I will not go in to the many reasons why but trust me when I say it SUCKS. If you are in the market for a new PC make sure you can get it with XP. If not, enjoy hating Vista as much as the rest of the world.
But wait Sean you are a Apple man how do you know Vista sucks, easy Kate's laptop came with it and now I am forced to listen to her complain about how much of a pain in the ass it is and then try and figure out how to fix whatever problem she is having.
So my advice to you is if you have to buy a new computer get a Mac.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Why I Haven't Posted Lately
The main reason is because it has been cloudy and rainy for the last 13 days. I am holding out hope that I will see the sun tomorrow afternoon but the forecast said I was going to see the sun on Thursday. I feel like I am living in England. I am just killing time right now waiting for the Giants game from London. We finally got the sound problem I was having with cable fixed so I can now watch CNN and BBC news now. That brings me up to 6 channels in English. The only problem I have is the program guide is in Slovak so figuring out what is on has been fun. Other than that I have just been hanging out in the flat, I go shopping for food every 2 days and I make at least 1 trip to the mall just to walk around.
I will be heading home for a few days on the 28th of November and heading back to Slovakia on the 3rd of December. I fly into Newark on the 28th and will be driving to VA on Thursday the 29th. I have my sisters wedding on the 1st so I will not have a lot of time for visits, sorry about that. I was able to find a great price on my return trip to Vienna right out of Richmond. If you have the time to search you can find deals online. I spent about 2-3 hours trying different days and routes and was able to get a round trip ticket for about 850.00. The normal fare from and back to Richmond was 1500.00 but Expedia.com had an internet only special.
OK that's all I have for now. Thanks to the small group of readers who keep up with the blog. Down at the bottom of the page is a small map which you can click on and see where my visitors are coming from. I just added it last week so there are not many dots yet. I am averaging 45-50 visits per week.
I will be heading home for a few days on the 28th of November and heading back to Slovakia on the 3rd of December. I fly into Newark on the 28th and will be driving to VA on Thursday the 29th. I have my sisters wedding on the 1st so I will not have a lot of time for visits, sorry about that. I was able to find a great price on my return trip to Vienna right out of Richmond. If you have the time to search you can find deals online. I spent about 2-3 hours trying different days and routes and was able to get a round trip ticket for about 850.00. The normal fare from and back to Richmond was 1500.00 but Expedia.com had an internet only special.
OK that's all I have for now. Thanks to the small group of readers who keep up with the blog. Down at the bottom of the page is a small map which you can click on and see where my visitors are coming from. I just added it last week so there are not many dots yet. I am averaging 45-50 visits per week.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Ron Paul - America's Only Hope
I have make my choice on who I will support for President. Click the image and find out why I think he is the only choice for America. Take a few minutes to find out for yourself. If you like what you see please make a donation to help spread the word.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Thursday, October 04, 2007
The Language Lessons Have Started
Today I received my two CD's I ordered from Eurotalk. I worked with the first one for about 1.5 hours today. I like the way it teaches you with games and other fun ways to make it interesting. I highly recommend checking out the web site if you need to learn a language. It seems like it is geared towards the business traveler but right now I am just learning the basics. I will let you know in a few days how it is working out.
I enjoy going out by myself just so I am forced to try out my basic skills (i.e. hello, thank you etc) I have gone to the supermarket and and an electronics store. I have been studying my map of Bratislava and I can get around fairly well, even if I can't pronounce the names of the streets. Most of the younger people and the taxi drivers here do speak some English which had made it easier on me. I hope to have the vocabulary of a 4 y.o. by the end of November, but that my be asking to much. What I really need is English subtitles for the TV. That would make easier to learn but they don't have them, so I am stuck watching American shows dubbed in Slovak. The one show I can watch is "Slovak Superstar" (The Slovak version of American Idol) not that I want to but everyone else in the flat loves it. For me it is just funny to listen to them try and sing in English.
The weather has been nice but cloudy so I have not taken any photos lately. Daytime temps are in the high 60's with it getting into the mid 40's at night. We are planning on returning to Hybe next weekend and I would like to go driving and get some more pictures of the "High Tatras".
That's all for now.
