Little to be said.. yet I say.

Yay! New weekend.. not that it matters much.. every day is like a holiday here. Time enough off to be relaxed at all times.. all I can stress about is a more distant future. Where will I live next academic year? Will I be able to arrange for that before I go back to Iceland in June?

There are no two ways about it, when college finishes in June I will return immediately to my homeland.. not staying a moment longer than I need in England. This exile for the sake of education is driving me mad.. but I have touched on that before, and faithful readers will know that my insight penetrates deeper.. despite my wailing, I know better.

I have made two new friends.. locals. One of which applied for my friendship on account of my being Icelandic. A regular Islandophile. The other, a friend of an acquaintance here, who shares certain inclinations with me.. He likes me too, finds pleasure in my company, but is unable to understand my lack of subjection to my mobile phone. That is, why I do not just pick up the phone if it rings. And it is true, I sometimes do not.. sometimes I heed not the demanding calls of my mobile. I am not a slave to my phone.. my phone, or any phone, is there for my comfort and ease. If I choose to ignore its, at times incessant, ringing, that should not be a personal insult to anyone. I am celebrating my freedom as an individual.. I am a free individual, not a subject to a kingdom of digital technology.

I have grown ever lazier to spend my evenings out. I am apalled sometimes at the constant drinking and "partying" of my mates. It almost seems as if going out, and drinking oneself drunk, is a ritual to some of them. It HAS to be done.. at every opportunity, every weekend and most nights.. utterly addiction-like, and pointless, from where I am standing. I wonder if the real drive behind this is not as much the conquest for fun, as it is boredom. Bored out of their wits they seek oblivion in drink.. surface pleasures to overshade boredom. And then, some of them start to allow it to affect their studies.. that is, prioritisation turned topsy-turvy to what it should be. I say this because we are here, really, to study.. and it is not as if the demands of study here are all that great.. and yet some of them have started missing classes, and not doing their work properly. Gets in the way of "fun", indeed! It is not as if we have not already lots of time, outside the schedule of work, to spend mindlessly drinking and giggling over all and none.

The flat has been a mess. Horrid mess! I contribute to the cleanliness by NOT leaving my stuff unwashed after use. I can thus not be held responsible for any of the unwashed dishes, or the sink being overflown with the mess of OtHeRs! However, the warding off of dust is not my speciality.. the dusty corners and the cobwebs are thus as much my responsibility as anyone else´s. Spring cleaning is due..

Domestically,
..kH

I daresay.. summer has arrived in Bratislava.

Every day is sunny, and each day warmer than the preceding one.. I have also noticed that the city is getting more crowded, very gradually.. but with each day I feel there is less free space. This applies to the street, Netcafes, restaurants.. I see an increased variety of beggartypes in the sub-pathways, on the street.. my friends the Hare Krishnas have started walking around the old city giving out (for small donations) delicious homemade not-too-unhealthy sweets.

Yes, everything implies summer... all that is left, for spring to officially turn to summer, is for the latent leaves to manifest themselves on the treebranches.

How lovely,
..kH

Today is a glorious day.
The weather is beautiful, sunny and optimistic..
Today is also.. my Nameday.

Yes, it is an Eastern European tradition, every single day of the year is the day of one or more names of people.. today, March 13, is the day of Vlastimil/Ružena/Krisztián, Ajtony. Out of all the different ways of spelling a name similar to mine in Eastern Europe, I feel Krisztián is closest to home. At least I accept that spelling, and would not really mind it much if my name were actually spelled like that. It looks beautiful.

So, today is my Nameday. I share it with all the Krisztiáns of the world, and together or apart we will celebrate our name. It is really a second birthday.. we are celebrating ourselves, our being alive, and the name we were given for this life.

Happy happy joy joy,
..kH