What? Really? The geek is… back? Well, no, not really. See, when you are, say, me, ‘back‘ is a pretty relative term. How many times have I promised the exact same thing? How many times have I apologized for not posting anything in ages? A lot of times. Rough guess? 1,659. Yeah, that should be a quite accurate number, actually. So… what makes you think it’ll be different this time around? That’s the thing: nothing. I’m not back, I’m just here. Right now. Writing an entry. That’s because in this very moment, I am in a very chatty mood. And if I don’t have anyone to talk to close-by, usually some sort of other self-expression has to do the trick. Which, in this case, is blogging. (And maybe, just maybe, I will do exactly that more often from now on. Only time will tell, I guess. If you managed to successfully analyze my blogging-pattern, you’ll realize that I’ll excessively blog for about a month and vanish for, hm, say, six months after that.) How is all of this relevant? I don’t really know. Have you missed me? Definitely. You know that secretly, you have. And I have missed you too.

So what has happened in my life since I last wrote an entry in 1983? Phew, a lot. In a nutshell: A very important era of my life, namely ’school’, has ended. Quite successfully. Still, I fell into some sort of post-school depression. I also realized who my real friends are. Shockingly, I can count those on just one hand. (And sadly, I’m no alien with 13 fingers.) I opened myself up to these people, and what I got was sheer support, for which I love them. I have learnt so much about myself as a person, and I’m really and honestly proud of myself. For the first time in my life I’m completely and utterly comfortable with who I am, and I’m having a blast. Not that my life is any more spectacular now than it was back in my heyday (truly everyone knows my heyday is yet to come!), but loving yourself just the way you are really is the key to happiness. (Okay, shoot me. I’m pretty sure this is the title of some cheesy self-help-book. Just moments after writing it I could puke at the thought of it. But the essence of it is still true, minus the kitsch, of course.)

Bottom line: School ended, I sorted out friendships and relationships, and I’m happy with myself. Where are all the buzz-worthy fireworks? Well, I’m still waiting for them to come. The most important news I have to share: I got a job. (Note to the readers: A compulsory job. It’s called Zivildienst and it’s a welcome alternative to serving in the army, which, God forbid, was never a choice for me. Hallelujah!) Back in June, I was one of three guys to be picked for that special job, and I was the one who ultimately wound up getting it. (Fortunately.) The burnings question: What kind of job? Well, brace yourself for this: I now work at a women’s shelter. Actually, I’m finishing up my third month there. In these past three months, I have experienced many more challenging situations than I’ve experienced in my entire time at school. (And you haven’t met the people I went to school with!) I’ve seen the devastated look on a woman’s face who has lost her children and is committed into a psychiatric facility - against her will, that is. I’ve seen women who have lost virtually everything - their jobs, their families’ support, most devastatingly: the faith in themselves. Children who have never known anything else than a life in misery and poverty. And my heart is aching every single time I see these things. But they let me grow, as a person. And that is the most precious thing I could hope for, along with the fact that I genuinely get the chance to help these people. And at the end of the day, I really feel that this is what counts in life. Of course I’ll be telling all of you more about my work at the women’s shelter (only if I’ll ever blog again after this entry) - the things I get to see there are really worth telling, and worth reading. (And of course I won’t invade anyone’s privacy or exploit anyone’s trust, that’s not my intention. My intention is to share with you what life sometimes has in store for people. From now on, this blog will not only feature stories of my seemingly unspectacular life, but also shockingly daunting stories from the women’s shelter.)

Other than my work at the women’s shelter, what important news are there? Care for a newsflash? Sure, let’s go: Virtual TV is finally back online with a new design, and I’m very proud of it. Also, I’m producing new episodes of my virtual hit series Faye, due sometime in 2010. (Or 2014, if we stay realistic.) I also took up tweeting again, and at times I feel a little Twitter-addicted. I fell in love for the second time in my life (yes, with a person!)… and was hurt, again. But not as badly as was the case back in November of 2008. I bought a fancy MacBook Pro which I’m loving to bits and pieces. I decided to move to Vienna with my BFF Andi next year, and I’ll either be studying film (which was my initial plan) or graphic design (the idea of studying that was sort of an epiphany, and I don’t want to dismiss it). I’m so happy Julianne Moore was Golden Globe nominated for ‘A Single Man’, and so disappointed she got snubbed at the SAG awards for Diane Kruger in ‘Inglorious Basterds’. (Still hoping the AMPAS will honor her with at least a nomination. For God’s sake, it’ll be her fifth!) Movies I’ve seen since last May that I love? Princess and the frog (so glad there’s finally a hand-drawn Disney classic), The Hangover, (500) days of summer (I’m in love with Joseph Gordon-Levitt… uhm, and Zooey Deschanel, of course), Up, Julie & Julia (who predicted Meryl will win the Oscar for that flick? Everyone thought I was wrong. Well, we’ll see come March 7th), Drag me to hell (best horror film ever), Inglorious Basterds (the one and only Tarantino I’ll ever like). I was terribly devastated when Michael Jackson died and I still haven’t recovered from the shock. Also, I’m still mourning Bea Arthur, Golden Girls’ Dorothy Zbornak. Not to mention Ray (the firefly from ‘Princess and the frog’… God I loved that firefly, I want to marry it)! My Matura grades? Any guesses? I’ll just tell you my average: 1.0. You do the math, buddies. Also, three of my new favorite TV shows: Damages, Big Love and United States of Tara. (FX, HBO and Showtime. I’m not big on networks, am I?)

A lot more things have happened. For Pete’s sake, seven months have passed since I last wrote, so that was kind of a given. But now that you’re updated, I can re-vanish for a few years, right? Just kidding. You have me back. Tomorrow my transformation into a geek will be complete when I’ll finally wear my brand-new retro nerd glasses: a Ray-Ban Clubmaster. I’ll have Andi take photos, and I’ll likely be inspired to retool the site a bit, changing the design and all. But like always, don’t expect any fireworks.

Until next time, stay cynical. Over and out,

Dimitri