A long week of icky weather has finally come to an end, I think. Last night was wonderful- nice and warm, no rain, nice moon. I just stayed home and vegged, enjoyed quiet time. Stayed up late, enjoying the warm weather, and woke up at 10 to hear the phone ringing. Had an *epic* conversation with a friend back home, our longest in one stretch, I think. But it was really nice to chat again, and I learned some new things about bases and math and computers.
Ate breakfast after that, got dressed, and went to the mall to return a fan. I'd purchased it last Wed, but after bringing it home, I discovered that it required assembly. Since I lack the skills and tools to do this, I took it back and asked if they had one that was pre-assembled. They didn't, but the nice guy at the service desk put it together for me. I now have a small household fan, which will really improve air circulation in here!
So it's now early evening, and still sunny and warm. What to do? I think I'll finish some dishes, then just head out for coffee and a walk or something. Don't want to waste any sunshine!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
The weather today *was* looking better. Woke up to sunshine and blue skies, and it was hot (if a bit humid) all day. I was really enjoying that. Until about 10 minutes ago. Then, all of a sudden, there's the most torrential downpour, lightning and the loudest thunder I've ever heard. One clap just set off a couple car alarms. This place officially has crazy weather. >_<
Good grief! So, now there's massive hail... and the really odd thing is that I think there are pipes that run from the outside of the house through my walls, because I can hear the hail and rain trickling through the walls, and several hailstones just came out of a vent into my living room, and a couple more came out of a vent into the bathroom! *sigh* As if I didn't have enough to worry about already...!
Good grief! So, now there's massive hail... and the really odd thing is that I think there are pipes that run from the outside of the house through my walls, because I can hear the hail and rain trickling through the walls, and several hailstones just came out of a vent into my living room, and a couple more came out of a vent into the bathroom! *sigh* As if I didn't have enough to worry about already...!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
I think one of the main causes of recent mood swings is the weather. When I arrived, it was February- cold, windy, snowing. Okay, that's winter. Everyone said Spring would arrive soon and be beautiful. Well, there were about 3 weeks of decent, sort of sunny weather in April... and that was it. From May on, every day has been cold, windy, wet, rainy, thunderstorming and gray. It's like winter all over again. But it's June, *summer*. Everyone told me that Polish winters were brutal but that the summers were really hot. I was looking forward to that! I know everyone else in the world hates heat and bright sun, but I love it, thrive on it- back home, a good friend and I would go out and sort of "bask" at lunchtime. I have full appreciation for lizards and snakes who enjoy sunning themselves. But there's really been no sunshine since April. It's literally depressing, especially when I have this "brutal winter" to look forward to, as well.
In weather like this, I'm disinclined to go outside for anything- socializing, walking, exercise, fresh air, etc. So I have to stay at work, then race home to my apartment and stay there the rest of the night, making me feel trapped and cooped up. I'm starting to understand how friends in the Pacific Northwest might feel. And next time I select a job, it *will* be somewhere with reliable sunshine! This is just too much to deal with.
In weather like this, I'm disinclined to go outside for anything- socializing, walking, exercise, fresh air, etc. So I have to stay at work, then race home to my apartment and stay there the rest of the night, making me feel trapped and cooped up. I'm starting to understand how friends in the Pacific Northwest might feel. And next time I select a job, it *will* be somewhere with reliable sunshine! This is just too much to deal with.
Been a while since I've had a chance to update! But the last two weeks have been non-stop traveling and a lot of work. I finally have a weekend at *home* where I don't have to do *anything*
So the Thursday before last was a holiday here- Corpus Christi. I figured things would be closed, so taking a long train ride wouldn't be a bad idea. I'd planned to be on a 10am train north, but I'd spent the night before staying out late at a trendy nightclub, drinking beer with a couple of cool guys, so I decided to sleep in a bit. Good call, because the 2:30 train I got on was an express train, which meant more comfort and fewer stops. The cars were *nice*! They had outlets for the computer, nice seats, and a guy coming by every hour to see if you wanted tea, coffee, snacks, etc. I spent the ride doing some homework and putting together a playlist I'd been thinking of for ages, and just watched the nice scenery go by.
