joys and sorrows

some snippets of my recent life:

- I have a lead on an apartment. It's in the center of the city, which is where I want to live. It's within my price range. It's small. A crazy lady lives downstairs. I could move in mid-November.

- My parents' cat (my cat? - I don't know how that works anymore.) is dying of liver disease.

- I went to a cafe that serves excellent hot chocolate (almost as thick as pudding) & good baklava. It's called Kandahar & plays Arab pop music.

- I discovered the arthouse cinema in town. It's connected to the Yugoslavian film archive, which apparently has films and news footage dating back to the 1890s. They have an extensive library of scripts, movie posters and whatnot & show classic films every night. Unfortunately, nearly all of these films are French or Yugoslavian - without subtitles. They do show the occasional Spanish or American film, though.

- I watched a beggar's child play with a still-smoking cigarette butt like it was an airplane. He was moving it through the air and making motor noises.

- I found fresh basil at the market today & have constructed the best fake pesto that can be under the circumstances. Pine nuts are too much to ask of this city. I am in awe of people who lived before food processors.

- With people out of the office, I've been catching up on This American Life episodes that I have missed.

- My CNN international doesn't play The Daily Show at the time CNN International's schedule says it does.

- I start Serbian language classes tomorrow.