From: Lucian Mogosanu Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2018 17:39:27 +0000 (+0300) Subject: posts: 06f, 070 X-Git-Tag: v0.11~119 X-Git-Url: https://git.mogosanu.ro/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=8fba8dca2f64199f162a3ee46d79cf0c48c306dd;p=thetarpit.git posts: 06f, 070 --- diff --git a/posts/y04/06f-filantropica.markdown b/posts/y04/06f-filantropica.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d21e1ce --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/y04/06f-filantropica.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,467 @@ +--- +postid: 06f +title: Filantropica +date: April 18, 2018 +author: Lucian Mogoșanu +tags: video +--- + +We will commence our review of Nae Caranfil's piece not with a quote +(usually serving as motto), but with a bunch of them. For starters, the +poet: + +> **Poetul**: Titlu: poemul unei fete pe care am întâlnit-o în tramvaiul +> 44 și la care n-a mers vrăjeala.[^0] +> **Poetul**: Surâsul fetei din tramvai m-a fermecat definitiv. Am înc-o +> dramă la activ, exact ca domnul Ion Susai.[^1] +> **Ovidiu**: Cine-i domnul Ion Susai?[^2] +> **Poetul**: Un prieten de-al meu, nu-l ştii tu.[^3] + +For the first dish, Miruna: + +> **Miruna**: Dumneata ştii ce leafă are soţul meu?[^4] +> **Ospătarul**: Dar nu-i treaba mea, duduie...[^5] +> **Miruna**: Ştii că nu şi-a mai primit-o de două luni? Ştiţi că +> Ministerul Educaţiei şi Învăţământului nu mai plăteşte salariile +> profesorilor de când cu rectificarea bugetului? Ştiţi că se fac zece +> ani de când nu ne mai permitem să ieşim la un restaurant, din cauza +> unei politici criminale şi anticulturale care îşi bate joc de formarea +> tinerilor?[^6] + +For the main course, Pepe: + +> **Pepe**: Ce faceee?! Am ajuns să sponsorizez futaiuri?![^7] +> **Pepe**: Cască bine ochii, ăsta-i orașul în care trăiești. (Deschide +> fereastra.)[^8] +> **Pepe**: De-aici se vede perfect, mai bine decât de pe Inter. Vezi +> câți nimeni trec pe stradă? Milioane de nimeni. Când ai venit la mine +> cu fața asta de nimeni în proză, ce mi-am zis eu? (Se oprește.) +> Miruna, cafeaua! (Continuă) Mi-am zis, băiatu' ăsta vrea să fie +> cineva! Băiatu' ăsta vrea să învețe o meserie. (Se oprește iar.) Mai +> vine dom'le cafeaua aia? (Închide fereastra.)[^9] +> **Pepe**: Există trei meserii de bază pe lumea asta: bogăția, sărăcia +> și sexul. Din oricare câștigi o pâine, da' din dragoste și din scris +> mori de foame, măi idiotule. Mori pe gratis.[^10] + +And finally, for dessert: + +> **Recuperator 1**: Robert Dobrovicescu, nu e prezent?[^11] +> **Ovidiu**: Nu, lipsește de câteva zile. De ce?[^12] +> **Recuperator 1**: Putem sta puțin de vorbă?[^13] +> **Ovidiu**: Numai o clipă. (Către clasă.) Sentimentul patriotic în +> poezia pașoptistă. Și lucrăm în liniște, s-a înțeles? (Către +> recuperatori.) Vă ascult.[^14] +> **Recuperator 1**: Avem o rugăminte la dumneata. Dacă în următoarele +> zile elevu' ăsta apare pe la cursuri, transmite-i un mesaj din partea +> noastră.[^15] +> **Ovidiu**: Din partea dumneavoastră... Adică...[^16] +> **Recuperator 2**: Nu contează. Zicem că l-a căutat doi cetățeni.[^17] +> **Recuperator 1**: Exact! Important e mesajul. Deci reține: baronu' e +> supărat rău de tot. Vrea plata în trei zile. Dacă băiatu' ăsta nu +> apare în trei zile cu banu-n dinți și scuze... Viața e complexă și are +> multe aspecte.[^18] +> **Ovidiu**: N-am înțeles nimic.[^19] +> **Recuperator 2**: (Către recuperator 1). N-a înțeles nimic.[^20] +> **Recuperator 1**: Rându' tău.[^21] +> **Recuperator 2**: Domnule, băiatu' ăsta a bușit o mașină nou-nouță +> care nu era a lui. Domnu' a cui era mașina e foarte supărat.[^22] +> **Recuperator 1**: Foarte supărat, ăsta e mesaju'.[^23] +> **Recuperator 2**: Dânsul vrea banu' pe stricăciuni, și ne-a rugat pe +> noi să vorbim cu băiatu' și să-l convingem. Dacă băiatu' nu-nțelege de +> vorbă bună, poate să se ducă și la Vladivostok, noi tot îl +> găsim. Și-atunci e mai rău.[^24] +> **Ovidiu**: Câți bani datorează?[^25] +> **Recuperator 1**: Știe el. Important e să se gândească foarte bine +> că... viața e complexă și are multe aspecte. E băiat tânăr și ar fi +> păcat de el să ajungă, Doamne ferește, infirm pe viață...[^26] +> **Recuperator 2**: Sau chiar mai rău.[^27] +> **Recuperator 1**: Doamne ferește.