Arrived in Szczecin around 8pm. It was still really light out. This is a kind of gritty harbor town WAY up north, pretty much on the border between Poland and Germany, right on the Baltic Sea. Boy, was it windy and cold! Glad I took my good coat and umbrella. It also rained most of the time I was there, alternating between a light mist and cats and dogs. But I was prepared, so it was all good.
I took a tram to the center of town and found a place to stay, the Hotelik Slowianski. Very cute little red brick building with liquid amber and maple trees outside. It used to be an old police dorm, so the rooms have little kitchen facilities and things. Very high ceilings, nice interior, and my room had a balcony facing St. Adalbert's Church. Not too posh or anything, but fine for a weekend trip- besides, I often prefer these little places that have character over perfect mainstream varieties. I opened the cupboards and in one, found a bottle of bison grass vodka! ^__^
Dropped off my stuff, then went in search of dinner. Not much was open, but I found a 24-kebab place across the street and happily ate there. Made it there just in time, because about 2 minutes later, the rain poured down in fierce torrents. I took my time eating and waited until the rain lessened, then went next door to the Dublin Irish Pub. *Great* place!! Totally reminded me of the pub back home, all dark wood, comfy interior, good decorations, dart boards, a few tables of regulars, good beer. Had a couple pints of Guinness and just enjoyed being there, thought of good friends back home.
After that, I wandered around the block a bit, discovered the main post office. It took up about 2 blocks just by itself- huge!! Looked a bit like the one in Olsztyn, all red, yellow and green brick, very pretty. Again, Warsaw could take some architectural tips from these towns....
On Friday, I spent most of the day just exploring the city. Concert wasn't until 10pm, so I had time. I took trams and walked, and saw the Harbor Gate, the Royal Gate, the Old Town, the Castle of the Dukes of Pomerania, the area down by the docks, a huge park, the mall, all sorts of good stuff. I like Szczecin, but.... the only downside is that they don't seem to believe in street signs. NONE of the buildings had signs, or the roundabouts, or anything. I had to use my "eshu" powers quite a bit ;)
Stopped on a quiet street for a relaxing lunch, had pizza and salad. Then discovered a nifty coffee shop next door- sampled a number of yummy varieties. Discovered a yoga place that listed free yoga sessions in parks across Poland- there's one in Warsaw, in Pole Mokotowskie! I'll have to try that. Passed by a store that sold nothing but angels- little statues, stained glass, pictures, etc. Thought of my best friend's grandma, who adores them. Saw LOTS of very adorable dogs!
Later that afternoon, I had a delicious mocha and some vanilla bean tea in the Brama Jazz Cafe- it was actually inside the royal gate! Very cool little spot. Around 7:30, headed back toward the hotel for dinner at an Indian place called Bombay- very good food, I needed some warmth and spice after a long rainy day. Finished dinner and caught the tram out to the Central Cemetery.
The Cemetery was huge, with a large brick entrance house. We presented our tickets at the gate, then walked down through the paths to a large field with a lake in the middle. The choir was on the opposite side of the lake from the audience. Naval officers stood on platforms in the lake, since the piece was dedicated to those who had not returned from sea. During parts of the performance, they shone blue, white and red lights on the trees surrounding the field. It rained pretty much most of the concert, but we didn't care- we had umbrellas and plastic to sit on.
The concert was lovely. This piece, "Requiem For My Friend" was composed by Zbiegniew Preisner for the director, Krzysztof Kieslowski. I'd first heard it about 10 years ago- a friend sent me a recording. It was a nice opportunity to hear it performed live, and in such a nice setting.
Saturday morning, I woke up, took a few last pictures, enjoyed some bread and espresso in a cafe, then got on the train back to Warsaw. Big mistake- I somehow found myself on one of the local trains, meaning that it stopped in every little town along the way. It took 5.5 hours to get up here, but over 8 to get back. And it was dark, rainy and cold. I finished a Robert Ludlum book, then just listened to music for a while- nothing much else to do. Had some dinner when I got back into town, then went home and crashed.
