It sure isn't running swiftly at work - still I'm not really able to do much at all at work. I write most job related work from home...
But I signed in to the German system today! Meaning I went to the Anmeldeamt and said I was here and was about to stay a while. I had the E101 I applied for in Sweden with me as well as the assignment contract between me and my employer. They didn't really care about the contract (in Swedish only) and didn't even know what the E101 was! And they didn't ask for any paper proving that I live where I claimed to. Strange. But I got papers with loads of stamps! ;)
Yeah, it's quite at the moment... But that gives me time to think and contemplate life. :) I read some in a favourite book - André Comte-Sponville's A little book of philosophy. There's a line from Montaigne I really like: "You are not dying because you are ill - you are dying because you are alive!"
A funny thing I found: It seems the English word butt comes from the French le but. :)
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
My own flat!!!
Ah! Freedom! :D
I don't mind hotel breakfasts, but it's not a good life living in hotels. So I'm happy I today moved in with Holger at Taunusstrasse, close to the main railway station in Frankfurt. Yeah, it's in the red light district (I have red neon hearts all over the opposite house) but it's a perfect location! Close to town, close to the train out to Rüsselsheim, close to the Main, close to the canoe club, close to the park stretching all around the central town. :) I had a jog around that park today - a nice easy 40 minute run, partially along the Main.
I met a new friend on Friday! John, a guy from Canada, who works for GM on the IT side. He actually offered me his girlfriend's flat (he wants her to move in with him ;). It was a tough decision! A centrally located shared old flat or a brand new 1-room apartment on the 13th floor overlooking Frankfurt (from a distance). Finally - after hours of pro/con-lists and discussions with friends all over Europe - I finally made up my mind. But it was a tough one! Another 20 minute commute time (one-way) did it...
Anyway, John is a good chap! He talks a bit too much ;) but he's a really good guy, into Chinese - caligraphy and Chinese martial arts and stuff.
But the Germans are strange! At work there is a guy responsible for pens and post-it notes and that kind of gear. What a waste! In Sweden there's a place where all that stuff is located and whenever you miss something you just get it. But no - that's too simple for a German! There has to be one Responsible! And you have to ask him to get a pen, please. Unbelievable...
They can't to a proper latte either. If you order a cafe latte you get a latte machiato! If you insist they get all confused... The closest you get is ordering a double machiato. Then the strength is about right, but the whipped milk is still far to "un-creamy". Sad.
Last Midsummer I was in Finland and Boten Anna was a big hit. Now it has reached Germany. There is a German version also - Dicke Anna...
Ok, 10 days in Germany. Ten good days! :) But it's unbelievable how inefficient the Germans are. I still don't have a computer or phone or even network access at work! Good I fixed the apartment myself - that only took 2 days. And I got like three friends already and a bunch of familiar faces. :)
I don't mind hotel breakfasts, but it's not a good life living in hotels. So I'm happy I today moved in with Holger at Taunusstrasse, close to the main railway station in Frankfurt. Yeah, it's in the red light district (I have red neon hearts all over the opposite house) but it's a perfect location! Close to town, close to the train out to Rüsselsheim, close to the Main, close to the canoe club, close to the park stretching all around the central town. :) I had a jog around that park today - a nice easy 40 minute run, partially along the Main.
I met a new friend on Friday! John, a guy from Canada, who works for GM on the IT side. He actually offered me his girlfriend's flat (he wants her to move in with him ;). It was a tough decision! A centrally located shared old flat or a brand new 1-room apartment on the 13th floor overlooking Frankfurt (from a distance). Finally - after hours of pro/con-lists and discussions with friends all over Europe - I finally made up my mind. But it was a tough one! Another 20 minute commute time (one-way) did it...
Anyway, John is a good chap! He talks a bit too much ;) but he's a really good guy, into Chinese - caligraphy and Chinese martial arts and stuff.