[^28] +> **Ovidiu**: Totuși, despre ce sumă e vorba?[^29] +> **Recuperator 2**: Trei mii de parai...[^30] +> **Recuperator 1**: Nu suma contează... (Zâmbind.) Gestul.[^31] +> **Recuperator 2**: (Se ridică brusc și se întoarce la clasă.) Băi! +> Gata! Primu' care respiră ia o boabă între ochi! Păi ce, ce-i aici, ne +> batem joc de școală? Toată lumea scrie compunerea![^32] +> **Recuperator 1**: Apropo, pe matale cine te-a aranjat așa?[^33] +> **Ovidiu**: Nimeni.[^34] +> **Recuperator 1**: (Scoțând o carte de vizită.) Nu, că dacă te-a +> aranjat unul și ai boală pe el, ți-l facem ieftin.[^35] +> **Recuperator 2**: (Către clasă.) Poate prind pe vreunul că încearcă +> să copieze.[^36] + +Now that we've briefly introduced the characters, we can begin +discussing. + +Ovidiu is, as correctly pointed out above, a dork, by virtue of him +being played by everyone else. A dork, yet a competent one, who carries +his role properly and to the very end, like the little boy he is. Yes, +we've been clearly shown that he's to submit to Mother State and suck it +hard, only the movie taking place in the early twenty-first century -- +more than ten years after some historical [heads falling][theses] -- +gives him the chance to submit to actual people. + +Speaking of which, Pepe is the only man there (save for the +recuperatori, maybe) trying to do an honest business. He finds a market, +i.e. [tear-jerking][tears] slash begging, and exploits it in the most +effective way possible, turning the whole thing into art: he brings the +tear-jerking on television, where all the "uniques" are "targeted", from +which maybe a meager one percent actually donate, which in fact amounts +to quite a few bucks fo' nothing, as the song says. A, purely fictional, +you say? You poor little thing. + +As such, early 2000s Romania is depicted surprisingly accurately. For +one, there's the beggar ring operating near the Bucharestian "Gara de +Nord", in that little park where yes, you don't want to be after it gets +dark. Then there's the fact that said rings are run by gangs that work +exactly as shown, with turf that you don't want to cross unless you're +one of them; and if you want, or are forced to become one of them, then +get on your knees, open your mouth, etc. as per the drill. + +Then there's the overall social situation in Romania. As the old man +points out above, there are three categories of people: the poor, the +businessmen and the whores. The poors may be beggars, they may live on +welfare (so: beggars) or they may live on pension after a life's work +(so: beggars), but either way they're poor. The whores work for the +businessmen, while the businessmen are practically speaking the only +ones who have capital and are willing to pay anything for anything. And +then there's the intellectually poor, who fall for the scam, because +"dar din dar se face rai". + +Then finally, the public tear-jerking circus known as television and the +so-called "educational system" speak volumes about the future +(now-present and still-yet-to-come). You see, one day a guy +[made a media outlet][sirbu], and it worked towards the integration of +Romanians in today's [horseblinding cacophony][anything]. Meanwhile, +Romanians purposefully sabotaged their schools to the point of +"[they dun use that fo' nothing anyway][education]", so that yes, ne +batem joc de școală! Anyway, there's this (television) mixed up with +that (school) in a recipe that, how did it go? "a sesizat existența +contradicțiilor antagonice din sânul societății capitaliste". + +Worth mentioning are also Nicolescu's briefly shown tits, Diaconu's +spot-on acting and Dinică's absolutely splendid performance. I don't +know if Pepe is his best role, but it's certainly tons better than +[that other thing][gaitele] I reviewed. We get to see no other notable +pieces of acting: Călinescu's doing his thing, but otherwise, all actors +are mediocre at best, including Vodă, whose only merit is that of being +the main protagonist of the "American Beauty" trope, only this time in +Romanian. + +Otherwise, the movie ends on a slightly dystopian, almost surrealistic +note. But instead of examining this, let's do +[one of the best scenes ever][mana-intinsa]: + +> **Pepe**: (Cântă. Apoi, către Ovidiu.) Da' ce credeai tu că sunt eu, +> mă, supă populară? (Continuă să cânte.)