clong clog clong clog" all the way down the corridor at the office. Plus, they add 2 extra inches to my 5'10''. I would say they absolutely qualify for a visible monday!

cheers,
Paula

Alpine Destinations: Graubünden, Swiss

2012-02-09T20:08:00.010+01:00

Hello!

Hello Deb! I am happy to know you as a new follower!
Europa is one of the top destinations for U.S.-Bloggers. Last year, Une femme visited Italy and France, we literally woke up with her and enjoyed the views from her room. Later the same year, Catherine from Aesthetic Alterations spent a whole season, the Christmas season in Paris and invited us to the Louvre.

And Adrienne from Sonoma, CA will visit Switzerland and Italy. I can tell you I am already looking forward to seeing those photos she brings home from her trip together with her husband, and her great smile.

I don't know Switzerland all too well and my viewpoint is a rather narrow one: I went there to do research on bridges. But since bridges are usually there to bridge some gaps, in this case not rivers or streams but valleys, those regions might be of interest.

What I know for sure, Switzerland is the land of trains. Up and down they go, around the mountains and through the mountains. Passing glaciers and lovely residential schools, far from the next town. I thought I post some eyecandy for Adrienne right away.

Here are some photos of my short stay in Graubünden, not far from Zurich (about 1 hour per train). I stayed there 3 days.

Heading towards Chur on the train, on the shore of the Zurichsee

In this province you find St Moritz, Davos and some of the most exciting railway tracks in Europe. The Swiss love to go on vacation in Graubünden.

Graubünden is famous for its hiking tracks:

I stayed in Chur, it is a good town as a base, you can visit St Moritz and other places from there. And you find B&Bs at reasonable prices.

Sunset in Chur

View from the B&B in the morning

Oh so Swiss houses!

My research lead me to the Viamala, this was end of May, rainy weather. It could have been hot, but it wasn't. :-)

Ancients paintings on rocks

Old and new bridges

Cool bridges!

Coming up next: a trainride through eternal ice
Trains designed by Pininfarina

tchoo tchoo tchoo

The ice of the glaciers irs really blue! It is different from any ice I have seen before.

PS: Adrienne, of course you have to come to Austria!
Look how sunny the Alps are over here:
Paula, obviously enjoying mountain air and views
high above Innsbruck (seen in the back, way below).
You don't have to be very trained to get up here. Cable-cars do the work. :-)

Since I am a huge fan of the Alps this is going to be the first of further postings to come. The Alps origin in the West of Europe, France and form an arc - France / Italy / Switzerland / Germany / Austria. I will stay in Switzerland for some more posting/s. :-)

Built On Fear, Again?

2012-02-07T20:52:00.000+01:00

Hello!

My parents are racists. This fact has been worrying me for some time. They have read Thilo Sarrazin's book on muslim migration in Germany, which is munition for all their arguments against muslims. Because muslims hazard our culture. Reading the book alone does not make them become racists. But their reasons and viewpoints prove so.

It feels like disclosing a family secret when I say my parents are racists. Of course, they would NEVER call themselves racists, rather 'loyal citizens who care' – unlike me, who does not care.
Of course, in their eyes, I have been totally blinded by the left-wing multi-culti propaganda, green parties and so on, because I never say a word against immigrants.

My parents fear that churches will be used as mosques in the near future. In the UK and NY churches have been transformed to discotheques and shopping centres. Other countries don't seem to identify their mainstream culture with churches. Honstely, I don't worry about the chuches. They are just buildings.

And then there is this long past incident, where the turks laid siege to Vienna and failed in the end. Vienna was lucky. Can you believe it, that this past incident, 1683 (!) is at hand no time when reasons against turkish immigration are needed?! That all they want is to conquer us? Are they serious? I fear they are serious.

Today the disagreement reached a new level. It was when my mother included asylum seekers in the debate and how wrong it is form the gouvernment to let them stay in Austria and that the asylum seekers will bring all their families so they can all exploit our social system.

On the rather funny side were her fears how muslims will be to blame when all the vineyards will be gone in the near future, because muslims don't drink alcohol and the vineyards won't be of use anymore. It was the first time I heard her worrying about decreasing alcohol consum in Austria! In the past she had always complained that alcoholism is widely accepted in our culture, that it is too accepted.
The truth is, Austrian real estate developers are the main reason for decreasing vineyard-properties in the outskirts of Vienna and nothing else. But still, she fears ...

My parents are educated people. What do they fear? And why don't I fear the muslims?
Mr Paula says, they think like this because they are getting old. Isn't this an easy excuse to neglect the fact that they changed to the worse?

Friend H. visited Cairo over New Year. She did not get along very well with the different status of women in an arabic country. Not at all. I guess I would have problems, too. Would this justify to lock them out of our nation?

My father understands, I don't think in terms such as "nation" and "national" like their generation does. But he does not know where this will lead to. He would like the nation to remain how it is over the next 100 years.

The next elections are coming soon and I won't be too surprised if the right wing parties experienced a boost by then. Because fear is what makes them large.

I'm at my wits end. And I can tell you, those discussions are stressful. I guess my mum and I are much alike in our cores. Just the other side of the medal. Mr Paula handles those discussions much better than I do, cooler blood flowing in his veins.

I would be happy to hear from you. Did you experience similar arguments with your parents?
Do you ever doubt your viewpoint might be too tolerant and that you miss out something?

I guess I will label this posting "Women's Worries Around 40" and I will see, which other worries will come up in 2012. The label is still small, which is not bad! Lets keep the worries low.

EDIT:

I feared (another fear!), I do my parents wrong, calling them racists. I have to admit, I feel very uncomfortable, using this term. But it is what it is. And, racism is not limited to the colour of the skin. Can they all be wrong, those who signed the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination? Because in my parent's eyes, I'm wrong.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) writes:

While ‘racism’ – as an ideology or set of beliefs – has no universally agreed definition, Kleg neatly defines it as follows:

‘the belief that certain groups are innately, biologically, socially, morally superior to other groups, based upon what is attributed to be their racial composition’. (Kleg, M. (1993) Hate Prejudice and Racism, Albany: State University of New York Press, p.95.)

Kleg’s definition of ‘racism’ usefully marries references to both biological and social differences, but remains grounded in ideas based on ‘racial composition’ and superiority.

Visible Monday: Hoops!

2012-02-06T13:26:00.004+01:00

Hoops for 3,99 EUR, found at the drugstore

Thank you J.Lo for reintroducing hoops on the fashion-radar. They make a huge difference.

This posting is part of the Visible Monday-project.

Final Destination: Schönbichler

2012-02-04T20:35:00.013+01:00

Hello!

Having circled the city centre several times over the past weeks, always on the quest for the right teapot, I almost lost hope.

So today I thought "Why not give it another go and visit Schönbichler"?, having my hairstylists enthousiastic words still on in mind. (my hairstylist does not drink coffee, he knows quite a lot about tea).

Above you see the shop-window of the cake shop Demel in the city centre. This shop is so geniunely Viennese, as is this passageway opposite of Schönbichler.

February is the season for ballroom-events in Austria = Big robes in shop windows.

Another dress I won't wear this ball-season, since I don't visit any ball this year.

Schönbichler, founded 1870 shares space with a German company, Gschwendner, two shops in one and the result is all you could ask for: traditional service and up to date selection on tea, tableware and accessoires.

The modern shop Gschwendner, with the doorstep towards the traditional Schönbichler.
Schönbichler also offers a broad liquor-section, you find mostly men in the liquor-section.

I politely asked, if it is ok to take pictures.
I have been to many tea-stores, but only this served tea and every one is invited to try a cup of fresh hot tea. That little dutch boy, sitting at Schönbichler, freezing from the walks his family and he had during the freezing afternoon, he surely enjoyed the complimentary cup of tea.

Teapots, teapots, teapots ...

... and more teapots!

Leaving the shop, happily putting a big paper bag in my bike's basket:

The side entrance is in a passageway

It was not so much the teapot but the combination of teapot and tea warmer that was challenging. I could have gotten many white teapots with white tea warmer but having had a white tea warmer and teapot in the past (with an impossible barycentre, that's why I don't own the teapot anymore), I wanted to go for COLOUR!

Looking at the broad selection I decided I had to get lucky, finally leave a shop with a teapot and I did:
The tea warmer is Denby in "Greenwich" green.
The integrated teapot-sieve is very finely woven, a feature I appreciate.

The cup in Greenwich green was a side order, -50%. Having searched for the teapot for so long, I thought I deserved a bonus cup. My cup, since I am the only tea drinker at the Paula Residence.

The reason I did not buy a Denby teapot was their size, they were all quite large. This teapot contains 0.7l, which is just right for me.
One thing I am not so happy about today is my back, I went to see a physiotherapist. My back has been annoying but no such thing as a real big pain. Well, now I sit here and my back IS in pain. Yesterday I went to see the therapist for the second time, during the therapy it did not hurt that bad. An information leaflet I'd received after the first session says it's normal and happens very often that the pain might get worse at the beginning of the therapy. The therapist definitely tickled some nerves. pffffffffh. ouch.
However, I will see him next wednesday and ask him if the pain is really part of the normal sideeffects of my back finally getting better. :-/

Oh, and on the good side: he checked my mobility thoroughly and during one move I had to lift my streched legs, lying on my back. He said my abdomenal mucles are fine, because I could lift both legs alltogether without trembling heavily.

And I thought I had close to no abdomenal muscles, since I quit running during the winter months and I only train my abdomenal mucsles after runs. Good to know there is some substance I can rely on.The therapist's office is beautiful! Very calm. And the coffeetable-books are appealing.

Back home I organised a British welcome feast for the new teapot and tea warmer. Apple crumble (forgive the french casserole dish)

to be followed by Honeyed Almond Shortbread:

At last!

How nice, the colour of the vintage Teema table (creamer pictured in front) ware matches the tea warmer.

Oh yes, the ensemble of the pot and the warmer pleases me, a lot. No more steel-thermoses in this living room.

The door to the stairway that leads towards the office is shocking. Ice!
This is how we imagine Novosibirsk, with freezing air freezes inside buildings.

It is really cold in Vienna, -10°C and you can actually feel how it gets even colder in the evening hours. You can't help but feel creepy cold air around your feet, even when the heating is on. That's why my teapot is warm-red and not cool-white.

Have a nice evening!

PS: am I the only one, who is not impressed by The Ides of March? Maybe it WAS a bad idea, reading the synopsis on Wikipedia beforehand. *ggg* I rather watch Il Gattopardo for three hours, oh, I actually did this, yesterday with Friend B. Enjoyable! Films like that should be seen with company and better at home, because our comments made the movie memorable. Especially during the scene, where the dusty family attended mass.

And to quote Lisa, from Privilege: No remuneration was received for this post. The opinions are wholly my own.

One Word: Freezing

2012-02-03T08:37:00.000+01:00

Window in the stairway this morning

Now the cold has hit us at large. Temperatures in Vladivostik are mild, compared to the recent temperatures in Austria. Vienna's temperature is comparable to Helsinki's.

Unfortunately some of my plants were way too optimistic and showed up much too early:

Dang. No blooming for the early blossoms. The biting cold killed them.

I don't have time to mourn over my overly optimistic plants, because we are busy mourning over the all too soon loss of our one and favourite breakfast-spot, Orlando di Castello. News are that they will have to go out of business, due to lacking success. Today we went and cherished a last "Soldier"*.

We are going to miss this Café and will have to find another place to meet. Meanwhile Marionnaud has been missing me! Well, they sent me a voucher due to "long time no see". Gut so! Very Well! Frugal January pays off. And no, Marionnaud, you won't see me in February or March, because I don't think it's polite to give me a 5 EUR voucher and ask me to spend 30 EUR at the same time.
Now what kind of attentivness would this be? You think this is a gift? I think it is exactly the kind of attentivness I can easily live without.
Especially when I can stare at iced windows for free, which is at least as satisfying if not more:
Don't you agree, those iced windows feel very "18'th centuryish", which is nice. As long as you don't live in the 18th century and experience the coldness in your bedroom at morning.

Our office-dog might not share my view. I don't remember her having been ever so torpid:

*egg+toasted baguette+fleur du sel + butter

Enchanting Milanese

2012-02-02T20:20:00.000+01:00

Italians are known for their "Stehcafé" - they buy an espresso at the bar, often for less than 1 EUR and in an instant they empty the cup. A architecture & design magazine placed design pieces in bars and restaurants in the City of Design, Milan.

This page caught my eye. I love how the elderly people interact with the stool. As if the woman was thinking "what a silly barstool this is". And can you sense the politeness of the elderly man, the way he touches the barstool?

It's things like that that truly entertain me.

Grooming Gracefully

2012-02-02T18:02:00.004+01:00

Some follow up photos showing the tour two weeks ago I just received in my mailbox:

Some groups were all-red. Our group came in all colours. :-)

I have no idea what made me walk with my knees closed, maybe it was the knowledge of being pictured? I guess this unusual style/technique won't make history. And no, I did NOT need to pee!

A Quick Update On Short Hair

2012-02-02T08:20:00.000+01:00

Hello!

I feel as if I were to lose your attention in my hair-issues by the time I get my haircut (the week after next week), if I continue blogging on other people's short hair much longer.
But, I thought I'd show you Cameron. Gladly, her curls/waves were not a perm but more of a gag, because this is what her hair looks like:
Looking at Cameron I get the impression that even with all that money at her hands, she can't handle that annoying greasy shine on the forehead and chin, which is somehow comforting, stuggling with that grease myself, and somehow not at all, since I would rather read that there is an anti-dote available that tames those nasty greasy T-zones. Blot. Blot. Blot. And no, I am not confusing highlighters with greasy shine.

Some fashion bloggers say the quite short bob makes her look older than she actually is. True? Maybe not older but more serious, since she is know as a sporting ace and not so much as a lady.
I might print those pictures and take the to the hairdresser and I think it's a good idea. How short will I go?

One Word: Amazing.

2012-01-28T18:46:00.007+01:00

How lucky we are!
The weather-forecast said clouds, snow and wind, but we had blue skies, no wind and sun til it set.
Now we are off to a Cocktail, so I will have to leave you with the pictures, but trust me: they tell the story very well.

Like last weekend, no snow in Vienna, green fields around Vienna and tons of snow behind the Semmering-Mountain.

