Absolutely Anything Else

SimonTrew wrote:

It is not really Fluffster's or my fault that it has become a two-hander, I have invited lots of new members here, and there is Marilyn who occasionally chips in, it is not really our fault that we have turned into a double act.....


I think that's over-egging that particular pudding. 

It's just random chat/banter, not as serious as Laurel and Hardy. 

I'm modelling it on The Borg.  I hope others would contribute  as individuals before being assimilated.

My cat seems to have gone missing. He enjoys the sunshine, we have had a nice autumn/fall, and he likes to sit outside to sun himself. He has a catflap so he will be back, he is chipped and everything, just somehow goes missing from time to time, he always turns up, I wonder where he goes.

I know that he sometimes is in Barnus" garden, my mate Barnus across the street, he just wanders everywhere he wants, like cats do. He is a bit scared of me at the moment and  I don't know why. he seems to get a bit scared of me but I never did him any harm, would never hurt an animal.

I think he is just scared of change, that we have redone the living room and now he doesnt know where he can sit. He is just an old, stray tabby cat that we took in about eight years ago and is called FatCat. He is not fat but large. He loved this summer sitting out in the garden and is probably out there now,. We got him a enew, well the brand is SureFlap,  but actually I think a dog flap as he is a bit on the big side.

Sometimes he sleeps on my head which saves me wearing a nightcap. The missus and I love him very much and look after him, but he is a cat and he will do what he likes, as a cat should do.

No who was that who sung that, I think it WAS Frank Sinatra, "They all laughed at Christopher Columbus, when he said the world was round.. they all laughed when Edison recorded sound".

No they didn't, those lyrics are a pile of rubbish. Columbus wouldn't even set off to find a continent if he hadn't a decent map, by the standards of the day, and he missed by about a thousand miles anywqay, he never set foot in what is now the United States.

One of my favourites -. and I do this as a party piece, is "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails". It is all in the wrong order. I've got an invitation through the mails (Irving, you are already pushimng it there) your present requested this evening, it's formal etc on the intro.

But his instructions are rubbish. I'm putting on my top hat, doing up my white tie, putting on my tails....., I'm puting on my white shirt..... er already hav e my tails on.-... polishing my cufflinks and sharpening my nails. I'm stepping out my dear to breath an atmosph.....

Not a word about trousers.-

You would not think it beyond the wit of Irving Berlin to stick in a line about "I'm putting on me trousers". No wonder I keep getting arrested.

One of the delights i  Have had in my life is going to the Royal aALbert hALL FOR WATCHING THE CONCERTS FOR THE proms, i have been in the gallery and the arena, and somehow in the three and nines the cheap seats, stalls, to watch OR listen to the proms. You are supposed to promenade, that is why they are called promenade concerts and sit in the gallery right at the tiop, i had the place to myself almost to listen to a wonderful arrangement of Mendellsohn by one of the best conductors in the worls, I think it was Sir Simon Rattle at that time who now conducts the Berlin Symphony Orchestra but it may have been the LSO on Exhibition Road. If you ever get the chance please go to the Proms and you will hear the best orchestras by the best musicians and you will have a night to remember .

It doesn't cost mucch, but I have laid on the floor of the Albert Hall listening to something unpopular, Strauss probebly, and you get this for ONE POUND STERLING. How liucky am I to have had that experienxce, to sit in the albert hall, lay down in the albert hall and listen to the best musicians in the world playing  Mendelssohn to me. very lucky.

I thank my lucky stars every day, Not others are so lucky as I have been. I have worked hard, I pay my own money, I don't borrow from banks or credit, I  pay my own way, always have done. But if you get the chance go to the Proms, you can listen to  the best bands in the world for next to nothing.

If you touch type, you feel your F and J off the bits on the keys, that is how I do it. you lay your pinkies on the F and J and then run from there, I have been touch typing since I was seven years old and am now forty six.

You  put your index fingers on the f and  and run back from that. I have a surname, TREW, that I can type in my left hand while keeping a pint of beer in my riight. THAT IS HOW YOU DO IT. I can touch type blind, and write shorthand in both Hungarian and English, I am not as green as I am cabbage looking.

Now it is over the yardarm so I shall have a pint of beer. Or half a litre, near enough.


There is a poem and I forget who wrote it, called "Chard Whitlow", which is a parody of T. S. Eliot. Worth reading if you like poetry, it is quite funny.

SimonTrew wrote:

My cat seems to have gone missing. He enjoys the sunshine, we have had a nice autumn/fall, and he likes to sit outside to sun himself. He has a catflap so he will be back, he is chipped and everything, just somehow goes missing from time to time, he always turns up, I wonder where he goes. ...


Sorry ST, I'm going to have to say something about rambling on.

I'm not a moderator, but I did start this thread so feel some level of responsibility to say something.

Please do not post here the equivalent of your own blog on subjects which others cannot contribute to.  It just falls into the category of TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read).  Unless it's instantly digestible, people lose interest and wander away. 

After 1000s of posts here,  there's a valuable record of interactions which could be kept going. 

If you want to Blog about something go to Twitter or Facebook which has demand for that stuff. 

My suggestion is to keep it shorter, anecdotal or nostalgic, relevant to Hungary and make it such that  others can pick it up if they want while drinking their morning coffee

fluffy2560 wrote:
SimonTrew wrote:

It is not really Fluffster's or my fault that it has become a two-hander, I have invited lots of new members here, and there is Marilyn who occasionally chips in, it is not really our fault that we have turned into a double act.....


