cheesy

Now that I've become a lady who lunches (sort of) as opposed to an office gal who spends all her lunch-break shopping and then eats a sandwich at her desk on office timé, evenly distributing crumbs of pumkin-seed roll all over her files (erm, books and beading projects), I get to try out some of Vienna's hot spots I'd until recently only heard of, such as "Meierei im Stadtpark" where I had a decidedly cheesy lunch with my colleague. Mine was called "the best of Vorarlberg", hers "country duel - Austria: France". Not bad and definitely well-presented. And, yes, Ka-Ma, you are definitely right about that bikini...

Before you get worried about me having lost that notorious shopping mojo of mine for good - I tried on a very cool pair of shoes today which I'd sniffed out in yesterday's lunch-break, but, alas, Hugo Boss doesn't want my money, i.e. as they don't do half sizes I had a choice of either tripping over my feet or playing Cinderella. For € 149 I decided I'd do neither. Bo-ring, I know.

More (shoe) shopping on the horizon as going to a hen-party on Saturday.

Frequent Flyer

Late on Friday night I returned from my week in Hamburg. It also marked the completion of my first month in the new job, half of which I'd spent abroad.

I had to remind myself that it was only on April 25 that I'd said good-bye to my colleagues at Coma HQ. So much has happened since then, most of all "information overload", that it sometimes feels like another life altogether. I've met so many nice people and proved the rumours that people on average gain 8 kgs in their first year in the company to be true by putting on a good 2 kgs in my first month already. Free food or, in my case, smoothies (I'm addicted!) all around you can be a curse as much as a blessing.

Hamburg was very nice indeed and I've noticed that the city has definitely grown on me since my first visit some years ago when I found the atmosphere much less welcoming than in Cologne which I'd vistited a few months before. Well, I've decided that Hamburg is my kind of place after all. The fact that Jo Malone (I bought 2 colognes and had it wrapped by the store manager in a fashion that reminded me of Rowan Atkinson's antics in "Love, Actually"...) and Habitat are a stone's throw from the office might have a little to do with that. Not mentioning all the shoe-stores...

On day two I popped out to buy a bikini from H&M as I'd forgotten to bring one and the pool in my designer hotel was simply too inviting not to try. Unlike a Norwegian colleague staying in the same place who had the dubious privilege of sharing the pool with a naked guest of the male persuasion I got to have it all to myself three times. Bliss!

Like Vienna and indeed most cities south of the North Pole, Hamburg has its version of what I like to call the "sand-pit for grown ups". There, they call it Strandpauli and I must say it's quite nice. Mojito in hand, I decided that business trips can be a bit of a holiday in disguise...

I know, I know. It's a tough life, but someone's gotta live it...

Promise to pity me just a leeetel bit when you think of me staying in this humble abode in Hamburg next week. Nope, it's not a holiday, but a business trip.

settling in

Today (well, it's a holiday, but anyway) marks the 3rd "weekliversary" in my new job. The panicky feeling of "Any minute now, the impostor-uncovering task force will come knocking and drag you away from your desk" which was at the back of my mind the first few days has subsided and I've allowed myself to think to myself that, yes, we can do this.

Last Friday my boss remarked that he to him it felt as if I'd been there at least a month already and I can't but agree. Not that I have forgotten the good things about Coma HQ in any ways, least of all FCN and all the other sweeties - quite the contrary, but I've already got used to the little things like eating a proper (restaurant! on expenses! jealous?) lunch every day instead of continuing my staple diet of pumkinseed roll with rucola and prosciutto.

Mind you, I haven't set foot into a shop (gasp!) in my lunch-hour since April 26. Time to change the title of this blog? Naaah, not unless I stop indulging in retail therapy on weekends and whenever I get the chance. Speaking of which...this...erm...person, a friend of a friend of a friend, who was in Dublin for training the other week managed to make the best of the comporatively liberal shop opening hours and ended up with a "heavy" tag on her suitcase on the return flight.

I'm digressing. In a nutshell, I just wanted you to know that I might not have as much time for blogging anymore, but I'm happy, which is the mean thing.

Plus my colleague, he makes a mean macchiato:

pics

the times, they are a-changin'

A mere 3 weeks ago, the F5 key was my best friend. To be honest, the print on it had nearly come off from the vigorous hitting in 2-minute intervals I'd do during office hours. Oh the joy of a new e-mail from the bookclub posse, which would of course be answered straight away.

I'd visit my favourite blogs several times a day, mildly impatient if there were no new posts on a given day. Web 2.0 was more or less my middle name.

Well, now it's become an integral part of my professional life it seems I no longer have time for the fun part of my private netty pursuits.

I'll be neglecting you for a bit, honeybunnies, while I'm too busy multitasking (you know: hyperventilating and trying to look competent at the same time) but I promise to make an effort not to let this blog become an orphan and suffer the fate of many.

***

Random observation:

Isn't it amazing how time flies when you've actually got work to do? As in: Wow, I've only just come in and now it's 12:30 already...

not to worry

Yo! Am slightly zombified since the taxi picked me up at 5 this morning from my friends' place in Dublin. After a week of more or less intensivce training I decided to stay 2 extra nights in one of my favourite cities. As you might remember, I studied a year in Dublin in 1993-94 and was very reluctant indeed to return to Vienna afterwards, as was Amica who was the second ERASMUS grantee from the University of Vienna that academic year.

I've been back since but the last time was 4 years ago. Even then, the island's rather recent economic wealth (think 12.5 % corporate tax) was noticeable everywhere. Since then, downtown Dublin has become incredibly prosperous and chic and what's more, the former epitome of an "emigrating nation" has seen an influx of workforce from the new EU member states and other countries. There are now lots of Polish shops and Irish TESCOs host shelves of Polish food to cater for the 200,000 Polish citizens allegedly living in Ireland.

At least the people I spoke to seemed to have a very positive attitude to the diversification of their society. A rather novel sensation for someone living in xenophobic Vienna. At (the European HQ of) my new place of work I met people from all over the world and the canteen was a veritable Babel. Being somewhat above the age average I felt a bit like back in that glorious year at UCD when Amica and I turned 23 and felt very mature compared to our Irish classmates, some of whom would have started university with 17.

Expect to be tortured with more Dublin pictures in the days ahead whenever my time and temperamental broadband will allow it.

Good news: our favourite chicken, she is back!