Daylight Saving Time

Ah, Europe! I'm definitivelly outside the Tropic of Cancer. Today is the begining of Daylight Saving Time. This is something that doesn't exist in Costa Rica, but in here it's part of every year. Summer time, winter time... the difference between the lenght of day and night vary so sensibly that these measures make sense. Experiencing it is so exciting! The days through the year are really so different here! If you follow Pagan Practices, or are generally atuned to nature, or love the idea of the cycles of the year, this is the best place to experience them.

Due to this - in a way - I woke up late to go out on my regular jogging/walking rutine, specially because today I went to Church. There must have been something in the air because I was feeling very happy and very energetic. This is how - coming back from Church - I decided what would I do for lunch, and went to the nearby store to buy the supplies I didn't have in my pantry. Lunch was quite a success, even if the stove wasn't working as it should.

After lunch my boyfriend and I went to the Margit Island... walking. Basically I did my rutine, only I did it with him, in the afternoon, and walking around the center of the island.  These are some of the pictures I took.

Statue of Boy in Lake

People Enjoying the Spring

Deer kept at the Mini Zoo

Peacocks from the mini Zoo

Boyfriend and I at the Margit Island

This is Spring in Europe, and it's BEAUTIFUL!!! I love it, and hope I can partake in many, many, many more to come. ^_^

Margit Island

Today was my first day at jogging, and truth to be told, I loved it. ^_^ I woke up early - quite early as today I also planned to go to the church -, put on my snikers, my regular exercise clothes, set my fit bit and went out to jog, and try to run a little. Well, in case you wonder, I did run a little, like some 200 meters.

The day was frankly beautiful, and I was overwhelmed by the sense of security the whole city gave me. Inspite of the buildings, the streets and the modern artifacts, the tramway rails and the traffic lights, this part of the city was soaked in a deep sense of nature. Trees swinging their branches in the wind quite gingerly, with a studied elegance that has grown second nature in them after ages and ages of practicing, birds singing and slowing colors and feathers like I've never seen before. It was a day too beautiful to stay inside, to deny any soul from the graceful touch of nature. Thus, even though I didn't jog much, I had a path planned, through the Florian square up the Árpád bridge to the Margit Island. I didn't have time to go around the island, though eventually my goal is to be able to do the whole route and around the island jogging, I walked with raised tempo to the island.

I'm sure the island is far prettier, and the experience for anyone who loves nature must be blissful, this route I made wasn't without beauty either. It was magical to walk around the Roman findings of the Florian square, and just magical to walk on the Árpád bridge, looking at the sun gleaming from the surface of the Danube. The trees leaning over to the bridge, their high branches close to the walker, showed something amazing. The branches, seemingly naked and colorless, perhaps still wearing the asen colors of winters, were actually full of little buds or tiny wrapped leaves and flowers ready to bloom at any minute. Up close, as they let me touch them, they were so full of life and expectation, like consumed performers part of a great show, waiting for their tempo, their moment to join the choir of colors and life. Not a minute earlier, not a minute later, but there, full of life and promise, waiting for the time of God, the right moment that doesn't fit the schedule of men,  but the schedule of perfection, to bloom in perfect synchrony and make life wonderful.

I walked about 3.53 km, I exercised and was part of this communion with nature for 50 minutes, took about 5000 steps... but above all, as I walked, I prayed, talked to God in his many forms, stripped of religion, just God and I in the frame of the wonders of His creation... and it was wonderful.

God is everywhere, and often His words can be heard stronger, clearer in the depths of your heart, than read from books and words of scholars.

St. Patrick's Day

Today many people celebrate St. Patrick's Day. People dress in green, decorate with clover or shamrock motives, and play celtic music, maybe even think about Ireland. For many, it might be out of place for people who are not Irish -  particularly Irish and Christian - to celebrate this day, but I still believe that there's a lot to be learned from it, or at least from the stories that get to us from this day. Acording to what I've read on the net, St. Patrick was who brought Christianism to Ireland, and did it not by force, but after living in the island and getting to know the people of the island. (Some sources, such as History Channel, claim that St. Patrick got to the island first at the age of 16, sold as slave.)

The thing that impresses me the most, is how Christianity was brought to Ireland taking in consideration the Pagan traditions of the islanders, which is why the traditional St. Patrick's cross bears a circle, which was the sign of the Sun god. Though in other places Christianity was imposed with blood and cruelty, with the oppression of the weaker, in Ireland there was commitment, there was taking in consideration the traditions and what was sacred for them. I doubt much of the traditional religion was kept, but the merging of the two gods in one symbol (though for me there are one and the same, as God is God, and you can call Him and see Him anyway it spokes best for you), I see something we seldom see: the willingness to find a third way.

Mommy talked to me about this today. Though I nag my boyfriend constantly about order, and lot leaving newspapers and flyers on the dining table, and stuff like that, she told me that a relationship works when both parts commit, and one should know how and when to pick battles, and also to be the bigger person, and be willing to see the other side's point of view. One bears the cross, and the other holds the circle. The one doesn't exclude the other, but we can all get to an understanding and make a brand new path, a new way to do things and make them so much better.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to All!! ^_^

Towards a Goal

Often it's easier to get yourself working, apply yourself to a task, if you have a tangible, real goal before yourself. Of course, sometimes we start doing something looking for a goal that's a bit too far, that might demand more work than what you can do. Such as often the cases of working out or dieting in hopes of losing a lot of weight, or going from a Botero full shape to a sickly, bulimic Vogue bone-sack, or pushing weights to go from a sinewy, toothpick shape to a rippling body builder in a couple of months. It's not realistic either to get goals such as "get married by next year" or "become rich in two years". It's not like you should give up on goals such as getting in shape (but please always keep in mind that you should seek to achieve your NATURAL, HEALTHY weight, not the artificial, unhealthy weight you see on the photoshopped pictures of the glossy magazines), or getting into a steady relationship, if you really believe in relationships, and it's not the way you imagine to solve your life and get an income. However, your goals should be such that you can really reach them.

As you know, after moving to Hungary, I've decided I want to move more, be more active, more healthy. Now, that's easier said than done, specially when Spring is shy in coming, and the days are swept around with cold winds. The snickers have been bought and there's enough exercise clothes to go out jogging, once the days grow a little more warm - unless I decide to go find myself a proper tracking suit that can carry me in the colder days - so only the proper temperature is what's missing. I've also been scouting for  a yoga center that's more atuned to my needs - a.k.a., one that leans more towards the spiritual side of yoga and not so much towards getting a hot, fashionable body shape - but the chance to go out and jog a little is much more at reach - not to mention much more affordable AND it's not tied to any schedule other than mine.