I think that's over-egging that particular pudding. 

It's just random chat/banter, not as serious as Laurel and Hardy. 

I'm modelling it on The Borg.  I hope others would contribute  as individuals before being assimilated.


You1re pudding  the carp before d'oevres hors, so you deserve your just desserts...

Some people really aren't good at conversations even if you're face to face with them.
Guess that's why it's called the ,"art of conversation".
I'm jet lagged ATM.
Have skipped out of Hungary for the winter.
I'm a good 9 hours away in another time zone and another world.
Think I'll try to hit the pool and swim today, don't be jealous now... The water must be freezing now since the pool isn't heated.
Seeing our boy and he wife in Vegas.
Went to the new heath food store, "Sprouts" in the nearby shopping center.
A bit more expensive to buy food then in Hungary but not all that much more overall.
Bananas were 59 cents in one store and 69 in another per lb.
Think that's cheaper then in Hungary.
A second new location of , "Seafood City" also just opened walking distance  from the house.
Great selection of Asian foods and a huge fresh fish market. They will clean and either grill or deep fry your fresh fish on the spot for take home.Had some lovely deep fried fresh Mackerel last night with Japanese steamed rice and side salad of fresh raw spinach.
Was getting hard to find any fresh spinach in Hungary last week, really fresh and sweet for only 99 cents a bunch.
Looking forward to taking my Japanese DIL to this new market since most of the products are from various Asian countries, want her to pick out some things to make a super Japanese dinner or two.
Might as well learn from her while I can.
My cousin from the east coast who I first met at our family reunion in Poland 5 years ago is making a special trip to Vegas in Dec. just to visit me.
She has already booked a room and rental car, just up to me to figure out a game plan since she is smart and doesn't drink or gamble.
Plenty of other things to do here besides that.
I would like to take her with me to meet our other cousin who lives in town.
I hope everyone has a nice winter in Hungary, I won't be missing the grey skies at all but I do already miss a few things from there.
Seems I've lived in Hungary too long now, it has grown on me.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Some people really aren't good at conversations even if you're face to face with them.
Guess that's why it's called the ,"art of conversation".
I'm jet lagged ATM.
Have skipped out of Hungary for the winter.
I'm a good 9 hours away in another time zone and another world.
Think I'll try to hit the pool and swim today, don't be jealous now... The water must be freezing now since the pool isn't heated.....


Whaddya mean? 

The palm trees are waving,  I can hear the sounds of people playing in the pool, smell the BBQs and I'll have to find my suntan oil and sunglasses.

Yup, not.

Rain, getting colder by the day, with below zero expected within 2 weeks. Makes a change from all that sweltering and blinding sun.  Smells of burning leaves and wood outside.

Seems we blew out of HU just in time.
Wearing a sleeveless shirt and sweating right now!!!
My husband already played his fave casino game.
I'm not overly excited about gambling so putting that off for a bit.
He was up then down, that's the problem with gambling, if you win too fast you just feed your winning back into the machines.
Stay warm, .. suckers!! Sorry just had to rub that in, I already miss my little flat but hopefully we will return in one piece.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Seems we blew out of HU just in time.
Wearing a sleeveless shirt and sweating right now!!!
My husband already played his fave casino game.
I'm not overly excited about gambling so putting that off for a bit.
He was up then down, that's the problem with gambling, if you win too fast you just feed your winning back into the machines.
Stay warm, .. suckers!! Sorry just had to rub that in, I already miss my little flat but hopefully we will return in one piece.


You did get out in time.  It's not really that bad.  I was out in a T-shirt today so not really cold yet. Rain makes it colder.   We're gambling here too but with the weather. But don't worry about us, you'll be living in airco hell while we're cosy next to the radiator or enjoying the ice and snow.

Linked from: Brexit topic

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Isn't Monterey Jack Cheese  American?
I usually shop for cheese in the US at Trader Joe's Market , think they import most of the cheese there.
Kraft cheese at least isn't, "Government Cheese"!
Many, many years back when my step-dad was literally dying, my mom was given huge boxes of US Gov. Cheese. The gov.'s way of giving a helping hand...
It was something goo like in texture and basically was not good for anything but a grilled cheese or nacho dip.Even then on it's own it was not something one could swallow without being forced to do so.
Think it was the no. 1 ingredient for mac and cheese in the school lunches in public cafes for kids.
Used to be a running joke about gov. cheese in the 1980's.
We Americans can laugh at ourselves, we all laughed at the gov. cheese, either that or cry.


I didn't know what Mac and Cheese was until I watched Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA.  We called that Macaroni Cheese.  But in the UK, the default cheese is Cheddar cheese, much beloved and from yes, the town of Cheddar with it's famous gorge and witches. 

I don't know if it's true but I believe Far East people have an issue with consuming milk products, including cheese due to an inability to process lactose.  Or they just don't like it or yoghurt.

I know whenever I've been in an Asian supermarket I've always found cheese to be extremely expensive and not that nice.  They do import cheese from Russia - that's what I saw anyway.  It was extremely pricey.

Was Govt Cheese in a tin?  Maybe like emergency apocalypse cheese rations for use in bunkers?  CRE - Cheese Ready to Eat.  Cheese in Africa comes in tins - no refrigeration needed.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I'm not overly excited about gambling so putting that off for a bit.


The thing with gambling, spend money that you have, not money you don' have. As a bit of fun, with some spare lucre, nothing wrong with it, but make sure the rent is paid first.

I love a gamble, the missus and I play cards most nights, but we play for pennies well 2Ft coins not for serious money.

