23-VIII-2026.: Look, a trithday
Nineteenth in the evening we concluded that there's no fuss yet, we may finish that bottle, Lena has a scheduled check on friday. By the end of the first shot she went again about some amateur AI movie she saw, and said while it's spoken in english, whenever there's a traffic sign or phone screen in the frame, it's chinese ideograms.
There it crossed my mind that this would be a perfect moment to put Alan Ford onscreen, episode after episode. And for voices, take our stage legends - Bob Rock in voice of Nikola Simić, no other. For Sir Oliver, best [take] Ljuba Tadić. For Number one we both said Paja Vujisić.
And then she suggested to insert Vučić in there somewhere. I said it could be in the stories of Number One, for example he could be general Custer, when he pulls out a handkerchief, white with the eseness logotripe. That got us started, to transform Šešelj into Numbe One, for AV we didn't find a better role than the bespectacled postman, Oliver to be played by Siniša Mali, the fat boss by Vučević, Bob Rock by Glišić (whose name it took us ten minutes to remember), Brbana as Jeremija, or she would better fit Beppa Joseph... though, Šešelj would also be better as Superhik,and Doctor Death [nickname of the health minister] as doctor Krek. There's honey to be dipped, if one would venture thataway...
(the above two paragraphs I pasted on burundi, so if anyone gets ideas from it, may they multiply)
Then the mrz brought along a cassette with some live performance by EKV, and we [talked] about them [for] a bit. Of how Magi was shoulder to shoulder with Pogorelić, and then he nested at that hag's and she went into rokenrol. And how it was said in that documentary how Cia pushed heroin to them specally, thus to topple Sloba. Whoever thought that up, what a punning clan... And too bad about the fifth member, Sonja Savić, what that girl did with [her] voice, acting one thing with [her] face and something tenth with voice, huh, what was it that I just saw/heard? Too bad, too bad.
Friday, 21st. We're slightly into jitters, keep peeking into Telegram, and just to spite me, it began clicking new messages in the middle of my catnap. I heroically resisted and slept a whole hour, I even dreamt that I tossed myself on the couch and immediately fell asleep the deepest. And nothing, it was the rasejani passing jokes.
At least I did in fes what I intended for quite a while. If in mrz the left button gives me a list of last two hundred songs, here now I have just the same button, which raises a pretty much equal list of last 200 shown photos, in a grid. Rambling through the grid each touched photo is displayed, somewhat shrunk, to about 500х500 pixlies*, and click on OK copies its full path to stevka (v. house dictionary). Then I can find that picture on disk, specially if it's something I may need for Byo. There, something useful out of this waiting.
Saturday, twonysecond. Lena stubbornly reports nothing. We do nothing likewise, except we made a batch of noodles, been a while. The air is so dry that the dough dried at its edges, we had to tear off many such pieces. While she was stretching it upstairs, Nina called, nothing going on on her side either, smoe yardwork, she needs to hop over the fence to neighbor's (nobody lives there), to trim the hedge from that side, can't reach it from hers. We'll talk again tomorrow, now we were in a rush to run the noodles through the shredder, which we did in half an hour. The last five stripes we didn't even try, those will be lasagna.
Had good entertainment in the evening, and something like a doček of the birthday. In the morning, of course, congratulations through Telegram, „to all who celebrate“. I was already getting curious about Lena, and just then she joined the wave. I thanked her and asked „how's the pridrug [v. house dictionary], will he?“. And she „it seems he will 😃“. And now we're all waiting... To kill the time, I played the 170th level of gPlanarity, a truly screwy one, hour and a half went away. It would be nice if I could sleep now...
She wrote that at 13:13. At 15:33, she posted a shot - she, Milan and... Filip... Now that was fast, and she did say that she's still shocked, between the first contraction to look a baby there was mere three hours. So we have a trođendan (as of translating this the family council still hasn't decided on how to translate the word - rođendan is a birthday, dvođendan is a twothday... now make it three). Asked about the measurements, says 52cm, 3,62 kg. Sizable.
