'The Guild' Is My New Guilty Pleasure

I'm a sucker for anything sci-fi fantasy, and I'm also quite the nerd. Although I'm not a serious gamer myself (I don't have the patience to sit there making a little person run around fighting things to level up), I do enjoy some video games and I enjoy the gamer culture. 
 
That's why my newest favorite show is "The Guild," a three-season (so far) series of mini webisodes about the members of a World of Warcraft guild called "The Knights of Good." But when the members decide to meet in person, things start going downhill and the guild is faced with possible disbandment. It's quirky, silly, and engaging, especially if you get the gamer jokes and nerd references (I do; my brother's a gamer). 
 
So, check it out. You can find the past three seasons here and you can find the first bit of season four (so good!) on Bing or MSN.

The Start of My Second Poetry Collection

when the line blurs between reality and writing


it takes me three hours to drink a Venti
shaken black tea lemonade
two pumps sweetened and
when i'm done i've lived three lives
and knew how to drive
spoke in tongues and 
saw you, found love
that shifted the energy of the cosmos
from spirals to star-shapes
i lost a little menace
gained a little mirth --
          Look, the novel's finished but
          i've still got this picture of you
          so it doesn't matter if the cup 
          is half empty or half full or
          never really existed at all


---------------------------------------------------------------------


ancient love potion

i swear that i will make you mine:
           blow on every dandelion i can find
         call you to me under a harvest moon
         wrap feathers in your hair and shove
         semi-precious stones into your stomach


... if all that fails, i might actually have to talk to you
          but i'm hoping that isn't the case.


----------------------------------------------------------------------


i need you but you're stuck on a horizontal staircase

you can only stumble sideways into empty space
where you see the nothing, you don't pretend there's something
in the shadows, your face glows like the moon, and i'm learning
some ancient magic that will turn me into a fruit bat and then i'll
spread my wings and bear my tiny teeth and hear you from so very
far away.

Trip Journal: DAY SEVEN - 30 May 2010

            Yesterday we went to the store, bought some juice and cheese and sour cherries (oops – should I have fridged those?) and we came back and made dough for lángos. Melvin filmed the actual dough-making. We were just being silly and dancing around a lot while András gave us directions on what to do. Then we left for grandpa’s sister’s house, where we saw Jóska and his son and then ate chicken (why are we eating so much chicken? I eat too much chicken as it is at home!) and french fries. So Hungarian, I know. Then we had a creme pastry dessert and just talked. Or, should I say, Jóska talked. And talked. And talked. About his coral collection, which was pretty interesting, and about how he once camped out in a car parking lot and about the renovations they were doing on the house. Finally we left, and in the car we all breathed sighs of relief and broke out into nearly hystserical laughter. We laughed, also, because Jóska’s pretty old and he couldn’t remember Melvin’s name, so in order to explain it to him, András would say ’mell’ (which means breasts in Hungarian) and point to his chest) plus vin, but Jóska always only remembered the breasts half after that.

            Then we listened to music. Melvin learned ’Burning Bridges’ by Chris Pureka (I recommend it to anyone who hasn’t ever listened to her) and we sang for a bit. Then we helped András with the rest of the dough and made a fruit cake. We were all just being silly and I love that, that we’re all so willing to laugh at ourselves and make fools of ourselves together. I could easily see the three of us living together and having a blast nearly every night.  It’s a lot of fun. Then later I taught Melvin to skank and two-step and we started frying the lángos. Then we ate them with garlic and sour cream and lots of cheese – delicious. We laughed a lot – about how much cheese Melvin had grated because I really wanted cheese, and about my attempts to eat a third lángos, which I did, but barely. It was a moment I wanted to bottle up and keep forever, to peek into whenever I’m sad or lonely so that it can cheer me up. It was such a small moment, but it really made me feel grateful to be here in Hungary. It’s the simple moments that always mean the most.

            After eating we played more cards but then we were too tired and went to sleep. Oh, but before that, Melvin and I had a nice heart-to-heart about John and other things. I’m really glad he came with me to Hungary. He’s a really good friend, and I think this has made our friendship stronger.

-Cd

TIMER

     As anyone who follows this blog knows, I'm a huge fan of romantic comedies. Last night I watched one called "Timer," which my friend Jo recommended to me. It was really good, with an interesting plot and good set of characters and actors. The main theme of the movie was that everyone could get a timer on their wrist, which would countdown to the day they met their one true love. If your timer was blank, it meant your true love didn't have a timer. 

     I've been thinking about the timer idea since yesterday night, when I watched the film, and the more I think about it, the more vehemently I disbelieve it (or want to, anyway). If I had the chance to get a timer, I'd refuse. Sure, it would be convenient and relieving to know that I have a true love out there, to even know exactly when we're going to meet. But don't you think that would be a little boring? I think half the excitement of true love would be feeling that jolt when stumbling upon it. I think half the point of love is believing that it's true without having to be told. How can there be mystery or unbridled passion if you're told how long you have to wait till you find your "one"?