Kreuzschober/Mürzzuschlag: 2,5 hours of schlepping up the mountain, 30 min skiing downhill. Not included: all those moments where I stopped to take photos.

Comfortable starting time: 10.30 am

Cozy soups are being served in the mountain hut.

The pit latrine. Idyllic ;-)

Skimountaineering experiences a renaissance in Austria, every year more people leave the alpine ski ressorts and visit the woods and quiet slopes.

Have a nice Weekend!

7 Weeks Later

2012-01-25T09:06:00.000+01:00

And so my hair grows, and grows, and grows ...

The 1980's "Sort-of-a-MTV-Host-Hairstyle" as seen above

... grew into a late 1990's
"TV-newsroom-Anchor-Woman-Arrives-at-the-Studio-Hairdo"*

Not that I have a bit of a problem with the fact that my style varies from wild to plain. Isn't that what good models are all about: slipping into a new identity every other day?

7 weeks after the initial haircut, my hair almost touches my shoulders. The next appointment with scissors is due in 3 weeks. My colourist/hairstylist did NOT cut the initial short haircut – I had to leave him for that, but I return for the colour. (Yes, it's complicated.)

Now, that the initial cut is done, I will let him do the maintenance. He said my bob is too plain. He has an idea what works for me. This is what my hairstylist has in mind: (this is the photo he showed me on his smartphone)

I guess I will have to dissuade him from cutting this mess into my hair.

Firstly, because this is not Madonna's hair but a wig and secondly because I actually like my "TV-News-Anchor-Woman-Me".

Message to Macs: shirt-day #2 in a row.

*The posture in front of the webcam for front-portraits is difficult - you sit and the angle is quite low, tricky. I have to work on that! Profile-portraits are easier. Long story short: this is the best posture I can handle in front of the webcam.

Another World Behind the Mountain

2012-01-22T21:03:00.009+01:00

Hello again!

We are back and everyone is safe and sound, including the car - conditions where quite slippery.
We arrived Saturday, 8am, these photos where taken around 7/7.30am. A beautiful morning.
More january skies here!

Icy road!

This region is called "Styrian Siberia", because it is colder than other regions nearby.

Since this winter has been really mild, the streams are far from being frozen

Styria is known for its forests and timber

Shortly after we arrived we got ready for our first tour. Since we are repeating the course for beginners, I did not listen too closely but rather paid attention to the residents:

And up we went. Last year Mr Paula and I had already walked up several hills and mountains. This year we arrived from level 0 which means no tours so far. Lucky us, the route was not too steep and the distance not too far.
When we returned home, it started snowing and over night it had snowed and rained, about 2 feet of new snow and the conditions in the mountains became really dangerous. In Austria a fantastic avalange-warning-system warns people and today it said "red flag", so no more tours for us.

I did take more pictures during the tour, but since they show other people's faces, I don't want to publish them.

Gefahr means danger, Lawine means avalanche and level 4 means that it does not need the weight of a group or even a single person to cause an avalanche - they go down by themselves on slopes with moderate inclinations. The black star on the top, left means avalanches can occur in any exposition, north, south, east, west. The shape of the region is Styria, in the middle of Austria.

The inn dates back! :-)

A super-comfy room.
We went to bed at 9pm yesterday and enjoyed every moment in this lovley room.

This was the view from the balcony today

80km northeast, in Vienna, it's 8°C and the daffodils are springing

(sorry, I can't remove the italic-formatting:)

We were not exactly disappointed, that the second tour had been cancelled, since we had yesterday's tour and the sleep-deprivation from Friday to Saturday still in our systems. When we arrived in Vienna, I jumped into my red flannel pajama, with a book under my arm and a few pages later, I slept and I slept for 3 hours! Mr Paula stayed awake but went to bed early (9pm). The snow, the fresh air, the sport, the presence of so many people and the group you spend the day with - it's all exciting and exhausting at the same time. Also I could tell that I had spent some days in bed due to a viral infection one week ago, no wonder I was glad today was a rest-day.

Another reason, why I did not shed a tear over the missed tour of today was the heavy snow: after the rain the snow became really heavy and it had already been heavy yesterday. Skiing in all-terrain and deep snow is aready a challenge for me. I don't need the extra challenge of heavy, difficult to handle snow. I am glad I handled the snow yesterday - no falling, no losing control and relieved parents, when I called them today and let them know everything went fine.

The view from the room

I am still surprised, how much the snow overwhelmed me, just looking at those photos ...
Maybe it's my new love for running, that I am not that keen on snow in 2011/2012? I used to love snow and skimountaineering and now I just sit here and can't wait for the first mild evening to lace up my running shoes. This winter everything seem to be different.

10pm, time to leave the computer!

The Choice

2012-01-20T20:14:00.005+01:00

You could either stay at home and enjoy an elegant cup of tea or pack your tea in a thermos, together with sandwiches, dates and energy bars ....
.. and find out what a weekend in the Styrian mountains have to offer.

It's time for another skimountaineering course. I have to admit, I am not exactly what you would call highly motivated. The lack of snow in Vienna lead to a non-wintery-mood. It has been raining in the mountains this week.
How "convenient" we booked the course, no excuses! (otherwise we would of course stay away from nature and enjoy our livingroom over the weekend) Some books and the water kettle will accompany me, in case I really don't feel like exhausting myself outdoors.
Do you look forward to meeting a lot of new people you have only met once before, during theory lesson? I don't. I prefer to meet people I already know, people I like.

Enjoy your - hopefully - cozy weekend!
Paula

Exploring Excellence

2012-01-16T20:54:00.012+01:00

At the end of an excellent winter day

Hello!

How are you doing? I hope you are fine!

Over the last weeks I have been busy, I have been sick and I have been reading a lot. By a lot I mean a lot. 1 book per day. Among the books are two books on class and status, which are still on my night stand. Paul Fussell's Class is translated as "Cashmere, Cocktail Cadillac". Really? Cashmere, Coktail Cadillac? ugh.

As if the German title were not already bad enough ... the cover image tops it!

Lisa's posting on her stay in a resort hotel caused quite a stir. She wrote about "the Others". Over 100 comments and many of the commenters referred to Fussell's book. Susan Tiner also took part in the discussion and now she is reading the same book as I and seh just recently wrote a fabulous posting on her thoughts about Class and her class and the book. I admire her ability, to write a review like she did. From what I have been reading in the Fussell book she is right about everything.

Quote Susan:
"I got busy reading Class: A Guide Through the American Status System (1983) by Paul Fussell, which although hilarious and I believe more accurate than not, is neither kind nor politically correct. There’s something in it to offend everyone. "

I would say Fussell's book is an excellent opening reading for anyone who wants to occupy him/herself with class. You miss something if you don't visit Susan's posting titled Social Anxiety! I for my part can only say that when I read Lisa's posting, I immediately thought "Class is a british/US-thing." But I was wrong. It is right here, and I am playing a part in it. All my status anxieties form the typical behaviour of the middle class women. It is indeed amazing, to be read "like an open book" in a book.

Austria is at the beginning to establish elites. The government wants to start off with an university. Maybe there will never exist any elites at all in this country. In any case, I will be prepared to know who I am dealing with!

I did not buy Fussell's book, because amazon/delivery would have taken too long ;-) Instead, I paid the public library a visit. I returned not only with books on class and status anxiety but also other books. I guess 14 or so.

Nothing warms my heart like a crowded public library on the weekend, people who rather not go shopping but provide themselves with book selections for the weekend

I dived into all kinds of books covering sicily: novels, travel guide books, books on it's history and colonialisation. And of course - M as in Mafia. Books on women who worked as drug couriers in the 1980's and the suburbian slums close to Palermo, where drugs rule every kid's life are among the really depressive books. Andrea Camilleri's books on the contrary also very informative but won't depress you. He wrote the bestseller on the pizzini, the tiny papers that have been the communication device #1 over decades until the boss of all bosses went to jail. Camilleri also writes novels, bestselling novels.
This is an entertaining novel, nothing too serious but full of atmosphere covering the Sicilian lifestyle. I almost forgot how much I love to read. I have no problems sticking to my New Year's resolution - no more internet past 10pm but now I find myself reading until 1am!!! :-o

While reading, I love to sip from a cup of tea.

Another photo that lacks white-balance-management. Forgive me!

I am still on the hunt for the perfect tea pot. For black tea, only.
I might buy on in Hamburg, isn't Hamburg known as the City of tea connaisseurs, regarding black tea, since I won't make it up to London too soon?

The green-tea-pot-supplies are all there.

One reason why I won't use the green-tea-tea-pot for black tea is it's size, it measures only 300ml, which is more than sufficient for green tea. But I love to slurp 2-3 mugs of black tea!

Between all the reading we also managed to remove all Christmas decorations.

Last photos before everything goes back into the box until Nov 2012:

Our door is white, not yellow! I am too lazy to manage the white-balance this time. ;-)

I absolutely admire Mr Paula's skills. He put the lights back into perfect order.
Those lights have been all over the windows,believe me, this is not a fake-photo but real! (fake in the sense of we only pretend the lights have ever left the box)

And he did not curse, not even once!

Looking at these photos I guess Mr Paula would do well as a volin maker. Or even volin player?

I can not imagine anybody else doing this. I would not!

And in between we prepared the photo safari, which my niece and I am going to explore as soon as it gets warmer. I took photos, Mr Paula was steering the wheel. Of course readers from Vienna will know the places. I am almost sure my niece knows none of them. Not yet!

This man had to be part of the photo safari, because the Café, where they sell my niece's favourite pastries, is the place where this man Johann Strauß - debuted with his waltzes and became famous. This statue is nowhere near the Café but close the the penguins and the Paris-km-gravure. (my niece has been to Paris once.Hmm. She might remember the visit more like a trip to Euro-Disney than to Paris though.

I do look forward to the plate of sweets and two cups if hot chocolate at the Café the end of the safari.

Oh yes, and Friend B and I nailed down our plans and finally booked our trip to Sicily! I am going to arrive one day early and spend one day on my own before the group arrives. It is our first studytrip together and my first studytrip ever. I decided not to stick my books in guide books on site but listen to a women who tells us stories about the sites instead.

My sister and I are almost done with our Hamburg-planning. There are so many hotels to choose from and we are not exactly on the same, not yet! But the Park Hyatt will always be there for us. No worries! Excellence is where we meet.

First Glance at Sicily

2012-01-06T11:44:00.010+01:00

Am I going to visit a third-world country? What shocks me is all the dirt. The charm of a construction site everywhere I go with street view. Don't you just loathe google street view?
Now I understand, why people always say it's so tidy in Vienna. Because it is!

This is a street close to a touristic village close to Catania. Before seeing the pictures, I thought I might pay it a visit. Much acclaimed orange groves are nearby. Now I am almost sure I won't go there. Sure those pictures won't make it into any travel guide book.

To calm my nevers I "went" downtown*:

I might stay here for one night.

Ah, I already see myself - the way too stiff and rigid woman - arriving from northern Europe, arriving dwon south, in the very, VERY Mediterranean. The travel guide books write about southern equanimity. I would rather say phlegm.
Ma sigonora ...

* haha, I wrote"downton", the DVD set arrived, my mother is going to love it.

Being a Grownup

2012-01-05T14:29:00.004+01:00

Hello!

Today I read coffeeaddict's blog (cat's pajamas, dog's tuxedos) posting on Age appropriate behaviour and what it means to be a grownup. I can so relate to her thoughts. I mean, look at this:

I just returned from the kitchen with this cup of coffee:

I could not help but complement the two "eyes" with a happy smile.
(the eyes are actually 2 brown marks, created by the two pipes of the coffee maker)

At school we used to have those friendship books. You would invite your friends and also familiy members to fill in their favourite dishes, music and books, eyecolour, haircolour and what their career aspirations are etc. Many friends age 10, 11 wanted to become a vet. My sister wanted to become a mother. I wanted to become a grown-up. How comes I have known myself back then so well already?

I have a New Year resolution I have been looking forward during the last days of 2011. It meets the topic about leading an adult life. Unfortunately it will affect my blogging habits, since the resolution is simple but effective:

No internet-access past 10pm at the Paula Residence.

I found myself spending way too many hours late at night in front of the computer. I have always envied Mr Paula, sitting on the couch, reading a book, while I was reading blogs, commenting and writing new postings. The night time has been very productive for my blog and entertaining when I read your postings. But the same time I felt I missed something: the books that wait to be read. It feels good to read books. I remember books I read during vacations. I enjoy the company of books and don't want to fall asleep after the third page, because it's 12.15am by the time I get to start reading.

In case this all does not seem very adult to you – the truth is, my resulution somehow ready like a restricted internet-access for children – did I already say I want to become a grown-up? Right now I feel as if my adult me tells my child me to go to bed. And it feels quite good, having this someone who looks after me.

The main aim behind the resolution is that I want/need to go to bed before midnight. Millions of people can't sleep, even friends my age already suffer from insomnia. My grandparents could not sleep a lot in their late years, either. I don't want to waste those years that com with healthy sleep. As long as I still can sleep, I want to sleep those 8-9 hours. And the construction site in our street wakes us every morning around 6am and I definitely need more than 6 hours of sleep. Over the Christmas Holidays we noticed how exhausted we were from all the noise since March 2011, that's when the construction site started. The last days have been quiet. Sometimes you need a break from the ongoing strain, just to realize how stressing the strain has been. We enjoy the silence.

Best wishes for 2012!

Very Superstitious

2011-12-30T17:03:00.006+01:00

Friend A warned me to keep my laundry up on the laundry line over new years eve. It is said to bring ill luck. But what if the weekend is the time when do our laundry? That's what we do. Now I am not so sure ...

Any superstitious bloggers around here? Any experiences with ill luck laundry?

Superstitious men would never want a woman on board of their ship. Be warned! I will step on your boat one day. Until then, I am getting ready to fit in your codes. Unfortunately, those dresscoce-guidelines I posted below, are not available in english, since all search engines lead straight to the german website.

