so sorry... please forgive...

I just realized what is the source of my "unfunness" phase I'm going through. Yes, the answer is very simple: POLITICS!!!

Ever since I began psychology, I suddenly have gotten interested into what is going on in our government. I came to the conclusion, that it's best to know when to flee. Or take action, or whatever. For the past few years, the political scene in Poland has been some kind of a poor-class comedy, cabaret, or... something... Since October 2005, I don't recall it ever being calm, in fact our new government seems to be concentrating only on the past issues and on getting rid of others they believe to be evil. Yes, you got it: not bad, not harmful: evil. E-V-I-L. I believe that sometime about two weeks ago, I seriously started to consider my emigrant future. The thing is: there is a difference between fun and grotesque... and grotesque is where our Polish politics are now at. Scary...

No wonder my inspiration has been lost... No wonder it ran away. Also, I went to my travel agency two days ago, to get an early reservation for a flight to the US by the end of June. Last year I went there in the mid-April and found something cheap. This year, in the mid-February... nada. I was expected to pay big... and fast. Usually, I like to call a search party around town. In this case, it wouldn't even be unrealistically optimistic to suddenly find 1000$... that would be pure insane... and stupid :).

Great... now I can't even run away for vacation... :D

So this was my self-analysis. One more sip of coffee and away we go!

Smile!!!

Well, it's official: winter in Poland is over!
Goodbye snow. Didn't make it with my snowman plan. Again. Next time, I'll decide to flunk one of my finals, just to make sure I finally play with the snow a little. Goodbye freezing temperatures, I'm not sad you didn't haunt me, yet I hope next winter you will help me wake up in the mornings, when it's dark, just so I will feel cold enough to close the window (and start the day, not snooze it up like this year...). I'm pretty sure all the farmers curse you for being a bad visitor this season. Goodbye ... wait, that's it. All the rest stays: gray skies, slippery ground, dark mornings, heavy pressure, strong and impossible-to-breathe-with wind... oh shoot...

So along comes the time of season when winter's behind us, but it's not yet spring. In Polish this is called przedwiośnie, meaning pre-spring, or before-spring. And where's the best place to start looking for fun? I can't guarantee this will work this year; anyone familiar with United Nation's announcement today? Yeah... there you go... But this worked in previous years, maybe it will be just as good this time.

My favorite first sign of the coming spring is the warm breeze, comparing to the mega-cold winter hair-killer. The energy it brings makes me simply drop the idea of taking a bus and I decide to walk my way through. I think of the flowers that will soon be blooming, and the sole thought of that makes me smile. And that's the starting point of funhaving. If you want to begin in anything, you gotta get into the right mood. The truth is: you can't even begin to have a good time unless you let the "funness" in, and you won't let it in if you can't put that smile on your face. Do that, and the rest will come much easier.

When I think spring, I think of wanting to run, jump all around and sing. Ever tried singing while walking in town? I know very few people who do that, counting me. I used to skip around as well. But now that it got slippery I'm saving that for another time. The thing is: why not just enjoy the day as it is, for no specific reason? Is it that "childish" to simply be happy, smile to others and wish them a nice day? I used to think Poland is the land of grumps. Can you imagine how shocked I was to see people respond to a simple silly small talk? You'd be surprised. And THAT gives you fun, AND make a day seem like it couldn't be better.

Yes, I am serious. These are the basics!

hide and seek?

I'll tell you another story about Poland

Last year, they say it was the coldest winter for something like 20, 30 years? Well, everyone was upset, I remember. It wasn't as cold as perhaps in New York last year, but I remember everyone blaming everything on the cold... And I recall being so frustrated with everyone complaining about the good-for-nothing-coldest-ever winter of 2005/2006. Because you know what was great? Snow. There was tons of it, and it even took over a month for the snow in Warsaw to turn black, unlike the usual time - within a week. The only bad part about it was that it wasn't the kind of snow you could use to make snowmen, really... So basically, everyone decided that last winter was by far the worst. Hell, if I was winter, I'd take it personally too. This year, there is no winter at all. It's almost the end of January and it's still above zero Celsius... and... no snow whatsoever. And guess what people are saying this year? :)

The only snow I had was in November on our National Holiday (1st of Nov.), and when the building next to mine was being covered in packing foam. Only that doesn't melt... what a mess!

Anyone care to join a search party?

seek and count

The rules are simple

Think of an object that is everywhere... and yet still countable. And... count. Better yet, compete with somebody.

Still not clear? I'll tell you a little about Poland then...

Once upon a time, long ago, so long the newborns shall never know, in the silly year 2004... or was it 2003... (?) ... to see a police officer were there was no trouble was very rare. Not that you'd see them anyway; to see a police officer were there was trouble indeed was even the more spectacular. The only place the sight of a police officer would not shock you was the Warsaw Main Station. No comments. The last place I remember to expect a single officer was the street I lived in. Too much work, you know?

One day, Warsaw had learnt that there would be an important something something, and so it was necessary to have lots and lots of patrols, for some time at least. Well, the view of all the many police officers everywhere was striking enough, he started to count them. But then again, he always liked to count things... he once told me that long before I can remember, there were no satellite dishes, especially in Poland. So one day they appeared, and he himself being an 8-year-old or so felt obliged to count them all. Mind you, I think that was still in the communist times...

The next day, I was off to school for a single lesson of French. Usually, I simply take a bus... but there was so much traffic and confusion I decided to go on foot. I walked for half an hour or so, and with my own index finger of my right hand, I counted 523 police officers, plus an unknown digit of them in 3 vehicles. Now... imagine my brother, the master of counting, learning I beat his previous day's record of about 200. Damn! Next thing I knew we were both walking Al. Jana Pawła II (an important street in Warsaw), competing. He counted whatever he could find on the left side of the street, I counted the right side. I believe I won again...

Last month it was Christmas, right? The only thing in Warsaw that could help you know it was that time of the year were the decorative Christmas trees. I counted those on Christmas Eve... only that feels a little perverse... the best way to count is by looking into other people homes through their windows... hehe...

Just one more tip from me: be careful! If you are counting while on a walk, you may sometimes wonder if a certain position has been counted already or not... don't count too far in advance! And if you happen to count while in a vehicle, you might get dizzy... and if you happen to be the one driving: don't be stupid, for crying out loud! Stop counting!

... my brother is going to kill me once he finds out I'm selling this idea to public...