Has anyone been there? How can I stay there cheaply for four nights? What's worth seeing and ISN'T connected w prostitutes or drugs? :D

Current Music: The Orb, 'Blue room'

When your former student is also your waitress, you can expect some special service... ;)
(dzięki, Madziu :*)

Current Mood: cheerful

The car's piston rings were useless, the oil kept getting into the engine and the thing could hardly accelerate. So I'm back home in Warsaw, sad and bored. :(

Current Mood: disappointed

Hi! Over the next few days I will be in:--

Lódz (Poland)
Slovakia,
Ukraine (Uzhgorod and eastwards),
Romania (possibly as far west as Suceava, heading westwards through the Painted Monasteries, Sighetu Marmatiei and Satu Mare),
Hungary (ideally Sarospatak, my favourite Hungarian town so far),
and back through Slovakia again.

So have fun without me; there will be photos and blogs and things when I come back, around 31 July.

Anyone who wants to meet can text me, on the same number I've had for ten years. ;)

love to all
Jim :)

Current Mood: awake

Be honest no matter what...

[ONE] Who was your last text from? And how old are they?
Olga, 19. Very curly hair. :)

[TWO] Where was your default picture taken?
My old flat in Lódz, with a primitive but scary webcam.

[THREE] What's your middle name?
Davis.

what happened to four, Sam?

[FIVE] Does your crush like you back?
Like, quite possibly. But if that was enough, she wdn't be a crush.

[SIX] What is your current mood(s)?
Abstracted.

And seven, too. That economic crisis is sure startin' to hurt.

[EIGHT] What color shirt are you wearing?
NONE. :P I have just had a bath and am stark nekkid. :D

[NINE] Would you kiss the last person you kissed, again?
Who was that? Can't remember.

[TEN] If you could go back in time and change something would you?
No, the risk wd be too great. If I got that girl I was dreaming about in high school, then I wd have missed something else later.

[ELEVEN] Do you have a crazy side?
Several.

Twelve? Is this cost-cutting, or what?

[THIRTEEN] Something you do a lot?
Put on weight.

[FOURTEEN] Angry at anyone?
No-one I know personally, I don't think. In the end, people tend not to be worth it.

[FIFTEEN] Are you a pervert?
Everyone is! They just have different coping strategies. ;)

And sixteen, too. Sam, you are not supposed to pick and choose w these things.
Either answer all of them or none! :P

[SEVENTEEN] Last time you cried??
Probably in my pillow a couple of weeks ago. I do do that on occasion.

[EIGHTEEN] Who would you do anything for?
No-one. 'Anything', like 'never' or 'always', is too strong and powerful a concept for weak humans to deal with.

[NINETEEN] Do you believe in love at first sight?
Love, no. Lust, most definitely. :D

[TWENTY] Who and where was your first kiss with?
Unknown Goth girl at a country gothy-kids party when I was 16. I also gave my first solo concert then, it lasted 3 1/2 minutes. :)

[TWENTY-ONE] Who was your first true love?
Probably Shaleena, poor moo, she didn't know what hit her.

[TWENTY-TWO] What color describes you?
Black, white, green and grey.

[TWENTY-THREE] Who is your last ex?
Marta, now married w a kid.

[TWENTY-FOUR] What is your favorite TV program?
'Corner gas', pre-revival 'Dr Who'.

[TWENTY-FIVE] Do you still watch kiddy tv programs?
I miss 'Sesame Street'. :)

[TWENTY-SIX] What are you drinking or eating at this moment?
I have to go and get some juice. Bathing makes me thirsty.

[TWENTY-SEVEN] Speak any other languages?
Nine, last time I counted. And have attempted to communicate in a further 33. :D

[TWENTY-EIGHT] Favorite smell?
Mown grass.

[TWENTY-NINE] Describe your life?
Unavoidable.

[THIRTY] Ever kissed in the rain
Not enough.

