Since I'm already at it...

Yet another list of books.

I'm currently digging through all those printouts etc which I stuffed into folders years ago and which just languish there, hidden away and of no use to anyone. Among them I found this list of
"110 Books to Read". I have no idea when I printed this, or where I got the whole thing from, but I'll post it here nevertheless. Let's see how much I know from this one.
(Bold=Read it, Italics=I've heard about it, Smaller font= On my shelf and waiting to be read, Rest= I dunno)

1. The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien)
2. I Feel Bad About My Neck: And other thoughts on being a woman (Nora Ephron)
3. The Thirteenth Tale (Diane Setterfield)
4. Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
5. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
6. Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style for Everyday Living (Robert Arbor)
7. Amelie: Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain (The French Film Guides) (Isabelle Vanderschelden) - Only saw the movie, lots of times
8. To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
9. The Hours (Michael Cunningham)
10. The Country Life (Rachel Cusk)
11. Everyday Traditions: Simple Family Rituals for Connection and Comfort (Nava Atlas)
12. Going Home to the Fifties (Bill Yenne)
13. On Longing: Narratives of the Miniature, the Gigantic, the Souvenir, the Collection (Susan Stewart)
14. The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine (Rozsika Parker)
15. Forbidden Journeys: Fairy Tales and Fantasies by Victorian Women Writers (Nina Auerbach)
16. The Future of Nostalgia (Svetlana Boym)
17. Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England (Judith Flanders)
18. The Element of Lavishness: Letters of Sylvia Townsend Warner and William Maxwell 1938-1978
19. Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience (Yi-Fu Tuan)
20. The Poetics of Space (Gaston Bachelard)
21. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
22. The Dress Lodger (Sheri Holman)
23. The Confessions of Max Tivoli (Andrew Sean Greer)
24. Girl in Hyacinth Blue (Susan Vreeland)
25. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
26. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
27. Eat, Pray Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)
28. The Catcher in the Rye (JD Salinger)
29. The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame)
30. Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
31. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
32. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Lewis Carroll)
33. One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
34. A Town Like Alice (Nevil Shute)
35. Anne of Green Gables (LM Montgomery)
36. A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)
37. I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)
38. Conversations with God (Neale Donald Walsch)
39. Animal Farm (George Orwell)
40. Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
41. The Secret History (Donna Tartt)
42. The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
43. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
44. Sophie's World (Jostein Gaarder)
45. The Diary of a Nobody (George and Weedon Grossmith)
46. Flowers in the Attic (Virginia Andrews)
47. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
48. My Sister's Keeper (Jodie Picoult)
49. Magician (Raymond E. Feist)
50. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
51. The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
52. Mao's Last Dance (Li Cunxin)
53. Girl With a Pearl Earring (Tracy Chevalier)
54. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (Jung Chang)
55. Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe)
56. A Passage to India (EM Forster)
57. The Old Wive's Tale (Arnold Bennett)
58. Portrait of a Lady (Henry James)
59. Midnight's Children (Salman Rushdie)
60. Chocolat (Joanne Harris)
61. Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier)
62. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
63. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Lisa See)
64. I am a Cat (Natsume Soseki)
65. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles (Haruki Murakami)
66. Geisha, A Life (Mineko Iwasaki)
67. Geisha (Liza Dalby)
68. Autobiography of a Geisha (Sayo Masuda)
69. Matthew Flinder's Cat (Bryce Courtenay)
70. A House for Mr. Biswas (V.S. Naipaul)
71. The Secret River (Kate Grenville)
72. Falling Leaves (Adeline Yen Mah)
73. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (John Boyne)
74. The Other Boleyn Girl (Philippa Gregory)
75. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Harriet Jacobs)
76. Little House in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
77. Cloudstreet (Tim Winton)
78. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
79. The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
80. My Place (Sally Morgan)
81. My Brilliant Career (Miles Franklin)
82. For the Term of his Natural Life (Markus Clarke)
83. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (Frederick Douglass)
84. The Constant Princess (Philippa Gregory)
85. The Rules of Survival (Nancy Werlin)
86. Hattie Big Sky (Kirby Larson)
87. Lady of Hay (Barbara Erskine)
88. Mystic River (Dennis Lehane)
89. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M Aurel)
90. My Family and Other Animals (Gerard Durrell)
91. Rose Cottage (Mary Stewart)
92. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers)
93. The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
94. 1984 (George Orwell)
95. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
96. Remembering Babylon (David Malouf)
97. Jitterbug Perfume (Tom Robbins)
98. Into the Woods (R R Smythe)
99. The Nanny Diaries (Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus) - I actually started reading it but couldn't stand it :P
100. A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson)
101. The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life (Laurie Notaro)
102. Candy and Me (Hilary Liftin)
103. The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls)
104. Ex Libris (Anne Fadiman)
105. Holes (Lois Sachar)
106. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
107. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
108. A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L'Engle) - This is the first in a trilogy, for some reason I've got book 2 (unread) on my shelf, I'd like to read all three though
109. Teaching a Stone to Talk (Annie Dillard)
110. Watership Down (Richard Adams)

While typing this I noticed that the list can't be all that old, since some books on it only came out a few years ago. Also, I think I remember where I got this list from, but it's no help, since I don't know where that person got it from. ;)
Anyway, quite an eccentric selection.

What does this tell me?
First, that I know a lot more books than I have actually read. Only to be expected, I think.
Second, that there are loads of intriguing books out there that I would love to read. I've been trying to accept the fact that I'll never be able to read everything I'd like to read over the last few months, so I know...I know.
Third...I'm still far too intrigued by lists like this one. ;)

Do you have lists like this one? Or are there other books you'd highly recommend? (Highly enough so that a girl swamped with Bookcrossing books would be able to squeeze them in?) Please share!

Recently read

I finished "Howl's Moving Castle" yesterday, and I immensely enjoyed it. I bought it several years back, right after seeing the Miyazaki movie, but of course it languished in several bookshelves until now. (Except, of course, my boyfriend read it immediately.)