I enjoy going out by myself just so I am forced to try out my basic skills (i.e. hello, thank you etc) I have gone to the supermarket and and an electronics store. I have been studying my map of Bratislava and I can get around fairly well, even if I can't pronounce the names of the streets. Most of the younger people and the taxi drivers here do speak some English which had made it easier on me. I hope to have the vocabulary of a 4 y.o. by the end of November, but that my be asking to much. What I really need is English subtitles for the TV. That would make easier to learn but they don't have them, so I am stuck watching American shows dubbed in Slovak. The one show I can watch is "Slovak Superstar" (The Slovak version of American Idol) not that I want to but everyone else in the flat loves it. For me it is just funny to listen to them try and sing in English.
The weather has been nice but cloudy so I have not taken any photos lately. Daytime temps are in the high 60's with it getting into the mid 40's at night. We are planning on returning to Hybe next weekend and I would like to go driving and get some more pictures of the "High Tatras".
That's all for now.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Bratislava Update
So it has been a while since I gave you guys an update so let me begin. I have been in Bratislava for over a week now and I am still having a great time. I have gone out on my own a few times and I haven't had any trouble with the language barrier, must people here speak some English. I have taken the bus a few times but I find for the short distances I need to go I can walk or take a taxi. I can get a taxi to the main shopping mall for about 4 bucks. I could take the bus for a about a buck but I have to take two buses to get to the mall and it takes about 15-20 min. In the taxi I am there in 5, so needless to say I take taxi's most places I need to go. I am still trying to find a bookstore that sells English books but I have found a few English magazines so far. I also picked up a prepaid mobile phone so if I need help I can call one of my roommates for help with getting around or what ever.
In my attempt to learn Slovak I found a U.K. company that sells software that teaches you with interactive games and what not, I ordered it and should have it by next week, I hope it helps. I am picking up words as time goes by and I would say I know about 30 words so far. I can say the basics like hello, thank you, please, etc. plus some not so polite things to say. Why is it you learn the bad words in a new language first?
The food here is very good and cheap. I also found a great place for pizza that delivers. I can order on-line to avoid any language issues. The bread here is very good and every 2 days we get a fresh loaf for about .70 cents. Most of the time we snack on a slice of bread with some soft cheese with tomato or green peppers. Breakfast for me is 2 eggs and some fried salami on bread. It's not pork roll but it's close. (I would kill for a pork roll, egg and cheese on a hard roll from the O.B. Diner)
I am still trying to get cable TV with some English channels and I hope to have it taken care of by the end of the week. The Internet has been the only way I can watch TV. If you know where to look you can download shows a day or two after they have aired in the US. I am keeping up with some of my favorites like "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "Weeds" and "Survivor". I was able to download the Giants/Redskins game from last week and I should be able to get this weeks game also. The great thing about getting them from the net is no commercials, the game was only 2 hours without commercials. I did bring my external hard drive stuffed with movies and TV shows so if all else fails I can watch one of those. I can't wait to see the Giants game from this week.
We went out this weekend to the "Old Town" and had a great time at the bars. I need to go during the day for pictures but with everyone at work or school during the day I may have to go on my own. It is a stark contrast between the look of "Little Brooklyn" and "Old Town". I would love to live in "Old Town" but the rents there are twice what they are here so that's out. While Bratislava is the most expensive place to live in Slovakia I still think it is cheap. I also think the real estate market here is only going to get better and I am looking at ways to get in on the ground floor. Most Slovakians think that 100k for a 2 bedroom flat here in Petrzelka aka "Little Brooklyn" is very expensive but in 5 years it will look very cheap. The economy here is good and getting better. Slovakia is really focused on the automotive industry, they are doing a lot things to attract companies to build automotive and parts factories here. I am going to work on a short video of the flat so you can get an idea of what it is like to live here. I should have it done in a week or two.
Thanks to all of my fans who read my updates and I will post more in the future. (yes that is my way of saying, when I feel like it.) Oh yeah, Henry and Kelly, the Redskins still suck! Go Big Blue.
In my attempt to learn Slovak I found a U.K. company that sells software that teaches you with interactive games and what not, I ordered it and should have it by next week, I hope it helps. I am picking up words as time goes by and I would say I know about 30 words so far. I can say the basics like hello, thank you, please, etc. plus some not so polite things to say. Why is it you learn the bad words in a new language first?
