22-XII-2021.
On 14th to Nina's dentist, it's been a while. Much more snow in Belgrade than here, her boots slip. Since we arrived some half an hour ahead of set time, I parked near Lena's, meaning to visit her first. But, seeing how she slips, Nina decided to walk it right away, she can't possibly reach her regular speed. Then she had to wait there, as the dentist was a bit late, and meanwhile I talked with Lena at length. Api was very loudly glad to see me, must have been heard on 13th floor.
She showed me the apartment's layout, and what the architects* suggest. Both the two of them and the team enjoy the encounters... two geeks hire three other geeks from some other trade, and then watch themselves how they'd be if they were in that other trade. „You guessed me so right that I'm almost insulted... am I so easy to read?“
At work she already got into routine as an expert interviewing candidates for jobs - the firm intends to double its size twice more - and just last week she had three such talks, one of which was with a guy whose wife is already employed there. She got it, though. The surname being the same, well, perhaps it's a frequent one in Romania; same city - well, could be one of those villages with three surnames, but... same flowers in the background during the chat was a dead giveaway. She told one member of the committee, but they didn't tell the third, and she noticed nothing until they already had a decision (positive one). Because the guy did the homework, „I see you use Angular so yesterday I read to see what it was and, well, here's a little app I made in it, just wanted to see how it works“ - and demoed it right away. Other candidates are often strong in attitude, they have practiced the art of sounding cocksure, optimistic and can-do, but they mostly know how to sound good, and almost none of what they need for the work. They expect to be taught that on the job. Well there'll always be that, but not the way you imagined it.
She's writing her graduation paper. She did the practical (wrote a whodunit game) and it passed fine, now the description. She finally made herself start writing, and first day she wrote 22 pages out of the required 60. Well, let's see that miracle, too.
I slowly drank my coffee, then Nina her tea (for Lena ran out of milk, almost bought more but we came earlier than she thought), and then we drove off to the other end of Evropska/Japanska street, where she went to buy presents for the kids. I even parked on the same spot, better armed than last time - didn't shoot around with nokla but with eos70. Even shot one at a red light somewhere between Bežanija and Zemun.
While I was waiting, called Dragana - the phone was fully charged with both juice and minutes (over 1000 now) - just to check on her. Says the ear still bleeds, less but not stopping. She got to this superspecialist, or rather sub-, and she said she won't do a thing until the analysis results arrive tomorrow, so she just fit her a new tampon with hloramfenikol (chl...ph... and other crimes against fonetiks, shove em), replace on thursday even if nothing comes from the lab. The lab says „not done, which means there's something... the negatives are done in two days“.
Nina bought new tablets for the girls, a mousepad for Raja and me (the one from the old balled Genius, from 1992, works but... it's warped and has no texture, so it's wrapped in a t-shirt; it was the best ball mouse and best mousepad for such mice... but this is optical now). The frames and protective foils she ordered online, and it should arrive soon (mostly did by 23rd, except the frames which should come from Denmark, prob'ly in two weeks, after the christmas).
On sixteenth we took the girls to Springfield again, early enough so Rajaand Violet were still asleep, nor did Nina for that matter. Let them run around and climb, and then ordered food when they were about done. There was another girl, their age to a week or two, and of their size and weight. We always considered them small, they were born at about half weight, but that was in the beginning. Now they've matched up with their generation.
Sanda said „Hi!“ to this girl, to which she said „Hi!“. Linda just approached their bench, and Sanda showed this girl to Linda and said „She talks!“.
We had mixed barbecue, i.e. they had the fries and we the meat, and we ate less than half; we ordered also a kilo of ćevapčići and had the leftovers packed, cost below 2400 altogether. Took it all home, just on time when the others were waking up and looking at what to eat.
