Trying to finish a transaction with Amnesty: orderd 2 packs of christmas cards & a t-shirt. Shirt was too small and I wanted to swop it for a bigger one. Phoned customer service: “just post us the shirt, you’ll get another one.”

After 2 weeks I call back: what’s the status of my t-shirt? Guy at phone can’t help me, someone’ll call me back later in half an hour. After 1 hour I’m called by firm that doesn’t know why they should call me, only it’s on their sheet… (after having replaced the phone, it dawns on me that this might be connected to AI: the company seals stuff). I phone AI back, and a nice man finds out that my swop isn’t in the system and fixes things. 2 hours later, someone from AI calls me: “How can I help?” I tell him, I already called back myself and that matters are OK now (I think).

Bigger t-shirt arrived some days ago (alas, still too small – both M and L aren’t what I’m used to at H&M…). Today another bigger t-shirt arrived, plus a free pack of cards and a bill. No way I’m gonna pay for this… (I know, I could consider it a gift to AI, but I think 30 euros is a bit grand). Mailed customer services… to be continued.

Still, AI does great work in the political arena.

Due to some  kind of cold or flu, where I feel reasonably well in the morning and not at all in the afternoon, I’ve had to cancel a crafts fair, a baby visit and a day of museums in Rotterdam tomorrow. Grrrr. I only get to hang out on the sofa, read Stieg Larssons Luftskib and knit a dog sweater (all at the same time, mind you). And to boot, it’s my long-awaited fall vacation…

Unfortunately, I didn’t win the tickets for After Life – the opera, Gnoe (see last post) offered on her blog… And I only have time this evening… Nothing to be done about it – Hopefully NPS will air it someday, or hopefully, it will be repeated at the Stopera after the international tour.

• studies: I have to change a LOT in mijn products for my studies, so next six weeks are going to be work-work-work untill I just about drop.
• But first: I’ve allowed myself to rest during Easter, as I’m sóóó tired from sleeping really badly during the last week or so (stress from studies + that darn light saving time-shift = out of sleeping rhythm)
• I just casually ordered a new washing machine over the phone (after an hour or two of desk and field research)

No housewife could do without it. Seriously, women's lib owes a lot to washers.

While staying in the US with her family, Lisa had Strelnikov stay at P.’s place. But the combination Strelnikov & P’s cats wasn’t a happy one… After some frantic ‘krabbels’ on Hyves, mails and phone calls between Utrecht and Jena, P. and I decided that Strelnikov should stay at my & Barts place when we returned from Jena. So now he’s playing (it seems ALL the time) and getting hisses and so on from my cats. These pensioners thought they were getting a relaxed Xmas holiday untill this bag-of-fleas kitty came along. We’ll just wait and see how things turn out. At least Strelnikov now knows that he has to wink at the other cats to appease them – though he also likes to provoke them by jumping out from behind doors and so  on

Strelnikov valt het springtouw aan

Ja, je moet natuurlijk niet de tandarts bellen en vragen of hij nog een gaatje heeft…

Wegens gedoe met oude (Poolse) tandarts ben ik overgestapt naar nieuwe (Iraanse) tandarts, die dus niet overbewust is van de polysemantiek van het woord ‘gaatje’. Maar na verheldering kreeg ik een afspraak donderdag a.s.

(sorry, selfpitying ahead)

Have been at home now for 3+ weeks (BPPV or Neuritis Vestibularis) and feel really ‘out of the loop’. Have hardly seen anyone, haven’t been to work (either at the UBN or my internship at Cogis), am starting to actually get bored! Unfortunately, I get nauseaus after only one or two hours at the laptop, so working is not yet an option. Also, I still feel somewhat unstable and tired. Oh, I so hope, I can start working next week… It’s taking too long! And I feel totally out of touch with everybody except my husband (fortunately…).

My husbands msn-reaction to my inability to accept the fact that I’ve got either BPPV or Neuritis Vestibularis (dizzyness, nausea, tiredness):

B zegt: ziek = ziek

B zegt: life = life

B zegt: en nog meer van dergelijke scheissmetaphern.

This is (of course) a reference to my favorite commercial at the moment.

Yesterday Lisa hosted a potluck dinner with a few knitters and assorted others. All very animated & I had a good time. Untill I saw my blue teeth in the mirror afterwards and wished I had kept my mouth shut…