Being a dab hand

The 2022 edition of Szlachetna Paczka was seemingly over, until mid-June, when I learnt a new tap in a bathroom of one last year's beneficiaries had not been installed. As a leader I  took over responsibility for seeing it through. Armed with my tool box, I visited the old lady in her flat on Saturday, 1 July. The job turned out to be not just for a plumber, as removing the old tap, stuck for 45 years, was not an easy one. I continued my efforts on Sunday, with additional tools borrowed from my father, but still could not remove the old tap. I reapproached the task with my fellow volunteer (being a builder by professoon) on Monday and within 3 hours we nearly made it (shower hose connection still makeshift). Last Monday I finished the job with my bare hands, with the sense of the mission fulfilled.

A few decades ago a male not taught to handle tools and do basic repairs and construction- or car-related works on his own was a rarity. These days the proportion have not entirely reversed, but the proportion of men having both hands left (is the idiom correctly used here?) In terms of household technical issues has considerably risen.

When looking at the reasons for less common "technical dexterity", I would mention a general trend towards outsourcing and focusing on stuff you specialise in and can do better than others, scarcity of spare time as well as changes in lifestyle (a tilt towards living it up, rather than toiling away).

Reliance on specialists has its bright and dark sides. As a matter of principle you farm out a job to professionals (whose professionalism, credibility and reliability in Poland can often be called into question) who should handle it better and faster than you. On the other hand, no specialist would turn up at your doormat right away, which might be nuisance, if a breakdown calls to be immediately fixed. Besides, such service costs quite a lot of money, yet it propels the wheels of economy.

My fellow volunteer estimated our job in beneficiary's bathroom would set her back between PLN 1,000 and PLN 1,500 (with VAT receipt). Had I spent around 10 hours doing overtime instead of doing it myself, I would have earned around PLN 1,100 after tax, so probably my overtime pay would not cover the full cost of the service.

At first sight it seems expensive, but if you dissect components of the price, you may change your mind. Of PLN 1,250 subtract VAT, income tax, social security contributions, petrol spent (only last time I could cycle, as the tools were too heavy) on getting to a client and back home, depreciation (and risk of damage) of numerous tool, a subcontractor if a task requires assistance. What you get divide by the number of hours sacrificed for the task and you will get something like PLN 40 per hour in cash to a professional's hand. Multiply 40 by 8 hours a day and then by 20 days a month and he will get a net earnings of PLN 6,400, on assumption he has a full backlog of orders. Up to you to judge whether it is a lot in Warsaw...

I must say the alternative of doing overtime insteads of doing it myself is not tempting... For a poor pensioner, over PLN 1,000 spent on the tap replacement and accompanying works would have been a huge part of her modest monthly budget. Therefore skills possessed by the volunteers feed with pride and joy.

Szlachetna Paczka-wise, it is the right moment to announce I will not continue as a leader in the coming edition and make a step back to a rank-and-file volunteer, advising and helping only if asked to do so. I have arrange as successor (she has been just recruited and I have congratulated her on taking over the role) and I am sure she will continue the great job excellently.

Expect the next post in August, once I return from Wisła.

(post written from the underground train during two rides to work).

Fatherhood

Since late adolescence I have been sure one day I want to become a father. Not because it is a socially acceptable model, but out of a primeval instinct, probably not to let my genes go to waste.

My mother was 37 and my father was 38 when I was born. In late 1980s that was considered late parenthood. I actually was not their first child. My mother gave birth to a dead infant nearly 4 years before I was born. The age difference has made itself over my entire lifetime, especially in recent years when my parents' health is no longer enviable. I have always wanted to become a father earlier than my father did and the moment draws near. My goal was to bring up children in good health and not to be a burden for them as long as possible.

You could go on about philosophical consideration on the optimum age a male should become a father. Unlike with women, biology allows men to have offspring into an old age (albeit I believe natural erectile dysfunctions work to prevent this), but I don't think deferring the fatherhood, provided you have a younger female to become a mother, is a preferable solution. A slider needs to be set between maturity and ability to provide for a family (the older, the better) and a male's body ability to regenerate and stamina (the younger, the better).

