The Christmas Market has begun. If you are headed this way, here is a handy map to find your way around. As I wander through finding things I may want to buy, I always forget where they were by the time I make the full rounds. After all, you have to make sure there is nothing better around the next corner. ***Michelle wanted to know where I found this map. I answered in a post dated December 13th, but for others, it was in a special booklet available at the TourInform office. I have given away all of the copies I had picked up, so cannot remember the name of the pamphlet. The closest TourInform to the market is at Suto u. (missing accent marks).
Pin It Now!Sunday, November 30, 2008
The Onion Reports on the Campaign
0 commentsThis video comes from The Onion. My former co-teacher used to read it compulsively, but I never really appreciated the humor. It is all satire. Ron came across this video, which did tickle my funny bone. It is making me wonder if I should removed my Obama-Biden button from my jacket. I am so proud to be an American again, I hate to remove it. Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are
Pin It Now!Saturday, November 29, 2008
Post Turkey Day
0 commentsThanksgiving was a BLAST! We were a total of six for dinner. The turkey looked like a magazine picture and oozed with juice, so much so, I was concerned the meat thermometer was not working properly, but thankfully everyone is alive and well. Everything I could hope for was accomplished and the last guests left at 1:30 am. We are still munching on leftovers, the best part of Thanksgiving if you don't have any Black Friday sales on your agenda. I read one person was killed at a Wal-Mart during a rush. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about that happening here. I hope that all of you who celebrated had a great a time as we did.
Pin It Now!Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thanksgiving
1 commentsIt is almost that time again to celebrate. We were able to get a whole turkey from an Embassy connection, guests through the months have brought canned pumpkin, condensed milk, cranberry sauce, and I found artichoke hearts. We will have hot artichoke dip, a cheese tray, pickle platter, white mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, biscuits, turkey and stuffing with gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffed mushrooms, peas with pearl onions, and pumpkin pie with Hagen Daz ice cream. We will have two other American ex-pats as well as two Hungarian friends, so it should be a festive event.
Pin It Now!Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Holy Cow! No, Holy Elephant!
1 commentsAs Vándorló commented, the source was missing. I had to copy and paste this six times to get it to look proper and not a jumble or elephant sized words. Problems with Blogger. When I finally got it correct, I forgot to put the link in again. It is linked by clicking on the post title. Remember how Budapest was shamed two years ago after the local "Cowparade" resulted in the world's highest rate of artificial cow public art vandalism? Well, don't worry - it won't happen again. Instead, it looks like this time the city's irrepressible hooligans will be forced to kick over, spray paint, steal, blowtorch or otherwise ruin big colorful statues of elephants. As part of a charity/PR campaign un-creatively called the "elephant parade," almost 100 artificial elephants will be placed at intersections around the city. The first such statue, a pink pachyderm designed by artist/former Yoko Ono boy toy Sámuel Havatődy, was recently completed (right). Havatődy had this to say about his elephant, which is decorated with a lace pattern named "Hope": "Thread is very weak on its own, but if it is spun into lace, it makes a strong material." No doubt we'll soon be finding out just how strong it is.
Pin It Now!Monday, November 24, 2008
Now This is Customer Service
0 commentsWhen I get excellent customer service these days, regardless of the originating country, I am bowled over. On Saturday, I sent an e-mail to Kingston Technology. I am not even certain where they are located, but I had purchased a 4 GB expansion card for my Treo 750. It would not work and I searched all over the 50 million pages of the Internet trying to find out why. It turned out that it is because I do not have Windows Mobile 6 on my phone and this particular card is a high capacity card, which is only recognized by Mobile 6 on Treo 750s. Today, I am at the grocery store and my phone rings. It is the support person from Kingston Technology wanting to follow up with me about my e-mail. They were concerned about my card not working in the phone. We had a rather lengthy discussion between the vinegar and pickle sections of the store. This gentleman and I don't use the term loosely, was truly concerned about the card not working. Kingston Technology has gained one loyal customer and as you can see, I am willing to share the experience for others to know the excellence in service.