Well, the day after starting to read it I just HAD to rewatch the movie, to see how it tied in with the beginning of the book. It's so lovely when things are slightly different in the movie, and reading the book alongside to figure them out.
The second half of the movie then wildly differs from what happens in the book, probably because the "foreign world" of Wales would have been too weird for a Japanese film. ;) I liked it though, it was a good specimen of "people from a different world experiencing ours". It wasn't overdone, and had some nice touches, like Sophie thinking its an issue of life and death with the computer games.

For some reason, my boyfriend didn't like the ending of the book either (we both had some problems with the rather sudden ending of the movie, even though at least I should be used to it by now when watching animes), but I loved it. Everything is nicely solved, again without being overdone or overexplained, and I was completely happy.

I absolutely loved the way Sophie's magic worked, because you had to keep your eyes open to notice it. Great work.
And I like the style of writing...nothing is overdone, or overexplained, you have to keep thinking. Also, it somehow jumps along like a little girl with her skipping rope. It's always upbeat and funny and fresh and enjoyable. Never ever boring - really, there are no boring bits in this book. I wish I could write like that.

I think our (me and my boyfriend's) joint favourite character has to be Calcifer. He's beyond cute in the movie, and very funny in the book as well.

By the way, my cover looks like this - really lovely. And so fitting!

An ancient meme

I just found this meme somewhere in a blog post 4 years old. I think I did it once before, but decided to do it again to check out the difference. The idea of this meme is to mark all the items read as bold, and then add four recently read books at the bottom. So here goes:

The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy – Douglas Adams
The Great Gatsby – F.Scott Fitzgerald
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter 6) – J.K. Rowling
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story – George Orwell
Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
The Hobbit – J. R. R. Tolkien
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
1984 – George Orwell
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) – J.K. Rowling
One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) – J.K. Rowling
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter 5) – J.K. Rowling
Slaughterhouse 5 – Kurt Vonnegut
Angels and Demons – Dan Brown
Fight Club – Chuck Palahniuk
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Book 1) – J.K. Rowling
Neuromancer – William Gibson
Cryptonomicon – Neal Stephenson
The Secret History – Donna Tartt
A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) – J.K. Rowling
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
American Gods – Neil Gaiman
Ender’s Game (The Ender Saga) – Orson Scott Card
Snow Crash – Neal Stephenson
A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides
Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
The Lord of the Rings – J. R. R. Tolkien
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Good Omens – Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
Atonement – Ian McEwan
The Shadow Of The Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
Dune – Frank Herbert

I think this is looking pretty good! A few of the unread books are standing on my shelf waiting to be read, and as for the rest...well, some day. :)

As for four books I recently read:

• Howl's Moving Castle (Dianne Wynne Jones) - I'm reading this one right now, I've got about half of it done. It's great! (I had to watch the movie again yesterday just for the fun of it.)
• At the Mountains of Madness (H.P. Lovecraft) - This was fun, reading a classic of horror literature (I suppose that's what it is). It was quite silly as well, and still I was a little scared reading it. Great suspense.
• The Debutante Divorceé (Plum Sykes) - Absolutely not what I usually read, but a friend gave it to me to register for Bookcrossing, and I was slightly depressed and couldn't sleep...the only right time for absolutely mindless stuff like this.
• The Scar (China Miéville) - I love this author. He writes great fantasy with beautiful and intriguing language, and he has the most amazing kind of ideas. My favourite of his so far has to be UN LUN DUN though. Can't breat that one (he illustrated it himself!).
  

So that's it for now. If you're interested, you're tagged. ;)

Feburary, the Finishing Month

I am now, for the first time in my life, officially unemployed. ;)

Somehow I managed to get a sponsored course which will start next week. Since autumn I've done a 1-weekend-a-month-course to become a trainer in adult education, and my couselor got me this fulltime-ten-weeks course on becoming a trainer for teaching immigrants reading, writing and speaking skills. I'm really happy about this - it forms a beautiful synergy with the other course, it checks with my desire to help people and my love for language, it will bring me into contact with other cultures, especially those easily neglected (I'm guessing Eastern Europe etc).

Still, I'm anxious about the future. I've never been one of those people with one clear goal/obsession/path in life, and several wishes, ideas, desires are warring to be heard. I definitely worry too much. ;) I guess it's all nice and easy, I just can't quite see it yet.

Why the title of this post?
Well, since I am now unemployed (with still enough to do though ;)), I decided I'd finished a few long-postponed projects. Clearing out my wardrobe. Mending some clothes. Putting my finances in order. Getting rid of loads of stuff. Finishing some knitting projects (I even joined a Ravelympics Team for exactly that purpose - Team WIP :D). Stuff like that.

So far, it feels quite nice.
I finished a scarf that was supposed to be m boyfriend's present for Christmas. Christmas 2008. Geez. Though I must admit it went through a couple of transformations (initially it should have been a hat).
I cleaned up one of my cupboards.
I wrote some important administrational emails, all to do with money stuff.
I am currently registering loads of books I'll never ever read (I have to remind me of that time and time again - I will not ever be able to read everything, not even just those things that appeal to me) for Bookcrossing. I ripped them off my shelves during one of those later night "I've got too much stuff! Can't breathe!" - crises. Not to worry, I am not throwing out books I spent hundreds of euros on. Most of them are donations to BC (lots from my boyfriend this time!), another load I bought for 1 euro each.
I got started on my wardrobe and it is already looking so much better.

After tomorrow, fasting time traditionally begins, and I'm thinking about what 'll give up until Easter time. Since I feel that fasting is not a religious thing, but a natural preparation for the new cycle of life beginning in spring, I feel that this year I should honour this special time in some way. The above (getting rid of stuff and finishing unfinished stuff) is part of this honouring.

What happens next...