Definitely a birth of a child is a game-changer in life which turns all routines upside down, prompts you to give up for a while on some pastime activities and lose sleep. An infant needs to be looked after 24/7, hence it is a timesuck for parents, but as many of my friends say, also the biggest pride and joy they have had in their lives.

Given the hardship of early years with the offspring might give a hard time, a reliable life companion is crucial. I am still fighting my fear I will be the one who takes care of most things and is burdened with most duties, which is a sort of strange, since such worries are typical for women who statistically less often can count on their partners than the other way round.

Although three paragraphs earlier I mentioned a male's responsibility to ensure financial stability of a family, I am avidly in favour of a modern family model in which partners roughly equally share household and children-related duties.

Currently the biggest pain in the neck of my girlfriend and mine is workload. I have never had to work as much as these days for a prolonged period and never got behind with work despite working 50 - 55 hours a week. When a weekend comes I am exhausted. I need to sort this out before becoming a parent, however have a prospect of a transfer to a different team with the beginning of 2024, with a scope of duties confined to client-related stuff (current I look after a junior analyst and co-ordinate a multinational project on Poland level). Again, I have written this note from the underground train to optimise my time...

Finanse-wise, my current salary is suffient to provide for a family (assuming my girlfriend reduces her wages to mine on account of changing a job to a less time-consuming), with a decent degree of comfort, hence my strategic goal is to save possibly much money for a bigger property and be less burdened by mortgage repayments once children-related expenses appear.

Having written it all, I bear in mind it takes two to tango...

Urban cycling

I have been an active bicycle user for several years - I have used it for leisure, doing sports, socialising (trips of 20 - 80 kilometres with fellow lads and girlfriends), tourism, for moving around Ursynów (or Wisła) or dropping visits to my parents or friends, but never, ever for commuting.

In late May I resolved to try using a bicycle for work-related moving around. First ride - to a client whose office is at the far end of ul. Poleczki, some 5.2 kilometres from home. Too short distance to go by car, too long to take 504 bus and then change it to 148 service, on top due to harsh cost savings, I am not allowed to claim a taxi bill reimbursed. Outcome - I put on a suit and cycle there on my mountain bike. The travel duration was fine - 20 minutes, but in a suit I did not feel comfortable. The temperature then was not particularly high (close to +20C), but the air was humid and on my way home I slightly broke sweat.

Two days later, I took a trip to the office (14 kilometres), that time in casual clothes. I usually have to take a notebook (unless it stays in the office for a few days in a row), packed lunches and some personal stuff. I had to pack it all into a rucksack, which was a bit of heavy and contributed to a stain of sweat on my back (bike bags or a solid handlebar basket could have been a fix for it). Since there is no cycling path along al. Niepodległości, I comfortably cycled along ul. Pileckiego and then ul. Puławska up to the intersection with ul. Dolna where the cycling path ends. The route from there towards Rondo ONZ is a bit of a nuisance, there are few sections of cycling path, while meandering past narrow streets of Mokotów with dense traffic is not a pleasure. Door-to-door ride duration: 1 hour and 5 minutes, some 20 - 25 minutes longer than by public transport, which gives additional 45 minutes per day spent on commuting, but also on physical exercise.

Cycling to work has some limitations, especially pertaining to weather and outfit (casual clothes are much more suitable). Not breaking sweat is possible, yet at the expense of slow pace.

I could definitely consider cycling as attractive commuting option on distances below 5 miles / 8 kilometres and with proper infrastructure (inadequate network of cycling paths in northern Mokotów / southern Śródmieście is a shame). 

For a while bycicle sticks to its previous role, since in mid-June I purchased a 3-month travelcard whose price has not gone up simce 10 years (PLN 250 for 90 days of unlimited riding in Warsaw and around is dirt cheap). I have learnt being a passenger allows me to focus on some down-to-earth stuff via smartphone when moving. Having said that I confess this is the first post I have written using the phone only, during two underground journeys! A shame time has become such a scarce commodity.

Driving skills honed

I have regularly driven a car since 2011, covered probably around 150,000 kilometres since then, have not caused a collision (may it stay so, I had one, but was not a culprit) nor an accident. With such track record I could claim to be a skilful driver, but I keep in mind complacency comes before the fall. I keep my smugness at bay and every time I sit behind the wheel I make myself realise I might have an accident before I reach my destination and do my best to avert it.