[^37] +> **Piedone**: (Râzând, către Pepe.) E puișor încă, nu știe cum e +> mersul.[^38] +> **Pepe**: Noțiunea de drepturi de autor nu-ți spune nimic? (În jur, +> lumea râde.)[^39] +> **Ovidiu**: Dar când mi-ați cerut să fac circ la televiziune, puneați +> altfel problema.[^40] +> **Pepe**: Posibil. Și tu când ai venit prima oară la mine aveai +> pretenții mai modeste -- (către orchestră:) băieți! Am muncit și +> nopți. (Cântă.) Păi și-am muncit și nopți, păi și-am muncit și zile! +> (Către Ovidiu.) Hai +> mă, nu face botic, bea și tu ceva, hai.[^41] +> **Ovidiu**: Dacă mă duc la poliție și povestesc tot?[^42] +> **Pepe**: (Către orchestră.) Ia mai sotto băieți. (Râzând, către +> Ovidiu.) Ce spui, mă?[^43] +> **Piedone**: E puișor, nu știe săracu'.[^44] +> **Pepe**: Decât să ne certăm, hai mai bine un cântec vesel să +> cântăm. Bagă! (Cântă.) Și-am muncit și nopți, și-am muncit și zile! +> Pentru tine draga mea, ca să te simți bine![^45] +> **Ovidiu**: Dați-mi trei mii de dolari cu împrumut.[^46] +> **Pepe**: (Face semn către orchestră.) Trei mii de dolari? Așa îmi +> ceri tu mie trei mii de dolari, după câte te-am +> învățat?... Dați-mi...[^47] +> **Ovidiu**: Vă rog, am nevoie.[^48] +> **Pepe**: (Către ceilalți, ironic.) Are nevoie. (Către Ovidiu.) Te las +> corigent, domnule profesor! Pune mâna și revezi materia din urmă. Vino +> la mine și impresionează-mă, emoționează-mă, stoarce-mi o +> lacrimă... vorbește-mi de săraca fetiță cu chibrituri pe care vrei s-o +> ajuți -- ce-i lipsește ei? O blăniță, un apartamențel -- (Ovidiu +> părăsește scena. Pepe se întoarce către Ovidiu, strigând.) Mâna +> întinsă care nu spune o poveste nu primește pomană! Fii profesionist, +> ce dracu'![^49] + +[^0]: "Title: the poem of a girl that I met in the 44 tramway and for + whom the cajolery\* didn't work." + + \-\-\- + \*: To the Romanian speakers out there: how would *you* translate + "vrăjeală" into English? + +[^1]: "The tramway girl possessed a smile that got me positively + stunned. It's the nth time that I got bummed, exactly like Mr. John + Lyle\*." + + \-\-\- + \*: A very scrupulous, almost pedantic, though well-meaning reader + [comments][lordmp]: + + > **LordMPofTMSR**: spyked, your filantropica review is terrible for + > failing to point out the ion susai - mihaita dragomirescu link, + > and general unawareness of the dramaz there. + > **LordMPofTMSR**: i thought you were from the shithole anyway, + > never encountered the item ? town's legendaria, exactly + > [http://trilema.com/2012/tibi-nebunu-zorilor-represent/][tibi-nebunu] + > sorta thing. + > **spyked**: LordMPofTMSR, I had no idea. and looking for mihaita + > dragomirescu, all I found was news items a la + > [http://archive.is/ojKnE][cancans] and other cancans. if ye know + > for a fact this is not made-up scandal, then I believe, but + > otherwise... eh. + + So it turns out the thing was indeed a made-up scandal: + + > **mircea_popescu**: spyked, there was some dumb bitch whose name i + > forget "tryina make it in dis biznis" that fell for it and put him + > in studio for one of their inane talkshow as if genuine + > article. he certainly wasn't a "great director from braila" + > etc. however, he was in fact a) busking and b) coming up with + > lulzy shit, quite in the vein of "surisul fetei din tramvai". and + > the "you can't possibly know him" bit is asking for it -- i'd not + > have said anything otherwise, but caranfil or no caranfil -- + > wantsome, getsome! + + So at least we now know who Ion Susai was. If you want to see more + of these weirdos in action, then sure, come to Bucharest, it's full + of them. Or don't; watch Filantropica instead, it's a great + documentary. + + Now for [the bonus][mp-translation]: + + > **mircea_popescu**: spyked, apparently you have no comments ? + > anyway, "the smiling girl i saw today bewitched my soul entirely ; + > another line goes in a diary that's read by me, and Mr. Sorrowly." + > **mircea_popescu**: (and no, it's not good. it may shock in the + > sense of "omfg, i had no expectation anything can be done", but + > good it can't be, because romanian is a highly cultured language, + > and when you say "tramvai" ie "tramcar" you don't merely say that, + > but also include by reference "aiurea-n