20231228 ======== 21:30 ----- Last night was spent watching a new series on Netflix. Because of that, I overslept for work by a good half an hour. I wonder if it can be watched outside Poland and if it's as amusing. The series follows a similar format to "What We Do in the Shadows," but instead of vampires, it explores the exaggerated thoughts of a Polish nobleman from 1670 (the year 1670 is also the title of the series.). It humorously mocks all the old flaws and superstitions, cleverly modernized. A good comedy series allows us to laugh at ourselves, and this one certainly does. The nobleman's ideas for exploiting serfs are presented with the language of today's corporations and trendy coaches. The series includes a series of gags about modern inventions, such as a toothbrush, which the main character doesn't believe in because he adheres to the "end of history" philosophy (believing that nothing more can be invented because there's no need for it). Ahead of me are a few more episodes, so I'll probably encounter a follower of the flat Earth theory from that time. 20231227 ======== 21:40 ----- Today is the first day after my vacation. I woke up before seven, and it was dark outside. I quickly commuted to my office; there wasn't much traffic on the road or crowded in the subway. The day passed without major events; post-holiday workdays tend to be calm. I didn't have lunch at work because a lot of holiday food awaited me in my home fridge. So, I had a big late dinner, and now I feel too full. On the way to work, I read a few articles on Bongusta, including the news that Google is discontinuing support for Usenet [1]. I wrote several posts in the past year, so I need to get back to that activity. https://m.slashdot.org/story/422840 [1] 20231226 ======== 21:30 ----- Today, I plan to go to bed earlier because for the past few days, I've been falling asleep too late. So far, everything is going according to plan because I'm already in my pajamas after a bath. We'll see when my son falls asleep. He just went to bed. Today, I spent some time browsing Small Net. A few days ago marked four months of my daily writing here. Let's see if I'll continue the experiment next year. The end of the year is also a time for reflections. A few days ago, I finished watching the original Star Wars trilogy. I was never a big fan, but due to my son's interests, I caught up. I went beyond the first trilogy, which I had only acknowledged until now. I watched every movie, even when it was too long (two hours!) or cringe-worthy at times (Episode II). I set a goal to watch everything, and I would only pause on Disney+ to continue watching the next day. I discovered all the storylines and learned that the image used in memes comes from this movie [1]. https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/322841258/Anakin-Padme-4-Panel [1] 20231225 ======== 22:40 ----- The so-called First Holiday passed with spending time with family. Nothing noteworthy happened worth describing here. My son continued to assemble his Lego set; as I mentioned, the manual is two hundred pages long. Interestingly, when I look back and recall old Lego instructions, they used to be quite schematic. Today, the manual is an important part of the whole experience. It includes several special elements related to the instructions. Firstly, the booklet is stored in a special case to keep it in perfect condition. Secondly, it contains various decorative elements; for example, the progress of building blocks on each page is illustrated by a figure made of blocks approaching the edge of the page. Even if a certain element is assembled in the same way, it is printed, for instance, a machine with four legs has the same pages repeated four times. The goal is to reach those two hundred pages. Sometimes, it's evident that it's cheaper to make a detailed manual than the appropriate amount of blocks (plastic). Often, constructions seem hollow inside, built around a skeleton that is meant to look nice. Sometimes, this isn't enough for good fun with a particular set. Nevertheless, in my opinion, Lego blocks remain the best toy, despite everything. 20231224 ======== 22:00 ----- Today is Christmas Day. I'm not religious, so I don't celebrate these holidays in a religious sense. Nevertheless, it's a traditional family holiday. We try to have dinner together, preparing twelve dishes where fish is the main ingredient. On the table, there was carp (although it's a fish from the times of the Polish People's Republic and scarcity), herring (in a few variations - with garlic, in sour cream, in oil), sturgeon, cod, and trout. In addition, there was traditional red borscht and traditional bigos. There were dumplings with cabbage and mushrooms. As always, there was too much food. Apart from that, the main attraction for children is the presents. The biggest one is a Lego set - fortunately, we finished building up to page 50 without nerves, and we'll complete the remaining 150 tomorrow. It must be acknowledged that building a set designed for a nine-year-old goes smoothly for our five-year-old. 20231223 ======== 11:00 ----- My son keeps coming back to the topic of Santa Claus. How is it that they can fly so quickly? To be precise, as a parent, I responded in a scientific manner using Clarke's Third Law: 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' 14:00 ----- My family came with gifts for my son. Where should I hide them so he won't see? The first potential spot was "explored" by him shortly after I thought of it. The second was discovered during a game of hide and seek a few moments later. Fortunately, I managed to divert attention, explaining that they weren't the wrapped gifts he had in mind. Let's see if he doesn't connect the dots tomorrow when Santa Claus brings something similarly wrapped. 