2013

I haven't written for some time. A lot of things have happened since my 31st birthday.

We went to Crete with mum at the end of July. It was a lot of fun, but the heat was hard to bear. I couldn't eat during the day. In the evening we had a rather big meal near the hotel. The waiter was a gem. I had one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten.

We saw the ruins of Knossos. It was amazing. To build such things 3500 years ago! Otherwise I wasn't that overwhelmed with Crete. There just wasn't enough to see and do. It was a bit too touristy. The buildings were too new and still in not very good condition. Though I understand that Heraklion was mostly destroyed during WWII.

In September I was in Szeged and we meet up with Gizi. She mentioned that her older son was going to Tuscany with a travel agency that did more active trips. It sounded great. I checked, and they still had seats on the bus, plus it wasn't very expensive. So I decided to go. I've felt a draw to Tuscany for a while. Then things connected to Florence started to show up. I would catch documentaries on TV, Dan Brown's new book partially took place there. The trip was more rural Tuscany, but I wanted to see that as well.

It didn't disappoint. I went at the end of October. The taste of fresh olive oil is great. It stings a bit. I adore Chianti. It's my favourite red wine from now on.

We stayed at a cottage. I got up early every morning, did yoga, made coffee. It was nice. The surrounding area was gorgeous.

The small towns that we visited were lovely. San Gimignano was my favourite. It was so beautiful and eclectic.

I meet two great women on the trip. One is into all sorts of natural therapies, the other teaches languages. We had a great time eating out together, seeing the sites.

On the morning when we were going to leave, I had to go out to the toilet at 3am. Something stung my leg under my pjs, and it quickly swelled and hurt a lot. My roommate helped me a lot. She called people, and I ended up being taken to the emergency nearby. It was difficult, because there was a lot of rain two days before, and some roads were very damaged. Luckily the caretaker of the property had a 4-wheeler. I got a shot for the swelling and had to pay, but got a note for my insurance. Good thing I had insurance. My thigh still hurt the next day, when I was back home in Budapest. Mum came because the windows needed to be washed and stuff, but she also went to put in the paperwork for the insurance company.

I stopped looking for an apartment, but one night I woke up having to pee a lot, and it was so cold in the bathroom, I could hardly do it. That spurred mum to looking again, and miracle of miracles, she found one. Unfurnished, and in slightly not so good condition, but only 12 years old, and in a good location. The rent wasn't so bad either. So I had a look, and told them that I wanted it right away. You have to move quickly in Budapest.

I moved in on December 1st. I bought new furniture at Jysk, and a guy at one of the shops put it all together. It looks great. I even had a housewarming party in February.

Mum came to help with moving, and she also cleaned a lot. The previous tenants left things very dirty. The kitchen was covered in grease. The cabinets were missing some shelves that we got replacements for at OBI.

When I got back to work after moving, I got a shock. I was fired. However, they promised me another job for the same pay, but not as a permanent employee, only as a contractor. I took it, not having any other options. I started that next year in February. That made me feel really bad, because I thought that my job was secure, and that it was a stable point in my life. It pulled the rug out from under me. It also made me mad, because I worked hard, there was a need for it, and their decision was just trying to save a buck. I also felt bad for my colleague, Timi, who had to do all the work by herself from then on.

The year ended like it always did, with mum in Szeged. I knew that next year I had to do something about that, because I am getting old, and running out of time to start a family.