Monthly Archives: September 2005

Sliced bread

I sometimes hear the phrase that something is “the greatest thing since sliced bread”. I think it’s mostly in American sitcoms and films, I’ve heard it.
That raises one big question:
What was the greatest thing before sliced bread?

Birthday

I haven’t been writing for some time now – sorry. The reason is a complete lack of news to tell. But here’s something new: today – September 29 – is my birthday! 😉

7 good habits

I have just finished a course, which builds on Stephen R. Coveys book “The 7 Habits”. I have yet to read the book myself, but it (and the course) is about getting better control with your time – and basically your life. And showing you a way to better interact with other people (family, working colleagues, and people you meet else where).
Off course you can’t turn a crappy life into a good one, just by reading a book. First, you need to have the will to make a change. I had that will, but I also had some doubts about the course itself: could it really change anything for me? The answer: yes it could!
Again: this type of courses only works, if you give it a change, and put a lot of work into it. As I mentioned, I haven’t read the book yet (I intent to). But I don’t think I would have gotten so much out of it, if I had just read the book, instead of taken this course.
So what did I get from it? Well, it’s now clearer to me, where some of the obstacles are in my life – and it has given me some “tools” to rethink my life (I hope this doesn’t sound like nonsense). I feel I need to read the material all over before I can come up with a more substantial result, but I really think, I’m going in the right direction. 🙂

Expensive photo, part 2

As I wrote September 7th, I had my picture taken by an automatic traffic control, because I couldn’t keep the speed under the 50 km/h (approx. 31 mph).
I have now received a letter with the fine, together with the photo.
First: I know its irresponsible driving to fast. As I wrote earlier, I had just started the car, and would have noticed the speed myself and adjusted it accordingly – but to late. Yes I know: it’s no excuse.
Second: Luckily I wasn’t speeding that much – I have to pay for driving 8 km/h (5 mph) to fast. And again: yes, I know it’s still to fast.
Third: Even though the photo’s quite ugly to look at, it’s still the most expensive photo I have of my car.

Automatic Traffic Control

Oh, and yes: it is a small car – but that’s the way I like it. 🙂

Human made catastrophe?

Today, four years has gone since the terrorist attack on World Trade Center. In my mind, that day marked the beginning of a new age of madness. Off course I’m wrong thinking that. The world was already mad.
It seems like we’re experiencing a lot of disasters these years. Terrorist attacks all over the world, flooding in Asia and recently New Orleans, drought in other parts of the world, forest fires, earthquakes and so on. Not to mention war.
There seem to be (at least) two reasons for all the catastrophes we hear about:
1: The news travel faster and longer. Millions of people have been killed in disasters throughout history, the rest of the world just didn’t hear about it then.
2: Every time we hear about a major flooding or forest fire, we also hear that the reason the natural disaster has grown so big is because we humans has removed some of natures own protection against these disasters. And that more of us choose to live close to the sea or areas with frequent earthquakes, or both (San Francisco). Thereby changing what could have been “just” a major inconvenience to these huge proportions.

My thoughts are with the families to the victims September 11, the people of New Orleans, the affected people of the forest fire in Portugal, the innocent victims of war in Iraq, Chechnya and several countries in Africa, the earthquakes in Turkey, the flooding in Asia, the casualties of traffic, and all the other people, who should have lived long and happy, but didn’t.

Welcome back

Oh, by the way. I forgot to mention the experience I had, when I’d return from vacation nearly two weeks ago. Normally I would just enter the office, log on to my computer, go get a cup of coffee, and then start to work. But this time, I first had to “un-wrap” my desk!

Desk

Each time I thought: “Finish! Now time for some work!”, another surprise unveiled itself.
After the tape had been removed, I discovered the cress, growing in my keyboard. Then the ugly picture of me, mounted with long hair (someone had been playing with a picture editor). Then the missing wheels on my chair. My computer replaced by an old non-working one. And so on. After all looked like it self, it was now time for a cup of coffee (I still hadn’t got my first cup). But no: my cup wouldn’t move! Damn superglue! After releasing my cup, I was able to get some coffee and finally start to work! 🙂
I’m glad to see, my colleagues had something to do, while I was on vacation. They usually aren’t that inventive. Maybe it was a little payback, for all the small things I’ve done to them over the years?!

Cress

Btw. Luckily the “cress-board” wasn’t my real keyboard – just some old one, they had found. The real one, however, had a few keys changed about. That took me a while to figure out! 😉

Expensive photo

It’s not always nice to have your photo taken. Maybe you’re having a bad hair day. Or maybe it’s a policeman taking a photo of you driving a bit to fast.
For me, it was the second case.
Normally I drive below the speed limits. I’ve got my drivers license in 1989, and this is the first time I ever got a fine for anything (not even a parking ticket).
I had driven a few hundred meters, and had reached maybe 60 km per hour (38 mph) – I really hope, it wasn’t more than that (speed limit 50 km/h – 31 mph). Normally I would now look down at the speedometer, discovering I was going to fast – but I discovered a flashlight instead. Sigh!