My cat is bored

Colfax enjoyed the first month or so in the apartment but now he wants out. He waits by the door and peers out into the hallway when its open. I've let him out a few times. He runs up our building's spiral staircase until he gets to the top and then pathetically lets me pick him up. Shannon bought him a new harness, despite my warnings that its a waste of time. She wants to take him on walks around the block. Right. We live in the major tourist area of Vienna. The sidewalks are almost always busy. He wouldn't have it. Although once in Paris I saw a man with a cat sitting on Boulevard Saint Michel (which for you uncultured peasants is a busy tourist street in Paris) and the cat was fine -- he seemed happy. I've been thinking about pushing harder for another cat. Colfax would be a great older brother. I really think he needs something to abuse. It would bring him great peace. Now I miss my sister.

Shannon is off on a business trip to...places most people have no business going to. She called me last night while I was at a bar with two of my buddies from German class. Claudio's girlfriend was out of town so he was feeling adventurous. He wanted to talk to girls, he wasn't going to touch them, he said, just talk to them. Michel from Quebec how is married to an Austrian apparently does this all the time. I usually never talk to girls at bars unless I'm apologizing for spilling on them. So we went to a bar near my house, and there was a group of hot blonde girls. We looked at them for a good hour or so spent the evening drinking fosters and tequila shots and discussing how much weed costs in different places.

Work has been a tad grueling. I had to laugh this evening. I left at 9:00 and there were a bunch of associates sitting in the kitchen eating take-out. I'm sure they were staying well past 10:00. I don't get it. What on earth would make you want to sit in a chair and stare at a computer that long. Money, I know. The firm gave me a blackberry but the phone function doesn't work on our blackberries because they're from London (I don't get it) -- so they issued me a separate cell phone. So even with all this advanced technology available I carried the following to work: Blackberry, business cell phone, private cell phone, I-pod.

I ate lentil soup for dinner. That's what I ate when Shannon is away because she doesn't like. I have to go to bed now so that I can get up early and go to the gym before work. It's going to be tough. Shannon paid for an expensive membership to this really upscale gym near our house so I have to start going. I'm so cheap that the guilt I feel about wasting money is actually a very effective way to motivate me to exercise. I need to exercise. I sit on my ass a lot.

Random note: Pavement's "Here" is so good.

Balls

One of the big things out here are the Balls. You know tuxedos and floor length dresses, waltzing, blah blah blah. But the best part about balls is that people have to say "balls." For example I was at my firm's happy hour this evening having a very intelligent conversation with a young associate from the corporations division about how much she "enjoys balls." According to her, "balls are really fun."

Ach Scheize

So I started my job. Get this, the "core" hours are from 9 to 7. That's right, I can't leave work before 7. Shannon called me at work the first day at around 5:45 to ask where I was. I told her about the core hours and started giggling uncontrollably. Then I felt like crying. Last week I was playing ping-pong and drinking beer in the afternoons.