This was basically something I really wanted to do, but didn1t get around to make it happen. Then recently I found out that a telecommunications company is organizing a half marathon in different cities of the country  - Budapest evidently among them - called Vivicitá. It's a run through some of the prettiest parts of the city, and it aims to bring consciousness to the population about how beautiful is the city they live in. The run will be in April 1st. Evidently I won't take part in it, as I'm not in shape, but this gave me the impulse I need: I'll start running to train myself to be able to participate in next year's run (if there's one). The anouncement reminded me also of other similar activities that are usually organized, among them the marathons, semi-marathons and others such organized in October to raise funds for different Breast Cancer organizations.

I'm not working currently, so what's stopping me from putting on my snickers, put on tracking clothes - layered id it's still that cold, and jog to the Margit Island, maybe try, little by little to complete a lap around it. I'm wearing my fitbit, I's step, activity and calorie aware now, so even if I'm not making it now, I can smile at the fact that I complete the daily step and calorie goal. So what's stopping me? Only myself. ^_^ So, what am I waiting for?

I'll be telling you about how all this goes.

We've got IPTV, Internet and Landline Phone!

Tomorrow starts a Long Weekend here. Tomorrow is a holiday - my first holiday! ^_^ even if I'm still not working to enjoy it more fully - and so the State has decided to make Friday a sort of "holiday" too, but one that must be replaced, which means that people will have to work the next Saturday to replace the day left out of work. In this sense, maybe it's a blessing that I'm still not working! (You see? God knows very well, how to do things in such a way that they work better for all of us.) I'm taking this chance to go up to Mezőkövesd, where Marcsi Mama lives, and spend three days with them. My boyfriend isn't coming because he does have to work, as his line of work pretty much picks up when most of people have time to be out enjoying themselves.

This will be the first time since December that we don't sleep together, but are apart. He already pouted, but he knows I want to spend some time with Marcsi, and talk our heads out on the many matters we have to talk about. (And probably get comfortably drunk of János Papa's pálinka ^_^)

Today we've got our services finally connected. Our broadband Internet, which comes in friendly wireless form too, so my adorable Kindle can be hooked to it at home, so I can download all the samples I want, at once!!! AT ONCE!!! That's like the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Were I THAT superstitious, I would say that it's a sign from God that the job that's coming for me would be far more awesome than what I initially would imagine it to be. But, let's not read signs into everything ^_^.

Ever since the IPTV came in, I haven't turned off the TV. It doesn't matter if I'm in the kitchen, or in the bathroom washing my awesome, brand new Benetton and NaraCamicie clothes (yes, I fell to temptation again, but the pieces are FABULOUS! and I finally have a lovely camel trenchcoat too!), or at the workroom writing letters to my friends. I'm finally able to enjoy the programs, and the MANY programs of all of my MANY channels either just by listening to them or by actually sitting before the TV and watching it. No more stupid programs I don't want to see, no more feeling like I've no choice, and it's either what's on TV or no TV.

The guy that came to install the services had also installed the service to other two homes in this same floor, and marvelled at how big our apartment is. I looked around and though I know it's not as small as my boyfriend thinks it is, it's not all that big either. The installer mentioned that the other two flats he worked on are sensibly smaller than ours. It seems also that their  installed services are also more reduced, as he was amazed to discover that we actually have the largest package available, plus an added pack (because I can't live without HBO, mind you). I still didn't like that the guy was too informal and thought it was very funny to try and flirt with me. And here I thought that the macho impulse was a bad habit proper of the Tropic. How wrong I was...

Other than that, though I haven't still sat down to pick up on my creative writing - even though I've a started novel and another in project - I do have finally found the inner peace and time I need to reply to my penpals. It's good, you know, to really be able to sit down calmly at the desk with a glass of coke or a tea and write to your friends, put on some music, let the TV go on in the background and lose yourself in the handwritten words and the world your friend and you create with some sheets of paper and pens curling into the most amazing shared thoughts.

I've time. For the first time in many, many years, I can feel it: I've time. And it feels good.

A Trip To A Loved Castle

The warmth is coming slowly still, and though I'm wearing a lighter jacket, I still wear more layers of clothes than I used to in Costa Rica. This still didn't keep me today at home - though I could have spent a day here picking up my recently ordered books (which take a bit more to arrive here than what would take Amazon.com to send me my books to Miami) - I decided to visit one of my old favorites: Empress Sissi's Gödöllő Royal Palace.

I didn't make much pictures, though I saw many, many beautiful things. The royal palace was marvelous as usual, but eerie as I was the only visitor, and the doors were closed, everything was so silent and even the cafeteria and the Gift shop were closed. It gave me the strange feeling of being a ghost in an ancient house, almost as if the Empress of her family, or anyone from her court could come running through the doors and though not see me, be scared by my presence there. The renovations have been going and teams of restaurators have been working hard on the palace, which was evident as I roamed the hallways and discovered new rooms open and more history to be shared.

This time around, I was deeply mesmerized by the trip itself. I took the HÉV, which is a kind of intercity train (something between a tramway and a train). From the window I watched the scenery slip away, run fast, and though my eye could catch the details, the lens of my camera couldn't. In this indecision dance Spring is making, I saw the forests I love so much - forest so different from what you seen in the tropical latitudes of the planet - still naked and ashen. Trees long and thin like the jeans clad legs of young girls stood up from a sickly pale soil that always shrinks my heart and make me painfully think about centuries of agriculture running the land anemic. Among those trees here and there some golden dry leaves drappes around the trunks looking much like gold flakes, such as the kind you find in some lesser wines.

The HÉV was too fast for my camera, but my eyes feasted on the floating golden flakes that brought a touch of patina, of Art Nouveau color to the endless lands of gray, think trunks and naked branches in wait for Persephone to step out of Hades and make the world merry and alive.

I carried to this trip a letter from my friend Trish, and read it evoking some of the most romantic notions of train traveling. Waring jeans and secluded from the world just with my music, staring out the window of a train and letting my thoughts linger, then breaking myself from the Sun setting mysterious and chilly behind the naked trees, filtering through a wire wrought branch lace and making the afternoon perfect, while my dark, chocolate eyes fall upon the envelop tucked in my bag, pull it out and allow myself to be absorbed by the world conjured by the letter of my friend.

Yes, life can be poetic, romantic and incredible, if we take the time to make it so.

Weekend Numbers

According to my plans, I was supposed to go through our expenses yesterday, but it was such a pretty day and I was so happy walking around and reclaiming another part of the city for myself, that I decided to leave the number crunching for today. So, after waking up early, washing my hair, having Special K with Cherry Coke for breakfast - as usual - and going for the first time to the near by Lutheran church.

