The Pink Tour

Don't confuse the post title with the singer, Pink. You will be vastly disappointed.

Yesterday, we joined our friends Laszlo, Istvan, and Dan on the Pink Tour, part of the LGBT celebration month. Gabriella, our tour guide, was delightfully cheery regardless of the fact that we were all clutching umbrellas to ward off the at times torrential rain. However, this tour was arranged for English speakers after I had written the organizers seeking the time and date for the English event. Up to that point, we had been neglected.

With such special planning on their part, it was up to us to show our appreciation by showing up regardless of the fact that it was freezing cold and similar to walking under Niagara Falls. After all the advertising I did for this event, limited to 15 participants, the only other attendee was a Ukrainian Central European University student.

Gabriella did a fine job showing us the sites past and present. Having lived here so long, a number of the places were familiar to me. There is a Gay and Lesbian section in all the Frommer’s guides (or I should say ‘were’). Still it is interesting to me how many nuggets of information I do gather on tours such as these. We went to places where famous actresses, writers, and other important people lived who happened to be gay or lesbian. There was little of transgender interest on the tour, but to be fair about 1 ½ hours into the 2 ½ hour tour, we who were the sheep told our shepherdess we were leaving the flock. The damp and unsympathetic temperature had gotten the best of us. We could not battle the elements a minute longer.

With a cheery smile, Gabriella offered to continue the tour in later spring when the weather is gayer friendly. We are looking forward to it as she was a pleasure to spend time with.

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That's Entertainment?

The last week or more have been extremely taxing with only a few spots of light and pleasant activity tossed in here and there, but even then there were bumps in the road. Perhaps one reason is that for about 15 days the weather was miserably uncooperative in terms of elevating one’s mood by providing rain and/or snow showers almost daily.

I had thought we would get some refreshing entertainment by attending a play in English, performed by a local troupe. A British ex-pat authored the play, so we were prepared for some language issues. You know how Brits speak. Our friend Dan was the only one we could convince to join us, though we did try our best to corral others into shelling out the 2,100 Huf for a ticket.

As it turned out, those who held out were the smart ones. Although the play was advertised as an English production, written by an Englishman, sponsored by an English language company, half the cast were Hungarian and a chunk of the dialogue was in Hungarian. The “theater” was makeshift, not allowing the professionalism of super-titles, but the least they could have done is have someone stand by with the translations on large sheets of cardboard. The only laughter came from those who seemed to be native Hungarian speakers.

As entertainment, it was a disaster. There were few smiling faces amongst the crowd (regardless of the graphic in this post), but when the cast came for their accolades, it was apparent the audience was staggeringly stuffed with family and friends like a 3rd grade dance recital.

I am almost tempted to learn enough Hungarian just to be able to enjoy the theater here without feeling abused or for that matter deprived of culture. Thankfully, there are dance performances aplenty where language is not needed.

This post should have been titled "No Laughing Matter".

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House Hunters International

If you are not familiar with House Hunters, a reality show in the US, here is a blurb from their website.

"House Hunters takes viewers behind the scenes as individuals, couples and families learn what to look for and decide whether or not a home is meant for them. Focusing on the emotional experience of finding and purchasing a new home, each episode shows the process as buyers search for a home."

The have a spin-off show, House Hunters International, which is about - gee guess - the same thing internationally, though not just for buyers, but renters too. 

So why do I care? Well, because our rental apartment, which we lovingly call the Feri Flat will be featured as the apartment the couple selected in this episode. You can see and learn more about the apartment here. Once the episode airs, we will have it posted also. Until then, stay tuned.

Hunting for an Historical Hungarian Home
Episode HHINT-5101H

After being engaged in Turkey and married in Tanzania, travel loving Chicago couple Bill and Jamie are up for a new adventure. So when Jamie is awarded a Fullbright scholarship to teach and work in Budapest, Bill quickly finds a teaching job of his own, and they pack their bags. Once in Budapest they face an unexpected challenge. It's turning out to be harder than they thought to find a traditional Hungarian home without sacrificing comfort or blowing their budget. Will Jamie convince Bill to settle for a low cost but run-down apartment that will leave them with extra money to do the traveling they love? Can Bill convince Jamie that price is no object if they can live in an (sic) Historical abode on the banks of the Danube river? Find out when House Hunters International satisfies your hunger for Budapest, Hungary.
March 06, 2013 10:30 PM e/p and 1:30 AM e/p
 
Note that the network may change the episode’s air date or time at the last minute, and occasionally may not update the episode page. However, you can double check when your episode will air by following the link above, and clicking on 'Program Guide' (the left link in the orange box at the top of the page) which will direct you to the daily program schedule where you can check if your air date has changed or not.