20231222 ======== 21:45 ----- Today, one can write about the weather and be sure it won't be entirely senseless. I was awakened by the spring sun in the morning. A few hours later, while standing in line at the store, snow began to fall. Snow is an understatement—it was a snowstorm with gusty winds and a real storm in the background. A storm in December. The snow melted a few hours later, but instead of sunny weather, it rained for the rest of the day. That's the winter holiday atmosphere. What do you talk about in a store queue? Two older ladies, who seemed like sweet grandmothers at first glance, started anti-globalist discussions with a series of conspiracy theories. It was a way to entertain oneself during the boring wait in line. In Polish recently, the word "foliarz" emerged. It refers to people who used to make hats from aluminum foil to shield themselves from harmful cosmic radiation. In the Polish language, "folia" translates to "foil." A person associated with foil is referred to as a "foliarz." They started by saying it's not worth getting vaccinated against COVID because you can take Amantadine. As soon as I heard that, I realized how long it had been since I heard such nonsense. Those were the times of the first vaccinations, when people, in anticipation, tried to find a miraculous cure on their own. It seemed like that topic had long been forgotten. But evidently not. When one of the ladies claimed to have received the sixth dose, the other advised her to take aspirin daily to thin her blood. Supposedly, from the sixth dose onwards, even young people are said to be at risk of stroke and die very quickly. It continued with the notion that forced relocation of immigrants would destroy Poland. The argument was that people lack their own reasoning and are enslaved by globalists. Even one of her very devout neighbors doesn't share their views (i.e., think independently). And, according to them, non-believers shouldn't celebrate Christmas at all. I admit, it's been a while since I encountered someone like that. The ladies happened to meet in the queue by chance. Other people didn't react, although, in my opinion, everyone heard it. Surely, a large portion, if not the majority, holds different views. It's quite an interesting experience. Today, we are finally enclosed in our own bubbles. Interestingly, those ladies also complained that it's difficult for entire families to gather around the holiday table. Listening to such revelations, indeed, it would be challenging for me to sit at such a table as well. 20231221 ======== 21:30 ----- Tonight, I didn't sleep too well. Fortunately, it's the last working day before the holidays, and I have a day off tomorrow. I came home, sat on the couch, and initially watched a few episodes of Mr. Bean with my son. Now that he's asleep, I remembered episodes of Not The Nine O’Clock News. I discovered it only a few years ago. I must admit that the humor in Mr. Bean, as portrayed in NtNON, caught me by surprise the first time I saw it. It's worth watching, and the individual sketches are still very good today and haven't aged at all. Only two days left until Christmas. It seems like most things are already prepared. I hope to take a bit of a break nonetheless. The arrangement of the weekdays and the resulting days off this year is very favorable. No need for special leave during this time. It's worth mentioning the weather as well. The holidays will be rainy and windy. The weather won't be wintry at all. It might not even be cold, with temperatures around 10 degrees. 20231220 ======== 22:00 ----- Today, I commuted to work using my old route, which passes through a continuously renovated stretch of road. Ten kilometers of construction amid mud and street grime from last week's snow. I don't know when this renovation will end, but it doesn't seem soon. The bus maneuvers through sharp turns, temporary narrowings, and detours, struggling to fit when a larger vehicle approaches from the opposite side. However, the most interesting thing happened on the way back. There was more crowding than usual, so I stood among other people. Suddenly, a couple in their thirties started talking near me. The man was striking up a conversation with the woman, and after a while, it turned out they didn't know each other at all. He was trying to get her phone number and invite her out in the evening somewhere in the city. After a moment, she started giggling like a teenager. Scenes like that don't unfold often. 