The food here is very good and cheap. I also found a great place for pizza that delivers. I can order on-line to avoid any language issues. The bread here is very good and every 2 days we get a fresh loaf for about .70 cents. Most of the time we snack on a slice of bread with some soft cheese with tomato or green peppers. Breakfast for me is 2 eggs and some fried salami on bread. It's not pork roll but it's close. (I would kill for a pork roll, egg and cheese on a hard roll from the O.B. Diner)
I am still trying to get cable TV with some English channels and I hope to have it taken care of by the end of the week. The Internet has been the only way I can watch TV. If you know where to look you can download shows a day or two after they have aired in the US. I am keeping up with some of my favorites like "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "Weeds" and "Survivor". I was able to download the Giants/Redskins game from last week and I should be able to get this weeks game also. The great thing about getting them from the net is no commercials, the game was only 2 hours without commercials. I did bring my external hard drive stuffed with movies and TV shows so if all else fails I can watch one of those. I can't wait to see the Giants game from this week.
We went out this weekend to the "Old Town" and had a great time at the bars. I need to go during the day for pictures but with everyone at work or school during the day I may have to go on my own. It is a stark contrast between the look of "Little Brooklyn" and "Old Town". I would love to live in "Old Town" but the rents there are twice what they are here so that's out. While Bratislava is the most expensive place to live in Slovakia I still think it is cheap. I also think the real estate market here is only going to get better and I am looking at ways to get in on the ground floor. Most Slovakians think that 100k for a 2 bedroom flat here in Petrzelka aka "Little Brooklyn" is very expensive but in 5 years it will look very cheap. The economy here is good and getting better. Slovakia is really focused on the automotive industry, they are doing a lot things to attract companies to build automotive and parts factories here. I am going to work on a short video of the flat so you can get an idea of what it is like to live here. I should have it done in a week or two.
Thanks to all of my fans who read my updates and I will post more in the future. (yes that is my way of saying, when I feel like it.) Oh yeah, Henry and Kelly, the Redskins still suck! Go Big Blue.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
A Shout Out to Henry at S.E.I.
Redskins Suck - Giants Rule
This is being said before the game tonight so if the Giants lose I might delete this post.
This is being said before the game tonight so if the Giants lose I might delete this post.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
The First Real Update
Due to lack of internet connectivity I have been writing this in stages on my laptop and waiting to post:
So where do I begin. I arrived in Vienna on time and was meet by Kate, Martina and her boyfriend Joey for a ride to Bratislava. I was very tired as I only got a few hours of sleep on the flight over. The nice thing about the flight was I did get upgraded to World Traveller Plus on my British Airways flight. Having a few extra inches front to back and side to side can make all the difference on a long flight. We then drove about an hour to the border to cross over into Slovakia. The border patrol hardly looked at my passport and stamped it and we where on our way. We then drove to the flat I rented. It is in the part of the city that I call Little Brooklyn. When I post the photos of the view from the flat you will understand why it is called that. It is just row after row of apartment buildings all built under communist control so they are all the same, very plain and boring but functional. The elevators are a little scary, they may open up a few inches below or above the floor you select unless it wants to take you one floor higher then you pushed which I can't figure out because it is random when it happens. We are on the eight floor and have nice views of the city. The flat is about 850 sq. feet with 2 bedrooms a bathroom with a tub (bonus for me) a small kitchen a den and and entrance way that we will setup a table for computers on. There are 5 of us, yes 5, living in this flat. Kate and I have the small bedroom (7'x14') then Martina, Eva and Johnny have the larger bedroom (15'x15'). The den is large enough for everyone to sit comfortably. The flat came with some furniture, Beds and couches plus a TV and DVD player. There are 2 balconies, one off the main bedroom and one off the den. Rent for the month is 640.00 so to me it is very inexpensive for the location. If we where in the old part of the city where the flats are better the rent is twice as much. We are close to shopping areas and bus lines so for us it works well. I will need to study maps of the area as the layout of the streets is somewhat strange and the buildings are numbered in a somewhat random way. Oh yeah and everything is in Slovak which makes it harder for me. We went out for dinner to a small place the girls like. I was amazed at how inexpensive the food is here. I had grilled chicken breast, fries and a coke for less than 4 bucks and it was good. I rented a car and Kate, Johnny and I then drove 4 hours to Hybe, Kate's village. It is a small place in the north central part of Slovakia with great views of the "High Tatras" mountains to the north the form the border of Slovakia and Poland. Kate's mother and sister are very nice and welcomed me into there home, which was better than her coming at me