My current employment will end with the end of January. Despite all the usual stuff I will do because of that (meeting with a counselor of the national employment agency, applying for unemployment pay, writing loads of job applications) the bios of all those oh so successful people around me - or, right now, the job application received here at the office from someone three years younger than me but with loads more experience and expertise - made me think about collecting a portfolio of all the skills I've learned through my life, looking at that and feeling a bit better about myself. We did something like this a year ago at a workshop I visited, so I guess I'd better dig out the lists from back then and bring them into a nice, readable, appealing form.

I will apply for all kinds of things, from internships at newspapers and museums to actual jobs at libraries to whatever else comes to mind (I've got a list set and ready). Hopefully I can do some kind of training sponsored by this beautiful country I live in (since I had to pay for my current education to be a trainer in adult education all by myself, thanks a lot :P).

Some time soon I will also post all the things I knit for Christmas presents etc, and maybe some other pretty or at least happy things as well. :)

Grey and cold as it may be here in Graz, I hope you all had a great start into the new year. :)

New crazy task

As Nano is slowly approaching its finishing line (and I'm only about 10.000 words behind, hah!), for some reason I've been looking for another silly task to do.
I didn't get to see the movie "Julie and Julia", but I read about it, and the idea of methodically working through an instruction book (be it cooking, sewing, knitting, you name it) highly appealed to me. First I thought I'd work my way through "SEW - Sew everything workshop" by Diana Rupp, but since I am still much more into knitting right now than into sewing, I changed that plan to
Methodically Working Through "Stitch'n'Bitch" by Debbie Stoller
Okay, so I've already knit my way through several scarfes and hats etc, but hey. Practice makes perfect. The idea is to try out all the techniques mentioned in the book, to try the whole variety, to force myself to learn about intarsia etc. and not chicken out anymore when it comes to these things. Hopefully, this will then allow me to look at all the other patterns I see and love with a new eye, a new attitude of "Yes, I can do that! Eaaaaaaaaasy!"
The plan is to knit everything featured in that book, except for the things I've already made (explicitly from the book). The list goes like this:

1. Go-Go Garter Stitch Scarf
2. Ribbed-For-Her-Pleasure Scarf
3. Kitschy Kerchief
4. Coney Island Fireworks Scarf
5. Windy City Scarf
6. Alien Illusion Scarf
7. Hot Head X
8. Sparkle Hat
9. Adults-Only Devil Hat and Official Kittyville Hat
10. Loopy Velez Cowl
11. Chinese Charm Bag
12. Zeeby's Bag
13. Meema's Felted Marsupial Tote
14. Punk Rock Backpack
15. Cricket's Technicolor Techno-Cozy
16. Fluffy Cuff Mittens
17. Pippi Kneestockings
18. Powerful Wrist Protection
19. Big Bad Baby Blanket X
20. Umbilical Cord Hat
21. Skully
22. Under the Hoodie
23. The Go-Everywhere, Go-With-Everything Cardigan
24. To Dye For X
25. Cape Mod
26. Big Sack Sweater
27. Pinup Queen
28. The Manly Sweater
29. Cowl and Howl Set
30. Peppermint Twist
31. Tank Girl
32. Little Black Top
33. Queen of Hearts and Wonder Woman Bikinis
34. Princess Snowball Cat Bed

(I've linked everything to its respective Ravelry site. The X's link to my [completed] projects.)

Several of these I've been wanting to knit anyway, while others I'm really not sure about (like the Howl part of the Cowl and Howl set, no dogs here, nor in my vicinity; or the cat bed - my friends have lots of cats, yes, but they sleep whereever they want anyway).
I've already made Hot Head and the Big Bad Baby Blanket, and my To Dye For is only missing its sleeves, so that should be finishable soon as well.
I'll probably not knit these things in order. I'll probably not knit them in the colours, yarns etc that they are originally made in. I'll probably not knit them exclusively, but alongside other things.
But they will be knit, and they will be presented here (a good idea to make me post more often as well ;)).
Maybe this is silly, maybe this is downright stupid. Maybe it is a complete waste of time, money, and good yarn. Maybe my surroundings will start to hate me when I suddenly gift them nothing but weird scarfs and bags. But what the hell. I'll just do it. :)

For one month now...

I'll be a writer!

You've read it wrong!

I just found this video, which gives an interesting view on religion/worldviews - maybe not groundbreaking, but it's nicely done.



It came from this page.
While I wouldn't define myself as an atheist, I like to see different and new approaches. (And I just love pretty videos.)

On a completely unrelated note, I talked with some friends yesterday about a possible movie version of Asteroids. Asteroids! Geez. We thought of some movie versions of old video games that we'd much rather see (Pacman, anyone?), but my personal favourite was Pong. So, since I'm already posting videos, here's some Pong.

Mhhhh

It's my birthday, and it started with happy wishes (first was my brother at 6.30, like I'd be properly awake at that time - but it was sweet :)), cuddled up reading and listening to my new Tori Amos CD. Lovely. Can I please have birthday mornings for the rest of my life? ;)

New approach

I've been thinking about scaling down and using less for so long already that it physically hurts when I think about how little I achieved in that direction in that amount of time.
But this is not going to be a post about getting rid of clutter etc (that's going to come later), it's about Wardrobe Refashion and how I'll try to do things differently this time.

First, I'll do a huge stocktaking of what I already own and have in my closet, whether it gets worn or not. Then I'll take out all the stuff that I never/hardly ever wear, or things which I wore even though they didn't make me happy. I'll put all of these either in some sort of storage container or into my "easy to fix" bag. I'll leave only some basics in my wardrobe: Jeans, black pants, my linen pants for summer, some basic cardis (not that I have that many at all), some basic tops in solid colours (and maybe a few fancy ones).

Next, I'll make a list of the things lined up for fixing/mending/minor alteration, and get those done - if I decide I still need/want that item, even once it's fixed. If I decide I don't want/need it anymore, it'll move on to the "charity shop/clothes exchange" bag which I still need to create.

I'll also draw up a list of some basic items which I'd like to own, check whether I have patterns for those, check whether I already own fabric which could be used for them, then make them. I know already that I'd like some basic skirts in a length and in colours that I will actually wear; and I'd love a simple black dress which can be worn through the seasons.

