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Woohoo
Aug 3, 2001

I am a major smart arse!
I have been struggling with the job of networking our two computers and (more difficultly) getting internet access from one via the other, for some months. Should be easy but I got so many things wrong (I now discover) that it never had a chance of working. Worked it out (ahem) by reading a book on Windows (nerd nerd nerd). When all else fails.....
Now as a present for my success I have got the job of including Tom's as well. More a building job than a computing one because the wire has to go right round the house.

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Lithuania in the springtime
Jun 15, 2001

Driving through the countryside to a meeting in a workers' recreation centre... came over a bit euphoric. It wasn't vodka but the view. Lithuania is not really dramatic scenery. The highest point in the country is a few hundred metres. This is small scale rolling farm country, with very few actual farms. Low intensity. One cow or horse or sheep every 3 or 400 metres. In between .. miles and miles of wildflower meadows. I don't recognise most of them - but lots of wild blue lupins. Patches of mixed woodland separating the meadows. The same for mile after mile. Occasional picturesque lakes. Just beautiful.
Most of the farms have hives. Mead is a national speciality.
The farmers seem to use one-horse carts for transport. Felt quite guilty in a minibus.
Made we think that there is probably quite a lot of planet that isn't actually wrecked.

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Moscow
Jun 3, 2001

Now the headaches and mists have cleared I should give an account of impressions from Moscow. It was a very short trip (over one day and back the next) and they often have been in the last few years. I used to enjoy staying longer and getting around the town a bit (museums, Kremlin etc). Stayed a few times with a nice family in a tiny but pleasant flat in one of those big "dom"s (faceless and smelly apartment blocks that look like they might fall down).

Eating out is a risky and expensive business (risky at least from a quality point of view). Eating in with friends is wonderful and you have to be careful not to do it a lot since they put themselves far beyond their means to entertain. Anyone who saw Michael Palin's trip knows the score - toasts every ten minutes in which you have to drain your vodka glass - subjects that are generally sentimental and sincere but get more and more incoherent.
An ancient and vicious tradition is for there to be a "master of toasts" or "tamadan" (really this idea comes from Georgia) who makes the first toast and then nominates subsequent speakers and the subjects - something obscure that will be very hard to do well. OK for Russians who are practised at drinking vodka and making toasts from infancy.

The city was less intimidating than news reports had led me to believe it had grown. Nice to travel around on the metro for a few hours and get the feel and smell of the place again. Well, interesting anyway. More fun than being driven around all the time. Red square just as impressive if a bit empty, GUM full of expensive shops now - although there was a little stall selling cheap and exquisite ice cream, like there used to be all around the city streets, in all weathers.

Why no vodka this time? The hosts were Germans and they prefer beer! Great to see them all and much easier to limit alcohol intake to a sensible amount.

Actually - surprising myself - I can't wait for the next trip!

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Head v. marble floor
Jun 2, 2001

In an appropriate manner, the key issue (for me - sad isn't it) about my short trip to Moscow this week was whether I was going to need to subject myself to the Russian A&E system after smacking my head really hard on the floor in the lobby of the hotel.
No sign saying "we have just mopped the floor and not bothered to dry it up" or "if you fall on your head we will not be liable" (although this is of course understood).
Anyway I'm OK (thanks for asking). Just felt like too many vodkas for several hours. And I didn't have a drop of vodka in the whole trip! When did that last happen?

(2 replies, Latest reply: Jun 18, 2001)

Golf zomby
May 20, 2001

Sitting here on a beautiful day in zomboid state due to lack of sleep - due in turn to getting up too early to play golf. Is it good for me? Probably not. Won the match tho - against PE teacher friend who normally pastes me. Third member was no competition due to having stayed up drinking till 3 and still on tee at 6.

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