    Of course, all of this operates on the premise that there is a "one," and if we disprove the premise, we disprove the idea of the timer (thank you, ConLaw). I haven't decided if I think there's a "one" or not. I guess only time will tell. What does anyone else think about it?

Trip Journal: DAY FIVE -- 28 May 2010

            Shaved and showered this morning while Melvin slept on. Finally I had to wake him up and we ate and then went to the ceremony with András grandmother, where we put flowers on the grave. Then we went to see Mariska and cousin Attila and the baby, Levente. I’m a fan of the name. Lunch was soup, chicken, rice, pastries. Played some hackey sack out back for a bit, even though I was wearing a skirt, then went to a bar where I didn’t drink (because I don’t drink), but my cousins gave Melvin Unicum, a strong drink similar to absinthe. It was super funny. We went back inside later, Melvin played some guitar, and then we came back here, where we listened to music and danced a bit, and now I’m not sure what we’re doing. I texted Garrett for the first time today and said I missed him.

-Cd

Trip Journal: DAY FOUR -- 27 May 2010

10:15 a.m.

We played some weird version of Rummy last night. I don’t think András knows how to play Rummy. I didn’t win but I didn’t lose either. Oh, got to run. More later.

-Cd

11:25 p.m.

     Anyway, in his weird version of Rummy, you count card numbers and used jokers and could only take one card from the discard pile if you needed it. We showed András some music, like Dethklok, which I have to really be in the mood to listen to because they’re pretty heavy metal. Then we slept.

     This morning I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and got ready. I thought were going to swim in Héviz, this radioactive lake that’s filled with sulfur and other minerals and actually is thought to have healing properties. (I swam in it last time I visited Hungary and it smelled terrible! And stained my bathing suit! But was a cool experience, in and of itself). But we never got around to it, I think because rain loomed in the sky above the entire time.

     While driving there, we saw a house in the middle of a tiny lake, with no way in or out but by rowboat or swimming, and I thought that I would possibly like to have a house like that. Yes, it would be inconvenient if my boat capsized and my makeup got ruined, or if my house got a little flooded. But mostly it would be pretty awesome to know that no one could get to my house unless they had a boat or decided to swim, and that either way I’d probably hear them coming before they got there. It speaks to a sense of privacy that you don’t really ever find in a city like New York. Not to mention that the little lake was then surrounded by vast, breath-taking countryside, filled with trees and crops and red flowers whose name I don’t know, and marred only by the two-lane road on which we drove.

     Then we visited András' sister and saw Héviz lake and the surrounding town, which was nice but more modern, filled with larger houses with newer designs, lots of glass, and reminiscent of the place my grandparents live in Florida. There was a blue church, and a bunch of touristy shops where we got ice cream and put our hands in this big block of stone that was supposed to tell one’s fortune. Although I’ve lost the paper since then, I did write down that it gave me the most stars for love and life and the least stars for luck and health, with a satisfactory amount of stars for sex. It also said that I would become entangled in a morally reprehensible act, probably because of my vanity, but that I would have one of those rare, beautiful marriages (whatever that means, and, considering I’m not even sure I believe in marriage…)

     I liked the town, but if I live in Hungary, I’d either want it to be right in Budapest or in a legitimate little house in a legitimate little town. At András' sister’s place, she offered Melvin some wine, and András pushed her to give it to him. When she seemed unsure, he said, all you have to do is put it in front of him, and Melvin will drink it. We all got a good laugh at that, because it was pretty true. Melvin even admits it’s true. Also, she kept calling him “Kelvin” instead of “Melvin,” no matter how many times we corrected her. It was pretty hilarious, at the time.

     The day was warm, and I wore the dress my cousin got me as a graduation gift. András wore these tight leather pants with ties up the sides of both legs, which Melvin and I got a kick out of (and still laugh about). At one point I asked him, wasn’t he warm? And he said that yes, he’d already pretty much fried his balls off. Despite this, he wore the pants a bunch more times before we left. I imagine he thought he looked bad-ass and cool in them.

      Later, we drove to Sümeg Castle and walked up the hill to the castle. Melvin ran ahead off of the path and András wanted me to go with him so he could take a photo. I didn’t really want to, but I decided that you have to sometimes do things you don’t want to do. So Melvin helped me up but it was steep and really high and I was wearing Converse, so I screamed the entire way up and down. We slid near the bottom and almost fell but András caught me. The castle was closed when we got there, but we took pictures and looked out at the stunning view of little towns, landscape, and one long road that András said went all the way back to Szombathely, and that on clear days you could see Szombathely from that vantage point.