Garderobe an Bord
Die Atmosphäre an Bord der Cunard Schiffe ist tagsüber im Allgemeinen leger. Kurze Hosen oder Badebekleidung sind jedoch in den Hauptrestaurants an Bord zu keiner Zeit erwünscht. Legere Bekleidung ist stets im Kings Court Restaurant der QUEEN MARY 2 und im Lido Restaurant der QUEEN VICTORIA und QUEEN ELIZABETH willkommen. Höhepunkte der Kreuzfahrten mit Cunard sind die glanzvollen Abendveranstaltungen an Bord. Um die besonders elegante Atmosphäre der abendlichen Dinner zu unterstreichen, bitten wir Sie, sich zu diesen Anlässen wie für den Besuch eines exklusiven Restaurants zu kleiden.

Für die Abendgarderobe gelten folgende Definitionen:

Formal (formell): Smoking oder alternativ dunkler Anzug für die Herren. Abendkleid oder andere formelle Kleidung für die Damen. Das Ausleihen von formeller Kleidung für Herren ist an Bord möglich.

Semi-formal (semi-formell): Jackett und Krawatte für die Herren; Cocktailkleid, Kostüm oder Hosenanzug für die Damen. Jeans sind nicht erwünscht.

Elegant casual (elegant leger): Für die Herren Jackett ohne Krawatte. Für die Damen Rock oder Hose mit Pullover oder Bluse. Jeans oder Shorts sind nicht erwünscht.

Auf Kreuzfahrten ist die Kleiderempfehlung im Allgemeinen an Seetagen formell, semi-formell oder elegant leger und an Tagen, an denen das Schiff im Hafen liegt, semi-formell bzw. elegant leger. Details erhalten Sie mit Ihren Reiseunterlagen. Die Garderobenvorschläge stehen im Tagesprogramm der Schiffe und sind während des ganzen Abends ab 18.00 Uhr gültig.

Beispiele für Garderobenempfehlungen:

Kreuzfahrten
Erste und letzte Nacht an Bord: elegant leger
Seetage (max. drei pro Woche): formell
Hafentage (mit Abfahrt vor 18 Uhr): semi-formell
Hafentage (mit Abfahrt nach 18 Uhr oder über Nacht): elegant leger

QUEEN MARY 2 Transatlantik-Passagen
Erste und letzte Nacht an Bord: elegant leger
Drei Seetage: formell
Weitere Seetage: semi-formell

I love it, when manners turn into science!

Now I need to get my clothes into the washing machine, there might be a chance I can take the dry washed clothes off the laundry line by tomorrow evening. Keeping my fingers crossed. In German we say "Glück im Spiel, Pech in der Liebe" - Lucky in cards, unlucky in love. I hope this does not apply, since I was lucky and won a prize at déjá pseu's 10 Days Of Chrismukkah.

My brush can use some cleansing

Enough with all the superstition. I leave you while looking forward to eating a fish, starting from the tail, tomorrow around midnight.

Those Days Inbetween

2011-12-28T17:28:00.004+01:00

Hello!

I had to laugh, when I opened amazon.de, searching for Downton Abbey's Season 1, because this is how amazon welcomes me these days: Yay, the drill hammer! I did it, I went to the DIY store and left with a green box and a set of drills.

4 days after Christmas and Mr Paula still has not figured out the differences between a drill hammer, a drilling machine and a percussion drill. Maybe he never will. And he was definitely NOT overly excited about the gift (I was with my family and he with his, when he opened his gift Dec 24). But I can assure you I was excited no end and quizzed him the next day.
The gift I received was at least as exciting: a spyderco sharpening tool for knives. Something I have been thinking about for years.

Yesterday Mr Paula's mum and sister and I had the best time in the kitchen, sharpening Zwilling and Wüsthof knives. I will post photos. Mr Paula's mother had the best time holding the paper while I cut it after we had sharpened the knives. Everytime she laughed out, when the knife cut the thick paper like butter. sssssssp. ssssssssp. sssssssssp.

I took 2 days off from work and transformed the rather short Christmas weekend into a Christmas holiday. Lucky me I can take 2 days off. The excitement does not stop there. I am overall excited! 2011 was a staycation year and 2012 has not even begun and I already have a hotel room booked for 2012. The main ingredients for the short trip are of best quality only:
All you need is a 40th birthday, your sister and Hamburg in late spring. You can be sure, I sit here smiling while just thinking about this trip. As you might have noticed in the past: my sister and I aren't exactly close. I guess she was right, taking me on a get-away for my 40th birthday. It has been decades since we shared a bed. It's about time!
And as if this was not enough excitement already, I am going to watch almond blossoms in early spring in Sicily, together with Friend B. I can assure you, I am this close to booking a cabin on Queen Mary. If not Miss Cellany reassured me, 40 is not the best age for joining golden agers on a cruise.

I changed the blog's design to a "inbetween-days"-layout. A soft yellow seems to suit this time of the year. Our cleaning lady will visit us tomorrow and I am not sure if I should keep the Christmas decoration or clear the shelves and surfaces. I feel straight foreward, Carneval season to come soon! With lots of traditions you are probably not familiar with. Krapfen, Bälle and Fasching.

Almost there

2011-12-22T23:53:00.006+01:00

Hello!

December 22 and the gifts are already wrapped. Or should I say bagged? Because we changed to bags, paper bags and they go around. Last year I received gifts in those bags and this year I pass them on.
The brown creature in the back is not a mole but Mr Paula, fast asleep. I want to sleep soon, too!
But there is so much to see, lets take the investor's party that took place yesterday evening. The first new neighbours! At least for one night.
The architect was present. His car is a mobile billboard, it is covered with ads which promote the lofts on sale. I guess they did not sell all lofts yet. I can not blame the buyers for being hesitant - just thinking of the prosecutors who search the offices and files of former investores, prosecuting possible fraud. Big fraud. Massive fraud. The case already reached Liechtenstein. But that's a whole other story. I promise, the moment "real neighbours" move in, I will quit taking those nosey photos.
I took the day tomorrow tomorrow off from work, there are still some gifts left, that need my full dedication. To begin with the photo-safari my younger niece will get from me. During past birthday-family-meetings I noticed how she loves to sneak around with the point and shoot camera and take photos from every possible angle.

A photo safari seem to be the logical consequence as a Christmas gift for her. I have tomorrow to figure out which places we will visit during the day, what the mission at each location will be (a riddle that has to be solved and the photo will prove that we solved the riddle). I will join her and we will text Mr Paula at every station of the safari/marathon as soon as we solved the riddle. Mr Paula in return will send us the following riddle. And on we move.
I will have to include some stations that come with cake, hot chocolate, flowers or pizza. :-)
We don't want to starve.

And then there is this new, almost impossible idea: a gift for Mr Paula. He refused to accept any gift. But I know he needs to install lots of lamps and other stuff and we need to install the curtain rod in the living room. And that the walls that surround us are really tough to get in to. Tool time! te heh. I guess a year where I reward myself with a kitchen processor might be the right year to reward the man in the house with a decent tool. It should cut down the cursing to a minimum. Before I visit the DIY store, I should come clear with terms like drill hammer (Bohrhammer), percussion drill (Schlagbohrer) and a drilling machine (Bohrmaschine). Latest research showed, a drill hammer is what we need and percussion drills don't work very well when they hit concrete walls.

METABO - a brand which is new to me. A few hours ago I still lived in a BOSCH world. But then came METABO, on top of the google page ranks and converted me from camouflage-green BOSCH to timeless outdated petrol-blue. Not that the colours would influence my decision of course. I guess I will have to take what's left December 23.

The curtain with the stars decorates radio station's Christmas party year after year.

Lets Twist ... Again.

2011-12-21T01:03:00.007+01:00

I did it!
I completed one of my last to do's: Tonight I finally sat down and did it: I wrote all the Christmas cards.

No need, to think I am perfect, because I am not: a perfect me would have created hand made cards and spent a whole evening scrapping unique Christmas cards, just like last year. No need to be perfect.

I admit, sitting down three days before Christmas at 11pm, returning from a Christmas party is not the most idyllic atmosphere. If only I had followed Miss Cellany's routine, her cards arrived at their destinations lets say weeks ago.

Box to the left: cards I did receive last year, better not forget those loyal card writer this year!

My love for the perfect outcome has been put to the test very recently.
There has been the plan - layed out weeks ago - that I would cook what you could call "the perfect dinner" for my parents, the day after Christmas - only to find out, that they've already bought all the foods - processed, frozen, convenicne food. My whole concept of a special, home-cooked dinner with my father happily assisting me went down the drain. Still, I will not let them de-frost their apple pie for dessert. I draw the line at the dessert. The pie will be home-made, coming from me, e basta!

I should not be surprised. It's how my familiy ticks. Why on earth would parents want to eat processed foods on a holiday instead of letting their daughter cook for them? Maybe they just enjoy the fact, that no one needs to work in the kitchen for hours, all thanks to convenience food. I guess they simply enjoy those conveniences just as much as I enjoy cooking and baking. I feel challenged and remember Vix's Twist on this occasion. Which finally brings me to the subject of this posting.

Have a nice Wednesday!
It's always nice writing to you.

Ellen Parsons or Carrie Mathison?

2011-12-19T23:41:00.003+01:00

When I watch a movie, it happens that I forget to follow the plot, just because I am stuck with some details I see. Rose Byrne often made it hard to follow the plot. I can't recall another actress who has stirred me like Rose Byrne did during those four seasons of Damages.

Rose Byrne aka Ellen Parsons, Damages

Her sad eyes (the way they apply the khol around her eyes), her bangs in the 4th season, her drooping corners of the mouth. And yet, a perfect beauty. Rose Byrnes meaningless facial expressions probably causes some aggressions for some. Not for me!

Watching Bridesmaides, I did not recognize Byrne at first. I knew I knew her - but who was she? Having watched Damages (Season 1+2) quite a while long ago, Rose was not retrievable from my memory at first. As soon as I found out, I was startled. She looked 15 years older. Was her acting true irony? Can we be sureit was not her?

I have been watching Damages and Homeland. Having seen Damages, Homeland became a bit boring. Having seen Homeland, Damages became a bit boring. Two series, both on the subject of POW and War in the Middle East. You can easily get confused, what happened where?

Claire Danes aka Carrie Mathison, Homeland

Over at Homeland, we have a blondie, Claire Danes, struggling with her demons. Long ago, there was Julia (1996) and now there is Carrie.

Both actrices, Danes and Byrne appeal to me.

How about you? Which actresses recently stirred you up? Maybe Kelly Macdonald aka Margaret Schroeder, Boardwalk Empire?
And then there was my my crush in my early 30's: Kathryn Morris aka Lilly Rush, Cold Case.
Those smokey hooded eyes plus the bleeding lipstick. Not just once I almost lost the plot, losing myself in the attempt of breaking down her eye make up. How do they create this look?

Lucky me ...
... the Cold Case-plot was quite simple, I never got lost.
... thousands of Youtube tutorials on smokey eyes have been published ever since.

Home Stretch Already

2011-12-18T00:28:00.015+01:00

What happened?
Don't be afraid, it's only a Christmas-Template! Due to the ongoing lack of snow, I've decided to overdo it around here. Or should I say: Sugar intake: high?

Uh, this white on red really hurts. But wait for the green and red below. Those frames in green are a killer! This design will be gone by Dec.27. Til then, lets play it festive, ok?

And since I've spent a fair amount of time layouting/messing around, I will do a simple photo reportage. I don't have a story to tell, I let the pictures speak for themselves.

The Cast:

Christmas Market at Maria Theresien Platz and Freyung
Kasperl and his posse
Michaeler Tor / Seniors Choir + their audience
Passage of the Palais Ferstel
Herrengasse including Valentino
Swarovski Crystallized by Hely Design/Israel

The music they played was very calm and piano.

The seniors choir enjoys well deserved hot wine and hot punch.

sparkle, sparkle ...

In the shop the bracelet did not look special, not love at first sight. As you can tell from the photos I have taken, I fell for it. The mixture of the elegant stones and the casual leather plus the golden button - no one who knows me would have dared to hand me this as a gift. Too fancy, too stylish. But hey, guess what, I fancy fancy!

Have a wonderful 4th of Advent.

Being the +1

2011-12-17T02:10:00.008+01:00

Tonight the Vienna Design Week crew held a Christmas Party. I went there as Mr Paula's +1.

The party took place in a shop where you can buy vintage design.

The shop's portal dates back to the 1970's

It is flattering, when your partner's business-partners greet you as the +1 with your name. They do know you. Ok, I admit, I must have arrived at the point, where I see them as pop-stars - which they are obviously NOT.

The review-brochures arrived from the print shop.

Everybody is curious and reads the Review-brochure, fresh from the print shop.

... while enjoying a delicious plate of goulash

After all the action during the 10 days of the VDW it was nice to have a chat and spend time together. The truly fabulous photographer who accompanies the VDW every year was somehow excited, because I had a fixed focal length. You could say I made him happy. He also holds workshops and he saw lots of potential by the way I used my camera. Starting with the fix focal length. It seems as if I had earned lots of karma tonight. To paint the picture in 3D: the one photographer who you admire for his skills tells you he likes what he sees and that you moving in the right direction. It was not the easiest thing, to take photos while he was around. I felt like in class. ;-)
During the Design Week it is him and his partners who take all the photos. Today, as a return, I went down on my knees.

Chair design: Roland Rainer 1954. Back then, Rainer bested* Aalto in the competition.

The most fun talks tonight were those about Old fashioned Viennese Marzipan potatoes and other baking challenges including disasters. How we all love baking!Have a beautiful weekend. The storm hit Austria, I hope the crane stays where it is. I don't like any crane nearby my bedroom during stormy nights. No, no, no.

*bested - really? sounds funny. I just looked it up in the dictionary, haven't used this word before.

9 to 5

2011-12-15T20:34:00.004+01:00

Who can not like this:

Makes me smile.
The lyrics. And the unique voice. The rhythm. Perfect.

Greetings,
Paula
10 to 6

From Russia ... with Nascha's

2011-12-14T23:01:00.012+01:00

A few weeks ago, Anna aka Mangoblüte posted on Russian Style. What is it, that makes Russian women so recognisable? Every culture has its distinctive embodiment of style. (WARNING. Generalisations ahead!) Like Japanese women's faces never shine, US women wear foundation, Austrian neglect their hair and Russians behave in a "loud" manner. Ok, so far, so shallow. This is very, very thin ice. English is not my first language, I really do hope, you can sense the genuine curiosity in this posting, not to be mistaken with ill will.