Woke up Sunday morning, packed my bags again, then met my colleague at the airport for a work trip to Prague. We spent most of Monday and Tuesday meeting with colleagues about work topics, but in the evenings, we explored Prague. Very pretty city, and *big*. A nice mixture of classic and Baroque buildings, statues all over the place (there were 30 on the St. Charles Bridge alone!), interesting clocks and decorations. We saw a royal castle, an enormous cathedral, the "Alchemist's Alley" (I recognized the Chinese character for "gold" on the sign next to that one), Franz Kafka's house, some really pretty houses in a residential area. A lot of the houses have Art Nouveau painting on the outside, birds, motifs, Mucha girls. Really cool.
We walked through the old town, across several bridges, watched the little figures come out from the top of the astronomical clock, had espresso in a cafe with live jazz music, and explored the temples in the old Jewish quarter. Altogether, it was a very nice visit. I can see why so many artists and writers want to live in Prague. And of course, I immediately located the soccer stadium and hockey arena, so I'm all set for Czech sports.
Returned early Wed. morning and went straight back to work. Long trip!
So the Thursday before last was a holiday here- Corpus Christi. I figured things would be closed, so taking a long train ride wouldn't be a bad idea. I'd planned to be on a 10am train north, but I'd spent the night before staying out late at a trendy nightclub, drinking beer with a couple of cool guys, so I decided to sleep in a bit. Good call, because the 2:30 train I got on was an express train, which meant more comfort and fewer stops. The cars were *nice*! They had outlets for the computer, nice seats, and a guy coming by every hour to see if you wanted tea, coffee, snacks, etc. I spent the ride doing some homework and putting together a playlist I'd been thinking of for ages, and just watched the nice scenery go by.
Arrived in Szczecin around 8pm. It was still really light out. This is a kind of gritty harbor town WAY up north, pretty much on the border between Poland and Germany, right on the Baltic Sea. Boy, was it windy and cold! Glad I took my good coat and umbrella. It also rained most of the time I was there, alternating between a light mist and cats and dogs. But I was prepared, so it was all good.
I took a tram to the center of town and found a place to stay, the Hotelik Slowianski. Very cute little red brick building with liquid amber and maple trees outside. It used to be an old police dorm, so the rooms have little kitchen facilities and things. Very high ceilings, nice interior, and my room had a balcony facing St. Adalbert's Church. Not too posh or anything, but fine for a weekend trip- besides, I often prefer these little places that have character over perfect mainstream varieties. I opened the cupboards and in one, found a bottle of bison grass vodka! ^__^
Dropped off my stuff, then went in search of dinner. Not much was open, but I found a 24-kebab place across the street and happily ate there. Made it there just in time, because about 2 minutes later, the rain poured down in fierce torrents. I took my time eating and waited until the rain lessened, then went next door to the Dublin Irish Pub. *Great* place!! Totally reminded me of the pub back home, all dark wood, comfy interior, good decorations, dart boards, a few tables of regulars, good beer. Had a couple pints of Guinness and just enjoyed being there, thought of good friends back home.
After that, I wandered around the block a bit, discovered the main post office. It took up about 2 blocks just by itself- huge!! Looked a bit like the one in Olsztyn, all red, yellow and green brick, very pretty. Again, Warsaw could take some architectural tips from these towns....
On Friday, I spent most of the day just exploring the city. Concert wasn't until 10pm, so I had time. I took trams and walked, and saw the Harbor Gate, the Royal Gate, the Old Town, the Castle of the Dukes of Pomerania, the area down by the docks, a huge park, the mall, all sorts of good stuff. I like Szczecin, but.... the only downside is that they don't seem to believe in street signs. NONE of the buildings had signs, or the roundabouts, or anything. I had to use my "eshu" powers quite a bit ;)
Stopped on a quiet street for a relaxing lunch, had pizza and salad. Then discovered a nifty coffee shop next door- sampled a number of yummy varieties. Discovered a yoga place that listed free yoga sessions in parks across Poland- there's one in Warsaw, in Pole Mokotowskie! I'll have to try that. Passed by a store that sold nothing but angels- little statues, stained glass, pictures, etc. Thought of my best friend's grandma, who adores them. Saw LOTS of very adorable dogs!
Later that afternoon, I had a delicious mocha and some vanilla bean tea in the Brama Jazz Cafe- it was actually inside the royal gate! Very cool little spot. Around 7:30, headed back toward the hotel for dinner at an Indian place called Bombay- very good food, I needed some warmth and spice after a long rainy day. Finished dinner and caught the tram out to the Central Cemetery.
