univ.prof. dr. reinhard rieger, the head of the institute of zoology at uibk, died yesterday.

i never got to meet anybody whose enthusiasm for biology was as sparkling and contagious.
he was a mastermind in his area of expertise, and still treated every student as a colleague.

it seems like yesterday that (during a course) he showed us a live sea urchin through a microscope, explained it’s behaviour and anatomy, and made us realize his very respect for every living thing on earth.

on monday, i was talking about how i was looking forward to the next course he held.
now, i can only be thankful i got to attend some of his lectures, and will always remember him as a luminary in zoology and – most notable – a likeable personality.

may he rest in peace.

…of wisdom to share with the world, it would be this:

next time, something good unexpectedly happens to you,
do something good for somebody you don’t know.

you know, to keep the universe in balance.
it works out!

after all, “i am pretty wisdomous!” (by joey tribbiani, from friends)

thursday afternoon: trying to decide what spot under the palm i should take, to get a break from all the sunshine. denia, spain / 35 degrees (celsius!)

friday afternoon: trying to see if that mountaintop is really covered in snow (which it was!), because i couldn’t really see through all that rain. rum, austria / 15 degrees

- – - – -

while trying to shut down my brain for the holidays, a bunch of questions got stuck in my head:

• is there another word for synonym?
• do “all caucasians look the same” in the eyes of an ignorant african?
• how many people are there, looking at their lives and saying “well, it’s not what i wanted, but it’s the best i could get, given the circumstances.”?
• doesn’t “colouring my hair” equal “lying about my genetic information/quality”?
  you know, complying with “people are DNA’s way of making more DNA”
• are 500.000 letters enough for a medium-sized book with a medium-sized font?
• how can i state (in a politically correct way) that extremely obese people make me want to never eat again?
• how do the japanese pronounce their nationality adjective? (e.g. how do you translate “japanese” into japanese?)

 
pics are on the way!

yesterday, we had to put our dog scully to sleep.
it was hard making that decision, but in the end, it was the only choice.

and though she is now gone, lots of precious memories remain:

like picking her up as the cutest puppy ever in kufstein.
and attending pet obedience school.
and her cuddling with the bunny, even licking/cleaning its head.
and our family+dog holiday in normandy / france.
and placing that huge bone under the christmas tree for her.
and her stealing the chocolate goodies off the tree after she was done with the bone.
and her first “almost-fatal” encounter with anton’s hamster.
and her going wild when seeing a cat, but at the last moment turning nice when she recognizes tiger (tom & sandra’s cat).
and splinting her leg when she broke it (she didn’t even wince, because she knew we were helping her).
and her late “you either walk me where i want to go, or i’ll go on a strike, lay down and just won’t move at all”-strategy.

we all miss her already.
and it’s going to take some time until we won’t expect her showing up whenever there is a rustling noise from a candy wrapping.

[lyrics quote of the moment]
these days everyone cries “say uncle”
i retrieve the memories quickly as i can
add them to the portrait we all draw in our minds
your body gone, we shall keep the man
vienna teng – say uncle
 

[view photos: rest in peace, scully]

i just happened to see the end of a “grey’s anatomy” episode, and i thought it had an interesting conclusion:

[quote of the day]
it is better to know, than to wonder.
it is better to wake, than to sleep.
it is better to make the worst decision… than none at all.
we have to sweep today’s possibilities under tomorrow’s rug, until we can’t anymore, until we finally understand.

what benjamin franklin meant, that knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and that even the biggest failure, even the worst, most entrappable mistake beats the hell out of never even trying.
grey’s anatomy s01e06 (source)