Under My Umbrella

- or every cloud has a silver lining

After we have all talked and complained about it I think it ‘s time that someone addresses it openly. It’s disturbing, annoying and frustrating. Everyone chats about it, but still we can’t do anything about it. I don’t think that this post will change anything but at least it will contribute to the ongoing discussion. So yes, I can say it out loud: It’s still raining! … Sorry, I correct myself, it’s not just raining, it’s raining in every possible way: it’s drizzling, frizzling, muzzling, pouring heavily and teeming down. In five words it’s raining cats and dogs. And I am sure there are a thousand other sorts of rain that we are lucky to be experiencing right now in Salzburg.

Normally, I don’t talk about the weather and don’t care about the weather forecast at all. But this summer - yes, one should be able to call it summer at the beginning of June - not even I can avoid the topic. Austria has found its common enemy: the weather god.

The first thing I noticed today when I checked my Facebook account was a sudden flourishing of weather or rather rain related groups like “I wanted to take over the world but then it started raining”, “Shitty weather 2010 – I was there”, or “I want my summer back”. So true. However, complaining doesn’t really help it just makes your day worse (and no I am not addicted to Facebook if you’ve got the impression yet).

Sooner or later every one of us will realize that the weather god is an inveterate and superior enemy which we can neither defeat nor stop. So maybe instead of spoiling each other's days by talking about the bad weather non-stop, we should involve ourselves in something more rewarding. Set your head on ‘good mood’ and prepare yourself for the sunshine to come. If you want to start in an effective way try to create a new playlist for you mp3-player. Forget about all the rainy songs like Buckets of Rain, Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head and Why Does it Always Rain on Me and Let the Sunshine In, Keep on the Sunny Side, enjoy an Island in the Sun or Seasons in the Sun. Either way, Here comes the Sun just start Walking on Sunshine.



Show the weather god that you don’t give a **** about his bad mood and that you are ready to show that openly. Also if you haven’t been shopping for a while because you weren’t in the mood for buying winter clothes again you could check out the latest rubber boots at your favorite shoe store – they are a definite trend this summer and help to bring some color into your life.



Another thing you probably haven’t thought about while complaining about the rain is to see the opportunities that this kind of weather offers you. Never before have you had so much time during June to finish your seminar papers and the books on your reading list. Now is also the time to sign up for all the exams you still have to take from the previous semesters. You could also return these overdue already dusty library books that I know you are hiding somewhere on your shelves. When you are finally done with all the university work, you should check out the latest movies at your movie theater or buy the book you haven’t had time to read yet. You could also start to get yourself in shape for the summer – start working out again, paint your toe nails and get a new haircut. Be prepared. Anyway, see the positive side of it all. And if you don’t feel like staying inside anymore then get outside. It’s just a little bit of water, right? (by the way, James Hetfield said that during a rather wet outdoor concert). Go outside, sing and dance in the rain. If it worked for Gene Kelly, why shouldn’t it work for you as well? Another idea would be to camp in your backyard. As long as your tent stays dry nothing can harm you, right?. Just don’t forget to bring a warm blanket and some steaming hot coffee. Some people also love to play sports in the rain like soccer, Frisbee and volleyball. If you are not afraid of slipping the wet ground can even add to the fun of it. However, for those of you who would prefer to stay dry I would recommend you to grab your camera and go for a walk to discover the beauty of rain. Because who said rainy pictures weren’t just as nice as sunny ones?






