Without anything better to discuss, I figured I’ll hit on another difference, which is the stores.  Not so much the stores themselves, but moreso the attitude of the employees.

Residual from the Communist era, most store workers do not try practice aggressive selling tactics, as they do in the states.  This makes me VERY happy, because I absolutely despise forceful selling.  I rebelled against it when I worked at subway, and I am constantly speaking out about deceptive advertising and other such tactics.

Sadly, however, as Poland grows and becomes more Westernized, you can see the trend of deceptive marketing and forceful selling beginning to creep into the current structure.  

When I’m in a store, unless I have a question or am in obvious need of assistance, I’d prefer that the workers just left me alone.  But that’s just me.

Probably a more noticeable difference is that most checkout workers sit in a chair…  At first, you never really realize that they all stand in the US, but when you get here it just kind of clicks.  I was told the reasoning is that in the US, it is perceived as doing less work, so in order to give the illusion of diligence, we gladly sacrifice health and comfort.  More US marketing bullshit that drives me nuts…  

I’m a big advocate of common sense… Call me crazy, but if someone has to be in the same spot for hours, doing nothing that requires them to stand, why shouldn’t they be allowed to sit?  I guess you could also save money by cheaping out and not buying chairs.  Ridiculous.

I mention Restaurants in my title only to point out that in Poland, as with any other European restaurant I’ve been to, you do not typically get the bill until you ask for it specifically.  There is no rush to get you out the door so they can squeeze in another customer and make more money.  It’s more about enjoying the experience than turning as much profit as possible.  Plus Europeans tend to be more laid back and less stressed than the average American.  But that’s a broad generalization.

Another point on restaurants (I guess I do have more than one) is that at most places you find a seat yourself.  There is rarely a host/hostess to greet you and take you to your table.  You just pick a spot you like, and have a seat.  They’re pretty good about noticing you and usually a waiter/waitress is at the table shortly after you sit.

One last thing about restaurants: When you pay your bill, and you want change, make sure not to say "Thank You" (or Dzienkuje – hopefully spelled correctly).  If you do, they will take that to mean that the change is their tip.  And since you’ve paid and they’re not obsessed with checking on you every 5 seconds to see if they can shove you out the door, you may not see them (or your change) again for the rest of the night.

Every once in a while, I step back and take an evaluating look at myself.  Usually this follows a period of intense inactivity.

Usually, I don’t like what I see, but I often just take comfort in the status quo, and play a game, read a book, or do anything else that makes me feel good.

But occasionally I get the inspiration do to something about it, and decide to make some changes.

So I’ll throw on some inspiring music and do some work around the house, work out, go out and get things I’ve been meaning to get, and clean myself up and put on some decent clothes (not necessarily in that order)

Then I can turn back and look on what I’ve done with an approving nod, and for the next few weeks maintain a level of saint-like cleanliness and order in my life as well as maintaining a high-energy level and lots of activity.

Well, today is one of those days.

Cue the music.  I’m on.

I decided, Tuesday night, to buy the game, despite complaints about the DRM (Digital Rights Management).  I did this for three main reasons:

1. I read a letter from someone at EA rebuking the claims made by the anti-DRM crowd.  It was somewhat reassuring, and I know some of the guys who do the webcomics I read have purchased and been playing the game with no complaints.
2. Jess is going to be out of town for a few days, and I’ll have some extra free time on my hands.
3. I just wanted to play it!

I purchased he game in downloadable format, since the only physical versions I could find in Poland were in Polish, and that’s an area I’m still pretty weak.  And Amazon.co.uk wouldn’t deliver to Poland…  

After about an hour download, I installed the game and ran it no problems.  It gets choppy from time to time, and there have been a few crashes, but nothing major.  I’m basically running it with bare minimum requirements on this little macbook.

I was a bit disappointed at how quickly you evolved through all of the different stages.  I had hoped a lot of the gameplay would be focused on exploring the worlds (micro and macro) in addition to completing the goals.  However, my civilization had evolved from single celled to space travel by the end of the day.

I actually found myself trying to slow the game down, especially during the single-celled stage, which seemed to last only a few minutes.

The game is really fun, though.  The major focus is on the creation and building of both creatures and buildings.  

It gives you the power to be extremely creative if you wish, but gets very tiring when you can’t progress without creating four buildings and two vehicles all in a row…  

Another thing I noticed that having a creature with 2 pairs of level 2 legs does not give your creature level 4 ability…  still level 2.  I see how this makes sense in a balancing aspect, but I felt a little cheated out of some levels.

The "Massively single player" aspect of the game is pretty neat.  The fact that I can see other people’s (including my own) buildings and creations in my game.

Evolving your creature and trying out the new parts is pretty fun, too.