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Speaking of Jobs

Today's chuckle. Steve Jobs at the Pearly Gates.

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Had a Job List

I was cleaning out some files on the computer and came across this list I had done for my graduation party when I received my doctorate. I had it as a poster to show where I had been and how far I had come. It seems like ages ago now and the list has increased exponentially since it was first written, but I have not added to it.

Ryan’s Long List of Jobs and Careers

Leon’s Arcade – Coin changer Long Branch, NJ  13 years old

Miles Shoe Store – Stockboy and Salesman, Eatontown, NJ  15 y.o.

Private Family - Gardener and general slave, Elberon, NJ  16 y.o.

Bishop’s Restaurant – Dishwasher, New Lothrop, MI  17 y.o.

Biscayne Bay Restaurant – Waiter, Miami, FL  18 y.o.

Red Flag Taxi Company – Driver and Dispatcher, Jamestown, NY 

Jamestown Country Club – Waiter, Jamestown, NY 

Daily’s Diner – Owner and Operator, Warren, PA  19 y.o.

Grants Department Store – Pet Department Manager, Shrewsbury, NJ

Woolco Department Store – Pet Department Manager and Paint Sales - Shrewsbury, NJ

New York and Long Branch Railroad – Drawbridge Operator, Ticket Agent, Switchboard Operator – All over Central Jersey

Teresa’s Beauty Salon – Hairdresser, Long Branch, NJ

Started back to college for my B. A. degree – Thomas A. Edison State College 1976

Hair House – Hairdresser, Spring Lake, NJ

Graduated with a B. A. in Psychology 1979

Sears and Roebuck – Credit Collector, Eatontown, NJ

New Jersey State School for the Mentally Retarded – Teacher of Deaf and Blind, Mentally Retarded, Woodbridge, NJ

New Jersey State Department of Human Services – Welfare Investigator, Trenton, New Jersey

St. Michael Elementary School – Teacher 3-6 grades, Philadelphia, PA

Started Masters in Social Work – Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 1983

Graduated with a Masters in Social Work 1986

Stanislaus County Department of Social Services – Child Protective Services Investigator, Modesto, CA

Modesto Junior College - Starting teaching Human Services, then Human Sexual Behavior, and Sociology 1987- 1999

Memorial Hospitals Association – Coordinator of Social Services, Modesto, CA

Crossroads Psychiatric Facility – Clinical Social Worker, Ceres, CA

Started New Directions…In Social Work Care, Owner and self-employed as a medical social work consultant 1990, Modesto, CA

Changed the company name to Therapeutic Interventions 1995 - Medical social work consultant, started EAP programs, private practice therapist, life coaching

Started on doctorate degree in International and Multicultural Education, University of San Francisco, August, 1997

Graduated May 20, 2000   What is next?  Stay tuned for the next list.

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I Love You x 130 Languages

Happy Valentine's Day! If you cannot find your language here, send it to me.
 

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Learn a New Word

 

I am not responsible for the spelling mistakes.

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Where Is The End of This Circle?

I started looking into alternative forms of financing my life. Last year, I had rehung up my shingle as a mental health therapist (LCSW) and life coach, but referrals have been slow. Although the therapeutic counseling needs to be a face to face proposition, it can be done with SKYPE or in the office I have on-hand for professional needs. Life Coaching can be done anywhere, using e-mail or telephone call, when face to face is not possible. There are actually some advantages for clients in not doing a face to face session.

With the aid of a personal assistant, I sent out over thirty-five letters to local organizations, health centers, churches, and native English speaking embassies announcing my services. What I continually find is that all ventures require full-time efforts to produce part-time results. 

If there were only thirty hours in a day and 9 days in a week, could we do it all? I think not.

While trying to work smarter, not harder, I have been investigating the world of copywriting, something that can be done worldwide with the aid of an Internet connection. There is much to read, investigate, ponder, sift through, and then fill in forms. First one comes across dozens of sites who want to sell you their fool-proof way to make money as a copywriter. These pearls of wisdom will only run you anywhere from $97 if you act now, as this offer will expire at midnight or at your leisure for $497. Sorry, but I am certain I can find all I need with some Internet searching.

Yikes! What I am finding is that the research is taking up more time than the actual work would. Just as you are finishing one project, it takes one or two weeks’ worth of hunting around, sending out letters, to try and find the next gig. When you take into consideration the time and expense involved in marketing yourself, the creation of micro-bytes produced has turned your income into micro-bits. There is not enough income to justify a personal assistant to fill this gap, but my suspicions are that if I were to fork over the money for one of these programs, it will not be short-cutting  the hunt. It will just be an explanation of what needs to be done to start the hunt.


