Vienna Metblogs » vie_georg

I hate this subway announcer

vie_georg — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 12:05:08 +0000

I hate this subway announcer. You know the one, with the super-energized, format radio amateuer voice, who is always asking me to “actively participate” in “helping public transport” to keep the stations clean or to get beggars arrested. I hate his over-obvious marketing trick of including the consumer in his message, like “vienna public transport is working for YOU to give YOU the best in public transport”. I hate his stupid argumentations like “don’t smoke because it is against home security law” (I don’t smoke and I prefer people not to smoke but this argumentation is just fucking stupid). And I hate the inflection in his voice that sounds like back in the Eighties when the boss asked somebody from the sales department to record promotion spots. Like somebody trying to overdo private radio moderation and really thinking he is doing a super perfect job - no! You’ll never be better than Chris Lohner.Moreover, sometimes in the mornings I hear 3 or 4 of this damn spots while waiting for the train - somebody seems to be really bored at the end of his nightshift, right? Pushing the damn buttons for these messages to waken up again?
Basically, I don’t want to hear anybody talking in this super-pitched marketing voice, that’s why I rarely listen to radio (as if the stutter and stumble of most FM4-DJs would be any better …) This speaker nevertheless makes me even more grantig right there in the early morning.
Please, Vienna Public transport, please stop the announcements! At least between six and seven in the mornings, okay? I have never been bothered by any beggar, nor a thief, nor a smoker nor do I smoke, nor have I ever seen anybody messing up the stations. Thank you.

Schönbrunn’s main attraction

vie_georg — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:10:42 +0000

Every tourist coming to Vienna will visit the Schönbrunn castle. Just because you have to. There are many attractions there: the grand castle, the coach museum, the park, the zoo, the gloriette and what else. But I think the main attractions seem to be: squirrels.

Carrie Bradshaw called them “rats with nice fur coats”, but obviously tourists seem to be of the opposite view. Everywhere they are kneeling down, holding out hands, making strange sucking, smooching and slupring noises to attract them. Regulars feed them with nuts and have their special places. Kids are screaming “Mummy where!? Mummy where!?” and mummys are screaming back “over there, look, over there.” Other mothers scream: “Don’t go near or they’ll bite you! You’ll get rabies!” Depending on protectiveness, I think. One of them said: “I don’t like squirrels, one of them chewed my finger to the bone.” What? I also overheard a girl say to her boyfriend: “see, there is one. I am not fantasizing as you said.” But that opens up a whole different set of questions, I don’t want to go into right now.

Why are those little bastards so popular? I say because of their black little round eyes and cuty furry appearance. Also the sudden and unexpected contact to nature is a wonderful thing for city tourists. Or they’ll look at anything that is to look at for free.

Anyway, if you come to Vienna: go see Schönbrunn, visit the squirrels, don’t forget to bring some nuts.

nudes in the city

vie_georg — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:59:20 +0000

I know, a lot of the buildings that make Vienna such a beautiful city were built in the late 19th century, when it was all the rage to adorn every wall with nudes (male and female). Here is an especially nice example:

This one is above the entrance to an old laboratory / factory for chemicals. Sex sells, ever since.

Luminescent Orchestrii

vie_georg — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:15:32 +0000

A concert hint of the slightly different kind: the Luminescent Orchestrii is around in Europe and because they have a few days off, they will play a show at the Arena Beisl (at the back of the Arena in Erdberg) this monday, the 31st. Visit the Arena Website

The Luminescent Orchestrii are two women on violins, one guitarist and one bassist, all of them sing, and they play a fast kind of klezmer / gypsy / balkan / punk / tango / humpta / whatever. The classical approach is hidden deep inside them, but aside all the wildness they really can play. You can dance to it, drink to it, get emotional or dirty, or just enjoy the cool night out.

websites:
Band-Site
MySpace-Site

subway lives

vie_georg — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:30:38 +0000

Two young boys (or men or boyz2men?) on the train this morning:

A is wearing a pink t-shirt that says “porn producer”, gold necklace and short hair. B is wearing a black t-shirt, a baseball cap and is a little chubby.

A: “Fuck dude, next week driving lessons, dude.”
B: -
A: “Dude, driving a car, dude.”
B: -
A: “Dude, I’m shitting myself, fuck, dude.”
B: -
A: “Fuck, I only ever drove once in my live, dude.”
B: -
A: “Fuck, Dude.”