Tonight, during a shop opening event, there was a lot of Russian Style around. I am not sure, if Style does the appearance justice. Because in my eyes, the typical Russian style would be just "all too much". You buy a phantastic mascara but you would apply one layer after the other and in the end, you got a cakey cheap looking make up. And then there is the love for long, blond hair as seen in the picture above. Showing cleavage where the pants already show the pantyline all to well. In the end, it's all too much. They are friendly, behaving well, but their over-done-styling .... I am curious, what drives them?
In case you have some shallow views on us Austrians, I would love to hear what it is that distinguishes the appearance of Austrian woman from other women.

I wonder if some of the older women tonight had their nip and tuck done in Vienna? (not seen in the photos) If so, I do NOT recommend plastic surgery 'Made in Vienna', under NO circumstances, because it looks bad. Do you ever find yourself staring at an incredible trout-pout when you see one in real life? Ever since my mother told me, those mouths are not meant to look good, but simply to stimulate men's phantasies. The shape is the perfect shape to lick and suck a ... YiKES!

The event proved how small Vienna is. Or should I say the Russian community? Anna (mentioned above) is from Russia. Not long ago she had posted a portrait photo of a friend of her's. He is a LV sales assistant. Where ever luxury is on the plan, Russian sales assistants are a must when it comes to luxury goods. This can make feel not at home in Vienna, when you enter a store and everyone around you speaks Russian and people greet each other in Russian. Guess who visited the Party tonight. Yes, it was that guy. Not that I know he is Russian of course. Phew, today I am proving profound shallowness.

Time to calm down. In case you did not flee this arrogant blog by now.

Many call the design kitsch, I call it irony.

Denis, the interior designer, not Russian and content with the result.

I am sure, these bottles of Champagne will not make it til dawn.

I guess the food on sale is not exactly in the price range of students (the place is close to the main university). Too bad, they were not on the guest list tonight.

Please, don't take my words badly. As the label says ... tonight is time for shallowness.

Good night!

PS:

Those, who don't care too much about other people's reception, quite often have all the fun!

Confetti Lights

2011-12-12T12:19:00.005+01:00

Confetti Lights aka Bokeh

Location: Paula Parents Residence
This open-air set-up is not going to pass the TÜV.

Many people focus on the "out of focus"afterimage a lens creates when it comes to the buying decision. The so called "bokeh" was of no importance for my purchase decision. Now seeig it, I say I do like effects this lens creates.
Hooray Bokeh!

Mild Evening in December

2011-12-10T02:00:00.010+01:00

Hello!

Tonight the air was so warm, people rested on benches, took their time to hold still and take look. En plein air. At night. Mid december.

I joined them and, once again, I behaved like a tourist in my home-city.

Can you sense the mild air?

One of the quiet corners, where no busses from Italy, Hungary and Croatia are lining up.
'tis the season!

I am embarrassed. I find myself actually enjoying Hans Hollein's later works at the Albertina's entrance. Which proves: The 35mm 1,8 lens does turn EVERYTHING she sees into a piece of art. Even Hans Hollein's later works.

In the back, to the left, the wing is peeking, so to say a statement piece.

One of the rare quiet corners in the city tonight.

Cliffs in the city.

This balustrade can be found at the entrance level of the Albertina, opposite the Vienna State Opera. As teenagers, we came here after our dancing class and kissed. That was long before the redesign of the Albertina, long before the illumination of the State Opera vis à vis. Less light, more intimacy, ... cooler nights.

And today we look down ...

... the shore is calm

I know I bore you no end with my complaints about the lack of snow. I am missing snow so badly, I see it everywhere, even in the bowl of my kitchen processor. But in the end its nothing but wishful thinking ...
... and only leads to pizza and brioche. The first already landed in my tummy, while the second sits in the fridge and waits to turn into golden delight by tomorrow noon.
Jen, tonight Mr Paula so approved my home-made pizza, after a few first rounds, that were "so-so". Because tonight it was served with garlic on top, after baking.
Not pictured: the fabulous Riedl red wine glass, which really makes a difference. To be featured soon on this blog.

Happy お月見　(otsukimi) full moon viewing!*

*Or maybe not so full at all, since there is going to be a total lunar Eclipse in the southern hemisphere.

More Likes

2011-12-09T09:43:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Earlier this year I posted on Likes and Dislikes. This time I will focus solely on Likes.

I like the decision we made a few years ago:

Lets have a really big clothes bin. The clothes bin is actually part of the chest of drawers. From the outside the front looks like 3 drawers, but inside ist just this one huge clothes bin. Heavenly!

I like the oppurtunity to choose between two wheels and four wheels.

Cake-delivery is not so good by bike and running errands in the city on a saturday works better on two wheels.

Plus having a driver's licence is a treat, not only when it comes to driving sick Mr Paula home from a holiday.

Apropos sleeping ... I like sleeping in a cool bedroom.

I like my duvet. It makes comfy noises when I snuggle myself up in it.
It is so warm. I like to peel out my nose.

Morning at Home

2011-12-08T12:18:00.008+01:00

We are off to meet Friend B and her family for lunch, after a playful morning.
Today is a holiday in Austria.

Kuriguma (=Chestnut), from Japan 2007

The "Frodo and the Towers"-angle

The candles are blown out. Heavy winds are blowing

Last sunbeams before the clouds cast the sky

Have nice day!

Would love to write more, but Mr Paula wants me to get going. I guess he is right. Gotta go.

The New Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G

2011-12-08T00:10:00.001+01:00

Ha, that was quick!

I left the office at 5.30pm, arrived at home 30 minutes later, at 6pm and inbetween I've bought a lovely new lens for my camera. That's what I call resolute.

Here you see Mr Paula seen through the new lens:

Mr Paula modelling for my new companion, the 35mm fixed focal length lens.

Since this blog owes its existance to photos, one could say this new lens is of some importance to the blog.

In the photo above you'll find everything I have been hoping for. It is crisp and sharp, works perfectly in low light and you can play with the depth of focus a lot! And it comes in less then 7oz!!

I fear I might call every single shot a piece of "art" from now on. Below you see a typical feature from the Baroque epoche:

No, not chaos but he Diagonal

During Renaissance, images were composed more structured

And then there was Realism. Can you smell the butter and sugar, slightly caramelised?
I still have to find the sweet spot for the focus - front, middle, back ...

Not to forget the importance of shadows as seen in early Renaissance paintings.

Yes. I am excited.

Of course I am excited, I mean taking pictures has been my passion for almost 30 years. This is going to be such a great portrait lens. I know, the typical portrait focal length would be longer, but I say this is my perfect portrait lens. If only it were not so sharp. My mother is not going to like it.

Bye bye zoom!

Hello Practical Housewive!
Thank you for following. I hope my future and past postings will meet your expectations and you enjoy what you see and read. Please excuse my spelling mistakes - my keyboard is meant for German words only and as a consequence, many letters end up in the wrong place or in words they don't belong to. I guess, that's why photos are so important around here.

Une Ville-Lumière, as seen with 35mm

2011-12-07T11:46:00.010+01:00

Hello!

I am not promising too much, see for yourself, how Vienna turns into a Ville-Lumière before Christmas. I took the following photos after work, on my way to a meeting in the city centre. All pictures were taken with my bike between my legs. :-)

Maria Theresien Platz (Maria Theresia=empress with tons of children, she "invented" compulsory schooling)

The smart marketing department of the KHM (Kunsthistorisches Museum=Museum of Fine Arts) uses the museum to promote their annual tickets.

Gideon Laudon on his horse

Towards the city centre

Michaelertor (cropped)Michaelerplatz

Rain of light on Kohlmarkt
The Habsburgergasse comes with crowns
The Graben with chandeliers

while the Rotenturmstraße delights with red balls

Vienna's largest shopping street, the Mariahilfer Straße does not think it's necessary to invest in new, energy saving LED designs and puts up the old fashioned decoration, that has been around for 20 years if not longer. I guess they think it's not necessary, because people come and spend their money anyhow.

One year ago, Austria was under a blanket of snow.

I am going to make a present to myself soon, it will be a new lens for my camera, 35mm. My first fixed focal length for my DSLR. No zoom. Like in the good old days. All pictures above where taken with 35mm focal length, except for the red ball (I forgot to adjust the zoom). I love the angle 35mm (equivalent to 52mm analoge) provides.

I like to thank Catherine and Une femme d'un certain age for taking photos instead of pointing and shooting - those women got me back on track. Now I carry my DSLR with everyday and it feels good!

A New Gold Rush Rushes Over My Block

2011-12-06T15:06:00.008+01:00

Hello!

Do you know this feeling, when you wake up and suddenly it feels as if the world around you has changed overnight. That's exactly what I am going through when I ride my bike to work.
A whole block has turned into a gold mile. Close to a traditional gold-pawn-shop a handful of new shops opened just recently. They all come with very aggressive displays, lots of LEDs and blinking and honestly, they don't seem to be the most trustworthy places in town.

The shop to the right offers only 5%, no deal!

+7% instead of flower bouquets (this used to be a fleurop-florist's)

Mr Paula compared their sudden rise with the rise of the call-shops in the past. We are not sure if those gold stores are to stay. I thought I capture the moment.

Over decades there had been just this single shop where you would sell your gold, ÖGUSSA:
Times change, so does the appearance of companies. Where black and gold enamel used to say "I am your reliable partner", the new shops speak a different language, such as "we talk numbers". Discretion is a foreign word these days.

Here the whole picture:

To the left the old traditional ÖGUSSA store, in the back left and right the four new shops.

If people will sell their familiy heirlooms to afford a crappy LG flatscreen for Christmas?

As you can see in the pictures, taken at 9.30am - this time of the year is not sunniest of all.
I warmed myself up with red and green plants in front of me and a co-workers sitting next to me during my office-lunch-break with colleagues.

Back at home it's business as usual ... this time firming up the terrace. I can not wait to see plants and deck chairs on the terrace to be. Hopefully someone will show up with 900.000 EUR (=1.2 Mio US $ or 37 Mio Rubel) and buy the nice apartment. If not there will be no plants for me to look at.

Photo taken by Mr Paula

I do not envy those workers at all. When I leave the house in the morning, they are already on site and when I return from work, they are still firming up the floors. 11 hours under wet cold grey skies, surrounded by dirt. I dare to say that the person, who is going to move in here, has earned his/her money under less adverse conditions compared to the workers who have firmed his/her terrace.

Saturday Afternoon

2011-12-04T00:13:00.002+01:00

... included Tom Wolfe in the tub, brioche phantasies and an armada of ginger snaps.

Taking a bath turned into a small Japanese ritual, since I've washed my hair before stepping into the tub. I did not want to soak in dirty water. Japanese people clean themselves thoroughly before stepping into a tub. It really makes a difference.

Menu of the Bath: vanilla bath bomb, shu hair mask and 3 books to choose from.

Tom Wolfe 's "I am Charlotte Simmons" won. I made it through the first chapter. It is always a thrill, reading books from the library in the tub. What if it slips in the water? I know librarians would not want to see those books in the bathroom.
Tom Wolfe's second chapter awaits me at the nightstand, on safe ground.

I enjoyed his foreword. He thanks those who transformed the middle-aged language into a campus-language. Fabulous! Or should I say "Awesome"? Anyway, promising! (enough with the exclamation marks)

Early evening, Niece Paula left the Paula Residence with bags full of brioche Krampusses.

One Krampus turned out as a Beefeater:

The knight and the snowman

The block dots are not rabbit poop! But burnt raisins. ;-)

The damsel, the painter and the little Krampus

An insight: Silly dancing perfectly relaxes any back - after felt thousands of ginger snap-icings. Sorry, no pictures were taken during the fun-breaks.

Today I filled my heart with warmth and joy. I don't know, if charging also works on an emotional level. I believe it does. Tomorrow will tell!

A New Anteater

2011-12-03T11:16:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Hillary's pics have been all over the news, on her mission in Myanmar. I will leave politics to others and focus on her appearance, to be precise, on her hair:
What caught my eye is the difference the hair-do makes in her appearance. I like her "image" in the 2nd photo much more, it is sharp and elegant and represents peace in the sense of calm whilst the first photo imho represents a quite unorganized appearance.

I am not trying to reduce her to nothing but looks. It's just that one can can get a much better hearing and sell one's message easier, when the appearance matches the message.

Uh, I can tell, I won't make tracks. I admit, I am no better than all the men, who reduce women in politics to there mere looks. :-/ Paula the hair chauvinist.

Now that this posting already took a wrong direction, I like to jump to a completely different. There is no smooth way that would lead from Hillary to a baby anteater anyway. At least none I can think of.

All I can think of is how adoring and incredible cute this baby anteater is, holding on to it's anteater-mummy:

Funny little creature!

Some funny little creatures are going to inhabit the Paula Residence later today:

Not for the first time, my blog came in handy, since I've posted the brioche-recipe earlier this year and I remembered I preferred some alterations, but I could not exactly remember what it was.

I will bake the "Krampus" together with Niece Paula. I had to top last weekends cookie-baking with some exciting baking. Krampus it is! My mum called me yesterday and told me, Niece Paula is already coming up with names for all the Krampusses (one for her mum, one for her dad, her sister, her grandma ...). She just texted me, if we can also do some handicrafts. We had fun last year when we scrapped christmas cards. Glue, pearls, glitter, hairdryer, pens, scissors ....
I am thankful for her company. Lets see, what she has to say about the baby anteater. :-)

Photos: http://www.zoovienna.at/news/ameisenbaer-geboren/
To be visited in the Schönbrunn Zoo,Vienna.

Have a nice 2nd Advent weekend,
hopefully with the ones you love.

Explicit Content aka Chopped-Off Hair

2011-12-01T18:24:00.001+01:00

Hello, hello!

To those, who you can't stand the look of chopped-off hair on the floor, imitating Tribbles, please don't scroll down. Because today we chopped a lot!

Here the story behind the story:
About three weeks ago, I asked my hairstylist during my regular appointment (touch-up for the roots), to change my look. I was bored with my straight, shoulderlength, hanging hair. I seeked movement and less of a ponytail, a haircut, that actually behaves like one and not like a ponytail. Because that's what I've got by the end of everyday fo the past years: a ponytail.

