The library's finished! I will want some artwork at some point, and I'll want to replace the desk chair, because the one we have now doesn't belong to me (and is too big), but it's basically done. Yay! I'm very pleased with it!



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we put all my books on the bookshelves and it turns out I have way fewer books than I thought. I also have more reference books (dictionaries and school books) than I thought. They have a (small) bookcase all to themselves. John has all of his books still in Scotland so that would fill the remaining shelves.

I am annoyed with my country. The authorities claim there is no swine flu in Poland (less than 300 confirmed cases) and all the people who are getting flu are just getting the seasonal variety. That despite the fact that everywhere around us most people are getting swine flu. It's almost like the Ukraine denying they have a swine flu epidemic. Except I thought we were sort of more advanced on our way to democracy.

Of course, the reason there is no swine flu in Poland is that they are not testing for it. Oh, and they're not getting the vaccines either, cos they are dangerous and there is no need since swine flu is harmless. Plus, you know, we don't have it in Poland.

plus, i'm reading comments to the articles, and people are so fucking stupid. I'm so angry I'm trying to reason with them :p

so, I got to Poland in time for the flu, yay. Two good things about it: I got my mommy looking after me and I spared John the plight :p Too bad that instead of shopping and meeting friends I got to sleep and sit on the toilet pretty much most of the time. Feel a bit better, thankfully.

I'm going to Poland for a week today, and leaving John to assemble bookcases. He should have fun!

also, allow me to rant about my thyroid.

I thought that, a year after being diagnosed with Hashimito disease (auto-immune disease where your thyroid gets destroyed), I finally got my dosage right. Not so!

At first, I was doing my blood test wrong. No-one told me you're supposed to do it in the morning, before taking the pill. In fact, my doctor said it doesn't matter. So I was getting good results, but they were false. After I found that out, and got the blood test at the right time of the day, it turned out mu dose was way too small. It was increased, and while the results were perfect, I had hyperactivity symptoms -- very quick pulse, panic attacks, couldn't breathe. Got my dose slightly lowered, and stopped taking selenium which the doctor had prescribed. My results were too low. So I increased the dose to the previous level (but no selenium this time) -- I feel ok, but the results are still too low. Which means I need to increase my dose over the amount which made me feel so bad the last time.

After some googling and reading I found out those hyperactivity symptoms might have been caused by a "bout of active thyroid" i.e. your thyroid normally doesn't do much, but sometimes it wakes up and starts working, which, connected with the pills, makes you have too much hormone in your blood and go hyper.

Which is all greatly annoying, especially that I can't even think about having a baby until my hormones are right. Not that I'm planning a baby just now, but if I got accidentally pregnant, it would be very bad, as it would end either in miscarriage, or a seriously disabled baby, neither of which would be my idea of fun.

we have most our furniture ordered. The bad part is we won't see most of it until January, except for some stuff Ikea's bringing today (like bookshelves, yay!) Once it is all there and my credit recovers, I may start looking for the non-essential niceties like rugs and artwork. I have paintings for the bedroom (Fee's going over a blue chest of drawers instead of being hidden in the hall like it was in the studio) but we'll need something for the library and for the living room. I have an idea for the library -- a print of Chinese rice fields -- but we'll need something for the living room. I'm all excited. :D

We ordered two sofas yesterday. It was supposed to take 8 weeks, but they called me up today to say they will only be available in January. Luckily I also got some chairs that are supposed to get here at the beginning of November.

we haven't found a bedroom we liked, yet. Well, we like the Ikea beds, but I'm not sure we'd be able to put a bedroom up ourselves.

My bank card just broke and it will take 2 weeks to get another one. I wonder how I'll pay for the furniture I want to order :|

we're in the middle of moving -- took yesterday and today off for it. I definitely have too much stuff, I didn't realise that earlier! well, some of that stuff is a friend's Ikea furniture, which might come in handy before we get any of our own. The problem is some screws seem to be missing, so I don't know if we get to put the armchairs together...

After a busy day yesterday we went to see Shakespeare's All is well that ends well broadcast live from National Theatre in London to cinemas across Europe. It is such a cool way of seeing a play! You get to see and hear everything, with close-ups etc. but it is still a live play you're watching. End of January they're doing Terry Pratchett's Nation. Definitely want to see that! It kind of reminds me of the "television theatre" they had every Monday evening when I was a kid, which was basically the same concept except on TV, and not live.

back to packing...