I am actually up by about I think 10 forint at the moment, haven't counted, we keep a book and I think I am up at the moment, but she is catching me up.

My grandfather, who I never knew as he died the year I was born, was a bookmaker. So through his son, my father, I learned how to run a book. Of course I am now running it in old fashioned currency, pre decimal, so if you take 6/4 which there are four crowns to a pound, plus you get your pound back if you win...

so in UK you have what seems like very peculiar odds but make sense in pounds, shillings and pence. You can do 100/30 and that will neatly divide when you have 240 pence to the pound, as the pound was divisible by almost anything except 7.

So you get odds that basically are against a pound but in old money, so in decimal it doesn't really work. Like if you take 7/2 you are doing three and a half against two crowns, makes sense, plus you get your stake back.

The best game, from the punter's point of view, is roulette. At roulette, depending on who is keeping the table, you actually theoretically have a chance of coming out ahead. It is only the zero or double zero (if you have one) that gives the house the favour. You should be able to come out ahead at roulette.

It is what is known as the "frac" in British parlance, the fraction or percentage that the bookmaker is expecting to make, it is usually about twenty percent of the take. Now, with roulette you have a tiny "frac", it is only the green ones giving the house the frac.

But you can bet on the green ones too, so technically it is quite possible to actually come out ahead. You will not be ahead by MUCH, but you will be ahead.

Please nobody gamble with money you cannot afford to lose, that is a mug's game. Gamble with money you can afford to lose. It should be fun, not paying for the rent or leccy

I also understand and do tic-tac, which is very old fashioned way of signing the odds to bookmakers on course.  Most these days use mobile phones, but some still do tic-tac, and it just is a reasonable way to sign across the course what the odds are at the moment.

You in Hungary can get a nice bit of Cheddar Cheese from Aldi, .I think it is about 700Ft for 200gm, but is imported from Britain, it is a nice bit of cheddar. Our cat likes a bit of cheese, so he has some of it.

I love a bit of cheddar and you are right technically it comes from Cheddar Gorge in Gloustershire, I think I have been there once but it is not really worth going to unless you like caves and I am not a caveman. But I do prefer these hard cheeses we have in England.

Bit of Red Leicester or some Stilton, lovely, although you only want a bit of it, it is very strong.

There is a game you can play if you like called "Cheddar Gorge", this is like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morningto … ent_(game), that you just name places at random. The first to shout "Cheddar Gorge" wins (or "Mornington Crescent").

Of course the tactic is to avoid your opponent saying "Cheddar Gorge" or "Mornington Crescent" ,that is the tricky bit.

So you say, for example, Liverpool Street or Bristol Temple Meads and then they can't get back to  Mornington Crescent or Cheddar Gorge without having to swindle it.

Well in the 1980's that gov. cheese was being handed out to so many people in the US that it was a sort of running joke.
It came in a brown cardboard box and was wrapped in some sort of foil.
Said something like , US Gov. Cheese in large plain looking black letters.
It was given out to schools, welfare people and people with allot of kids etc.
It was left over surplus ... My mom had a few boxes in her fridge and was always trying to pawn it off on us when we visited her house.
first time making a grill cheese was ok by the second serving it was just nasty.
A cheap version of Kraft Veleeta cheese.
It was horrible stuff, wouldn't even call it food.

Sounds complicated to remember the pay outs for crowns, pounds etc.
I had a hard enough time memorizing blackjack payouts.
My son learned to deal craps, dang that sounded hard to learn.
They have to practice out loud saying the hard ways,7's etc.
Just not a game I ever took an interest in learning how to deal.
However... if you are female in Vegas and know how to deal craps, you can get hired in a second, as long as you're not too ugly looking.
Seriously, if a young blonde normal looking women knows how to deal craps she can pick where she wishes to work basically.
Now as a floor supervisor in Vegas, my son never deals anymore, he does however sometimes have to sit box all day long watching the craps table and the dealers to make sure it is all running smoothly.
He hates doing that part of his job, boring.
When he dealt roulette he swears he could make the ball land pretty close to any number.
If someone was bugging the heck out of him, he would spin the ball either faster or slower to make them move on.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
However... if you are female in Vegas and know how to deal craps, you can get hired in a second, as long as you're not too ugly looking.

Seriously, if a young blonde normal looking women knows how to deal craps she can pick where she wishes to work basically....


Casinos obviously not equal opportunity employers then!

fluffy2560 wrote:
Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
However... if you are female in Vegas and know how to deal craps, you can get hired in a second, as long as you're not too ugly looking.

Seriously, if a young blonde normal looking women knows how to deal craps she can pick where she wishes to work basically....


Casinos obviously not equal opportunity employers then!


