What made you smile today?

After the drugs kicked in?

Well it is with anticipation that I await the arrival of my three younger sisters. They are flying in from Europe (Ireland and England) this evening. Although they are coming to see me (apparently) because of a wee health scare I had, I suspect it is really because they want to party! I am going to TRY and keep up with them for the next five days so I will NOT be posting to A2K for a bit.

Cheers, Heeven!

I'm smiling because I started my day by opening my e-mail and receiving a very nice compliment on my work from someone whose opinion I respect.

What made me smile last night: The Durgas. They're the band I saw with Tam at Kiskert last month, which was a great night... at the end of which they said they'd be playing Budapest again on 21 Sept. So, of course, it turns out the place they were playing was my 'home' cafe, across the street.

Asked John and Esther along (now there's two names you dont have to think aliases up for), and they did another great show. I was afraid it'd be less cute inside (without cute fire juggler an all), but they're good. One moment like a Mexican band playing Johnny Cash songs while on acid, the next sounding eerily authentically West-African, or dubbily rapping along to reggea beats, one song merging into the next. Dont like the more grungy bits but all in all its like theyve scoured through all their favourite music of the past thirty years and reinvented it in pure joy. They get so into it, they are so visibly doing it for pure fun (they also played on for hours), that they get a really good vibe, playing off their audience whooping and dancing and patying. And all that in a small basement club. If they come play near you, go see them. They attract lots of cute girls too (No wonder: Tam fell in love with first the drummer, then the singer last time round).

Also made me smile, all still part of the same: the virtuoso Armenian accordeonplayer who'd come up to join 'em for a bunch of songs picking up his instrument again in the now-half-empty basement half an hour after the show and starting to play songs ... a lone girl spinning proud dance circles on her own at the empty end, the barman being snogged by another happy customer, and me (badly) dancing with Esther in improvised twirls & tipsy embraces.

What made me smile yesterday evening:

Coming out of the office early in the evening, turning around the corner to find the street blocked off, a stage erected, and a three-man trad jazz band playing "The sunny side of the street". Cute music. Polite audience claps for an encore from the even more polite musicians. Also cute.

Then made my way up to the Italian place, but got stuck at the Korut. Automentes nap, Car-free day, of course! I'd already forgotten. Was now. A serpentine of bicyclists claiming the east-lane of the boulevard. Lots and lots and lots. Many tweens but also parents with small children, one couple walking along with their little kid on a tricycle - they had a long walk up. So did the brave girl jogging along with her cycling friends. People sharing a tandem bike, several monocyclists (and that aint easy).

This was no joke: everyone who owns a bike must have come out for this. I stood by the side for ten full minutes and never once did the flow stop, and no end in sight. Whenever cardrivers blocked in the sidestreets honked in anger, a rebellious cheer went up. Five full minutes later I arrived at the Italian place and could still hear them in the distance. How delightfully seventies/eighties all.

Late in the evening it turned out that the cyclists, of course, had set up party in the basement of Sark, my cafe-across-the-road. Parked outside, a genuine penny-farthing.

And not to hijack the thread, but what else made me smile yesterday and tonight: niceness, just sheer niceness.

My German friend sending me an SMS to thank me for calling her earlier that evening, saying its comforting to know she can rely on someone ... aww.

Saying goodbye to the Russian girl down the hall, she's leaving for Strassbourg. Very sweet, petite girl who smiles a lot. Insisted on getting my email, not leaving like this, saying she'd look me up when she'd come back here in December, all kind of to my surprise: didnt talk so much with her. Just always went to say good night when leaving the office, as they would be sure to be there all hours.

Going to a Dutch puppet theatre performance tonight with Cs, who likes puppet theatre but wasnt disappointed when there turned out to not be any puppets, but instead sheer, cute weirdness. Having dinner outside on Andrassy boulevard, listening to her excited stories, joking, walking up to Heroes Square. Deciding to go to Holland together when the new herring is there in the spring, LOL, we could stay at my friend's Y - I can just imagine her face (she a big, proud black woman) if Id tell her we were coming over for the season's first herring .

Nice, all. Funny how life comes in waves, kinda - quiet cycle, kind & friendly cycle, quiet cycle, kind & friendly cycle. Dinner someplace tomorrow evening with Cs and one or two of her friends, Sunday evening an Argentinian magical-realist film with Esther. But I got to get some work and cleaning done in between - and get that package from the post office Y and friend send me.

(Oh and but, for the smartasses among you - no, still never got any action since my trip to Holland, and no prospect of any in the short-term either. 'K?)

Nobody's smiling anymore? Is it because of Rita?

Maybe the weather in general....? End of summer blues? I know I've been down.

Aaawww... {hug} to you...

But well, I'm still smiling!

Saturday afternoon the sun was shining one more summery time, unexpected now, and I sat on Erzebet Ter on a bench watching the water and enjoying the warmth...

Saturday evening had dinner the four of us at the place of Cs's friend, which turned into one of those East-European kitchen parties, just sitting around the kitchen table talking stuff over four bottles of wine and a bottle of champagne, until Cs asked whether it was midnight yet ... uh, yeah, 4 am actually. Their friend was really cool, French guy as well, also works in websites but as a teacher too - plus, also, that means I now have a contact again for happy pills if I want to go clubbing some time again ;-)

Sunday evening that movie was very weird and kindof really cute, plus, ever since I sent Esther that SMS saying that the one thing I'm kinda bummed about here is that I dont know anyone to just give random hugs, I have someone to cuddle with <smiles>

Plus, nice conversation in the coffeeshop this morning to make me smile again, and another sunny day still.

Reasons to be grateful...

Only, by now I feel kinda guilty about just posting one thing after another and just hijacking the entire thread. I'm not crazy you know, there is like a day or two between most of those posts! ;-) Perhaps its end-of-summer, yeah...

Getting a sms from nihm - now THAT would make me smile....

Just so Nimh isn't the only one smiling...

Bear and I started work last Thursday at a major furniture place that is liquidating due to bankruptcy. Working LOOOONG hours, very tired, my back hurts like crazy and my feet are killing me.

But, yesterday a woman was in the store with her two children. She ended up buying several items (good, cause we are commission only.) Kids are starting to get restless. Mom says "I need to hurry and get them outta here. Someones in heat and he (6 year old boy) is trying to figure out who it is... And, I don't mean he's smelling just the salespeople."



OMG!

I started writing REALLY FAST and was biting my lip the whole time to keep from busting out laughing!!! I was so glad I hadn't seen that, or other peoples reactions.

Hey, congrats on the commission!

But I don't get it! Like, ovulating?

Having the Novice Obedience instructor tell me it was time to take the Yellow (fear aggression) bandanna off Cleo at the end of the weekend of training.

She suggested I frame the bandanna.

The subsequent comments to

my picture

made me smile

Actually, I was feeling kind of blah today, for no particular reason.

But then! A very good looking man smiled at me and chatted, all very friendly and flirty, with me.

I felt like a human being again!

I smiled today because the good-bye exchange with the guy I was dating went well. He brought my stuff, I gave him his little parting gift and we climbed a tree with my neice, trying to get all the fruit on the ends of the branches. And, I looked pretty good sitting there with my sassy new haircut, telling my neice about the American Scientific magazine I'd just gotten. I feel so much better.

Eh, let me have my moment.

Sounds like a good moment to me.

You weren't buying a digital radio, were you?

Oh, Beth, put your post back up, I was just joking. <you geminis are so dang sensitive!>