This led me to wonder about information overload. I had remembered reading years ago that there is more information generated in one day than a person could read in a lifetime. However, that was a decade ago. What is it like  now?

Richard Alleyne, the Science Correspondent for The Telegraph, a British newspaper wrote:
 “If you think that you are suffering from information overload then you may be right – a new study shows everyone is bombarded by the equivalent of 174 newspapers of data a day. The growth in the internet, 24-hour television and mobile phones means that we now receive five times as much information every day as we did in 1986….Every day the average person produces six newspapers worth of information compared with just two and a half pages 24 years ago – nearly a 200-fold increase.”

Guess what? That article was written in February 2011, a full 2 years ago. The ever increasing rate of generating information is even more extensive today. This investigation was prompted because of an article that I was reading in Publisher’s Weekly titled What Should Authors Do in the Digital Age? The framework of the article is advising authors actions needed in this age in order to be 'discovered', hence sell their written word in whatever form. This is an interesting part that capture my attention,

“…you have to be able to plan and commit to different methods of discovery, but (somewhat contradictorily) you also have to be able to abandon those methods and move on if you find something better. The takeaway: the digital world both allows and forces you to adapt.” This is shortly followed by the next piece which really sends ripples down my spine. “In relation to social media, Elizabeth Keenan of Penguin’s publicity department said, “It’s a full-time job to make it work.” Keenan cited one of her commercial fiction authors who, after four books and roughly three hours a day of social media engagement, is finally beginning to see a translation in sales.”

What a vicious cycle we have created for ourselves. Promotion, promotion, promotion.

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School Started - No Casualties

Tuesday was the first day of classes for the spring semester. This year, I have these eight classes:
Religion: Born in the USA
Race and Ethnicity in Journalism II
Journalism Internship or Special Project
The Mystery Novel
The Methodology of  Writing the BA/MA Cultural Studies Thesis
Blogging and Websites: 21st Century Journalism
Introduction to Creative Writing
Corp-ocracy - The Corporations of Destruction

Truth be told, I should have a ninth class, but we are fortunate enough to have a Fulbright scholar this year, who is teaching one course under my name. She has the Ethics in Journalism class, giving me a smidgen of a break.

Besides having my regular gang of the journalism specialization students, I accepted some of the Erasmus students as well. With all of the writing required for these classes, it is a no-brainer that I am on the computer so many hours a day. All work is turned in on the computer, plus for four of the classes, each student has to blog weekly in addition to the written assignments and essays due. These are all read and corrected on the computer. 

My massage therapist is trying to develop some type of exercise machine that can be placed under the computer so I can multitask. He frets over the hours of sitting that I do. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with. He is pretty tenacious.

So far, I have not wanted to harm anyone seriously, though there are those who could use a near serious beating. The person who initiated our new registration system should be first on the list. Not only doesn’t it work, but the entire e-learning module is missing. Some professors who teach their entire course online are stuck. For myself, I give all my tests online, so no testing until we have it. They closed the copy center on campus, so if I had any inclination to give printed tests, I would have to have them copied elsewhere and pay out of my pocket. Forget that!

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Mangalica Fesztivál or This Little Piggy Goes...

Friday was a lovely day, cold, but clear. It would have been a perfect day for the Mangalica Pig Festival, but our guest did not venture to breakfast until after 12:30. He is a repeat guest, so we cut him some slack. However, by that time, were both immersed in projects and put the festival off to another day. For the uninitiated, these are curly haired pigs indigenous to Hungary. Plan B was to go to the Cézanne exhibit at the Fine Arts Museum.

Since my ticket allows me entrance to all rooms, I started with the Günther Uecker special exhibit. Uecker’s work is something I would never have conceived of, almost all of his work is done with nails. He uses nails, like in hardware nails. As simplistic as some of the projects seemed, once you really studied them, a feeling of appreciation developed. For instance, a round platform covered with nails pounded in randomly seemed less than artistic; then the barest movement sent a signal turning on a light along with a motor turning the wheel. As light bounced off of the nail heads, creating shadows with the nail stem, it was fascinating.

From here we moved on to attempt to appreciate Cézanne, an artist I have never really cared for in the past. This has been such an exulted showing, I felt obligated to partake. Admittedly, I did find most of it appealing. There were many pieces from other artists showing how Cézanne copied their style as he was developing his own style. There was so much reading; thankfully, it was in English as well as Hungarian, but still an overwhelming amount.

Somewhere half way through, I started feeling sick. My stomach reacted like I hadn’t eaten for days, my head was light and I had a tsunami of sleepiness flood over me. I could barely stand. After a healthy sitting spell, my inclination was to run to the café for something to eat, but instead we continued on, putting food off until later.

