The One With Either A Good Deed Or Something Like It

An old lady came to me at the library and asked if I had some time to spare.
I automatically said no, thinking she wanted to give me speech about either God or politics, or maybe hand me some leaflets, or something similar.
But then she specified that she was looking for someone to help her finish an official letter that she needed for court; she had a pendrive where the draft document had already been stored; she had a ton of handwritten notes, official letters etc. and she wanted some paragraphs to be added to the document. She knew where the library computer room was (I didn't) and that you could use a computer there to work and print the results, as she had done before with - I assumed - help of some other kind soul.
It felt pretty weird spending an hour with a strange old lady who knew computers and pendrives and such, but still looked like all that technology was kind of magic for her, so she used it as a black box and needed someone to operate it for her.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Chance Encounter

Obywatel (The Citizen)

My 6-year-old niece is great at the memo game and beats everybody at it.
The Citizen is like that game. The director shows you a piece and requires you to remember every little detail of it; then, some time later, you are given another piece and required to recall that previous one. If you fail, you won't get your prize, which is the satisfaction of getting the story - the connections, the true motivations - right, and instead of a coherent plot, you may end up with a set of ill-fitted, though still funny, puzzle elements. Moreover, it takes some national and personal self-distance to appreciate the film, since - while staying witty and humorous - it is often exaggerated, reflected in a distorting mirror, and I guess not everybody may like what they see in that mirror.

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You have probably heard that U2 published a new album. What you might not have heard is that the deluxe edition of that album contains bonus tracks and alternative versions of the original songs. And - as is always the case with U2's B-sides - it's a treasure.
This one is not my favourite from the set of Songs of Innocence - but it's the one that, in my opinion, gains most when listened to in the acoustic version:

Stay tuned.

The One With More Of The Capital City Than Just The National Stadium

Last Sunday there was the Warsaw marathon - took me 4:44 to finish. I have to admit I did not do my best; it could have gone better, but somehow I lacked motivation. Or maybe it was the early hour (a marathon starting at 9 am means that you have to get up around 6 am in order to be able to eat properly before the run). Or maybe insufficient amount of trainings. Well, probably all that.

Some observations:

• great route
• great weather (got tanned)
• perfect overall organisation
• finishing at the national stadium is a nice touch
• such an early start decreases the amount of supporters significantly - the streets were almost completely empty (at least in the first hour)
• having a national tv cameraman following you in a car for the last 10 kilometres can give you a boost you need

That's it for this year. Next year I'm planning to complete the Crown of the Polish Marathons, which means visiting Wrocław and Poznań.

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Apart from the marathon. I have mixed feelings about Warsaw. There are some nice places there, but one so distant from the other. The city seems too big and designed for cars, not for people.

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At the Manekin restaurant:

I'm sorry, I have always been bad at math - could you help me...? [with calculating the change]

Good thing those pancakes were really that tasty and I was that tired and hungry after the marathon... Otherwise I wouldn't have stand the long waiting line, the even longer meal preparation waiting time, the messed-up order and the waitress who wasn't able to hold a plate, let alone to subtract some numbers.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Guests

We're at your door - will you let us in?

That is what I have been missing most while living in Wieliczka (which - as everybody knows - lies at the end of the world, so nobody even bothers to think about dropping by unannounced)

And when finally somebody actually pays an unexpected visit (even if just for half an hour) it is when I am about to move out...

Stay tuned.

The One With The Vanishing Cream

Over the years a few [important] people vanished from my life. Usually the process was gradual - except for one case when I was directly told that I was not a welcome company any more.
Today a question arose whether it is better to be silently ignored or to be told to your face that somebody is tired of you. And the opinion was that it is easier to swallow that bitter pill if it is served delicately, just a hint, something given to understand between the lines.
I do not agree. When a friend let me know me that he did not want to continue the acquaintance I spent one evening crying, I drank a bottle of wine, and - eventually - I got over it. But when someone simply fades away you can never be sure whether it's because of lack of time, or because they do not care so much, or they really do not see that something is cracking here; or it's actually you. You do not know, you can never be certain - but you have hope... and that hope is killing you.
So - no, thank you for trying to spare my feelings. I prefer the clear cut.