The Cemetery was huge, with a large brick entrance house. We presented our tickets at the gate, then walked down through the paths to a large field with a lake in the middle. The choir was on the opposite side of the lake from the audience. Naval officers stood on platforms in the lake, since the piece was dedicated to those who had not returned from sea. During parts of the performance, they shone blue, white and red lights on the trees surrounding the field. It rained pretty much most of the concert, but we didn't care- we had umbrellas and plastic to sit on.
The concert was lovely. This piece, "Requiem For My Friend" was composed by Zbiegniew Preisner for the director, Krzysztof Kieslowski. I'd first heard it about 10 years ago- a friend sent me a recording. It was a nice opportunity to hear it performed live, and in such a nice setting.
Saturday morning, I woke up, took a few last pictures, enjoyed some bread and espresso in a cafe, then got on the train back to Warsaw. Big mistake- I somehow found myself on one of the local trains, meaning that it stopped in every little town along the way. It took 5.5 hours to get up here, but over 8 to get back. And it was dark, rainy and cold. I finished a Robert Ludlum book, then just listened to music for a while- nothing much else to do. Had some dinner when I got back into town, then went home and crashed.
Woke up Sunday morning, packed my bags again, then met my colleague at the airport for a work trip to Prague. We spent most of Monday and Tuesday meeting with colleagues about work topics, but in the evenings, we explored Prague. Very pretty city, and *big*. A nice mixture of classic and Baroque buildings, statues all over the place (there were 30 on the St. Charles Bridge alone!), interesting clocks and decorations. We saw a royal castle, an enormous cathedral, the "Alchemist's Alley" (I recognized the Chinese character for "gold" on the sign next to that one), Franz Kafka's house, some really pretty houses in a residential area. A lot of the houses have Art Nouveau painting on the outside, birds, motifs, Mucha girls. Really cool.
We walked through the old town, across several bridges, watched the little figures come out from the top of the astronomical clock, had espresso in a cafe with live jazz music, and explored the temples in the old Jewish quarter. Altogether, it was a very nice visit. I can see why so many artists and writers want to live in Prague. And of course, I immediately located the soccer stadium and hockey arena, so I'm all set for Czech sports.
Returned early Wed. morning and went straight back to work. Long trip!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Today is like, the best day ever! I got a lot done at work this morning. Had a fun lunchtime chat with a co-worker; talked about where we're going this weekend. He's going to Torun, I'm going to Szczecin- both fun trips.
After that, I went to a new doctor recommended by a friend. He was really nice, easy to talk to, and filled my prescriptions with no problems. I also discovered a new post office, a new pub and a new entrance to the park. It's so good to be able to go back to the same doctor for all your problems!
After that, I picked up my coat from the dry cleaners'- I had worn it into a *very* smoky pub the night of the Barcelona/Manchester game and it came out pretty bad. Somehow, it still smelled like cigarettes even after I picked it up today, so I don't know how to fix that- they don't seem to have Febreeze over here. Will have to think of something. Ideas?
Took that home, chatted briefly with another friend, then went off to a Polish class- did pretty well! I like the teacher and the lessons- very useful for real life, actually. Today's class was about dealing with taxis and directions. After class, we looked at the map and talked about good places to visit in Poland.
After class, I went up to the post office and successfully mailed a package off to a friend! I managed to get the right form, fill it out correctly, and send the package priority mail. I'm getting better at this, I think! And the guy at the counter was really nice and understanding, and didn't glare at me at all. ^_^
Had some dinner after that, read a couple more stories from "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman". Interesting collection of Murakami's work, I must say... enjoyed dinner thoroughly, and almost the minute my plate was clear, the waiter asked if he could take it away! He asked if I wanted anything else, and when I said "no, thank you", he immediately brought the check- without me saying anything! This *never* happens in Poland. *Never*. I gave him a very nice tip. ^__^
After dinner, I went into the shopping center nearby and picked up needles and thread- the washer has managed to tear apart several pairs of pajamas. I managed to ask for needles and black and blue thread, and the woman asked me what I was doing here, how long I'd be here, and a couple more things.... then she told me that I had beautiful Polish, very well done, and just beamed at me. I was astounded. No one has ever said that to me before! I felt pretty happy- maybe I should go shopping after class more often!