tramvai", which is a + > typically romanian construction, and susai-s not merely Sonchus + > arvensis but also all the references in all the "new realism" + > commie novels as to the hardness of rural life, and so going + > forever, everything is a list of include-by-reference fifty items + > long.) + > **mircea_popescu**: also, + > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hkjo-p_bXU][susai-josnai] + + I like my version better, but I'm probably just being superficial. + +[^2]: "Who's Mr. John Lyle?" + +[^3]: "A friend of mine, you don't know him." + +[^4]: "Do you sir know what salary my husband has?" + + By the by, "dumneata" is more or less untranslatable to English, + mostly due to the destination language lacking proper modes of + addressing. Anyway, you gotta understand that the reply above is + uttered in a slightly passive aggressive tone. + +[^5]: "That's none of my business, ma'am..." + + Same as the previous note. + +[^6]: "Do you know that he hasn't received it for the last two months? + Do you now that the Ministry of Education and Teaching isn't paying + the salaries of teachers since the budget rectification? Do you know + that it's almost ten years since we can no longer afford to get out + to a restaurant, because of a criminal and anticultural policy which + makes a mockery out of forming young people?" + +[^7]: "Say what?! So now I'm to sponsor fucks?!" + +[^8]: "Open your eyes well, this is the town you're living in." (Opens + window.) + +[^9]: "The view here is perfect, better than Inter\*. See how many + nobodies cross this street? Millions of nobodies? When you came to + me with this nobody-in-prose face, what did I say?" (Stops.) + "Miruna, coffee!" (Continues.) "I said to myself, this boy wants to + be someone! This boy wants to learn a trade." (Stops again.) + "Where's that damn cofffee?" (Closes window.) + + \-\-\- + \*: Intercontinental, one of the biggest hotels, and at the time one + of the tallest buildings in ye olde Bucharest. + +[^10]: There are three basic trades in this world: wealth, poverty and + sex. Any of them earns you a bread, but from love and writing, you + die of hunger, you idiot. You die for free. + +[^11]: "Robert Dobrovnicescu, is he not here?" + +[^12]: "No, he's been out for a few days. Why?" + +[^13]: "Can we speak a little?" + +[^14]: "A moment" (To the class.) "The patriotic sentiment in + fortyeightist\* poetry. And we work quietly, mkay?" (To the + collectors.) "I'm listening." + + \-\-\- + \*: "Pașopt" refers to a political current of the Romanian '48 + generation, a sort of Generation X of not the twentieth century, as + you might expect, but actually the nineteenth. It was supported by + lots of derps and was derided (if not outright opposed) by a few + notable names of the time, such as Caragiale, Eminescu and + Maiorescu. And just in case you're wondering, the pașoptist + reference in the movie is indeed a satire of the self-imagined + rebellious 2000 high-schooler generation. + +[^15]: "We have favour to ask of you. If in the next days this student + comes to class, send him a message from us." + +[^16]: "From you... meaning..." + +[^17]: "It doesn't matter. Say two citizens were looking for him." + +[^18]: "Exactly! The message is important. So here: the baron is really + upset. He wants the payment in three days. If this boy doesn't + appear in three days with money in his mouth\* and apologies... Life + is complex and has many aspects.\*\*" + + \-\-\- + \*: I suspect this has nothing to do with the English expression, but + it does fit the situation rather well. + \*\*: I'm not sure you comprehend the depth of this saying. Life is + complex and has many aspects, i.e. there is much to it, i.e. there + are a lot of unforeseen things that can happen. I have no fuckin' + idea whether one would expect the average Irish to say something + along those lines, but this is a perfectly plausible thing to say + for a Basarabean, or for any Romanian nobody who abides by popular + wisdom. Nobody, and yet he knows and never forgets! that life is + complex and has many aspects. + +[^19]: "I don't understand." + +[^20]: "He doesn't understand." + +[^21]: "Your turn." + +[^22]: "Sir, this boy crashed a brand new car that wasn't his. The sir + whose car it was is very