In the evening, I was sick once again causing me to retreat to bed at an unreasonably early 11pm. By 4am, I was wide awake with no thoughts of sleep returning any time soon. By 6:45, I finally marched back to try for twenty winks. It worked, not waking until 10:30. With errands to run, the pigs were put on hold yet again, but the weather had turned to snow flurries, so this added to the list of excuses.

Today was do it or lose it; the last day of the festival. What was an excellent day on Friday to be outdoors, turned into a mediocre day on Saturday and a horrendous one on Sunday. A very snow filled night has made the sidewalks slushy and slippery. The festival was larger than years past, but the majority of booths were selling cooked food, pálinka, cheeses, honey, and crafts. It took much slipping and sliding, being covered in snow, and passing many booths where I could not partake of the food before we finally found the pigs. Honestly, they were the main reason we were there. 


Here are some before and after pictures of the pigs.

Pigging out

Three Little Pigs, which will go to market?

The finale

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Pardern My Misteaks

I'm late!
I'm late!
For a very important date!
No time to say "Hello", goodbye!
I'm late!
I'm late!
I'm late!
I run and then I hop hop hop
I wish that I could fly
There's danger if I dare to stop and here's the reason why...

You may recognize this white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. It is a message that I am borrowing for today to exemplify my way of wiping some egg off of my face. One of my very astute former students, Árpád F., has the courageous nature of sending me an eloquent e-mail pointing to my foibles in a post; he always offers me leeway to wiggle out of an embarrassing situation. As appreciative as I am that someone is paying such close attention to my writing, it is disturbing that I, as a professional and native speaker, should need this at all. 

Depending on what is happening in my life at the time I find a missive in the inbox, which then leads to either a positive or negative reaction on my part to being caught as providing a poor example. The last one I received, provoked more than a bit of sarcasm by stating that I was going to start writing in Spanish to slow him down. That would really cause alarms.

What comes around goes around. The last post was supposed to be titled “Eating or Reading” but after a day, I realized the title read “Eathing or Reading”. It seems my sarcasm has backfired as my non-salaried editor jumped ship, failed to alert me to the error of my typing, allowing my humiliation to be apparent to all. This did get me to wondering why there have been a seemingly increase in changes that needed to be made.

My investigation has pinpointed a couple of things.

The flood of e-mails that need to be attended to, a large portion from the university whittles away at my time. 

Multi-tasking increases the error rate. I cannot write a syllabus, check e-mail, post photos to Picasa, and answer my mobile phone while I am trying to decide why I walked into the store I find myself in, not knowing how I got there.
I try to do too many things just for the sake of living; hence, I am not giving 100% to each task at hand. I just may quit my job so I have more time for other activities.
 
I use PhraseExpress, which most of the time is a blessing. It is a program that one can create macros with phrases to shortcut the typing. For example when I type contr’ this pops up automatically “Do not use contractions in formal writing. Don’t do it.” This is great for when I am correcting essays; it saves me tons of time. However, there is also a clipboard cache, which I have recently noticed is adding things from its memory that I am not typing. Word does not always catch the error in grammar checking.
 
MS Word adds some nasty coding to Blogger, so I cannot write in Word and copy and paste to the post. First I write in Word, when time allows, copy and paste it to Notepad, and then finally copy and paste that into a post where it is then formatted.
 
Finally, after the post gets here, I rewrite or add to it. Blogger could care less whether or not I have left a word out or made a grammar tense error.

What i have explained is that native speakers generally see what is supposed to be there; the brain supplies the answers. Here is a good example of this.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch taem at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Such a cdonition is arppoiately cllaed Typoglycemia :)-

Amzanig huh? Yaeh and yuo awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt!

 At least they got the grammar correct, didn't they
Árpád?

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Eating or Reading?

Our friend Jennifer who is an English teacher in the US, sent this to me.

"One of my English dept. colleagues has a friend from college who hosts "reading retreats" in Italy.  They were first located at the castle in the first link below, but an earthquake forced a relocation; the second link shows the new location.  Really interesting!"
 
http://www.galeazza.com/en/home.php
http://www.corteeremo.com/en

Just the thought of a reading retreat set my juices a flowing, my imagination revved up, a list of books to bring organizing in my mind, and had me reaching for my travel planner. Then I read this post in the blog from the retreat, which put the brakes on any dream of attending.

