Boring

Whenever I said to my mother that I was bored, her response was that only simple-minded people would find themselves bored. When she said that to me, I decided even if I were bored, never announce it. Abigail likes to keep herself busy. Busy means studying or entertaining herself. If these two situations can not happen, she is bored.

In a few weeks spring break is starting in her school, and she already announced her desired programs for that time. She must be kept entertained because she said that she did not want to be home and be bored. Whenever I hear her saying she is or don't want to be bored I remember what my mother said to me. But I keep my mouth shot because if I say something an argument will break out and that is the last thing I want.

Some of her friends are going away, some will not be available, so she is desperately looking for things to do and people to do it with. The boyfriend is ok, but he will not be available every day besides even though he is the love of her life (she claims) she doesn't want to be with him every day. Some relationship, I say!

We are not available to entertain her on a daily basis. My wife has certain commitments, and I am not a partner in that. She has to figure out what is it that she wants to do so not to be bored and that has to be without involving us. I don't remember if I ever had that kind of problems when I was a young lad at my parents' house. I had my friends and I also read books. There was no tv and no electronic games but still, never bored.

This is the 21st century! Different life.

Weird world

I don't want to blow our good luck but so far, after a few days of problems, Verizon is working fine. There are no issues with it. We are slowly getting used to the channel numbers so there is nothing to complain about. Too bad, because I do like to complain. Comes with being an older person!                                        _____________________________________________________________________________________

On March 26 a bridge in Baltimore collapsed because it was hit by a giant ship. Six people died who were workers. The ship that hit the bridge lost control that was why it ran into the structure. The entire bridge collapsed and fell into the water. This is the short version of what happened.

Today it is April 5, and it took the leader of the free world ten days to go and visit the site. Why? George Bush visited the World Trade Center site many days after it collapsed. What is that these people think is more important than show their faces at the sites of such tragedies? If they care about the country as they claim they do, isn't their responsibility to put everything aside and visit these places? The governor of Maryland was at the site hours after it happened and so should have been the president.

Speaking of the president. He came to New York for a star studded fund raising at the Radio City Music Hall. At that same day was the viewing of the New York City policemen who was shot. He chose not to go to the viewing, rather he went to the fund raising. He could have done both. Trump did visit with the families. Biden sent his sympathies with the mayor who by the way was uninvited by the family.

Weird world we live in! 

 

April 4

In the Soviet ruled years in Hungary, April 4 was a national holiday. According to history, April 4, 1945, was when the last German troops were kicked out of Hungary by the Soviets and the war was over in that area. Always huge celebrations, military parades marked this day. No school, no work. And people liked it, I guess.

When the regime changed in 1989 and it included kicking out the Russians, April 4 was no longer observed. The fact that their kicking out the Germans was not looked at gratefully any longer because with that move they stayed on for many years and also there was always that not so quiet antisemitic feeling prevailing in Hungary.

Anyway, the regime changed, and April 4 became a regular day just like the other six. Except!

I mentioned it earlier that my family and I were in the Budapest ghetto. This place was enclosed with wooden walls all around the area. The few entry/exit placers were guarded by armed Hungarian nazis. One day in middle January we woke to an eerie quiet. Some brave souls went out to look around and came back saying that the guards are gone, the gates were left open.

So, we slowly and very carefully went out to look around to see what was happening. Suddenly out of nowhere a Russian military track showed up fully loaded with bread and the soldiers began to hand those out to us, poor souls. At this time we haven't eaten for a few days so you can imagine how well the breads were received.

Shortly after that episode we decided to leave the ghetto and go home to our own apartment. As we were leaving, we met with a line of soldiers (Russian) standing across the road with knives in their hands. Naturally we got scared not knowing what to expect. What they did was surprising and well received. They cut off the yellow star of David we all had on our clothings. 

These are the two things that stayed in my memory of those days. It is my opinion that if the Red Army didn't come when it did, we would have been all killed. As far as I am concerned April 4 is my liberation day.

    

Rain

Rain, rain, rain. For two days now it has been raining here. Not just raining but really pouring. It supposed to be spring but instead it is chilly and wet. How can one enjoy life in these conditions? It is just depressing. I don't go out if I don't have to. The only reason I go outside is when it is time for Robin. Usually, my wife takes him out but lately I also volunteer. 

These are very short outages. We step outside, he does his thing then he turns around and heads back inside. Robin hates the rain and wind and if there is no reason to go out, he is perfectly happy to stay indoors. So am I! Maybe this year we will not have a spring and just suddenly go into summer. Happened before, won't be the first time.

It is a good thing I am not a politician campaigning because it would be no joy to have a campaign thing outdoors under these conditions. Actually a good politician could make people believe that it is to their advantage to get soaked through.

Politics

Now we have a new player in the presidential race, and he is a Kennedy. RFK jr, the son of Robert Kennedy decided that he wants to be president. A lifelong democrat he very conveniently last year changed his colors to independent and other that is how he wants to run.

The man has absolutely no political background except that as a Kennedy he got politics with mothers milk. That is a political family everybody knows it. So now, he wants to be president. He is an environmental attorney with no political experience at all. But that was the way with Trump when he got elected and then grew into the job.

As I see it this Kennedy has the charm of a doorknob. I do not see anything inviting with him that I should give him my vote. Independent is a nice word but unfortunately in today's politics the independents always vote with the democrats. Meaning an independent president is a democrat president. Then things will not change. 

There is a big possibility that his entrance into the race might upset the applecart. People might get drawn to the Kennedy name and without knowing much, vote for him. If that happens, we will be in deep doodoo. This morning the polls showed that he was in the front, ahead of the other two. I think if he wins, he will be more surprised than anybody else.

This whole presidential trace is becoming more and more interesting as time goes by. 

Time

About a week ago was my father's birthday. In August will be my mother's birthday. Knowing my age one can deduce that neither is alive now. If they were it would be a miracle. My father was born 125 years ago, in 1899. My mother 120 years ago, in 1904.

My father was born not even in the 1900s but in the end of the 1800s. My grandparents were born sometime in the 1860s and I knew them also. Well, I am old, so it is not a miracle that I knew them. But what is interesting is that knowing my parents and grandparents those long gone years do not seem such a long time ago.

I know that the world changed a lot since those times. We had two world wars and an armed revolution to mention something. Technology changed or rather improved a lot. Here is an example. When my mother was born, in 1904 there were no airplanes to speak of. Air travel was unheard of. As time went by the airplane was invented and air travel became a popular way of moving around.

My mother never ever flew but had no reservations about flying. So, in 1962 she came out to New York to visit me, and she flew. The first time in her life she flew on a transatlantic, long flight to New York. She loved it. And after that she flew a few more times. My father never came to the US, but he also flew. 

Budapest where my family is from is an old and developed city. The building where my father was born and grew up still stands. I think when he was born it was already an old building. These old apartment houses are withstanding time and still give homes to many people. Budapest did not change much from those early days. Every time I visited, I never had any problems finding my ways around. Same old streets, same old buildings. It even held up against WWII.  In some older building shrapnel marks from WWII are still visible. 

The only reason I mention this to show how much our world changed or not since we are in it. Not everything is for the better but most of it is. 

Easter Sunday

 Happy Easter to all!