     On the drive home, Melvin fell asleep as András and I spoke about cars. He said he’d drive everywhere if he could, with no cars on the road, at dusk. I said it’d be nice, but that cars aren’t very good for the planet, considering how much pollution they spew. I tried to explain in Hungarian why I didn’t think there should be more roads in Hungary, but I don’t think I really got the point across. The best I could say was, In New York there are many roads. See this countryside? In New York, there is no countryside because there are so many roads. All András replied was, So? I gave up after that.

     12:20 a.m. now. It took me an hour to write this. Bassza meg (practicing my curse words)!

-Cd

Trip Journal: DAY THREE -- 26 May 201

            I forgot to mention yesterday that András made us eat at like eleven at night. It was so late! It was good, but I wasn’t really hungry. I think I’m going to try to avoid eating breakfast now, because I’m still not hungry. In other news, my thigh hurts. I think I pulled a muscle playing hackey sack the other day. But on the plus side, I think I’ve already adapted to the time change and don’t feel jet-lagged. If anything, I feel more energized and healthy, more mentally stable and less stressed. It’s a good feeling. It’s something about the air and the energy and the aura of the place itself, and the calm pace of the people here, my family included. There’s an old feeling to the energy, something ancient and primal that touches a deep part of me and my past, something nostalgic and magical.

            Yesterday András said he didn’t like patriotic Hungary songs, or the idea of being overly patriotic about one’s country, especially about Hungary because it’s such a small country that’s relatively powerless. But I like the idea of patriotism, of celebrating one’s culture and heritage. Not to the point of bigotry or racism, of course, but I like the notion of being proud of who you are and where you’re from. And besides, the Magyars were pretty powerful, according to legend. And Hungary lost most of its land. I think the Magyars can be restored to their former glory.

-Cd

6:10 p.m.

            Today we visited Mariska and the family there. It was a decent time, although I still can’t understand a word she says when she talks to me. She just mumbles and jumbles all of her words together, like she’s slurring. Later on we visited Tetta and that was better. She speaks faster, but much more clearly. She made cabbage noodles (delicious) and chicken cutlet and mashed potato. It was good; she’s not a bad cook. Then we brought some stuff back here and went to meet with András friend Zsofi. She seemed nice but I didn’t talk. You know how I feel about most girls. There was ice cream but we just ate lunch so I really wasn’t hungry right then. Then we drove to Köszeg but it was raining on the way there, pouring so hard that you couldn’t see out of the windows. So we pulled over on the side of the road and just sat in the car while the rain poured down around us. I wouldn’t mind sitting like that for a good while, just talking or writing with a good group of people or alone. When it subsided we walked around the city a bit, but then my camera died so we just came back home and now I think we’re going to play cards.

-Cd

Trip Journal: DAY TWO -- 25 May 2010

10 a.m. Hungary

Luckily we found András without problems at the airport yesterday. It was so good to see him again! We were worried at first that we wouldn’t be able to find him, because the airport seemed large and menacing, but then we realized there was an arrivals gate where he would be waiting for us. After getting our luggage, Melvin stood against a pillar while I embarked on search of András. I saw him right away, with those big black unlaced boots and his long, scraggly thin hair. I just walked up beside him and stood there for a minute until he noticed me. He looks the same as I remember, if a little older. There’s more whites and greys in his stubble and a few more lines around his eyes. When he did, he hugged me excitedly, but when I tried to grab his hand and pull him towards Melvin, he groaned and motioned for me to go slower. I wasn’t sure why, but now I know it’s because his back has been giving him trouble.

The drive to András’ place was a little bit awkward and uncomfortable, because I was scared to talk very much, and when I did make attempts at conversation, he only replied with one word answers, and seemed pretty crabby overall. It’s because he spent the last three days at a festival in Budapest and didn’t really get any sleep, so I guess I forgive him. When we got back to András’ place, we listened to music in his room and ate pizza (pineapple for me, yay!) and took pictures (funny stuff) and tried to converse some. We’re understanding each other much better than last time, already. I speak faster and in more complete sentences, and he knows more English. Nighttime came quickly, because we were all incredibly tired. I shared a bed with Melvin, which was alright aside from his snoring.

Not sure what we’re doing today so I’ll write more later.

-Cd

11:20 p.m.

Today was eventful and really fun. First, Melvin and I awoke around 8 a.m. and got ready while András slept on. Then, when he woke up, we sat in his room some more and listened to music, jazzy stuff. We took more pictures and went for a walk around the lake, which was nice. I remember it from last time, when we rented a boat and András rowed me around in it, and we talked about his health and going to the doctor and smoking and the fact that he worked on a vineyard. Clearly, my Hungarian wasn’t too great then, because I now know that he doesn’t – and probably hasn’t ever – worked on a vineyard, so I’m not sure where I got that from. I remember how we would take my dictionary everywhere with us, and have to look up words to get across what we wanted to say. This time we don’t have to do that, and it’s such a relief. There are still a lot of words I don’t know or recognize quickly enough, but I’m fluent enough to ask him what they mean and to understand when he explains it to me in a simplified way.