And [my] dad bragged how he had eight direct descendants (me, our daughters and then four grandchildren). Well, where you are now to see, eleven.
With Nina we talked before evening, concluded that now we have a family tradition, one in each generation has to be born on this day :). Sanda was also in the frame for a while, wants to learn serbian. Linda we saw briefly, and I even talked with Raja, asked him about left hand fingertips, did they stiffen. Still hurts, but he won't give up. Well, okay, another year or two, it'll come. Nina says he's becoming big help around the house, takes out the garbage, pushes the cans to the curb on a trashday. Their cats are very fat, specially compared to ours, lean and elegant. Now I barely distinguish Vafl and Zelena.3, he's not fuzzy now and their tails are just as long... Until I see the tail twitch or tongue hanging out, I don't know.
Then Borče called, and asked whether we're in an expanded assembly now. Well, we are, since a few hours ago... But didn't tell him it was a trođendan, if he already forgot when was that, let him be surprised the next day. And Boba messaged to congratulate the dvođendan, so I corrected him, it's a trođendan now. Says they were astonished with the news.
Then with Seattleians. They had arranged some fun for themselves the night before, went to sleep at who knows which wee hour, and then Go couldn't sleep, and thought she heard Telegram signaling or maybe not, so she got up to check and look there it was, it's a trođendan henceforth. While we talked Stanley awoke, and still somewhat under the influence of the party was obviously overjoyed with the news. The kids were still asleep, them we didn't see.
And then we said „and now we go drink, checking out...“, which was a bit after midnight. The „we go“ was a meter away, frm my desk to dining table. There was about four deci in the bottle, just right. We went to sleep after half four.
Monday, got up at nine and gave up, let's do ten. mrz played the whole „4 non blondes“ album we listened to last night. Had I not written it myself, I'd consider it suspect... Later I deleted it (i.e. the album), I already had all the songs separately. All kudos to Linda Perry, she was a breath of fresh air at the time, I couldn't believe that the showbiz had retraced its steps back to that wrong turn at Albuquerque and took a different path this time, which unfortunately didn't last, didn't take. But still a whole album at once, twice in fifteen hours, is a bit overboard.
Between soup and jučetina (squash musaka fourth day with petty potatoes from the frajer, excellent) I heard the Telegram. Of course I jumped to see immediately - one more photo. Um, the kid's hands are larger than Tanja's were, and fingers are long. We'll see about the nose yet... And the dangling fringe on the ear, that's from my side... Eh, them grandparents, they first look who the kid took afer. Asked how they were, said „I'm recovering greatly don't feel like having birthed. Still waiting for pediatar[ist] to say how is Filip, but since there were no hints I suppose it's all okay. They have a rush in the ward, as much as 14 babies (when Tanja was born, we were alone😅)“. Well, it's a popular date, the people stick to celebrating the saint twonyninth. When the november's gray leans its burden upon you, you can just go fuck...
Congratulations came from rasejani and oldwave, Škrba last night, then in order Kunta, ajVar, Boća („with your experience, I'm sure this one too will adore deda :)“), pLazić, Stinge, Magi („Bro, maybe they're attracted to light?! 🤣🤣“), Zlotvor...
I passed Magi's quip to Lena during the afternoon talk, she had a nice laugh. Asked how she was, „as if I didn't give birth, just ain't pregnant anymore“. The kid is sweet, and what we found on the first couple of photos, who's he looking like, nope, she said „to me he looks the most like my dad“. Um, we'll see. Of course I knitted nineteen screenshots. And the baby is cute, with visibly larger hands and longer fingers than Tanja. They're both fine, and she looks serene and relaxed. They'll keep them for 48 hours, just in case.
