Strange days

I woke up at around 1 pm, because my cellphone had run out of battery.

I left, punching in the code for my security system... and after closing the door, I hear my roommate running down to disable the system again. Turns out he also slept in, but for somewhat different reasons.

Get to work only to find the parking lot full. Bicycle parking lot. Thankfully, a girl was coming out and removed her cycle so that I could put mine in its place.

Salsa lesson - and I still mess up the steps on occasion, but its looking better and better each time.

And even after that hour in salsa, I still managed a 10-hr workday. Yep - I got home at midnight. But, as I told (and then sang) my roommate, "I feel good".

His comment - I think I will actually hear you crack quite soon.

He might be right. Although my guess it has already happened.

Random encounters

Today was a pretty weird day.

I arrived at the office at around 11, hoping to get 3 hrs of work before a meeting I had scheduled.

* At about 12, one of my former students from the programming course comes and tells me she needs motivation, because one of the teaching staff was pretty nasty to her. Unexpected, as I was not on duty at the counceling office.

* Before I had finished with her, the head of the institute shows up and invites me to a meeting at the Rectors office about the IT academy. At 2. Completely random.

I do the IT academy meeting, followed by another meeting with mathematicians about their part in our new curricula.

* When walking to my next appointment at the student union, I meet an old friend from physics bus days, but whom I hadnt seen for 2-3 years. Turns out she had also worked as a program manager in the mean time, and she wished me all the best with my job. A few turns later I run into the program manager for the computer systems curriculum just as I am turning the corner.

I do the meeting at the student union, go to the salsa lesson, then leave for the central square to meet Kati, the girl I hung out with while in London. We leave for my place to cook Seitan.

* Just as seitan is boiling, there is a knock on the door. It is my ex-satanist friend, asking for water (as he has just returned from jogging). Has happenned before, but still, the pun is too obvious to be ignored.

We eat, and I send Kati off to where she was staying.

* On my way back, walking over a bridge at around half to one, I notice three people enjoying the night view to the river. As I get closer, they turn towards me instead, and I recognize one - he is the same guy, I had the meeting with at the student union. Another guy also says hi, and his face is also vaguely familiar. Turns out all three are psychology majors.

They invite me to join them in doing nothing. So I get in the car with them, we drive around for a while and then I invite them over for guitar hero.

* As we are starting, there is a knock on the window, with some guy asking us if we have a cigarette. In my 5 years living here, this is the first time that has happenned.

We play guitar hero for half an hour, at which point I send them off on their way - still being visibly surprised about the completely unexpected turn of events their evening had taken.

Happens, I suppose

Ground control to Major Tom

The past week has been... unusual.

All due to a certain book I have been reading. Very well written, and not to be taken too seriously, but still - eye-opening in terms of small and simple things.

And it really is amazing what a framework for thinking about certain things can give you...

Still, it's a matter of practice and calibration... which does occasionally involve overshooting. But still, it is better than simple trial and error, as the newfound framework helps me estimate what I did wrong and by how much.

Although, feedback systems could always be better. Not that I'm complaining

And if this post makes no sense what so ever - think of it as an exercise of lateral thinking and try to find a world in which it does. And if you do, tell me ;)

Ill make this brief

In case anyone has seen the jumbo pack of Toblerone and wondered whether it is a REALLY large chocolate or just a set of smaller ones. The answer is - it is one large piece.

Quote of the day, from Ivan, when describing a set of protocols: "There are constants involved and they are not small."

If "No sex and no future" sums up the Estonian language (and culture) pretty well, having no word for "please" is a pretty good indicator of what it is like in Denmark :)