The tide must turn one day

Have not kept you posted in the topic of tidings from the remont front. The builders who had promised to set off on 1 October, then on 8 October so when for the third time they explained themselves they were stricken by some setbacks with their previous commitments, my father made a few calls to his friends and found another crew, but they will (hopefully) kick off on 5 November and have estimated all works would last until Christmas. I consider this a miracle since on Friday I read in one of reputable dailies the best crew have backlogs for two years!

The fact the remont has gotten behind schedule should not take me aback, just like being double-crossed by the builders, an experience nearly everyone is familiar with. I have even learnt to live with frustration that so little is going on in my dwelling. My father has nearly finished (taking a break for the grandpa’s funeral period) the rewiring; electricity wires had been in such mess that according to dad it was a miracle a fire had not broken out in the flat; with the seller being accountable for the mess, as the wiring had been totally inconsistent with original documentation of the flat (glad to have hit it off with the property administrator).

Negativity has taken over me in recent days (or weeks). Whatever I get down to, whatever I handle, my head is full of scenarios of what can go wrong. Remont, especially if you do not decide to hire somebody to look after it and take that burden off your back and come up with solutions if things tangle up, is an endless streak of nuisances, a steep ascent uphill, a struggle against unreliable people. To finish this paragraph with a glimmer of hope, there were a few incidences when things went smoothly, to my surprise.

At work it is uphill as well, things to complain about are same as ever: excessive workload, poor organisation and unreliable workmates. Two last months of the year loom particularly ominous, as the imminent handover of client coverage and the merger will increase the work beyond the point in which one can control the whole mass of tasks to be duly done. Relief is said to be brought in 2019 and the prospect of better days is realistic.

Memories of the relationship terminated more than three months ago (in the flat-related haste I still have not fully got over it, rather I have drowned out the waterfall of thoughts in mind head) and family affairs, including the recent departure of my grandpa (which lasted a few days, since his body was emaciated, yet his heart remained strong for long) also do not help me reach the peace of mind.

I long for a blissful feeling of being carefree, a state I last experienced during the holidays in late May. Five months of being restless and restlessness are being transmitted to my body, causing continuous muscle tension, headaches, sleeplessness or constant drowsiness.

I have learnt to cope well with work-related stress. I have picked up a wonderful ability to cut off all affairs after crossing the doorstep of my office. Yet far more challenges need to be tackled outside office (where I spend around 50 hours per week, or 55 hours, if commutes are counted in) and time to handle them is not infinite. If I choose not to let up and deal with all the stuff I need to, little time I left for relax. This month I went out with friends to town twice (counting out two lunches out of office), took a 30-kilometre bike ride two weeks ago, went to the swimming pool five of six times and went to the cinema once. The rest of my time was dedicated to duties.

On top I need to get the grips with the feeling of being unfairly hurt by evil people and evil world which is not shaped the way I would want it to be. This feeling is not entirely new to me, yet the intensity with which it is hitting me and the extent to it is distorting my perception of what goes on around are disproportionate. These days I actually don’t feel like talking to anyone nor meeting anyone, I feel like clamming up and waiting out this sombre phase.

The imbalance in life must be a temporary state. I find consolation in prospects of a better tomorrow. One day the flat is refurbished and furnished, one day workload is within my capabilities, one day I wake up and have the comfort of having only to catch up with all things I lack time to do now, all pleasurable. I foresee that moment comes in four months. By then I have no choice but to grit my teeth and not give up.

Brawo Warszawa!

The silence is over. Exit poll results show PiS emerges as a winner, however combined results of the Zjednoczona Opozycja and PSL outpace PiS by eight percentage points.

For me this local election has been out of ordinary for two reasons.

Firstly, as a first ballot after three years of PiS wielding power to the extent going far beyond the one set forth in the mandate entrusted by Poles in 2015, is the occasion for Poles to shout out whether they embrace or reject the meanders of Dobra Zmiana. The election thus has been a major gauge for the ruling party and it preliminary results indicate support to PiS varies markedly between regions, with large cities in majority turning down Dobra Zmiana, while provincial Poland being still the stronghold of PiS.

Secondly, and I wonder whether the date was deliberately selected, today marks the eleventh anniversary of PiS prestigious defeat in the parliamentary election in 2007.

Thirdly, though this is the eleventh election I have cast my vote in, for the first time I voted as a citizen of Warsaw. Today as I turned up to the polling station just before 8 a.m. (drove there from the other end of Warsaw) I worried I would not be on the list of the entitled to vote. Although while checking in as permanent resident in late August I had been assured in the town hall of Ursynów I would be on the list, my faith in proper working of the local administration was not particularly strong. Fortunately, after queuing up for five minutes I found out everything was in order and I could show the middle finger to the ruling party and to Mr Nijaki.

Actually, the mayoral vote in Warsaw wasmore about national than local politics, treated both by PiS and Zjednoczona Opozycja as rehearsal before next years’s European and parliamentary elections. Since I had not been convinced by any of fourteen candidates and bearing in mind only two stand a chance to be in a run-off, my tactics was to decrease the probability of the run-off at all. Exit poll results for Warsaw show I have not been the only one and residents of the capital will be spared a pleasure (and the expenses) of visiting the polling station next week.

