01-II-2004.
David wrote only to say that "At this stage we have not taken a decision about your candidacy yet.", whatever that means.
The superbowl evening. We were watching TV and felt smoke. Soon the firemen, ahem, firepersons, ahem, firefighters shoo us out, they're vacating the building, it's burning next door. It's about -2° outside. Here's what I wrote to my parents:
Last sunday in january (which now turned out to be first of february) is the finale of the football championship, i.e. the game that looks like rugby and they call it football here. That's when they insert their heads under each other's asses, then someone farts and they all run in all directions, which lasts 5 to 12 seconds, then they all stop, walk around, wait for ads to pass, then start all over. I'm not quite clear on the matter, but they watch it like crazy. Neighbors next door, youg couple with a baby, maam put some oil in the pan and went to take care of the kid, and told the husband to mind the pan. Husband seems to have minded the TV more than the pan, so oil ignited, which then caught the shelf above, and there was a minor blaze. I felt a slight smell of fir, new year like, and kept looking around for any cigarette I may have dropped, or lost an ember, but nothing. Then we heard some racket, was it from the staircase or their apartment, no idea. I went out to see what's up, and there the staircase is full of smoke, their door open, inside smoke from elbows up, darkness. I went back and said something caught fire there. Then the firem... firepers... firefighters knocked on the door and said "we are evacuating the building, get out fast". We dressed, and stood outside for about half an hour, then I opened the car, started the engine and so we at least warmed up some. The temperature was around zero - and the neighbor barefoot, just jeans, no shirt. I picked my jeans jacket so I gave it to him to wear, and then some neighbors took him in their car, with wife and baby, of course. The firemen were buzzing around for another hour and a half. I don't know how much it burned inside - the apartment is sealed, on the door stands "do not enter - construction unsafe". On our side of the staircase nothing happened, only the firemen opened our terrace door so we wouldn't faint from smoke when we enter. Which is why it took some while until we warmed up.
The firemen are equipped as if for Mars - gas masks, infrared cameras, radio hangs on a strap at the collar bone height, so they can talk without hands, few more electronic gadgets with flashing little lights (guess so they can see each other through smoke), and the dashboard in the truck looks like the bridge on an ocean liner - all sorts of dials, buttons, lights and valves. And, of course, flashing lights. Didn't bring the camera out (I managed only to pick my tozna and get dressed). She took the bag with important papers, and Lena, of course, took the guinea pig :)
The maintenance guy on duty says these grease fires are a regular phenomenon, and he'd bet there'd be one on superbowl day. They have about twenty of those every year. And as they build with wood and plastic, no wonder the firemen must be well trained and equipped.
Mentions: David Krakovski, Jelena Sredljević (Lena), tozna, in serbian