upset." + +[^23]: "Very upset, that's the message." + +[^24]: "He wants the money for the damage and he asked us to talk to the + boy and convince him. If boy doesn't listen\*, he can go to + Vladivostok, we're still going to find him. And then it gets worse." + + \-\-\- + \*: The reader might have a better translation for this "înțelege de + vorbă bună" thing. It denotes both understanding and acting on that + understanding, in contrast to understanding and not giving a fuck. + +[^25]: "How much does he owe?" + +[^26]: "He knows. More importantly, he needs to think well, + because... life is complex and has many aspects. He's a young boy + and it would be a pity for him to become, God forbid, a cripple for + life..." + +[^27]: "Or even worse." + +[^28]: "God forbid." + +[^29]: "Still, what sum does he owe?" + +[^30]: "Three grand..." + +[^31]: "It's not the sum..." (Smiling.) "It's the gesture." + +[^32]: (Gets up suddenly and turns to class.) "Hey! Enough! The first + one who breathes gets a bullet between the eyes! What's this, we're + making a mockery of school? Everyone write the composition!" + +[^33]: "By the way, who gave you the bruise?" + +[^34]: "No one." + +[^35]: (Pulling out a business card.) "No, 'cause if anyone messed with + you and you have a dread on them\*, we'll do him in for you cheap." + + \-\-\- + \*: Let's deconstruct this. "Ai" is from "a avea", i.e. "to + have". "Boală" literally means "illness". Thus the expression + denotes feelings of deep (sickening) hatred for someone, like that + one time in band camp when that guy stole your girlfriend. Anyway, + "dread" is the closest I could find to this, although it's not + sufficiently antagonistic to describe the thing. + +[^36]: (To class.) "If I see anyone trying to cheat..." + +[^37]: (Singing. Then, to Ovidiu.) "Well, what did you think I was then, + popular soup?" + +[^38]: (Laughing, to Pepe.) "He's still a kid, doesn't know how things + go." + +[^39]: "Does the notion of + [intellectual property][intellectual-ownership] mean anything to + you?" (Around, people laugh.) + +[^40]: "But you put it differently when you asked me to make a circus at + the TV." + +[^41]: "Maybe. And when you first came to me you had more modest + ambitions. --" (to the orchestra:) "boys! And I worked the nights." + (Singing.) "And I worked the nights, and I worked the days!" (To + Ovidiu.) "C'mon there, don't get upset, have a drink. Come on." + +[^42]: "What if I go to the police and tell them everything?" + +[^43]: (To the orchestra.) "Keep it low, boys." (Laughing, to Ovidiu.) + "What the fuck are you saying?\*" + + \-\-\- + \*: A very condescending "what", as connoted by the interjection + "mă", which... I have no idea how to express outside Romanian, so + I'll let the cunning linguists handle it. + +[^44]: "He's a poor noob, doesn't know..." + +[^45]: "Instead of arguing, we're better off singing a happy song. Turn + it up, boys!" (Singing.) "And I worked the nights, and I worked the + days! All for you my dear, so you get your way!" + +[^46]: "Lend me three thousand dollars." + +[^47]: (Makes a sign to the orchestra.) "Three thousand dollars? That's + how you ask me for three thousand bucks, after all I've taught + you?... Lend me..." + +[^48]: "Please, I need it." + +[^49]: (To the audience, sarcastically.) "He needs it." (To Ovidiu.) "I + am failing you, professor! Get to work\* and review the previous + subjects. Come to me and impress me, move me, squeeze a tear out of + me... tell me of the poor little girl with the matchsticks that you + want to help -- what is she lacking? A little fur, an apartment\*\* + --" (Ovidiu leaves the stage. Pepe turns towards Ovidiu, shouting.) + "Stretched hand that doesn't tell a story doesn't get dole! Be a + professional, what the devil!" + + \-\-\- + \*: Literally, put one's hand (at work) towards some goal. + \*\*: What is the (modern) English diminutive of apartment? In + Romanian almost any noun can be "diminuated" by suffixing it with + "-iță"/"-uță"/"-ucă" (e.g. cărniță, scufiță, lăbuță, mămucă), "-el" + (cățel, purcel, suflețel) or other diminutival forms. + +[lordmp]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-04-18#1802166 +[tibi-nebunu]: http://trilema.com/2012/tibi-nebunu-zorilor-represent +[cancans]: http://archive.is/ojKnE +[mp-translation]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-04-18#1802222 +[susai-josnai]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hkjo-p_bXU +[theses]: /posts/y03/05a-july-theses.html#fn43 +[tears]: /posts/y01/02a-online-media-is-feeding-on-your-tears.html +[sirbu]: http://btcbase.org/log/2017-10-25#1728889 +[anything]: http://btcbase.org/log/2017-10-08#1723082 +[education]: /posts/y03/055-on-education.html +[gaitele]: /posts/y04/06e-sieranevada-cuibul-de-viespi.html#selection-89.34-89.50 +[mana-intinsa]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-04-14#1799027 +[intellectual-ownership]: /posts/y04/069-on-intellectual-ownership.html diff --git a/posts/y04/070-bucharest-botanical-garden.markdown b/posts/y04/070-bucharest-botanical-garden.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fe21a55 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/y04/070-bucharest-botanical-garden.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,225 @@ +--- +postid: 070 +title: Bucharest botanical garden in the spring, as viewed through a couple of camera lenses +date: April 23, 2018 +author: Lucian Mogoșanu +tags: in-the-flesh +--- + +So this Saturday I grabbed my camera and went to ye olde botanical +garden[^1] to watch the beautifuls, smell the smellfuls and do the +wannabe-photographer thing I do once in a blue moon -- this time with +the easiest and most predictable target for a photographer ever, the +flower. We begin with exhibit numero uno, a rare specimen of metallum +modernus: + + + + + +Yes indeed, the fucks built a thermal power plant right next to the +botanical garden, so that the pollution-energy and the green-energy can +cancel each other this way, notwithstanding the fact that the whole +scenery looks like the Borg took a dump on Mother Gaia's voluptuous +chest. And all that for what: to provide the University Politehnica of +Bucharest (back in those days the Polytechnic School of Bucharest) with +energy. Engineers, a fucking pain in the ass since day one. + + + + + + + +Above, a chestnut flower, followed by a pretty view from the chestnut +alley. Yes, the last photo is burned -- to my defense, I did say +"wannabe". + + + +The so-called italian garden (highly desaturated), hosting a metal +monstrosity. What does it signify? Why thank you so much for asking, I +myself would like to know. + + + +The photo above displays two types of common flowers: the little +yellow-white thing, known as matricaria chamomilla, also known as +chamomile, in popular Romanian known as mușețel; the yellow one, known +as taraxacum officinale, also known as dandelion, also known in Romanian +as păpădie or bășina porcului (the pig's fart), y'know, the one that +turns into a ball of spores that kids blow for fun. Since they're so +common, they weren't specifically exposed and described, but they were +there nevertheless, which makes them a legitimate exhibit. + + + +In the first and second planes: [two lips][lalele]! + + + +A bush of Japanese roses, kerria japonica. + + + +I have no idea what species of tree this little beauty is, but yes, +there are more tulips at the base. + + + + + +Likewise, I have no idea what species these flowers are (some variety of +mums?), but they emit a powerful and almost mesmerizing scent. And yes, +they are beautiful as fuck. + +Anyway, this might be the perfect moment to take a break for technical +details. As the reader can see, I took two shots (three in fact, but +I've published just the two), one focusing on the near-plane and one on +the far-plane. I don't know which one is technically correct (I would +guess both) and neither do I know which one is more aesthetically +pleasing, so I've decided to just post both and let the pedants engage +in the whole hair-splitting thing. + +And since they might be asking: I shot these (and some of the other +shots) with a fixed (manual focus) 50mm lens, while some of the other +others were shot using the stock 18-55mm lens on a Nikon D5100. If you +ask me, the camera is a perfect entry-level DSLR for +wannabe-photographers such as myself, especially since it's old enough +not to come with a motherfucking [Android][android]. + + + +Above, a lonely plane wandering on the early evening sky. + + + +"Pls to visit teh botanical museum", they