I went downstairs to the grocery store... and discovered that they have every type of meat and cheese created, including yellow cheddar, for not unreasonable prices... soy milk... the nice Irish butter I like... tons of organic food, tons of Asian food... and Rice Dream!! Real Rice Dream! This store truly IS a wonderful place! Unfortunately, I didn't have time to explore it further before they closed, but I managed to get a few things. Will definitely have to go back!
And on the metro ride home, a cute guy sat across from me, smiled, and said hi. Life is good!
After that, I went to a new doctor recommended by a friend. He was really nice, easy to talk to, and filled my prescriptions with no problems. I also discovered a new post office, a new pub and a new entrance to the park. It's so good to be able to go back to the same doctor for all your problems!
After that, I picked up my coat from the dry cleaners'- I had worn it into a *very* smoky pub the night of the Barcelona/Manchester game and it came out pretty bad. Somehow, it still smelled like cigarettes even after I picked it up today, so I don't know how to fix that- they don't seem to have Febreeze over here. Will have to think of something. Ideas?
Took that home, chatted briefly with another friend, then went off to a Polish class- did pretty well! I like the teacher and the lessons- very useful for real life, actually. Today's class was about dealing with taxis and directions. After class, we looked at the map and talked about good places to visit in Poland.
After class, I went up to the post office and successfully mailed a package off to a friend! I managed to get the right form, fill it out correctly, and send the package priority mail. I'm getting better at this, I think! And the guy at the counter was really nice and understanding, and didn't glare at me at all. ^_^
Had some dinner after that, read a couple more stories from "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman". Interesting collection of Murakami's work, I must say... enjoyed dinner thoroughly, and almost the minute my plate was clear, the waiter asked if he could take it away! He asked if I wanted anything else, and when I said "no, thank you", he immediately brought the check- without me saying anything! This *never* happens in Poland. *Never*. I gave him a very nice tip. ^__^
After dinner, I went into the shopping center nearby and picked up needles and thread- the washer has managed to tear apart several pairs of pajamas. I managed to ask for needles and black and blue thread, and the woman asked me what I was doing here, how long I'd be here, and a couple more things.... then she told me that I had beautiful Polish, very well done, and just beamed at me. I was astounded. No one has ever said that to me before! I felt pretty happy- maybe I should go shopping after class more often!
I went downstairs to the grocery store... and discovered that they have every type of meat and cheese created, including yellow cheddar, for not unreasonable prices... soy milk... the nice Irish butter I like... tons of organic food, tons of Asian food... and Rice Dream!! Real Rice Dream! This store truly IS a wonderful place! Unfortunately, I didn't have time to explore it further before they closed, but I managed to get a few things. Will definitely have to go back!
And on the metro ride home, a cute guy sat across from me, smiled, and said hi. Life is good!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Things are perking up, I think. The last three days have been really good. Though, the weather still bites- really cold; extremely windy; and it can be sunny one moment but instantly pouring rain the next. I feel like it's winter already. Like, an hour ago, it was sunny- now it's cloudy and overcast.
Anyway.... the yukky weekend sort of carried over into the week- just more icky, poisoned feelings the first half of the week. I hate feeling like that, so I tried to work through it as quickly as I could. Had a good chat w/my mom on Tuesday, which really helped, then just sort of got over everything on Wed. evening. Best friends are awesome for that. Decided to go out and have fun that night, so I met up with a group of ex-pats here for some beer and conversation. Nice night- ended up meeting and talking to a couple fun girls and three promising guys- one of them works for a Polish brewing company! I got free beer from him. ^_^ Altogether, it was a really nice night, and I went home feeling a lot better, like I hadn't quite "lost my groove", and slept well for the first time in about a week.
Wed. and Thu. were spent at a management training session for work. Usually I hate these things, but this one was truly outstanding. The instructor was fantastic, and I learned *so* much. I think I can apply everything I learned there to both work and life situations. So I'm very glad I went to that. On Thursday, there was an exercise that involved showing groups of people how to do something and getting feedback, that sort of thing. So I taught about 5 people how to introduce themselves in Japanese. They all told me later that they really loved the mini-lesson, and that I was a very good teacher. Maybe this is a hidden talent that I don't know about? I'll have to think about that. It was a lot of fun, though, and at the same time, got me even more excited about going next year with S. I *will* get to Japan soon, darn it! ^_^
Had a very good Polish class on Thursday evening after the training- things seem to be sinking in to this dense brain of mine. I really like the teacher, too- she's very patient and clear in her instruction.
