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Windows Vista SUCKS!!!

I will not go in to the many reasons why but trust me when I say it SUCKS. If you are in the market for a new PC make sure you can get it with XP. If not, enjoy hating Vista as much as the rest of the world.

But wait Sean you are a Apple man how do you know Vista sucks, easy Kate's laptop came with it and now I am forced to listen to her complain about how much of a pain in the ass it is and then try and figure out how to fix whatever problem she is having.

So my advice to you is if you have to buy a new computer get a Mac.
Posted by Sean Allocca at 6:54 PM 2 comments 
Why I Haven't Posted Lately

The main reason is because it has been cloudy and rainy for the last 13 days. I am holding out hope that I will see the sun tomorrow afternoon but the forecast said I was going to see the sun on Thursday. I feel like I am living in England. I am just killing time right now waiting for the Giants game from London. We finally got the sound problem I was having with cable fixed so I can now watch CNN and BBC news now. That brings me up to 6 channels in English. The only problem I have is the program guide is in Slovak so figuring out what is on has been fun. Other than that I have just been hanging out in the flat, I go shopping for food every 2 days and I make at least 1 trip to the mall just to walk around.

I will be heading home for a few days on the 28th of November and heading back to Slovakia on the 3rd of December. I fly into Newark on the 28th and will be driving to VA on Thursday the 29th. I have my sisters wedding on the 1st so I will not have a lot of time for visits, sorry about that. I was able to find a great price on my return trip to Vienna right out of Richmond. If you have the time to search you can find deals online. I spent about 2-3 hours trying different days and routes and was able to get a round trip ticket for about 850.00. The normal fare from and back to Richmond was 1500.00 but Expedia.com had an internet only special.

OK that's all I have for now. Thanks to the small group of readers who keep up with the blog. Down at the bottom of the page is a small map which you can click on and see where my visitors are coming from. I just added it last week so there are not many dots yet. I am averaging 45-50 visits per week.
Posted by Sean Allocca at 3:23 PM 2 comments 
Ron Paul - America's Only Hope I have make my choice on who I will support for President. Click the image and find out why I think he is the only choice for America. Take a few minutes to find out for yourself. If you like what you see please make a donation to help spread the word.
Posted by Sean Allocca at 6:38 PM 1 comments Posted by Sean Allocca at 1:57 PM 1 comments The TV / Laptop Room Posted by Sean Allocca at 1:56 PM 0 comments Entertainment Center Posted by Sean Allocca at 1:55 PM 0 comments Smoking Porch There is also another porch off the other bedroom.
Posted by Sean Allocca at 1:53 PM 0 comments Posted by Sean Allocca at 1:52 PM 0 comments Posted by Sean Allocca at 1:51 PM 0 comments The Toilet Posted by Sean Allocca at 1:37 PM 0 comments Yes, 5 of us share just this little bathroom.
Posted by Sean Allocca at 1:32 PM 0 comments Back Hallway Kitchen then Toilet than Bathroom on the left side
Posted by Sean Allocca at 1:29 PM 0 comments Eva, Vrbo and Martina's Room Posted by Sean Allocca at 1:27 PM 0 comments 
I Now Have Cable TV

And what is the first thing I find in English?
The Jets Giants game. YES!!!!!
Posted by Sean Allocca at 11:39 AM 4 comments 
The Language Lessons Have Started

Today I received my two CD's I ordered from Eurotalk. I worked with the first one for about 1.5 hours today. I like the way it teaches you with games and other fun ways to make it interesting. I highly recommend checking out the web site if you need to learn a language. It seems like it is geared towards the business traveler but right now I am just learning the basics. I will let you know in a few days how it is working out.