On seventeenth again, just last week, I kept looking out for a day when I'd fire up the new chainsaw and finish chopping the wallnut. But it spites me, it's either some nasty drizzle, or nasty wind, or both. And when it's neither, it's near winter solstice, we're on the eastern edge of the timezone, by 16:00 it's dark. So today I took the little axe instead and started chopping what we sawed already, and threw it to the basement window. When I was done, it was practically dark. Went inside, and saw Nina's friend with her daughter, from next street, is here. The twins, even though they manage to pronounce some longer words in serbian (Sanda said „rođendan“ - birthday- the day before, with qute proper đ and serbian r) and in english („refrigerator“ - pronounced perfectly, accent a bit wobbly, but hey it's a four syllable, there are highschooler who stumble on that), they can't hit the daughter's name. DEnisa, deNisa, D'nisa... never Danica (c is pronounced as tz in pizza; accent on first, try that at home**). But they love her, and they had lots of fun putting up the new year's spruce (same old plastic one, doing double shift as christmas stree first) and the stickers on the terrace door. The stickers are now electrostatic and work only once, and they're used to doll dress stickers which work a dozen times... so there's one sheet of stickers saved for later, in case the glass looks sparsely decorated.
On nineteenth I called Borko with just one question: did he learn how to eat meat. Yes he did, got a new bridge on friday, and he can. Good, for you are coming tomorrow this way or other, it was just a matter of „will it be meat or farina and eggs“***. Then called Dragana, says it stopped bleeding and she doesn't have a swarm of bees in her head anymore, was driving her nuts. She's somewhat exhausted, not in best shape, but she's coming.
So on 20th we went (we with girls, Violet and Raja were asleep, they now go to sleep in the day and wake up during the night, we don't see them much these days) and bought a hill of meat and whatnot for tthe 61st frendz parti. On top of that, she spotted pig's feet, which aren't offered often, so she bought that, with one more smoked and one raw hock, to make pihtije. Which she did right away, but they take time to coagulate, so we didn't eat them until the next day.
We did have salties (bosnian burek, franks in a roll), thin cut (čajna, kulen and cheese, olives), roast (natur steak in gravy, with onions), filled champignons (as per Pitch recipe, which she developed further), salad (the fresh domestic from rasol, i.e. salt water, put to ferment nine days ago) and... when everyone were already sated, she brought the pancakes. She often makes 5-6 of them, using just one egg, but this time made a dozen. And pulled out a jar of 2016 plum pekmez, which only Dragana took; he spread ajvar on it (red peppers and eggplant...). He did take the second one with pekmez, though.
We didn't drink much, he had two shots and two beers, she had one shot and nothing else, and the brandy of the day was the sweet cherry (the verdict is „don't let that leave the house“); we stayed on brandy... and still there was half a liter left.
A rare find - he brought a new joke:
- Next for the vaccine... here, miss... you may sit here... roll up your sleeve...
- Um, doctor, would it be possible... I mean... to get it... in the ass?
- Well, well... actually, why not, yes, can do. But vaccine first.
And we split at some early time, by 1:00 the table was already clean. Dragana is really not in best shape. She's looking good, doesn't look sleepy or fatigued, just doesn't drink and goes home early. Nothing then, next monday it's her place, she can't go home until we leave...
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* instead of „arhitekte“ (pl.) I wrote „arhitetke“, which is a common joke. Tetka is an aunt (parent's sister), so „archi-aunts“.
** I am not responsible if you undergo an open tongue fracture or other injury - the risk comes solely from growing up in english, not from trying other things
*** originally, „griz i jaja“, which sounds like „grizi jaja“ - chew eggs (i.e. balls). Old army joke.
Mentions: Api, burek, ćevapčići, Dragana Vitas (Dragana), eos70, frendz parti, Jelena Sredljević (Lena), Linda Sredljevich Aquilla (Linda), Mališa Borkovski (Borko), Nevena Sredljević (Nina), nokla, pekmez, pihtije, Pitch kettle, Ryu (Raja), Sanda Sredljević Aquilla (Sanda), Springfield, Violet, in serbian