But the Germans are strange! At work there is a guy responsible for pens and post-it notes and that kind of gear. What a waste! In Sweden there's a place where all that stuff is located and whenever you miss something you just get it. But no - that's too simple for a German! There has to be one Responsible! And you have to ask him to get a pen, please. Unbelievable...
They can't to a proper latte either. If you order a cafe latte you get a latte machiato! If you insist they get all confused... The closest you get is ordering a double machiato. Then the strength is about right, but the whipped milk is still far to "un-creamy". Sad.
Last Midsummer I was in Finland and Boten Anna was a big hit. Now it has reached Germany. There is a German version also - Dicke Anna...
Ok, 10 days in Germany. Ten good days! :) But it's unbelievable how inefficient the Germans are. I still don't have a computer or phone or even network access at work! Good I fixed the apartment myself - that only took 2 days. And I got like three friends already and a bunch of familiar faces. :)
Thursday, July 19, 2007
After rain comes sunshine!
Never ever do anything or make any decisions when you haven´t slept a whole night - another lesson to learn! ;) Well, the other hotel (Astoria) isn´t that bad after all. And it´s in a more quite area. And you get free access to a gym. With a sauna!!! :D Yeah, a sauna. I was just there and it was good. :) The gym wasn´t too great, but neither was my physique... ;)
I had a latte last night that wasn´t too great either. It was actually a (bad) latte machiato! "Latte is latte machiato in Germany. If you want a stronger latte it´s milky coffee" (or whatever) she said. Once again I must conclude that swedes are unbelievably talented when it comes to basically anything. There is a demand for good gyms - the gyms become good. There´s a demand for all kinds of coffee - there come all kinds of coffee, and it´s good. Sure, I must confess I have barely gotten out of the red light district yet; there is hopefully better gyms and coffee shops somewhere.
I haven´t written for a little while because (surprise!) the Internet access doesn´t work at the Astoria. Funny thing is I just smile to the guy behind counter - it´s just too bad t be true! ;) But now I will actually look for another hotel again - no matter the costs. The thing is I´m well within budget even if I´d spend €100 a night until I get my appartment next Tuesday. My boss must have used some woodoo shit on me or something to get me this cost concious. And masochistic...
I visited a new-found friend yesterday - Andrea Zimmermann. (Wasn´t the clever girl in Beverly Hills 92000 named Zimmermann?) She´s astonishly beautiful with her dark hair and skin (due to some Sicilian blood) and she speaks all latin languages - Spanish, Italian, French - languages she uses in her work in the insurance business. She´s also 38 years old with a kid... Anyway, it was fascinating to talk to her; she´s lived a completely different life than me. Her mother died when she was 2 and that´s not really a perfect start...
This weekend there´s a HBT festival in town and Andrea´s invited me. So there´s gonna be party! :) And I just booked tickets to Spain in 2 weeks! And the weekend before that come Niklas&Maria visiting on their way back home from the south! So when in the name of Allah shall I ever get home to get some more clothes and stuff??? Oh, these luxury problems... ;)
I had a latte last night that wasn´t too great either. It was actually a (bad) latte machiato! "Latte is latte machiato in Germany. If you want a stronger latte it´s milky coffee" (or whatever) she said. Once again I must conclude that swedes are unbelievably talented when it comes to basically anything. There is a demand for good gyms - the gyms become good. There´s a demand for all kinds of coffee - there come all kinds of coffee, and it´s good. Sure, I must confess I have barely gotten out of the red light district yet; there is hopefully better gyms and coffee shops somewhere.
I haven´t written for a little while because (surprise!) the Internet access doesn´t work at the Astoria. Funny thing is I just smile to the guy behind counter - it´s just too bad t be true! ;) But now I will actually look for another hotel again - no matter the costs. The thing is I´m well within budget even if I´d spend €100 a night until I get my appartment next Tuesday. My boss must have used some woodoo shit on me or something to get me this cost concious. And masochistic...
