Author Archives: evamaria

New project

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Currently I’m thinking of starting a new website – a rec page, where a team of readers rec good books (as well as fanfiction). It’s just something I’d love to do and I’ve been gathering volunteers to make it something really great. I’ve already got help with the script and someone willing to host the new domain (because I’m more or less out of bandwidth again), but I’m still looking for people willing to be reccers – book recs for any and all genres are welcome!

Also, I’m trying to decide on a domain name, so I appreciate opinions on that, too.
– thebookshelf.org (my own favorite)
– readingrecs.net
– reclibrary.net
– thereclibrary.net
– recthis.net
Other ideas? I wanted something like thereadingroom.net or thelibrary.net, but those are all already taken – but I really like thebookshelf.org, so I’m leaning strongly in that direction.

I’m leaving for my week-long retreat to Texel (island in the North Sea, part of the Netherlands) with Märrie on Friday, but afterwards I’d really like to get this off the ground!

Happy Easter!

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To anyone who celebrates the resurrection of Jesus a blessed Easter holiday! I for my part just returned from an Easter service, which was very good and thought-provoking. Balm for my soul, so to speak.

But on to more prosaic things:

Unconscious Mutterings

  1. Boxing:: my brother getting up at 5am to watch it on TV…
  2. Lewis:: and Clark
  3. Bodyguard:: Whitney Huston
  4. Burnout:: mental
  5. Cruising:: the Mediterrenean (in my dreams)
  6. Easter:: holiday
  7. AA:: Anonyme Alkoholiker
  8. Research:: necessary for papers and such
  9. Redemption:: of my soul
  10. Snickers:: yucky, allergy-inducing peanuts!

Also of interest might be to go and have a look at the entrance page of this domain — I exchanged the picture with a similar one. Only this one is of me, taken by Sibylle on Friday. You like? 🙂

Almost normal…

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For a change I’ve been able to sit in front of the computer for more than five minutes. Used this opportunity to add a lot of good quotes on friendship and life to my list (a random quote can always be found on the left), all of them thanks to Baisleac, who posts some every day.

It’s a long weekend for me – almost a week, because I don’t have uni on Thursdays and next Tuesday both classes have been cancelled. This is this semester’s schedule, if you’re interested – I’m taking it easy, because I don’t want to frustrate myself by taking on too much and then failing to fulfill my expectations…

Monday: 14-16 – Shoah literature seminary (German Lit)
16.30-17.30 – weekly appointment with my shrink
18-20 – Online Journalism (Medias)

Tuesday: 10-12 – Literature and Religion lecture (German Lit)
14-16 – Youth Literature of the South seminary (Anthro)

Wednesday: 10-12 – Culture, Health and Illness seminary (Anthro)

Thursday: free

Friday: 10-12 – Anthropology of Experience seminary (Anthro)

Only one lecture – they just don’t offer them anymore except in German Lit, which is a great pity, because some of my favorite classes have been lectures, where you just go because you’re interested, not to get credits or something… And German Lit lectures are always so boring (too many pretentious people in that subject!) that I really prefer seminaries a lot of the time, although they require more work.

Quick update

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First, this week’s Unconscious Mutterings:

  1. Condemn:: prejudiced
  2. Promiscuous:: men
  3. Pro-life:: pro-choice
  4. Mona Lisa:: too many damn people staring at a painting
  5. Crown:: jewels (in the Louvre again)
  6. Mumble:: please speak up, sir! 🙂
  7. Hack:: this (username of a friend of mine)
  8. Diet:: Coke
  9. Introduction:: I always forget names…
  10. Latin America:: Would love to visit one day!

Paris was lovely. We had the best weather (which unfortunately also meant that I had the hayfever from hell) and walked all over the city, seeing all the sights. Just such a beautiful city – I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of doing the touristy stuff there, because it’s simply so gorgeous… Only the Parisians are sometimes quite rude. And my feet hurt like crazy after the second day already. Poor Sandra was in even worse shape, because she had the flu – worst timing imaginable!