I enjoy going out by myself just so I am forced to try out my basic skills (i.e. hello, thank you etc) I have gone to the supermarket and and an electronics store. I have been studying my map of Bratislava and I can get around fairly well, even if I can't pronounce the names of the streets. Most of the younger people and the taxi drivers here do speak some English which had made it easier on me. I hope to have the vocabulary of a 4 y.o. by the end of November, but that my be asking to much. What I really need is English subtitles for the TV. That would make easier to learn but they don't have them, so I am stuck watching American shows dubbed in Slovak. The one show I can watch is "Slovak Superstar" (The Slovak version of American Idol) not that I want to but everyone else in the flat loves it. For me it is just funny to listen to them try and sing in English.

The weather has been nice but cloudy so I have not taken any photos lately. Daytime temps are in the high 60's with it getting into the mid 40's at night. We are planning on returning to Hybe next weekend and I would like to go driving and get some more pictures of the "High Tatras".

Posted by Sean Allocca at 7:59 PM 4 comments 
Bratislava Update

So it has been a while since I gave you guys an update so let me begin. I have been in Bratislava for over a week now and I am still having a great time. I have gone out on my own a few times and I haven't had any trouble with the language barrier, must people here speak some English. I have taken the bus a few times but I find for the short distances I need to go I can walk or take a taxi. I can get a taxi to the main shopping mall for about 4 bucks. I could take the bus for a about a buck but I have to take two buses to get to the mall and it takes about 15-20 min. In the taxi I am there in 5, so needless to say I take taxi's most places I need to go. I am still trying to find a bookstore that sells English books but I have found a few English magazines so far. I also picked up a prepaid mobile phone so if I need help I can call one of my roommates for help with getting around or what ever.

In my attempt to learn Slovak I found a U.K. company that sells software that teaches you with interactive games and what not, I ordered it and should have it by next week, I hope it helps. I am picking up words as time goes by and I would say I know about 30 words so far. I can say the basics like hello, thank you, please, etc. plus some not so polite things to say. Why is it you learn the bad words in a new language first?

The food here is very good and cheap. I also found a great place for pizza that delivers. I can order on-line to avoid any language issues. The bread here is very good and every 2 days we get a fresh loaf for about .70 cents. Most of the time we snack on a slice of bread with some soft cheese with tomato or green peppers. Breakfast for me is 2 eggs and some fried salami on bread. It's not pork roll but it's close. (I would kill for a pork roll, egg and cheese on a hard roll from the O.B. Diner)

I am still trying to get cable TV with some English channels and I hope to have it taken care of by the end of the week. The Internet has been the only way I can watch TV. If you know where to look you can download shows a day or two after they have aired in the US. I am keeping up with some of my favorites like "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "Weeds" and "Survivor". I was able to download the Giants/Redskins game from last week and I should be able to get this weeks game also. The great thing about getting them from the net is no commercials, the game was only 2 hours without commercials. I did bring my external hard drive stuffed with movies and TV shows so if all else fails I can watch one of those. I can't wait to see the Giants game from this week.

We went out this weekend to the "Old Town" and had a great time at the bars. I need to go during the day for pictures but with everyone at work or school during the day I may have to go on my own. It is a stark contrast between the look of "Little Brooklyn" and "Old Town". I would love to live in "Old Town" but the rents there are twice what they are here so that's out. While Bratislava is the most expensive place to live in Slovakia I still think it is cheap. I also think the real estate market here is only going to get better and I am looking at ways to get in on the ground floor. Most Slovakians think that 100k for a 2 bedroom flat here in Petrzelka aka "Little Brooklyn" is very expensive but in 5 years it will look very cheap. The economy here is good and getting better. Slovakia is really focused on the automotive industry, they are doing a lot things to attract companies to build automotive and parts factories here. I am going to work on a short video of the flat so you can get an idea of what it is like to live here. I should have it done in a week or two.

Thanks to all of my fans who read my updates and I will post more in the future. (yes that is my way of saying, when I feel like it.) Oh yeah, Henry and Kelly, the Redskins still suck! Go Big Blue.
Posted by Sean Allocca at 8:43 AM 0 comments