Pin It Now!Posted by Anonymous at 5:27 PM
Labels: customer service, expansion card, Kingston Technology, Palm, Treo 750
Who's Who? I Am Who
0 commentsSome of my more cynical friends thought the only way to be included in this book was to pre-purchase it. I DID not pre-purchase it, purchase it, or make any contributions other than providing tedious information on a strenuously lengthy form. Dear Dr. Ryan James, Congratulations on the outstanding achievements that have earned you a position in the 2009 Edition of Who's Who in the World! This exciting, new edition – which includes your complete biography – has just been published and is available for immediate shipment. Once again, congratulations on your inclusion in this special edition of Who's Who in the World, and best of luck for your continued success. Sincerely, James J. Pfister CEO, Marquis Who's Who
Pin It Now!Sunday, November 23, 2008
Frommer's Reader Writes
0 commentsThis came from a reader of my tour book.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Comment from Bluefinbch
0 commentsIt will be a long time before I have to be concerned about Sam's Club or any of the US grocery stores, but for the rest of you, Bluefinbch sent this comment. "Wow! So many stores closing everywhere. Thanks for the heads up. I've shopped at Sams Club for a number of years and I notice for the lst time in the meat dept they are mixing old meat in the center new meat and selling it as new. This is in ground hamburger. So be aware to check out meats careful when you get home."
Pin It Now!Buyer Beware
1 commentsAn alumni member from University of San Francisco sent this out to our group, but without a source. Take it for what it is worth, but if nothing else, it is worthy of consideration. The "I" below is her note to the group. I wanted to give everyone a heads up that if you tend to give gift cards around the holidays, you need to be careful that the cards will be honored after the holidays. Stores that are planning to close after Christmas are still selling the cards through the holidays even though the cards will be worthless January 1. There is no law preventing them from doing this. On the contrary, it is referred to as 'Bankruptcy Planning). Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be cautious about. Circuit City (filed Chapter 11) Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January Cache will close all stores Talbot's closing down specialty stores J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbot's) Pacific Sun wear (also owned by Talbot's) GAP closing 85 stores Footlocker closing 140 stores mo re to close after January Wickes Furniture closing down Levitz closing down remaining stores Bombay closing remaining stores Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January Whitehall closing all stores Piercing Pagoda closing all stores Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January. Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick ) Macy's to close 9 stores after January Linens and Things closing all stores Movie Galley closing all stores Pep Boys closing 33 stores Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores JC Penney closing a number of stores after January Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores. Wilson Leather closing down all stores Sharper Image closing down all stores K B Toys closing 356 stores Loews to close down some stores Dillard's to close some stores
Pin It Now!Friday, November 21, 2008
Palm Treo the Mini-Series
0 commentsAfter reading dozens of posts on the Treo forums, I had concluded that the phone would handle a 4GB expansion card, so I went to buy one. It takes a mini card, not a standard or micro card, so I wrote down what I needed to just hand to the salesperson rather than drag along an interpreter. I gave the slip of paper to the clerk at a large camera store. He looked at it and asked me something in Hungarian, but the blank look on my face made him realize my synapses were not firing. He tried again in English. Eureka! I hit the mother lode, an English speaker. He then went on to explain that the 4 GB cards were on HC or high capacity and he was uncertain whether my phone could handle high capacity or not. They quit making cards without the HC in the 4 GB size or at least they were not available here in Hungary. After sharing with him that my meandering through the Treo forums assured me it would work (I really had self-doubt in the back of my mind), I bought it. If it did not work, it was $25.oo down the drain, but the prices in the States were double, so I was still ahead in being behind in losing my money. After running home, I whipped the card out of the bag and realized it was a micro card with adapters. My heart sank, not knowing if the adapters would fit or not. The smaller one did fit the phone; I was off and running. Viola, the phone did not recognize the card. Back to the manuals and forums. Ah, ha! For the phone to recognize the card, which is FAT 32 system, you need Windows Mobile 6. Windows Mobile 5 only recognized FAT 16 system. These little nuggets of info were packed tightly and securely in the storage boxes of my brain, but not discovered and unwrapped when buying the card. How to get Windows Mobile 6, well that was the next search. You cannot download it from Microsoft, because they tie it into the phone company your phone has an affinity connection with. So if you have a Cingular phone, you have to get it from Cingular's web site. AT&T has their own version, each depending on what tools they want to allow with their phones. I, on the other hand, have an unlocked free roaming, not tied to any specific company wild as the wind phone with no Windows Mobile 6 to download. The hunt continues.
