Just had a fantastic and eventful week-end and I now have proof that cold drinks and hot women mix very well.
In other news I'm leaving for Barcelona tomorrow. Usually traveling on business involves going to interesting places and sitting inside looking out for 48 hrs. Not this time!
So, my meeting is Wednesday and Thursday, but as we start early on Wednesday and the afternoon flight out of Copenhagen was fully booked Tuesday afternoon, this means that I'll leave tomorrow morning and will actually have a full day to myself in Barcelona. But, it gets better...See Thursday the meeting is supposed to end around 5.00 PM which means that I cannot catch the last flight back and will have to spend another night in Barcelona. Good times!
It's been ages since I've been to Barcelona and I look forward to seeing the city again. Also, Spain is playing France on Tuesday, which means that with a bit of luck I can experience the dancing and singing in the streets when Spain sends the frogs back under the rock from which they crawled.
Hasta luego
JB
Monday, June 26, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Routine
06.00 Buzzer goes off.
06.09. Buzzer goes off again
06.18 Buzzer goes off again again
06.25 Shit , shower and shave
06.45 Breakfast (cornflakes)
06.55 Leave house
07.13 Arrive at office
07.14 Punch in incorrect code for burglar alarm (again)
07.15 Punch in correct code
07.20 Make espresso
07.22 Start working
11.30 Eat lunch
12.00 Continue work
16.57 Leave office
16.58 Punch in incorrect code for burglar alarm (again)
16. 59 Punch in correct code
17.20 Arrive at supermarket car park
17.50 Fighting spoiled little kids and their parents at the till
17.55 Remove parking fine from windscreen
17.58 Leave car park
18.10 Arrive home
18.15 Dinner for one
18.35 Stalk other peoples blogs - no updates
20.35 Update own blog
21.00 Stalk other peoples blogs (again) - still no updates
23.30 To bed
Did I learn anything today? No. Did I evolve as a person today? No. Did I meet any new people today? No. Did I influence or impact other peoples lives today? No. Did I leave a mark for posterity today? No.
Hmm...Some days just pass you by, and when you look back you discover that you actually didn't really do anything that day. I have to many days like that.
JB
06.09. Buzzer goes off again
06.18 Buzzer goes off again again
06.25 Shit , shower and shave
06.45 Breakfast (cornflakes)
06.55 Leave house
07.13 Arrive at office
07.14 Punch in incorrect code for burglar alarm (again)
07.15 Punch in correct code
07.20 Make espresso
07.22 Start working
11.30 Eat lunch
12.00 Continue work
16.57 Leave office
16.58 Punch in incorrect code for burglar alarm (again)
16. 59 Punch in correct code
17.20 Arrive at supermarket car park
17.50 Fighting spoiled little kids and their parents at the till
17.55 Remove parking fine from windscreen
17.58 Leave car park
18.10 Arrive home
18.15 Dinner for one
18.35 Stalk other peoples blogs - no updates
20.35 Update own blog
21.00 Stalk other peoples blogs (again) - still no updates
23.30 To bed
Did I learn anything today? No. Did I evolve as a person today? No. Did I meet any new people today? No. Did I influence or impact other peoples lives today? No. Did I leave a mark for posterity today? No.
Hmm...Some days just pass you by, and when you look back you discover that you actually didn't really do anything that day. I have to many days like that.
JB
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Update: Ooops, I did it again...
Regarding last night all is cool and I managed to make a clean break for once. Good thing Sandra has the same trouble committing as I have, so we both agreed to "be just friends", which as you know is semantically equal to "Bye. Thank you for some amazing sex and have a nice life"
JB
JB
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Ooops, I did it again...
About six weeks ago I started seeing this girl Sandra and tonight I'm going to end it ,and as usual I feel like a heel for starting a relationship when I know that I'm not very good at being in one.
I've dumped someone before, but as my "she dumps me/I dump her" ratio is pretty high (meaning I get dumped a lot, I guess) I know exactly how devastating it can be, even if said relationship has been short term. So I'm feeling bad for doing this, but it's something I just have to do, as doing it later will only make matters worse.