The sheppard was quite young, probably married with children, from what in ferred from his words today. The songs were to my liking - which was strange since I normally don't like  Lutheran songs - but not so much the speech. The election of some high seats of the church (Presbiters, maybe?) was to be done and so the sheppart found it apt to speak from Revelations, how we don't know the future, only God does so, and how it's better to just trust these matters to Him. In this sense the topic was good, the material was good, but the outcome, the way it was worked through the sermon was weak.

I escaped the church when the elections were going to start as I really have nothing to do with it, me being new at the church - maybe for the next elections - and marveled at how different the ritual was kept here. I'm still excited about it and want to continue going there, check the congregation and see if I can be part of it. (By the way, the lady sitting next to me was wearing snickers! Could I pull that off too eventually?)

After church I would have loved to go to Gödöllő, for I haven't been there in ages. I'm missing Empress Sissi's castle and all the wonderful things you can find there. However today was much colder than yesterday, and windy, so we couldn't even go to the Margit Island, which was the program my boyfriend had for the afternoon. Instead - and once in the car - we went to buy groceries. Back at home I finally tackled the pile of vouchers and bills I had accumulated since the end of last week. Methodically I entered the numbers in the Excel book, and to my horror, the amount we spent in the last week went through the roof. The number honestly scared me, but we are not spending on loans, so at least the damage wasn't as terribly bad as it could have been, but still, the amount wasn't promising.

The exercise, however was good in the sense that I realized the problem in our spending soon enough to stop the spending and curb the financial behavior of our household. We still have some important expenses, such as the tickets for the concerts we want to attend - namely Loreena McKennitt's Celtic Footprint (if there are still tickets) and Nightwish's Concert - and also there's an opera I'd like to attend, Arabella by Richard Strauss, and then there would be a couple of books I ordered online that should also be arriving. (My boyfriend is suddenly interested by other operas, so maybe we should start considering a yearly pass ^_^)

Our days are rolling, and like the sheppard said, only God knows our future, let's leave it to Him, after all He knows better (and man, if I know! He has come up with solutions and surprises to my life I could have never phantom!), and let's work on Today, which is our turf, which we can mold and make as we wish. Let's work with what we have, with what we can, with what's in our power and let's participa, aid with what we can to make God's plan come true! Isn't it awesome to be part of the forming of our own lives?

Enjoying the Day

I'm stuck over and over on the topics of positive thinking and positive attitude. So in order to keep you from getting bored and to keep this blog from becoming something akin to the chicken soups for the soul. However, really, positive attitude makes the difference in life. Trying and being happy for the little things are what make or break the deal of a wonderful life and wonderful days.

Today was a day full of pretty things. I decided to go searching for a bead shop I looked up on the internet. It was the first time since I'm here, that I didn't grab my coat to go out, but put on a jacket. It wasn't so cold, and though I'm still quite layered, the day was beautiful and there weren't ice needles piercing through my clothes and urging me to find refuge in a heated place.

I found the store and it was a true treasure shop! Tiny but well stocked, and above all, with a marvelous collection of real glass beads. I've got there minutes before closing, and since the atendant told me he was about to close, so I could come in only if I went "with purpose", I bought my first tool: a round nosed tweezer (I think that's what they are called, I mean the tweezers that have two round thongs with which you press and form the wire). To my delight there were also cutting tweezers and half round twezers as well, but things could only be bought in cash and I was short of it. However how that I know where the store is, how to get there, I can go there anytime - provided I've cash - and can marvel to my delight in the many beads and supplies that tiny, treasure chest encloses.

Then, for the first time since I've been here, I went to the Westend Mall, which is close to the Western Train Station. I went around first looking yet again for a box to hold my beading supplies - namely my tweezers and  later on other tweezers and wires, while probably I'll need to get a special container for the beads - and from there I went here and there getting other stuff. It was a nice experience, topped with lunch at Leroy Sushi, where I discovered that I can order gyozas in Hungary too! (I still have to find out where can I get onigiris. Once I've onigiris my Japanese Food Happiness will be complete.) The sushi roll was disappointing, not only because the waiter went missing and let my sushi simmer and get old on the counter - I could see it from where I was sitting - for an eternity, and then, though the chef noticed I was looking and he remade the rolls to get me fresh ones, they were quite bad due to the quality of the avocado that was in it. The avocado tasted too much like plant and was hard, which means it wasn't ripe.

During the time I had at lunch, I took out my journal from my bag and wrote. The moments of solitude and introspection were delicious, as they always are, and allowed me time and space to explore my thoughts, my wishes, my desires, my expectations.

I was close to the Margit Island, and for a moment I thought about going there and meet my boyfriend there, but he came to meet me at the mall, and from there we went home. Perhaps tomorrow after Mass we'll take a small trip there.

I had plans for today, tasks I wanted completed, but didn't got to them, instead took time to arrange things, order some of the paper mess my boyfriend does, and through that I found a gift card he got - I believe from his brother - to use at a sports store. Since I've been looking for a pair of snickers for myself, so I can go jogging to the Margit Island, I thought that that could be a good store to check out. I mentioned it to my boyfriend and so we got there. The selection wasn't as big as I would have expected it to be. Initially I picked out a pair of unknown snickers - probably Chinese - and was going to got those, but at my boyfriend's insistence, I tried another aisle, which gathered basically safety toe boots and mountain tracking boots. In there was a small segment of shoes on sale since they were taking them out of the inventory. In there was a pair of Reebook snickers that made me fall in love. Black - and I actually dreamed about black snickers, though I believe that would be because I had black snickers in Costa Rica - and with air bags and funny soles. Well, you can see them in the picture! I wasn't sure about the size 7 (okay, I was wearing two socks, BUT I usually wear my snickers with thick sport socks!), but the 8 was puuuuuurrrfect! Just putting them was an experience out of this world. Man, like that must be what it should feel like being a god or a goddess living above the clouds! It was so soft and comfortable! With those you can jog or run (though my boyfriend says the shoes are for jogging only, not for running, but we shall see about that. I'm not running yet, so jogging will make it ok so far) for as long as your muscles can take it, and not only until your feet aren't killing you, asi it often happens with some shoes. My boyfriend was also lucky and found himself a pair for track shoes he can also wear to bike, which he loves to do. (In case you wonder, my boyfriend got to finally spend his gift card in the shoes he picked. He originally planned on spending the card on my shoes, since he told me he rather has it used instead of wasted by letting it expire, as it seems it has happened to him before. I refused but he insisted, so I was happy when he finally found something for himself, and so the card wouldn't be spent on my shoes. It would have been awkward to have his gift spent on me.)

The days are warming up slowly so maybe soon I can  wear my snickers and run a lap or two around the island... or less at the begining :D. So far I'm absolutely tempted to go tomorrow to Mass with my snickers... but I think I'll refrain from doing so. Our days are truly as happy as we decide to make them, and just like we like it when we are surprised by our loved ones with small details and tokens of their appreciation, out of the blue, with a pretty day, or a singing bird, a blooming flower, a random smile, we could also appreciate the small details God has with us.