And about the actual refashioning part? I already sorted through my dedicated refashion pile, which has been sitting around (and moved with me) since I first participated, and sorted it into several groups (I have so many t-shirts! And I don't actually need [that many] more colourful t-shirts! O_O). I also managed to drag some items of clothing which never get worn or don't make me happy from my wardrobe, with the definite decision to make them into something else (and I already know what they're going to be, too!).

The best thing? Last weekend I finally made friends with my sewing machine. I will no longer long for my mother's machine, which I knew how to use properly and had already developed an understanding with. Instead, I will deepen my relationship with my own machine - we still have a ways to go, but at least I know how to get it sewing nice stitches by now, know how to change needles etc, and how to fix some weird mistakes which I somestimes make when sewing (since I don't do it regularly).

The made-from-scratch/using-up-stash items will probably fall into the "How to build a wardrobe full of useful, wearable and combinable clothes"-category, while the refashioned items will be the sweet and exciting icing on the cake.

Sounds good? Now I just need to pull it off. ;)

Guess what?

Here we go again.

Two visits long overdue

There are some things in life that I seem to keep postponing. Finishing my universitary education, getting a well-paid job, meeting up with people I like...
It's something of a minor curse.

Last month, I (uncharacteristically) managed to make two overdue visits in 3 weeks! Utterly amazing, I know. (I also finished some other long overdue projects, but that's something else.)

Happy receiver of visit #1: My (youngest) aunt

My aunt has been living in the beautiful city of Passau, just across the Austrian/German border, for the last 8 years or so. We've been talking about me visiting her for about as many years. But my need for a short time out and my inspirational idea to visit her happily coincided, and so I made my way to this prettiest of towns around the second week of May.

For the weekend, my aunt had time to spend with me, so we went on a boat tour on Saturday...

View from our boat towards city hall

Small castle that could be seen during the trip - there was some story about a goat, but I forgot exactly how it went *hangs head shamefully*

The waters of Danube and Inn mixing, right below Passau.

...and for a walk among the treetops on Sunday.



We also visited Schärding, famous (at least here in Austria) for its cheese.

But it should be famous for its cute houses!

I loved this one, even though my aunt didn't...isn't that green-white just gorgeous?

Both Passau and Schärding often suffer from flooding/high tides, since Passau is situated between two rivers, and Schärding is situated along one (big, flat) river. Passau also had several flood marks around town (along the river and on city hall), but this is the one from Schärding, as it was the prettiest.

Lovely door!

The rest of my time (Monday to Wednesday afternoon) I spent simply walking around town, doing a little shopping, eating lovely food, and relaxing by the river.

Passau's Burg (castle/fortress)

Tower of Passau's City Hall

My favourite new place - the Inn embankment...this is looking North.

And looking South(ish)!

Plus some fancy ducks. ;)

The inside of the dome - pretty! This is the main of the five organs which the dome houses.
I got to listen to a concert, which was beautiful...

My aunt is a psychologist, so she managed to break up my problems into manageable pieces with about 3 sentences, and things have been going much better since then. I don't feel so overwhelmed by all the things I need and/or want to do anymore, which is great. I'll just have to keep her advice (and some of the clever things I've read about the impossibility of doing/reading/knowing everything) in mind, and all should be (and stay) well. :)

The house in my aunt's street (Ostuzzi Street), which was built by the architect the street is named after. Looks like shells and glass nuggets and stuff, doesn't it?

Right about the glass, but WRONG about the shells. O_O

Happy receiver of visit #2: My once best friend (and my boyfriend's cousin as well)

There's this girl I once was best friends with. We were really REALLY close for about 3 years, which sadly deteriorated afterwards (due to a somewhat childish boy conflict, and my own later not so childish boyfriend conflicts). After school she moved to Vienna for her studies, and I've only talked to her for about 1 hour total since then (at least it feels that way, maybe I'm wrong - maybe that's just the last five years). I also never visited her in Vienna even once. Strange how things go, eh? Anyway, I first mentioned coming for a visit in September, which (knowing me, knowing my boyfriend) of course didn't happen, but it DID happen near the end of May.

The Secession Building, which I SO love. <3<3<3
The writing says: Each time its art, each art its freedom/Art for the times, freedom for the arts
(it's not that easy to translate, but I think the main point should be clear)

We were able to stay at the place of my boyfriend's cousin, who shares a beautiful flat with his equally beautiful girlfriend. A beautiful couple overall - sadly I've got no pictures of their space, it was really lovely.

We had the Saturday and Sunday to do what we've wanted to do for a long time: Walking around Vienna without anything special that needed to be done. Just walking, looking, maybe checking out some places we'd never seen before. Usually when I got to Vienna, it's always been for a special reason: family get-together's, concerts, informational events - but I'd never been able to just go where the mood takes me. It's what I enjoyed most about my Erasmus stay in London as well - being able to just lazily walk around town instead of always taking the tube, getting a feel for the city.

Museum of Art History (Kunsthistorisches Museum), with lovely dramatic light (I love it when dark clouds and sunsets combine this way)

So, for Saturday, we simply walked around, explored the university (they've got the cutest little courtyard!), took pictures of the city hall, Parliament etc, bought lovely munchies at the Naschmarkt (a market famous for it's cute little restaurants and delicatessen shops). We had dried coconut cubes, wasabi peanuts, dried kiwis, and something else that I don't quite remember. All delicous!
In the evening, we went to a yummy Thai restaurant, tried to get into a salsa club (but the boys weren't dressed nicely enough, at least that's what the doormen claimed - I think the club was just too full), snuck our way into the most stylish bar of the whole inner city (kudos to J's cousin for that!), and finally ended up in an 'in' club where a Russian-style band was just doing their encores. Sadly they simply cleared the dancefloor after that, so we went home. *shrugs*

Fountain between Museum of Art History and Museum of Technics (Technisches Museum Wien)

On Sunday, weather was even lousier that on Saturday. We slept long (since my boyfriend is generally exhausted from his workweek and really needed that sleep), then walked around a bit more, and finally visited the Haus der Musik (House of Music), which was great. There were quite some people, so we didn't get to try everything out, but we nevertheless spent 3-4 hours inside, learning about all kinds of fun things about sound, famous composers etc.
We spent the rest of the evening cuddled up, reading (J) and knitting (me).