with a large knife. (Think about it, would you want your daughter bringing me home as her boyfriend?) Kate's sister Susan is very nice and her boyfriend Milos is a great guy. As a matter of fact I have yet to meet anyone who is not very friendly and welcoming. I have had some trouble sleeping with the time change, new beds, etc. Milos is a pharmacist so he was able to get me some sleeping pills which made all the difference last night. (now Tuesday). Insomnia has been a problem for me for the last week and last night was the first night I was able to sleep a full night without waking up. Those of you who have never dealt with insomnia consider yourself lucky, I got maybe 10 hours of sleep the first 3 nights combined. Saturday we drove about 30k to Kate's fathers town (don't ask me the name) and we went to a farm house for fresh cheese for lunch. We also watch part of a soccer match in the new field the town just finished building. We went out on Sunday to take pictures, the weather was very clear and I got some great shots of the "High Tatras". I watched the Slovak version of American Idol Sunday night and it was the worst 10 singers of the show and it doesn't matter what language you speak, bad signing is bad signing in any language. Monday was a very productive day, I was able to find an Mac store and get the proper electrical plug for my Mac, we then drove Milos about an hour back to his town and went shopping at the mall. For those of you who have never left America and think the rest of the world is somehow 40 years behind let me tell you this, other than the language there is no difference between here and any place in America. Just sitting in the mall will show you teenagers are the same all over the world, they like to shop just like we do. The nice thing for me is everything here is very inexpensive except gas which is $5.70 a gallon so stop bitching about 3.00 gas at home. I would like to get a VW Golf TDi to drive but I will wait and see if I really need a car over here or not. Slovakia like must of Europe has very good public transportation. They may not be the nicest buses or trains but they get you there. The plan is to stay in Hybe until Saturday or Sunday before heading back to Bratislava. I look forward to taking pictures of the old city, we drove through it on our way to dinner the other night and there are some nice buildings and old architecture. The toughest thing right now is the language barrier, I need Kate with me most times except at the bar, vodka is vodka in any language. We went to the local pub in Hybe on Saturday and meet up with a few of Kate's friends. One of them, named Permon, is one of the nicest person I have meet he is at most 5' 2" but he has a presence of a bigger man. He was excited to find out I have never tried Absinth, it is 180 proof, basically moonshine with the taste of Sambuca, I had 2 shots and that more than enough to get anyone in a good mood. At the end of the night I had on shot of typical Slovak drink, it seemed to counter the effect of the absinth for me, all of the sudden I could function again. The next morning I figured out why I don't drink much anymore, live and learn. The pub is small but everyone in towns seems to stop by at some point. The weather here in Hybe is similar to Bristol VT. The nights are cold but if the sun is out in the day it is fairly warm. Last night (Tue.) we did have some rain but when I woke up in the morning to sunshine and the "High Tatras" had a nice blanket of snow on the higher elevations. Most of it was gone by midday as the high got to around 65 today but it was pretty while it lasted. Fast Forward ----> It is now Saturday and I am back in Bratislava. Pictures and more later today or tomorrow.
So where do I begin. I arrived in Vienna on time and was meet by Kate, Martina and her boyfriend Joey for a ride to Bratislava. I was very tired as I only got a few hours of sleep on the flight over. The nice thing about the flight was I did get upgraded to World Traveller Plus on my British Airways flight. Having a few extra inches front to back and side to side can make all the difference on a long flight. We then drove about an hour to the border to cross over into Slovakia. The border patrol hardly looked at my passport and stamped it and we where on our way. We then drove to the flat I rented. It is in the part of the city that I call Little Brooklyn. When I post the photos of the view from the flat you will understand why it is called that. It is just row after row of apartment buildings all built under communist control so they are all the same, very plain and boring but functional. The elevators are a little scary, they may open up a few inches below or above the floor you select unless it wants to take you one floor higher then you pushed which I can't figure out because it is random when it happens. We are on the eight floor and have nice views of the city. The flat is about 850 sq. feet with 2 bedrooms a bathroom with a tub (bonus for me) a small kitchen a den and and entrance way that we will setup a table for computers on. There are 5 of us, yes 5, living in this flat. Kate and I have the small bedroom (7'x14') then Martina, Eva and Johnny have the larger bedroom (15'x15'). The den is large enough for everyone to sit comfortably. The flat came with some furniture, Beds and couches plus a TV and DVD player. There are 2 balconies, one off the main bedroom and one off the den. Rent for the month is 640.00 so to me it is very inexpensive for the location. If we where in the old part of the city where the flats are better the rent is twice as much. We are close to shopping areas and bus lines so for us it works well. I will need to study maps of the area as the