Tripleplay Subscription and Relationship Tips

As expected, I actually stood up from the sofa in front of our one-channel TV, and dressed for going out. My boyfriend was in the adjacent room working and it was getting late. Earlier today we had made the plans for our day, and it was peppered all around with errands. We want to fix some cabinets in the kitchen, so we met with a carpenter who can fix the cabinets for us, and get some of the material needed. I planned to check out some places I've been wanting to go for a while, but haven't been able to. This time I couldn't again since I've got again held up at home with chores that took me longer than expected.

I didn't mind since the most important thing I had planned was getting our tripleplay plan. My boyfriend also had a lot of set backs, starting with his computer, which strangely refuses to work properly when he needs it the most. Time stretched and stretched, and he ask me to stay with him while he worked, since he firmly believes I'm the only one that can fix his computer. I stayed home, we did some laundry, but when the clock hit 19:00 h, I deemed it was time to go, and if my boyfriend couldn't make it, there's no reason why I can't handle the subscribing to the service myself.

Somehow my boyfriend - who by then was working on my computer - finished his job, stood up from our temporary desk and came with me. So we rushed to a particular Commercial Center where I had talked to the representative first, and got called quite fast by the most sweet, kind and beautiful young girl you can ever imagine. The subscription took some time, for which the young lady apologized profusely, but I assured her that there was no need. It was already 20:00 h by the time we've got attended, she was tired and still had an hour to go, so I could relate.

The service we've got was exactly what I had wanted and expected: a landline with 83 hours of toll free calls a month to other landlines within Hungary, 25 Mbps unlimited Internet access and my 75+5 channels of IPTV with a set top box that can record, pause, rewind, fast forward the programming. Of course we needed all that! Good-bye to the times when you whined because you were one hour late for that show you love so much, or that movie you really, really want to see would be shown when you are out working or snoring in your bed because the next day you must wake up early.

My boyfriend was basically ok with my decision - he goes on thinking that when it comes to telecommunications and technology, I know better, which I do - and so, since the contract is on my name, he was happy to go with it. ^_^

In a week's time the service should be installed, so in a week's time we would be back into enjoying the civilized world. ^_^

We then walked to a Burger King because I really wanted some chilli cheese nugats, and then ended up ordering take out, getting home and enjoying a fast meal on our lovely kitchen. There was a nice feeling about the whole thing, how inspite of him having trouble with some of the people he works with, and how long his money has lasted lately and so on, or how I'm still not working (though I doesn't bother me so much, as I understand how long this kind of things can take), but still, we were able to look to what we have accomplished so far, and knowing that there's a bright future ahead of us, with possibilities, opportunities and chances to keep going forward, happily and together.

Many things could have gone wrong. What if I yelled at him because it's getting late and we are not going to get the subscription? What if he decided to antagonize about the choice of operator and the plan selected? What if the fight started earlier because I wanted to go to the operator first or I don't want to stay at home and remain close in case his computer fails again - which it did? Today could have been a perfect disaster would we have gone loose on negative emotions, would have we chosen to be reactive, negative and destructive insteand of calm, positive, proactive and constructive. So here's another bit of the secret of our success:

1. Be open to what your partner needs. Plan around it, but also make also a B Plan to the case you partner can't make it and you must go solo. Being in a relationship doesn't mean you must be joined by the hip: you are still two (or more) individuals perfectly capable of working alone.

2. Instead of reacting quickly with an attack when a setback appears, rather use that reaction speed to think of a solution. Some things just happen, and there's no use crying over the spilled milk, right?

3. When in a relationship, always consider the mobility of your plans: you wanna do this at this time, but if something happens and that time becomes unavailable, when can you do it again? What are your chances to reschedule? This is a skill that works also for the solo flyer, as you don't need to be in a relationship in order to hone the need to reschedule and keep your day flowing produtively.

Setting More Each Time

Again one of those "daily life" posts. This was my first day waking up at My Home. It was quite awesome that I woke up to a wonderful white, snowing day. I realized that's usually a bad thing for the people leaving here for, like forever, but for me that's like "hooray! Miracle day!". Forgive me, but I've spent a lifetime with nearly no snow unless I paid for a planeticket to go and see some... for two to four weeks.

I woke up with no alarm clock shocking me up and away from the delicious bed, and I woke in a bed I choose, on a mattress as soft as I wanted it to be. Only the covers and the pillow weren't perfect, but that's easy to solve. My boyfriend had to run out, late, to attend business, while I slowly swirled out of the bed and arranged things. As a kid of this age, after pulling my feet out of the bed, my first action was to turn on the computer and plug into the internet. Still in my sleeping gear - a tee and knickers - without make up, without brushing my hair or my teeth, and logged in.

Things still needed to be arranged, things still needed to be assigned a house to live, a shelve to live, a drawer, a corner in the apartment. The process is wonderful and delicious.

In a way this is what reflects a New Life: you don't have around the old, but from the lessons of old, you find your way around these new things. And as with a box full of books and a bookcase waiting for them to be ordered, so is life in its many other matters. In a new relationship, or a new job, and even with a new family member, you bring with yourself the experiences and lessons you've learned from previous relationships/jobs, and seek for a way to make them work, fitting to the new the old forms while also learning from the new, taking from it to enrich the warehouse of your life.

Where does the problem comes? When you either sit there expecting the new to give you everything without you putting from your side, or when you seek to enforce your old ways onto the new. This is how we find people who preech about how men are oppressive beings seeking to supress women and subject them to a patriarchal order, or people saying that all women care about is money, they are stupid and unreliable, who would go away with anyone paying them enogh money. This is also the kind of attitude of the people who says that all bosses are out there to abuse of you (even if you have had such an experience repeatedly in the past), or that women-bosses are all hags out there to make you suffer for their past sufferings.

There cases where people don't yield to the new - often said as being resistant to change or afraid of change -  are not this easily recognizable. Such is the case of people with prejudices or preconcieved ideas about something. Now, don't get me wrong, we all have preconcieved ideas - that's how we navigate through our lives, by "fixing" some things so we don't have to "learn them again" in order to proceed with what's really important in our life. For instance, most of us have the preconcieved idea that people known to be criminals are not to be trusted. So we won't go letting someone previously charged with house burglary housesit for us, or a condemned rapist babysit our child. However there's people with fixed ideas about things other people don't have such a strong position about it. Cases like this are, such as ideas about secretaries being all whores, all tellers steal, all public employees are lazy, all lawyers are dishonest, all doctors seek to cut you up and all dentists try to squeeze you out of your money. And here I don't mean the jokes you normally hear about it, but the actual behaving and talking as if these ideas were a proven fact.

