Fly Away, Fly Away, Fly Away....Home?

I've spent the past few days packing and re-packing, making in readiness to fly from here to San Jose. British Air has some new baggage rules, that they have apparently changed since they came out with the "new" rules last month. Anyway, I keep packing stuff, then deciding I really don't need this, that or the other thing. I have to spend the first night in London at Gatwick Airport. whee Then the next morning I fly to Dallas-Ft. Worth and then on to San Jose.

I got tense the other day reading a message board on MSN about readers' worst flying experiences. It immediately brought to mind the last time I flew. That flight was a real treat....not one or two, but FIVE crying children in my immediate vicinity for seven solid hours. The seats were the smallest seats I think I have ever been in and of course, the jerk in front of me threw his seat ALLLLLLL the way back so the little TV screen whatchamacallit was literally six inches from my face. Nice.

Back in the old days when I rarely flew anywhere, I experienced the strange coincidence that three times in a row when I flew I was seated next to a nun. Not that that's a bad thing....I just thought it was remarkable and wondered if there was a message from God there for me somehow. Now I'm wondering what I can do to conjur up a nun to be my seatmate.

After some of the extraordinarily stinky people, howling children, and other assorted miscreants I've had the displeasure to sit next to, I'm praying that my flight across the Atlantic is a charter flight full of nuns going to a nun convention. Do they have such things? Lord, I hope so. I know I won't be that lucky, however. I'm sure I'm in for a non-nun.

Sally Field, where are when I need you????

A Series of Unfortunate Events

I haven't had much to write about for awhile. Not much has been going on around here other than a bunch of political stuff related to Martti Ahtaasari's proposal for the final resolution of Kosovo's status. It's too involved and I don't get it all so I'm not touching it here in this blog.
However, I do receive daily press updates that can be amusing in their own way. Don't take it that I'm making fun of anyone here....some of these things are tragic and others are just stupid. Some of them caught my attention for no other reason than the vernacular and grammar, etc. I actually admire a lot of the people here who have learned English over the past few years. Many of them are very fluent and I find it remarkable. I had this big idea when I got here that I was going to learn Albanian. Well, it is such a difficult language it would take about 20 years. Which I don't have. More than one Albanian advised me to just forget it. One of my husband's language assistants is attending college and even she failed her Albanian language course, and she's Albanian! She did, however, get the equivalent of an A in English.

Anyway, for your perusal:

DISTURBING PUBLIC PEACE AND ORDER
Ferizaj– 03/01 – 1205 hrs. A citizen of Macedonia insulted a male guard in the local Raiffeisen bank. The suspect was arrested. (Arrested for insulting someone? wow)

DISCHARGE OF FIRE ARM/ASSAULT ON KPS
Ferizaj– 06/01- 1650 hrs. A male was stopped by police for wrong parking of his vehicle and was asked for documents. But the owner refused to comply and resisted entering the police vehicle. Finding no option the police discharged his firearm and shot one round in the air and arrested the suspect. (They mean business here!)

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Pec - 01/01-2310 hrs. A male was arrested for torturing his wife.

ACCIDENTAL DEATH
Bradash podujeve (GR: EN 116 542) - 31/12-1300hrs. A female born in 1957 fell into a well and died. (I'm not sure what the revelance of her date of birth was to this story. However, there are a LOT of these women who mysteriously fall into wells here. Very suspicious.)

THREAT
Mitrovica- 24/12- 1005 hrs. A male was arrested for threatening a female with an axe. He is said to be mentally sick and was also sent to Health House for medical treatment. (That's what they always say.)

MISSING PERSON
Pec.– 11/12 – NN. A male reported that his father is missing who was living alone in a separate house. This is note worthy that the house where he was living was burnt during the night. (I'd say that that is indeed noteworthy.)

ATTEMPTED MURDER
Llausha Village 19-01- 1825 Hrs. A male was sitting down in his home. He stood up and unknown suspect(s) shot into the residence at least 10 times.

ACCIDENTAL DEATH
Slatina Village 02/02 – 1230hrs. A male while taking a shower suffered an electrical shock and as a consequence later died. Following an investigation it transpired that an electrical fault was to blame.

THREAT AGAINST OFFICIAL PERSON
Vushtrri 03/03 – 2300 hrs. A male threatened a female police officer several times by phone saying he wanted to kidnap and mistreat her in every possible manner. The suspect was sent to Neuropsychiatry centre for medical treatment. (In every possible manner??? I want to see a follow up story to this!)

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Dardania 03/03 – 2200 hrs. A male is reported to have been arrested while he insulted, assaulted and threatened his wife since a long time. He wanted to burn her and other family members and set fire to curtains and bed sheets. (How come this guy wasn't sent to the Neuropsychiatry centre???)

CAUSING GENERAL DANGER
Bellobrad Vil 08/03 - 0035 hrs. A mortar was launched towards a gas station and caused huge material damages. It was launched from a hill opposite the gas station. No one was injured. Window panes on houses were also damaged and KFOR attended the scene as well. (Huge!)

FOUND UXO
Dardania III 08-03-07 1215 Hrs. A UXO was found by the Anti-Mortem unit while digging for a corpse. KFOR was notified and took the UXO from the scene. (I need to find out more about this "Anti-Morten" unit. Sounds a little strange to me.)

So you can see why I always tell people I'm never bored here.