So how should I do it? I need options...According to Simon & Garfunkel there's 50 ways to leave a lover, so it's really pathetic that I can only think of seven:
1- Send a text message: "Hi, I don't wanna see you again. Sorry xox" That would work if I was in the 4th grade and has a high insensitivity score. Not gonna use that one.
2 - Call her: "So, Sandra I was thinking maybe we shouldn't see each other any more" If I was a complete twat I could do this, but since I've cancelled my subscription to "Men of low moral fiber Magazine Weekly" ages ago, it's not going to work either.
3- Send her a letter: "Dear Sandra..." This is 2006 - No way, I'm gonna send a letter! Just figuring out where to buy stamps and envelopes, and then finding a mailbox would take me another 6 weeks. In addition to which my handwriting is so horrible, she'd probably think it was her 5 years old nephew having a go.
4 - Send her an e-mail: "Hi S, I think you're a great person and all, but..." Just how I like my women, tempting and dangerous. E-mails are very easy to respond to and I don't need our breaking up to turn into a debating society, plus e-mails can be easily forwarded to 3rd parties who will take her side and start spamming my mailbox. Also scores high in the twat department.
5- Ignore her, until she stops calling/mailing/writing. That only works if you wanna get rid of annoying mistakes like one night stands. Applying this technique when you've been seeing somebody for 6 weeks is only going to lead to unnecessary worry. Also, this scores pretty high on the twat-o-meter.
6 - Not show up for a date. This sends a clear message and if I was a real coward (and a twat) this would be an option. However, empathy is going to disqualify this option.
7 - Tell her face to face. If I can avoid the "it's-not-you-it's-me-trap" this is will be the best and most decent way to end the relationship. There might be tears and there might shouting, and there's no way to avoid the "have-we-given-it-a-fair-chance-discussion". Shying away from conflict is not really an option in this case and I've done my share of easy solutions.
Conclusion seems obvious in this case. I'm going to look her in the eye and tell her it's over. Come hell or high water - this is the right solution.
Wish me luck...
JB
I've dumped someone before, but as my "she dumps me/I dump her" ratio is pretty high (meaning I get dumped a lot, I guess) I know exactly how devastating it can be, even if said relationship has been short term. So I'm feeling bad for doing this, but it's something I just have to do, as doing it later will only make matters worse.
So how should I do it? I need options...According to Simon & Garfunkel there's 50 ways to leave a lover, so it's really pathetic that I can only think of seven:
1- Send a text message: "Hi, I don't wanna see you again. Sorry xox" That would work if I was in the 4th grade and has a high insensitivity score. Not gonna use that one.
2 - Call her: "So, Sandra I was thinking maybe we shouldn't see each other any more" If I was a complete twat I could do this, but since I've cancelled my subscription to "Men of low moral fiber Magazine Weekly" ages ago, it's not going to work either.
3- Send her a letter: "Dear Sandra..." This is 2006 - No way, I'm gonna send a letter! Just figuring out where to buy stamps and envelopes, and then finding a mailbox would take me another 6 weeks. In addition to which my handwriting is so horrible, she'd probably think it was her 5 years old nephew having a go.
4 - Send her an e-mail: "Hi S, I think you're a great person and all, but..." Just how I like my women, tempting and dangerous. E-mails are very easy to respond to and I don't need our breaking up to turn into a debating society, plus e-mails can be easily forwarded to 3rd parties who will take her side and start spamming my mailbox. Also scores high in the twat department.
5- Ignore her, until she stops calling/mailing/writing. That only works if you wanna get rid of annoying mistakes like one night stands. Applying this technique when you've been seeing somebody for 6 weeks is only going to lead to unnecessary worry. Also, this scores pretty high on the twat-o-meter.
6 - Not show up for a date. This sends a clear message and if I was a real coward (and a twat) this would be an option. However, empathy is going to disqualify this option.