I took the diplomatic approach, and evolved an herbivore by making friends…  Next time through, I think I might make a beefy carnivore and advance through domination.  But not until after I’ve fully explored the space aspect.

I will conclude my "Obvious Differences" category with a brief discussion about Electricity.

Poland, along with most if not all of Europe, follows much closer to Nikola Tesla’s standard for electrical distribution at 230 Volts and 50 Hertz.  Whereas the United States follows Thomas Edison’s standard at 120 Volts and 60 Hertz. 

The result of this, is that you need to have a voltage adapter capable of handling the additional voltage.  For most modern electronics and computer equipment, this isn’t a problem.  Most desktop computers have a switch on the back to select the voltage.  

If there is no converter built in, or the power supply can’t handle the voltage, you need an external voltage converter…  These are usually good for short term usage only, and can burn out with long term use, or low-wattage equipment like computers.

Each system has it’s advantages and disadvantages.  If you’re really interested, read more about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Currents

http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm

The other major difference is the sockets themselves.  In the US we have a two or three prong plug where the two main prongs are flat (sometimes one is larger than the other – usually in any equipment where polarity is important).  The third prong is the ground, and is usually round (ish).  The socket has two or three corresponding holes, and both the socket and plug are typically shaped like an oval, with the long sides flattened out.

In Poland, the plug has two prongs and one hole.  The prongs are round, as is the hole.  The hole is for ground, and the prong for this is actually on the socket.  The socket has two holes, which typically have some kind of spring-loaded plastic covers which cover the holes – I’m guessing for safety reasons.  The plug and socket are both circular, which tends to make them feel a bit bulky.  Though most non-grounded plugs are small and diamond shaped, having only the two prongs and they slide in next to the round prong.

I took a picture of a socket, but oddly enough, forgot to get one of the plug.

Another difference related to, but not directly influenced by electricity is the light switches.  

This doesn’t exactly fall into the "Obvious differences" category, but I figured as long as I was on the topic…

In the US we have switches where we’re actually toggling a little bar up and down…  In Poland the switches are much bigger and work with more of a see-saw action.  See the picture:

While my wife is off on the ninth grade camping trip, I’m left home alone without much to do (aside from my usual work).  So I figured this would be a good opportunity to catch up on my Blogging (seeing as how I’m stuck waiting for dreamweaver to upload, since apparently switching sites while uploading is just too much for it…).

I’m going to start with just some generic info to catch up on what’s been happening lately.  Since we don’t have television and aren’t big seekers of news, we’re a bit out of touch.  Not being able to read an entire newspaper article, or catch up on bits of conversation, only makes the blackness deeper.  So apart from what we’re told, we’re not really up-to-date on current events, from a news standpoint.

In our lives, however, we seem to be keeping track of things pretty well.  Jess is currently off on a camping trip where they’re doing a cave crawl (got a text message saying she made it through and loved it!), some rock climbing, and other camp-related activities.

It’s easy to forget you’re in a foreign country when you rarely leave the house…  Though we’ve gotten our hands on the remainder of the Pimsleur language classes, so I’ve been doing a lesson as part of my morning bike ride, or at some other point during the day.  We’ve found that the combination of Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone is a good mix.  Pimsleur gives you utility phrases, and Rosetta Stone expands your vocabulary.  The two together have allowed us to figure out new phrases and recognize new words that we pick up while out and about.

Yesterday I barely left the couch, let alone the apartment.  But I got in some extra hours, and so hopefully I can cut my week short (again).  Tonight is volleyball, which should be fun.  Not sure if we’re doing anything afterwards, though.  I hope so, but if not I’ll be okay with it.  I think I’m going to take the bus in, though.  I’m not sure I’m up for another hour of biking today.

Lastly, it has been requested that we take some outdoor shots of our apartment…  I didn’t get any of our "yard" or the courtyard where the kids play because, well, I forgot.  Plus our yard is completely overgrown with weeds at least 2 feet tall (have not yet found a tool for cutting them).  Well, without further ado, here is a little piece of the morning commute.

The door to our apartment.  My back is to the main entrance (and there’s my bike!)

Our lobby, complete with "Skinny" mirrors.  Jess loves them. (our apartment is behind me and to the left.  Front door to the right)

Our entrance, from the inside.  Mailboxes are in the breezeway.

The intercom, and where we get our mail.  (Still not sure how to send it, apart from having the school do it)

Our entranceway, from the outside looking in (none of those windows go to our apartment – we’re on the back side)

Looking left as you come out…

And to the right.  Nothing says brand-spanking-new like cranes, trees with crutches and construction noises…

Our development from the road as I head south on the bike trail to the school.

The aforementioned bike trail…  notice the sky color…  feels just like home!!