Can you imagine how driving lessons will go?

Hot out there #2

vie_georg — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:47:03 +0000

I am completely numb because of the weather. The hotness makes me unable to do anything. Office is air conditioned, I think I’m gonna work 14 hours every day these weeks.

The information that the polar bears in the zoo in Schönbrunn are being fed fish flavored ice constipates my mind for at least an hour before letting go.

Newspaper had some ideas on how to spend the hot days, like these: sex in the morning best between 7 and 8 (I am already in the office then and at home it still had 29°C?) or go to the public pools at four pm (where do these people work?) .

Yesterday evening we opened the windows at around 10 pm to let in some cooler air. Turns out outside was still hotter than inside.

Incoherency is slowly taking over.

Hot out there

vie_georg — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:40:48 +0000

please finish this sentence: it is so hot today, …

- the concrete on the floor started to melt
- I had to buy another air condition to cool my air condition (hah, I wish)
- the coal for my barbecue wanted to get inside to cool off

family benefits

vie_georg — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:21:15 +0000

Currently there is a big discussion about child benefits in Austria. The rule is: for every kid there will be child benefits payed for by the government. The amount is 436 € per month for three years. Yes, that is a lot, because the last conservative government wanted people to stay home and have kids (and not party and have sex without getting kids, as one minister put it.)

Unless the mother or father staying home to tend to the kid earns more than 14.600 € aside, then they don’t get anything. It doesn’t matter how much the other parent earns by the way.

After the Kinderbetreuungsgeld runs out there is Familienbeihilfe, another 150 € per child and month unless the annual income is less than about 8.500 € until the kid is 18 (or 26 if it goes to university). (If you need counseling on these matters, better not ask anybody blogging, but someone at your local council or magistrate.)

Anyway, now it seems that 2 in 5 recievers of child benefit earned more than that on the side and now face having to pay back 2-5.000 € per year.

This matter is even more interesting, when taking in account that the average income in Austria of employed people is 16.600 € net. (info from www.statistik.at, which is becoming one of my favorite sites for hard facts.) That means that 2 in 5 parents claiming to stay home are actually working full time. Otherwise I would like to know what kind of part-time jobs those are, because I’d switch instantly.

Live Earth in Vienna

vie_georg — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:52:10 +0000

If you, like me, don’t like crowded places, then you might want to avoid Rathausplatz this Saturday. If you, like me, don’t like ritualised mass-happines and bigot excuses for staging a big party, then you might want to leave the city for the weekend. Like me.

Anyway, you might like a free concert and a lot of people like rock festivals (otherwise why would there be so many?) and you might be a fan of Madonna, James Blunt, Beastie Boys, Police, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins and a few thousand others, so you probably want to check it out. Jeez, Michael Nyman and Silbermond on the same stage… Live Earth is being staged this Saturday in every major city of the world and on the Rathausplatz in Vienna there will be a super mega big screen for people to watch. And a hundred snack-counters and the next day a brigade of trashmen to pick up the litter.

Do you remember when people used to talk shit about Sting because he wanted to save the rainforest? How credible are people like Snoop Dogg, Madonna or The Pussycatdolls in regards of ecology? The city of Vienna will offer information on how to save the planet. The gastronomy will offer ways to get loaded. Wonder where more people will be cueing? Is U2 not joinging because the payment wasn’t good enough? The stars will arrive by private jets and limousines, why do they tell you to use public transport? Is Live Earth a bad thing now? No, I don’t think so. But the amount of bigotry and self-rightousness is nauseating.

A good place to start getting more info might be the webservice of the city: Wiener Klimaschutztag

Rokko’s Adventures live @ Fluc

vie_georg — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:17:46 +0000

Not too long ago I told you about a new fanzine in town: Rokko’s Adventures. On the 10th of July Rokko will celebrate his birthday at Fluc with an interesting, free concert.

USAISMONSTER (NY, Nowavenoiserocksomething) and Stanley Kubi (Paris, a wild ride) will add an interesting, challenging and possibly terribly loud soundtrack to the celebration. Mad music turned into a lifestyle that becomes a record and then is turned inside out to be music by, for and about the everyday madness. Or something. Together with Van Deigo you will also find Rokko on the turntables before, between and after the two bands.

Start: 22 pm

check out: www.fluc.at and myspace.com/rokkosadventures