Oh well. I didn't forget this blog... but you know how it is. Sometimes there's so much more important things to do...

...like working yourself into the routine procedures at your new workplace. I guess I (mainly) figured it all out now. Of course, there's still the possibility of major crashes of some system or another making us all mad.

Like yesterday. It's not fun when all database servers in a global banking organization go down in flames. Did you ever stop to imagine just how many IT applications absolutely depend on a database these days? We have some 80 SAP systems in the VW bank, and along with the databases they all went down too! Imagine how many desperate users called yesterday...

...and to add to all the fun, our own software for registering and processing incidents... some weird piece called "Peregrine service center"... also needs a database, so we weren't even able to register all those calls! Weird, I tell you... weird!

But then, there's some fun news from Germany too...

for example, the upcoming elections to the Federal parliament on September 18th will not be officially over for some time after that deadline, because one of the candidates somewhere in the "new federal countries" - read: the former GDR - died of some unknown-to-me cause, so everything in that district has to be re-organized. At least it hit one of those who really deserve it (IMHO)... the local candidate of the far-right neo-fascist group NPD.

(Alright, who was the saboteur? I've got a medal or twenty to give to you...)

And, of course, from a personal point of view I'm now a married man. Nothing official, as far as German officials are concerned, but still... I feel bound to the holy oath I have sworn last weekend on the German Althing (gathering of all the faithful) of the Eldaring association. And so does my beloved, though of course she has sworn by her Celtic deities.

If all goes well, the civil marriage will take place sometime around next Beltane (May 1st). We'll see.