Then I lied down a bit, even put together half an hour of real sleep, just right. Borče called around 19:05, on the move. And we appeared on the street right on time to wait mere three minutes. Then we went on disentangling the confusion - first what Dragana thought that my birthday was today, he wrote it down [in her phone] then five years ago, sure but that was after midnight so you wrote it on the next day. Then Borče was slow to understand why we mention trirthday until we bebeaned him that Go was also born on the same day. We were drinking the last 22.2 tutifruti, maybe two deci left in the cask, and it went really well as far as he was concerned, he downed the first shot while we were still on half of it. I think he made it to the fourth, poured me a third but while we dined (wings the like thai way, stuffed ćevap and some kind of karađorđeva from a catering on Bagljaš, named O la la, which we took as O'Lala), so I completely forgot about it and switched to roze, we poured that back into the bottle.
The talk also touched on the parastos, the season is near. He asked me what's my plan, „nothing, waiting to be invited somewhere, it's been enough, twelve times at my place... and now it doesn't make sense anymore, there's nothing there, we didn't even turn on the power this year, and since we picked the cherries, didn't even go there“. Dragana said that Žuca started passing messages about it into the group, but wasn't quite clear which group - class only or whole generation. Well, it's not up to me anymore, I've done my [share]. I'll come where invited.
Then we sat outside again, Dragana of course in the swing. Finally for once her trousers were above ankles, and I said they don't look swollen at all, they're just equal. Ah, drop me, bro, the right one swole too. A trip to Tikveš was mentioned again, now with an additional reason, the vutra being already legalized in Macedonia. There my dear remembered a character whom she followed on youchoob, how in Mexico he took an energy drink and exed [bottomed up or bottomupped?] it in the hotel, and it was abou five doses of teeaitchsee strong, „as if my feet went through my head“, wanted to sue but didn't know whom, and then saw that it was his own fuckup, it was properly marked and he didn't read the label.
Borče insisted on champagne, appropriate, roze. And opened it himself successfully, despite already having misunderstandings in his private talks with gravity, which he resolved in a comradely fashion. So we drank that, and dispersed a tad early, right after midninght. By one we were in our bed, asleep.
In the morning she distilled that one still of apple, practically alone, from what Stole handed over, so it's 92 liters total for the season so far. Maybe there'll be more pear and apple, there's some fig too, of the quince we don't hope. Eh, if ours would bear fruit like these Faik's that we see every time we go out on the street... Guess that one is in the shade and has more water, ours have none.
Lena asked us to bring chicken soup :). Sure will do, of course, and another bone soup is planned, a few jars of concentrate. Here we ate the last one for five days in the row and it feels just fine.
A decent rain fell in the evening. In the morning, of course, not a trace that it even stuck the dust. We need one day when rain would fall for three days.
Wensday, 26th... Škrba reports that our FTP server in the railway building doesn't work because there's no server. There was a fire, the machines burned. Eh, could it be some sweeping of traces... In that case, I have the news I can't tell anyone, lest our friend who works there gets a special treatment.
Finally a proper catnap. Since friday it didn't work. I'm putting my fonoteka [yup, it's a regular word here], now that Nicotine+ works, I keep replacing weak recordings with better [ones], or what I had as one-piece albums and chopped them with my tool in mrz, which then lacks song titles etc. I finally passed the milestone of 29000 titles on the playlist, which took some time, as new acqusitions usually mean that I delete the badly chopped, specially where the ffmpeg would misdetect silences and create bits of dozen seconds, comes from various quieter intros or outros, so on ten new[ one]s I may delete thirteen olds. But there's replenishments, where I had three songs and now have the whole album.
Looked on the net for the „critique of diacritical mind“, which I mentioned on 25-VI-2010., and of course they all give me the parodied title, not that. Then I re-read the emails for the day, and turns out nobody mentioned it save for myself. So it was a joke, and I fell for one of my own.
Poured apricot in the evening, didn't in a while. After third or fourth shot we gave up on our own, poured the rest back into the bottle, went to sleep. There are days [ahead].
