just to verify that i am not making this up - go and check it out here. this poor iguana has had to have his penis chopped off. medical issues man!! suffering from a permanent erection has made it difficult for him to walk.
alas - am sure there are many who might wish to be in his claws
the year 7s are making mobiles of the roman gods using wire hangers. they keep calling out asking for wire hangers. i am at my desk giggling cause running repeatedly through my head is "NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!!!!" yep that riveting faye dunaway performance with massively weird eyebrows and cold cream (on the face i cant even remember the name of the actress its all about.) from Mommy Dearest. but feel like jumping on my desk andshouting it out loud while brandishing one in my hand. understand (of course) as an homage to a deliciously crazy and over the top performance. hasnt been anything like it in ages - but i realize the kiddies would be really scared and totally not get my reference also would have parents calling like mad - so i leave you imagining it.
sorry again for being m.i.a but been a bit busy. end of semester means lots of exams and grading and blah blah blah. its too boring to go into and massively unenjoyable. am looking forward to the long weekend at the end of this trying period.
also been trying to get my wits but i fear they may be way long gone.
1. after living in this apt for almost 2 months. i still dont know where the trash thing is. i have a key that i have tried on many doors in the building to no avail. was a bit scared when i was trying the key in the doors thing cause what if someone caught me at their door wiggling something in the lock and thought i was trying to break into their apt. i even tried some doors outside but then i just looked like the crazy foreign lady ramdomly trying to break into doors. so i let that one alone
when i moved in, the girl told me that the trash place was somewhere around back. but, alas, i am unable to find this magical place. i started leaving by trash by where i thought the trash place would be if the cloaking/ invisibility device was off. it worked because the trash seemed to magically be disappearing but then one day an old lady hanging out on a balcony in a neighboring building started shouting things at me (i didnt really understand). i attempted to ask her the location of the alleged trash place but she just gestured wildly, frothing at the mouth (slight exaggeration) and threatened (she really did) to call the police on me.
it seems to me that there is ALWAYS an old lady hanging out on a balcony somewhere, minding your business and threatening to call the cops (lesson learned from various tv shows - good education it seems).
i dont know what is up with this building but i have yet to meet a neighbor therefore i am unable to ask. sometimes i see the trash cans all lined up (silently mocking me) so the garbage trucks can empty them but before i know it, they disappear into the trash ether - never to be used by me. so i now walk a block to a dumpster. woe is me.
go here for a truly awesome video that will leave you smiling
song is sweep the leg by some band from somewhere. its about the bad mean dude johnny who tortured our favorite karate kid in the first (best) movie.
the song isnt so good but wow what a video. Lots of nostalgia for those of us who did some growing up in the 80s. features the actual dude who played johnny, mr belding (from saved by the bell) and the mean (no zen having and therefore missing the point of karate in contrast to mr miyagi) karate teacher who leads johnny and other unfortunate boys down the wrong path to losing to a totally wimpy and malnourished looking 25 year old playing the part of of a 15 year old. you know its good. also has references to raising arizona (excellent, hilarious and one of the best Nick Cage movies) and kung fu hustle (also lovely. funny with awesome and fantastical fight scenes)
it was an absolutely gorgeous day. you know - one of those with a brilliant blue sky and so sunny it almost felt like summer. then the sun set and it turned cold cold cold.
am needing to get home and i go the tram stop awaiting my chariot home. there are e2 lines that pass by my house that also stop at this station. no worries right? get one easily and be home in like 10 minutes. sadly i was mistaken as i apparently had done something to offend the tram gods and decided to punish me and have some fun at my expense.
because the day had been so lovely, i left with sunglasses and a light jacket but without gloves or ear cover thingies - to my detriment. i read as i wait for the tram. lookup and i see one of my trams speeding off. apparently i was so engrossed in the book that i didnt hear the tram arrive and do its thang.
its okay - i can still kinda feel my fingers. another one should be coming shortly. eagle eye trained on my book and one in the approaching trams. when it arrives, i go to the door and politely wait for the people to get off. just as the doorway has cleared, i raise my foot to board, only to have the doors snap and my face quickly (if my nose was bigger i would be needing a prosthetic) and hurriedly pull away. i can only guess that the tram driver didnt like the look of me or had a severe case of diarrhea and was trying to finish his shift quickly.