What can you earn from rooting into old ideas without receiving nourishment from the new? It doesn't mean you must discard the old entirely, but rather think of your experiences as a tree: with your experiences - all of them - the tree of your experiences, grows stronger and firmer roots that keep the trunk, which is your life, your present, your current status. But this trunk has branches and the branches have leaves that need light and air, and the roots themselves need water and nutrients from the Earth. Be the nutrients of the Earth books you can consult to grow deeper in your experience and knowledge, water, air and light are always the new elements that also bring with them to you more of those nutrients, and which you need to be exposed to, unfiltered, so you can grow always strong, insteand of wilting and dying.

Open up to chance, open up to the new, and keep yourself strong, don't lose your past experiences and your knowledge from site, don't cast out without reason, don't alienate yourself to the new, but don't oppose it: there's always a middle way you can take, from which you can always profit more, and from which the new can also grow.

First Post From Home!

This is my first post from my new home. My New Home. ^_^ It wasn't trouble free, as nearly no moving is trouble free, and we are still pulling stuff out from the suitcases, but I am home now. My home, the place where I'm the Lady of the House. There's still a lot to unpack, and still many dishes to wash before giving them an assigned home. There are still decisions to be made about what goes where, and where shall I put the groceries and how can I get a picture in the kitchen. The bookshelves are getting filled, and we made our bed for the first time tonight. My boyfriend is waiting for me, with a bottle of champagne we opened for dinner. A romantic he is!

I'm clsing my lines, writing from a cluttered dinner table that serves as our desk - shared desk! - while we get a couple of desks that suits us both. (I want matching desks since they are going to be in the same room and on the same end of the room.)

Blessing to all of you!

The Day does Shine and the Danube is Blue

I had a very upsetting nightmare where I spent a whole day quarreling with my boyfriend because of the mess he kept doing everywhere he went, and instead of fixing things and cleaning up his mess, he constantly came up with excuses about why things were the way they were. When I woke up, I smiled relieved that it was only a dream, and there was no pile of stuff left every step of the way in the most inconvenient and unpleasant manner. I went to the bathroom, washed my hair and was happy. A nice warm shower always makes me happy. ^_^ Then I came out of the bathroom and my boyfriend was engaged in the other bathroom running the water, while the bed was undone, his computer was left on the table - as I told him not to do it, because a coffee table, in the middle of a living room isn't the place to park an unused laptop, open and with the cables spread all around like ivy - and the makings of a breakfast and unwashed dishes around the place. I've got upset, and told him that sure he made dreams come true, and told him about my dream, and chewed him out for solid three hours in a row. Yes, when I get upset, I'm really unpretty. Then again, it's a family thing, look at my Grandpa! And all for a dream, you'd say? No, all for waking up and finding yourself in a real life continuation of a nightmare. Wouldn't you do the same?

We had plenty of stuff to do, like move more stuff to our apartment, both from here (now here we've only the worth of three small suitcases! That's quite an accomplisment for me!) and from my godmother's place. By then we were quarreling some here and there, but lightly (as I use to, because I believe in instant barking, when you love someone, instead of holding up and exploding some day), and lots of I love you's, as we use to, all the time. Personally, if you ask me, I believe that's the secret of our relationship is exactly this: we say what's wrong when it's wrong. We don't hold it back, nor we fake our feelings about it. We are open. and we say "I love you" plenty too! ^_^

Set to our goal, and with the fresh and beautiful feeling that our home is taking shape, we drove to our  apartment with some stuff from our current place. The day was bright and so crispy! Shiny and clear and marvelous, and there, when the road took us running next to the Danube, I couldn't but stare in awe at how truly blue the river looked. I've never been a fan of blue, but this blue was there and was filling my eyes with the most wonderful whispers of Mother Nature. It was there, live and flowing, unaltered, framed by civilization, bricks of the past and the present, pushing into its waters, and yet Mother Nature had found her way to bring out the Danube's legendary beauty, the shine and azure that inspired from old and created one of the most remarkabled valses I've heard. Once again God, in His Infinite Wisdom, choose a river in this occasion, to tell the world that man can plan and create and do as he pleases, but not the biggest building or the most elaborated bridge, or the longest harbor can ever come into His plans, because His designs are Divine and unalterable.

The visit to my godmother was troublesome. After she vehemently said she didn't want us living there, now she was sad and claimed we have abandoned her, we never visit here and were never there to help her. Desperate and terribly sad, she insisted she needed protection from her neighbours, who claim to be connected both with the Ucranian maffia and the police, scaring the poor lady entirely out of her money. I promised to help her, like I've done before, but this time I finally got to see the numbers of her expenses and her debts. In a simple, sad little grey notebook, I notice how her mind is failing her, noting things with no order, often no amount, no more date than the month on the top, and filling the pages with notes about how much she's supposed to owe other people, though there's no noting about why or how does she come to that number.

Initially it seems orderly, but as I started entering the numbers in an Excel file, I noticed that not only the numbers don't add up, but neither the details seem right, often with over $300 in alleged amenity bills. I'll see what can I do to help her with her situation, but the more time I spend with her, the more I'm sure that she souldn't be making decisions for herself about herself, but should be urgently put under professional supervision. It's sad because she's still lively and she's physically fine, but her mind is very, very much gone.

This time around, in an effort to get things done at my godmother's with the packing and moving, I went up to the house and took the reigns of the packing myself, paying no attention to what my boyfriend said, who countinued packing with a list in hand almost as if he were shopping, and wasting precious time and turning around boxes already packed and looking for what he needed. I concentrated in this case on the kitchen, where I took two boxes and quickly started putting in one the important things that needed to be moved at once with us, and in the other the things that could wait because I would still make decisions about it - like will I keep it or give it away to goodwill or something. In a matter of an 30 minutes to one hour I had goned through the entire place, and had even cleaned out the table which was littered with bills and envelops of my boyfriend, that laid around aimlessly, placed there "so they are in full view so he can take care of them". Like that's ever going to happen. I'm totally going to get him a wire basket where he can dump all his "must be where I can see them" stuff an out of the rest of the orderly and neat place I intend to keep.

From there we went home and on the way we discussed my godmother. Sometimes I have a softspot for her and would think about moving in with her and help her get around - and I know my boyfriend's soft spot is bigger and he really wants to be around and help her - BUT she's unreliable, and though she wants help today, tomorrow she decides we are in her way. Today she says her neighbours are threatening her and taking away her money, and tomorrrow they are her friends, care for her and she gives them money because they need it more than she does.

Things with her are murky, but as today the Danube was blue inspite of men and their inventions, I hope to believe that the skies will be clear and happy with her one day too.