"While in New York last week I learned that nearly everyone in the Big Apple is on a low-carb diet. How sad. On Sunday December 23nd from noon till dusk Pippo, Luna and I are hosting a ten euro all-carb and protein brunch with pancakes and maple syrup, bacon, eggs, toast, sausage, and all kinds of naughty foods that will fatten everyone right up. Don’t come if you’re on a diet, but if you would like to splurge like we often do, I’ll introduce you to one of my best friends, french toast made from Panettone. Tea, coffee, or hot chocolate should push you well over the 3,000 calorie count! Ho ho ho!"

This would be a diabetic nightmare. Another section in the retreat description details how everyone is expected to be part of the communal cooking with cozy photos of people side by side, preparing a pasta. 

I enjoy cooking. I adore Italian food. I am one-half Italian. I am diabetic. White flour pasta and a long shopping list of carbohydrates are no longer on my list of things to do or eat. Though the reading retreat part would be heaven, the eating part would be hell. Even if I were able to escape the cooking detail, the aromas would linger and waft through the building cruelly teasing my senses with temptation. 

It would take a day of muscle screaming exercise to drop my sugar level to the point where I could indulge in one meal. Exercise is one of the words on my list of profanity to avoid.

I know myself all too well. By the end of the second day, I am certain I will want to rip someone's throat out. Why tempt fate?

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LGBT History Month in Hungary

LGBT History Month in Hungary and 5 Other Countries
February, 2013 – Budapest
LGBT History EU
Facebook LMBT
Okay, you may have missed the first event listed below, but check the schedule for the other events and the other countries celebrating using the URL above. 
This movie was incredible.

LAUNCH – FEBRUARY 1 2013
1. Opening Ceremony + Screening of Documentary “Secret Years” about the lives of Hungarian lesbians before and after 1989… Program in Hungarian; the movie has English subtitles.
• Opening speech by the famous film director, Károly Makk, the director of the first Hungarian movie on lesbians, Another Way
• Moderator: the famous actress Klára Spilák. 
• Other Speakers:  Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis, Ambassador to Hungary from the United States of America; Deputy Head of Mission, the Embassy of the United Kingdom, Theresa Bubbear; 
• Music: Márta Berezvai (trumpet), György Rózsa (guitar)
• When: February 1, 2013 at 6 pm. Film screening from 6.30 pm; reception from 8 pm.
• Where: Vörösmarty Movie Theater (1085 Budapest, Üllői út 4.)

EXHIBITION AT THE VÖRÖSMARTY MOVIE THEATER
2. Exhibition: “Against the Rules”: Lesbians and Gays in Sport. Lesbian and gay sportspeople pursue a wider range of sports than assumed, they are not only skaters and lesbian footballers. Gay, lesbian, and transgender athletes have remained invisible. The exhibition aims to break the taboos of homosexuality in sports, and also to draw attention to the various forms of discrimination against sexual minorities in sports. At the same time, the exhibition also wants to show how sport can help lesbians and gays to be more confident.

“Gegen die Regeln – Lesben und Schwule im Sport”, an exhibition presented by the acceptance campaign of the Ministry for Youth, Family, and Health of the North Rhine-Westphalia regional government, and organized jointly by the SC Janus, Cologne’s Centrum Schwule Geschichte (Gay History Centre), and others. It was updated by the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF) and translated into several languages in 2009. The exhibition consists of biography panels besides intro and historical texts. 

When: February 1, 2013 from 6 pm to 9 pm
Where: Vörösmarty Movie Theatre (the venue of the opening ceremony)

FILM AND DISCUSSION
3. Hilda Gobbi Film Club:  Screening of the German movie, “Aimée and Jaguar” Felice, an intelligent and courageous Jewish woman who lives under a false name, belongs to an underground organization. Lilly, a devoted mother of four, though an occasional unfaithful wife, is desperate for love. An unusual and passionate love between them blossoms despite the danger of persecution and nightly bombing raids. The Gestapo is on Felice's trail. Her friends flee, she decides to sit out the war with Lilly. One hot day in August 1944, the Gestapo is waiting in Lilly's flat...  (Source: iMDb) 
The screening is followed by a discussion with the literary historian Katalin Pécsi, the cultural sociologist Magda Marsovszky, and the gender researcher Edit Kovács. Program in Hungarian.
• When: February 2, 2013 at 6 pm
• Where: Café Vis Major (1137 Budapest, Jászai Mari tér 4/A – entrance from Pozsonyi út)