From a favourite childhood cartoon - one of many.
And one of many I have never stopped watching.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Fish

I've got wonderful Friends and I know it.

Turns out, however, that I've got more of them then I thought I had. It's so heartwarming.

Stay tuned.

The One Effective Immediately

I thought I had a lot to do. I thought that finding time for running, dancing, playing the guitar, and for all my other hobbies (e.g. managing to keep up with my book challange), spending time with my loved ones, staying in touch with my friends, visiting my family on regular basis, studying and working simultaneously, trying to improve my English and other skills, catching some decent amount of sleep every night, and struggling to stay sane at the same time - I thought all that was quite enough for one person.
Well, I was wrong. You can do better. You can require more from yourself. You can find more time. You can make more time. Or at least you can try - but try really hard. As long as you believe and feel passionate.

So, I am going to try to be like Ela, my hero(ine) of the day.
The resolution becomes effective immediately.

Stay tuned.

The One Where There Is Definitely Something Wrong Either With Me Or All The Other People. Or Both.

You look mad.

You look angry.

You look pissed-off.

This is what I keep hearing from people. From people who have know me for a while and should have known better. Cause lonely, sad or misunderstood would be more accurate to describe what I feel like when they think I am boiling with fury.
The funny thing is they never (with one exception so far) tell me that - I always get to know post factum and from somebody else. And then, each and every time, I ask myself what it is that is so wrong with me; and I promise to myself that I will never, ever let myself believe in people again. Or in myself. Or both.

Stay tuned.

The Happy One

The look of sheer joy on your friend's face - priceless.

I remember exactly the last time someone told me I had that look on my face. I just got out of a metro station and was heading for the beach at the Amager Island (just a few stops from the Copenhagen city centre).
I had been there already and knew what to expect: a beach - a real, sandy, windy-as-hell beach, with dunes - in a city!! And the sea... I remember thinking that the Baltic Sea was bluer on the other side. I'd never thought I would fall in love with a sea - I had always been into the mountains - but somehow it got me.
So I decided to take my friends there. And while we were walking from the station - already smelling, hearing and feeling the sea - they said I looked like a child who had just been told that all the presents at the Christmas tree are for them.



Stay tuned.

The One With Total Confusion

I remember that once, when I was a little girl, I was playing with two friends. Suddenly, one of them told me to go away, she told me I had behaved impolitely to the other one so I would not be allowed to play with them any more.
I was totally confused, not aware what my crime was. I headed home and when I got back my Mom saw me and instantly asked what was wrong. I burst into tears and mumbled that nobody liked me.

Today, I have experienced a replay of that situation.

Stay tuned.

The One Where New Neighbours Make Your Day

I got up in the morning and headed for the bathroom. In there I heard music - not surprising, since bathroom is always the place where you get to know what is going at your neighbours'. At first, I thought the music was disco polo... Only after a while I figured it out - they were Christmas carols!

Stay tuned.

The One With Too Many Kings And Queens, And One Princess Short

Today I have encountered a man who does not know The Princess and the Pea.
The name Hans Christian Andersen gave him no clue.
Sad.

Stay tuned.

The One Where Karo Listens In Disbelief

It's been a year now. So it's either time to get hitched or to go our own ways.

Agreed.
Well, depending on a situation - up to two years.

I've got used to being together, though. It's easier to stay this way than to try and find someone new.

WTF??
I mean, seriously, wtf? Most people act like this, but that's because they are not aware they live their lives out of habit. But if a person can consciously state such opinion and they still want to act this way - well, there's something wrong here. And sad.

Stay tuned.

The One On The Bench

Talking to a girl who - with regard to the hunger for books - seemed like a young me. Only less reticent. Much less.

Girl: Did C.S. Lewis get a Nobel Prize?
Karo: Did he? The Nobel Prize in Literature?
Girl: I don't know. But if he didn't - he should have. He was a genius!

Stay tuned.

The One With The Mountain That Wasn't There

My quest to familiarise with Japanese culture subtly advances.

I visited Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology. Current exhibition comprises a number of colour woodblock prints by artists Hokusai and Hiroshige, from the Feliks Manggha Jasieński's own collection.