The "Red" beer tents…  also called Meta.  This one also has a grill with good food.  This is about 2km from our house.

Huge-ass crucifix that was put up since we moved in.  Huge.  There seem to be crosses or shrines every 2 or 3 km or so.

Most anyone who knows me knows I have near constant back pain…  But now, suddenly and for no good reason, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night with what can only be described as a knot in my upper back.

It’s on my spine, right between the shoulder blades on the spot where my back hinges the most…  I’ve asked a doctor about that spot in the past, and nobody thought there was anything strange about it.  Well, I’m telling you now that there is.

It’s probably the worst kind of pain, back pain.  But add to that not knowing what is causing it, or how to relieve it…  laying down doesn’t help.  Sitting barely helps.  Standing and walking… not much.  It’s almost more frustrating than it is painful.  

All I want to do is lay down, but it feels like I’m tensing all of the muscles in my upper back, and can’t let them go!  I’ve tried pillows and no pillows, laying on hard and on soft.  Nothing works.

So do I go to a doctor and get more muscle relaxers?  ugh.  Not what I want…  Add to this a strange pain in my gut for the past two days as well, and you’ve got yourself a party!  I’m hoping the two are related and will both disappear at the same time…  but I don’t know what to do to cause that!

And I’m not sure if it’s the lack of sleep or excessive biking, but the palms of my hands are extremely sensitive and feel swolen…

So do I sound like a wreck or what?  And this is, of course, on top of all of my regular pains.  I normally try not to complain about it, but this feels complaint-worthy…  Especially when I can’t seem to find even a momentary relief!

Now, as I eat my eggs and toast, I give you the second installment of observed differences between living in the US, and in Poland (Warsaw, specifically).

This continues the "Obvious Differences" category with: The Metric System.

Currently only 3 countries in the world do not use the Metric System.  They are, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Liberia, and us Yanks back in the ol’ US of A.

Actually, it’s interesting because some measurements in the US are in metric.  Soda comes in 2 liter bottles.  We measure sodium and fat and other food constituents in grams.  And I’m sure there are many scientists and engineers who use metric.  So some things aren’t so shocking.  Getting drinks measured by the milliliter takes some getting used to.  As does the fact that 50 kilometers per hour is SLOW.  Temperature is another one that messes you up, though we changed our thermometer over a few months before we left the states, so we’ve had some time to figure out roughly where everything is (20 is room temperature, 30 is shorts, 15 is pants, 10 is jacket…  pretty simple).  Though this is pretty easy when deciding what to wear, it makes cooking a bit more challenging!  Luckily we brought some of our own measuring cups and spoons, since all of our recipes are measured in cups and spoons, rather than liters and grams.

It’s still really hard for me to judge distance, though part of the bike trail is spray-painted in 100m increments up to 1km, so that helps.  Weights is another story, though…  When I ordered a half kilo of cold cuts, I didn’t expect to get so much!  But it was a manageable size.  Though next time, I’m going for a quarter!!

Makes you wonder when and if the US will burst from our little bubble and join the rest of the world on the Metric system.  Don’t get me wrong, that kind of change takes a LONG time and a lot of work, so I don’t see it happening any time soon (not like the US is a small place!).  But it makes me wonder if we could start transitioning the little things…  give the weather in Celcius and Farenheit for a while…  Heck, we’ve already got that on most thermometers.  And our cars tell us both kmph and mph, so maybe someone’s already started this…

At some point, I’d like to do a "day in the life of…" style entry.  But today you get the abbreviated version.

Last night I didn’t sleep so well, as with the night before.  I think it may be related to the new pillows we got at Tessco (essentially Wal-Mart).  Not so much because the pillows themselves were uncomfortable or painful to sleep on, but simply because, now that I have two pillows, I tend to sleep on my stomach or side more, which hurts my back.  Plus I had a piwo last night, which I think hurt my stomach, further proving the fact that beer hurts me.

So I tossed and turned from about 1am until somewhere between 4 and 5 when I managed to find a position that didn’t hurt my back, and fell asleep on the couch.  

I almost didn’t bike in with Jess this morning, but I knew I’d regret it more if I didn’t.  I checked the thermometer, and it was around 15°C, so I put on my warm weather gear.  At first, I wanted a hat or earmuffs as well, but once we got going it felt good to have someplace for the extra heat to go.  Though, I may have wanted earplugs when I hit a snail for the second day in a row.  That makes the most God-awful snap you’ve ever heard…  about the same sound your heart makes when you realize what it was.  The first time I think Jess almost cried.

It was still pretty wet out, and there were a lot of clouds, but they were breaking up and moving on.  We got to school a bit more muddy than when we left the house, but better than yesterday.  By this point both my stomach and my back were feeling a little bit better (I had a banana before we left, which helped because I think mostly I was just really hungry).

