moving head test

Thanksgiving Weekend

A new wet snow has fallen here on the Rose Hill in the Buda half of Budapest. Yesterday we were faced with the choice between an exhibit opening in the artist town of Szentendre north of Budapest or the "Friends of Canada" Christmas party, populated largely by folks of the business orientation. So instead of surrounding ourselves with artists intent on living life in its most brilliant expression, we hung out with "professionals" and had a different sort of time. Not bad. Circumstances dictated our fate. Circumstances brought on by lack of planning. Our lack of planning and poor execution left us with the business crowd rather than the artist crowd. Ironic, no?

I did go to Szentendre the day before with my journalism students where we visited galleries, including the one where I met the artists who invited me to the opening. We also ate pizza and had quality discussion. All present reported a swell Thanksgiving day.

Winter Arrives

Snow has come to Budapest and winter temperatures along with it. Yesterday evening we went to a pre-thanksgiving party hosted by a Mormon family we know. A young woman there, an undergraduate study-abroad student from California organized an activity where we each had to say what we were thankful for and what traditions from our past that we enjoyed. Some interesting answers came out such as "I'm thankful to have a body." I said I was thankful for Budapest and to have found a family here and for the Mormons who've given me the opportunity to take my family to holiday get-togethers. I thought about saying I was thankful for Vipassana meditation, but I didn't.