They basically are BUT if you want to make the big bucks then looks and age matter.
I was,"old" when I decided to try being a games dealer,
All of 43 years old.
I dressed the part for school, not a uniform but always wore nice clothing had my hair styled and wore makeup, just like one would do for a casino job.
I listened to my instructors without asking dumb questions or making them look dumb.
In the long run it paid off because without me even asking the 2 owners of the school put in a good word for me to get into a decent casino right out of school.
Most people without connections have to start out in a very low level place where the clients aren't but one step away from jail or being homeless, sort of scummy casinos.
They called up a mid level casino which at the time everyone liked working at, some people were there for 9 years or longer and never left until they moved on the big new casinos such as the new at the time, Paris or Mandalay Bay.
The horrible thing though was I was sitting with my instructor when he put in a call for me to the casino manager.
They knew each other well, my instructor said these words.
I"I have a "older gal" I'd like to send over for a job, she looks younger and has a great smile"
Wow, a has been at 43!!
Actually the manager seemed to like me enough to put me as a regular
front and center when people came into the gaming area.
I always wondered why since other dealers sort of always asked how I got that spot being a new dealer,
Like I would know what the front office is doing?
Most newbies were sent to the back tables at the far end of the casino to make their mistakes etc. without the pressure of working up front where it was always busy and the big players  liked to sit.
Ok with me, at least it was never boring up front.
Later I realized I was maybe 20 years too late working in Vegas.
If one is young and alright looking with a good attitude you can make serious money dealing.
Some casinos at the time had dealers still making bucks, $400. and up a day just in tips.
Hard to believe but we had many engineers, ex doctors from other countries, medical professionals and aerospace people who quit their professions to be dealers because they could make more money faster then working in their old trades.
I'm not really sure what's going on here now. The money is allot tighter these days.
My son says most of the new dealers in his casino don't know what they are doing, the tips are down too. Where he works used to be a hard strict casino where they expected everyone to be professional and know how to deal a clean game.
Lowered standards everywhere, not just in the casino industry but in just about every profession.

Super hot here today in Vegas, didn't make it to the pool but there's always tomorrow.
Still so jet lagged, for some reason it seems harder going west by plane then going east.
Hope to be back to normal within a few more days, can't keep going to sleep at dusk.
Keep  waking up at 2 am ready to start the day.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
However... if you are female in Vegas and know how to deal craps


"Craps" always sounds funny to me because of course in my slang it means what comes out of your backside, so dealing craps would mean to be a sewage worker or something... I know it doesn't but I can never kinda jump the hurdle with that one.

Yet at the same time when the missus and I play cribbage I will kinda talk (that is part of the game really) and say "who dealt this pile of crap?" with a smile of course...

Part of playing cribbage is that you have a kinda etiquette,  two for the butchers (the kings) or one for his nob (the jack, his nobility) so that you have this strange etiquette that takes a bit to learn.

There are lots of expressions in English like "level pegging" or "up sticks" that come from Cribbage, it is not a particularly hard game but has a certain amount of strategy to it as well as luck. We play on a "racetrack" board, but I also have somewhere some straight up and down boards. I used to play in the crib team for the pub in England.

One of my friends in England was an extremely good Bridge player, and tried to teach me Bridge, or get me started. The problem with that, as he said himself, is when you know it, you can't teach it.

And I have learned that in my life that if you know something it is hard to teach it. My wife was a teacher and it is incredibly difficult to teach her new skills, the best teachers are the worst learners.

One thing with my missus, her English is extremely good, but she "slips" into American English if I can put it that way.

Theoretically in Hungary they are taught in school British English, but in practice get American English off the telly. I have no objection to any variety of English, but have sometimes to correct her just because of her job, that is not the word we would use, we say jam not jelly, or whatever it might be.

Like, in British slang if you want to borrow a cigarette you would ask to bum a fag, but I don't think that would work in New York :)

I have had the pleasure and privilege of living in America and of course I watch American TV shows, it is is just very easy slip to make, and then I am struggling with Hungarian, German, British English, Roma and French most days, so I have to kinda juggle languages all the time. I can do it but it takes me time to "switch" between languages.

I just got an advert from a website called hellohungary.com, advertising the delights of Hungary.

finally! I am not saying Hungary is perfect but that it actually now manages to make an ad to invite tourists here. The forint is very weak at the moment, which don't bother me, but makes a tourist euro pound dollar very attractive, I have  been wondering for years why Hungary does not advertise.

I did an experiment once, I went into every travel agent I knew in Cambridge,  England and asked for a brochure for having travel to Hungary. nothing....  Budapest city breaks in the back of the brochure in a tiny column.

Hungary should and must advertise itself to tourists more,  then they can pay my taxes.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
The horrible thing though was I was sitting with my instructor when he put in a call for me to the casino manager.
They knew each other well, my instructor said these words.
I"I have a "older gal" I'd like to send over for a job, she looks younger and has a great smile"
Wow, a has been at 43!!
.....
Super hot here today in Vegas, didn't make it to the pool but there's always tomorrow.
Still so jet lagged, for some reason it seems harder going west by plane then going east.
Hope to be back to normal within a few more days, can't keep going to sleep at dusk.
Keep  waking up at 2 am ready to start the day.


Sounds almost like Hollywood but not just that show biz with sexism, ageism and more all rolled up there. I suppose it is like show business in a way.  Big thing there of course for actresses is morphing into "character" specialisations once they get past about 30.   Over 50, just about forget it there unless you are Meryl Streep or Judy Dench.  I don't suppose there are any disabled dealers or casino workers at the tables?

Jet lag is terrible.  What I do - if I can - is just sleep whenever it's necessary instead of fighting it.  I used to be "active" in trying to get into the timezone but I've totally stopped that.  I found that within about 3-4 days, certainly a week, one is automatically in tune with the zone.   But I'm always going East, not West.  My sister swears by taking Melatonin.  Never checked into that properly.

Yesterday hereabouts was quite OK outside but you'll be pleased to know it's dull, rainy looking and the days are even shorter.  We're losing about 3 minutes a day.  Next weekend, clocks go back.  See what you are missing!

Mind you, I am a man who thinks erudite is a type of glue....

Well, it's now softly raining this early morning here in Las Vegas!!
So much for my swim day!