You have probably seen this one somewhere:

In general, the fun was to actually find the Fuji Mountain in the picture. And not only in the original prints but also in some less canonical representations and modern works, variations on the theme. Only then you could focus on the picture as a whole.

Something less obvious here:

But my absolutely personal favourite was the one depicting some fishermen at the sea and heavy clouds in the sky - there was no mountain, though... The description below gave an explanation and read something like this: Due to rainy and foggy weather you cannot observe the mountain itself. It was there - you simply could not see it.

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Recently, I have learnt a couple of interesting Japan-related details.
The Japanese people do not swear - at least not as we, Western people, understand swearing. That I can imagine.
What is totally incomprehensible for me, however, is the fact that they do not know the idea of grotesque. The point is they did not have their own Aristotle with his decorum to tell them what was adequate and what was not, which combinations were suitable and which would be unbecoming. As a consequence, they did not learn that certain things do not go together and so they mix all sort of styles with various content as it pleases them.
Curiouser and curiouser.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Human Genome

I came across an interesting questionnaire: GenomEthics.

It's a new research project to explore how researchers and others share results from genome studies.
Taking part in a 'whole genome study' will often involve the analysis of all 20,000+ genes. Although the scientists might be trying to find the genetic basis of one disease, e.g. breast cancer, by virtue of looking across all genes in one go, they might uncover an increased risk of developing something else, e.g. Alzheimer's. The volunteer who provided their sample for genomic research might be interested in this information. It hasn't been routine practice to share this, but should it be?

That is a trully interesting question. And a bit disturbing.

Observation #1: this is how you make public consultation.
Although the survey concerns genome research, it is simple, instructive and educational, available to everyone who might be interested.

Observation #2: Gattaca-like reality is not that far away.
Actually, it feels quite imminent. But it's a good thing some people think ahead and do this public consultation, ask other people what they think and make us consider consequences of running that kind of research and getting some serious results. Personally, I find it morally and ethically challenging.

So if you would like to contribute and could spare 10-20 minutes, please, fill in the questionnaire.

And by the way, Gattaca is a great movie, starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law.
Society categorises individual human beings as more or less suitable based on their genetic make-up. As a result, people are perceived as members of the underclass or superclass of humans and therefore predestined to do certain jobs, not allowed to do better than they are fit for.
Wonderful score by Michael Nyman (especially The Morrow part):

Stay tuned.

The One With All The Comics

This morning I left with one book in my backpack.
I came back carrying two more books and two comic books. And not some thin, a-few-sheet-long comic books - but quite solid ones, the ones that do deserve the name.
I would have brought more... but 4 is the limit on how much you can borrow.

And I met a man who, while talking about comics and theatre, used such fancy words as entourage or transgression in a very natural manner, and who I know to be a quick-witted, popular artist.
At the same time, the man embodied all the stereotypical features you could associate with somebody who, hmmm, let's say a person who you would believe not to even have heard any of such words. Or at least somebody who had never heard of Guy Fawkes (but should have).

All that in the library, where a comic book section was brought to life some time ago, and where comic related meetups are hosted ever since.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Rain

Bad news: no white Christmas this year.

The good news, however, is that instead of Let It Snow we have Let It Rain - my favourite song from the Plenty album by Red Box is now a single:

What is more: next Summer they are going to have a concert tour around Poland (I'll be there, no matter what!).
Wait, there is more: the tour is going to result in a live album. Delightful.

Wow. They claimed frequently - the Red Box I mean - that they felt so welcome in Poland, like nowhere else. Still, you could never help wondering whether they only said such things out of courtesy or they did mean them.
Now I believe this case can be considered a sincere and mutual affection of the band and their Polish fans. The proof would be that Simon - the lead singer and a founder member - has come to Warsaw in a sole purpose of announcing Let It Rain première only tonight on the Programme 3 of Polish Radio. (Oh, Simon Toulson-Clarke and his deep, velvet voice, mmm... I like the way he sings - I love the way he speaks!)

Stay tuned!

The One With Christmas Wishes

It has begun.

However, it started quite nicely: not with long but scrappy and empty wishes, or with thoughtless Merry Christmas.
It started with considerate, forethought and sincere words.

Nonetheless, I am certain others will follow and that each time the experience will be less and less pleasant and just more irritating...

Any way...

Stay tuned.