Selena Gomez?!

UGH! 1am, Thursday: Another Aftershock and now, I can't go back to sleep. I am so done with earthquakes and weather and Bulgaria.  Then after the shaking again, I go online to see what it was and read the article below. Who is this girl! 

Selena Gomez has been scared by the 5.9-magnitude earthquake in Bulgaria's capital Sofia, she admitted in a tweet, in which she also apparently mistook Bulgaria for Italy.

The earthquake in Western Bulgaria had a magnitude of about 5.9-6.0 on the Richter scale, up from the initial reports of 5.8 and struck at 2:58 am Tuesday morning. Its epicenter is located about 6 km from Pernik and is at a shallow depth, making the shocks felt even stronger.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, fans from around the world became alarmed about the fate of their idol, Selena Gomez, who is in Bulgaria to shoot a new movie.

Initially, one of the most popular topics on Twitter was #PrayForSelena, after the fans quickly connected Bulgaria with her name. They later added the hash-tag #PrayForBulgaria which also gained huge popularity.
Selena Gomez assuaged the fears of her fans in a tweet that came Tuesday afternoon.
"Thank you for all of your concerns!! Earthquake was scary but thankfully everyone is ok. Praying for Italy," Gomez wrote on her Twitter profile.

In her post, the Hollywood starlet seems to be mistaking Bulgaria for Italy, which also saw major earthquake several days ago. Alternatively, she might be using her experience in Bulgaria in order to call for empathy with the victims of the Italian earthquake but the first scenario seems more plausible as Selena Gomez is already known to have been unable to identify Bulgaria's name correctly.
Selena Gomez and Ethan Hawke are in Bulgaria to shoot "The Getaway", a remake of the classic 1972 flick of the same name, which starred Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw.

Selena is believed to be playing Fran, the young wife of a veterinarian who is seduced by a bank robber and then forced to go on the run with him.

With the intensification of the work of the Nu Boyana film studios near Sofia, formerly the state-owned Bulgaria's National Film Center, Bulgaria has seen a steady stream of Hollywood celebrities shooting scenes there over the past few years.

Lord of Thunder

There is no work to be done today by me.  I am still very tired. Having gone to bed at midnight and then woken up at 3, there was little sleep.  But now it rains like a curse with hail and wind, so I can hardly here the radio and barely leave my window.  It’s a shame because I am revising my introductory chapter this week and was on a pretty good role. I read Peer Polity Interactions by John Cherry and now really know the trajectory of my overall thesis. I have to give the two chapters to my adviser by the end of the month and hate to waste the day but it’s all too amazing.  I put my laundry out this morning.  That’s how nice it was outside just an hour or so ago.  I caught most of the things before they got completely soaked all over again. It’s the hail that really stings. I wouldn’t mind getting wet, but getting hit seems cruel, as if getting taunted by a bully. 

-I just want to get my clothes, please! 

-No! And take that you nerd! Ha, get your clothes, get some pain.          

ЗЕМЕТРЕСЕНИЕ!

There was an earthquake here Tuesday morning at 3am.  It measured 5.8 on the Richter.  My apartment shook me awake and held me terrified for nearly 20 seconds, Mississippi seconds.  Then it hailed and then rain. I have never been in an earthquake; I never learned what one should do when in an earthquake.  There aren’t a lot of closets in Bulgaria, just wardrobes. But I wasn’t sure if it was proper to step into a closet and it seemed quite unsafe to step into a wardrobe.  I only saw the first few minutes of The Road. So I thought maybe I should fill my bathtub with water but again that didn’t seem right. Plus, my bathtub is downstairs and I couldn’t risk the spiral staircase aftershocks were intermittent for two hours afterward.  I don’t think I am strong enough to live even an hour after an apocalypse, zombie or otherwise.  

The shacks across the street were slightly damaged.  The Gypsies were up and out on the street before the sun.  There were some people from my building in the lobby with their children.  I had to wait until someone who spoke English came down.  Everyone was so ok with the circumstances and only wished to calm their kids.  It happens. Earthquakes happen.  After I spoke with my parents, I went out and walked around my neighborhood and saw it slowly come to life.  Some of the vendors in the outdoor market sleep on top of their stalls; some sleep in their cars. 

I wish I could speak Bulgarian. I feel that everyone should only be speaking about this earthquake.  Like in the movie Being John Malkovich, when Malkovich goes through his own porthole and sees not only all kinds of Malkovoi but also when these persons speak all they say is Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich.  Or maybe it should be like the Smurf world, using earthquake in all kinds of scenarios. Go earthquake yourself, That was fanearthquaketastic, Would you like an extra serving of earthquake stew. And so on.  But, instead everyone was so cool.   

The place where I buy my banitzas in the morning, however, did not disappoint.  There is a young guy there, who speaks English pretty well.  And all we did was talk about the earthquake.  Maybe he is 24 or 29 and he said this was his first as well.  They are rare in the city.  I told him how frightened I was and exactly what happened to me and listened to him tell his ordeal.  I have been online and no one has been really hurt.  We weren’t hurt at all but I could have this conversation every hour today and tomorrow, the next.  

