30-XII-1994.

Decided to hire myself into Avai. I thought it would start on new year, but for some accounting reason* it was more fitting to have me on board starting this year, so we'd end up with two people (though I don't know when exactly did we take Brlja in, perhaps some time in the spring of 1995) and yet Vanji wasn't employed yet. So from now on I'm having my retirement dues paid in two places, to offset the two months of (formal) unemployment, and the nine months between november 1979 and august 1980.

These days we had power outs, planned, because Sloba exported the only thing he could - electricity. So we'd have the power six hours on, six off, then three on three off, but they'd usually err on the side of darkness. Last few days they had it almost right, down to ten minutes off, but a week ago, when they were conquering new terrains (i.e. narrowing down the always-on zones, like the hospital, which was somehow connected to the mostly herzegovinian village nearby - NOT on the same side of town - so they always had power), it used to be a couple of hours more without.

Wrote about this on sezam, and asked whether there are areas on the south rail that are off so long. And the answer was: Belgrade, 3 hours off, perhaps 6 soon; south rail 9 hours; Vojvodina 12. During some historically important soccer match, the left side of Bagljaš had the power for the first half, and then they switched. I heard the dividing street was quite busy during the break.

Also, I heard a rumor, which I believe to be true, that some municipality in Montenegro gets a coffer with german marks in cash (they opted out of the dinar... so we have a federal money which is in use in Serbia only), correct down to a pfenig, on account of the electricity cost. Now it's either some place which is hooked into the montenegrin grid, or some croatian property in Montenegro. I'd say the former.

Our monthly consumption is 2800 KWh, and I'm just waiting to be scapegoated so the neighbors can lynch me. The propaganda is miraculously successful. The mass, when waiting in a queue, always complains against those jumping the queue, never against those who caused it.

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* our accountant was D., formerly from KuPro, who went private with a few others. Their office was upstairs in the building of former kombinat's former Culture home, access through the yard of kantina. I didn't visit there too often, perhaps five times altogether.


Mentions: Avai, Goran Staković (Brlja), Kantina, kombinat, KuPro, sezam, Vilmoš Baranji (Vanji), in serbian