Bibliodyssey

this is like one of the coolest things ever. This dude(?) finds old plates and rawings from books long faded into obscurity and makes them available again and links to the full text sources. BibliOdyssey

amazing photographs

visit some amazing photographs by this photographer based in asia who was in Burma right before the cyclone

voting

just like y'all in the states, its also voting time here in bucharest. cause am all knowledgeable - all i can make out are that there are some parties - they are yellow, orange, green, and red. they must have names but am far too knowledgeable to figure that out (there are a lot of acronyms and that's hard work!). bucharest is divided into 6 sectors, each with its own mayor, and there is one for the whole city. so theres a lot of this campaigning and leaflet giving and such.

the campaign style here is a bit different. was subjected to a commercial for a yellow dude at the movies as part of the preview for Iron Man. you will also find flatbed trucks with mounted speakers driving down some of the major residential roads, blaring music and the names of their people. but the kicker is the truck also has cheerleader type people on it in short shorts and tight shirts. you know, to get the issues across so you can make an informed decision when voting.

now the only ones who approach me are members of the green party. i figure they must be desperate because, one look at me lets you know that i cant vote. but still they will give me leaflets and a gift. the leaflet, in addition to letting me know this party will free us from the communists who have been running the country despite the revolution, has on the back the football playing schedule - something useful. i also received matches, again useful stuff.
i cant help but realize though that the other colors give out lighters.

totally random

just came from a christening - was a great experience - more on that later. but at the restaurant (which was part of a hotel) where the after dunking party was held had a tv on. sound as off cause music was blaring, but there was a steven segal movie on. he is one of the greatest (if you define this to a very narrow definition) actors ever. remembered the joy i used to get as a kid watching his movies and him kicking but and providing soulful (again, with limitations) insights to the human condition. mostly i loved the fighting and that the good guys always won. he shoots alot of movies in romania (mostly cause he's like fat and cant fight anymore and they all go straight to video). so anyway, not this weekend (am going to sibiu) or next next weekend (gotta give myself time to amass them) am gonna have a weekend of culture (limited) with a marathon of steven segal movies. maybe they will pass the test of time.

on being a terrorist

a couple of weekends ago as part of my easter (orthodox) holiday (or as the person who made up my school calendar calls it, eastern easter) i spent a couple of days in the UK.

when i first got of the plane, i thought SWEET! as the line for non EU passports was only 3 people deep. but alas, my joy was not to last as my actually going thru passport control was a little long.

dude (i have a special name for him in my head) passes my passport through then proceeds to ask me questions, what am i doing there? how long will i be staying? where will i be staying? etc. now usually, an american passport holder does not receive these questions and wanting of minute accounting of ones holiday plans. before the UK, i visited some friends in the netherlands and it was a wave on through.

He's getting snotty with me and asks for proof that i will be leaving the UK (like i want to illegally enter and stay in one of the most crazy expensive countries). i give him my flight info to return home, then its more questions asking for my romanian id and activities there (surprised he didnt ask about my ovulation schedule). then i am asked to wait to the side while a supervisor comes and speaks to me.

finally we get to the meat of it. this guy never comes out and says it, but its the terrorism survey, apparently because i had some many stamps from the middle east (that part he says). am all thinking, hmmm. . my people (haitians - which is says in my passport) would not make the best terrorists since most of us carry the lateness gene.

I think he took one look at me and thought maybe i decided to find my roots in the motherland or something. i can barely practice the religion ive got, let alone, during my time in the middle east, to have converted to a religion that requires so much work of a practitioner. 1 year is like over 40 lifetimes of regular (as i define it) church attendance.

after answering a number of carefully nuanced (my buttocks!) questions i was allowed to enter the country to visit museums and buy art supplies.