At some point in the future I plan to unleash some progeny on this unsuspecting planet. Yes, I'm talking about procreation.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Fired up and pissed off
Posted by Decade Four at 8:52 PM 0 comments
Friday, August 27, 2010
Get me the fuck out
Moved to Budapest six weeks ago or so.
Posted by Decade Four at 11:35 AM 0 comments
Friday, July 2, 2010
Mambo #5 in München
Posted by Decade Four at 3:13 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
It seems....
I never get tired of getting upset about weddings. An article on Slate.com "In Defense of Plus +1s" got my attention yesterday. As I saw it, the author's tone was pejorative toward couples who are in the process of planning their weddings. He was particularly bent out of shape because he had been invited to weddings without being allowed to bring a guest.
Posted by Decade Four at 9:30 AM 2 comments
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The constant reminders of terror
It's late, and I'm very tired but, we're trying to decide about whether to take an apartment in Budapest, soon to be our new home.
Posted by Decade Four at 7:20 PM 0 comments
Oh man
I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about the things that frustrate me but it ain't so easy.
Posted by Decade Four at 8:30 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Prostitutes and my husband
Hey guys, feeling lonely? Look no further than the Meridien Budapest. I think if you go right now, there is a nice young woman who needs some company.
Posted by Decade Four at 7:00 PM 0 comments
Saturday, April 17, 2010
In re: Poland:
A friend in the US recently asked me what my reaction was to the recent plane crash in Russian which killed many members of Poland's political, military and intellectual elite. Here is my email to her which I furiously typed up on my Blackberry - I didn't have internet access when I wrote this because we had just moved into a new apartment in Munich the day of the crash (slightly edited):
There are a number of things that make this event so painful for the Polish people and all of it has to do with their relationship w the Russians.
As u may know Russia invaded Poland from the east right after germany did from the north in the fall of 1939. The Russians killed hundreds of thousands of Poles. Unfortunately, the Poles falsely believed they were going to have back up from powers such as England and the US and, instead of declaring some sort of truce with the Russians they did nothing and were massacred mercilessly for it. In Dec 1939 in one day Stalin got rid of the Polish currency - anyone who had wealth in the Polish currency lost it in one day. He took over the banks and people's property and the media and promoted Soviet Communist political propaganda. Read about the Katyn massacre on wikipedia - its sickening what the Soviets did.
Then, at the end of WWII when the Allies realized they had to stop Hitler and finally involved themselves, the Yalta conference happened. In the build up to this conference, Stalin had been steadily increasing the presence of Communists who would support him (inside Poland). At Yalta he promised Churchill and FDR that he would hold free elections in Poland if they split up Europe such as to give him Poland and they naively BELIEVED him. Then Poland was turned over to the Soviets - Polish men who had been fighting on the side of the Allies got royally screwed when the were sent back to Poland - many political and military men were murdered by the Russians on their return to Poland. This is in 1945. Polish concentration camp prisoners were returned to Poland from abroad - to a now Communist country. Stalin never held free elections and instead installed those loyal to the Communists, both Polish and Russians, into positions of power. He deported hundreds of thousands of Poles to Soviet concentration camps after the end of WWII. Polish people had no political freedom and now they were poor.
There began an underground resistance movement - a workers movement - and leadership in this movement included Pope John Paul II and many of those who died in the plane crash. From the 50s to the 80s this movement gre stronger and as you know Poland was instrumental in the eventual fall of Communism and the breakup of the former Soviet Union.
Poland is the darling of the European Union is considered the strongest example of what the Eastern European economies are capable.
Today there is prosperity in Poland and one Pole told me in January that it was the "new America" as many shining new shopping centers are being built - Warsaw is a very modern and shining example for business. Polish people are less likely to go abroad for work as the currency is 3:1 with the Euro (they are not in a hurry to get on the Euro b/c they don't want the prices to rise) and now in Poland you can the same cars and other consumer goods as in the West.
What I think the pain comes from for the Polish people in this crash is a loss of leaders who brought freedom to the Poles through resistence, defiance and passion against the Russians. Until Saturday they were alive to educate the younger generations, tell their stories and push for recognition of the atrocities against Poles that have been ignored and covered up. The President was a vocal critic of Putin and he wasn't even invited to the official Katyn memorial ceremony. This event was a few days after the one Putin attended. Putin was furious with him because he was getting missiles from the US that would be pointed at Russia. The EU wasn't super thrilled either.
Finally these people who died on Saturday had begun to lead Poland into a bright and prosperous future.