[THIRTY-ONE] Like the rain?
"only when its like down pouring i hate drizzle" <-- yay, I agree. :)

[THIRTY-TWO] What are you thinking about now?
Which program I am going to use to edit this Laurie Anderson podcast.

[THIRTY-THREE] Favorite song?
Right now it's a toss-up between 'On Broadway' as performed by Gary Numan, 'So weit wie noch nie' by Jürgen Paape and 'The secret life of Dr Calgori' by Abney Park.

[THIRTY-FOUR] Favorite memory?
Eating cheesie blintzies by the lakeside of Trakai Castle in Lithuania; having my #1 crush-girl rest her head on my shoulder in the central park in Warsaw.

[THIRTY-FIVE] If you had ur own tv show what would it be called?
"Jim Todd Re-Wires Your Mind."

[THIRTY-SIX] How many things do you own?
More than five.

[THIRTY-SEVEN] Last person you shouted at?
Probably a departing bus-driver.

[THIRTY-EIGHT] Do you act different around the person you like?
A bit, but then again everyone gets different proportions of my personalities.

[THIRTY-NINE] Natural hair color?
Light rat.

[FORTY] Last people who made you smile?
Manders!

Current Location: Warsaw
Current Mood: weird
Current Music: not very interesting remix of 'O Superman'

1. I have never eaten a taco, burrito, or enchilada; in fact, I am not even sure what the latter two are composed of.

2. I have no need to set an alarm; irrespective of what time I have to get up, or even what time I go to bed the previous day, I somehow always contrive to wake up in time for whatever I have to do.

3. The last two songs I performed in front of an audience were 'Hallelujah' by Leonard Cohen and 'The one I love' by REM.

4. The last time I drove a car was in June 1991.

5. Despite being a firm adherent of logic and rationality, I firmly believe that the number 13 will bring me good luck in any situation I encounter it in. (This is probably connected to my birthday being on the 13th.)

6. On this same basis, I always walk under ladders whenever possible.

7. I started to learn Japanese in 1979, when a high-schooler in Otaru, Hokkaido, entirely unprovoked, sent me an airmail letter in Japanese. But even now I wouldn’t be able to sustain a simple conversation in Japanese.

8. I always sit by the aisle in planes, so that I can walk around and go to the bathroom a) as efficiently as possible, and b) inconveniencing as few other people as possible.

9. Sometimes I tune my radio to white noise (the ‘snow’ sound of an empty channel) to help me clear my thoughts and relax.

10. I always speak English to airport staff, even if I speak the local language well; I feel that they could use the practice. But I always conclude my transactions with them by saying ‘Thank you’ in the local language.

What are ten weird things about you? :)

Current Mood: curious

Friends,

I am leaving tomorrow (4th) to spend a little holiday with a good friend near Tampa, Florida. I'll be away until the 15th of February, and until that time I have no idea how often I will be able to check the internet. So if you don't hear from me, don't worry, I haven't forgotten you!

To tell the truth, I am happy to get away from the computer for a while, and see some sea, sun and sand! (And some Americans as well, of course. ;) )

Take care and be happy, everyone!
Jim :)

Current Mood: nervous

I just installed it; my username is the same as here.

Feel free to drop me a line or give me a buzz!

Jim :)

Friends,

I am going to England tomorrow (5 August) until the 17th. I will be at my parents' place in Salisbury, and I might make some excursions to other towns in the south. I would be happy to meet anyone who is there and willing during that time! I will be checking this site regularly, if anyone wants to leave a message.

Take care! :)

Current Mood: optimistic
Current Music: the contents of my mobile devices

This great figure in world cinema has died at the age of 89. He was an inspiration to me and millions of others throughout the world; his visual style influenced filmmakers, photographers, musicians and all other kinds of artists. Personally, his film 'The seventh seal' (Det sjunde inseglet) was a landmark for me. (More information here and here.) May we all honour his work and his aesthetic!

'I live now in a world of ghosts, a prisoner in my dreams.'
Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007)

Current Mood: melancholy