Today was the big day: I sat down on the chair of another hairstylist, where I have never been before. I was naive: imagined it to be an easy process – him seeing me and him immediately knowing what to do. But it's not like that. Hairstylists don't want to perform radical changes on women they've just met for the first time in their life. At least not without a decent talk. So there I was, sitting in the chair at 9am (= early in Paula-Time) and answering a lot of challenging questions. Not the easiest job. For both of us. After having asked many questions (what do I like about my hair, how do I style my hair, what do I expect ...) He got the message and he made sure I won't knot my hair together in a ponytail.

I have to say I felt a bit sorry for him, because he had to deal with hair that I can only describe as not exactly the nicest quality stuff. My hair is damaged, dry and the roots are showing (in brown and grey). Usually the salons colour the hair FIRST, then comes the cut. Not this time around. I guess I will go back to my old hairstylist for the colour and stay with the new one for the cuts. But how to tell the old one his cuts where crappy?! No doubt, he will notice, that I went to see someone else ;-)

See for yourself:

Hair on the ground fascinates me.
Hair, sliding down the nylon cape, fascinates me even more!

It was fun, watching the stylist stepping on the cut off straw in the floor.

A Veritable Kitchen Marathon

2011-11-28T22:16:00.026+01:00

Hello, hello,

as announced earlier, I am still in the kitchen. I leave it for an instant because I wish to upload tons of photos I have been taken and say hello to Anna - thank you for becoming a follower!

I counted the photos: back in the analogue days, this posting would have equaled one 35mm film, the big one, with 36 pictures. That's a lot.

The baking marathon started a few days ago with something I can only call a failure. Cream Cheese Brownies were what I aimed for but what left the oven in the pan lost every bit of Cream Cheese.

Failure!

What should have become beige, turned mocca.

Austrians can get confused with 375, 350 and 400 Fahrenheit. Because my oven speaks Celsius only. And when the recipe asks for a 9" pan, a 12 x 16 is probably not the best idea. The dough hardly coverd the pan and was too thin.

A double-printed version of the recipe, where comments overlay the recipe does not help either.

I figured out what caused the failure: oversized pan & burning hot oven. Having figured that out, I stepped in for a second attempt. And see, it worked out!

Sometimes you have to (l)earn it the hard way

:-)

By now Mr Paula is reassured, he lives together with a maniac. I convinced him that I just love my hobby (=baking) and that is totally normal to re-bake a recipe the same evening, because a hobby-baker just wants the recipes to work out. Otherwise the baker would have to leave the kitchen in a depressed state which is unbearable.

Inbetween the baking sessions I also left the house ...

... noticed how the Christmas season arrived in the street.

The fog was insane, well, at least unhealthy. While Italian politicians force their communes to leave the car at home, Austrian politicians are to afraid to act. The fog lasted for over 10 days and the fog became smog. The photo above was taken around 9.30am. It was dark like late afternoon.

I ran into one of the probably strongest brands I remember from my childhood:

No re-brand, but plain 1980's design. I am loving it!

Apropos loving it: To the Paris-Lovers out there: please, see for yourself: Vienna can easily hold up with Paris, no? So change your flight schedule and come over here. We have it all: the lamps, the wrought iron, the old advertising pillars. And we could go out, drink Coffee together, or de-caff if you prefer.

Back home, the fog had inspired me to create some homemade fog by blanching 300gr of almonds:

Basic work is always part of baking the most delicate, delicious cookies

My nut-cracking has nothing in common with any lovely ballet music.

Mission accomplished. Almonds ready to be transformed into Vanille Kipferl.

So many recipes ask for vegetable shortening and you simply would not find it in Austrian supermarkets. But there is a subsitute available which is at least as unhealthy as vegetable shortening:

Ask Paula:
Q: How Can I Substitute Vegetable Shortening?
A: Take solid coconut oil!

At room temperature it looks like this:

I tried it both: butter and coconut oil as a substitute and what can I say - the coconut oil works perfectly! Best prove: a traditional American Apple Pie:

The crust was the best I've ever made. And I have been baking the pie for ages!

The Apple Pie somehow happened to take place. I could not resist a new BILLA bucket. Which comes with apples. Or oranges. Because I had them before. This time I felt more like peeling and slicing instead of squeezing.

I am running out of time! By now it is Saturday, 5pm and the Advent-wreath to be sits patiently in a corner:

The wire that fixes the candle gets through any candle, no matter how solid it is, when hot.

This time I like it really hot.

Lets be precise: the wire should not go in too far, because it can cause the candle to melt when the wire gets close to the flame.
And we want to light the candles for the next 4 weeks.

Mr Paula was a bit out of focus, but you should still get the idea.
Not much later, and the candles are fixed.

Find the 12 differences in the picture below:

Add half an hour and another mission is accomplished.

This incredible handy machine was not my only helper while baking ...:

Niece Paula is developing serious skills. Can you not love the concentration of children?
Or their artwork?
As the ideal assistant, she made notes.
Cup-measurement-analysis (1/2, 1/3, 1/4) lead straight to a swimming pool, incl. pool ladders.

As you can imagine, there is no time for full cycles:

The dish-washer gets to know the quick-programme quite well these days.

Meanwhile the army of ingredients sits in a corner and waits for what is to come:

Pecans and cranberries for another box of Cranberry Noels

3 baking trays are the minimum in my kitchen.

And there is still a lot that gets washed by hand.
You can see why a Kitchen Aid machine would not work for me: I need 5 bowls at least!

The last evenings in the kitchen have worked for me as a kind of kitchen therapy. Mr Paula and I have experienced a lot of emotional stress, we lost a friend our age to an accident. Accidents are always sudden. It does not make any sense. Over the past days, every conversation Mr Paula and I had lead, ended with me, mentioning the friend, the accident ... I feared to get lost, to demand too much of Mr Paula. That's when the baking marathon started. And somehow it really helped me, especially the company of Niece Paula. By now I am soooo tired, I am sound asleep the moment I go to bed. Sad and confused, yes. But not daunted, not restless.

Take care

PS: In case you like to know a recipe, please leave a comment or contact me via email, I will be pleasesd to edit the posting and add the recipe.

PPS: I just realised, this posting is like a typical conversation I've had with Mr Paula over the past days: starts in a happy mood and in the end I can not help but return to what has been on my mind all the time.

Pointless Posture

2011-11-23T19:38:00.000+01:00

There is a fashion trend that turned out to be one of the most persistent and ineradicable and unfortunately 100% misrouted fashion trends: The Pigeon Toed Pose

Drollgirl shares my aversion on the pigeon toed pose. Already in February 2010 she wished this trend would end. It seems more persistent than other misrouted trends.

In case you wonder why people pose in this silly pose, at the bottom of this following posting, by Max Sidney, you find a thorough exam: Why East London boys stand pigeon toed

Quote: "Visually, posing pigeon toed is shying away from the eye of the lens. Its an attempt to look shy, socially awkward, inward looking, introspective."

Inward looking and introspective? Good point!

Let me finish with bad posture in general: Bad Posture

There are little things I loathe more than bad posture. I have my fathers words still fresh in my mind: He used to say "Sit up straight!" everytime he saw me slouching at my desk during my highschool-years. Years later I find myself adoring the posture of Japanese men and women. Their efforitless, upright posture seems intriguing, almost mesmerizing. An upright posture can alter the way you see the world around you. A bad posture ruins any outfit. An no doubt it changes the way people see and meet you. A few weeks ago a saleswomen asked me if I had taken ballet classes because she hardly ever sees women with such even shoulders. Actually I think she was excited about my posture. I should thank my father. And the Japanese people who set a good example.

If my point of view is just too much for you - which I can totally understand - how about a decent stretch, right now, in front of the computer? (To my dear iPad readers: Sorry, you might have to put your pad down to join the stretch.)

greetings,
Paula

No No-Knead Bread

2011-11-21T22:25:00.009+01:00

Ha! Who would have thought the No-Knead-Bread-Hype could lead me back to traditional bread-baking?

A few years ago I used to bake sourdough bread. Until I found out rye does not suit my digestion.
Having seen lots of postings on No-Knead-Bread I gave the classic bread a try and see for yourself - I am more than happy with the result and the process is simple. The part I love most is when the dough drops out of the bowl without any mess. The recipe is - surprise - by Jamie Oliver. It's nice having bread-recipes next to soup and pasta recipes in one book.

Preparations:
chop chop chop

chop chop chop
When I am running short with raisins, I add cranberries. Anything goes.

2 minutes later
plop.
The dough now sits in the bowl

Who does not use the worktop as a board?

There is no need to roll the dough.
I enjoy it, since the dough is really easy to handle, not sticky at all!

40 mins later:

Cool down under a blanket over night.

Texture, taste and scent are perfect. Can you see, why I bake no No-Knead Bread? I almost forgot the main reason, why I prefer this traditional way: I just could not integrate the 12-15 hours resting time the No-Knead Bread requires in my schedule. This bread does not take more than 3 hours, I can to it any day, after work.

More kitchen stories to come soon!

Shine Your Sink

2011-11-19T09:02:00.000+01:00

Hello, and a warm Welcome to the new followers out there!

I am still in the kitchen ... and I might stay there for a while.

Did you ever hear the slogan "Shine your sink"? I heard it first from the FLY Ladies. FLY Ladies is a former initiative, now a company, which has been originally developped to help women find their way out of the misery of clutter. They adress messies. I am no messy myself but I like most of their ideas, since they obviously improve the quality of life.
FLY is short for "Finally Loving Yourself". The FLY Ladies found out, that women who live in a mess often don't love themselves but disrespect who they are. The FLY Ladies ask you to lace up your shoes in the morning - which means, Staying at Home mums should not spend their day in the pyjamas.
I love my weekends in pyjamas. But I don't like how stuff can overwhelm me.
FLY ladies offer plenty of routines, which never overwhelm you. And this is what makes them special: people who live in clutter and in a mess get overwhelmed by the tasks that wait everywhere. The FLY ladies tell you to set a timer and after 15 mins of de-cluttering, give yourself a break. I guess what I like most about them, is the tender voice that shines through, respectful, patient and friendly, 100% inviting, take the 27-fling Boogie. I could not resist but had to try it and it was fun. And satisfying.
They also came up with a blog-radio-show and I particulary enjoyed one show that was about your mum visiting you at home. How to get your home mum-ready in 2 hours. Fabulous!

By now their whole initiative turned into a huge business, which does not diminish the value of their work. You can find a lot of tipps for free, I never spent a dollar.

Back to the slogan "Shine your sink". One basic advice from them would be to shine your sink every night, before going to bed, because you don't want to wake up and walk into a kitchen and be greeted by dirty pots and fatty stains in the sink. At least I don't.
Mr Paula does not understand at all, why this is important to me. He has no problem getting up in the morning and doing the dishes the next day. Maybe I read too much about Feng Shui and so, how energy flows and how you feel what is around you. Clean surfaces seem to reward me with energy.

The truth is, 6 out of 7 nights, my sink does not shine. But when it does, it feels just right. Most of you probably leave their kitchen in an impeccable state at night. I don't. Guess what, by now it's already 1.20pm, and my sink is far from shining.

Have a fabulous weekend and who knows, maybe you want to get ready for the upcoming Visible Monday?

You Know It's Winter ...

2011-11-17T22:51:00.006+01:00

... when your Thermos bottles come out of hiding and form a skyline in your kitchen ...

... and Austria is turning turquoise (= -2°C = 28.4°F)

Miss Furrow Dreams of Botox

2011-11-15T20:34:00.000+01:00

Hello!

these days I don't get many chances to take photos, since I spend most of my time sitting in front of the computer. But there is the webcam, so I can take photos – due to the limited camera-angle, the images are not about the usual objects such as nature, city, shopwindows and the construction site across the street but about me, sitting or standing in front of the computer.

And that's when I see the furrow between my eyebrows which sits at exactly the same place like my mothers furrow: left from the bridge of my nose. Everyone keeps saying "Paula! Excuse me!! This furrow is nothing, it's hardly noticeable". But it is there.

When I read, the furrow deepens. When I think (what I do a lot), it deepens even more. And when I watch a disturbing scene in a movie, it deepens even more. That's when Mr Paula nudges me and warns me not to create the furrow. Don't get him wrong: I asked him to tell me when he notices me furrowing, because I try to avoid using those muscles that produce it.

So, here I am, with some alternatives at hand:

One would be to stop thinking, reading and talking. And no more disturbing movies.

Or – The best alternative to Botox: I could expand my skin with my fingers, gently, so I won't create other, new furrows with my fingers.

The effect lasts zero seconds after the treatment. But it feels nice to relax the muscle from the eyebrow.

Or I could accept, that I am my mother's daughter and that I inherited this furrow left of the bridge of the nose. As you can tell, I am not there, not yet. No acceptance so far.

And then there is Botox. I admit, the sensation of a 100% relaxed muscle is something I wish to experience once in my life. I once experienced a facial massage where the woman massaged my forehead in a way that totally relaxed all muscles. Heavenly!

I feel the tension of my muscles working inwards – when my muscles are tight, so are my emotions. It also works the other way round: The tension from the inside also shows on the outside (=furrows). How I wish to relax! Especially this one little forrow above my nose. Compared to other people, my muscle tension is always high. I don't mind the furrows above my eyebrows, because they are "friendly" furrows. It's this nasty, little, mean furrow ... (I guess while thinking about it, it already grows!)

Botox is affordable, so to say not the Kelly bag among purses. And it is not like it would be forever - not like a tatoo. Is it addictive? I don't think so. I once tried botox for my armpits, because the sweat stains annoyed me (hot summer+bicycle ride = no good!). I did it once and that was it. The effect lasted only for 2.5 months. So I thought it was not worth it.

But does it take courage to try it in the face? Would the 3-4 months feel like an eternity (because that's how long the Botox lasts) if the result looks awful? Must stop thinking about this. Now! I already feel my furrow deepening.

What if I just need better glasses?

The Confidence Rive Gauche Provides

2011-11-14T19:32:00.000+01:00

When it comes to Blue and Black, a certain iconic design comes to my mind: Rive Gauche by YSL. Back in the late 1970's the perfume bottle had a fixed place on my mother's dressing table. Her hair was black and glossy, the floor-length chiffone gowns lifted like sails, when she moved. I can't remember the scent, but the design intrigued me. And it still does.