Monday was meet-people-day. First we were off to J's uncle, where we surprised his grandmother, whose birthday it was but who didn't know we were coming. Hah! It was nice to see the look on her face when we jumped into the room and handed her the beautiful bunch of flowers we'd bought. :) We got lovely food as well, grilled chicken, yum yum.

Then we were off, going to meet my friend, her husband, and her (yet) unborn little baby. She was the first of my friends to marry, and now she's the first to get a baby as well. It was so lovely to see her! She has the cutest of flats, since she always was into colour coordination and being orderly and stuff (things I only dream about...all the time...), and she makes really great Apfelstrudel. We then went for a walk together to Schloss Schönbrunn, where there is a section of the park where they have several labyrinths - of course we had to take a tour through some of them.

And my boyfriend and I had to let our inner child out at the fantastic playground - he tells me that this is an Archimedian well or something...my research tells me that it uses a principle called Archimedes' screw. :)

When we had to leave, I handed her the thing which I really needed to give her...


...because as soon as I heard she was pregnant, I thought "Must! Knit! Something! Must! Knit! Cute! Babystuffs!"
I think she liked it, though it's hard for me to tell - when you haven't really known someone for a while, it's hard to gauge their reactions. But I was promised pics of baby plus blankie, so I guess it was fine. :)

Well, and then it was back to Graz and prepare for another week of work, hah! :P But I'm sooo happy I managed to make these two trips (and that I managed to finish the blanket on time!).

I've got so many pictures left from Passau, and some from Vienna, which are also quite nice, so maybe I'll show them off later...then again, maybe it's enough. ;) I'm glad I could finally write a post with my own photographs again. :)

And...

A: Words of wisdom
B: By the way, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?

A: Go ahead.
B: OK I will.

A: So, ask me your question.
B: Excuse me! OK, "What is my question ?".

I think I prefer conversing with real people. ;)

Computer wisdom

My friend Kris posted this link to a page where you can chat it up with a chat bot and check out whether it's answers are filled with intelligence or not. After some rather uninteresting stuff, this exchange took place:

A: It's raining here.
B: Do you experience any effects of global warming there?

A: I think so.
B: I think so too.

A: Do you experience any effects of global warming?
B: happy. Emotion is a human quality. I am a super computer.

A: that was a weird answer
B: A weird answer is a terrible thing to waste.

True, true.

Beautiful pictures

A) I finally downloaded the photographs of the last two months from my camera, so there *should* be some massive posts coming soon.

B) By chance, I got to see the movie "Aeon Flux" last night. I knew about the animated series (which has been on my Amazon wishlist for ages, even though I've not seen a single episode - the online recommendations somehow seemed good enough reason to put it there), but nothing of the plot etc, so I watched the movie from beginning to end. I don't want to talk too much about the plot (which is good enough for a sci-fi movie, even though I guess it doesn't even come close to what the series offers - I'm again guessing from what I read about the series on the net). What I do want to talk about is what a beautiful beautiful movie it is. Costumes, set decoration, special effects....sooooo pretty! I gathered a few screenshots from the internet, but they just don't to the whole thing justice.

This is Aeon and her sister, Lux. Look at those costumes - Aeon's violet and grey, which, if they were mixed, would probably be something close to Lux' lavender. Pretty. :) The background light is just an example of how the atmosphere is just really rich and stunningly beautiful.

My favourite place in the whole movie, beautifully organic...nicely suited to the purpose it fulfills.


Even a so called tyrant can have a beautiful home...and this is just the outermost layer. (Or was it the place where the government held court? Either way...niiiiiiice.)


Here's a few more shots...not all so brilliant, but they give a good impression, I think.

While I do like good plot, sometimes, at least in movies, pretty 'language' is enough. Quite enough*. Can I watch it again please, ignore the dialogue, and just wallow in its beauty?

*As I said, the plot isn't too bad either. But nothing too special.

Bad morale :P

Here's the résumé I just posted on the WR blog...I do SO suck at taking part in this challenge, but I'm hopeful for the next time I'll sign up...which will be with the next signups, probably starting July.

Anyway, here goes:

Even though my 2 months are technically over, I would like - since I am always so bad at posting regularly - give a sort of summary of the experience this time round...

1) As usual, I didn't do a lot of real refashioning, but at least got some much needed mending done.
2) As is not usual, the whole WR period I kept on thinking of the things I needed to buy once I was once again allowed to (some basic colourful tops in colours I would never find in the thrift stores round here etc), and now that it's over I keep on thinking of all the great refashions I will be doing soon...or at least could be doing soon, if I get my sewing machine into gear.
3) I bought one load of things at the thrift store, and all of those were nice to wear as they were, so there was no refashioning needed => I definitely need to change my mindset when going to those stores and see things in a new light.
4) Also, I failed on almost all my pledges once: I should have posted a "Get out of jail free" card, because in the middle of April I noticed that a store I'd loved since my teens was to close at the end of April, so I rushed inside and bought a beautiful dress and a beautiful shirt. I also failed on my personal "Buy no new yarn" pledge, because I found some beautiful stuff on discount...so the only thing I didn't do was buy new fabric. Meh.
4) Of the refashioning things I started, nothing is finished: I count one failed t-shirt refashion, one started but unfinished t-shirt refashion, and two pairs of jeans taken apart to become a skirt, but no further work done. Grrrr. What's wrong with my morale?
5) But at least I made myself a new necklace from my craft materials. And started refashioning another necklace into something new. Maybe I should do something called "Jewellery case refashion"?
6) And I won something. Which was great. It feels a little undeserved, looking at the work I got done (or rather not done), but it still felt great, and was a beautiful package, and generally made my day (twice!). So thanks again, Nikki! :D

I'll sign on for the next period again, I guess it will start July? In the meantime, I'm currently sorting my things into several piles (mending, simple alterations, major refashioning material), and will be looking through my fabric stash to assign to certain things what they will become. Oh yeah, and I will finally get my sewing machine working, since I can no longer simply borrow my mum's. (One of the downsides of moving out and becoming independent, I guess.)