Now I understand why the ancients created a pantheon. I know some science and I understand the way weather works. I know how large Sofia and Bulgaria and the world is.  I acknowledge that people all over are suffering real catastrophes.  And yet, when the earth makes the city move and my room and apartment actually move MOVE, really MOVE all I could think about was what had I done to make a god so angry and what I could do to be forgiven. 

        

Toronto

I am not a good traveler. I hate it and never do it effortlessly. I think flying for any distance and especially for more than 3 hours is only for the very rich.  Obama should hurry up with those super trains promised during the first election campaign.  If there were more transportation possibilities, the airlines would do more to make the flight more comfortable. 

I did priceline and thought that my flight from London to Toronto was after a 7 hour layover and the flight would take off at 12am on the 26th but it was 20 hours and I was forced to leave the airport. Of course a place to stay was not budgeted or planned so it took some real networking. First, wi-fi should be free in all airports.  Boingo should not exist.  Flights are so expensive; there is rarely time to revel in free internet. Make it free.  If water cost 4 dollars, then internet should be free.  My Nivea soft cream was confiscated.  It would have been ok but some airports let it slide and others didn't.  That cream is really expensive.

Through Skype on my ipad, I ended up in contact with a friend 3 times removed in order to stay in London for the night.  I write ipad only because my Bulgarian phone was supposed to work in London and in Toronto.  I would have had to pay roaming but it should have worked.  It did not, so I needed the internet to make the phone calls on the computer. I contacted everyone I knew who may have had a friend/relative in London.  I had time to call everyone because I was in a 2 and 1/2 hour line to go through customs after my flight.  It was insane! I cannot see London getting it together in time for the Olympics.  2 hour + cue! They were passing out water and nuts. What was odd however was no one was belligerent. Either we were tired or we were afraid that outburst are no longer tolerated in international airports.  Sure the staff could kick your ass but it is just as likely that some citizen wanting to be a hero could punch you in the face and claim he was rescuing someone from verbal confrontation.  So we silently seethed and drank our free warm water. 

I like London. I missed diversity and I didn't even know that until I was at the airport and in underground and saw all kinds of people. It was so nice! No one even looked at me. I was not special and it felt good. But that city is super expensive and also only for the very rich.

Toronto was good.  My parents came and I got rid of two suitcases.  They brought me makeup ( I spent 2 days looking all over Sofia for makeup for my complexion in vain). It's a capital European city. They have Clinique and MAC stores but they don't order all the shades.  And the 2 shirts I ordered from Doug Love Movies! I am wearing the shirts all the time now.  If there is someone in Sofia or at the excavation sites this summer who knows/likes the shirt and the show, I am never going back to the States.   

All-in-all it was an ok trip.  But all I thought about was coming back home.

Walk this way

I was having a conversation with this Nigerian guy. We have been having these debates more frequently as my time here is concluding and I don’t want to leave; and he can’t wait to leave but has another year.  Every day, I find it more tolerable and think about how to get my cat over here and live forever.  Anyway, we were walking and having this discussion and then at a cross street, we were given the Don’t Walk sign. Maybe 3-4 people out of 7-9 crossed the street, ignoring the suggestion of the sign.  Here this is why I hate it. They are walking! I was shocked. What an odd criterion to have, to judge the goodness of a people or of a place.  But people do that everywhere.  They do it New York. I do it. If I weren’t in a conversation with you, maybe I would have done it.  It depends on how lazy I feel.   

But he said that if one waited for the sign to change it showed they had respect for themselves and for the laws of the nation. What a strange way to think.  But I don’t want to be unfair; Nicholas has many valid reasons for not liking Bulgaria. I think if I were a man and not American, my experiences here would be very different. Most of my complaints really came from people wanting too much of my time, treating me too familiarly.  And if my Bulgarian was as good as his, maybe I would be aware of more insulting behavior. 

And yet, I still think it’s weird. When people stand there when there is no traffic just because the light is red, I think in my head What a boob. Just walk you idiot! But when I am exhausted and welcome the red and I see people racing across the street, I think Value your life. Where’s the fire moron! I am sure this says much more about me then it does about anyone else.     

Best laid schemes...

I had a list of things I wanted to do today.  It was not going to rain. And with the upcoming Toronto trip, I wanted to pack up some more things, settle some other things.  My folks are meeting me in Toronto and I think I can get rid of an entire suitcase, not just the contents but I think I won't need the bag itself.  This is thrilling for me.  Originally, I had only come with one suitcase. True it was oversize, but still it was just the one.