PANEL DISCUSSIONS AT THE EMBASSY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM 
4. Discussion: Amor lesbicus in the light of the pre-war medical literature.  Anna Borgos’s presentation focuses on the reception of lesbianism within homosexuality in the Hungarian educational literature in the early 20th century. Extensive psychiatric and psychoanalytical literature dealing with “normal“ and “perverse“ forms of sexuality was available during this time. However, this period was rather a transmission, as homosexuality was pathologized, and the theory of biological determination was still strongly believed. On the other hand, this was also the time when the first human rights and liberation discourses appeared. Program in Hungarian.
• When: February 7, 2013  at 6 pm
• Where: Embassy of The United Kingdom (1051 Budapest, Harmincad u. 6.)
• RSVP by February 6 –lmbthonap@hatter.hu

5. Discussion: The beginning of the history of Budapest Pride – Pink Picnic, Pink Week. How did the LGBT festivals and parades start in Hungary? Discussion with invited guests; the organizers of the 1992 Pink Picnic, the 1993 first Gay and Lesbian Festival, and the 1997 first Pride Parade. Program in Hungarian. Moderator: the journalist Artner Sisso
• When: February 7, 2013 at 7 pm
• Where: Embassy of the United Kingdom (1051 Budapest, Harmincad u. 6.)
• RSVP by February 6  – kultura@budapestpride.hu

DISCUSSION
6. Discussion: PFLAG Talk. Gay Guide History. Planned guests: famous drag queens such as Terry Black, Miss Mandarin, Lola Dömötör, Csepy, Tequila, Zoltán Glöckner. Discussion with managers of gay bars and popular drag queens. What was the name of the first gay club? Where was the first drag queen show hold? Where and when was the first gay party organized? When did the first gay club open in Budapest and in the countryside? Program in Hungarian. Organizer: PFLAG
• When: February 8, 2013 at 7 pm
• Where: Funny Carrot Gay Drink Bar (1053 Budapest, Szép u. 1/b)


LGBT TOUR AROUND BUDAPEST
7. Tour: Pink Perspective Tour Budapest. Let’s visit all the places of Budapest which are related to LGBT history. Where did the legendary Egyetem Presszó (Presso University), the first gay bar used to be? Where did the first gay march start? Where can we pay tribute to Hilda Gobbi or János Pilinszky? LGBT-themed sightseeing tour in English and Hungarian. 
• When: February 9, 2013:  from 2 pm to 5 pm
• Where: to be sent by e-mail
• RSVP: lmbthonap@hatter.hu 

DISCUSSIONS
8. Discussion: Skirts and pants in vocalic music. Mária Kristófy’s night with music and pictures.  Selection from men’s and mixed choirs, castrated singers, famous artists (e.g. Michael Jackson). The history of the opera in gendered views starting with Poppea and finishing with Madama Butterfly. Heroines, prophetesses, witches, courtesans, and other female characters in music. What does an opera singer look like? Does she roll over and scream on the stage or, rather, is she a cover girl? Shall I watch opera? Is listening enough? CD or DVD? Shall I go to the Opera House or not? Bring your favorite CD, DVD, and story. Let us listen to it together. Program in Hungarian.
• When: February 9, 2013 at 6 pm
• Where: Café Vis Major ((1137 Budapest, Jászai Mari tér 4/A – entrance from Pozsonyi út)

9. Discussion: How did the LGBT live in Hungary before the changes in the political system? Discussion with witnesses on how gay people could live in the Kádár-era, how they could get to know each other, how the regime dealt with them. How did the first Hungarian LGBT movement start? Program in Hungarian. Organizer: Szimpozion Association
• When: February 9, 2013 at 8 pm
• Where: 1013 Budapest, Krisztina tér 1. (bell 107)

PARTY
10. Party: PINKSTORY FANCY PARTY. The fancy dress party of the LGBT History Month. Music: Dj Nyeste
• When: February 9, 2013 at 10 pm
• Where: Club Bazaar (1074 Budapest, Dohány utca 22-24.)
• Admission fee: HUF 1000; in fancy dress: HUF 500;  totally in pink: free!

SPORTS COMPETITION
11. Pink-Pong Cup 2013. This is the first time when all the Hungarian LGBT organizations, and the Coordinators of the LGBT events will organize a (sports) event to provide the opportunity for anyone who is interested to get to know them, to raise questions and to involved with LGBT projects. Program in Hungarian, but most of the volunteers speak English. Organizer: Atlasz Sports Association
• When: February 10, 2013 – 4 pm
• Where: Bar Pepita Ofélia (1074 Budapest, Klauzál tér 5.)

