In the past year I’ve received a few strange things in the mail from TelekomAustria, my phone company. All of these things are a bright yellowish green. Kind of the color of lime Jello or Mountain Dew. The first thing was a free pair of houseshoes (the slippers Austrians wear around the house.) Then it was a welcome mat that was really only big enough to wipe off one shoe at a time. Today, however, I got the best one yet – a bright yellow/green pizza cutter – free – right in the mail. Who says Austrians don’t know anything about customer service?
Plymouth: Take 2
Well I’m back in Plymouth now for year 2 of my Master’s program in educational technology. My cohort is much the same as last summer, but we have picked up a few fresh faces to help spice up the class. We’re halfway through week 1 now and we’re looking forward to having a lot of fun and creating some interesting projects.
Fear the power of many geeks united.
Snort, snort.
In other news, it’s cold here. I went from 27-30 degree highs in Vienna to 15 degrees and rainy. Makes me wish I’d packed more than one pair of pants. I might be forced to go shopping *shudder* for more pants if it doesn’t get warmer pretty soon.
Ok, think happy thoughts…sunshine, warmth, lunch, the Internet…that’s better.
My favorite quote this summer involved one colleague describing another as someone who understands all the “X’s and O’s” of computers. Hmmmm…That’s not the kind of binary I was expecting to learn this summer…
Helpful Online Tutorials
One of my friends from my Master’s program in Plymouth created these really great tutorials for Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) as well as Macromedia Studio (Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks).
The site is called Quantunet, and the tutorials are really great. If you’re familiar with Atomic Learning, it’s kind of like that, but better, more extensive and easier to integrate into school curriculum.
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Pete Comes to Vienna
My good friend Pete finally made it to Vienna, albeit on a business trip. He was engaged in some very important meetings at the UN while he was here, and I’m pretty sure he solved some pretty major crises…like finding out what the Dutch delegate likes on a pizza. What’s that? Tuna fish and onions? Yikes! She can have her own…and, fortunately for her, Austria can accommodate her.
Every time I’m with Pete we end up searching for a putt putt course at some point, and this time was no different. Unlike other occasions we successfully located a course in the Prater. It was a bit rundown and lacked grass or a grass-like surface except on Hole 7 where we had to literally drive the ball over or through some roughly cut grass in order to get to the “green.” And the “greens” were little more than red-painted concrete. Nevertheless, there were some very challenging and fun holes and we had a good time.
I’m not really sure what Pete would consider more productive: his UN meetings or the putt putt game…well, actually I do know. But I’ll plead the 5th just in case Condi or W is reading this blog. I wouldn’t want Pete to lose his cushy government job.
Putt putt pics can be found here.
Enjoy!
Please Feed the Cats
Last February in Italy I encountered what might be the most bizarre situation I’ve ever been in:
While hiking between two fishing villages in Cinque Terre, we came across a picnic table. A cat sat watch on the table and tin cans littered the ground. On a nearby tree I noticed sign posted that read, in Italian and English, “Please feed the Cats.” It was then I observed a stash of cat food and some plastic plates. Intrigued, I approached the food and picked up a can.
Immediately I was surrounded by half a dozen meowing cats. Amused, I opened a can and began searching for something to scoop the food out with. I settled on a stick. By now I was joined by Bekah, who also prepared a plate or two of food for the now 15 cats surrounding us with mews and whimpers.
We distributed the food as evenly as possible and watched the cats eat hungrily. Several times I scanned the area, looking for a house or person, or even a camera. Something or someone to explain the purpose of this little cat sanctuary. Nothing else was found other than a cash box firmly attached to the picnic table. Presumably for donations. We left smiling and a bit bewildered at what had just transpired while contented cats meandered back into the woods to await their next meal.
Click here for more pictures of our cat feeding frenzy.
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