Anyway, I'll keep on reading, I'll keep on watching what great things other people create, and then, maybe next time, I'll also have some nice pictures to show. *fingers crossed*

Blue

Somehow, things are not going as they should...
Or at least something still feels weird.

The weekend before last, we finally fixed up our balcony and had a party to celebrate the event - the balcony is ours again, goodbye pidgeons! I finally have my own herbs and especially my very own lavender (how I longed for that all these years!). Two different kinds of it actually. I go out to smell and stroke them every day (no kidding - I love my herbs and lavender).

I was sick for about 2 weeks, but since then I went to my one uni course, I spent a nice weekend in Carinthia with friends, I did some knitting and did some video gaming and had lovely sunshine streaming in through my big windows...
...but still something isn't right.

I even won a prize on the WR site (more about that later, when I have my camera back), and it arrived today! Yay! Beautiful!

But still, I'm really feeling blue. Confused, somehow. Something is missing. It can't just be that I need holidays, my job isn't that demanding after all. And it isn't just feeling lonely either, I suppose (lonely because the boyfriend is away from home for approximately 12 hours of each day, and even longer on Mondays ie today), because a) I could easily change that but don't seem to want to and b) even with people around me it doesn't properly go away.

On that weekend in Carinthia I was told that I needed to stop living to fulfill everyone else's expectations, and just live instead. This keeps bugging me. Since then, I keep on thinking about what it is that *I* really want, and trying to differentiate it from things other people might perhaps be expecting from me...which isn't all that easy. Currently I'm trying to recall things that, at some stage in my life, I really wanted to do, but didn't, because I thought (or knew) that someone close to me wouldn't like it. The best I've come up so far is that additional earpiercing (besides the two 'normal' earholes) which I thought I'd like to have 7 years ago...and never got. Would that be a good enough start?
But the question is, what else is there? Is it just other people's expectations which might be 'unhealthy' in some way, or my own as well?

And is that really all that is worrying me?

I guess it's just one of those phases.

Then again, there is so much I want to do, and so much I want to be.

Yep. Just one of those phases, then. :P

Not a good start

So, I fell ill last Wednesday evening. Wednesday afternoon I had given in to the lure of visiting the one 2nd-hand store I'd ever been in, and I found a number of lovely things (though apparently thrift stores aren't as thrifty here as in other parts of the world...); and there's actually not much I want to change about them but maybe a little...
But I can't, because I'm supposed to stay in bed, drink lots of tea, and give myself some rest.

So, WR, not a good start.
Missing first class of my one uni course this semester, not a good start.

At least I found a new doctor closer to my new home than my previous one, and she was really nice and lovely too.

Back to bed now, and back to my book.

Random Acts of Mending

The beginning of this WR run was, for me, marked by doing some mending (3 pants fixed and once again wearable! Ditto one jumper and a dress) and some finishing (weaving in ends on two scarves I knit, sewing the perfect button to my Calorimetry 2). I also pulled a few more refashion-designated items from my wardrobe.
What's on the line right now:

- Fixing, or having fixed, the very ripped and sad-looking lining on my once-and-for-always-favourite jacket
- Deciding about a couple of unplannedly felted wooly things
- Fixing the pocket on my winter coat (and anything else I might find wrong with it before putting it away - it's getting so much warmer!)
- I'd love to make a few simple headbands, if I find the right materials in my stash.
- And, of course, to continue knitting!

Not included in WR per se is jewellery, *but* I've finally begun to take apart the big bag of cheaply-sold beaded things which I got on Etsy more than a year ago, which I want to remake into things more suited to my taste (or that of my friends, whichever). I also grabbed a couple of necklaces (my own) which I had designated for remaking but now decided I still want to wear them as they are.

I wanted to write about something else, but forgot what it was. If a new post follows minutes after this one, so be it.

New Outfit

In my bid to finally get a three-column-blog, I found this beautiful template (via the usual internet routes...WR-other blog-nice template). I will probably customize it to death once I know how (different header, maybe different background, different colours etc), but the most important thing right now are those columns. :-*
[No idea why only a few links are displayed in beautiful purple and not all of them, I'll hopefully get it fixed somehow.]

Anyway, thanks go to these people:

for their beautiful (free!) blog templates.


On another note, the fates are laughing at me, at least a little - yesterday, my 2 month pledge began, and yesterday I go home to my parents and find the new Boden catalogue waiting for me. ;-( With 10% off until March 17. ;-(
Oh well.
Will meditate on this.

WR Pledge

I pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 / 4 / 6 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!

I pledge in addition that, for the term of my contract, I will not buy new yarn or fabric, unless needed to finish a project.

***

List to get me started:

1) Mend some clothes (already put in a messy pile, waiting for needle and thread, and sometimes buttons)
2) Look through wardrobe for things to give away or refashion (already a few candidates)
3) Continue knitting like a war heroine!

Old news, new things

Old news are good news?

- I won Nano again. I even finished my story. And a couple of nights ago, my head solved a problem I had with the ending of the story, so I'm all motivated to go through the wholething again and make it a better one.

- I spent most of the time since Christmas which I was not working or lazing around moving in with my boyfriend. By now, all my stuff is here, my room at home has been taken apart and painted afresh so that my brother can move in, and I have finally MOVED OUT completely.
Now I just need to find a way to store all my craft supplies... :D


New things:

- I just messed around with my blog a bit, since I want to change things a little in the future, and while looking at my links, I decided to sign up for Wardrobe Refashion again. This will include:

Sorting through my wardrobe for things to give away
Sorting through my wardrobe for things to redesign
Finishing some of my knitting projects, which I was already trying to do anyway
Using up some of the fabric which I have amassed (people with *real* fabric collections would smile at my pile indulgently, but it's still too much for my current storing capacities) over the past few years

- I finally signed up for my PhD. :D I'll begin work as soon as my workspace here is cleared up, which will still take the putting up of a shelf and some serious reduction and sorting of paperwork. But - excited!