YSL took a quite bold move back then, when he combined black and blue. Actually so very bold, it provides me with plenty of confidence today – not only to combine black and blue but also to pick hotpants. On a not-casual-friday but foggy, overcast monday.

Maybe you grew up in a region, where black/blue was considered as normal as beige/blue or black/white. Not around here!

Some say blue and black is a no-no. Others say hotpants past 30 are a no-no.

This is the ring I am wearing.

The tights are Wolford Velvet de Luxe 66

My legs actually have the same circumference.

The webcame prefers to take them out of proportion as soon as I take a step.

Two colleagues recognized my blue hotpants (H&M SS 2009). I could be their mother. They have the shorts sitting in their closet. A few weeks ago I overheard an elderly couple talking pejoratively about what they saw in the Tommy Hilfiger shop windows: mannequins wearing hotpants and opaque tights. Very much to my surprise, this combo not only works for teenagers but also for their mothers and other women around 40, even better when combined it with a fluffy, hooded duvet-vest.

Have fun!

EDIT:
Patti from Not Dead Yet Style hosts the Visible Monday-project.
Luckily, my Rive Gauche-moment happened on a Monday, so I joined them!

Thrift, Anti-Consumerism ... What's going on?

2011-11-11T08:33:00.001+01:00

Having surfed through parts of the blogsphere during the past 2 years, I arrived at a point where I feel as if there are only to approaches towards consumerism "available" in the blogsphere:

the anti-consumerism that comes with de-cluttering and thrift on the one side
the compulsive consumerism that comes with shopping and often also returning the shopped goods.

Another step towards a clutter free home

Both approaches are time-consuming: it takes time to de-clutter and it takes time to shop and return goods. Shopping and dealing around with stuff (returning, feeling unsure, visiting another shop/website) feels like a waste of time to me. I rather spend the limited time I have with creating an evironment with less, not with more.

You can tell, I don't take it easy. Bloggers may attract other bloggers of the same kind. I would love to meet bloggers who don't care about shopping/fashion/no-shopping, clutter or de-clutter but focus on other aspects in life. If you are one of them, please leave me a comment! I would love to follow your blog.

Pictured above you see a part of the clothes I delivered at the facility for homeless, led by the church. The only take clothes you could wash in a washing machine. So cotton is more than welcome! Do you remember the red sweater? Here it goes! Mr Paula parted from some brownish sweaters, his pile actually outclassed my lousy pile of 2 mere sweaters.

What a long way away from shopping I find myself today ...

No doubt, my anti-consumerism against fashion is triggered by full closets and drawers, but mainly it comes from an profound feeling of having arrived at a point of abolute no-neediness. We have so much and we have enough. Plus: inflation is rising like crazy and I have to admit: shopping is no fun, when the price for a standard v-neck cashmere sweater went up by 18% within the past 10 months.

Maybe my resentment to shopping, especially fashion-shopping it has to do with the cashmere sweaters I bought last winter – they filled a gap and seemed to have shut the door towards consumerism.
[EDIT: I choose Cashemre, because it's the only wool you get in 100% quality in the shops, merino and lambswool is always mixed with synthetic fibres, the SA say it's to reduce the pilling. Aha.]
Also I choose to wear those 2 sweaters at least 2, 3 times a week. They are never too cool, never too warm, just perfect. Which means I need less alternatives to choose from. Plus: I figured out, nothing flatters me more than a starched white shirt. Which means I can let go plenty of T-shirts and I won't buy any new T-Shirts, because there are those 3 white shirts hanging in my closet, waiting to flatter me.

Maybe my resentment comes from the pair of diamond studs I have bought earlier this year, they will hopefully last and maintain their value – something you could not say about clothes you get to buy today. It's not just me, even our friends are somehow afraid of spending money, because we know/feel the quality we will receive in return will be nothing like the quality you used to get for your money 10, 15 years back. This is actually quite sad.

Don' get me wrong, there are still plenty of things, I would love to own:

a white balance lense cap for my SLR camera
an altimeter for ski-mountaineering
a black cashmere cardigan.
...

Black cashmere seems to be out of fashion these days. Cashmere cardigans, too. I am patient. I can wait. I had been waiting over a decade for the return of the flats (ballerinas etc). When they appeared on the fashion radar a few years ago, I bought 3 pairs. Because they will leave the fashion radar (actually have already left). Too bad I was not ready for the black cashmere cardigan when it was around the last time. But it will come around again. No doubt!

The trees behind the house are de-cluttering like crazy these days:

I don't recall a past autumn-season that came with leaves like that! Usually the snow surprises the trees and their leaves have no time to turn yellow/red/brown. Not this year!

Blank and Vast - a Perfect Match

2011-11-07T23:27:00.011+01:00

INTRO
Above: True vastness. A wide valley, italian mountain tops in the far back, the valley covered with blanket of fog, seen at the end of an autumn day

Below: The sight that makes me long for the vastness as pictured above: sunset at the Schönbrunn palace gardens

Hello hello!

I am back and I did not just take a blog-break but also almost took a photo-break. Most of the time I left my camera(s) at home.The following photos have been taken November 1, 2 and 3. Please enjoy them. Those of you, who spend their days living under a banket of fog early November and those who don't live in 4 seasons (not speaking of the hotel) like we do: Maybe you love the images as much as I do. What you won't get from looking at the photos is the cute dialect which is spoken there. A lot of people make jokes about the dialect, I find it heart warming.
This region in the south of Austria offers everything I long for after months at the office. I actually did not follow a single blog during the past two weeks, the few times I went online, I checked opening hours of restaurants or the weather forecast. Funny, how easy disconnecting can be!

The best forest is a "mixed" forest with all kinds of trees.

Austria is a tiny country, compared to the USA or Australia, but still you can find blank areas and vast areas.

Another perfect match: me and my thermos. 1850m above sealevel/ 5°C after a 3 hours hike.
We were lucky the paths where free of snow.

Mr Paula compared my turban-style head- gear with the style a certain type of warriors in the middle east fancies. I won't name them, because I don't want my blog to show up on certain lists.

The Dior scarf actually was the only gear I had with my to cover my forehead and ears at 5°C. I should learn a decent knot and everything would be okay.

Above the tree line, somewhere between Nepal and Afghanistan, sweaty shirts blowing in the breeze. Not picutred: small stone-pyramids.

The past two weeks proved: cashmere v-necks in navy and camel reduce any traveller's wardrobe to a minimum. I recommend Benetton's men's section-cashmere knits, basic staples that keeps you warm, for example while standing on top of your best friend-grandmother's grave.

Social life under the blanket of fog on All Saints.

All families stood ON the grave, ON the gravel (as seen to the left), while the priest walked by. The more members of the family gather ON the grave, the better. On behalf of friend B's family we stood ON her grandmothers grave. Haven't I been told "DON'T you step on the grave!" like forever?
:-o

Too bad, there was not a get-together after the devotions, with cake and coffee. I love to socialise in the country. The photo above was taken after two thirds had already left (I did not want to disturb the ceremony and waited).

During the past two weeks I've enjoyed Bergdorf Blondes, once even while soaking in the tub! Though the ladies travelled Europe too much for my liking. I prefer to read about exotic destinations, such as the Bergdorf Salon. Apropos salon: my roots are really showing by now. I know some women get their touch ups every 2 weeks. I hope my stylist won't panic when he sees my hair this wednesday.

In case you wonder: yes, I baked the first trays of Christmas cookies and Mr Paula fancied them. No chance for them to turn bad until Christmas.

Coming back it did not felt like a two-week-absence at all. Strange ...

Hey, this blog deprives me of my sleep. Anyhow, writing for you is a pleasure, it's nice to be back.

Good night/Good morning!

Analog Days Ahead

2011-10-21T21:26:00.005+02:00

Hello,

finally I managed to hunt down all the books I wanted surround me during my vacation. In case on book does not please me, I like to have alternatives at hand.
I was grinning like Cheshire Cat in person, when I left the public library yesterday evening, books piling up in my arms. Thomas Bernhard, Bergdorf Blondes and Beigbeder, the perfect trio for long mornings, afternoons and evenings.

The record collection caught my eye while taking the photo above.

Why not play some music:

You see, I am in the mood for some plain, analog days. The name of village where we we are going to stay translates as "desert","wasteland" or "solitude". Teheh. Enviable, if you live the life I do.

See you in two weeks!
Paula

Two In – Two Out

2011-10-21T09:36:00.005+02:00

You might be familiar with the mantra of simplifying and de-cluttering: One in, one out. Which means everytime you bring something new into your home, something has to go.

During the month of October I managed to pick to new things, I have been longing for over months. How handy it is that two old things are no longer of use or already used up.

Funny photo! I took it in my bed-room, on the top of the chest of drawers and it looks cropped!

The Dior lipstick is supposed to be a really nice lipstick. Hm. The packaging somehow made the lipstick smear all over the tube and the formular made my lips chip like crazy. I am glad it's gone.
And the two new in:
Beanies are my umbrellas: since I go everywhere by bike, even in the rain, there are no umbrellas to lose. But beanies! I have been looking for a new, non-itchy woolen beanie in a neutral colour. May I tell you the blonde hair combined with the grey is a very pleasant look.

The scent - Flower Bomb has been on my mind for years! It took me that long to grow into the scent. Somehow you sometimes have to match a perfume and get ready. Years ago I tested it in a perfumery and a woman in the street walked by and burst out "WONDERFUL PERFUME!" (actually I should quote her in German, because she said it in English, which is the foreign language in Vienna, that's why it would make sense to quote her in German, since German is the foreign language at the blog). I started off with 20ml, the ideal size for the purse and for 32 EUR I get the scent for a price that does not hurt.

This morning I felt like a chimpanzee ....
... seeing the reclection of himself for the first time in his life – the new windows vis a vis mirror my windows. I have been living here for 15 years and today for the first time i saw my windows "from the outside". I lost an unspoiled view but somehow the change excites me. Not much longer, and there will be neighbours living vis-à-vis I can great in the morning when I air the bed-room.

Dear future Neighbour, you better feel like greeting in the morning, because I do so!

And I promise, I will stop taking photos of your appartment. But maybe you like to tell me, how you managed to have those extra 900.000 to buy the appartment?

Cordially,
you neighbour from vis-à-vis.

This is what the site looks like today

We leave for our autumn vacation, starting tomorrow, I might be offline for some time, still undecided.

Painting your Face

2011-10-18T12:01:00.002+02:00

Hello!

Here you can see, what I put on my face for work. The tools are laid out neatly on my dressing table, with morning sunlight shining through the curtains:

from left to right:
foundation to cover blemishes, rouge, lipstick, gel eyeliner, kajal, mascara

The tools remind me of the tools I used for water-painting. Painting the face is fun and playful, I guess that's why I am doing it. Eyeliner has such a transforming power, makes your eyes look so different, so much better! The same with blush - 100:1.

Yesterday was a long evening out, I can use the transformation today!

Plans for tonight

2011-10-17T18:27:00.003+02:00

Tonight I am going to see this movie. It dates back to 1926 and since it is a silent movie, an orchestra will be playing the music live, sitting below the screen in the concert hall. I have not seen the movie before and the art direction and light are said to be outstanding! So I am not only looking forward to listening to the live music but also to watching a cineastic masterpiece.

Here is more informatiom on this movie:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016847/
Rating: 8.1 / 10 by 5314 users

What would my monday evening be without friend B. by my side, who constantly thinks of me.

What are your plans for tonight?

Girls

2011-10-15T11:01:00.003+02:00

Last week I have been busy meeting girls age 12-15 and listening to their stories why they would dress so revealingly. I also talked to the parents and a woman who did projects with teengers for world-women-day. There is lack of understanding what is going on, why girls are not ashamed of their bust but show it in tight tops with huge cleavage age 12.

At that age I played with my chemistry set and we were excited to get our hands on acids for the magnesium-experiments. But today ... Of course not all girls are like that but it is a phenomenon that is widespread. In Slovakia it's the same as in Austria and in the UK it seems to be even worse Natasha Walter wrote a book on the topic: Living Dolls. I visited the public library to borrow the book.
It was raining heavily and the place was crowded with people. They would come even when chances were that they would be soaking wet by the time they arrive at the library. The librarian handed out plasic bags (shown on the photo) so everyone would carry home the books safely. I picked some books I have been looking out for and accidently stumbled over The Secret - the best reading to fall asleep! It works better than valerian. Not that it is so bad but it's just ... very relaxing.
Istanbul will wait for my vacation and I hope to get the english version of Bergdorf Blondes, can't see myself reading the german translated version. Oh, and Nick Hornby was the alibi-book, since I used Mr Paula's library-card. hehe. I might want to read it, too. I like Hornby.

Saturday morning and I am off to the cubicle and take a litre of pumpkin-soup in the thermos with me. It might become a long day at work. Today I am going to listen through the interviews and make sure the picture I draw is a well balanced and not judgemental. I won't provide distinct answers, maybe leave the listeners with questions but that's ok with me. It is important people realize the shift that has been going on. One huge aspect is the matter of approval, validation and acceptation. Girls who show their cleavage on facebook get the highest scores of "likes". While listening to the feminist artist, I realised how adult women's behaviour resembles the 12 year old girl's behaviour. They long for approval and validation and want to be noticed. I want to be noticed, too. Only do I use my words and photos instead of my cleavage and legs. How much did I develop since playing with my chemistry set? Am I part of this huge backlash that's been going on? Nailpolish, no more baggy jeans ... oh gosh, who am I, what changes me and what do I want to reach and why?

I picked the subject for the broadcast and I am glad I did!

Have a good weekend!

Colour vs Collar

2011-10-13T14:09:00.008+02:00

There are days when the collar gives the answer. You have been undecided for months, whether to keep the red sweater or not. Until you notice how the collar has visibly changed over time. There is no room for worn collars in my drawers, especially when they come in red. Wait, didn't I once argue that I don't wear Reds? oops. Ok, this sweater dates back to 1998. Plus it is the only red I can wear - the cool-toned cherry red.

Am I the only one who can not easily part from beloved things? Especially when they don't show any visible damage like holes or stains. Them dating back to a time when everthing seemed posisble, the glorious days of Start Ups and the early days of the New Economy in Europe does not make it easier.