After class, I went home, realized I was hungry, but it was about 8pm and all the shops were closed. So I decided to head out for dinner- pizza at the Catholic place sounded good- they really do have the best pizza in Warsaw! The bus took a strange detour, though, so I got off near Plac Bankowy and looked around. There were throngs of people walking toward the old town area, tons of people out in general. I suddenly realized that it was June 4, Poland's Independence Day. So there were a lot of celebratory events happening. I just sort of wandered around a bit, followed the crowd, got a book about the Independence movement, then finally ended up at pizza. Had a yummy dinner, good ginger tea, read "A Shinagawa Monkey" by Murakami.
The sky this time of year is *odd*. I waited for the bus, and my clock said 8:30pm... but the sky didn't look any darker than maybe 5:00. It says light *really* late these days- until about 9 or so. Then it gets darker. It's kind of disconcerting and cool at the same time. Then it also gets light really early- it was bright and sunny at 5am today.
Took the bus home around 11 and crawled in under my warm down comforter. I should NOT need that in JUNE, but.... I'm glad I have it.
Friday was one of the best days I've ever had. Woke up early, went in for a meeting, then started a true day of vacation. Trekked out to pick up the computer- it was all ready and fixed! Had thought I'd have time to go back home and drop it off first, but I didn't. So I'm glad I grabbed a sweater before I left the house.
Met a friend downtown around noon and together, we took the bus out to the National Library near Pole Mokotowskie. That's a huge park here with pubs, dogs, kids, families- really nifty place to just hang out and people-watch. We wanted to see an exhibit of lithographs in the Japanese style at the library. I'd seen an advertisement for it a while back and I love printing and Japan, so I thought I'd check it out. It was a very small exhibit, but really cool. A professor of printing at Tama Art University sort of discovered a new technique for lithography. Instead of creating the design on stone as usual, he did it on wood- this is called "mukelito". It ended up lending a unique depth and tone to the pieces- they had qualities of both woodcuts and lithographs. And a few looked like photographic collages. We looked at everything and really enjoyed it.
We then checked out the Iluzja film theater- they show older films from all over the world and have very low prices. I'll have to go see one sometime!
We walked through the rest of the library and looked at everything. I looked at the huge card catalogs, the reading rooms, the call number systems, the forms you fill out to request books, the online catalog. Very nice library. My friend speaks Polish, so she talked to the woman at the information desk and I got some very detailed information about how to use the library, how to look up and request books, etc. We then went to the registration desk where I got a library card valid for 2 years- perfect! So I'll be able to come back anytime and enjoy the nice books and films.
We then decided that lunch would be good, so we took the bus out to a fun book-cafe called Kafka, out near the University Library. There are several of these throughout the city- they serve good food and coffee, have events and readings, and here, you can take in books you no longer want and buy new ones for 10zl/kilo! We had a very nice lunch- I had delicious cream of tomato soup and a crepe with ham and bell peppers. It was such a neat, cozy place! I really must go back there.
We walked around the neighborhood and looked at two other similar cafes- Tarabuk and the Gentle Barbarian. I found myself wishing I lived in this part of the city- I guess I can't help being attracted to the university life and culture. I'll just have to return often. We just walked around and chatted, talked about life, books, all sorts of things- such a nice day!
Around 5, she went off to run an errand, and I went to the University Library. SUCH a gorgeous building!!! I soooooooo want to work there. They have a cloakroom, several cafes and restaurants, a little general store, a couple bookstores, and a travel agency. I dumped my stuff off in the cloakroom, went in to the library proper... and managed, in Polish, to get a 2-year university library card all by myself. I felt pretty happy- small steps, right?
This library is indescribably beautiful. Stone walls, metal staircases, all-glass ceiling. This is the place with the garden on top, so people wandering through the garden can look down and see students studying. It is THE most open, spacious, warm, elegant and welcoming place I've been in for ages. I really need to go back and see if they could use any sort of free weekend intern or something. The use the LC system, so that makes things easier- the Nat. Lib. used some sort of accession number system.
