my new swimming pool

after scouting out many of the thermal baths and swimming pools throughout budapest and surrounding areas, i think i have found my favorite--Széchenyi fürdo. It is not over the top touristy, and it's a good mix of indoor and outdoor (which they keep open all year round) swimming facilities and thermal baths. Today i braved the cold weather, gray skies and drizzle, the kind of day that typically makes me want to hide under the covers and read all day, but i ventured to the pool with my new swim cap in hand. First I swam in the outside lap pool (see photo above) with my new red and blue swim cap, looking quite marvelous and swimming quite fast I must say. Unfortunately the length of the lap pool is much longer than Mom and Dad's or the pool at Duke, so I did not have the opportunity to push off the walls every fifth stroke. Actually, because the ends of the pools are steps I had NO opportunity to push off. Oh well, whatever hurts you only makes you stronger, right--and at least i had my aerodynamic (or is that hydrodynamic?) swim cap on.


After the swim i jumped into the warm thermal bath.

once i bone up on my chess skills, master the Danish Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3) and gather all of the kahunas that i have, I plan on challenging the guy in the yellow cap.

If you want to watch a quick little film (45 seconds or so) of the pool, click below. I didnt put any witty, or otherwise, audio with it, next time i make a film ill work on that---just starting to figure out all of this techie stuff out, uploading onto the site etc.

Széchenyi Fürdo

It may take a couple of minutes to download from the site. More exciting film clips to come......i feel the blossoming of my independent film making career.

Diary of Daily Dilemmas Part 2

If you remember a couple of weeks back I started a diary of problems that I was running into regarding my flat, my clothes, my personal life etc. I have a new one to add---my trumpet playing neighbor. Now this isnt sweet Jeanette of my previous blog, this is some kid perhaps, based on the level of his or her trumpet playing, but Im not sure. Because the apartment building design is somewhat convoluted, I cant tell who in fact is tooting their horn at 7 in the morning. As some of you may know, Im not so pleasant when I am awakened at 7am.

Here is a sound clip if you want to listen, keep in mind this was recorded in my bedroom, NOT in the room in which he or she is playing. I think he/she might have a friend over, as it sounds like there is more than one horn.

(For those of you that arent that familiar with computers, you may get a pop-up menu when you click on the link below that asks to open the file in a software program (e.g., RealPlayer). Click OK and you should be able to hear the file):

My Next Door Neighbor/Trumpeter from H*ll

any suggestions on how to deal with this tone-deaf tooter?

My Neighbor

Meet my neighbor, Jeannette. She and her Hungarian husband, Joseph, live down the hall from me. While they live in Boca Raton, Florida for most of the year, they are now renting in Budapest to escape the heat and hurricanes of Florida. Jeanette, a native English speaker, yells in English to Joseph, a rather rotund, 70ish and somewhat scantily clad Hungarian (from what i can tell boxers sans t-shirt is the preferred outfit). Joseph yells and grumbles back at her in his native Hungarian. I havent figured out if they really understand each other, but I guess at this point it probably doesn't matter. Jeannette and I speak about every day, although the conversations rarely, if ever, depart from two central topics: (1) her teeth (she has had multiple teeth removed in Hungary and as of today has a new bridge); (2) impending hurricanes in Florida and her philosophies of why they are occurring (too much partying before the Lords Day (Ash Wednesday). I know more about Hungarian dental practices then I ever dreamed that one could know---and am considering opening up my own private practice in my sitting room. Fortunately, Jeannette keeps an eye out on my flat for me and informs me of all of the comings and goings around my flat, who has stopped by, what they were wearing and why they were visiting. It's as if I have my own private security guard that I don't even have to pay (except in salt or herbs when she has run out). If only she could help me keep track of my things inside my flat, such as where I put my parmasan cheese (recently bought from the fancy cheese shop down the street, and it cost me 4 bucks)--she might be really useful. They will be departing at the end of October for the warmth of the Florida sun---and I have to say they will be sorely missed.

Don't Drink Duck Blood: Asian Bird Flu in Romania

"The Birds, the Birds!!" jackson 10.17.2005

As the virulent H5N1 strain of Asian Bird Flu has been detected in some ducks and chickens in Romania, sales of chickens throughout Hungary have plummeted. In response to the fall in sales, the Minister of Agriculture Jozsef Graf munched on a leg of chicken Friday at a downtown food market to allay any fears about eating the cooked bird. However, warnings have gone out to cease and desist the drinking of duck blood, although drinking Bull's Blood ( Egri Bikavér) is still highly encouraged.

Asian Bird Flu Tracker: EU Declares Bird Flu a Global Threat, while the World Health Organization confirms that there is not an increased risk of a pandemic flu. Hmmmm.

UPDATE: A parrot in the UK has died due to the Asian Bird Flu, while
six swans in Croatia perished as well. On the island of Chios, Greece, a turkey succombed to the disease.

STOCK TIP: Buy stock in company that makes these:











http://www.bird-flu-masks.co.uk/

Budapest Carnival of Cultures

As the temperatures begin to dip below 40 F at night and the sycamore leaves begin to brown and drop to the ground along Andrassy ut, it was time to celebrate the fall season at the Budapesti light fields festival. An excellent opportunity for me to don my orange ski cap, hangout with some friends (ashlin, margit, (fulbrighters), gabi (med student) and some random israelis) listen to a Hungarian Eminem impersonator and to dance displaying all of my newly Euro-acquired techno dance skills, while sipping a mug of warm mulled wine and eating fatty grilled Szerbian sausage. The festival was designed to recognize and celebrate the minorities present in Hungary. Raypainting by Hungarian artists Dóra Berkes and Péter Kozma (http://www.raypainting.com/fm_en.htm)

Quite similar to many of the cultural festivals I have attended throughout the midwest and North Carolina, stands of food from different countries (my favorite being the naan and tandoori chicken from the Indian stand), bands, djs, kids skateboarding, old ladies in scarves with little dogs chatting. However, the one very unique twist, and centerpiece of the festival, is what they called RayPainting (a takeoff on spraypainting perhaps). Through the use of spotlights, an abstract painting (painted on a glass slide), was projected (via spotlights) unto a block-long set of buildings. The colors were absolutely brilliant and the dimensionality of painting and the buildings were phenomenol. These pictures dont do it justice. The originality of this festival gave me the idea that it would be fascinating to do a round the world tour of all seasonal festivals, conduct a socio-cultural comparison and document them via photographs and a book. Okay, im sure it has been done many times over, but it would be a great way to spend a year, wouldnt it?


The Raypainting weekend and festival were sponsored by the Alliance of Free Democrats in Hungary (Szabad Demokratak Szovetsege, the liberal party in Hungary). Perhaps the leaders of the Democratic Party in the states (whomever they are currently???) should consider hiring Dora and Péter to shine a bit of light and add some creativity to their stagnant political party.

October 15th, 1944

October 15th marked the anniversary of the 1944 Hungarian Arrow Cross Party (Nyilaskeresztes Part Hungarista Mozgalom) regime takeover, the anti-semitic, pro-German, fascist party of the 1940s. The Arrow Cross Party was responsible for the deportation of approximately 80,000 Jews to concentration camps. In addition, the Arrow Cross militia was responsible for many deaths along the Danube River. This relatively new memorial of sixty pairs of iron shoes recognizes those that were shot from the banks of the Danube by the militia.