Pin It Now!Thursday, November 20, 2008
Palm Treo Trilogy Next Scenario
0 commentsI received a call from the store that my phone was ready to go and go I did to retrieve it. Now that the software has been reloaded, nothing I had in it is there, but it is working fine. Actually, it is better now than when it was new. The camera option used to freeze the entire phone and I had to do a soft reset, but it works now without a hitch. All of my data was synced on the computer, but first I want to get a 4 GB expansion card. I need a Hungarian-English dictionary on there, plus some other utilities. When I add some music, since this is also an MP3 player, it will fill a regular card quickly. I am jazzed and ready to play once I reset all of the settings back to where I had them. My sync folder looks to be empty, but I am hoping the data is only hidden. We will see. Otherwise, I will have to do a sync between my Gmail mail account and Outlook, then sync Outlook with the phone. If only I could remember how I did that in the past, because Outlook mobile is no longer on my phone. More hours of searching, studying, and remembering... I should write instruction manuals for myself as I go for future reference.
Pin It Now!Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Palm Treo Trilogy or Never Ending Story?
0 commentsMy Palm Treo 750, a phone I have come to love, has stopped dialing numbers. When I answer a call, I cannot hear a thing. On the 15th, I posted my initial trip to the repair place with a student. On Monday, I returned solo. The meck-i-nic as the young gentleman at the front desk called him was there to look at the phone. After some brief examination, no CT Scan at this point, he suggested I return in an hour with 8,000 Huf (about $45.00 give or take) and I could take the patient home with discharge papers and care instructions. Being only fifteen minutes from home, I went back, had a cup of tea, read e-mails, and then returned. Oh, dear! The patient has taken a turn. Although the dialing and receiving calls was fixed, when he turned the phone off and than on again, it no longer worked. Surgery was in order. He would have to remove all of the software and reinstall it. I should return on Tuesday at 3:00. Broken hearted, I left. Tuesday, at 3:15 I arrived with a skip in my step. The extra minutes were not to appear overly anxious. However, the smile was soon wiped from my face when I was told the meck-i-nic had a family 'program' and was not there. I translated this has 'problem' for surely if he had a family function, he would have known that yesterday. No one knew if he had worked on the phone or not. The nice young man said he would call me on Wednesday, today. I suggested after 3:00 since I had a full day at school and then a physical therapy appointment. Stupidly, I forgot my old mobile at home, so when I arrived, I expected a missed call. There was nothing. Being weary and a bit disgusted, I will wait until tomorrow and take a journey after my full day and see what is what. In situations like this, I often wonder how much different this would be in the States. I continue to remember the Gateway computer that I bought and had to return it forty-five miles away to be repaired six times within the first year that I owned it. Sure it was under warranty, but that did not make the drive or the time spent any easier. But if I had a Treo in the US, how much time would it take to fix? I really don't want to know the answer. I like to confuse myself that this is the trade-off for living in Europe.
Pin It Now!Saturday, November 15, 2008
Okay, Not So Peachy
0 commentsVándorló commented on the post "Barack = Peach" post with: How does this constitute a 'prediction' unless it is in a really pathetic sense? I assume you know both the etymology or Obama's name as well as that of the name for the peach in Hungarian? And then, some underlying interesting relationship between their origins? No? Then this is just a street sign of house number 1 in Hungary? For the sake of students of American Culture perhaps they would be interested in a wider debate that Obama name led to: http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004187.html Assessment: Could do better!! Actually, the post was just a bit of tongue in cheek humor sent to me by a Hungarian colleague as a joke. I posted it for humor value. However, the article he sent alongis interesting for those interested in language. Thank you Vándorló for pointing us in the more academic direction.