20231219 ======== 20:20 ----- My son is after a bath. We will try to fall asleep before 10 PM. Now he is drawing in the bed. I sneakily play Chopin in the background. It must be working because he starts yawning. There were times when I didn't listen to music. Then I discovered various music genres, from awkward moments with techno to rock, metal, and jazz, culminating in classical music. It turned out that classical music can evoke all musical emotions. You can be in a Chopin mood and mainly listen to him. That's where I am today. Once, it happened that the year-end summary on Spotify mainly featured Chopin. 20231218 ======== 21:53 ----- I’m sitting on a sofa while drinking a Baltic Porter beer. I had written about this kind of beer here a while ago. My son doesn’t sleep yet. He is talking a lot and giving us many questions. Today the main topic is space. He was drawing several Death Stars from Star Wars. Then he was asking about stars, which is the brightest, how they are shining, and so on. We participated in the Christmas shopping spree a bit. Most presents have been ordered on the Internet. A crowd of people doesn’t make the real shops more attractive than online shopping. I browsed the small net today. Most things make me feel alienated. My Comitium feed was almost empty. The Antenna was populated by entries of people I don’t know. I must catch up on things. 20231217 ======== 21:00 ----- The next day of housekeeping. I packed all issues of Pixel Magazine and I stored it in a basement. I packed also several other titles. They were laying in my apartment and I hadn't needed them. The empty bookshelf was rearranged with other books which were stored one on top of the other earlier. This was the thing I haven't had the strength to do for the last long time. I had been browsing photos of my apartment from when I had just moved out. The bookshelf was in order and with empty spaces. I don't know where so much stuff came from. In the second part of the day my wife and my son were in the Botanical Light Garden. It's organized in winter season with lights formed in shapes and characters from cartoons. It's a popular attraction. They have written that in a rush hour they experience a traffic jam on a driveway. Fortunately, there were no problems. Maybe it's because of the weather. Gardens of Lights are best viewed when there is snow, and instead of snow it was drizzling today. During their trip I watched a retro channel discussion on YouTube about the Wrestling. It's a show which doesn't have any substitute in Poland. It was discovered here in 90s while the satellite TV started to be popular. On every balcony a satellite dish was set and TV shows like Wrestling came to Polish houses. The most interested in were teenagers who don't know that it was directed show. I was one of them. On YouTube the overall phenomenon was discussed and especially was focused on computer games because it is the channel main theme. I didn't play any Wrestling computer game but as I discovered now there were several titles even on 8 bit computers. 20231216 ======== 21:20 ----- It was a sunny day for a while before the noon. We were on a walk. We know our neighborhood very well but it's possible to find out something new every time. We were going through a small inner streets and we found a confectionery. Later I've seen a funny advertisement on a street. -- Eating pizza makes you hot. With a Ruben's shaped lady laying on a hot pizza slice with melted cheese. There weren't too many people on streets today. In the evening it became dark and gloomy again. We were doing a house cleaning. There wasn't any exciting thing to write about. 20231215 ======== 21:10 ----- My son has opened a next window in his own made Advent Calendar. It was themed as... Minecraft. Today's day had been drawn inside as a green zombie head in a red circle as in a prohibition sign. And there wasn't any green zombie today. Who knows what had been drawn inside next windows. We have bought a Christmas tree today. It's the 5th real tree in my house. Year by year the there is bigger and bigger. This year it has around 120-140cm. It's a fir. The overall cost around 30 euros. I've browse all photos of past Christmas trees on my mobile. The weather surprised today. It was snowing for a while. And one hour later the most of the snow was melted. But today was rather cold outside. 20231214 ======== 20:00 ----- The Christmas shopping spree could be a good thing to write about. After I've finished my work I went to a shopping center. There is a special shop with so called ecological cosmetics. I'd like to buy a set for a man. A shopkeeper said: -- People could buy more books. -- People has everything what they need. -- Time is the thing which can't be buy. She should be a spiritual leader rather a shopkeeper. So I didn't buy anything and probably I won't visit this shop anymore. 20231213 ======== 22:45 ----- It was an ordinary day. The weather is gloomy. I've done my activity goal. There aren't any interesting things to write about. I'm thinking about Christmas. I don't like an overall Christmas atmosphere. Many aspects are leading for me to buying presents. And it's always a complicated thing. 