It was warm out today, and the breeze was soft on the skin. We were walking to the main square of Szombathely when we ran into Jóska and his wife in their car, and they gave us a ride. Melvin filmed during the car ride, which was pretty funny because I really can’t understand a word that Jóska says. But luckily András helps translate things for me when he sees I have no idea what’s going on.

In the main square we exchanged some money, not too much, and walked around seeing the sights. We visited the big church that I still don’t know the name of and took some pictures and Melvin filmed a bit. (Right now he’s just bobbing along to music while I write this.) Walking around was a little bit awkward, though, because we were walking super slowly because of András back pains while trying to make conversation. I’m not too flustered when we talk because András has a very calming presence, and when I start flailing my arms around in consternation, he just tells me to calm down. I often tell him to wait, and he responds, I didn’t say anything, I’m not saying a word.

Then we stopped at a café and I had an apple juice and Melvin had water. András and I talked about girls. He believes all girls are jealous, and he doesn’t want a girlfriend because then he couldn’t be alone or go to concerts or parties that he wants to go to. And also, a girlfriend wouldn’t like that all of his other friends are female. That part, I said, is very true. They wouldn’t like that. But there are girls out there, I think, who aren’t extremely jealous and actually like to have some space and distance in a relationship. I like to think I’m one of them. We also brought up the subject of him coming to New York, and he said he might be able to get the money to come and stay for a while, which would be pretty cool. Then we helped Melvin with some Hungarian, and András commented on how he was so dedicated to learning, which was admirable.

Afterwards we came back to András place, where we ate lunch (yummy chicken and rice, lathered in paprika, of course). Actually, Melvin asked if there was paprika on it, which was kind of funny. I think he knew there was though, and it was more just an attempt at conversation. I’m glad Melvin’s trying to make conversation; it makes things easier and also more fun. It’d be boring if he wasn’t enthusiastic about trying to talk even if he’s not sure what he’s saying is right. I need to be more like that; I’m too much of a perfectionist, though.

After eating, Melvin and I played MAGIC: THE GATHERING while András watched. We tried to explain it to András but I don’t know how much he actually comprehended. After that we listened to more music, some Hungarian stuff, some Spanish ska stuff called SKA-P, which I have to remember to download. Later, we bought juice and tea at the supermarket and then played hackey sack outside for quite a long time. Melvin filmed it. It was really funny; I’m pretty terrible. András was a little better than me, but not super great, and Melvin was pretty good. Then we went into a bar and András and Melvin drank beer (András pretty much forced Melvin to) and I had a soda and we talked some more. I like being able to hang out with people around whom you don’t really have to do much to have a good time, but can do things like play hackey sack and just talk, and still have a blast. It helps when that talking is a challenge because it’s in another language, but I think the basic concept is the same.

-Cd

Trip Journal: DAY ONE --- 24 May 2010

            The Lufthansa yellow and grey theme colors aren’t very appealing to me. I’ve been sitting on a plane for about six hours, now. I studied some Hungarian earlier and then spent five hours trying to fall asleep. What a failure. If I slept at all, it was only for one of those hours. I don’t understand why airplane seats are so uncomfortable. Then again, it coould be my own fault. I’m reluctant to push my seat back into the reclining position because I don’t want to cramp the person behind me, because I don’t like when jerks in front of me push their seats back as far as possible, and then I don’t have any room for my laptop or other paraphernalia that I probably won’t use but like to keep around on flights just in case.

            I would have written sooner, but it was so dark here that I didn’t want to be the only asshole with the light blaring from the ceiling. Melvin and I have about an hour and a half left to fly, and thankfully it’s been a smooth journey so far. Hopefully everything will go alright with our connecting flight and when we get to Vienna, we’ll find András in the airport without a hitch.

            Tea time!

-Cd

Back In the New York City Groove

Hey everyone! Writing on May 1 didn't pan out, because I ended up going to Hungary in May and I stayed until June 15! It was an incredible time, and I'm going to slowly type up my travel journal so that you can all share in my experience. For now, I've been back a week, and I'm currently working on another article for amNewYork, as a freelancer, although I do need to look for a real, steadily-paying job at the same time. Really, I just wish I could move to Hungary and write my novels, but I guess I can't do that until I've got money. So, I'll be writing more regularly again, starting with posts from my travel journal. Hope everyone is alright; I missed you guys! sitting on a railing in the duna river part five you grabbed my hand and we were frozen like a photograph in which viewers would never know if you were puling me in or i was helping you out