Pin It Now!Barack = Peach
2 commentsI almost forgot to post his picture. Barack 1. It was almost like a Hungarian prediction, but really it is a street sign. Barack is peach in Hungarian, while the u is short for utca meaning street. If you are curious, the small sign is a warning that the dog will bite. Perhaps, it is also a warning to Republicans that the dog Obama promised his girls when they get to the White House.
Pin It Now!Kindred Spirit
0 commentsRon came across an article by Dick Cavett in the NY Times, which starts out with "Electronic devices dislike me. There is never a day when something isn’t ailing. Three out of these five implements — answering machine, fax machine, printer, phone and electric can-opener — all dropped dead on me in the past few days." Although, the rest of the article is a Sarah Palin punch, this one part made me feel a bit better that I am not the only one that is electronically disadvantaged. If you are interested in the full article, it is here: http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/the-wild-wordsmith-of-wasilla/ Yesterday, I took my Palm Treo to a repair shop. It will not make calls or receive them, but all other functions seem to be fine. A full reboot by removing the battery, letting it drop the charge to zero and refreshing the battery juice did nothing to help. My sidekick student, Balazs went with me to interpret as needed. As it happens, we missed the guy responsible for repairs by about twenty minutes and I have to return on Monday. I asked Balazs to ask the man there if the repair man spoke English at all. He said in Hungarian that he spoke English. When I said to him, "Wonderful, what hours will the repair man be here on Monday?" He turned to Balazs and asked him what I said. Monday should be interesting. This weekend will be a pantomime rehearsal for when I return.
Pin It Now!Posted by Anonymous at 11:16 AM
Labels: Dick Cavett, electronics, NY Times, Palm, Sarah Palin, Treo 750
Friday, November 14, 2008
Per a Request...
0 commentsI was sent this request, so you can follow-up if you wish. Hi again, Ryan I sent you an email on Veteran's Day asking if you would blog about Survivor Corps' program for U.S. veterans and service members, Operation Survivor. I never heard back and wasn't sure you had actually received it. Our troops still need our help. I put together this e-news release which explains everything. Please feel free to repost any or all of it: http://survivorcorps.org/returningtroops If you could share this with your readers on Budget Nomad - US Ex - Pat on the Move, or even post one of our donation banners, it would greatly help our American soldiers and returning troops. Please let me know if you are able to help and send me the link to your post. Let me know either way. Thanks so much. All my best, Dani
Pin It Now!A Bit of Humor Some May Not Find Funny
0 commentsI know the housing problems are nothing to laugh at for quite a few people, but this video was too funny to pass up sharing. The original film was Der Untergang a German movie about Hitler's last days. The English title is The Downfall. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. If you speak German, try to ignore the dialogue and read the sub-titles only. This is where the humor is. Since we do not have a mortgage and own our place free and clear, I snickered and chuckled along. If it makes anyone feel better, all the humor evaporated when he mentioned this 401k.
Pin It Now!Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Fired It Up!
0 commentsWe went to a Democrats Abroad meeting last night. Our rep is going to a conference of all Dems Abroad committee chairs from around the world. The idea is to bring ideas of what we as Americans abroad can do for our government and what we want our government to be doing for the rest of the world. It has been a long time since I have been proud to say I am an American when traveling, but I can again hold my head high. We watched McCain's speech conceding the election. We were all moved yet again at his spirit and eloquence. This was followed by Obama's acceptance speech and his stirring ability to light the fire in our soul for a new America. Then we back tracked to watch a short, humorous Obama in the video now titled "Fire it up!" Enjoy!