I think I'm about 3/4 packed. I ran out of boxes, but hopefully will be able to get some from work tomorrow. The flat is a total mess, boxes everywhere and no space to move. I emailed the agent about getting the keys (we're supposed to move on the 1st but the owner said we might move in before that since the flat is empty anyway) but all she said was "next week after the inventory" which I assume is when they check if the previous tenant hasn't destroyed the flat since we all last saw it. I don't know what the agent is getting the fee (1 month rent) for -- all she's dome so far was show us the flat and prepare the contract, she doesn't even try to make it easier for me... ah well.

I got a wireless router for my internet, but I've messed something up -- it doesn't connect through the cable anymore when I disable the wireless, even though it says it is connected. It's annoying.

I have too many books. I've got 5 boxes full and only 2 shelves cleared. I don't know how I'll ever manage to pack and move them all. Also, my studio is getting too cluttered with all the stuff I'm trying to pack.

We might order our bedroom tomorrow -- we've been to 3 shops and I forgot which bed I liked the most, so we're going back to the one I think I liked to see if I still like it. I'm also not exactly sure how big the bedrooms are, but I hope the wardrobe will fit -- they did seem large enough for a wardrobe :|

don't mind me ;)

done:
- contract
- bank guarantee

remaining to be done:
- agency fee
- rent
- electricity & water
- phone & internet
- furniture
- official change of address (including car registration)
- insurance

why can't this be less complicated?

I'm reading a module on PR right now, and one article was about a "controversial" case accepted by a PR company. The job was to represent the Catholic bishops in the abortion debate. Apparently, the job was "ethically ambiguous" and other PR companies have refused taking it. The whole article was a basically a debate whether it was moral to represent Catholic bishops.

Now, regardless of my convictions regarding abortion or catholicism, coming from Poland, a country which is 95 % catholic, I just could not parse this: a debate whether it was moral to represent the stance of the catholic church??? Mind boggles, does not compute, etc.

We saw it a week ago but I was waiting until we got the contract. It's 2 bedrooms, in a new building, a big balcony and kitchen, and panels in the bedrooms. Tiles in the living room, but I can live with that. A very nice area, with lots of space around (our balcony overlooks a cemetery :p) We're moving in October. *happy*

The only downside is, with a 3-month guarantee, an agency fee, and furniture, my savings will receive quite a hit. On the other hand, I have a permament and secure job, so I suppose that's alright :)

I am not worthy of the penthouse in the eyes of the agent. I wouldn't get it anyway, since it's far from the town centre, right under electricity lines (the huge ones, you know, supported by the Eiffel-tower-like constructions), and next to the airport. However, during the 10 minutes we were there, he managed to tell me that "it costs a lot of money", "you have to earn a lot of money to afford it", the guarantee is 3 months instead of 2 like the smaller flat, and it's 500 euro more so how can I want it? He asked if we've just moved, so I said no, I've been here for 3 years but my boyfriend just moved in so we need something bigger than a studio, to which he replied that he knew of 5 people sharing a studio. I think he thinks that's where I belong.

The funny thing is, the penthouse could possibly be worth the price they were asking if it was in a different location, but as it is, nothing justifies it. I still could afford it (just about) but I suppose we just didn't look respectable enough :p

I saw an ad for a cool-looking place. In fact, two. One is a 2-bedroom flat with a balcony, and the other is a 2-bedroom penthouse with a terrace. The price difference is 500 euros. They are in the same house, so I called the agency and said I want to look at both.

"but what house are you looking for because one is XXX EUR and the other is XXX-500!"

"yes, I'm looking for a flat within these brackets. I'd like to see both."

"oh, but it would be difficult to get both tenants together at the same time"

"it's ok, I may come twice"

"oh, it would be better for me if we did it at the same time. May I call you back?"

I mean, I know Luxembourg is different than anywhere else, but still. Hello? don't you want to rent your places out?

no wooden floors though. And available from November.

I want a new flat. All of Luxembourg is on vacation though so there are no new flats advertised anywhere.

John is here to stay. He went to register for a French course today and (I think) will start looking for jobs some time soon :)

I uploaded my pics to Flickr if anyone's interested

http://www.flickr.com/photos/64935042@N00/sets/72157622085120394/