03-XII-1999.

Brlja is supposed to come soon, but there's trouble with the air ticket. I was assigned as the travel agent, supposedly because I have a common language (english) with that girl in Budapest. What she found is 1st of january 2000, on Reagan airport, not Dulles (which adds perhaps dozen miles to the trip). And there were no return tickets on 9th, so he's coming back on 12th.

To which he responds (my replies interspersed)

Watch here. You did a number on me with that 01.01.2000. How do I get to Pešta fucked if I know. Me gonna manage.

That's counted on, that we're able to get in there, out of there, and insert it :)

.

Don't mean to nitpick but got questions:

1. who pays the ticket?

Zero. You just pick it up. When you finish the visa job, just walk to Vaci utca, I think nr. 15 (see the link), get into the yard then in the back upstairs is where the agency girls are. Best you carry the printout of what I send you (specially if payment's already in so you have the reservation number), passport and lots of patience, cause the girls look phenomenally and work even slower. Greg and I waited two hours for our tickets. Perhaps it would be good to send your passport number and address as printed in it, don't remember whether that's any necessity but doesn't furt.

2. when is reservation made, delivered, paid, by whom how and where?

We reserved by email and on monday we expect instruction for payment. You arrive at ready. Greg is very happy with this agency, they are cheap into 3pm, and you're lucky to land in Vašington, we landed in Njujork and had to ride for woohoo more until we keeled over. Greg did, though, drive us around town for three hours, including Menhetn*, but then I remember nothing of the last 50 miles. Last two miles I fell asleep and woke up ten times.

3. Is it secured that I'm getting the VISA on 22.12.99 or if not then the wait is at least 7 days and then I get caught in holidays and such merriment

The guy made promises and god knows how, and if he fucks up it's all a fart in the bucket. Greg will probably call him again, and there shouldn't be a problem. He probably remembers the grinding he (maybe) got when my visa vanished, so he'll see to it all going OK as it did in september.

4. if they haven't solved the Y2K problem should I worry right away or after the fall?

You take off around noon, and by that time what fell fell :)). The nicer fun will be Greg and me driving among these panic lovers here.

Then the message with Vanji knocked me off my feet. We all read it together at home and rolled laughing. Well you are truly unhinged... and weaksighted.

Off I went, and you get packing slowly :). Plan to launch them injuns for moonday.

Did you talk with Željko from CompuWiz? Any other candidates showing up? I wouldn't exclude Grgi, though there's some disclaimer - first, last five years I don't know what he's doing and what his programming habits are, and second, you're the operation Europe chief, so see. Though it would be a goodie, perhaps... at least he's not the dirty school. Who knows, maybe even Bata may fly in. How's he manage?

Greet the gangue and have a good doček in Pešta!

And another epistle to the gang, unrelated:

It got cool here eventually. Two snowflakes passed by yesterday, and in Nina's school they immediately got loud and asked whether the school will remain open... here when it snows, they close the schools until all roads are clean, including two feet of the shoulder - lest they risk anything anywhere.

I think Greg was grinding his teeth while riding the trabant, and if he only knew how the brakes were bad, he'd pray to all the gods that his insurance never gets wind of it, they'd raise his installments into orbit. They're so obsessed with safety and security here that they're long gone way beyond normal. You can't even buy an ordinary lighter anymore - it has to have a safety mechanism against children's accidental use thereof, including a brake. After each strike the brake engages automatically, so you have to release it first. We becunted first, but then acquired the habit to release the brake after each use... so it's now always with safety off. We had two of those, and they're both already in the garbage.

Got to put some coffee on for me, I'm already messing things up. Bye, then.

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* as per serbian no-spell-spelling, Manhattan


Mentions: Atila Gereg (Grgi), CompuWiz, doček, Goran Staković (Brlja), Greg Reubenthal, Nevena Sredljević (Nina), Stanimir Kršić (Bata), trabant, Vilmoš Baranji (Vanji), Zero Distance (Zero), Željko Popov, in serbian