Cybertron Flower

Of course the best time to post about the trip to Athens we took between Christmas and New Year's Eve is on the way to the next vacation (finishing this post in the airport, once again), but if I don't do it now, I never will. So ...

Taking photos with the phone makes me concentrate on different aspects, a different aesthetics. Something more Instagram-like or at least what I imagine Instagram to be, given how I, very much on purpose, don't have an account. But maybe it's a cool look at the city that you will enjoy, too.



The temple of Zeus during our first walk through the city after arrival - it was late December, so it got dark very early.


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This weekend I spent mostly on my couch. Well, I did go grocery shopping and I did cook and I did run (ugh, I should talk about running at some point, shouldn't I?) and I did iron all the clothes from the last month (and watch quiet a bit of the third season of Voltron; I still think the series is meh, but the female/male ratio both in lions and in general is suddenly much better and Lotor *is* a delight), but mostly I spent it on the couch.

Last weekend, however, was rather different. I went to Rosenheim, where I did:

1. Drink

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2. Go to the mountains


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3. Forage

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4. Make dessert


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Yesterday, I spend a good part of the evening/afternoon reading on the balcony, with the Hoellenbecq book and its discussion of art and my RXTE cup with coffee:



I did, at a point get rid of my long-sleeve shirt and the socks and would have, if I weren't too lazy, put on shorts. It wasn't that warm in general, but that particular corner of the balcony, warmed by the sun and protected from the wind was perfect.

And then the neighbor's cat came to visit and did even let me pet it for a bit - it also finally dared to come in and got exploring, particularly my bookshelf:

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Today, I woke up to this piece of anxiety-inducing news: U.S. May Ban Laptops on All Flights From Europe. I do not have immediate trips lined up (I did have one roughly planned but was anyway likely not to do it this year given the trip in April that I did not originally plan for), but all the US-based people I know who are in Europe right now (J. and L. and D. and finally my dear N. who is to arrive on Saturday in the early morning) and all the people in transatlantic relationships I know (the other J. who is flying over every third week or so and F. who is married to an American but has a job here in Europe) and all the people I was looking forward to seeing at some point this year (M. in Rome, J. and L. and N. in Warsaw, one more J. in France, another M. in Prague ...), all the reviews that you need to be present for in person. This is a catastrophe on both personal and work levels. (And I've just been telling people who plan to organize a certain conference in the USA next year - this year it was in Europe - how they should keep an eye on the overall political situation and whether some people would not be able or willing to travel to the States. Jinxing much? I hate being Cassandra.)

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The day after tomorrow, eight people will meet for brunch at my place: two Americans, two Germans working in the USA, a Dutch person working in the USA, a Venezuelan/Argentinian working in Germany and USA, a German working in Spain and married to an American woman, an American working in the Netherlands, a Canadian working in Germany a German working in the Netherlands but for an international organization. It is going to be amazing - and sad, because I don't know when I'll see all these people again. Even though some of us had elaborate plans for how and when we would meet.