7 - Tell her face to face. If I can avoid the "it's-not-you-it's-me-trap" this is will be the best and most decent way to end the relationship. There might be tears and there might shouting, and there's no way to avoid the "have-we-given-it-a-fair-chance-discussion". Shying away from conflict is not really an option in this case and I've done my share of easy solutions.
Conclusion seems obvious in this case. I'm going to look her in the eye and tell her it's over. Come hell or high water - this is the right solution.
Wish me luck...
JB
Monday, June 19, 2006
Dear girls in the office
It's not that I'm ungrateful or anything... I mean, I really like it in the summer when you're all tanned and beautiful and I do appreciate your small tops and mini skirts. It's good to re-discover the female curves you've been hiding under your sweaters all winter. But, ladies, if you absolute must wear flip flops or other varieties of open shoes would it be too much trouble to spend 15 quid on a pedicure first? Lovely as you may be, if your toe nails and feet are not well cared for it's a major turn off. Not that I'm a fetishist or anything, but ugly feet just adds too much to the ick factor.
JB
JB
Friday, June 16, 2006
The American Village
In a comment to a recent post on my blog about the French being both arrogant and wonderful at the same time, a remark about the American flavor of arrogance sparked a minor discussion.
So, In the interest of fairness I've dug up some interesting trivia about Americans and the US that I'd like to share.
According to the Economist, 34% of US citizens hold a passport. This is a scary number because it means that most Americans don't get out much. I'm speculating that a majority of those who do travel abroad do so for business or military purposes. It also means that Americans in general are not exposed to cultural differences in the same way that Europeans are.
As a European I think that traveling to other countries and get first hand experiences of other cultures and customs is something that helps me grow as a person, enlightens me and makes me more tolerant. So, the Americans in general are spending their time happily unaware about the world outside and perhaps afraid that if they venture too far they might fall of the edge of the earth.
In the recent PEW study (measures the worlds attitude towards the US) there are many interesting facts and conclusions illustrating just how isolated most Americans are from the rest of the world. Only 58% of Americans compared to 85% of the Germans (83% France) have heard that Hamas has recently won an election and only 76% of Americans compared to 98% of the Germans had heard about the Guantanamo abuses.
In the US 91% have heard about global warming, but almost half responded that this issue was of little or no concern. Well, I'm concerned since the US is a really really big producer of greenhouse gases...
A piece of good news is that the US image in UK, France, Germany and Spain is rapidly declining, which means that I'm not the only one who thinks that US foreign policy has taken a turn for the worse. And it only reinforces my suspicion that US is trying to build an empire based exclusively on American values and we as Europeans should not jump on that bandwagon.
However, speaking for myself, there’s more to it than just the way the US is handling the WOT. As a European I’m also flabbergasted by some of the aspects of internal US policy and I have very different views on abortion, gun control, the death penalty and various environmental issues + a lot of other stuff that I can’t think of right now. Combined this means that I feel more estranged from the US than ever before.
Don’t get my wrong. There is a lot of good stuff coming out of the US too. It’s not all bad, and still we should remember to treat the individual American with the same courtesy and respect that we bestow upon others and if we get the chance teach them to become more European.
Finally, a small joke:
George Bush: `So, what’s this hullabaloo between India and Pakistan all about anyway? ´
Dick Cheney: `They have conflicting opinions about Kashmir, Mr. President´
George Bush: `What?? They’re fighting over a sweater?? ´
JB
So, In the interest of fairness I've dug up some interesting trivia about Americans and the US that I'd like to share.
According to the Economist, 34% of US citizens hold a passport. This is a scary number because it means that most Americans don't get out much. I'm speculating that a majority of those who do travel abroad do so for business or military purposes. It also means that Americans in general are not exposed to cultural differences in the same way that Europeans are.
As a European I think that traveling to other countries and get first hand experiences of other cultures and customs is something that helps me grow as a person, enlightens me and makes me more tolerant. So, the Americans in general are spending their time happily unaware about the world outside and perhaps afraid that if they venture too far they might fall of the edge of the earth.