Given the precautions I take and humility I strive to foster, I was delighted to learn my company had paid for a defensive driving course to all company car drivers. On top, I took part in a corporate competition and won a participation in another training, on a racing track. The prize has been probably the most precious one won in my lifetime, saving me some PLN 1,000 I could have paid for such event.

The defensive driving course was obligatory to all active users of the corporate fleet, consisting of whopping 1,300 vehicles, which are involved in 20 accidents (defined as resulting in at least one casualty spending at least 7 days in a hospital) yearly. My employer aims to reduce the number of such accidents to zero by 2025 – a commendable initiative for which I keep fingers crossed, yet I believe doable only by means of decreasing the number of cars in use (which would truly help the planet).

The defensive driving training was split into two sessions – during the theoretical one we analysed case studies of actual accidents and complex situations in road traffic and refreshed our knowledge of recent (imprecise) changes in the highway code.

During the practice sessions we drove around town, instructed how to do it more smoothly, predictably and safely. Needless to say one of the goals was to decrease the fuel consumption and the company cars’ wear and tear.

The second training, on a racing track was far more exciting. During the theoretical part we had truly practical exercises in first aid (commendable) and improved our skills of controlling a car in extreme situations (a waterlogged track was as slippery as thick slush) – we slalomed past obstacles, passed them by to return to the original lane or slid along a curve, trying not to lose traction.

The exercises were meant not only to teach us how to control a vehicle in dire circumstances. Our instructors showed us repeatedly a difference in speed of mere five kilometres per hour might make a tremendous difference in terms of avoiding an accident. Speed kills, you must not forget it! We were also confronted with the fear of falling into a skid or losing control over the car, however outside the public road, where nobody’s life nor health was at peril.

I hope I never have to make use of what I learnt, but if the worst come to the worst, I suppose, I would be more likely to keep a cool head.

Early June, southern Poland

Good to be home after spending over a week in different venues in the hilly southern part of my homeland. First five days in Wisła; the timing of our stay was not haphazard. We turned up to my girlfriend’s second home to take part in the third “Granatowe Góry” – JerzyPilch Festival, a series of (mostly) open-air lectures, discussion panels, workshops and concerts. Despite not being a culture freak, I picked out thought-provoking events from a rich agenda (usually four events taking place at the same time) and appreciated them.

As I dwell on his works and biography, I discover Mr Pilch as a controversial and enthralling figure. He appeared in the spotlight late, in the early 1990s, after turning 35. Written-word-wise, he could boast a superb skill of building long-drawn-out, complex sentences, in which no word is useless and which do not let a reader lose track of the thread. He deftly and humorously painted ordinary events and spiced ordinary places with magic. On the other hand, he was an outright sexist and misogynist. His most renowned book, “Pod mocnym aniołem” being a brutal record of how low an alcohol addict can stoop, has been an inspiration for a film of the same title. As a male, he had several more of less fleeting relationships with women. Towards the end of his life, he married a poet quite probably younger than me, who stayed with him until the end of his days (in which Parkinson disease kept him company). Currently I presume the widow has an affair with Jerzy Baczyński, chief editor of “Polityka” weekly.

I must say I have little understanding for romantic relationships with age gap higher than a generation (in the aforementioned example the age difference is roughly 40 years). I could not even imagine myself, aged 35, going out with a woman aged 25. Folks claim if a younger woman falls in love (if it is indeed love) with a much older man, money has to be in stake. In Pilch’s case, this could not have been the case, as he never earned a lot and quickly parted with his income. Besides, as an alcoholic, he lacked some of the crucial makings of a reliable life companion.

Customarily, the festival attendees were also my girlfriend’s parents, which involved living under one roof with them for five days and nights (we slept in a living room). With hindsight, I was over-optimistic with respect to how smoothly we would get on with one another. The stay went without spats, but being positioned as a guest in a place I am familiar with and where I make myself at home was a kind of uncomfortable. The unease was felt with my girlfriend’s parents, who had an intruder in the flat in which her father grew up.