I know Lisa who is on the same page like me, when it comes to saying goodbye to sweaters who are past their age. How about you?

EDIT:

The red sweater is gone, so is a grey polyester-sweater with shrunken sleeves (too short!)
plus half a dozen sweaters of Mr Paula, he started de-cluttering within 24 hours, including some worn-put pants he kept for years. How I love this virus called de-cluttering!

Gone

2011-10-12T20:53:00.004+02:00

When life gets bitter, I am left behind, in disbelief, unable to believe, that the person you've known, who was always around, is gone for good. In my inner world, this person is still around, because it has been around and can not be otherwise. Until you come to rest and find yourself being unable to understand this new reality and how nothing will ever be like it has used to be.*

A sibling of a colleague has died. Even though most of us at work hardly knew her sibling, everyone is deeply upset. Today at work the whole team was listening to her words, standing in a circle around her, listening in silence, later on we asked questions, cautious, distant. Outside it was raining and cold, inside the office the atmosphere was heavy. Did we support her by listening and talking to her? She needs comfort so badly. In my inner world, we would start chanting, in a very calm way, comforting her with tunes, coming from our hearts.

*I did not know this is a classified phenomenon - "The first stage of grief" (shock and denial). Does this mean it is ok, to deny the new reality?

Sleeping in Takayama

2011-10-12T00:27:00.004+02:00

This heater stands in the corner of a room in a former temple in Takayama, Japan. Four years ago we slept a few nights in that room. After a few hours the heater would go out and the next morning the room would be chilly. This was 2007. One year ago, we were so sure to visit Japan again this fall. We will go there again in the hopefully not too far future. Japan never felt further away, out of reach. I read that tourism collapsed down to 50% of what it used to be.

With Japan it's a mystery to me: all the people I met who went there fell in love. So there must be a lot of people like me, missing what used to be far away but still within reach, at least within 12 hours flight and a bit of saving in advance.

Japan and the japanese lifestyle has accompanied me ever since Mr Paula moved into my apartment. We share a mere 610sqm, a place, that used to be occupied by me alone for years, now belongs to 2. At my age women usually buy there first home, coming with impressive mortgage fees or they rent a place 3times the size of our apartment. Maybe it is my love for the japanese lifestyle, that I appreciate the limits this small space provides. And believe me: nothing enables the change towards a minimalist lifestyle more than limited space. Even though you might be surprised, how many hoarders do live in their tiny houses in Japan, boxes piled up to the ceiling, sometimes even blocking the windows.

Returning to the beginning of this late night posting: My former colleague at work who left one year ago and I used to play this somehow intimate game: Shortly after the onset of winter, when temperatures dropped by 20° within a week, we sat at home on our sofas in the evenings, covered with blankets, cold noses, no heating. Because we somehow wanted to prevail over the beginning of a long winter that lied ahead. In the morning we used to ask the other one if one had finally given in and switched on the heating. Reaching November was an easy challenge for the two of us. This year everything feels colder than it used to. I am not sure if I will make it til mid-October.

Have a good night and stay warm!

The Truth ...

2011-10-09T18:20:00.009+02:00

Jill from Everything Just So tagged me with the "Tell me about yourself"-Award. Thank you Jill!

I am asked to share 7 things you probably did not know about myself ... here they are:

On Blogging:
I feel comfortable where Bloggers reply to comments. It feels akward commenting without a dialogue.

On Education:
My parents decided it would be better for me to take the scientific branch in school instead of languages, since my older sister had struggled with the languages at school. In the end I struggled a lot with 3-hours-long-written-exams on physics. You know, Heisenberg and so ...

On Sucess:
Age 28 I was unemployed for over a year and I decided I wanted to learn french. I started watching french movies on TV5 with french subtitles (TV5 repeates the movies 3 times a day and time was what I had no end back then). I also took classes and 5 years later I headed to Paris and returned with recorded interviews I had lead in french for the Austrian Broadcasting Company and also managed to translate the interviews for the dubbing.

On Women:
I met a lot of adorable women so far and all of them had brown eyes. I think brown eyes are one of the best features a woman can own.

On Sleep:
I am an "owl": I could stay up forever and sleep till noon. At school I loved to go babysitting, especially the late night jobs, where the parents would come home at 2am. I sat in the kitchen and drew fine pencil graphics, studying light and shadow-still lifes. I still remember how the heating went off in those houses past 10pm and how cold it got ... but never got tired.

On Peculiarity:
Compared to me, Sally (When Harry met Sally) is low-maintenance. I keep wondering, how my friends can bear me. Friend B totally understands why I travel with a water kettle and a pillow (yes, there are hotels on this world, that don't provide a water kettle and the pillows are stuffed with down feathers which I am allergic to).

On Paula:
That's not my real name. But you knew that already, no? ;-)

I like to pass this award to following bloggers:

Macs from Macs in the City She lives Vienna, too!

fojoy tells us when she is annoyed but also entertains with truly funny episodes of her life: http://fojoyisannoyed.com/

Beate in Bavaria who likes to stay Sunday in Bed. She writes in a sunny, poetic way that intrigues me.

Mrs Stranded in Cleveland who lives a live on a similar wavelength like I do, only she runs half-marathon and I only 5 miles.

Vix from Building a Colourful Life, because I am sure there is a lot more we like to know about her

Why would I Wear This?

2011-10-07T09:40:00.005+02:00

This is what happens when the Design Week Adrenalin drops and you find yourself wearing this:

Unflattering jeans

The last pair of jeans left in the drawer. There is a reason, why they are still tidy while all the others are used and dirty.

Because they are the most unflattering pair of jeans I could imagine!The harvest of one intense week out: Baskets and more baskets waiting ot be laundered.

Yesterday evening I went straight home from work, laundering and cooking.

I still enjoy my "cleaning out the kitchen cabinets"-mood (=using what you have instead of buying what you won't use). 1 pumpkin and several potatoes needed to be transformed. The way it works is easy: I google "ingredient #1 ingredient (potatoes) #2 (=pumpkin) jamie" and I always and up with phantastic recipes! To quote Jen from the baked life: 'nom nom nom'.

So if you end up with a some vegetables lacking the inspiration, you might want to give it a try.

Many people see cooking as a form of punishment. To me it is a way of recreation.

EDIT:
The dish before serving:

It was so yummy and tasted even better the following day.
(Not seen on the photo: a drizzle of olive oil I sprinkled on the dish after taking this photo.)

What Fits in an Evening - a Lot!

2011-10-05T09:17:00.002+02:00

There are easier things than keeping up with a blog when you live an exciting life. Susan, guess what an coincidence: yesterday we paid the MAK a visit!

What would make a better after-work-eye-candy than glass ware!

The designer Christian Haas collaborated with Theresienthal, a Bavarian manufacturer. The craftsman work the designs from their eyes - they look at the master design and then they transform it to the glass free hand!
I liked the ISS floating through space on a high end glass product. He adds ironic details where you need to take a second look to see it. At first glance you are blinded by the sheer beauty of the product itself.

Here you see the designer

After the glass ware we headed on to the Nespresso exhibition, theme was recycling. 10 years ago we refused to drink Nespresso at work because we could not stand the waste these machines produce. I studied in an environmental-focused field, so it was clear I would rebell against such a waste machine. To my surprise most of the co-workers (mainly educated in technologies and economics) were also against the coffee maker that produces one waste capsule per cup. Yesterday at the exhibition I realized how right we were back then: I mean Nespresso calls for entries for recycling solutions, sustain.ability, they ask how people can deal with the capsules and the whole system they built around the recycling process. Horror!
I knew back then that this product is not the future speaking in terms of sustainability, but until yesterday I had no idea how bad it actually is. Designers came up with ideas how people might collect the used capsules at home and bring them back to the store, 70% of the customers have stores nearby where they can return the capsules. Some designers invented ideas what the other 30% could do with the waste. One entry said that from all the capsules collected in one day, 1 child in the third world that suffers from hunger can be saved. 1 child? Looking at the company that stands behind the capsules, I would say they could save 1 child every minute of the day.
Coffee!!!!! Coffee is one of the most easily to compost goods in the kitchen. How a company could design a whole waste circle around something like coffee is miraculous. Ok, I stop here because I made my point clear how little I appreciate what this company is selling.

On to some far more relaxed environments: the Akademietheater. We had almost forgotten that we had tickets for yesterday's play, Thomas Vinterberg (yes, Dogma!), "Die Kommune"

Taking a break at the theatre cantine. The man to the right was on stage during the play.

The interior design is outdated and I hope it stays like that for another 40 years.

The crowds are coming
The Beginning

The Ending

And off we were to the MAK, Museum of Applied Arts, where the Coffee-House-Experiment Part II opened yesterday. How convenient, my jacket fits in the LV Neverfull, because there is no time to lose at the cloakroom.

Cute museum staff explaining the interactive exhibition device that showed me around.

I kept this photo in orginial size, you can read all the components that make a Viennese Café. Cute!

In the basement an architectural exhibition opened the same evening, on vertical public space.

Speaking of vertical public space, now I have a 360° scaffolded view at home. Not only the house vis a vis is under construction, our house, too!

Ways to Work ... and to VDW

2011-10-04T18:15:00.000+02:00

Since photos taken in the streets of Vienna seem to please you, I took some photos on my way to work and later in the afternoon on my way from work, heading towards the Vienna Design Week.

Today my day started in the kitchen, I peeled and cut and boiled this wonderful vegan soup:

Soup, brought to work in a Thermos, consumed throughout the day, last dosage given before heading to the next VDW presentation, keeps my energy level high.

Since silken tofu and yoghurt are not always available at our fridge, I reduced the soup to it's minimum - veggies.

It's akward having fingers that smell of onion and garlic in the morning, before breakfast! And I left the house with my smelly fingers* and found these gentlemen approaching:

Our house is getting a face-lift (leaving the house in the morning)

The streets are wet because they get a wash every morning.

The autumn light has been exceptional for days in a row!

A few hours later, heading to some presentations at the Vienna Design Week:

The light is even better in the afternoon!
Uli Budde unfolded a diamond at Köchert est.1814.

We attended three presentations, such a nice atmosphere at every venue!

Installation at J. & L. Lobmeyer

I heading off to some events plus a theatre play! Event collisions!!
And I take extra care I don't spill any soup on my favourite shirt - the Armor Lux striped cotton. Armor Lux is a brand that origines in Quimper, Brittany. That's where you find B&B's where the old lady has black/white photos hanging on the wall with her daughters, dating back from the 1960's, her girls wearing striped marine-heavy wool sweaters, trousers pulled up to the knees, posing in front of their fathers boat, barefoot in the sand. Marine as functional wear. I will never have that "cool" the girls from Brittany had, wearing the design as 100% functional wear, but enjoy bringing some cool to this Town. Whenever I see another woman wearing those stripes, it feels like meeting a new fashion-mate in the street.

... more to come!

* my fingers were not smelly at all, I found this miracukous "steel soap" that erases all unwanted scents from your hands.

Vienna Design Week 2011

2011-10-02T17:39:00.010+02:00

Opening Night at the Palais Liechtenstein
The Vienna Design Week opened last Thurdsday and we are busy, visiting all the events, presentations, exhibitions, lectures, labs etc. ....
The Vienna Design Week as started and this year the talks and labs take place at a new venue, the Jean Nouvel Tower, close to the city centre.

Recycled designs

Designers at the VDW Lab

Another recycling design: reflecting buttons made of old license numbers

Next to the lab is the entrance to the Sofitel Stephansdom - a hotel that is situated somewhere in Vienna, but definitely not at St. Stephan's Cathedral.

Something went wrong - no hotel guests make use of the lobby

The building oposite the Jean Nouvel tower, what a contrast!

Speaking of buildings opposite - the construction site opposite our apartment is moving/changing slowly ...
There must have been 4 or 5 presentations going on at the same time.

les toilettes

Later on we moved to other venues, not as glossy as the Jean Nouvel building, but neverthe less very charming:

Today we visited an exhibition of polish designers:

The designers had to design objects that would fit in those boxes, I guess they are 1 x 1 x1 m

I liked these old drawers, that came to new life

The exhibition takes place in the building where the academy of fine arts has is placed:

Not a single cloud in the sky, bright light in early autumn.

Today's temperatures went up to the high 20's:

October 2nd in Vienna - unusual weather conditions

... still, winter goods already arrived in the shops.

I will pass on this pair of boots!

I have been carrying my LV Neverfull with my, it's the perfect purse since it's never full. Mr Paula thinks it's not the right design for the occasion and I guess he is right. What he does not know though - fashion needs fractions, by carrying this iconnic design I break the meaning of design whatever!

Right now Mr Paula is attending another lecture at the lab, later we will meet for a lecture in a movie theatre. I have to leave and save him a seat!!

One Year Later ...

2011-09-28T22:37:00.009+02:00

Hello!

Following photo was taken 1 year ago, during the tombola at the opening of theVienna Design Week. I found this photo among others on the VDW website.
But still it's still very mild - contrary to last year, where fall and cool nights had hit the town - I might choose something lighter for tomorrow's opening. I will leave the stripes behind and reach out for ...

Polka dots!

Since I've started blogging, I notice how I notice small changes with an eagle's eye. One year back the flower bed in the street had been designed with different flowers. This year, the salvia plants outgrew any other plant, it's funny, like a flower jungle.

I am not sure, if the managers of the garden district had this picture in mind when chossing 2011's flowers.

The sign to the left used to be 2 feet above the plants, now it hides which entertains me.

Without blog, I probably would not care. I like to care.

Last year I posted about Brigitte's boutique for the first time. After posting about the construction site I should show you the final results. When I got there last week, it was raining, a day where you would rather go straight home after work.

Rush our in the suburbs of Vienna

You can see Brigitte, the lady in grey with the above-the-knee-long shirt.

The perfect bag for a what-if-gal like me!

Meanwhile the weather has changed, blue skies and temperatures between 20°C and 25°C. Tonight I jogged at 22°C. We are lucky after the cold, rainy summer everyone enjoys this exceptional autumn weather.

A quiet corner in the city centre. What a blue sky!

One thing I noticed is that I enjoy quite a number of blogs who share their house with dogs. These two dogs await me when I go to the place where I rebuy The Laundress detergents. They are cute because they are so un-doggy: rarely moving, quiet and relaxed.