said; "it'll be phun", they +said. Well, next time. + + + +Another one that I'm not sure of, but both the flowers and the leaves +look very similar to those of a cherry tree, prunus cerasus I'd +guess. Assuming this is indeed a cherry, notice how the petals aren't +entirely open yet; as far as I remember from grandma's garden, cherries +didn't blossom until early May. However, the recent heatwave here turned +nature from barren to an intense green in just about a week, so who +knows anymore. + + + + + +Prunus serrulata, also known as the Japanese cherry, also known in this +time of year as sakura. We'll get back to these in a moment. + + + +Oh lookie, [they got wood][gherman] in the garden! For Romanian readers: +what, you thought I'd miss the opportunity to reference this? Shame on +you! + + + + + + + + + +A Japanese garden lamp idling around in the Japanese garden, followed by +another bunch of sakura flowers on a sakura (depicted in full in the +last photo). And since we're into blooming flowers: + + + +On the other side of the lake there was a fresh bride doing a photo +shoot. In fact there were a bunch of those specimens roaming around in +the garden that day, I guess doing photo sessions in green settings is +some sort of a townly fashion nowadays. Not that I give a fuck, but the +bride looked cute from behind. + + + +From the local fauna: a bunch of gullible seagulls derping around. These +mean guys repeatedly tried to cross the turf of a small flock of wild +ducks, with no success. Below, the gangsters in question: + + + +And finally, we leave the garden for a walk, to get a few views of the +urban Bucharestian landscape. + + + +Above: Casa Radio, a mammoth of a building, begun during the last years +of the [shoeman's republic][theses] and never finished. It was supposed +to belong to the national radio broadcasting company, currently (and +since its inception in the 1920s) headquartered a wee bit to the north +at the aptly named *Sala* Radio, on Str. Gen. Berthelot[^2]. Meanwhile +it was sold to some guys who want to turn it into a mall or something of +the sort. And since we're here, I don't give a damn about that either. + + + +Across the street from Casa Radio lies Spitalul Universitar, i.e. the +universitary emergency hospital, housed near the Carol Davila University +of Medicine and Pharmacy, housed near the botanical gardens, etc. You +get the general idea. It's a nice neighbourhood, by the way, one of the +very few neat and elegant ones in the whole town. + + + +A tad further down the road: Bd. Mihail Kogălniceanu, generally the +source of much frustration for anyone driving through the town's centre +during the week. Fortunately for me, this was Saturday, so I could take +a stroll down to the Cișmigiu garden and... but I'll leave this story +for another time. What can I say. Bucharest: at least it's better than +fucking Paris. + +P.S.: A total of sechs fucks were uttered in this post -- sieben if we +include this last one, not including the damn. + +[^1]: Established in 1860 by Carol Davila. Huh, who said medics don't + like plants. + +[^2]: By the way, the showroom at Sala Radio has incredible acoustics, + better than the Romanian Athenaeum, I'd venture to say. I've been + there to many rock, jazz and classical music concerts along the + years and they all sounded great, so my best educated guess, based + on previous feedback on the workings of my ear and other musical + organs, is that I know. + +[lalele]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spphGN9JlEo +[android]: /posts/y02/03f-android-the-bad-and-the-ugly.html +[gherman]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeV_0oef5AI +[theses]: /posts/y03/05a-july-theses.html diff --git a/uploads/2018/04/gradina-botanica-01-thumb.png b/uploads/2018/04/gradina-botanica-01-thumb.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6c2aacc Binary files /dev/null and b/uploads/2018/04/gradina-botanica-01-thumb.png differ diff --git a/uploads/2018/04/gradina-botanica-01.png b/uploads/2018/04/gradina-botanica-01.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..54c96d2 Binary files /dev/null and b/uploads/2018/04/gradina-botanica-01.png differ diff --git a/uploads/2018/04/gradina-botanica-02-thumb.png 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