layout of the streets is somewhat strange and the buildings are numbered in a somewhat random way. Oh yeah and everything is in Slovak which makes it harder for me. We went out for dinner to a small place the girls like. I was amazed at how inexpensive the food is here. I had grilled chicken breast, fries and a coke for less than 4 bucks and it was good. I rented a car and Kate, Johnny and I then drove 4 hours to Hybe, Kate's village. It is a small place in the north central part of Slovakia with great views of the "High Tatras" mountains to the north the form the border of Slovakia and Poland. Kate's mother and sister are very nice and welcomed me into there home, which was better than her coming at me with a large knife. (Think about it, would you want your daughter bringing me home as her boyfriend?) Kate's sister Susan is very nice and her boyfriend Milos is a great guy. As a matter of fact I have yet to meet anyone who is not very friendly and welcoming. I have had some trouble sleeping with the time change, new beds, etc. Milos is a pharmacist so he was able to get me some sleeping pills which made all the difference last night. (now Tuesday). Insomnia has been a problem for me for the last week and last night was the first night I was able to sleep a full night without waking up. Those of you who have never dealt with insomnia consider yourself lucky, I got maybe 10 hours of sleep the first 3 nights combined. Saturday we drove about 30k to Kate's fathers town (don't ask me the name) and we went to a farm house for fresh cheese for lunch. We also watch part of a soccer match in the new field the town just finished building. We went out on Sunday to take pictures, the weather was very clear and I got some great shots of the "High Tatras". I watched the Slovak version of American Idol Sunday night and it was the worst 10 singers of the show and it doesn't matter what language you speak, bad signing is bad signing in any language. Monday was a very productive day, I was able to find an Mac store and get the proper electrical plug for my Mac, we then drove Milos about an hour back to his town and went shopping at the mall. For those of you who have never left America and think the rest of the world is somehow 40 years behind let me tell you this, other than the language there is no difference between here and any place in America. Just sitting in the mall will show you teenagers are the same all over the world, they like to shop just like we do. The nice thing for me is everything here is very inexpensive except gas which is $5.70 a gallon so stop bitching about 3.00 gas at home. I would like to get a VW Golf TDi to drive but I will wait and see if I really need a car over here or not. Slovakia like must of Europe has very good public transportation. They may not be the nicest buses or trains but they get you there. The plan is to stay in Hybe until Saturday or Sunday before heading back to Bratislava. I look forward to taking pictures of the old city, we drove through it on our way to dinner the other night and there are some nice buildings and old architecture. The toughest thing right now is the language barrier, I need Kate with me most times except at the bar, vodka is vodka in any language. We went to the local pub in Hybe on Saturday and meet up with a few of Kate's friends. One of them, named Permon, is one of the nicest person I have meet he is at most 5' 2" but he has a presence of a bigger man. He was excited to find out I have never tried Absinth, it is 180 proof, basically moonshine with the taste of Sambuca, I had 2 shots and that more than enough to get anyone in a good mood. At the end of the night I had on shot of typical Slovak drink, it seemed to counter the effect of the absinth for me, all of the sudden I could function again. The next morning I figured out why I don't drink much anymore, live and learn. The pub is small but everyone in towns seems to stop by at some point. The weather here in Hybe is similar to Bristol VT. The nights are cold but if the sun is out in the day it is fairly warm. Last night (Tue.) we did have some rain but when I woke up in the morning to sunshine and the "High Tatras" had a nice blanket of snow on the higher elevations. Most of it was gone by midday as the high got to around 65 today but it was pretty while it lasted. Fast Forward ----> It is now Saturday and I am back in Bratislava. Pictures and more later today or tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
I Have Arrived
It is now Monday night and this is the first time I have access to the internet in a while. I will make this short and tell you it is great here. I dig my flat in Bratislava, I rented a car and Kate and I are visiting her sister and mother in the village of Hybe about 4 hours away from Bratislava. I have not gotten my Mac online yet so I will post photos later. I will write more in a few days when I have more time and get the Mac online to upload photos.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Post Card Requests
For those of you who are interested in getting post cards from Europe, you are in luck. Please send an email with the subject line: Post Card
with Name, Address and the email address you would like me to use. Also you can include your phone number so I can update my records. I do try and get one post card out every two weeks for each of you. They may not say much but it will be a nice picture.
with Name, Address and the email address you would like me to use. Also you can include your phone number so I can update my records. I do try and get one post card out every two weeks for each of you. They may not say much but it will be a nice picture.
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