One last possibility that came to my mind when I was thinking about the things one could do when it rains is informing yourself about rain. No kidding, if we can’t get around these nonsense chats, why not spice them up with some smart details? For example, did you know that “rain-gods and thunder-gods are more prominent in many mythologies than sun-gods, and they have been propitiated in various ways in different cultures” (Yahoo Education) , or that there are three types of rain that can be distinguished according to their different ways they are formed. The UK Geography Site, for instance makes out convectional, frontal and relief rain, and although probably no one around will actually be interested in the type of rain we are having I was able to find out that most probably ours is relief rain. Or did you know that the most rainfall ever recorded was 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) per minute on November 26, 1970 in Barst, Guadeloupe located in the West Indies. Similar facts were compiled by the Info Barrel (h/t Twiggy): Rain drops do not fall in a tear drop shape; they originally fall in the shape of a flat oval. The umbrella was originally invented to protect people from the hot sun. Rain drops can fall at speed of 35km per hour (22 miles/h). I also found out that Rain is the name of a young South Korean singer, dancer and actor whose real name is Jung Hi Hoon. Further, a German town in the region of Swabia is also called Rain, although it’s pronounced a little bit differently. I can’t guarantee you that this information will be well received by your cfriends but at least you will be able to change the common conversational pattern.

I recently got the idea for this blog post when I was wandering about the city searching the numerous university libraries for books on the sociology of crime (to fully understand my wanderings you probably need to know that the Salzburg university library consists of twenty smaller libraries grouped according to their areas of study, which are scattered throughout the city). Anyway, I was wrapped up in my brand-new super trendy summer jacket which I soon realized wasn’t the best choice as I was freezing my butt off, when I walked by a group of tourists who didn’t seem to mind the bad weather at all. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves despite all the drizzling and muzzling around them. They were bundled up in disposable rain coats, rubber boots and hats; and most obviously better prepared than myself. They were laughing, joking and fooling around while they took pictures of the many sights of Salzburg. I am not saying that these tourists wouldn’t have preferred wandering about the Mozartplatz in brilliant sunshine with a coffee ice-cream cone in their hands but they still made the best of it. I guess it’s not just an Austrian stereotype that we love to grumble and complain about everything. So why not stop grumbling now? The Inuit’s don’t complain about the masses of snow they get either.

And remember: After rain comes fair weather.

What the Chuck?!

Hello there again. Just as we are now back to Uni from the Easter break (it’s been a while, I know), fully motivated of course, I think it’s about the right time to pamper you with what I’ve come across so far. But before I really spoil you I thought it best to start off with the one shoe type that you will probably encounter the most around Salzburg University: the Converse All-Star. Have a look and enjoy:

These days you find them everywhere: worn with jeans, dresses, suits and in all possible colours and patterns. Everyone seems to be wearing them. According to the history of the Converse All-Star a lot has changed since the first shoes were produced. When Marquis M. Converse founded the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts (USA) in 1908, it still took another 10 years for the first Converse All-Stars to be produced. By then, the shoe was designed for only one specific purpose: basketball. Basketball is also where the shoe got its name: In 1923 Charles Hollis “Chuck” Taylor’s name was added to the patch and from then on the shoe became known as the Chuck Taylor All-Star. Over the years, this shoe originally designed purely for athletic purposes has been transformed into a fashion icon. Although other great athletes such as Jack Purcell, Jimmy Connors or Chris Evert Lloyd were famous wearers of “Chucks”, they were soon to become popular in the music business and in Hollywood. James Dean, Kurt Cobain, Elvis Presley and bands like The Doors, Metallica or Black Sabbath all wore the same type of shoes: Chucks.

This leads to the following questions: Why are these shoes so trendy right now? And what is so cool about them? Having so many celebrities wear these shoes, along with some background knowledge about their production, accounts for a great deal of their authenticity (assuming that the Converse Company does not send off free samples or, worse, pay celebrities (except in commercial advertising) to wear their shoes). Also, as these shoes come in so many different colours, patterns and materials there is surely a Converse All-Star for every one of you. You can even create your very own personal shoe – just go to their website.

Thinking back to their origins and to their popularity in the punk and grunge generation, one is likely to believe that only punks or emos – who have probably never touched a basketball in their life – wear Chucks. This, however, is not true anymore. Shoes, especially Chucks, are a great means of conveying one’s very personal message, which surely is one reason why they’re still selling. You often see very individualized Chucks with bright colourful laces, beads, buttons or writings over the rubber bits. Just have a look at those nicely decorated Chucks below I captured near the NaWi science building.