Friends on facebook also reported high turnout in their polling stations, yet the actual figures compared to those reported in 2014 local election indicate increase by mere two percentage points. Regardless of the outcome, higher turnout means stronger legitimacy of the elected governors.

To take off HGW: BHAWO WAHSZAWA!

Grandpa

My paternal grandfather was born on 17 May 1926 in Skolimów (currently Konstancin-Jeziorna), where he spent most of his childhood. Shortly before WW2 his family moved to Warsaw. Unlike his two older brothers who died in the uprising, along with his sister (died in December 2017) and brother (died in December 2010) fled Warsaw in 1943 to the rural area where he had been born.

Shortly after the war he met my grandma; they got married in October 1948. He worked in the paper factory in Jeziorna for nearly his entire adult life. In his free time he bred pigeons and was a football fan of Legia Warszawa.

After the departure of my grandma he found it hard to shake off, yet remained in relatively good (as for his age) mental and physical health until early 2018. Since early August he was bedridden, ate and drunk very little.

Grandpa passed away last night, aged 92. He was my longest-living ancestor and the last grandparent alive. Hopefully at least he suffers no more.

Kler - film review

At last. Nearly a fortnight after the premiere, on Thursday afternoon, having learnt I would not receive files to work on from my workmates from another department, I spontaneously checked availability of seats for Kler screening at 5:00 p.m. in the nearby cinema. Half an hour before the inception of the advertisements (lasted 25 minutes) there still were few single seats free in the upper rows.

I rushed out of the office and marched towards Złote Tarasy. Some seats were still available (though the choice was meagre), during the screening it turned out around two-third of all seats were finally occupied. Two weeks had lapsed, audience of more than two million had seen the film before me, the start time was kind of too early for corpo-rats who slowly contemplate knocking off around 5 p.m, so I did not expect a room chock full of viewers.

The very film…. Highlights problems clergy has not gotten their act together to cope with. As in each motion picture directed by Mr Smarzowski, problems are piled up, fleshed out and illustrated veritably abhorrently. Binge-drinking, hypocrisy, greed, lust for power, pursuit of career at all cost or adultery are common sins of weak humans. Paedophilia, fortunately, is not (though this sin is the most abject). The priests are only humans, they stumble and fall like every human, however are expected to stand for higher moral standards and for centuries have failed to live up to such expectations.

Some scenes show situations we are familiar with (the infamous “co łaska, nie mniej niż dwa tysiące”), others touch up on problems known only to a charmed circle of those privy to dealings of top-of-the-top executives of the world’s biggest and oldest corporation. The film portrays clergy as a jumble of dark characters, however I would not agree that the film lacks a bright side – the ending contains the self-purification of one of the characters, which I believe is his penance for his and the clergy’s sins.

As the final credits appeared on the screen, approximately half of the people, including me, were left numb in the seats, the other half filed out towards the exit. Such reactions of the audience prove Mr Smarzowski remains at his best and no matter whether you appreciate his work or not, the last possible reaction is indifference.

If the turnout (in relative, not absolute numbers) in the polling stations in a week and in three weeks is similar to those recorded during first two weeks of Kler screenings, the tide will turn. One day it will, the only question is how much has to be spoilt before the benighted folks begin to see the light.

Hurriedly, moving on

It’s been a busy week. Lots of work in the New Factory – over the working week I spent more than 50 hours in the office, toiling away at full blast. Until now I am still among those who boycott the Kler which indeed has broken the turnout record of all times. Hats down to everyone who has contributed to that success (audience of more than 900,000 over the first weekend and more than 1,700,000 over the first week); I promise to mend my ways possibly quickly (a business trip to inspect a client’s facilities in Mazury will not help catch up).

The builders have walked in and the remont has kicked off for good. Part of tiles have been ripped off, besides, preparatory plumbing works are under way. The first batch of materials (toilet set, shower booth, all floor and wall tiles) wait in the living room. So far the flat is in a mess, but in the coming days order will begin to emerge from the chaos.

I am pretty confident the very refurbishment (laying tiles, bathroom and toilet fittings, laying floor panels, painting walls and other works) will draw to a close before the end of November, but by that time the flat might not be furnished well enough to inhabit it comfortably.

I have identified three critical points:

1. Wardrobes in the hall and in the bedroom – the measurements might be taken once tiles and panels are laid, the declared time between placing the order and delivery is three weeks. Here there is the chance that even with a headroom for delay they might make it – if wardrobes are put in, storage room for my stuff will be ensured

2. Kitchen furniture – there measurements might be taken once the tiles are laid and I believe lead time will be more than a month (especially after I saw the statistics of numbers of dwellings handed over in 3Q2018).

3. Bed – though I actually could do with a mattress lying on a floor for a while. The kitchen furniture looms as the most critical element, but time will tell…

Weather-wise, autumn is showing its clement face. Temperature yesterday in the sunshine topped more than +20C, today it is expected to be similarly warm as well. Forecasters herald such lovely weather shall continue for more than a week. Being quite short of time I cannot make use of the late-summer weather as I would wish to do so, but may the chill and autumnal gloom come possibly late!