Ikea breaks so easily.. or shall I say, rips?

It's Thursday, nearly Friday, and again on a #FF day. This time around I'm a bit more aware than usually, but that doesn't mean that I'll go #FF-ing anyone, nor I'll probably give a flying f* about any of the lists of #FF I'll appear. And what's really an #FF for? "Follow Friday", a hashtag used to socialize, to promote your followers and hope you are promoted as well.

It's Thursday and we are not near to move to our apartment, but coming close. There's no more furniture to move - in or out - but there are plenty of boxes with furniture that still need to be ensambled. Well, and due to a small accident product of an overzealous attempt at DIY, a piece actually cracked and needs to be fixed tomorrow. For your general information, I believe you should know that the Skandinavian furniture - namely Ikea here - isn't as 1-2-3 as you'd imagine. It does say that no furniture should be put together by one person alone, but after today I believe it should say "some pieces, like the biggest ones, are at letas a three-people job". Furniture is gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but through that cracking we've got to realize that some of this stuff (maybe all of it) isn't as sturdy as it seems to be, and the compressed material more than compressed wood is rather compressed cardboard. Yeah, I know.

The credence and the bed were put together today, so we've the shelve units, the closet, the night stands and the table to be put together tomorrow. I hope also that we dimensioned the furniture well, as it seems we might have a little bit more of clothes and a little bit more of books than originally planned, and these furniture don't seem like the type that would accomodate well my usual "winzipping" of stuff into small places.

So, #FF... I'll be busy - as usual - doing something else, and while several people in the cyberspace will be terribly busy checking if they get acknowledged by their peers or not, and dutifully acknowledging others, I'll be otherwise engaged making a home out of the apartment, and hopefully, getting in time to the movies to see "The Shame".

A Day of Procrastination

The day started somewhat late, deeply burrowed between thick, warm blankets that may or may have not been made out of feathers. At the right side a curtain muted sunshine tried to break into the tiny blue room, accompanied by the comfortable heat of the radiator. The cats - all of them - should be out there, probably wondering what the fuck is wrong with the new, scary people who should be delievering their meal by then. At the left side there was also heat, but mingled with a sort of sour scent. A shared bed. Hell, still gara get used to it.

He had come up late last night, probably around 2 am after driving a beaten up white truck with all the furniture - new and old, that was to go in or out of what would be called "Home" in a few days - or weeks - and from then on for an unspecified period of time. I was awake when he arrived home, but nicely in bed and tired as hell, inspite of having indulged in a bubble bath. I closed my eyes and drifted into sleep as Iheard him come into the bedroom, take off his sweater and then quietly close the door behind himself, to avoid disturbing me. The sweet thing. Like there is a thing other than an earthquake or the rare case of insomnia that can disturb my sleep.

Around 3 am I was woken up by a sound and a sour smell. It was him. I couldn't figure out what could have he eaten that would smell so foul, but didn't care much as sleep was prioritary.

It was around 10 am, perhaps. The acrid scent was the result of something he prepared himself as a quick dinner, probably a strange Hungarian concoction that makes sense only to the people born and brought up in this flat lands can understand, like raw raddish and onion with lard, a sausage and sauerkraut.

His day was quite packed with appointments, as usual, plus a trip back to the Ikea warehouse, to replace the matress we've got wrong. (Our bed - being a sofa-bed - uses two separate mattresses of 80x200 cm, which is good because I like my bed outrageously soft while he likes his bed abnormally hard. The mattresses weren't both at the same place, but one - mine - was at the store and the other one was at the warehouse. Add to it, the packed mattresses don't look anything like mattresses, but rather like sort of pillow. Add to it, it was dark, we were tired and we didn't notice the guy gave us a completely different mattress of 120x200 cm.) Then we was supposed to run up home to move some more things and unroll the mattresses, since it would take them 3 days to get their actual shape.

My errands would have included a trip to the Official Translations' Office to get my diploma translated, a trip to some paperstore to get myself a map, so I manage to drive myself around Budapest successfully (where in the freaking hell are my maps?? I had several), a trip to the Evangelical Church headquarters to inquire about a Lutheran church near my new home (since I've been basically chased out of my usual church by a relative who believes to be anointed with the power of God to decide who can and who cannot enter the church, and I'm not feeling feisty, but am ok with picking another church all for myself), and maybe also go to the movies to see what's there to be seen and also to take on the chance - once at the mall, and raid one of my favorite bookstores with the complete list of all the books that have been offered to me via e-mail, and I've decided to get a glance at.

However the day went on drawn in long, lazy, hazy lights, with the hours meshing one into the next, with a liquidity seen only on days of rest and extreme pleasantry. Clouds washed away, as if spilled fresh in a pool of celurean blue, washing off the sky, but getting lost themselves as well. Things needed to be done, like the laundry, washing my hair and finally tackling a recipe to make chiles rellenos, the Mexican way. The hair was done, the laundry was taken care of, and after a trip for the supplies for the chiles rellenos - which proved inapropiate, as it seems I paid for a rather fine piece of meat, simply because I don't know what the other cuts are - I set to my first cooking task since we arrived.

It was hell. The peppers refused to get burned even when I pur them directly into the flame and expected them to get charred, blistered or at least change color. Could it be that Californian pepper bells react different than poblano chiles? Not that I've seen poblano chiles in my life, but still. Wishing to avoid, then, the deep frying - it's not my kitchen and there's no deep frier in here, though I may need to get one! - so they went into the owen. It was one of the worse ideas that could have occured to me - kitchen related. The peppers didn't get cooked, the egg remained unpleasantly raw and it ruined half a pound of perfectly delicious  meat and mozzarella cheese. I was supremely disappointed.

He came back just for lunch, which again extended eternally with the heating of a soup that refured by some sort of demonic stubborness, to get heated. A bag of pasta for the soup was prepared, but half of it baked itself into the bottom of a pot way too small to house so much pasta, and then only a spoonfull was eaten, the rest went to feed the puffy wastebasket.

All the errands planned got moved 24 hours, and then only the raiding of bookstores and movies remained on the list, but as the day stretched, the milky skies slowly darkened, like a plant wliting too slowly, or a love dying so softly into emptiness.

The hours spun around the face of the clock, round and round, two skinny witches circling around and unseen but ever so powerful altar making magic happen. There, before my two dark eyes the day was gone, and a mind fixed reading a book that hasn't been published yet, completing as it read the pages unfinished, the story of a character and their journey through life, lingering long on specific details, taking pleasure in the picturing of a gesture, a soft smirk, and words pronounced slowly with the absolute conviction that they are their own, invented by their own, but nothing is theirs, as they don't get to exist if I don't decide it so.