The times when wearing these shoes was limited (not literally but before they became fashionable) to said group of people are surely over – nowadays everyone can wear them. They are no longer a symbol for a specific group – you wear them because you like them! It’s as easy as that. That should be the only reason to do anything at all anyway. Chucks along with what you wear with them be it band t-shirts, piercings, vintage stuff, basketball shorts, or colourful, girly dresses) present your personality to the outside world. Some people even tend to wear their Chucks down until the canvas comes apart and the soles go completely bald. What this could say of a person I leave for you to decide.

A couple of years ago the Chucks set a trend for the popular, fashionable crowd: although awful on the arches, thin and hard soles plus the very annoying farting sound when walking, together with a fairly high price in Europe (considering the materials they’re made of and the fact that they used to be some of the cheapest trainers around!) wouldn’t really make you want to buy these shoes if it wasn’t for the fashion. So, why did you buy them? Because you like them or rather because everyone seems to own a pair these days? I am itching for comments!

Anyways, for whatever reason people continue to wear Chucks and one thing is clear: they are an iconic brand that will never go out of style!

Finally, leaving my first virtual footprint..

Happy Monday!

Since this is my first blog, let's start with an introduction, shall we?

I know I have already done so on my profile but there are still a couple of things worth-mentioning. As you have probably figured out, I like shoes ("obsessed" is such an ugly word; I wouldn't call shoes an obsession - but later more) and I own a lot of them. Actually, I don't even know how many pairs I own but they surely exceed the 100 mark. (By far!!) Having owned up to this, I'd like to tell you a little anecdote from my life: the other day my Mum came to visit me at my flat and upon entering she asked, "Have you got friends over?" At first I thought my mother was losing it, but then it struck me - she got distraught by the amount of shoes piled up along the corridor. True story! But she can't blame me - her being the archetype of a shoe-addict. She and a very generous Dad (I call him CC on shopping trips - an abbreviation I will resolve in another post) have not only introduced me to this possibility of spending a great deal of money on shoes, but have also furthered this "obsession". Here we are, that ugly word again.

Friends do sometimes call me an addict or talk of a severe case of obsession when discussing my little weakness. And finally I can prove them wrong: A recent article in the German magazine "Spiegel online" profiles Imelda Marcos, the former First Lady of the Philippines, who owns more than 3000 pairs of shoes and rejects all accusations of being a shoe-addict. So, there: 3000 pairs and not a trace of addiction. And until I own 3000 pairs of shoes, many years will pass (Marcos is what, 80?!) and by then I'll probably prefer ugly, flat shoes.

Having set this straight, there is still one more point left that has to be clarified. Although high-heels, boots and sandals take up a huge amount of my collection, do not mistake me for the girly-girl type. I am into all sorts of sports (especially snowboarding and skiing), travelling (I do not mind sleeping in tents or hostels of the worst category) and music festivals (again, tents, dirt, etc.). I do own numerous pairs of Converse high-tops and Vans slip-ons. When partying though, I do like my girly shoes best, I have to admit.

But what is it then, that fascinates me and millions of other women about shoes? There a so many possible answers. One is that shoes are a perfect means of communication. With shoes one can express one’s personality and attitudes. Think about it: which shoes are you wearing at the moment? What do they say about you and your personality? Another important point might be the fact that shoes – in contrast to any other type of clothing – always fit. Clothes change shape and lose their original color over many washes whereas shoes, if taken care of, stay the same. Additionally, shoes not only complement your outfit but they can also have an effect on your body. High-heels, for example, not only make you about 9 to 12cm taller than you actually are but also have a huge impact on the way you stand and walk – something trainers could never do.
There are surely numerous answers to the question of what’s so fascinating about shoes, all ideas welcome. Just leave a comment!

The one I am interested the most, however, is the one mentioned above: shoes as a means to convey your own very personal message to the outside world. Who are you, what are you like? Why these shoes?

For the blog posts to follow I will stroll around Salzburg University with my second "obsession" (this beauty) and try to take pictures of shoes which might impress you, make you laugh out loud or just make you think. I am very excited about this project and I hope you'll enjoy my flights of fancy.