DISCUSSIONS
12. Discussion: Homosexuality in History. What do sources from the Middle and the early Modern Ages say about homosexuality? Famous Hungarian LGBT people in the past. Discussion with the historian Bence M. Eszenyi; moderator: Péter Hanzli. Program in Hungarian.
• When: February 10, 2013 at 6 pm
• Where: 1013 Budapest, Krisztina tér 1. (bell 107)

13. Discussion: For 18 Years in Service of the Hungarian LGBT Community. Discussion with Bence Gábor Takács and László Láner, the editor-in chief and founder of the first Hungarian LGBT magazine, Mások. The repertory of Mások. Program in Hungarian.
• When: February 13, 2013 at 6 pm
• Where: Bálint House, Room Maceszgombóc (1065 Budapest, Révay u. 16.)

ART WORKSHOPS
14. Workshop: Art Workshops in Bar Pepita Ofelia. Selection from the past years’ exhibitions of the Lesbian Identities Festival (LIFT). Show hosted by the performers of LIFT. Mutual art: the creation of the “LGBT History Month Relic”. Talent search. Program in Hungarian, but many of the volunteers speak English.
• When: February 13, 2013 at 8 pm
• Where: Bar Pepita Ofélia (1072 Budapest, Klauzál tér 5.)

LABRISZ OPEN HOUSE
15. Labrisz Lazuló – Open House
The role and situation of the woman in the late Renaissance, and Baroque. Program in Hungarian.
• Lecture by Andrea Dittera-Balogh. 
• When: February 15, 2013 at 7 pm
• Where: Office of Labrisz (VIII. Budapest, Szentkirályi u. 22-24. ground floor; bell: “Tégy az emberért”)

WORKSHOP DISCUSSION
16. Workshop: History of the LGBT Psychology. Csilla Faix-Prukner and Krisztián Rózsa tells us how homosexuality was considered by psychology, how it changed over time. Besides this, we will talk about the psychology of LGBTQ relationships and families; the relationship between LGBTQ movements and community psychology. Program in Hungarian. Organizer: www.melegpar.hu 
• When: February 16, 2013 at 11 am
• Where: Bálint House, Room Maceszgombóc (1065 Budapest, Révay u. 16.)

17. Discussion: Janus Pannonius, Pilinszky, Nádasdy, and Bros. Poet Andras Gerevich’s discussion with literary Zoltán Csehy on Jánosz Plinszky’s, Janus Pannonius’ and Ádám Nádasdy’s homoerotical poems. Program in Hungarian.
• When: February 16, 2013 at 6 pm
• Where: Bar Pepita Oféla (1072 Budapest, Klauzál tér 5.)

DANCE
18. Dance Night of Charme Hungary Same-sex Dance Group:  Hungarian Same-sex dancers have been winning international dance competitions for many years, that is why Charme would like to share its success with the audience. Let’s dance rumba, cha-cha-cha, jive, English waltz, salsa, samba, and tango together! After the show, dances will be taught.
• When: February 16 at 7:30 pm
• Where: 1013 Budapest, Krisztina tér 1. (bell 107)
• Admission fee: HUF 600

PANEL DISCUSSION

19. Panel Discussion: 'Why I am proud to be a lesbian American'. Senator Katherine Zappone will speak about what it was like to grow up gay in America during the civil rights era of the 1960's. She will speak about the advocacy efforts of American LGBT groups and how American policies changed over the decades. She will conclude with a reflection on the significance of President Obama's support for LGBT rights in America. 
Program in English. Funded by the Embassy of the United States with the organizer contribution of CEU HRSI.
• When: February 18 at 11 am
• Where: Central European University (1051, Budapest, Nádor u. 9.), Popper Room (103)

LECTURE
20. Public Lecture: “Our Lives Out Loud: In Pursuit of Marriage Equality in Ireland.” Presented by Senator Katherine Zappone and Dr. Ann Louise Gilligan. 
This Presentation will tell the story of how they initiated the path towards marriage equality in Ireland in 2004 by taking a case against the Irish state.   They will talk about why they chose to marry each other, how it fits with their understanding of justice and equality, and outline how Ireland is responding to this pursuit for justice and equality.  They will talk about the marriage equality advocacy groups in Ireland and how Irish society is changing towards a positive acceptance of equality for LGBT people.

Katherine Zappone is a Commissioner with the Irish Human Rights Commission. As a former CEO of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, she represented its membership in Ireland and internationally, contributed to public policy-making and directed its research program. She led and established the Tallaght West Childhood Development Initiative, Ltd, a 10 year strategy and service implementation program to improve outcomes for children and families.
Dr. Ann Louise Gilligan was a professor of Education at St Patrick's College, of Dublin City University, and currently works as a Director in The Centre for Progressive Change, where she consults with universities and the Irish government on issues related to education and equality. 

