Ow, my brain

Maybe not on topic for news of Vienna, but ow, my brain: http://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/ladle/

It's Friday, and apparently the crew across the street figured out how to build a building using bombs.  Melanie's either figured out how to sleep through wars, or she's faking it.  I spent my extra-early morning listening for how people pronounce "R" in a very good recording of Handel's Semele (Sam Ramey, Kathleen Battle, Marilyn Horne).  Apparently, there's just no consensus to formal English whatsoever, even if you only listen to one singer.

From my mornings pleasantries (for those interested?), it seems that Madeleine Marshall's English Diction for Singers has it right most of the time where she would get rid of an R alltogether; words like "mirror", "horror", and "terror" all sound weird when they END with a rolled R (which  Horne, who seems to have the best English, [and sometimes Battle, too] does sporatically).  So that leaves how one handles an R in between vowels (miRRor, cuRRent), following or proceeding consonant clusters (LingRing, moRtality, gRave, tRemble), and leading (River, Rage).  Marilyn Horne does it the best so far, but I gots to listen to a few others before coming up with a grand unified theory of R.  

--Later that day...--

We went to Melanie's voice teacher's teacher's studio's Klassenabend (Studio recital night).  Lots of really great singing.  Inspiring to see.

Also, I got my visa today.  Here are the remaining steps:

18.  Go to central Finanzamt for Gebührungen.  Meet nice lady there.  She calculates that my Gebührung will be €187,00 or so.  Wait, I think, didn't I pay around €187 when I first did my rental contract?  Wait, I say, didn't I pay around €187,00 with my rental contract?  Why yes, she says, your receipt is right here.  Uh, I say, what do I give the people at the 8th district house of burocracy?  Why, she says, you give them the paper you have there.  But, I say, I did give that to them.  Oh, she says, they missed it then; give it to them again.  Thanks, I say.

19.  Go to 8th district house of burocracy, find original nice lady.  "Hi!  I have the stuff you requested!  Here's my identification paper"  "It's after 10am." "What?"  "This paper says you can only give me the papers from 8am to 10am."  "What?"  "You are here outside of paper-giving hours."  "...  Well ...  I guess ... I'll just go home then ..." "...  ... well OK you can just give me the papers now.  I'll call you when your visa is ready."

*Score: Gabe:1, Nice Lady:0 for awesome guilt trip level 5*

20.  Get call from nice lady: My visa is ready to be picked up!  Come in before 12pm

21.  Today:  11:20am - On my way to 8th district house of burocracy!!

11:40am - On my way to school...  

11:41am - Shit why am I on my way to school?! I'm gonna be late!

11:45am - Backtracking on subway

11:55am - Running to 8th district house of burocracy

11:58am - Run into nice lady's office.  Nice lady is on phone.  Smile at her, panting.

"Can I help you?" says nice lady's mean co-worker?

*gesticulates wildly at nice lady, panting* "Uh, she..uh..she was my.. uh..."

"What?" says mean lady with look of "What is wrong with you?"

*goodbye german* "I..uh...confirmation... uh... ...  I... visa ... visa pick up?" say I

"...  give me your passport and wait outside."  says mean lady.

"Sure!" say I

12:20pm - "MSDfhsdmfmd Wyner fmsdf shdshjffhuy" says the loudspeaker

*walks into mean lady's office*

"I didn't call you.  You arent supposed to be here.  Go to the cashier."

"Oh, ok. Thanks"

*go to cashier.  There's a lady who I assume to be mean there*

"Uh.."

"I already have your passport, and just need the €100 fee."

"Uh.. I heard... uh... is there some thingy that US...uh...I dont know how you say it, citizens?  That people who come from the US dont have €100 fee or something?  You know?"

"... Since Jan 1st, 2006, everyone has to pay the same."

"Oh.  Ok."

"You can ask questions for free!" She smiles.  Yay! It's a nice lady!

*pay for and receive visa*

*leave 8th district house of burocracy*

*realize I left my umbrella there*

*go back, find that door is locked (It's after 12pm).  Give up on umbrella, go home*

--The End (of Part 1)*--

*Part 2, entitled "How to get an Austrian Visa if you're Melanie Henley Heyn and have the exact same application and supporting documents as Gabriel Wyner but completely different burocratic requirements for no explainable reason" will be posted as soon as Melanie gets her visa, which will likely (and hopefully) be in about a month from now.