1. My godmother's mother-in-law, like seemingly every other human being over the age of 50 in Poland, has cancer. A couple of weeks ago my godmother had to take her to the hospital, and on their way the mother-in-law made her stop twice: once for a bottle of cognac and once for a bouquet of flowers. Welcome to not-quite-yet-transitioned-to-capitalism healthcare!
2. People in Poland have lost their minds about Pope John Paul II. I lack words to describe to you just how bananas the country is, but here are a few examples: a) In the time between the Pope's death and funeral, almost everyone in the country dressed in mourning. Like, even the TV anchors. b) There is no criticism of the Pope or the Catholic Church allowed in mainstream Polish media. c) Just in case you think I'm kidding about point b, please enjoy this article about Polish newspaper editor Jerzy Urban being TRIED IN COURT AND FINED for criticizing the Pope.
3. My great-aunt told me that when I was a baby I did not like crowds so my father used to take me with him to the grocery store on days when there would be a delivery of something (ham! toilet paper!) so that I would scream and people would let him go to the front of the line. She then told me that this was common practice and that if babies did not cry people would pinch their asses until they did. Oh, and the babyless would borrow babies. So there you go.
4. In Poland there's a show that's sort of a cross between Jeopardy! and Who Wants to be a Millionaire for kids. The other day on the interview portion the host was quizzing an 11-year-old girl about something or another, and in her answer the girl made reference to "the gray reality of everyday life." HELLO?!?! You are ELEVEN.
5. In accordance with tradition, I have now seen some of the weakest offerings Hollywood has ground out in the past six months, including Be Cool, The Translator, Miss Congeniality 2, Constatantine, Meet the Fockers, National Treasure, and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
2. People in Poland have lost their minds about Pope John Paul II. I lack words to describe to you just how bananas the country is, but here are a few examples: a) In the time between the Pope's death and funeral, almost everyone in the country dressed in mourning. Like, even the TV anchors. b) There is no criticism of the Pope or the Catholic Church allowed in mainstream Polish media. c) Just in case you think I'm kidding about point b, please enjoy this article about Polish newspaper editor Jerzy Urban being TRIED IN COURT AND FINED for criticizing the Pope.
3. My great-aunt told me that when I was a baby I did not like crowds so my father used to take me with him to the grocery store on days when there would be a delivery of something (ham! toilet paper!) so that I would scream and people would let him go to the front of the line. She then told me that this was common practice and that if babies did not cry people would pinch their asses until they did. Oh, and the babyless would borrow babies. So there you go.
4. In Poland there's a show that's sort of a cross between Jeopardy! and Who Wants to be a Millionaire for kids. The other day on the interview portion the host was quizzing an 11-year-old girl about something or another, and in her answer the girl made reference to "the gray reality of everyday life." HELLO?!?! You are ELEVEN.
5. In accordance with tradition, I have now seen some of the weakest offerings Hollywood has ground out in the past six months, including Be Cool, The Translator, Miss Congeniality 2, Constatantine, Meet the Fockers, National Treasure, and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
how did you get out of Poland? could you blog about that please? also! national treasure IS a national treasure - that movie was thrill after thrill. please do not denigrate it by including it in the same sentence as bridget jones: the edge of reason. i wish i could take you in line with me to buy ham and toilet paper and pinch you on the bottom until you cried.
Posted by: a fan | Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 12:29 PM