In the recent PEW study (measures the worlds attitude towards the US) there are many interesting facts and conclusions illustrating just how isolated most Americans are from the rest of the world. Only 58% of Americans compared to 85% of the Germans (83% France) have heard that Hamas has recently won an election and only 76% of Americans compared to 98% of the Germans had heard about the Guantanamo abuses.
In the US 91% have heard about global warming, but almost half responded that this issue was of little or no concern. Well, I'm concerned since the US is a really really big producer of greenhouse gases...
A piece of good news is that the US image in UK, France, Germany and Spain is rapidly declining, which means that I'm not the only one who thinks that US foreign policy has taken a turn for the worse. And it only reinforces my suspicion that US is trying to build an empire based exclusively on American values and we as Europeans should not jump on that bandwagon.
However, speaking for myself, there’s more to it than just the way the US is handling the WOT. As a European I’m also flabbergasted by some of the aspects of internal US policy and I have very different views on abortion, gun control, the death penalty and various environmental issues + a lot of other stuff that I can’t think of right now. Combined this means that I feel more estranged from the US than ever before.
Don’t get my wrong. There is a lot of good stuff coming out of the US too. It’s not all bad, and still we should remember to treat the individual American with the same courtesy and respect that we bestow upon others and if we get the chance teach them to become more European.
Finally, a small joke:
George Bush: `So, what’s this hullabaloo between India and Pakistan all about anyway? ´
Dick Cheney: `They have conflicting opinions about Kashmir, Mr. President´
George Bush: `What?? They’re fighting over a sweater?? ´
JB
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Attentive Director apparently
Sometimes I get this irresistible urge to take some of those more or less serious personality test floating around on the net.
I find this one pretty funny. Click on the picture to the right and se my score...100% masculine as if I needed a test to tell me that;-)
JB
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Black & White
I work with a lot af people from a lot of different countries and thus have good opportunity to observe the little differences between people coming from very different places.
The people who amaze me the most are the French and I can confirm the suspicion that they are very arrogant and self-sufficient, and it's about bloody time somebody told them that:
- French is NOT an international language. In fact French is number 10 after Chinese, English, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese, Bengali and Malay.
- Being French is NOT a quality in itself. Even French people have to work hard to be recognized.
- Bastille Day is NOT an international Bank Holiday and neither is May 1st.
- Working for the same employer for 40 years is NOT something to be proud of.
- You really DON'T need 6-10 weeks of vacation
- Arrogance is NOT and art you need to practice on a regular basis.
I work with a lot af people from a lot of different countries and thus have good opportunity to observe the little differences between people coming from very different places.
The people who amaze me the most are the French and I can confirm the suspicion that they are very cultured and sophisticated, and it's about bloody time more people realize that:
- Traditional French food is ABSOLUTELY fantastic
- French IS an easy language to learn. If you’re familiar with other Latin languages you’ll actually be able to read a French newspaper (well, slowly)
- French women are FANTASTIC lovers
- Some of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met are French
JB
The people who amaze me the most are the French and I can confirm the suspicion that they are very arrogant and self-sufficient, and it's about bloody time somebody told them that:
- French is NOT an international language. In fact French is number 10 after Chinese, English, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese, Bengali and Malay.
- Being French is NOT a quality in itself. Even French people have to work hard to be recognized.
- Bastille Day is NOT an international Bank Holiday and neither is May 1st.
- Working for the same employer for 40 years is NOT something to be proud of.
- You really DON'T need 6-10 weeks of vacation
- Arrogance is NOT and art you need to practice on a regular basis.
I work with a lot af people from a lot of different countries and thus have good opportunity to observe the little differences between people coming from very different places.
The people who amaze me the most are the French and I can confirm the suspicion that they are very cultured and sophisticated, and it's about bloody time more people realize that:
- Traditional French food is ABSOLUTELY fantastic
- French IS an easy language to learn. If you’re familiar with other Latin languages you’ll actually be able to read a French newspaper (well, slowly)
- French women are FANTASTIC lovers
- Some of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met are French
JB
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Summer
Summer has arrived, err... at least to day anyway. So I'm enjoying sitting almost naked outside in the sun with a G&T and praying to the football-fairy that the Cuckoo Clock-makers will beat the hell out of the frog-eaters later tonight.