I also can never get over the name of the casino games,'craps" sounds so rude, most of the players are rough types so it figures they would have a rough name for their game.
I once was put on,"stick" on a craps game, had no darn clue what I was suppose to do but they needed a hand and being on stick is the suppose to be easy. The other 2 dealers and box man told me what to do, it was a slow game so I somehow made it through.
Not my sort of game at all.
Played it just once as a customer in Vegas years ago, still have no idea where my money went, lost it in a flash.

Have so much to do around here, from fixing a broken shower to cutting everyone's hair to cooking and cleaning up this big house.
I know I'm a "guest" here but mom's are mom's if I can help out I will.
Today I must cut my DIL's hair, think I'll look online for some new styles , she has grown her hair out in one length half way down her back.
Have allot of options now for just about any hairstyle, allot to work with.
She has more hair then your average 3 people together, going to take a long while to get through all of it, a whole days workload with this jet lag.
My son eats mostly organic foods from cooking oils to his carrots.
Guess we will be eating healthy here, the Las Vegas water is horrible stuff.
We have to bring in filtered water by the 5 gallon bottle.
It's good for soups since the spring water can cost allot if cooking with it every meal.
My son buy spring water for our drinking and making coffee with.
If we were staying her longer I would seriously look into a home water filtering system.
The water on tap in Budapest is so much better, we also filter our drinking and cooking water in Hungary but you can still drink from the tap without feeling like you're drinking acid.
They say in some countries to never drink the water, I say in Vegas never drink the water.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Well, it's now softly raining this early morning here in Las Vegas!!
So much for my swim day!
....
Have so much to do around here, from fixing a broken shower to cutting everyone's hair to cooking and cleaning up this big house.
I know I'm a "guest" here but mom's are mom's if I can help out I will.
....
My son eats mostly organic foods from cooking oils to his carrots.
Guess we will be eating healthy here, the Las Vegas water is horrible stuff.....
The water on tap in Budapest is so much better, we also filter our drinking and cooking water in Hungary but you can still drink from the tap without feeling like you're drinking acid.
They say in some countries to never drink the water, I say in Vegas never drink the water.


Mom's definitely have permission to sort stuff out. Is hubby checking the cars or taking them for cleaning?  Or at the casino increasing his stake?

It's raining here in a drizzly way so you are not alone.

BTW, Mrs Fluffy says that people will no longer be able to  drill their own wells here in the Buda hills. They will need special licenses/permissions from 2020.  We're considering having a well now for sure. 

She also showed me a picture of the Duna river (here's the link).  The water was well down due to lack of rainfall.  Looks like water shortages could end up here as well.

Can tell I have been awake since 3 am, usually not on the internet this early in the morning.
Made a nice breakfast for my husband and I, did the dishes, cut my trim, bangs,cleaned the bathroom, husband looked again at the shower stall, think he may be able to fix it without calling a plumber, now he is cleaning up the garage, already looked at one car the very first day we landed, cleaned around the engine etc.
I cleaned the inside of the fridge yesterday morning as well as cooked a big soup , took my DIL shopping.
We aren't very good at sitting around waiting to be served, we like to be helpful around the house and belief me, this place needs some work.
Found a great haircut for my DIL, just about the same shag style I usually give her but with a twist, should be fun to cut if I'm not crashing by the time they wake up.
This is the no. one reason I never like to travel far, jet lag really isn't much fun.
We spoke to a American couple from Las Vegas while in line to board in London.
They came all the way to Europe for a boat trip in Spain for less then 2 weeks.
Sounds nice but seriously we we never stay anywhere less then a month if we are going to suffer through jet lag.
I wouldn't fly that far for only 2 weeks holiday.
I think it is time when we get back to HU to travel a bit around in other European countries before we think about it too much.
I'd like to see Spain and Greece.
My poor bicycle has 2 flat tires... Next project to fix that and go for a ride.

Checked out the link for the river, wow it is low.
I think it would be a good idea to dig yourself a well before it becomes a major hassle.
I have mixed feelings about water shortages, guess I don't trust any authority to give us the real info.
They may be trying to control people with fear of this or that, no water, no food, no land, people taking over I.E. refugees, trying to confuse us and make us paranoid to not see what their real agenda is.
I know Hungary has many, many underground water sources so something odd is going on.
Weather control is real, "their " way to get people to move where they want them.
look at N.Ca, with all those strange fires, houses and cars melting while trees are still standing? Seems like weaponized weather to me.
Trying to get people to move off their land and take it away for dirty cheap, getting everyone into compact cities and off land, no more growing your own fresh food or having animals of your own for a food source.
I shouldn't care since I'll probably be pushing up daisies by the time the full agenda is known.
Easy to control people if they depend on the gov. for everything from food, water and a place to live.
Not paranoid but seeing things that just shouldn't be happening.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
Made a nice breakfast for my husband and I, did the dishes, cut my trim, bangs,cleaned the bathroom, husband looked again at the shower stall, think he may be able to fix it without calling a plumber, now he is cleaning up the garage, already looked at one car the very first day we landed, cleaned around the engine etc.
I cleaned the inside of the fridge yesterday morning as well as cooked a big soup , took my DIL shopping.
.....
I'd like to see Spain and Greece.
My poor bicycle has 2 flat tires... Next project to fix that and go for a ride.

Checked out the link for the river, wow it is low.
I think it would be a good idea to dig yourself a well before it becomes a major hassle.
I have mixed feelings about water shortages, guess I don't trust any authority to give us the real info.
.....