Thursday. Another batch of noodles in the afternoon, much easier than the last, just a few overdried bits on the edges. Not that it's any less hot, it's not, and even the breeze was absent (while shredding, I sit under an open roof window), it's that it's a humid wave. Along the way I fried another seedee with music for the car, it accumulated. Eh, had space for a hundred megs more, but never mind.
Before evening Lena calls. The little Filip neatly sucks, sleeps a lot, has the baby jaundice, which will pass too. Tanja managed swimmingly, comes to pet him, and is helping. Of course I made a whole series of screenshots. Though, we had to do this on the mac, there's an dispaired version again. Now we saw his feet as well... he's gonna be like [his] dad, will wair shoes size 45 (I wear 44). And, he's the first of our grandchildren who got hooked up with a pacifier, got it in the maternity ward and he took it. And about its possible influence to teeth, well... it was actually Lena who used it the most, and then the bottle the longest, and yet she has the prettiest teeth of all of us. Says she „well, really... thanks :)“.
It being a full moon, we went for a midnight walk again. To the end of our street, by the florist's plastenik [plastic covered greenhouse, staklenik = glasshouse], then to the beginning of that street, one cigarette on a bench by the playground, then back. Nobody anywhere. Heard two vehicles in the area and one on the overpass during that half hour.
Friday, we all congratulated Neša's birthday. Photos came later, birthday dinner, sushi and cake. Said to myself, look at that sushi, proper birthdaily. Then Lena saud „see mama, this new generation eats sushi for birthday“. Then I had to listen again to the „screw that, there's almost no meat, it's a poor man's grub, but here it's exotic and costly so it comes as posh“ story. Well, I said, I love sushi, I can eat it four or five times a year, nothing wrong with it.
Went to Klincaid in the afternoon, didn't go for almost two months. All dry and yellow. But found a few things here and there - her tomatoes, so neglected, wasn't never watered after planting, bore really well, picked some eight kilos, and there'll be more. I picked four kilos of plums. On the way back we went to Svetofor, bouthg water, peeled tomatoes in cans, even a sack of potatoes, one butkica, total of 7000. There's a treat on the house for bills over 2000, a can of noname beer or some artificial soda bottle, said „we don't use that, that's for you, our treat“.
I created confusion in the evening by assuming that it was the entertainmen night(... 45 words...). Then we switched to apricot and then went to sleep. The weather being what it was, we could have gone for a walk too.
What we noticed yesterday that poles for a fence are put up around the playground behind the local [community centre], was not a part of the general mania of fencing everything in, it's the that local zbor got to improve the playground, lest any kids run out into the street. That piece of the road is really tight, connects two major thoroughfares, but nobody drives fast there, the manholes being utterly screwed up, you drive in first if you can't take the middle of it. As much I could see from the bike (went to buy chicken backs for the soup, the wings were sold out already), this was done by the parents and grandparents of the children who play there. The zbor.
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* piksla is a box (or also an ashtray, aka cinderella), comes from german Büchse, box. Piksla and piksel are awfully close, it was a pun waiting to happen, and who knows how many times it already did.
Mentions: 25-VI-2010., Alan Ford, Božidar Sokolović (Boća), burundi, butkice, Byo (Byo), ćevapčići, Dobrivoj Gunaroši (Boba), doček, Dragana Vitas, Dragojlo Kuntić (Kunta), Faik Rizvani, fes, Filip Nastić, frajer, Gorana Sredljević (Go), Gradivoj Škrbić (Škrba), house dictionary, Jelena Sredljević (Lena), Klincaid, Linda Sredljevich Aquilla (Linda), Mališa Borkovski (Borče), maturski parastos (parastos), Milan Nastić, mrz pladžer, Nenad Berger (Neša), Nevena Sredljević (Nina), oldwave, Ostoja Čaković (Stole), pLazić, rasejani, Ryu (Raja), Sanda Sredljević Aquilla (Sanda), Stanley Berger, Stinge, Tanja Nastić, tutifruti, zbor, Živana Armatović (Žuca), in serbian
20-VIII-2026 - 26-IX-2026