Pin It Now!Sunday, November 09, 2008
Qwerty
0 commentsIf the name Qwerty rings some bells in the back of your memory, look down at your keyboard's top row of letters from the left. This clever name is the store where we bought the computer for the kitchen for guest's to use. When we had the seemingly fatal black, not blue screen that said "Opps! Something is definitely wrong here!" we called the ex-pat American computer repair guy. His solution was simple. Haul it off, diagnose it and create a service plan. We allowed him to cart our box off to his office, but there was a niggling thought in the back of my mind. Hmmmm....the computer was not that old. Could it possibly still be under warranty? The strange thing here is that you have three business days after making a purchase to return it to the store. Even within those three days, the allowances for the return are limited to the item not functioning. Changing your mind about a purchase is as worthy of a refund as hoping to win the lottery without buying a ticket. You bought it, you own it. You want to return it? Break it within three days or you are out of luck. After three days, you are destined to bring or ship the item to the "Service Center" for repair or replacement. Guarantees can very from thirty days to a year, but what is guaranteed is that the service center will not be anywhere convenient. With all of this in mind, we had to debate the pros and cons of trying to find our guarantee for Qwerty or let our fellow patriot have a go at it. Since he charges 5,000 Huf an hour, we opted to rescue the computer, bring it to the store and see what happened. Our fellow American still charged us for an hour's time for coming to get the suffering patient. Ron took the computer to the store, sadly admitting we could not find the receipt. They looked it up on their computer (amazingly) and found to our delight that he guarantee was for a year and six months. Holy motherboard! Which was exactly the problem, the motherboard stopped being the intended nurturer and needed replacing. So in laymen terms, our mother abandoned us and we have been thrown out for adoption only to now have a surrogate mother...board. It took two weeks for them to discover our faulty lineage, but heck, it was free. We are up and running yet again. Thank you Qwerty, you have won our allegiance.
Pin It Now!Eastern European Living, Central European Living
0 commentsPosted by Anonymous at 11:00 AM
Labels: Budapest, budget, budget airlines, Budget Travel, Central European, chess, Eastern Europe, European living, frugal living, readers, train
Friday, November 07, 2008
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Victory
0 commentsPosted by Anonymous at 11:17 AM
Labels: American politics, Democrats, president, vice president, Victory
AmCham Election Party
0 commentsLast night, we attended the American Chamber of Commerce -Hungary Election Party co-sponsored with the US Embassy. For 2,500 Huf (about $12.50), they had an all you can eat American buffet and all you could drink wine, beer, juice, or sparkling water. They reached capacity of 2,000 participants and then had a waiting list to get it. When we arrived, the line was about a 1/4 of block long, but was so well organized, we were in checking out coats within 2o minutes. Four years ago, we attended this party. This time it was more than civil; the crowd was upbeat and friendly. Four years ago, we were verbally attacked for supporting Kerry. Although the party went until 3:00 am, we left at 1:00 am. Our friends Laszlo, Michael, and our B and B guest, David came back to our place to watch the returns. We could not hear a thing at the party. Laszlo and David lasted until 3:00, but Ron, Michael, and I stayed up to hear McCain's and Obama's speeches. I have to admit, the speech McCain gave was incredible and moving. Obama's speech was as eloquent as I would have expected. I had anticipated an early morning and cancelled my classes for the day. I am proud to be an American againa and can carry my head high.
Pin It Now!Monday, November 03, 2008
Palm Treo 750
0 commentsMy Palm Treo died on me. It is only one and a half years old. I knew there were problems when I had to do a soft reboot every few days to get the programs to work. Then it would ring, but I could not connect with the caller or when I dialed, it would not ring out. I tried removing the battery and trying it again, but it was no good. I checked the Sim card in another phone and it works without a problem. Now I have to hunt for a place to take it for service, but heard it will have to go to the Czech Republic for repair. My life with anything electronic is a disaster waiting to happen.
Pin It Now!My Worst Nightmare
0 commentsLast night, we had eight others from Hungary for Obama come over with their laptops and mobile phones. Using Jajah accounts, we called undecided voters in Ohio, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. We worked in teams with one person on the computer and one on the phone, each pair making about 50 calls. It was a great feeling of being involved. This election, I have been more involved than ever before. A friend of ours sent this video. This is my worst nightmare, but I have voted already, so I am safe. Don''t make it your worst nightmare.
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