- My best friend, who finished her studies in October and has been searching for a job ever since (and received nought but nays) finally got a job she really wanted yesterday! I felt so happy for her, I spontaneously made her a pair of celebratory earrings, photos of which will appear soon.

- My head is simultaneously playing around with 3 or 4 story ideas, and has been thus for the last few months. In a time not too far away, I will start to put them onto paper.

Hmm...

[Of course, I meant the Lambchop "Romp" CD, not Stomp, geez, how tired wasI? :P]

I have no pictures to show, but we had a suprisingly nice weekend, considering it was the beginning of November. Instead of wallowing in warm water for most of Saturday, we decided to skip this part until next weekend, and rather went for a nice walk (up the hill, hot chocolate, down the hill) and then into the sauna his parents own. After that, we had wonderful dinner. What more could I want? :D

Today we went to see an exhibition about vikings in the town my boyfriend is going to work in from tomorrow onwards. He also showed us (his family and me) where he was going to work exactly, and then we had another lovely dinner. Geez, so much food! Those people always feed me with such wonderful stuff, and I can't tell my mum any longer, because she gets frustrated, heh. ;)

My Nano text (I'm not calling it a novel yet, that would be hubris. :P) has reached the 3k mark, which is ok - I think I will write a lot more tomorrow when I WILL be alone and it WILL probably be late at night because there is such a lot of ironing to do, bleh. And there will be tea. I need to keep focussing on the tea. ;)

Good start into the week everyone!

Here we go again

Last year, my novelling attempts died on Day 1, since the long weekend was spent away from keyboard and proper novelling attitude (alone, late at night, surrounded with tea and snacks). This year, I will do better! I WILL write this year's story. No matter if it turns out as stupidly misled as the one of 2006. This year, it will be good. :)

Fingers crossed.

*****

In other news, I finished my studies in the middle of September, so am now officially a university graduate. What am I doing currently? Thinking about what will come next. Planning when and how to move out (get my own flat? Move in with boyfriend? Wait for good friend to come back from Peru and get a flat with her? My money is on option 2 ;D). Getting rid of a lot of useless stuff (clothes I will never wear again, books I will realistically never, ever read etc). Listening to Lambchop's "Stomp" CD (all the cover versions they ever did in the last 10 years). And drinking a lot of tea. Tea is good. Tea makes everything better.

I also want to give this blog a little revamp and then post more often. Let's see how that one goes. ;)

But first of, I'm off tomorrow for the weekend, because the boyfriend starts work (REAL work, 8-10 hours a day, 5 days a week, not mentioning the commute) next Monday, and we wanted to celebrate the occasion. Probably the last weekend in the coming 3 years where he will NOT be exhausted. ;)

Another quiz, and then, soon, something new!

Which Scrubs Character Are You?

More on In Case of Emergency. Created by BuddyTV

Discworld Quiz

Which Discworld Character are you like (with pics) created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as The Librarian You’re the Librarian! Once a wizard, now an Orang-utan (due to an unfortunate magical accident), you refuse to be turned back for a few reasons: In this form, it’s easier to reach the shelves and hold more books; having the strength of five men makes people return their books on time; life’s great philosophical questions boil down to “when do I get my next banana?‿ You say “ook‿ but are usually understood well enough. The Librarian 69% Carrot Ironfounderson 63% Gytha (Nanny) Ogg 63% Lord Havelock Vetinari 56% Commander Samuel Vimes 50% Death 44% Greebo 44% Cohen The Barbarian 38% Esmerelda (Granny) Weatherwax 38% Rincewind 31%

Wohoo!

Last week, out of a need for indulgence, and to sort of reward me for almost finishing my diploma thesis (just waiting for some corrections by my supervisor now, and then...), and because I received an email about it of course, I bought all the available back issues of Interweave Knits in their big Back Issue Sale. And wohoo - today the box arrived! It's sitting there right next to me on my bed, waiting for me to open it, and do nothing but browse through them for the next couple of hours. ;)

Also, yesterday my boyfriend finished his degree - and today my sister returned from her study year in France. Really, is there any reason I should NOT be smiling?

:D

I know what I did last November

I finally managed to get my photographic problems solved, so I can write about some of the great things that I did.

On the 11th of November, I went to Linz with my lovely friend Kris. Where we had some lovely cake and hot chocolate













courtesy of the lovely Sue - and afterwards we went on to a different café where we met some more wonderful people, and I took fancy photographs of lights and ceiling.














Shortly after that I visited a friend of mine who was doing an internship in Maribor (in Slovenia, to the southeast of here). These days she's working in South America. Amazing girl, and the friend I've know for longest (21 years! Believe it or not!). We drank lots of tea at her place, had a walk around town,













and drank some more tea in this most amazing little place.













The world over my teacup....













Yes, those are tiny randomly patterned plates and cups hanging from the ceiling! Too amazing!

And then, on what was I think the last weekend of November, I went with a group of people to spend a weekend in a castle

















and watch movies, discuss those movies, and take a long walk in somewhat snowy woods.













I loved this rendition of the castle reminding me of the 70s or 80s:


















And this lovely old stone tower in the fog (it was November, after all!):


















But most of all I loved the view we had from our window. This is what it looked like on the first evening:













What a great way to spend the most dreary month of the year!

Things...could only get better

And so they have. :)

Soon, very soon, more interesting stuff than me being happy about written progress (oh, and an all-over clean bathroom etc). Some pictures would be nice for a change, and so we shall have pictures. Soon.

It took months, but I think I'm getting into it now. Three pages today, which may not seem a lot, but every page counts...and this is the most I've written on a single day in the past few months.

