And then there was this big snow, exactly on the day I was supposed to move in with Franci. I took my things (i.e. the big comforter, pillow, books, some incense I bought in Amsterdam, the camera and change of clothes, towel-toothbrush-etc but not razor, possibly slippers). The snow was rather deep in places. I made it in one piece all the way, the roads were reasonably clean. Don't exactly remember whether she was with me, she may have had exams the following week, and took the time to sit at home to cram. Or she came with me and I dropped her at her place, just a few blocks away.
It was only the last ten meters where I had to maneuver in tight space at the neighbor's driveway, because the house where Franci was did not have its own bridge over the ditch. So I made a slight scratch and a dent on the rear left door, when I came too close to a pile of snow and ice.
Unloaded my stuff, turned on my heater (yup, brought that too) and fired up the incense, which I brought after Vanji, the previous tenant there, told me the room was rather damp and may smell so. It was actually larger than Franci's, but then just as much harder to heat up. The house was a classic pannonian, with rooms lined up lengthwise. The front room was locked up, that's what house owners used when they'd come visiting from Germany, the gastarbajter as they were. Next was a little anteroom with Franci's room, then my room (about 4x4m), then the kitchen and the bathroom. There were two exits, one from the anteroom and the other from the kitchen.
The kitchen was solidly equipped with stove, sink, table, chairs, dishes, and all sorts of kitchen utensils. Old but solid. The bathroom and kitchen lacked heating, unless we'd bring some. Wasn't using the bathroom much, for as long as it's close to freezing, I'll take my showers on weekends when I get home. Washing one's face in the morning was a matter of courage.
Not sure whether I saw Franci before or Vanji arranged this without us seeing each other, maybe saw him once. I sat with him for a while, having eaten whatever dinner I brought, then made an ashtray of the tetrapak of yogurt that I drank (and later made several other ashtrays that way... always improvising). He had a record player there, with just a few LPs - "Apostrophe" by Zappa, one from Yes (perhaps "Tales from topographic oceans") and (another?) with "Roundabout", and one from Nektar, I think. I've heard them many times. Zappa was a surprise, didn't ever think I'd hear "WPLJ" again. Now seeing that it's not on that album, there may have been more from Zappa, um... that would be the „Burnt weeny sandwich“. Ah yes, and "Looking through" by Klauss Doldinger Passport. By the end of semester, I knew every note of each. Didn't quite complain, though.
On seventeenth or twentyseventh, the stamp is a bit smudged, my request to have the exam on english before the end of semester was approved. I'll have it in april, but at least now I was able to be scarce on the lectures, attending the russian as well, it all took a bit too much time.
15-VIII-2019 - 31-X-2025