My legs were really stiff from working out yesterday, but I figured I should keep at it.  I did a little bit, but not much.  Then made the mistake of doing a few kip-ups (where you kick from your back up to your feet) and hurt my neck, too.

The return trip was pretty – sun was out and I had good music on my ipod.  When I got home, I checked the thermometer…  35°C!!!  Granted, it was sitting in the direct sunlight, but so was I!  That’s a huge jump, and me in my cold weather gear (well, some of it anyway). 

If it stays this nice, I plan on taking a stroll over to a small park near our house that I only just noticed.  I’d like to bring my little notebook and do some writing in it, since I haven’t touched it since we got our Internet connection!

So now I’m cooking some eggs and toast (a change from the usual bowl of cereal) and having a glass of juice.  Mmmm….  (they have good juice here).  After this, I’m going to shower, maybe shave, and then start my work day…  I need to get a new desk and/or chair, though, because the ones I have aren’t even close to ergonomic, and I will fall apart if I keep this up too long.  That’s another thing I’m going to do a section on when I have time…  the myths about working from home!!

Saturday night we headed downtown to catch a few free, outdoor concerts by some big names.  You might have heard of them: George Clinton and Wyclef Jean.  There were some other acts, but those were the two we caught.

It was pretty cool.  As someone who doesn’t go to many concerts, it was pretty cool.  I don’t really idolize people, and so I don’t really get caught up in the crazy for seeing someone famous in person.  I think it’s cool, but that’s about where it stops.

So this was fun, but not terribly exciting for me.  It was neat to see these guys in person, though a little weird when Wyclef did half of some of the acts that he’s done with other people, like Shakira or Lauryn Hill, and he’s basically just singing along to a recording.

Anyways, it was a nice event, playing for free in the name of peace, and Wyclef did a few really cool numbers, like some Bob Marley stuff.

All in all it was a pretty good night, but left us pretty exhausted.  I tried to get some pictures, but mostly just got a lot of blurry lights and a strong urge to watch PCU.

Here’s the best ones I got:

I almost forgot to post some stuff about our last trip deeper into Warsaw!

Last Saturday we decided to take a bike ride along the "Royal Route" and head up into Old Town.  Little did we know it would rain most of the day, and be sunny and clear on Sunday – but Sunday’s reserved for grocery shopping, since the shops are a bit less congested.

Anyways, we went with Jess’ social buddies, John and Rachel, who led us up there, since we only had a vague idea of where we were going (as usual).  We took a slight detour to see the US Ambassador’s house.  Wow, that’s a nice place.  I didn’t get any photos of that, unfortunately.  Maybe next time we go out.  It sits on a hill overlooking a beautiful park.  And the place is BIG.  

Once we got downtown we found the street blocked off for what looked like a fair of some sort (I’m thinking like Strawberry fest or the Spiedie fest, back home).  The center of the street was lined with shops selling anything from meat to jewelry to honey and alcohol.  John and Rachel stopped to buy a bowl they liked, and I debated some kielbasa, but in the end decided it wouldn’t sit well in my backpack for then next four hours or so.  

After weaving our way through the crowds, we entered old town.  We were near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which we didn’t get very close to on our last tour, so we decided to check it out.

The tomb is basically at the end of a large, open square, and is under a few shattered columns.  The columns are remnants from either an Orthodox Church, or a palace, I forget which…  But they were all that remained of the structure after WWII.  I want to say it was a palace, because the Church was torn down by the Polish government after Poland became a nation after WWI.  It was torn down as a symbol of independence from Russia.

Behind the monument was a large park none of us had known about.  The main walk of the park had a huge fountain, surrounded by statues that seemed to depict academic subjects, or possibly some Greek or Roman dieties.  I wasn’t quite sure, but most of them were fairly naked.

Just past the fountain was a small sitting area beside a crystalline pond with willow trees framing it like curtains on the window.  There was a small structure across the pond that reminded me of a small Greek temple.  Anyways, it made for a great photo and would be a great place to sit and read.  We sat and read a bit, but we read a map instead of some great work of literature.

Afterwards we took a ride through old town.  There were many things I would have liked to photograph, especially going through the castle-y area, but it was pretty damp so we kept the camera stowed.  Plus we didn’t do much stopping, and did a lot of pedaling.

After old town, we headed up to new town.  I learned from John that Old Town was rebuilt using the bricks from the ruined city, but new town was rebuilt from all new material.  Both look fairly similar, as they are set in the style of the old buildings and city.  We stopped for lunch at a small cafe, and I ordered a "mulled beer with honey" which I was hoping was mead, but that’s miòd pitny.  Turns out it was just warm beer with honey.  Not too bad, but it came with a straw…  Beer through a straw?  Why not.