What I had to put up with were… rituals (as a person afflicted with mild Asperger syndrome I detest them) and the fact the life revolved around eating. I confess I eat to deliver nutrients to my body, minding healthiness of my diet, but do not take much pleasure in consumption. Participating frequently in rituals related to eating or drinking was a misery to me, a waste of time, energy and money (not mine, yet any). I have recently realised I am not fond of celebrating. I realise why it is important to people and for social reasons I take part in celebrations, but do not cherish them as most people do.

As we were leaving for Bieszczady, I felt a deep relief. The weather during the Corpus Christi weekend was not quite fine (lots of rainfall), but made the most of clement mornings and early afternoons wandering past Połoniny, at times above clouds and relaxed indoors during afternoons. On our way back we made a stopover in Lublin, my first ever visit to the city and hopefully not the last one.

London, weekend

Back from my first-ever (surprised) foray to an English-speaking country. I flew there for 3 days during the past weekend, to visit my girlfriend’s friends and… make the most of the presence there sight-seeing wise.

The plane tickets (British Airways) were the most expensive out of all I have purchased in my lifetime. A return ticket without checked luggage set me back almost PLN 900 (had we not been forced to conform to our hosts’ availability, I could have saved some PLN 200, let’s face it, flying has to be expensive, to discourage some people from frequent air travels or to make people pay for their carbon footprint.

As mentioned, we did not have to pay for the accommodation directly, however at the expense of enduring my girlfriend’s friends’ numerous attempts to kill us with kindness and withstanding the central heating turned on when temperature outside was +20C.

We got around the city mostly on foot, as short-distance public transport rides are a bit of pricey (although the GBP 2.70 per single ride within Zone 1 did not seem a fortune). We also experienced the longest queuing in our lifetimes – almost two hours of wait to behold the jewels exhibition in the Tower of London.

The weather was more than fine, given we popped in to the UK’s capital. Not a single raindrop has fallen during our stay, and most of the time skies were clear. Temperature topped close to +20C on each day. To the right – a view from the Tower Bridge walkway on Thames and Canary Wharf in the distance.

The Mall between the Trafalgar Square and the Buckingham Palace resemble Parisian Champs-Elysees, except for they are shorter and… closed for traffic, a big upside of the venue. When it comes to traffic, its density in the central London zone, with entry conditioned upon paying a GBP 15 congestion charge has taken me aback.

A wall past the boulevard opposite to the Houses of Parliament commemorates the UK citizen whose life have been taken away by COVID-19, a symbolic spot Poland still lacks. The death toll of 226,196 is quite up-to-date, since the last update on Covid Worldometer gives the figure of 225,324 as of 23 March 2023.

The Trafalgar Square was the noisiest venue in the entire city, with droves of protesters screaming out what they hold out for through megaphones. We got away from there possibly quickly. Due to time scarcity, we also did not pay a visit to the National Gallery visible in the distance.

The swathes of green areas open to everyone are one of few upsides of the central London. The Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens through which I strolled on Sunday morning are a beautiful area central Warsaw sadly lacks (although Pole Mokotowskie and Park Skaryszewski are splendid anyway).

The Shard, completed in 2012, to my surprise is exactly as tall as Varso Tower in central Warsaw (both have a height of 310 metres). The skyscraper overlooks the morose City of London. Back in pre-COVID times, when Michael visited London regularly, he aptly described the city as “drab”. I find this epithet profoundly accurate; a pity the Polish language lacks a word conveying exactly the same meaning.

London is also the most expensive city I have ever visited. The entry prices to sights other than museums seemed justified by the heritage of past centuries and costs their upkeep and as a sightseeing freak I have made a deliberate choice to fork out money. But the stomach-filling bills in anything, but fancy bars / pubs in central London were paid through the nose.

While confronted with the prices, I was curious to compare them against earnings in the capital of the UK. I learnt an average (or median, if my memory does not serve me right) after-tax salary in London is GBP 30,000 yearly (or GBP 2,500 per month). Unless prices of basic goods are lower in the suburbs than in central London, this allows to eke out a living, but is definitely insufficient to lead a comfortable life.

Two full days were far too short for a proper sightseeing, yet given the fact I cannot be sure I ever return there, I decided to make the most of the trip. Needless to say, I spent Monday working from home, just ticking over, to have a bit of rest after the intensive weekend.

Off to Wisła and then to Bieszczady around the middle of the coming week, so the next write-up is due in three weeks.