JB
Joy
Yes, my new 17" MacBook Pro finally arrived! Unfortunately this means that I won't have time to blog until all the data from my old PowerBook is safely is transported to the new beast.
JB
JB
Monday, June 12, 2006
Summer party, or not...
This coming Friday we'll have our annual office summer party. My ideal summer pary would involve sitting in the sun with a G&T, eating BBQ and maybe have a friendly and relaxed game of soccer or something similar. Unfortunately the organising committee have very different ideas. Last year they sent us on a 10 Km moutainbike trip in the woods and since I really can't be arsed to get on a bike for fun I chose to run the distance instead. Not that running is fun, it's more like a chore, but it definitely beats pedalling around on a rented bike.
This year the wise people in the committee are planning an equally fun day out and have decide that we need to go to some semi-remote place for a day of team-building. How 90's can you get? Solving puzzles, getting everybody through a web of ropes, getting everybody over a rope, getting everybody under a rope, stacking some used tires in the right order etc. etc. Really, people is that supposed to be fun? And later getting fired up on beer listening to the same old stories you've heard at least 10 times before and then watching some twat trying desperately to pull every female colleague without any success and knowing that you'll have to listen to his apologies the following Monday. Not funny.
So, this year I've decided to stay away from the summer party. It's not that I don't like my colleagues (except above mentioned twat) but I prefer to spent my time doing what I like to do and not what some well meaning organisers think is clever and funny. Of course canceling participation has caused a minor disturbance in the office and I suspect the organising committee is flabbergasted that someone can actually decline an invitation to the-mother-of-all-office-summer-parties.
Also, I have a group of friends and we've been doing activities like, team-building, in-door skiing, race car driving, diving, decathlon, biking, hiking, golfing, swimming and just about any other group activity you can think about of on a regular basis for years and I really prefer to do stuff like that with friends and people that I've made a conscious choice to be with. Playing with your colleagues is just not as fun as playing with your mates.
JB
This year the wise people in the committee are planning an equally fun day out and have decide that we need to go to some semi-remote place for a day of team-building. How 90's can you get? Solving puzzles, getting everybody through a web of ropes, getting everybody over a rope, getting everybody under a rope, stacking some used tires in the right order etc. etc. Really, people is that supposed to be fun? And later getting fired up on beer listening to the same old stories you've heard at least 10 times before and then watching some twat trying desperately to pull every female colleague without any success and knowing that you'll have to listen to his apologies the following Monday. Not funny.
So, this year I've decided to stay away from the summer party. It's not that I don't like my colleagues (except above mentioned twat) but I prefer to spent my time doing what I like to do and not what some well meaning organisers think is clever and funny. Of course canceling participation has caused a minor disturbance in the office and I suspect the organising committee is flabbergasted that someone can actually decline an invitation to the-mother-of-all-office-summer-parties.
Also, I have a group of friends and we've been doing activities like, team-building, in-door skiing, race car driving, diving, decathlon, biking, hiking, golfing, swimming and just about any other group activity you can think about of on a regular basis for years and I really prefer to do stuff like that with friends and people that I've made a conscious choice to be with. Playing with your colleagues is just not as fun as playing with your mates.
JB
Thursday, June 08, 2006
You don't look with your hands...
I while ago I had an unusual bit of luck and actually won 500 FREE songs on the iTunes Music Store. This has enabled me to explore a lot of music that I otherwise would have missed. Instead of keeping all the good stuff for myself I've decieded to blog a bit about some of the music I've purchased.
My taste in music is very versatile and right now I'm kind of falling in love with the British indie scene.
If you like "The Arctic Monkies" you need to check out a band called Milburn and their EP - "Send in the Boys". There's 3 really good and quite catchy tunes on there, and especially "17" and the title track "Send in the Boys" are indicating that this band could be the next big thing.