Program in English. Funded by the Embassy of the United States with the organizer contribution of CEU HRSI.
• When: February 18 at 5:30 pm
• Where: Central European University (1051, Budapest, Nádor u. 9.), Gellner Room (103)

BOOK PROGRAM
21. Program of Queer Publisher: 
New books:
Ferenc Vidra Szabó: Árnyéklovag
Krisztián Verős: Meleg családi fészek.
Program in Hungarian.
• When: February 20 at 7 pm
• Where: Pepita Ofélia Bár (1072 Budapest, Klauzál tér 5.)

FLASHMOB
22. Flashmob: Hilda Gobbi flashmob. Commemorating on the famous actress’, Hilda Gobbi’s 100th birthday anniversary at the National Theatre.
• When: February 22, 2013 at 5 pm
• Where: in front of the National Theater

DISCUSSION
23. Discussion with Hilda Gobbi’s peers. Hilda Gobbi would have been 100 years old in 2013. Discussion about her life with the actress Kriszta Szalay, the journalist Katalin Szegváry, and the producer András Szolnoki. Program in Hungarian.
• Moderator: the writer Anna Lovas Nagy.
• When: February 22, 2013 at 6 pm
• Where: Café Vis Major (1137 Budapest, Jászai Mari tér 4/A – entrance from Pozsonyi út)

QUIZZES AND GAMES
24. Quiz: Rainbow History Quiz for teams. Program in Hungarian. Organizer: Szimpozion Association
• Quiz master: István Vágó
• When: February 23, 2013 at 8 pm
• Where: 1013 Budapest, Krisztina tér 1. (bell 107)

25. Game Night: Queen of Spades Lesbian Game Club. 
• When: February 24, 2013 at 6 pm
• Where: Café Vis Major (1137 Budapest, Szent István krt. 2.)

DISCUSSIONS
26. Discussion: The Queer-phenomena in Contemporary Hungarian Literature. Discussion with the poet András Gerevich, the art historian Zsolt Mészáros, the editor-in-chief of Queer Publisher, Dóra Sós. Program in Hungarian. Event supported by the Attila József Literary Association.
• Moderator: the journalist and critic Zsigmond Kassai.
• When: February 25, 2013 at 7 pm
• Where: Roham Bar (1088 Budapest, Vas utca 16.)

PERFORMANCE
27. Performance: Transfjúz Association: Q. Directed by Olga Sára Kelenhegyi. The Transfjúz Association consists of young people from different disciples of art. Theater (traditional, nonverbal, pantomime, performance), installation, photo, film, electronic media art are used together to connect society with individuals. One’s own interaction with oneself, others, and society in everyday life, and on special days. Program in Hungarian.

• When: February 25, 2013 at 8 pm
• Where: Pepita Ofélia Bár (1072 Budapest, Klauzál tér 5.)

28. Discussion: From Lawsuits to Prides. Introduction of Judit Takács’s three-year-long LGBT history research, “The 20th Century Social History of Homosexuality in Hungary until 1990,” which started in January, 2013, and which is being funded by the National Scientific Research Fund (OTKA). Anita Kurmay will speak about her Ph.D. dissertation written for Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. Program in Hungarian.
• When: February 26, 2013 at 7 pm
• Where: Budapest Corvinus University, Sóház building, lecture room #2 (1093 Budapest, Fővám tér 13-15.)

29. Discussion: Controversial Figures in the History of the Hungarian LGBT Community. Discussion of conservative LMBT characters (Cécile Tormay, Kálmán Tahly, Károly Kertbeny, Sándor Vay). Participants: Anna Borgos, Anita Kurimay, Judit Takács. Moderator: Balázs Pálfi. Program in Hungarian.
• When: February 28, 2103 at 6 pm
• Where: Bálint House, Room Maceszgombóc (1065 Budapest, Révay u. 16.)

30. Discussion: Fashion and gay people. Discussion with the famous stylist, Márk Lakatos on how well-known gay fashion designers have impacted either women’s or men’s fashion, and how “metrosexual” men’s fashion has been formed. Followed by a chill-out at Bar L’Aura. Program in Hungarian.
• When: February 28, 2013 at 8 pm
• Where: Werk Style and Communication Academy (1053 Budapest, Kecskeméti u. 3.); Bar L’Aura (1053 Budapest, Kecskeméti u. 6.)

FILM
31. Film screening: ‘Secret Years’. Screened throughout the country in order to strengthen the LGBT community. Followed by discussions with the women from the film and the audiences in Miskolc, Debrecen, and Szeged in order to strengthen the LGBT community in the Hungarian countryside. Program in Hungarian.
• When & Where: to be released online

WORKSHOP
32. Workshop: The oral history of international LGBT.  Everybody is welcome to share the LGBT history of his/her country of origin. Program in English.
• When: TBD
• Where: CEU

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