Isn't this "creating" one devillish contraption, that makes mortals feel like gods? Doesn't it foul the mind with the absolute power upon what doesn't exist? "The Artist exists within the religious frame of its  creation". And the hours go by. Another day has clocked out, and another will come tomorrow to take its place.

Another Account of my Daily Life

It's 22h here and I think that it's 14h at Mom's, probably with lots of sun and warmth and whatnots. I think of my workmates (still workmates? Former workmates?) all tucked nicely in the glass tower with stupid and inapropiate air conditioning and the newest addendum to the office life. Slivers of information filter down to me and I feel somewhat relieved at being able not to call that "my reality".

My reality has been taking more shape today, or shall I say more definitive shapes, as today an important part of the moving was done: we went to Ikea and bought our furniture. Okay, granted, not all the pieces, but the main pieces: There's a bed (more like a sofa that opens to a bed), a shelve unit, a mirrored closet, an armoir, nightstands, a dining table... but there are things that still need to be bought (and we'll do a little without using old pieces while we find the perfect ones), such as the desks, the couches and chairs for the dining table. It was my first time buying furniture at Ikea, so the whole concept does was a bit strange to me, with several rooms worth of furniture set in flat carton boxes with codes.

I'm showing you quickly some of the pictures of the furniture we've bought, but as they were showed in the store. However, since Blogger is against vertical photography, please feel free to twist your necks to see the picture as it should be.

This would be the nightstand.

This white shelve unit will be our shelve unit. 

I eliminated the glass doors on the shelves to the right and added an extra 80x200 cm of shelves.

In here you see basically our sofa-bed, the nightstand and the shelves on top of it.

We've got only two shelves, and those go over the desks... as soon as we have the desks.

In here notice the armoir or credence. (The one under the mirror)

There's a matter of storage space we need to address and this was perfect!

And this would be our table.

Didn't got to the chairs, but I want also white chairs.

Yes, all of the white, as I plan to paint the walls brown, specially since I've managed to work on the stiff resistance that my boyfriend put to my fabulous idea. It's also amusing how a half Latin, like myself - for that's what I am - gets such a Skandinavian environment. All of the furniture comes in decidedly Skandinavian names, like Sven, and Erik, and Valter and Hemnes... It's like they would murder you any time and set a tattooed girl to investigate you or a fucked up lawyer girl with a scar on the lip and a big police detective with a softspot for cats.

Personally I don't mind the lack of tropical flavor and quite enjoy the vikingish style, truth to be told, only I never really imagined this is how it would be. Then again, what can you expect when you pull your whole decoration from Ikea? (Then again I've seen homes furnished entirely from Ikea looking like a refugee campsite.)

The advance for the framing of the pictures was arranged, and then I worked some errands online, fixing the things so that the furniture could be bought without any problem, paying some bills and stuff like that.

I'm here, setting my life in motion, living where I always dreamed to live (though not exactly in the same arrondisement, but I'm getting to that), looking for a job and hoping for the best, and it seems the best is coming my way. ^_^

Kicking the Start

Another day of my life, my new life. This thing about getting your life started, all this "blank slate" and what-not... it's not really as all cool anf fun as you would think it is, particularly not in a place across the planet, and I freaking know this place! 

The moving was supposed to get started today, but it kinda didn't go that way. My boyfriend had plenty of things to do, and I also managed a few things of my own, like getting my pictures framed. No, they haven't been framed yet, but I've found myself a place where I can get them framed, and the lady was so nice and so adorable to me, that she expressed how much she loved the pictures I've brought (it seems she's also a big fan of Mucha), and was delighted with my pick for frames: white. She expressed concern about the color of the walls, and I was honest. I told her our walls are currently white, but I inted to paint them brown, and so all our furniture is white and so the frames need to be white to pop up nicely. This made her giddy. She must absolutely see a picture of this when I'm done! So many people in Hungary are to terribly conservative about decoration and fear to make bold statements! Truth to be told, I don't consider chocolate walls to be any sort of bold statement, as brown is basically a muted, neutral, earthy color.

We discussed the pictures, the frames and the accompanying "passepartout". The Mucha pictures (two of them) will get a sweet chocolate passepartout, while my dear Chat Noir will receive a black one. The frames are all equal and all white. In the case of the Chat Noir it might seem strange, but as we set the frame sample and the passepartout, the contrast was so magnificent it was amazing! On a white wall, the frame would ghost over the picture while the passepartout - as in the Mucha pictures - will give you the feeling that that is indeed the frame. On a chocolate wall, however, the white frame will nearly float in space making a visual statement without ever overpowering the picture itself - as it has been my intention.

It never ceases to amaze me how people often choose massive frames for certain pictures that are not so well done, or not so big, ignoring entirely the fact that this way the attention shifts from the painting or pifture itself to the frame. Large, golden or silvery, massive pieces end up coming out terribly tasteless and a clear statement that owner or the person ordering the piece does think that money or the appearance of money is the one thing defining taste.

The job won't be inexpensive, but it's well worth it to finally see my pictures framed and hanging on the wall of my home. The pictures will be done - Hyne willing - by Thursday, and if things go as planned, then by Thursday we'll be halfway ready in the moving - and at least all our furniture will be at home, and hopefully an important part of it will be assembled.

I also did another not-quite-inxpensive purchase. I met today with Jules for lunch and some getting up-to-date with each other - I totally love that guy! He's such a sweetheart! - and as usual, we met at a certain place we always meet, and where there's a quite important Evangelical Church. Lutheran actually, I believe. Well, ever since the happenings of yesterday, I've decided I'll "arm up" myself for "biblical" defense - though there's no need really, to defend myself from a religious or church-point of view when I'm okay with God and the rest of the world can do what they want about their own opinion of Him - and for that I happen to need a Bible. I do have one, which was given to me by my grandmother some 24 years ago or so, and that's currently in Costa Rica, so I needed one now, here, and preferably in Hungarian, so if I need to quote, I get the words right.

The funny thing is that I've got this quite particular idea about a white Bible. I wanted a white Bible and I kept seeing in my mind myself consulting a white Bible. Sure, I'm currently concentrating a lot on the white: white furniture, white frames... a lot of white walls to be dealt with later... there's a lot of white, so maybe I had the color creeping up to me from there, but still, there I was "white Bible, white Bible, white Bible..." I haven't seen many and I believe they are mostly for Catholic children making their First Communion or something like that. Well, be it as it may, when I was parting ways with Jules, I told him I still gara pick up a Bible. We went to a store but there were no Bibles there (a regular book store), and from there we remembered the place where we met (duh...) and so we went there - we had to both, as there we could also each take our train or tramway to continue our separate journeys - and quite quickly we located their bookstore - an Evangelical Bookstore. I thought: "they must have white Bibles", so was we were greeted, I said to the salesmen, that I wanted a Bible. Here questions started in an odd way. "Catholic or Protestant?" Geez, ain't like the same Bible for everybody? I told him I'm Lutheran, so that's Protestant. Ok, "New translation or old language?" O_O Whadda ...? Make it new, I need to understand. There was another question, I believe regarding the year of the translation or the type of translation, or the congregation... I'm not sure, which I couldn't answer. The salesman slowly started packing then the table with blue, wine, green and black bibles explaing that this had comments, this had not, this had a larger font type... There was a white one I saw but wasn't sure it was a Bible - it could be a prayer book or a song book - so I asked the man:

"How about that white one?"