so i wait some more. the next one comes right on top of one i wasnt taking. it stops pretty far back, not even at the stop. i wait for it to reach me, where ive been standing anxiously and for way too long, only to have it keep going. guess that driver decided that he didnt want to stop again just to let passengers on.
more waiting and another comes. i run up to it, push some old ladies out of my way and hop on.
i should have walked home. lesson only partially learned cause you know i'm gonna be waiting at that same stop again sometime soon.
today was a perfect sunday. i hooked up with some friends at cismigu (chishmigu) park for a stroll. it was sunny and pretty warm. buchurest has some wonderful and well-maintained parks with smooth and clear paths and landscaped. it was like a great spring day except for the whole its the middle of winter thing so the trees were bare. theres a lake and a portion of it has been turned into a skating rink. there were loads of people eating popcorn and cotton candy, sitting on the benches, enjoying a beautiful winters day. after enjoying the park we went to my new favorite cafe - at least for the winter. as the sun started to dip and temps became a bit cooler, we went to this cafe for hot chocolate.
only downer was the whole 'its a sunday and i have to work tomorrow' - sigh
i am not a big hot chocolate fan but this is like the most beautiful stuff on earth. its not the powder and milk stuff but actual chocolate that has been melted with a bit of milk. it was thick and sweet and gorgeous. perfect for a chill evening.
its been a week since i had to back to work. it was totally hellacious after almost 3 weeks of doing nothing at no specific time but what i felt like. work was a rude awakening. hence no posts. i had no energy left to write anything and pretty much any excuse to not do something is a good one. i know i have pictures and stuff to include and am girding ( i love this word. Aeneas did it alot when ever he was like gonna kill people or talk to the gods or something. but it is not about wearing a girdle cause those suck) myself to do so.
while i am preparing el pictures and doing all that girding, here are some bands been listening to. pretty good stuff for now. they may spoil like uberfatty milk. only time will tell.
regina spektor - singer/songwriter with somewhat eclectic music. lovely voice.
mew - listen to the zookeepers boy. i especially love that one. music is lovely and lyrics are unintelligible. theres something about an ostrich - what more can you want from danes singing in english.
todd snider - i guess its alt country but these categories are damn hard to define anyway. they just seem to put alt in front of anything that doesnt neatly fit into one.
okay, my butt hurts so i must stop typing and return to my procrastination - though i just read an article about a psych study that was done on this problem - or as some of us refer to it - a way of life
laters
okay - i found this and it was pretty cool. with it i celebrate unrepentantly my love of r.e.m. some of the best music ever even if the lyrics are often unintelligible and dont make sense. michael stipes voice isnt all that good but its beautiful. the music lasts and isnt crap after a few listens. every album isnt good but each and every one has some greatness to it, which is why i keep buying. nothing so sad to me as when i have to let a band go. so its Michael Stipe's birthday and here are some videos of duets and other performances. my faves are the ones with bruce springsteen of course.
hi y'all after a long and restful period, i am back. gotta go back to work on monday so today, i update. been off on holiday - relaxing and enjoying myself.
xmas was good and kinda interesting here. its was kinda funny with people on the wrestling live christmas trees onto trams, but the trams smelled nice. it was weird cause everything was open. trams and other transport ran and some shops were open. xmas eve was like a regular day - i had a tree this year for the first time in forever - it is small, already decorated, and a gift. it will be up for the next six months - helping me maintain my cheer.
there were random parades in my street. i think they were church related. drums, lots of drums and whistles. the neighborhood dogs joined in, expressing their xmas joy. i had carolers and they were awesome. they sang traditional romanian songs and they were all men. they had these wonderful voices - kinda like a barbershop quartet but better and deeper.
i had dinner with some friends - it lasted for about 7 hours. lots of courses and stuff. periodically we were carolled by children in the building. kinda like trick or treating but with singing. in the spirit of the season, i thought it was cute. but if they did this at any other time of the year, i would be most unhappy.
and to top it off it snowed. near midnight it started snowing it. it was really cool. can't remember the last time i had a white christmas.
pictures of other stuff will be coming. - you hope.