This has been a very conceptless posting, maybe it's because I am showing my face, which excites me, maybe it's because I am so focused on tomorrow's opening of the VDW ...

I should not end without asking one question I had on my mind - about half a year I posted on the subject of the pap smear test. Yikes. Some read the posting back then and commented they would schedule a doctor's appointment.
Did you go?

Meanwhile I am growing older and my doctor handed me my first referral to a mammographic screening. I think it's a good idea, if get those results now, in a healthy state (keeping my fingers crossed), one will be able to compare future, maybe abnormal results to these earlier results from today. I asked my doctor what it is, that makes people refuse mammographic screening. Does the breast tissue tear due to the heavy squeezing? No, the tissue stays intact. It's the radiation. A long-distance flight stresses your body with more radiation than this screening. My favourite plush toy-bear answers to the name of Marie Curie, I think am going to make use of that referral.

These three kids don't care for plush-toy-bears, not anymore: my two nieces and my nephew,in the countryside on a tractor-ride last weekend, visiting our relatives in Lower Austria. The father still earns his money as a farmer. Corn, wheat, barley, pumpkins ...
You don't find a lot of farmers in the small villages, their kids start careers as scientists, teachers, firefighters, nurses ...

My younger niece was really brave, she sat on top of the tractor's weel.And later on she followed her father's and Mr Paula's steps ...

My younger niece told me she likes my name. She likes it so much - she whispered in my ear she named one of her Barbies after me.

Her words in my ear and the view of these handsome three family-men where just two pleasant aspects of the family-trip. Our family - including great-great-cousins don't fancy small men. Not that all the women are so tall that they would actually have to go for a tall(er) man. Oh, what an oldfashioned family we are, where men are taller than women ...

Ok, enough already with the conceptless posting, have a Good Night!

Party Feet

2011-09-22T16:02:00.009+02:00

I have no idea, how my feet will feel 5 hours from now. This is what I am going to wear:

The glossy leather matches the glossy G-Bag by Tod's as seen in the blurry back perfectly.

This is what is going to save my feet, hopefully:
The occasion is a fancy one! The radio show I work with won an award, it's an honour! The whole crew is excited and looking forward to the award ceremony which takes place tonight in a very nice theatre with lots of patina. Mr Paula is coming and I will smile even though my feet might be killing me. I might have to look down to Mr Paula.

A wedding, a shop-opening including the construction site and an award ceremony. What a week!
Did you know that Anna Gunn aka Skyler White is exactly my height? 5'10'', without heels, tehe.

* * * EDIT * * *

Jill from New York asked if I can post a photo of the shoes and me, well, here are two glimpses, the microphone-pole was a bit in the way. But you will recognize them anyway - they shine with full lustre. A red carpet would have made a nice contrast, don't you think?
btw: the yellow cowboy boots to my right are ... ridiculous!

Legs of the best journalists our country has to offer.

Well, at least in the (eyes and) ears of the jury.

VDW – Heart Warming Warm Up

2011-09-21T20:26:00.000+02:00

Those who know me know I am a big fan of the VDW, short for VIENNA DESIGN WEEK that will take place in Vienna for the 5th time this autumn. Today I stumbled over an article and had to show you the collage of all the ateliers where artists develop new designs that will be presented during the VDW:

(click to enlarge)

When you take a look you might understand why this week-long-event thrills me and you get to know me a little more. To me, all those people shown in the pictures are heart-warming. The elder owners of the stores, being experts in their field and the young and fabulous designers, mostly broke ;-), listening to them and all the craft ... heart warming!

Yesterday evening Brigitte's boutique re-opened and by now I know: her brother, her daughter, her son-in-law, her son, her daughter-in-law, literally her whole family! I like familiy affairs. Especially when the daughter did not appear to be starched at all (copyright: Vix)
The fashion: $$$. Cashmere sweaters for 500 EUR. Coats for 900 EUR. No gold bars included or in-seamed.

Off to Church - a Wedding!

2011-09-17T11:41:00.009+02:00

Mr Paula, his parents and I will attend a wedding this afternoon. His godfathers only daughter marries today.

Even though the event just takes place in the afternoon, the whole morning is under the sign of excitement. Signing the card, picking up the flowers from the florist ...
Pictures to come soon!

Soundtrack: Dido
Dress: Pink, vintage, thank you mommy!
Weather: overcast
Mood: in high spirits

Have a nice weekend, with or without weddings.

EDIT:

We are back from the wedding, here is a first glance:

Sigh

2011-09-15T22:03:00.004+02:00

My dear readers,

la rentrée is done: business is back to normal which means I am back with my 2 jobs and miss posting tons of photos late night.

You might remember this posting. Right now I am portraying the owner for a radio feature. She is 70 years old and decided to re-design and re-open the shop. At a age where other retire, she restarts. Yesterday the carpenters where all over the place. Such a mess and such a stress because the interior was not ready like scheduled and the clothes had already been delivered.

The carpenter's tools were ought to be gone three days prior!
The carpenters improvised some racks for the clothes.

Brigitta is so strong! I would have loved to take a photo but she did not feel comfortable. But I was allowed to take a photos of the mess.
From a radio-reporter's point of view the situation was perfect: noisy, busy, lots going on! Still I felt sorry for her troubles.
The clothes are superior goods, Italian cashmere sweaters, Strenesse-coats (to the left), Missoni sets etc.
The opening will be next tuesday, keeping my fingers crossed! This is something I really like about my second job: assignments that allow me to do what I am interested in. I have known this boutique for 34 years (that's how long Brigitte has been selling her clothes). I never thought I would have the chance to get to know her. By now I probably know more about her than most of her long-time-customers. How she hated being a SAHM and always loved to work and meet people at work. People like her have a good energy, when you meet people like her, you feel better after the meeting compared to you state before the meeting. She also has perfect manners. And a great smile that comes from her eyes. Ouch, it will be difficult to return to an objective mode, because as a reporter I rather be objective and not in love with the person I portray. Call me a pro!

A few hours later, laying in bed and trying to fall asleep I did the mistake and started thinking of our vacation ahead. Mr Paula will spend two weeks with my in the south of Austria, our favourite place to relax and experience nature in the fall season. If it's warm, we will hike in T-shirts, if it snows, we leave the house with our skis. I could tell how the adrenaline flushed my blood from the excitement, just thinking about the vacation made my heart jump and it was hard to fall asleep. The province we are going to visit is next to Italy, the house is a two-and-a-half hours drive from Venice. If Mr Paula is really sweet, he might want to stay in Italy overnight and I can visit the Pomellato store in Venice. Ah, Venice in early November, with a quite misty lido might provide some special motives for my lense.

In Vienna we go almost everywhere by bike.

I am looking forward to driving to places with Mr Paula at my side by car, valleys where we have never been before, returning home while the night falls in.

One reason why we don't leave sooner is the Vienna Design Week. The VDW will start Sep.30.
Another reason is a charity run that takes place October 16 in Vienna, a co-worker organises the charity and I love to support it by running 3 or 6km, still undecided.

Did any of you read Bergdorf Blondes? Is it fun to read? After 3 seasons of Breaking Bad I need a happy-break!

Good night!

Obsession

2011-09-08T22:26:00.003+02:00

In case you are looking for information about the Calvin Klein parfume called 'Obsession', this is not the right page for this kind of information. This page is about personal obsessions, my everyday obsessions, yes you are reading right: everyday. I don't know myself freed from any kind of obsessions.

During my run today I let my thoughts wander and realised how I had lost interest in so many of my former obsessions: fashion and make-up products and jewelery. I used to burn for the perfect brush, the right eye brow pencil and the perfect white Tee and the perfect pair of diamonds for my ears.

These days - and those "these days" have been around for some months by now it has been all about my shape. It seems as if I had to get other things right (the make up, the fasion, the hair color, the jewellery) before I could jump into the new project that might be the biggest and most important project of all. By project I really mean project. In the past I have been searching for the perfect eyeliner-brush a lot, as did the project for the perfect concealer challenge me in the past. Over the last year I got lucky and as of today all those essentials happily rest in my dressing table and since the sweaty summer days are history, most of the stuff returns on my cheeks and eyes where it actually belongs! Not so long ago, all I could think about was where to find the right concealer in the right shade. Then Lisa Eldridge came into my life (some of you might remember, the gorgeous make up-artist and her youtube-channel) and most of my "problems" where solved in no time. I ordered via lookfantastic and other UK-online stores, asked close friends to return from their London-stay with Suqqu products and I even stocked up with AVEDA shampoos litre-wise (yes, the search for the perfect shampoo selection (one is never enough) has the potential to become a demanding project,too). So far, so good. Next to make up I was obsessed with my wardrobe: the perfect cashmere sweater, the perfect white Tee. (oh no, not another woman who read the 100 things a stylish woman must own).

A few months ago I let half of the closet space to Mr Paula which lead straight to a stuffed closet for my wardrobe. As if this weren't enough, I wanted to quit summer and winter wardobes (I keep either of them in two boxes in the top of the closed while the other is in use) and store everything in use, no boxing anymore which equales like a 200% decrease of closet space! Obsessive is all I can say.
I wear a lot of clothes I have not been wearing for a long time and whatever does not make me feel comfortable has to leave. As long as my closet space is stuffed I see no sense in going shopping for clothes. Maybe my hidden wish was to stop shopping for clothes and that's why I let Mr Paula half of the space? Before he used to get 25%, max.! The loss of space might explain my loss in interest for any new clothes. I had been hunting for the perfect white Tee last fall and finally found it at Benetton's gents-department. There are black shoes which are perfectly fine that wait to be taken out, jeans that will perfectly fit again and cashmere v-necks in camel and navy that I bought last winter that will comfort me in the winter months. So maybe I am just "done" with fashion.

Freed from fashion and make-up issues, I was free to focus on a brand new project and weight-loss plus gaining a decent fitness was the plan. And for the last months I have stayed on track. Tracked my exercises on livestrong.com, made my first 5K run and lost 6 pounds and improved my health state (no cold, no virus, no sore throat since january! horray!). All the fitness would be worth nothing if I was to get sick every other month due to overexercising.

When I return from my run, I go straight to the red mat that hides behind the chest of drawers and do my sit-ups on the floor. The physician made it clear: I need abdominal muscles. Period. Ever since I started running, I do those sit-ups as part of my running-routine. So to say a win-win situation. No lumbago since last September (keeping my fingers crossed, September with its warm sun and chilly breeze is always an acid test for my back).

This is where I lay down every other evening after my run.

I wonder when I will come up with a new project. I know myself as a person literally burning for something new, every other months. Maybe all the things that mattered before are solved by now: the perfect hair-colour (after leaving the beauty salon where I got my hair dyed initially, I found the right beauty salon which provides the perfect blonde).

Right now there is nothing I need to do/get/find besides my shape. Maybe the endorphines I emit quench even the tiniest thirst for a new project? Some languages wait to be mastered, but I don't fancy the idea of sitting in a classroom after work, besides, you hardly make any progress attending those classes.

My projects were seldom beneficially for my health , because they had always turned into some sort of obsession. The recent project (shape) has the potential to be the first healthy obsession if an obsession can be healthy at all. Yes, I turn down friends who call me and want to go out for a dring the same evening when I have already planned a run that evening.

In case you wonder if I might become too skinny if I continue counting kcals: not at all! Right now I am a US Size 12, sometimes 14, depending on the cut.

I fear it might sound cynical and maybe it really is cynical and I am a coldhearted egocentric woman, but I am thankful - for the overweight my mother and my sister carry around, the weight that makes them feel unhealthy, unfit, sometimes even unhappy (since they need to buy new clothes every other year simply because the old clothes don't fit any more). I am thankful because I see them and I know I never want to become overweight and be as unhappy or frustrated as they are.
I was already really frustrated earlier this year, when I pulled my beloved navy capri-pants out of the box. I had gotten the capris fitted last year because they had been too loose. I could not zip them anymore, the fat on my hips was in the way. I had paid 40 EUR to fit them and now I would have to throw them away?
No way! This was my turning point. I knew I had to do something and I began running plus counting kcals. And it worked. You have to believe me, those capri pants are the best!

When I ran to my parents house the other weekend, my youngest niece came my way in the stairway and smiled at me. I was wearing my running shorts, sneakers and a sweaty running shirt. She smiled at me and said "You are cool!" Active women do not show up as role-models in my family. My brother in law and Mr Paula - both not our blood - are the active chaps. It was not my mothers decision to live an life: her parents forbid her to learn how to ride a bike after her two cousins had hurt themselves when falling from a bike in the 1940's. What can you do when you are the only child of overprotective parents?

I know that one day it will be too late to change my habits. For example when the overweight I would carry around would hinder me from running without ruining my knees. Last winter my physician even told me not to run because my abdominals muscles were too weak. I am so glad I did not listen to her but started running. I also watched the video of an obese man who lost 120 pounds through running. If he can do it, I can do it, too!

I would love to see myself running in my 50's and 60's, you know, ut are the older age classes at races which are to fear. I still have the biggest respect for those kids who run for the sake of running. The open my heart every time I see them. And they would always laugh while running. And second to the kids come the huge trees in the Schlosspark Schönbrunn I see every other evening when running my miles. During my runs outside I meet people, some run, many walk, some bike ... after 8 hours at the office with the same people every day, it feels good to meet people you have never seen before, even better when they share the same interest: running and cross your way. I might call it refreshing.

I like to tell you why I like running above other kinds of sports or even a membership in the gym:
When you run you don't need a lot of things. Most of the days you are ready to go for a run. And since I don't push myself too hard during my runs (I mean it takes me more than 40 mins to run 5K), I can even run when I feel a little hungry after work. It is just basic and this is probably what satisfies me no end.

I was lucky to find some inspiration trough blogs, above all The Stylish Shoe Girl in Brisbane, Australia who made the Couch 2 5 programme really tempting.

And tonight I ran with a cap for the first time ever - Mrs Stranded in Cleveland also loves to run with a cap - I did not know how well they absorb the sweat that used to pour down all over my face.

Sorry for my obsessive speech! ... and for spelling/typing mistakes. I re-read this long posting a second time for mistakes but by that time I rewrote many passages, so new mistakes might have found their way in.

Good night!