I was musing to myself if you might (at least theoretically) swap jobs - hubby does the hair and you fix the shower?  Reason I mention it is that I was kind of reminded about me trying to help choose hairstyles for my older daughters when they were about 6.  Mrs Fluffy thought my choices were appalling.  She also thinks I had no taste of clothes (for children).  Not sure what the kids thought - probably thought the same as Mrs Fluffy.

You should visit Spain and Greece.  It's well worth visiting them.  I've driven from HU to Spain (takes 3 days if not rushing) and it's quite a nice ride along the South of France.  We went via Austria to Switzerland via Lichtenstein, across Switzerland, then down to the Med and along the highway towards the Spanish border then past Barcelona. 

And on the return, I think we went from Spain to the UK, then back to HU via the usual routes. 

We've also been by road across Slovenia, across Italy and into France, past Monte Carlo (now there's a casino), then across the bottom.  I am not sure I would be bothered to drive to Greece.  The traffic through Serbia is terrible during the summer although one could go to Romania, then Bulgaria (we also drove there). But we didn't bother going to Greece.     

Sure you want to cycle in LV heat?

The weather here should be cooling down , it is only in the low 60's during the day but seems hotter.
Vegas gets cold in the winter, even had snow for a day 8 years back.
Funny to see all the shut-in people in their front yards talking with neighbors and letting their kids play in the mm amount of snowfall.
Shower is fixed, hot water, all good to go without spending a cent on parts or a repairman.
Seems some plastic value was stuck so the hot water wouldn't come on. Just some hammering and such and good to go.
We looked online how to change the parts, was ready to pick them up today.
They make these new homes so cheap, the pipes are plastic tubes.
I told my husband many years ago that he should be a hairdresser, Mr. Laszlo.
Women LOVE to have a man do their hair, they will pay more for a man to do it then for a women.
No, not all male stylists are gay although many are, just more sensitive to small details.
My husband having been a machinist knows all about the small details and actually was a fashion Dandy in his day.
I swear he takes two times longer to get ready then I do and that's with me doing my hair and makeup.
He has to make sure the shades of blue or grey he is wearing do not contrast etc.
Drives me crazy trying to get him out the door sometimes.
Sun is up, rain is over, looks like the pool is calling my name!!

My wife and I took two big bags of books to Bosniak tér the other day, there is a little klinda kiosk, sorta charity public library really where you can take a book and put one back,

I donated, if that is the right word, a load of books because I have taken some from there myself, so my turn to put back.

I have WAY too many books  because I am always mucking around in second-hand bookshops and pick up loads of stuff for next to nothing.

My point is, it was empty- The day before, there were probably five hundred books there. Someone,. and I can imagine their persuasion has just taken the lot.

So you steal from charity do you? How low can you go? I guess the church in some sense has put that, the beautiful church at Bosniak tér. and it is a cabinet where you can just help yourself to a book, well then put it back when you have finished with it, there are no instructions or rules except your own morals.

Seems like some people have no morals. I am a total pillock, I make mistakes all the time, I am not perfect.

At least my parents brought me up not to cheat lie or steal.- the books I gave to charity essentially, and you take them - that is just despicable.

It is part of life - if you take out, you put back.

It can be in different ways, it does not always go back the same way.- I don't want to sound like some do-gooder but I give to the Sally Ann and to the Royal British Legion, you can have your own, it is your choice, I cannot give to everyone.

What I do not expect, is when a charity provides a service, for people to steal from that charity. That to me is just despicable, dishonest, corrupt, call it what you will, but how low can you go? To steal from a charity?

How low can you go?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
I told my husband many years ago that he should be a hairdresser, Mr. Laszlo.
Women LOVE to have a man do their hair, they will pay more for a man to do it then for a women.
No, not all male stylists are gay although many are, just more sensitive to small details.
My husband having been a machinist knows all about the small details and actually was a fashion Dandy in his day.....
I swear he takes two times longer to get ready then I do and that's with me doing my hair and makeup.
He has to make sure the shades of blue or grey he is wearing do not contrast etc.
Drives me crazy trying to get him out the door sometimes.
Sun is up, rain is over, looks like the pool is calling my name!!


I think a lot of hairdressers pretend to be gay, especially in salons.  Maybe makes them look harmless. Never seen a barber doing that. 

One of my grandfathers was a barber and he was very much a short back and sides kind of guy. I don't think he had any kind of formal training which could be considered styling.  I think he started his hair cutting career in the army during WW1 in Egypt or Mesopotamia as he called it.  Had a kind of attache case he used to keep his gear in so he was very portable.  We kids used to line up for hair processing.

We used to ask about grandad's adventures in Egypt and he said he never saw anything much but he dug half the bugger up - digging trenches I suppose.

His wife, my grandmother was a hairdresser and she had a lot more equipment (she had a salon), with those giant hairdryers, bottles of this and that, sprays and brushes etc.  Those hairdryers always looked like alien brainwashing machines.

15 C and sunny hereabouts. Frost within 2 weeks.

It is sad that all those books were taken, maybe some dumb wit will burn them for winter fuel? Hope not,don't think there is a huge market in reselling them.
I used to buy second hand books in Budapest but so many of these small shops are gone now.
I have a few dozen books I should pawn off , give away.

Went to hairdressing school and one guy said he wasn't in there to learn how to do hair but to meet women.
Ok, whatever...
Funny how a person may get an idea about a country from their years of military service.
My cousins served during the Vietnam war but they have all returned to SE Asia since then and have a different view then they did when fighting,
My father cracked me up, during WW11 he served in the S. Pacific
In 1975 my husband moved us to Maui.
My father told my mother he was really mad at my husband for moving us to Hawaii.
He said, Honolulu is only full of,"Whore houses and bars"!!
That was his Hawaiian experience!