He turned to the only other white book in the whole wall and pulled a book that had some Transylvanian or whatnot translation. The book wasn't the one I had my eye trained on.

"No, I mean that other one. Is that a Bible?"

The man turned then to the one book I meant and seemed hesitant. Yes, it is a Bible, but that's a something I didn't understand, and it's bound in real leather with goldened pages (the borders) and this and that... I was afraid it was not for sale, and it was so beautiful! The man then explained that the matter was that the book was pricey. I turned the book - neatly kept in a plastic bag - and checked the price. Honestly I didn't check the price of the other Bibles so I have no idea how expensive that one really was, all I knew was that I had the money.

"This is the one I want."

And I've got it! Perhaps it's stupid, but I found it so amazing that I had been thinking exactly of a white Bible and from a selection of many, many other bibles, I've got the only one that was white (and pleasing to me). It filled me with hope, like a sign telling me that dreams do come true, that my dreams are becoming real and that God is indeed with me when I need Him the most. Inspite what others may say, inspite what others may bleakly forecast, there's no space for doubt, only for doing, only for going ahead and trying, for God is with me in this journey, and things are going to be just beautiful.

The Nookie

Today I've a really awesome topic, or should I say I "HAD" a really awesome topic for the post. It's really good and I haven't even forgotten it, which is rare, and it's perfect! Yes, except that it's almost 22h, and today my boyfriend and I had a lot of things to take care of regarding our soon-to-be home, and one of those things was cleaning. We did hire a cleaning lady, an adorable, sweet Transilvanian lady (they speak Hungarian and refure to be acknowledged as "Rumanians" even though they are, but rather like to be considered as a Hungarian minority) wearing her beautiful traditional clothes - yes! People today wearing traditional clothes! I still can't get over it - but we helped in because the work was quite some for such a small place, and so we are tired to death with the scrubbing of the kitchen. Honestly, it was also quite disgusting to scrap up from the walls, the floors and the stove the remnants of other people's dinners. Bits of bread on the windowsill, baby bottles stuffed in the closets, and old pieces of noodles and onion, rice... stuck all over the stove? Come on, people, really?

Some parts of that kitchen looked like we would need to call in a HAZMAT team.

Work isn't finished, but we certainly are. God willing we would be buying our furniture on Monday and start the moving (in and out, as all the old furniture I haven't personally approved is a goner), or busing in Tuesday, but still tarting the moving on Monday, and you know Ikea furniture, you gara ensamble it yourself because "that's part of the fun"? Whadda fuck? Freaking Skandinavians, they creat a LEGO and then they think all people wanna do is DIY. So we are up to our eyeballs in tasks and chores, but right now we are TIRED. I mean, I could go on for a little bit more, but I've got an ultimatum from my boyfriend: either I'm in bed within 30 minutes or he'll be asleep, and that means, no nookie. So sorry, nookie beats blogging, so that awesome topic shall be written some other time!

To Mirror or Not to Mirror... that's the Closet Question

It's past 23 h, and after a day of running around, taking mearurements of the apartment to see if we can fit the furniture, and then going to the movies to see "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", I'm honestly tired. Tired with eyes closing and thinking "fuck, I'll log the food on the fitbit thing tomorrow. What's there to remember anyways? Fish and chips for lunch with coke and bread with butter and coke for dinner". If you ask me, the movie was great. I haven't read the book - YET! - but give me a break! I've a stack of other books on my plate - and one of them is my recently acquired "Gone With The Wind" on Kindle, AND I'm a slowpoke reader, so, it will take me a while. I do hope the other two books will get to become a movie, and that they keep Daniel Craig in the cast. Oh dear, that man is so freaking HOT!

Today I was alone a big part of my day. I sat writing letters to my friends - well, one of them, as I'm also a slowpoke writer - did some chores around the house, and then went to get my brother-in-law his birthday present. I don't like the chap much, but I'm great at picking presents for him! Far better than my boyfriend, or their mother. My boyfriend doesn't even have an idea about what could he give him, so given the success of my last present pick ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", actually), I took on the task of finding him a good present: more black novels by Skandinavian writers. I'm still quite surprised that Asa Larsson, my favorite Skandinavian black novel writer hasn't made it here. They have Stieg Larsson, Camilla Läckberg, Arnaldur Indridasson, but there's no Asa Larsson anywhere.

I had lunch at a pretty nice restaurant close to where we are staying - quite famous around here for it's expensive menu - but I was honestly disappointed at the blah taste of the fish in my fish and chips - even though the presentation was quite adorable, as well as for the remarkable lack of attention from the waiters. And it wasn't even a peak hour! Goodnes Gracious! Where they expecting me to starve to death before offering me the menu? So be warned, if you ever find yourself in Budapest, and you think about going to a  restaurant over the Krisztina krt, called "Déryné", please make sure you eat something beforehand!

They had WiFi, so I took the chance to toy with my Kindle, and since I was there and the Kindle was there and there was WiFi, I stared at my sample of "Gone With the Wind" and said to myself, "Self, you are going to buy this one, so what the fuck? But it at once and let's get over with it!". And so I did. I was feeling cool and fabulous, much like each time I'm here for vacations - except this time my vacations ain't gonna be over so easily! - and so I took my time with everything. I sipped slow on my coke, I eat each fry slowly, completely taken over by Margaret Mitchell's word and living without a single care in the world. Ideas flowed then to my mind about a lot of wonderful and potentially awesome post topics for the blog, but Miss Scarlet was first. Of course, little I knew I would come home barely able to stand and so sleepy I nearly doze staring at my slice of bread instead of actually eating it!

My boyfriend and I are now making numbers. It happens that the mirrored closet he wants fits in the nook of the wall we have there, so he wants it, but that shoots the numbers I made up to heaven! So we are seeing how can we make it work. Yes, the mirrored closet is awesome, and much better than any other solution wirh have contemplated, not to mention it opens the space beautifully and uses better the space we have, but what about the budget? Damned, time for me again to Excel up and think about possibilities. Am I really off the clock in here? Because this doesn't feel like it.