Seeing hebba made me smile - a couple of memories in one - including taking a fez to Artie's Deli in Manhattan to give to LionTamerX.
My co-traveller was quite surprised to see the fez in my suitcase - and even more surprised that I was giving it to someone I'd never met as a gift - and that I thought the giftee would be entertained. And I was right.
<walks in>
Oh, this was very nice.. <smiles>. Susannah SMSd today that she was invited to a 'new-wine tasting party' of friends, and that she'd like to go with me ... that was sweet, in itself, I was flattered. And it was very nice, so cute. Twelve friends or so of the-girl-with-the-big-eyes, crowded tightly around the kitchen table when I came in, drinking and eating - and everyone is so friendly, so kind. They're a very soft people really, Hungarians, or at least these ones are. Almost without exception charming creatures, the boys as well as the girls with their soft voices, slight quirkiness and slender grace.
The girl-with-the-big-eyes' apartment was sweet, warm and homy, and she had this cute short-hair cat with a grumpy-old-man's face who hid in a corner but then was on its back, purring. I hardly knew anyone there, just two or three from a short how-are-you before, but everyone was kind - it just kinda felt like home. Like I found the secret home behind the city's gritty facade. Of course I didnt understand half of what was said (and thats a polite estimation), tho I improvised my way through a coupla conversations, but Susannah at least talked about "the girl who liked you" as soon as we left, so I guess that went ok..
But the most important thing - when I came here, one of my expat colleagues warned: forget about the Hungarians. You wont get to know them, not any time soon. They seem friendly, but they wont let you in. They wont ever invite you to their home, for example. If you want any kind of social life here, focus on fellow expats, it'll save you the frustration. Now the expat clique is the last thing I want to get into, so there was a lot at stake in finding out she could be wrong. After those dinners with my Hungarian girl colleague and her friend and then that trip to Aggtelek, after an evening like this, and with Susannah perhaps even coming along to Holland this winter, I think I might have.. I'm so grateful, cause I really like it here - I don't think I'll be leaving any time soon...
I'm smiling because, after a few years since shifting to a new location & putting up with appalling ABC (TV) reception I went out & bought one of those digital converter thingies last week. Hey, it worked! I now have a beautiful, clear picture!
This is great because the ABC & SBS are the stations I watch almost exclusively. Not that I watch much television, but there are some programs I really do want to see. It was a revelation last night to watch the 7 pm news minus the snow!
Yay Msolga!!!
I am smiling cos my stereo works properly again!!
I thought it had an expensive problem, so just stopped using it (ages now) until I had enough money to take it to the music doctor.....however, the ex fella had mentioned he thought it might just be the connections between the speakers and the tuner that had become inefficient.
Just checked, found them all oxidised, cleaned them and put 'em back.
VOILA!!!! Music!!!! Yay!!!!!
dlowan wrote:I am smiling cos my stereo works properly again!!
I thought it had an expensive problem, so just stopped using it (ages now) until I had enough money to take it to the music doctor.....however, the ex fella had mentioned he thought it might just be the connections between the speakers and the tuner that had become inefficient.
Just checked, found them all oxidised, cleaned them and put 'em back.
VOILA!!!! Music!!!! Yay!!!!!
Hooray for kind & helpful ex-fellas!
Hooray for the return of music!
Hooray for not having to spend bulk $$$$!
Just one question, Deb, what was
the very first CD you played? People want to know!
Lol! It's a five CD player....and I played whatever was in there.
I think the first one was a Miles Davis.
But...I spoke too soon.
Damn thing stops after playing just one CD...
Oh no!
Off to the grit & grimacing thread with you, Deb! :wink:
But a little bit of Miles was better than none, I guess ....? <sigh>
Yeah, Nimh!
I remembered a bag of leftover Chinese food in the fridge. Chicken lo mein, yu-hsaing beef, sizzling rice chicken and shrimp in ginger sauce all heaped into a bowl now sits steaming before me << yummm >>. Followed up with Osso's delicious cupcake makes this a lovely evening after all
What a sweet story Nimh. It is getting close to bedtime for johnboy but I leave with this notion. I will go to sleep mulling over this concept: I have lived in many different places and often have seen folks isolate, or is it insulate, themselves. They associate only with people who look like them, or talk like them or think like them. Isn't that sad?
In January (January? yeah, January), I got a new computer. There was a printer/scanner that came along as part of the package. I didn't set it up. I finally got around to buying paper for it in August. I put the ink cartridges in, but didn't set it up any further.
I asked Setanta to set it up last week.
"Where's the USB cable?"
"huh"
"Where's the USB cable you need to hook it up?"
"oh, hmmm, I got one. I don't know what I did with it. It's been about 10 months."
"ok"
So I poked around a bit. Couldn't find the fancy cable the puter guy had convinced me to buy. It's probably stored someplace safe.
Went to the dollar store yesterday to pick up a plant mister to put the chicken broth in <that gets sprayed on the dogs' kibble
> - and look, a USB cable and photo paper at the dollar store.
Setanta finished the printer setup tonight - and the dollar store USB cable works! I just printed a test photo on plain paper.
Next test - the cheapo photo paper.
I am beaming!
nimh, i am still smiling that you decided to go to budapest this spring. it's so good to see you happy. really, that makes me smile quite a bit.
When one is surrounded by Eastern Euro girls, one cannot help smiling.
......and walking with a limp.
true. i smile all the time. allways. it's quite painful, actually...
Cost of 1 hr lesson £45
Cost of 50 golf balls £3.80
Expression on the face of the instructor when I hit my first hole in one on the driving range - priceless
Am still smiling....
"Johnny English"
Oh yeah, I love that movie...
I've been really grumpy about winter, last year was extremely unpleasant, bad connotations, but today is the first real snow and...
...I'm positively giddy!!!!
It's just sooooooo pretty and I dunno holiday-ish and homey and wonderful.
.... soooo pretty!!!
(I'll shut up. I sense JP sneaking up behind me with a baseball bat.)
Truly, it's beautiful though.
<giddy sigh>
dagmaraka wrote:nimh, i am still smiling that you decided to go to budapest this spring. it's so good to see you happy. really, that makes me smile quite a bit.
That was sweet ... thank you <shy>
Actually, I'm not at all happy this week, but we all have bad weeks ... I'm still glad I came ;-)
It's fixing to snow in Virginia tonight. Not a lot, perhaps 1-3 inches. Most of the folks I know are where they want, or need, to be by now. So let it snow.
About an hour ago my doorbell rang. It was a guy who goes by the name of Hart. Quite a character. I met him in Vietnam some 35 years ago. With him, stepping out of a Cadillac, was Dolly, who smelled like a magnolia blossom.
Oh. dear. unless someone says "No!" Johnboy is setting up a story.
... & then, RJB? Please continue ....