My husband is a deeper thinker then I am.
He said probably someone stole those charity books to sell to a recycler.
People will steal the gold out of a dead persons mouth if they can make a buck without working for it.
Sad.
In fact when my mother knew she was dying she mentioned several times for us to collect all the gold out of her mouth because they would for sure take it out before burning her up.
I think she was right but come on... Like we would bring our own pliers and start extracting her teeth in the morgue.

My guy also said something about all of humanity can not rise unless we all rise together. Guess we aren't getting very far folks until we educate the lower minded sorts.

On our flight over to Vegas on BA airways( I call them BS airlines) they were so cheap that on that flight from BUD to LON they didn't even serve water without charging.
Plus we paid extra for our seats to make sure this time we could sit together on our long flight, plus we paid extra for our suit cases.
Then they had the nerve onboard to ask for collections for a charity.
Like it would be OK with me if they gave some of their profit to charity out of the rip off they pulled on us.
Give, give and take and take, getting very tired of it all.
Some people live on handouts from the gov. and individuals , there has to be a limit to it. Look at Sweden and Germany right now, giving away so much to people who never paid into the system, on top of that many don't even appreciate what they are getting, they want more and more, better Wifi, better free housing , better everything,
No from what I see humanity is sinking lower and lower by the year not rising to the highest levels.

fluffy2560 wrote:

15 C and sunny hereabouts. Frost within 2 weeks.


Reply moved to "Today's Weather":

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 92#4382487

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....

On our flight over to Vegas on BA airways( I call them BS airlines) they were so cheap that on that flight from BUD to LON they didn't even serve water without charging.
Plus we paid extra for our seats to make sure this time we could sit together on our long flight, plus we paid extra for our suit cases.
Then they had the nerve onboard to ask for collections for a charity.
Like it would be OK with me if they gave some of their profit to charity out of the rip off they pulled on us.
Give, give and take and take, getting very tired of it all.
Some people live on handouts from the gov. and individuals , there has to be a limit to it. Look at Sweden and Germany right now, giving away so much to people who never paid into the system, on top of that many don't even appreciate what they are getting, they want more and more, better Wifi, better free housing , better everything,
No from what I see humanity is sinking lower and lower by the year not rising to the highest levels.


BA are indeed a rubbish airline. I travel with them regularly (and unfortunately) including this week.   They should give you drinking water free if you request it, regardless of any other charging they might want.   

Friend of mine says Norwegian Airlines is surprisingly good.  He took them to Singapore recently  and business class was very affordable but I don't know if they go to LV.

Other airlines are always pushing their charities as well - Emirates for one.  If they are so charitable, then maybe some of those over indulgent sheikhs lurking in their ludicrously over priced shopping malls can cough up some their billions.  I note many ME countries don't support Syrian refugees.   

At least Bill and Melinda Gates are pushing for a malaria cure.

But if you want a total rubbish airline, try Ryanair!  Awful.

My brother who has been a airline mechanic for well over 30 years refuses to fly unless it's life or death.He can fly with stand by for free anywhere his airline goes.
That's how little faith he has in flying!!
Scary, I try not to think of what he has told me whenever I have to board a flight.
He never checks his luggage either, just a carry-on bag .
Gone are the days of feeling special by the airlines.

Had a fun day, we checked out a brand new community pool close by the house.
Some dumb wits at our home owners association decided to lock up the community pool for the season with a lock and chain.
Really dumb because although the pool in the housing complex is not heated there is a  spa and an area to sunbath which would be handy to use right now since it is really warm here.
This new swimming pool was really nice.
10 lanes with an extra pool, 4 lifeguards on duty, a sunning area with lounge chairs and a picnic area all for the whopping price of one US dollar a day.
They added a nice touch with a good sound system playing Pink Floyd , Lynyrd Skynyrd and the likes.
Only a few lanes were occupied so everyone had tons of space to swim.
Located near a water slide park and playground park.
Pool was nice but the building was just simple in design, made me think it probably cost so much less to build a community pool then one of those stadiums that they have in Hungary.
Might be able to afford to build 20 or more pools for each stadium built.
Just a shame that OV loves football more then water sports. we could have allot of gov. built pools at a reasonable price if he was into Mark Spitz rather then some footballer.

I have clinical depression. This was diagnosed many years ago, about thirty years ago now.

I would not say I "suffer" from it, but as I am going through it, I don't notice it, but of course others notice that I am not being myself, as if I had a self to be.

Depression is a very odd thing. It has nothing to do with being sad - I am enjoying the autumn/fall the beautiful leaves and colours on the trees, it is just some kind of strangeness.

I just sit at home and let it pass, and it will pass. It is just a kinda nothingness. There is no point in giving me pills, the doctors tried that before, with Citalopram I think it has a new name now it is the brand name.

It is just a feeling of can't be bothered. Fortunately my wife gives me a bit of a kick up the bum to keep me moving.

Clinical depression is a very odd thing, it hits you when you least expect it. It kinda creeps up on you.

I have already been out for a walk around the block this morning and I like walking at nights as you get to see the world in a different way when nobody else is around.

So that was a good ramble, better than this ramble here...

Please everyone try to spot someone with depression and, I do not want your sympathy, I can cope, but it is difficult to spot and identify. It is a disability I suppose or handicap but I would rather that than being blind or in a wheelchair, that must be a right nuisance.

