It’d been raining on and off for two weeks by then; more on than off. No deep thunderstorms as we had been accustomed to in the mid-west. In the mid-west you could expect a dozen or more high powered storms every year but here we languished through the kind of rain that is no fun to watch from your window and no fun to be out in. I remember hearing the wind in the early morning in place of the traveling horn band that occasionally played past our window in the street below, headed for the main square.
We secured our jackets and made our way out into the rain. I made a comment about the food but I can’t remember what exactly. I was getting sick of the meat and potato routine offered at the local restaurants. I remember there being a time when I was certain I could never need anything but sausage, potatoes, and cheese.
The wind battled with our recently acquired umbrella. The umbrella was very nice as I recall. Someone had left it near the entrance to our building and after giving it a fair 30 minutes to rediscover its original owner, I made my claim. I’m not sure if the resulting smashed-in mail boxes nearby had been a reaction to my decision, but either way; I wasn’t taken to stealing anymore and forgave myself this rare offense.
The rain was producing an enjoyable aroma and the grass and trees in the park around the market square were a deep green and showed clear signs of a bountiful spring. The wind dancing through the thick foliage harked me back to a magical summer some years ago where I spent much of my time out on a farm consuming psilocybin. Thoughts of home were a regular occurrence for us. No new friends and crummy weather weren’t helping. A recent trip to Liverpool had been excellent but too short. In any event, it reawakened the travel bug within us and we looked forward to fall when our lease would be up and we would go to many places together.
We stumbled through the door of an Irish pub and looking like wet rags, looked around for a table wondering if there was anything here for us. The sandwiches were decent and the prices were decent too and we made our visit strictly business and were out in half an hour. I suggested a stop on the way home for beer and she obliged, looking forward to getting something sweet as well. They were substitutes for friends, really. We had nothing to do at our apartment anyways. We had both taken to reading a lot and surfing the internet, waiting impatiently for the skies to clear up while expecting no such thing. Visitors were due in a couple weeks time.
We had a quick chat about our legal status in Poland and had already decided that we were being avoided because of our nationality and stuck to this conclusion. The information that should have come our way already was being delayed; and perhaps deliberately. But perhaps not. Maybe it was a symptom of our bleak outlooks forced upon us by the stubbornly low clouds that moved deceivingly swiftly. Just then, a strong gust pulled rain beneath our umbrella causing us to stop and huddle closely for a second before it eased up and passed.
We didn’t see it right away, but we heard the screeching of the brakes and we stopped in our tracks. A sopping wet mutt yelped and bounded out of the road and scurried past us with its tail tucked tight between its legs. Meandering through the side streets, avoiding the numerous puddles, I was thinking about home.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
A Delibrately Ignorant Hypothesis
You just can't keep a sign like this from entertaining me. Of course the true meaning is lost in translation when I relate to what I know of warning signs in the States, and I'm quite sure I know what the intention of this particular sign is; but that said, I have a mind to make things as I want, and this sign shall become fodder for my thoughts as we roll down the rails eastbound from Krakow.
A bottle angled at 2 o'clock in the foreground and an open window in the background and all this encircled by a thick red line. "You are encouraged to dispose of all empty bottles by way of an open window." That one is easy enough. As if inebriated Poles on their way to a Football match needed anymore encouragement, here it was, and circled in red too so no passing eye should be deceived!
To the right of this image was another small sign. This one also featured an open window and had a stick figure resting his elbow on the pane and gazing out. This too was encircled in bold red. I took the image's location to mean that, like the majority of written "western" communication, it should be interpreted following the information to its left. Therefore, it seems necessary that "Following the expulsion of trash from an open window, one is encouraged to observe thoughtfully their recent actions." Once again, there can be no doubt as to this message for it has been emboldened by the red circle around it.
Now, from what I know about warning signs in the U.S., it is customary to not only circle a particular action in red, but to extend a cross member through this action if you wish to have it avoided. This cross piece is what makes it evident that the message being conveyed by the image is undesirable and perhaps illegal. It loudly states "Attention! You can not do this!"
If we were to remove that cross piece, well, we'd have cars entering into oncoming traffic and children grabbing high-powered electrical wires by the dozens! Not only is this bad for the mortality rate, it opens the door for general disorder. There must be a clear message so people can save themselves from themselves. The cross member is that life preserver. So is it therefore conceiveable that a large mistake has been made aboard this Polish train? Are lives in danger?
The answer is no. As long as you follow clearly highlighted instructions. I am certain that if, at some point, it is determined unsafe for people to whip beer bottles out windows and watch the effects, there will be a thick line cutting through the heart of these images. And that line will be red.
Author's Note:
Red, as well as black, are typical signs of danger in many societies. This as well must be taken into consideration, but after contemplation, I can find no direct reason for why if you weren't to follow these strict instructions as displayed aboard Polish rail transportation, you should come to harm.
A bottle angled at 2 o'clock in the foreground and an open window in the background and all this encircled by a thick red line. "You are encouraged to dispose of all empty bottles by way of an open window." That one is easy enough. As if inebriated Poles on their way to a Football match needed anymore encouragement, here it was, and circled in red too so no passing eye should be deceived!
To the right of this image was another small sign. This one also featured an open window and had a stick figure resting his elbow on the pane and gazing out. This too was encircled in bold red. I took the image's location to mean that, like the majority of written "western" communication, it should be interpreted following the information to its left. Therefore, it seems necessary that "Following the expulsion of trash from an open window, one is encouraged to observe thoughtfully their recent actions." Once again, there can be no doubt as to this message for it has been emboldened by the red circle around it.
Now, from what I know about warning signs in the U.S., it is customary to not only circle a particular action in red, but to extend a cross member through this action if you wish to have it avoided. This cross piece is what makes it evident that the message being conveyed by the image is undesirable and perhaps illegal. It loudly states "Attention! You can not do this!"
If we were to remove that cross piece, well, we'd have cars entering into oncoming traffic and children grabbing high-powered electrical wires by the dozens! Not only is this bad for the mortality rate, it opens the door for general disorder. There must be a clear message so people can save themselves from themselves. The cross member is that life preserver. So is it therefore conceiveable that a large mistake has been made aboard this Polish train? Are lives in danger?
The answer is no. As long as you follow clearly highlighted instructions. I am certain that if, at some point, it is determined unsafe for people to whip beer bottles out windows and watch the effects, there will be a thick line cutting through the heart of these images. And that line will be red.
Author's Note:
Red, as well as black, are typical signs of danger in many societies. This as well must be taken into consideration, but after contemplation, I can find no direct reason for why if you weren't to follow these strict instructions as displayed aboard Polish rail transportation, you should come to harm.
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