20231212 ======== 21:15 ----- The Time of Coughs is lasting but its magic powers are less and less powerful. Despite this, I continue to work from home along with coughing household members. I'm a bit exhausted from this situation. The weather doesn't give any positive vibes. But I've done around 6km on foot after work. The rest of evening I'm watching parliament on YouTube. As I have written earlier it's a popular thing in Poland nowadays. Today the new prime minister has given an expose. There was the hooligan act of one of the far-right MPs, who activated a fire extinguisher, destroying Christmas decorations (the Hanukkah menorah, was lit right next to the Christmas tree for the seventeenth time, was extinguished). Parliament unanimously, including some members of his far-right club, condemned his behavior. The Sejm Presidium referred the case to the prosecutor's office. Ultimately, the prime minister's expose was disrupted. I'm curious who initiates such behavior, which was probably intended to destabilize today. The MP had to explain that these were his independent and spontaneous decisions. It is possible that it was his stupidity and lack of awareness of what it would look like to activate the fire extinguisher. A foam fire extinguisher dirty a huge part of the Sejm. 20231211 ======== 20:00 ----- Yesterday I got not so clever idea to watch Star Wars III to the midnight and didn't go sleep as an average serious middle aged man short after ten PM. I woke up in a good mood but later in the day I was feeling an effect of my decision. The whole day has passed and I didn't make any significant things. During the morning I had a doctor appointment. He determined that it was just a normal cough and not the beginning of bronchitis. So I'm coughing but with a medicine. Other children in my son's kindergartner have a similar symptoms as my son and the rest of the family. The unknown coughing virus made my city full of loud cough. It isn't an old COVID, it isn't a RSA, there is no fever. 20231210 ======== 21:30 ----- It was a slowly Sunday. The weather forecast is predicting the temperature will go above zero. So the snow will melt soon. But today it was snowing a bit again. I was out in the morning and the overall feeling of winter has still been present. In the upcoming week it would be up to eight Celsius degrees. We will see. Today there was so called the shopping Sunday. Shops were operating as in working day. I don't remember how long in Poland the trade on Sunday is prohibited. I have never been a frequent buyer or visitor of big shopping centers in that days. But the the new law still bothers me. I don't have any special plans but it was so handy to visit shops without a hurry. In the most cases I'm buying on the Internet instead. So I don't know if the legislator is happy from that customers habit change. The rest of the day was creative. There were much of drawing. In the afternoon we were backing gingerbread cookies. 20231209 ======== 20:45 ----- I'm sitting on a sofa and I'm drinking the Leffe Brown beer. It isn't the most original choice but it has been available in the nearest grocery store. Today day was the next day of winter weather. It was foggy like yesterday. But the feeling of real winter has been given by snow which was falling through the most of the day. It wasn't so depressing like yesterday. In the morning we were sleeping well to almost nine o'clock. My son was sleeping off the last night. He had fallen asleep after ten o'clock. He was coughing before that what made he can't sleep. We went to a doctor today. After almost two weeks of a light treatment he got an antibiotic. He is doing quite well through that time but the cough must be healed. So we are hoping that it was last doctor appointment this month. That all things caused that I don't have any free time for the small net. I am not active on Mastodon also. Just wait until spring. 20231208 ======== 20:40 ----- It's Friday! My cough isn't healed. I worked all week in so called home office. Several people in my team were also complaining about their health. In the next week there will be a big office meeting. The occasion is the Christmas dinner. I don't know how it will be with all teams in a one place. It's said that many people in Poland are infected nowadays. I've done a combined test and the result was negative. But I'm coughing through all day. The weather is so awful that I didn't go out today for my usual walk. Instead of that I've got a nap after work. Maybe it's because of my health condition. I have a deficit of sleep. After it we played a board game. Then my son had got a bath and now he is trying to fall asleep. 