I visited a new-found friend yesterday - Andrea Zimmermann. (Wasn´t the clever girl in Beverly Hills 92000 named Zimmermann?) She´s astonishly beautiful with her dark hair and skin (due to some Sicilian blood) and she speaks all latin languages - Spanish, Italian, French - languages she uses in her work in the insurance business. She´s also 38 years old with a kid... Anyway, it was fascinating to talk to her; she´s lived a completely different life than me. Her mother died when she was 2 and that´s not really a perfect start...
This weekend there´s a HBT festival in town and Andrea´s invited me. So there´s gonna be party! :) And I just booked tickets to Spain in 2 weeks! And the weekend before that come Niklas&Maria visiting on their way back home from the south! So when in the name of Allah shall I ever get home to get some more clothes and stuff??? Oh, these luxury problems... ;)
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
A worse day...
I new it couldn't last for ever... I didn't sleep one bit tonight. Not very good - it was after all the first day at my new workplace! But I think I managed to shape up enough at least...
The weather is milder today, but my hotel room is still a sauna. So I figured I will leave, even though I've payed until tomorrow morning (there was no way I could get the energy to pack this morning). Anyway. I surf the Net for hotels and find what seems to be a bargain! So I make a reservation for a week and go visit the hotel before packing my things. But it turns out (of course!) that there's no air conditioning in the hotel! FUCK! But it turns out that cancelling the room would still cost me 80%. So I'm stuck between bad and worse - live with the heat or loose a whole bunch of money. FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!
So, here I sit in the hot hotel room thinking what the hell to do. I'm so tired I might fall over dead any minute now... But I think I will have to live with my mistake. (It's a good lesson after all - you always have to take the consequences of your actions. Unfortunately! ;) So I will have to pack it all up, check out and walk to the other hotel. And hope it won't be as hot! Or check in to another hotel (with air-con) and try to face the fact I'd pay for 3 hotel rooms simultaneously... God damn... And the silly thing is my company pays the hotel bills so why did I even try to save any money in the first place???? Oh, man, I sure hope tomorrow will be better.
The weather is milder today, but my hotel room is still a sauna. So I figured I will leave, even though I've payed until tomorrow morning (there was no way I could get the energy to pack this morning). Anyway. I surf the Net for hotels and find what seems to be a bargain! So I make a reservation for a week and go visit the hotel before packing my things. But it turns out (of course!) that there's no air conditioning in the hotel! FUCK! But it turns out that cancelling the room would still cost me 80%. So I'm stuck between bad and worse - live with the heat or loose a whole bunch of money. FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!
So, here I sit in the hot hotel room thinking what the hell to do. I'm so tired I might fall over dead any minute now... But I think I will have to live with my mistake. (It's a good lesson after all - you always have to take the consequences of your actions. Unfortunately! ;) So I will have to pack it all up, check out and walk to the other hotel. And hope it won't be as hot! Or check in to another hotel (with air-con) and try to face the fact I'd pay for 3 hotel rooms simultaneously... God damn... And the silly thing is my company pays the hotel bills so why did I even try to save any money in the first place???? Oh, man, I sure hope tomorrow will be better.
Slowly starting to work
Monday was a good day! I got to sleep in the morning. Met the Hitachi guys at the airport for a short introduction and lunch before we met the Opel people. They all turned out to be nice guys and it seems this assignment will be good!
The good times continued when I went to see an apartment I found on the Internet. It's very close to the main railway station and I will share it with Holger who lives there now. This means I get a fully equipped kitchen, Internet access and a flatmate! It's an old apartment, i.e. big rooms, nice old wooden floors and spacious. And reasonably priced - I'll pay €500, all inclusive. I bought the former flatmate's bike as well. Convenient! And a bonus: Just opposite works (lives?) a brasilian hooker who's not shy at all. We got a glimpse of her gordeous body... ;)
But that was still not all!! No, no, the luck never ended. I went to the Frankfurter Kanu-Verein and looked up what they had to offer. It turns out to be really nice people and they lend out kayaks for free if you're a member!
