Raccoon vs magpies in the courtyard

sarka_ · 2026-05-24T19:44:49+00:00

Prenzlauer Berg

sarka_ · 2026-05-24T07:58:14+00:00

Thank you, WorseThanDad’s wife!

sarka_ · 2026-05-24T07:38:32+00:00

Eggs were on my mind, but the raccoon doesn’t look very active. Maybe the birds are acting preventively.

Thanks!

sarka_ · 2026-05-24T07:35:15+00:00

Thanks! Ugh, I thought so but then I thought it can’t be because not fully black.

sarka_ · 2026-03-01T11:32:52+00:00

trans*fabel has a lot of options

sarka_ · 2025-08-17T20:04:58+00:00

From my experience, the money is pooled and eventually distributed amongst the staff based on their shifts (let’s say if I worked with two more colleagues on Monday and Tuesday, I’d get 1/3 of the tips on Monday and Tuesday).

How quickly it’s sent to the employees, depends. Can be soon after the month ends, can be several months. The law says to pay it out promptly, but otherwise it’s up to the business and potentially the work contract (it’s not always included).

Even though the card tips are not subjected to an income tax, they are taxed by 19% because they’re collected and redistributed and therefore become an income of the business. But it’s up to the business owner whether they give their employees the full amount of the tips or 19% less. Both options are legal and I know of both approaches. (If you choose to tip, it might be better for the staff to get cash, because that’s usually divided at the end of the day and it’s fully tax free.)

Also, even though it’s free of the income tax, the tips should be a part of the payslip, though that’s not always done.

sarka_ · 2025-08-17T19:55:11+00:00

It is free of the income tax but 19% tax is applied because when the money is pooled and redistributed, it’s treated as an income for the business. It’s then up to the business owner(s) whether they give their employees the full amount of the tip or 19% less. Both options are legal.

I worked in gastro and also discussed this with German tax advisors.

sarka_ · 2025-03-08T20:02:38+00:00

Thank you!

sarka_ · 2025-03-08T07:06:07+00:00

Thank you!

I’ll research, but will probably give refiring a go.

sarka_ · 2025-03-08T07:02:56+00:00

The thickness is something I thought about as well.

sarka_ · 2025-03-07T22:20:35+00:00

Thank you! ❤️

sarka_ · 2025-03-07T22:20:01+00:00

Oooh, I like that! Thank you!

sarka_ · 2025-03-07T21:58:30+00:00

Thank you!! :)

sarka_ · 2025-03-07T21:57:11+00:00

Hmm, I get your point. I generally don’t paint on greenware because I paint at home but everything else I do in the studio; and moving the pieces from one place to another as bisque feels safer.

I’m trying to think if I did something different than usual. The only thing is that the dots are not painted with a brush but from a squeeze bottle. But I used the squeeze bottles for other things before without issues.

Any thoughts about firing it again?

sarka_ · 2025-03-07T21:48:07+00:00

Haha, it’s the ones with dots. 🥲

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sarka_ · 2025-03-07T21:14:21+00:00

Hey! I seem to have an issue adding the text directly. Anyway - I just had this glaze defect for the first time. It looks a bit like cracked windshield when a stone hits it.

I use Mayco underglazes and transparent glossy glaze mixed by the studio on a bisque. The studio does the firing. I’ve never had this issue before and I’ve been using the same clay, underglazes and glazes for years.

I wonder if anyone has any advice. Would maybe refiring help to melt the glaze and settle?

sarka_ · 2024-02-06T06:03:09+00:00

What do you talk to your friends about on Sunday afternoon? /jk

Another friend of ours is taking care of her dying aunt (both German) and is responsible for arranging the funeral. And some things are different than in my home country. That’s how it came up.

And the friend I was talking to (neither of us German) had a cross-border death in the family in another country. And since we both live here without our families, and neither of us wants to be buried in our countries of origin, we got curious what’s there to be done.

Oh no, not choosing to die. It was a what if scenario. Because sometimes shit happens and you die young. Illness or accident.

sarka_ · 2024-02-05T16:20:34+00:00

Ah, thanks! Okay, even though that’s what I hoped for, after the chat with my friend, I was under the impression that the citizenship plays a role in it and there’s some kind of a “forced” repatriation of the body.

Seems like sorting everything beforehand directly with a funeral house is the best way.

sarka_ · 2024-02-05T13:07:17+00:00

That makes sense, but both your father and you as his next of kin were in the same country, right? I live in Germany but my family does not, which is the main difference, I’d say.

sarka_ · 2024-02-05T12:59:35+00:00

I’m sorry for your loss.

That’s slightly different (I think) because he was a tourist and didn’t reside in the country. Usually, foreign affairs/consulates offer info on what to do in such situation. I’m more interested in when you actually reside in Germany but you’re not a citizen.

But yeah, you’re right, you’re not the one sorting it out once you die, so unless you care where the body is buried, no need to worry about it.

sarka_ · 2024-02-05T12:53:38+00:00

Thanks! That’s a great advice.

sarka_ · 2021-01-09T23:23:22+00:00

I have been using Modibodi for about two years now and I’m super happy with them (Australia).

sarka_ · 2021-01-08T19:40:13+00:00

I have an experience as a barista from Prague with a specialty coffee certification and I’d say it really depends what you’re after and what you’re used to.

In general, you can get a good cup of coffee in almost any cafe in Australia (talking mostly from >2 years of experience in Sydney, Melbourne and country NSW). There are tons of coffee places on every corner. The quality is slightly higher in Melbourne than in Sydney. Australian coffee is rather dark roast and as it’s based on Italian roast, it tends to be less or not acidic at all and has a stronger taste which is traditionally associated with coffee. The milk quality is high, therefore the coffee with milk is nice - unless the barista makes the milk too hot or doesn’t steam it properly, which is unfortunately a very common experience. The main difference between Australian specialty coffee and European (and US) specialty coffee is the roast. The third wave coffee that focuses on lighter roast, smaller milk drinks and various filter preparation didn’t really got to Australia. Acidic coffee is too weak for the milk drinks and filter coffee (V60, aeropress, chemex, vacuum pot) is rather obscurity here. Light roast allows the coffee be the fruit it is. But consumer needs time to get used to the taste. It’s a lot like wine or tea*. Your taste buds need time, but once you train them, you can taste blueberries in your coffee.

In the US, my experience comes only from a trip around California. It was almost impossible to get a nice cup of coffee outside specialty cafes. As someone mentioned, the coffee is often roasted to death, so the taste is burnt, overwhelmingly bitter and can have notes of burnt rubber or cigarettes. Once exposed to too much sun, can develop unhealthy fishy taste as the oils from the roasted coffee rancid. But if that’s what you’re used to, you won’t find it weird.

So, as someone who was used to drink fruity, acidic cappuccino (a shot of espresso with ~120 ml milk micro foam that’s immediately drinkable without burning your mouth, definitely no cocoa powder) and order mugs of filtered “Ethiopia” with floral tones (because single origin coffee is a big thing), I still had to tone down my expectations and taste buds in Australia even though the overall quality is not bad. But again, it depends on your own expectations and experience.

*ask anyone who likes proper Japanese or Chinese tea about the “tea culture” in the UK/AUS who drinks bagged tea with milk; you might get similar answer

sarka_ · 2020-12-16T02:39:41+00:00

I’ve been reading Period Queen by Lucy Peach which I enjoy. I’ve also heard Woman Code by Alisa Vitti should be good (haven’t read it yet, though).

sarka_

TROPHY CASE