We are supposed to kinda "come out" with these things now, that mental illness is being recognised. I am lucky. I am healthy, have two good feet that can take me for a walk, the wife and I walked I think according to her step counter 11km yesterday and were not even trying, just our usual habit of walking everywhere.

A good walk around the block, just watching the world go by, is a good way to let it pass. It is better to do it at night as in the day around here you are taking your life in your hands the way the traffic uses the back-cuts and we have no pavements/sidewalks in some places so you have literally to jump out of the way of a car that will NOT stop when it sees a pedestrian.

It is a very odd disease, if it is a disease. I don't know what it is.

It is not that I am sad. I don't know what fool called it depression because you are not really sad, it is lovely to see the autumn colours on the trees. It is a feeling of nothingness, that nothing is worth doing.

It is extremely hard to describe. I have been to psychiatric sessions and never been able to describe it to any professional who should know their business but seems unable to understand how it feels.

It is just a feeling of nothingness, that nothing is worth the bother right now.

Sorry to hear abut depression.
I think it's human to need to socialize sometimes.
It's good that you get out and get some exercise by walking, that is always a cure for the "dumps".
My cousin is bi-polar, is considered disabled because of it.
Has extreme highs and lows.
His son passed away recently and I haven't heard a thing from him since then. His older bro told me about the death. I will have to contact his bro soon to see how he is doing.
I'm sure he is now in one of his low times, mentally.
He is one of the funniest, witty and smartest people at times and other times he is crackers.
His own sister stopped contact with him for her own peace of mind.
Think since his son passed on she is writing hima bit , they live in the same city so it's just weird that they don't get along.
My mom used to say she thought she was a depressed person but she kept herself so busy and active she had no time to wallow in her feelings.
Whenever we told her we were bored, or sad, she would make us work hard or tell us how lucky we really had it.
I know it is a common thing to tell people to "get over it" but that's exactly how people did it in the past.
People, working class people just got on with it, no doctors, no meds. maybe alcohol was their only medication.
My mom later was on valium for years and years,about middle aged she started.
Those little blue pills...
She experienced more grief then most people could handle over her lifetime so not going to judge her for it.
Many people in Hungary now are taking xanax, read they actually had a shortage of that medication awhile ago in Hungary.
Drugs and alcohol are the worst things to take when you're feeling down.
I really think helping those in need or taking care of someone who needs help is a good way to forget your own problems.
People are not suppose to be alone all the time, if one is lucky enough to find the right mate then they never feel alone  or sad.
Sometimes though a mate or partner doesn't know what to do when one of the dark moods hits their loved one.
Some people turn to religion some to drugs some to exercise or volunteer work.
Maybe it's best to ask yourself if you are comparing yourself to others and seeing only the good things in their lives, or the things they want to show the outside world.
Don't believe half what people tell you about how wonderful things are, everyone really does have their own cross to bare,some people are just better at hiding their faults.
No ones life is perfect even if they work hard to try to put on a good front for the world.
Long time ago my sister introduced me to her girlfriend who from the outside seemed to have it all.
She was a high fashioned run way model from the US who lived and worked in Milan , Italy.
So beautiful that even in her st. clothing without makeup people would stare  and just about trip all over themselves looking at her.Saw it happen first hand.
She came into the salon I worked in to get my boss to cut her hair, the whole staff of stylists were asking me how I knew her what she did etc. It was weird like some super star had entered the room, she was just very pretty not a saint or hero.
She made allot of money in the 1980's for just a few hours of work a month.
Had high end fashion designers give her clothing, had dated some famous men, one of her old boyfriends was Adam Ant, she was excepted anywhere just because she was so beautiful.
Well looking at her deeper and knowing her we realized she became a model to prove to her mother that she wasn't ugly. Her mother told her all her life she was ugly and couldn't do anything.
She also had allot of scares on both her arms from trying to cut herself after being just used as "arm candy" by men. She would fall in love and they would fall in lust with her.
She was one year older then me when we met.
We all sat around my sister's pool drinking rum and talking, getting some rays in S. Ca.
Oh yes she could afford to visit the US all the time for a week or two here and there and see her old friends, her income was that good.
She had a car stored in Ca. and was welcome at anones place for a stay over.
Seemed d like such a fantastic and glamour filled life.
As we spoke and I told her I thought her life was so fun, she looked right at me and said honestly she thought I was so much luckier then she was.
I thought she was joking.
No, she said I had a child and a husband and knew how my life would be etc.She told me she wished she had as much as I did. I still think about what she said if I ever start to let my silly mind wander on what others have or are doing. Who cares, we all have our own life's to lead, not all the same.
She never felt really loved, just used.
On the last visit I saw her she brought her Italian boyfriend with her. Seems he really loved her  and she had gotten over hanging with other famous people. Her new boyfriend must of been a sweetie, he didn't speak English so I never talked to him directly. God, though, he was  not good looking at all, in fact he made one look twice not because he looked great but because you couldn't believe anyone as pretty as my friend could hang with anyone so darn ugly. He was just a cook in a restaurant in Italy, a simple guy,
Not sure what happened with them since she later got very ill and returned to the states to die.
She was only 32.
She died  from cancer, just tragic.
Actually if anyone cared to see a video of her singing with her Italian rock punk band in the 80's it's on U tube.(The band was one of her hobbies)
Band was called, "Peggy and the Pills' song was" Nobody's bride."
So sad to watch it now knowing yes, she was no body;s bride and she died alone with her mean old mother taking care of her at the end.
Now that's depressing.