And it just kept on: Then I went to get my usual beer at the south shore of the Main and got a nice talk with the girl in the bar who new me by now. I then sat down at a table and started to drink my beer. It turns out there sits a beautiful woman and I start chatting. She - Andrea - turns out to live in Frankfurt with her son of 2,5 years working with insurance business. We swap numbers and I have a personal guide for Frankfurt! :)
Then I had another beer with my soon-to-be landlord Holger, his girlfriend and the former flatmate. We took a delicious italian ice-cream walking back home.
The end of a brilliant day!
The good times continued when I went to see an apartment I found on the Internet. It's very close to the main railway station and I will share it with Holger who lives there now. This means I get a fully equipped kitchen, Internet access and a flatmate! It's an old apartment, i.e. big rooms, nice old wooden floors and spacious. And reasonably priced - I'll pay €500, all inclusive. I bought the former flatmate's bike as well. Convenient! And a bonus: Just opposite works (lives?) a brasilian hooker who's not shy at all. We got a glimpse of her gordeous body... ;)
But that was still not all!! No, no, the luck never ended. I went to the Frankfurter Kanu-Verein and looked up what they had to offer. It turns out to be really nice people and they lend out kayaks for free if you're a member!
And it just kept on: Then I went to get my usual beer at the south shore of the Main and got a nice talk with the girl in the bar who new me by now. I then sat down at a table and started to drink my beer. It turns out there sits a beautiful woman and I start chatting. She - Andrea - turns out to live in Frankfurt with her son of 2,5 years working with insurance business. We swap numbers and I have a personal guide for Frankfurt! :)
Then I had another beer with my soon-to-be landlord Holger, his girlfriend and the former flatmate. We took a delicious italian ice-cream walking back home.
The end of a brilliant day!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Frankfurt am Main!!!
Finally!!! I have finally found another assignment (my boss doesn't give a shit) thanks to another boss who picked up an assignment as a Residential Engineer for Hitachi at Opel in Rüsselsheim, Germany. It's been "as good as certain" for ages but yesterday I finally got on the flight from Gothenburg to Frankfurt! :D
And I brought the heat! It's been 15-20 and rain for ages so I didn't quite trust the pilot claiming it would be 31 degrees in Frankfurt at 8 PM. Until I got out! I've been sweating constantly since... But it's good! :)
Frankfurt seems to be a nice place. Yesterday I drank Weissbier sitting on the south shore of Main watching the Frankfurt skyline and the people passing by. Today I heard Katie Melua playing outside the old opera, while resting under a tree watching the leaves and branches and the clear-blue sky.
Back home I found a nice hotel on the Internet - Hotel Domicil - very close to the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof). So, here I am writing this first report from Deutschland. And sweating, despite having opened the window and wearing nothing but a moist towel... Life's good! :D
Now I have to rest - tomorrow I'll meet a bunch of people from Hitachi and Opel and hopefully get started at the new assignment. And meeting a guy about an apartment. And finding the Frankfurt canoe club! Busy indeed! :) I'll be back!
And I brought the heat! It's been 15-20 and rain for ages so I didn't quite trust the pilot claiming it would be 31 degrees in Frankfurt at 8 PM. Until I got out! I've been sweating constantly since... But it's good! :)
Frankfurt seems to be a nice place. Yesterday I drank Weissbier sitting on the south shore of Main watching the Frankfurt skyline and the people passing by. Today I heard Katie Melua playing outside the old opera, while resting under a tree watching the leaves and branches and the clear-blue sky.
Back home I found a nice hotel on the Internet - Hotel Domicil - very close to the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof). So, here I am writing this first report from Deutschland. And sweating, despite having opened the window and wearing nothing but a moist towel... Life's good! :D
Now I have to rest - tomorrow I'll meet a bunch of people from Hitachi and Opel and hopefully get started at the new assignment. And meeting a guy about an apartment. And finding the Frankfurt canoe club! Busy indeed! :) I'll be back!
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