So now I'll shut off this thing and read. And go to bed at a sensible time. ;)

Conquest!

So...

Last night I had a hard time falling asleep. My aunt and great-aunt had been to visit for the evening, and I had a talk with my aunt about my thesis, and my job, and future work possibilities.* Anyway, lying in bed, feeling full even though I had only had one meal (it's all those eggs, I swear, blargh), I tossed and turned and almost panicked. I don't really know why, it just all seemed too much for some reason (again!). Anyway, after some tosses and turns, I decided the following: The next day (ie the 25th, Tuesday) I would do the following:

1) Clean up my desk so there is some actual workspace.
2) Finish the one subchapter I have been working on for the past 2 weeks (faaar too long!)

And then, only then, would I be allowed to read, knit, or visit my boyfriend.

Well, I woke up, and of course I spent my morning doing nothing in particular, and my early afternoon (until around 6pm to be honest) playing an online game with the boyfriend to cheer him up after what seems to have been a nasty day at work. But then...

Yes, then I cleared up my desk and wrote the 2.5 pages it still took to finish that subchapter. I finished 5 minutes ago. Not much time now to read or knit, and no more driving over to you know where as well, but hey. It worked. I'm all amazed.

It wasn't easy. So many distractions. I sorted through some clippings today and suddenly remembered my not-yet-used-but-much-dreamed-about favourite online clothes store, and then spent ages staring at the beautiful things that they have. Then there were the sweets I got for Easter, and boy, did I eat a lot of them. And of course, those mounds of paper waiting to be sorted everywhere around me. And mental blockades. And tiredness. And this stupid "I don't WANT to write!"-feeling. But, in the end, I overcame all of this. Especially the mental blockades. Especially this stupid urge to use loooots of detail when absolutely unnecessary. Detail is good in lots of things, but not in short, summarized introductions to certain topics.

Anyway, it's almost 1am now, but still, I think I deserve a little reading. ;)

(And thanks to everyone who cheered me on in the last few days. It helps! And it makes this girl here a very happy one.)

*We both agreed that my future lies in video game translation. Tehee.

Avoidance issues get unexpected help

I currently spend much more time knitting than working on the big pile of books sitting here to my left. Not good.

Finding sites like Ravelry and then signing up for them is even worse.

But the worst bit? Surfing it for hours and daydreaming about knitting ALL day without doing either any knitting NOR any uni work, ie doing NOTHING at all but staring at a computer screen, or eating another Easter lunch.

This will have to stop. And it will stop tomorrow. Hmph.

New things, or Change is Good

So...

I thought a lot about changing the colour of this blog lately. Somehow black doesn't really cut it anymore. I don't know whether the current pastel theme will stay, but hey - doesn't it look nice and lovely and like spring is finally here?

Also - I got my job. Can you believe it? First application, first interview, and there you have it. Hah!
I think it's going to be nice - even though I always thought I'd never ever want to work as a secretary. Well. ;)
This job is for 2 years, which is perfect; and I'll be working only Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and only until early afternoon as well. This means I'll have free time/study time left and can even go to the one seminar on Friday. Perfect. Perfect!

And with my thesis, I think I'm not as desperate anymore as I was the last few weeks. I think the end of writing the first chapter (stupid theoretical stuff, brrr, but necessary) is in sight, and after that it should be a breeze.

Don't you just love it when suddenly everything starts to work out?

:D

Relief and belief

For years I thought how nice it would be to find a hobby which would give me some break from the neverending reading and thinking that my course of studies requires. I always thought I would love to do something with my hands - and sometimes I did, buying some clay and making simple figurines, or dreaming about a career in woodworking (which I still haven't tried), or I did some minimal drawing, some minimal painting, and sometimes some sewing. Very little of each though, since none of them seemed to really work.
But finally it seems as if I found my 'thing'. I taught myself how to knit last year- after several failed attempts from schoolteachers, female relatives and my best friend - from a book (Debbie Stoller's Stitch'n'Bitch, which seems to have done the trick for countless others), and ever since then I've been at it - not very much at first, but in the last few months it's grown somewhat in importance. So much so that some of the most fun I have is browsing knitty.com and some knitting blogs and dreaming about all the things I will make someday.
The best thing is, it really IS nice. I'm still at a very basic level, but I do get a lot of satisfaction from knitting nonetheless. To see how a piece grows row by row is very nice indeed, especially if you're used to just wondering whether all your studying has actually been good for something. It's also very relaxing - nothing better for a break from the computer than knitting a few rows (or taking a walk, of course, but lately I've been lazy in that respect :P). I can ALSO listen to audiobooks if I want to, and I've received quite a few of them lately (I especially like the Emily Dickinson poetry collection at the moment - beautiful!).
Knitting is also highly portable, easily stored in a small space (...ignore the masses of yarn...ignore...ignore...), AND intrigues my boyfriend! Perfect!
So, knitting. My relief from all the thinking work. How good to have finally found you. :)

I actually rewarded myself today by buying some new yarn and my own pair of 4,5mm needles (I try to wean myself from my mom's ones). What did I reward myself for? Well! I survived my first ever job interview! Admittedly, the people who interviewed me made it REALLY easy for me, so the talk in itself was actually a sort of reward, but hey. I even told them that currently the main thing I do in my free time is knitting...

I: So what are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
B: *laughs* Not much right now...
I *laughs* (very nice person, did I mention that already?)
B: Well, I always wanted to do something crafty as a relief from studying, and...this may sound weird, but currently the main thing I do is knitting...
I: *both laugh* This doesn't sound weird at all! (B thinks "Mhhh!")
I2: Mhhh yes, sock knitting...

=> See how these people made it easy for me? Why I'd really like to work there (besides the secure job for 2 years and great working times and the wonderful general work - for example, on better energy sources for the future etc - and attitude of the institute concerned)? I did my best hoping for them to invite me to be interviewed and now I will just believe, and trust, and believe some more that they will actually take me.

Relief. Belief.
*knitting needles and fingers crossed*