You can check out the lads here and of course here
Enjoy
JB
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Glorious Morning on Route 19
One of the real benefits of living north of Copenhagen is that you get to enjoy the slow moving southbound morning rushhour. This morning it took me 55 mins. to drive from my house to the airport - normally a 25 min drive.
The city of Copenhagen have proposed a road pricing scheme to limit the amount of cars entering the city hoping to soften the daily gridlock. This is probably good if you live in Copenhagen city, but if you live outside, like I do, you're probably not going to notice any difference (for the better) since everybody will be busy driving their cars as close as they can to the perimeter.
I'm all for road pricing and all that hippie stuff, but I think that the cities around Copenhagen should also put a price on their roads, so that all the merry people living inside the perimeter would have to pay to leave. Now that's genius, because it would greatly reduce the number of annoying city dwellers who come and clutter our beaches and woods and every green spot you can imagine with their week-end kit, including tents, fires, the in-laws and friends of the in-laws.
JB
Meeting...
I'm in a meeting and should really pay attention to the presenter, but blogging is more fun and the presentation is for the customers and way too technical for me anyway and being a sales manager I'd rather leave the nitty-gritty stuff to the techies anyway.
Only thing bothering me is that our guy (someone corporate send over) is not performing well and is very uninspiring and seems, well, unengaged. Either he got too late out of bed this morning or this stuff is just too tech to be really interesting.
Bla...bla...bla....Sony XDCam HD....bla...bla...Support for 1080/59.94i/50i....bla...bla...Editing Integration....well, all interesting if you happen to work in the tech department at a Broadcaster I guess, but for the rest of us....utter greek.
Hope your day is more inspiring than mine....
JB
Only thing bothering me is that our guy (someone corporate send over) is not performing well and is very uninspiring and seems, well, unengaged. Either he got too late out of bed this morning or this stuff is just too tech to be really interesting.
Bla...bla...bla....Sony XDCam HD....bla...bla...Support for 1080/59.94i/50i....bla...bla...Editing Integration....well, all interesting if you happen to work in the tech department at a Broadcaster I guess, but for the rest of us....utter greek.
Hope your day is more inspiring than mine....
JB
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Smells like...
Here's what I smell like. It's now official that I'm the inventor of fragrance-blogging™.
JB
Cure
Got flu? Here's the cure:
6-7 pcs. of thinly sliced fresh ginger
2 pcs. of fresh lemon
1 tbs. of honey
1 pint of HOT boiling water
Wait 5 mins. and drink. You can thank me later.
JB
6-7 pcs. of thinly sliced fresh ginger
2 pcs. of fresh lemon
1 tbs. of honey
1 pint of HOT boiling water
Wait 5 mins. and drink. You can thank me later.
JB
Supermassive disappointment
I'm a huge fan of Muse and have been looking forward to their next album. To my surprise I don't like their latest single "Supermassive Black Hole". No matter how many times I listen to it I just don't like it. I really want to like it but I don't.
Sorry guys, but you sound too much like Savage Garden and whatever happened to the dark foreboding lyrics?
JB
Sorry guys, but you sound too much like Savage Garden and whatever happened to the dark foreboding lyrics?
JB
Country for Sale
Living in Denmark is rubbish.
If any of you readers know of a civilised country that will buy Denmark please let me know. We’re cheap, housetrained and come with a good command of the English language (although our grammar really sucks)
JB
If any of you readers know of a civilised country that will buy Denmark please let me know. We’re cheap, housetrained and come with a good command of the English language (although our grammar really sucks)
JB
Now open for Business
So...I've finally realised that blogging using .Mac and iWeb is not recommendable unless you can live with the many limitations that iWeb has to offer…
This means that my old blog is now officially closed down and that all new and exciting future action will take place right here at Cowvision.
JB
This means that my old blog is now officially closed down and that all new and exciting future action will take place right here at Cowvision.
JB
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