My intended itinerary

a. Go to Vitosha and take some pictures, 6am
b. Give clothes to Church across the street
c. Buy a camera cable for the computer and a mouse
d. Get the CD from Alexander Nevski Church- last gift
e. Go to doctor to get a prescription
f. Read the submitted article for the Archaeology & Theory Seminar tomorrow

What happened
a. I woke up with the 5am alarm but I didn't sleep at all the night before. My mind was just racing and I was uncomfortable. It was a nightmare. So I stayed in bed until 10am

b.  This was the second load of clothes and the Church didn't want them.  I don't know why.  They, like the first batch, were clean and good.  But charity is weird here and actually Bulgarians were surprised that the Church took the first bunch.  So I ended up giving them to an old Gypsy woman selling flowers right outside the Church. She has to live across the street from me.  They are old sweaters that I am over and a pair of sneakers that I never wear. I feel fine giving them up but I hate being told "ney". People shake their head when they say it and screw up their nose.  It feels worse than no. Ney sounds like never, fuck off.  The Russian "neyt" is harsh but you have to pronounce the t, so it seems less lazy disdain.  I appreciate it more.  I hate to start my day with a ney. It upsets me.

c. I went to the Mall up the street.  I hate all computer stores.  I never know what is going on even in the States. The real camera I brought, came with a cable.  But maybe it's packed in a friend's basement or in my car trunk.  But it is not crazy to get one. It is not an "American Only" USB! And I worked on saying I need a cable for this camera to connect to my computer in Bulgarian.  I practiced the night before and a bit in the morning.  And I start to speak and this woman is so rude and she says Yes, yes I speak a little English, what do you want. A little English! Just let me get through this sentence and you would need no English. What do I want! Ugh! So she of course said no, we don't have.  I'm incredulous.  She said that I should  just use the memory card in the camera and insert that into my computer. (This is of course brilliant and I didn't even know I had such a possibility. 

This is why there are pictures below- but at the time I was still pretty angry) I also have a rule that if people are mean (I get to judge what is mean) then I can't spend money at the shop. I can't even eat at a restaurant here if the waitstaff is mean.  I pay for the little I ordered and leave- hungry. So... I did not get the mouse and I need a mouse. The finger-thing hurts too much and my huge palm causes the cursor to jump every now and again. I dropped mine on the floor and now it doesn't work well.

d. Today is a holiday. The day after Easter Sunday and the shops' signs read "No Work Day Today". The only place I could have bought that mouse was in the Mall.  Alexander Nevski may have been open, but by then I was bummed and worried about the Hospital hours.

e. I ended up going to Tokuda- a Japanese run hospital at the bottom of the mountain. The bus took an hour.  Tokuda is super fancy and "International" so I figured there would be some English speakers.  It is like the future!  Everything needs a computer and there is a televised welcome computer who tells you what floor to go to. The toilets in the bathroom are just like David Sedaris described in When You Are Engulfed in Flames. At any moment there was going to be a surge of police coming in to stop someone's pre-crime from occurring because the pre-Cogs had already foretold it.  It was pretty awesome.  Then... it was very much the present and slow and confused as ever.  The internet was down and so my doctor needed my iPad and then the other doctor was smoking some fake cigaret that had the smell and feel of real tobacco but no smoke. It took me a moment to figure out what it was.  For a moment I thought I was in a Columbo episode. Who smokes in a hospital! In the end, I have to come back tomorrow. This is very upsetting because... it is 9pm. I am exhausted and might not get to f.  

Some pictures with the real camera. Ok, so  I hated today; I hated the past days of rain and working on the conference paper. I hate that everything at a pharmacy is behind glass and I can't get nail polish remover without knowing it in Bulgarian and asking someone for it. I miss my car and want some Thai food or Indian food or other food. But I love Sofia and I love taking pictures of this place.

Martenitzas on a tree- I kept mine

Martenitzas are coming off.  People have seen a tree bud

Romulus and Remus and Wolf

We went to the Central Cemetery of Sofia.  These are from there

Same guy- front tombstone

I know it's not funny... but it is kinda. That's the Blue Label of JW and a Red Bull. That's a little funny

I'm obsessed with my neighbors across the street. I will miss them the most.

   

Clue

Maybe it's just because I am studying Russian and seeing Bulgarian signs all the time, but knowing the Cyrillic alphabet features too heavily in Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot stories.  Some criminal is always leaving behind a monogrammed memento with a C, B, or H.  Inevitably someone is named Charles, Bill, or Harriet looking suspicious, having been overheard in a heated argument with the victim.  And yet no one else but the two private sleuths know that could be Sergei, Victor, or Natasha's stuff.  Now that I know the alphabet, can I have a new career in crime solving? I have been listening to a lot of Librivox.

I finally finished my Toronto paper!  I give a practice talk this coming Friday at ARCS.  I am so bored. This paper has been such a pain.  I am talking about emporia that are not in my dissertation, I am making arguments that I don't believe in and this past week in particular I am missing Blegen. I can never find the books that I need. Books that I would happily purchase electronically for portable use are not available and Google books abbreviated viewing always burns me: dozens of pages that I don't need and then... wham pages necessary- essential not available.  

I need to get out of the city.  It's raining all the time; yesterday it hailed.  Last night was orthodox Easter mass.  I went to the services.  It was long and lots of things to do but I was glad I went.  I love that little Church across the street for me. As it is Easter Sunday proper here, there are more services to be had, but I am still pretty exhausted. Plus, I kind of want to somehow celebrate the conclusion of this paper.

I have been using my real camera lately and realized that I don't have the chord that connects to the computer.  I will need to get one soon and then I will have more images.