20231207 ======== 21:59 ----- I'm in the bed. Today it was snowing again. In the morning I was getting from the bed later. The day was sleepy. Today the city illumination was officially started. The big Christmas tree was set in the city center. We where there in the evening. Many people were here. The tourists were also visible. I'm planning to sleep long enough today to fulfill my dreams from this morning when the alarm clock rang. 20231206 ======== 19:30 ----- The next day of home office. I've been on a walk after work. So I've done my activity goal. Now I'm sitting on a sofa. My son is sitting on a carpet playing the new LEGO set. Now the Star Wars are on top. According to the Polish theme of this Phlog I must write that salceson was considered as the worst food on the world by Taste Atlas [1]. People probably will think that every Pole is liking a salceson and a vodka. But I never ate salceson in my life and I don't like vodka. So I'm the only one in my kind. https://www.tasteatlas.com/worst-rated-meat-products-in-the-world [1] It has supporters and opponents even in Poland, where offal is generally eaten. Sometimes I like to eat chicken livers fried with onion. And that would be it. *** It's worth to say that I got a Christmas postcard from my family. This custom was still alive several years ago when my grandparents generation was alive. Now it's rare to get such postcard. What is more I've got this from my USA family. What is more interesting they are third generation of USA citizens. They can't speak Polish and Polish culture probably had no major influence on them. For me, they are more American than Polish. So maybe postcards are more popular in USA now. 21:20 ----- My son is in the bed. We were reading the first Star Wars #1 comics (1977) which I had mentioned before. My throat is in better condition today so I've poured into a glass Oatmeal Stout. I'm drinking it slowly now. 20231205 ======== 22:45 ----- Mentioned earlier gifts for tomorrow are ready. My son is sleeping since 20:30. I'm watching Star Wars I. We didn't sleep the whole last night because of my son running nose. But the rest of the day was quite calm. The weather was good. Snow and sunny weather with the temperature below zero. I was working from home but I'm managed to do my activity goal after it. I'm going to the bed. Goodnight. 20231204 ======== 21:30 ----- My son has an infection again. We've done a COVID test but the result was negative. We visited a doctor. This season is hard to parents in a kindergarten. I was coughing also. I've been working from home. It's 21:30 and my son isn't sleep yet. He was screaming because he had a constant runny nose. I don't have any energy to write more. And of course tomorrow he could behave like the most polite child. 20231203 ======== 21:10 ----- My son is in the bed. The snow I mentioned yesterday didn't let us down. In the morning, before the o'clock we were sledding. There was more than several centimeters of snow on the ground. The caretaker hadn't had time to clear the snow yet because it was still snowing. The snow wasn't enough sticky to make a snowman. But it's possible to throw a snow ball. Winter as in the school textbook and at the right time. *** Because we've done a two hour activity in the morning the rest of day we've spent in the home. We were playing in the Karak board game. I had been very pleased that I found that game. It isn't too complicated for children but it isn't too obvious. Players randomly select maze tiles. Then they fight the monsters in the same way. Each player also has a character with basic characteristics such as strength or health points. A typical RPG game for children. In addition, the game is very well produced for this price. Comment from my son who wanted to play with me and chose it himself. I asked if he would play with his kindergarten friends who sometimes visit him. -- We won't play them because we are interested in Star Wars. So my son sometimes plays old school games with me to maintain our relationship. But whatever it is with his friends, he doesn't even consider it. That's a lesson learned. 20231202 ======== 20:30 ----- The weather forecast said that it will be snowing all night. So tomorrow it could be a time for sledding. I made today more than 7 km on foot. The weather wasn't too pleasant. It was several degrees below zero and very humid what made the overall feeling more cold. I was on river shore and it was cold really cold. I've played with my son Super Mario Bros on SNES. It is good because he wanted to practice. So he is training his patience and he was playing without nerves. I've browse Personal Soap Opera Phlog posts. It's more and more impressive. I managed to write everyday. Sometimes I hadn't remember what I've written. 20231201 ======== 20:20 ----- In my son kindergarten there was a puppet classes and the song Mah na mah na from The Muppets. My son is playing puppets now and there is no sign of him falling asleep. He started to talk about classes asking me about the frog. I didn't remember what the frog he was talking about. Then I realized that he is talking about Kermit the frog. I showed him Mah na mah na song a long before classes. He was content that he knew it earlier. 21:05 ----- He is laying in a bed. Today in the office a colleague without any kids explained me that it is possible to workout everyday for fifteen minutes. Because I'm a good conversationalist so I agreed with her fully.