After that, we hiked up a hill back to the center of town (I found a shortcut!) and went to Empik for a while. I picked up a couple of new books, then we met another friend for sushi. We just had a delicious dinner and a fun conversation for a few hours- very relaxing! Then we all parted ways, and I came home and went to bed- it had been a long day!
But I'd had a perfect vacation day, just getting out, seeing the city, hanging with friends, being a book nerd. I need more of those days.
I thought about trying to get my hair done today, but that takes a while, and I don't want to be rushed right now. So I think I'll do it after I return from Prague. I've just done a load of laundry, so I think that now, it's time for lunch and a video on my newly-fixed computer!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Anyway.... the yukky weekend sort of carried over into the week- just more icky, poisoned feelings the first half of the week. I hate feeling like that, so I tried to work through it as quickly as I could. Had a good chat w/my mom on Tuesday, which really helped, then just sort of got over everything on Wed. evening. Best friends are awesome for that. Decided to go out and have fun that night, so I met up with a group of ex-pats here for some beer and conversation. Nice night- ended up meeting and talking to a couple fun girls and three promising guys- one of them works for a Polish brewing company! I got free beer from him. ^_^ Altogether, it was a really nice night, and I went home feeling a lot better, like I hadn't quite "lost my groove", and slept well for the first time in about a week.
Wed. and Thu. were spent at a management training session for work. Usually I hate these things, but this one was truly outstanding. The instructor was fantastic, and I learned *so* much. I think I can apply everything I learned there to both work and life situations. So I'm very glad I went to that. On Thursday, there was an exercise that involved showing groups of people how to do something and getting feedback, that sort of thing. So I taught about 5 people how to introduce themselves in Japanese. They all told me later that they really loved the mini-lesson, and that I was a very good teacher. Maybe this is a hidden talent that I don't know about? I'll have to think about that. It was a lot of fun, though, and at the same time, got me even more excited about going next year with S. I *will* get to Japan soon, darn it! ^_^
Had a very good Polish class on Thursday evening after the training- things seem to be sinking in to this dense brain of mine. I really like the teacher, too- she's very patient and clear in her instruction.
After class, I went home, realized I was hungry, but it was about 8pm and all the shops were closed. So I decided to head out for dinner- pizza at the Catholic place sounded good- they really do have the best pizza in Warsaw! The bus took a strange detour, though, so I got off near Plac Bankowy and looked around. There were throngs of people walking toward the old town area, tons of people out in general. I suddenly realized that it was June 4, Poland's Independence Day. So there were a lot of celebratory events happening. I just sort of wandered around a bit, followed the crowd, got a book about the Independence movement, then finally ended up at pizza. Had a yummy dinner, good ginger tea, read "A Shinagawa Monkey" by Murakami.
The sky this time of year is *odd*. I waited for the bus, and my clock said 8:30pm... but the sky didn't look any darker than maybe 5:00. It says light *really* late these days- until about 9 or so. Then it gets darker. It's kind of disconcerting and cool at the same time. Then it also gets light really early- it was bright and sunny at 5am today.
Took the bus home around 11 and crawled in under my warm down comforter. I should NOT need that in JUNE, but.... I'm glad I have it.
Friday was one of the best days I've ever had. Woke up early, went in for a meeting, then started a true day of vacation. Trekked out to pick up the computer- it was all ready and fixed! Had thought I'd have time to go back home and drop it off first, but I didn't. So I'm glad I grabbed a sweater before I left the house.
Met a friend downtown around noon and together, we took the bus out to the National Library near Pole Mokotowskie. That's a huge park here with pubs, dogs, kids, families- really nifty place to just hang out and people-watch. We wanted to see an exhibit of lithographs in the Japanese style at the library. I'd seen an advertisement for it a while back and I love printing and Japan, so I thought I'd check it out. It was a very small exhibit, but really cool. A professor of printing at Tama Art University sort of discovered a new technique for lithography. Instead of creating the design on stone as usual, he did it on wood- this is called "mukelito". It ended up lending a unique depth and tone to the pieces- they had qualities of both woodcuts and lithographs. And a few looked like photographic collages. We looked at everything and really enjoyed it.