As far as the political situation, all things point to the strength of Poland's democracy and the peaceful transition of power/elections and continuation of business as usual. No reason to think the political situation in Hungary would be affected. Though, as my uncle says, "Hungary and Poland are like brothers."
Finally, the Polish are deeply grieving this loss but they have been through so much that this is not an insurmountable set back. The Polish will grieve but they are extremely tough. Skin like an alligators. They recognize that all is not lost, they loved these leaders and appreciate what these leaders did for Poland - but they know that Poland will be okay and even see that perhaps this an opportunity for light to be shed on the circumstances of the Katyn massacre and that, in and of itself, is a victory for them.
Posted by Decade Four at 4:59 AM 1 comments
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Me So Retarded
I'm going to declare April 15 "Be nice to foreigners" day.
Posted by Decade Four at 9:44 AM 1 comments
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Goodbye Worldfocus...
Posted by Decade Four at 7:14 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Goddamn philosophy
When my house burned down and I failed out of law school, I think the biggest source of pain was not the material losses, but the lack of a sufficient philosophical framework in which to explain what happened.
Posted by Decade Four at 7:37 AM 2 comments
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Dear Russian people,
who keep posting links to sex cites in the comments section of my blog,
Posted by Decade Four at 9:32 AM 2 comments
Thursday, January 28, 2010
How did today go from great to suck?
As you may have noticed today started out great - I thought of book title - that is kind of a big deal no?
Posted by Decade Four at 3:15 PM 0 comments
Hitler and my pants
It 7 am and I can't find my pants.
Posted by Decade Four at 2:40 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
It may be confusing....
to you Dear Reader, to follow the story of my grandparents and my research about them. My apologies for that. I am not posting a complete story of what has taken place in terms of my research process.
Posted by Decade Four at 12:19 PM 2 comments
Maybe the right way to handle +1s is more like, "It depends"? Maybe there is no hard and fast rule? Why should weddings be like a McDonald's franchise - every gesture as uniform as a perfectly timed deep fryer? Maybe our CRITICAL THINKING skills allow for INDIVIDUALITY?
My ‘+1 rule’ was to make sure everyone had someone familiar around. Some got +1s (college gfs), other's (undergrad cousin’s w/ close family there) didn't. My mother got 3. She is single, 2 of her ex-husbands were at the wedding (fun!), her family lived abroad and wasn’t coming. Guess what? She didn't bring anyone! She was so excited about the day, didn't think she needed a +1 and walked down the aisle alone, yet confident.
Maybe the author could forgive IF he realized the wedding isn't “his happiness vs the evil couple”. Do these innumerable decisions revolve around him? Cake, ceremony, music, flowers, food, seating, venue, groom's wear, wedding party, decorations, alcohol, time, date, length, cost, first dance, caterer, dj? band?, rings, bridesmaids, groomsmen, payment strategy, payment method, parents pay? pay yourselves? gown, shoes, make-up, hair, sit-down, buffet or champagne & cake? f^cking etc.
It's clear he's never planned a wedding and has an inflated sense of self - "Look at me! I've got mad guest picking skillz! My +1s are cooler than your wedding guests!" So… +1s are allowed IF said +1s are cool? Uncool +1s are expendable? I’m sure the author dictates the ‘objective’ standard for cool.
Spouse are “grumbling tagalongs…We don’t select [them] on the basis of their social skills” Spoken like someone who isn't in love or happily married. Plenty of “tagalongs” probably know the bride & groom, and maybe even LIKE them and will DANCE and have FUN with them!
"The point of a wedding is excess" Really? What is excess? All excess is not equal. How can he be so confident in his definition? He thinks detractors from his take on social appropriateness (customized to serve him & his non-married cool friends) should be chastised. Fascistic much?
Also, I won't forgive your insolence. And, subtractionist ideology? The couple is in this predicament is b/c their glasses are half full (note the willingness to marry). They’re trying to INclude people.
Fascistic valuation of control of pleasure? What is that? Besides, wtf do you think a wedding is? Prioritizing pleasure over control? It’s a rite of social passage – loss & gain. Common the world over. And a painful one. The couple has to find a way to get through together. Married couples across America un-affectionately remember guests like the whiney author who made planning more difficult & complained, "I want it MY way! Wahhh!"
Did your mother take your video games away to make you finish your blog post? Feeling cynical bc/c she is weaning you off the teat? Maybe she said it was time to move out? But, I get it. You're 35, single and still living at home – really, who wants to do their own laundry and make their own breakfast?