Still, we had the best time! More Paris to follow when I’ve got the time to upload some photos and post them in the travel log…

I’ve been quite busy since returning home – I worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then went to Zurich with Sibylle to see Bryan Adams live in concert again – our third time together, my Christmas present to her. We didn’t see as well as the last two times, but it was still awesome – the man is simply the bomb live! I called about seven people to have them listen in… Not all of them appreciated it, though. Ungrateful rubble! *g*

For now I finally managed to copy all the header.php code into the separate index files, so MT is running smoothly again. A pity that I can’t use header files, though, would have been so very handy for layout changes…

Uni started again yesterday, and I should start to get ready. It’s strange, it doesn’t feel like it’s really started, because the long Easter weekend is coming up and already Friday next week I’ll go on my North Sea island retreat with Märrie…

Sunday again

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Time again for the Unconscious Mutterings:

  1. Pitbull:: terrier
  2. TD:: really doesn’t ring a bell with me
  3. Carter:: Nick
  4. Japan:: Lost in Translation
  5. 50:: mph
  6. Streak:: of luck
  7. Rifle:: NRA – Bowling for Columbine
  8. Trap:: door
  9. Easter:: weekend
  10. Mitt:: woch (‘Mittwoch’ is ‘Wednesday’ in German)

I still haven’t fixed the layout, so now it’ll have to stay that way just a bit longer, because tomorrow morning I’m going on a short trip to Paris with a friend. Looking very much forward to it – I’ve been twice before (Paris is only five hours by train, after all), but my friend hasn’t and we’ll do some serious sight-seeing… Look for photos and stuff when I get back!

(Well, probably not right away, because I have to work all weekend and uni starts again on Monday, but I will try and post at least some in the travel log.)

New layout – “Deep Blue”

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Just uploaded the new layout. Gorgeous, isn’t it? Sadly, there are several bugs, especially because MT tags don’t seem to be working in my header file. Does anyone know if it’s possible to get it to work, or do I have to copypaste the header file into the templates instead of using includes? Also, there seems to be a couple of parsing errors, which I don’t understand, being the amateur I am.

Any help is appreciated, especially because I can’t continue working on it, I’ll just have to leave it like this for the moment.

For reference: archive index, individual entry, category archive

But still, it is rather pretty, isn’t it? Many, many thanks to Manu for letting me steal her code!

Meme time

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Unconscious Mutterings:

  1. Wife:: husband
  2. Criminal:: neglect
  3. Campaign:: politics
  4. Infection:: throat
  5. Portland:: Alex
  6. NASCAR:: something with cars, isn’t it?
  7. IMAX:: wish there was one closer to me!
  8. Martian:: Martians are green.
  9. Nike:: who needs brands?
  10. Trial:: and error

Also, I’ve been working on my ‘Deep Blue’ inspired layout. Am done, actually, and like it a lot (although I will miss my yummy chocolates – they might return, I think). But because chances are I messed up the MT code in places, I’ll upload it tomorrow, when I’m awake and in the mood for tinkering.

Hello there!

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Returned from my short vacation today, a day later than I had planned, because we went skiing only Monday and Tuesday, due to the uncertain weather. But oh, was it gorgeous the last two days!

I had a great time with Cindy – and I stayed away from the net except to check (not necessarily answer) my email. I got a lot of reading done and will have to update Bookish probably tomorrow with a pretty long list of books. Felt really really good! I love being online, but it does take away from my reading time. I might try and remedy that, as there’s something deeply satisfying about finishing book after book – I last experienced that when in New Plymouth, NZ, without internet.

Anyway, this was r&r for my soul, at least it feels that way. The fact that spring has suddenly broken out certainly helps, too. I’ll definitely try and hold on to this peace a bit longer… Might post some pictures and should catch up with some people tomorrow. But no pressure, that’s important.

Oh, dear God…

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Was watching ‘Friends’ on the French channel when they announced that terrorists (probably from the ETA, the Basque independence movement) have set off several bombs in train stations and on trains. 186 dead, thousands wounded.

Does the horror never stop? I only understood half of what they were saying in French, but god, the pictures… My mom started crying, it’s so bad. I’m so shook up now.

Here’s the link to the CNN news about it.

Signing off until Tuesday

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Tomorrow I’ll go skiing for a couple of days. Will stay with one of my oldest friends in the Wallis and am really looking forward to it. I do have to write an article about New Zealand until Monday, though, so I’ll take my laptop with me. So you can still get in touch with me. I’ll check for comments, but won’t be online other than that.

Some of my friends have suggested that I’m experiencing burnout more than my SAD at the moment, which feels weird, because, after all, part of my problem this winter has been that I didn’t do anything. But who knows, maybe they’re right. It’ll be good to get away from it all for a bit, to stop giving myself grief about not getting anything done.

I did get something done today, btw – I made a prettier layout for Bookish, using a gorgeous book graphic a friend made for me. I’m glad I managed to do that – now I can leave with a semi-good conscience. 🙂