We then checked out the Iluzja film theater- they show older films from all over the world and have very low prices. I'll have to go see one sometime!
We walked through the rest of the library and looked at everything. I looked at the huge card catalogs, the reading rooms, the call number systems, the forms you fill out to request books, the online catalog. Very nice library. My friend speaks Polish, so she talked to the woman at the information desk and I got some very detailed information about how to use the library, how to look up and request books, etc. We then went to the registration desk where I got a library card valid for 2 years- perfect! So I'll be able to come back anytime and enjoy the nice books and films.
We then decided that lunch would be good, so we took the bus out to a fun book-cafe called Kafka, out near the University Library. There are several of these throughout the city- they serve good food and coffee, have events and readings, and here, you can take in books you no longer want and buy new ones for 10zl/kilo! We had a very nice lunch- I had delicious cream of tomato soup and a crepe with ham and bell peppers. It was such a neat, cozy place! I really must go back there.
We walked around the neighborhood and looked at two other similar cafes- Tarabuk and the Gentle Barbarian. I found myself wishing I lived in this part of the city- I guess I can't help being attracted to the university life and culture. I'll just have to return often. We just walked around and chatted, talked about life, books, all sorts of things- such a nice day!
Around 5, she went off to run an errand, and I went to the University Library. SUCH a gorgeous building!!! I soooooooo want to work there. They have a cloakroom, several cafes and restaurants, a little general store, a couple bookstores, and a travel agency. I dumped my stuff off in the cloakroom, went in to the library proper... and managed, in Polish, to get a 2-year university library card all by myself. I felt pretty happy- small steps, right?
This library is indescribably beautiful. Stone walls, metal staircases, all-glass ceiling. This is the place with the garden on top, so people wandering through the garden can look down and see students studying. It is THE most open, spacious, warm, elegant and welcoming place I've been in for ages. I really need to go back and see if they could use any sort of free weekend intern or something. The use the LC system, so that makes things easier- the Nat. Lib. used some sort of accession number system.
After that, we hiked up a hill back to the center of town (I found a shortcut!) and went to Empik for a while. I picked up a couple of new books, then we met another friend for sushi. We just had a delicious dinner and a fun conversation for a few hours- very relaxing! Then we all parted ways, and I came home and went to bed- it had been a long day!
But I'd had a perfect vacation day, just getting out, seeing the city, hanging with friends, being a book nerd. I need more of those days.
I thought about trying to get my hair done today, but that takes a while, and I don't want to be rushed right now. So I think I'll do it after I return from Prague. I've just done a load of laundry, so I think that now, it's time for lunch and a video on my newly-fixed computer!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Still raining... you'd think it was September, not June. Makes me homesick, in a way.
Computer is back at the shop. The guy called yesterday after I sent him an email describing the new problem. He said he'd be happy to look at it again at no extra charge. He was very nice and understanding- said he had lived in the States for a while, so he knew all about living in a new place and figuring things out. Even if it takes 90 minutes to get there, it's good to know about a reliable computer repair place here!
Still getting over the cold, so I don't feel entirely myself yet. And for some reason, I've just been tense, anxious and stressed the last several days. Not sure what it is- work, weather, other stuff? Who knows. Haven't been able to sleep very well the last few nights- went to bed early, but just couldn't get to sleep, or kept waking up every hour or so. Odd dreams, too. Is there a new/full moon I don't know about, or some global icky karma floating around?
Computer is back at the shop. The guy called yesterday after I sent him an email describing the new problem. He said he'd be happy to look at it again at no extra charge. He was very nice and understanding- said he had lived in the States for a while, so he knew all about living in a new place and figuring things out. Even if it takes 90 minutes to get there, it's good to know about a reliable computer repair place here!
Still getting over the cold, so I don't feel entirely myself yet. And for some reason, I've just been tense, anxious and stressed the last several days. Not sure what it is- work, weather, other stuff? Who knows. Haven't been able to sleep very well the last few nights- went to bed early, but just couldn't get to sleep, or kept waking up every hour or so. Odd dreams, too. Is there a new/full moon I don't know about, or some global icky karma floating around?
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