Mundane Homepage

02/10/08

Since it is customary to have a mundane homepage, here it is :

A brief personal summary - I am originally from Budapest, Hungary, many in the U.S. are not familiar with this country, in fact, some imagine the country to be gloomy, dreary  ex communist world with not much there.   Hungary,  as well as  Budapest, have rich cultural history and architecture.  Although I've spent more of my life in the U.S., Europe is very much part of my past.  The country is filled with many medieval castles, beautiful Lake Balaton (which some say inspried the Moonlight Sonata, the 'moon bridges' of Lake Balaton are beautiful), the city of Budapest is charming, diverse and very cosmopolitan.  I haven't been back there since my childhood.  I have heard that is is more congested now, but I still  believe that it is a beautiful, romantic place. The country has also absorbed many cultures including the Turks and Mongols.  However, Hungary is one of those countries that couldn't be dominated in the long run by any oppressor.  The language Hungarian (Magyar) is not a slavic language, and in fact is an Estonian language as Finnish is.  As a result of growing up in Europe, I have learned several languages (including Russian, German, Hungarian, French, English-but some of these aren't the most current anymore since I haven't spoken them since childhood).  Here are a few photos to mildly familiarize: 

a panoramic view of Budapest (capital) , the left bank is  Buda , more hilly and suburban, and the right bank  is Pest the heart of the city (where I am from), the two are separated by the river Danube (Duna).  Buda has some very beautiful castles.	Sunset at Lake Balaton, a popular summer location.  Beethoven's  Moonlight Sonata was inspired by the moon 'bridge'  over Lake Balaton.

Budapest: Fisherman's Bastion: The crypt of the ancient St. Michael Cemetery Chapel (the first written record dates from 1443)	Budapest: Vaci Street-The street was formed in the 18th century.  In atmosphere it is similar to the Champs Elyse. Sidewalk cafes filled with unlimited conversation. Hungarians love to philosophize and converse...therefore the numerous coffee houses.	Budapest: a nightime view of this atmospheric city.	Budapest: The Parliament-built at the turn of the century. The Parliement always had a very large beautiful Christmas tree (even during communism).

After leaving Budapest, I also attended school in Vienna and  almost settled in  Germany, Stuttgart, by the  beautiful Black Forest (Schwarzwald-which has beautiful mountains and the squirrels are red, not grey like here).

Since I also lived in Germany and Vienna, here are some highlights from there:  

Schwarzwald-Black forest (Germany)	A Vienna Coffeehouse

Then for various reasons, my parents ended up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Shorewood specifically)After graduating from high school there, I attended the University of Chicago in Hyde Park  (undergraduate in Mathematics, then Economics) and later University of Rochester in Rochester, New York and received an M.B.A (Finance and Public Accounting).  I have visited other parts of the world including Paris, Kashmir and the foothills of the Himalayas and the beautiful Taj Mahal which is a great symbol of the Moghul architecture.  Places on this continent that I have seen are Toronto, Montreal and Cancun.  I have not returned to Budapest or Lake Balaton since we left for Vienna.

Professionally I was Systems Project Leader when I decided to quit my career and stay home with my son Jordan (a.k.a. Attila, Frodo, Beowulf, and many other characters) because believe that  this is the  best way to raise  him.  This decision to stay home and raise Jordan  was definitely the right one considering the challenges that life has been dealing him and me  recently.  However, sacrificing your career and status is not 'recognized' as a valuable trait in today's society.  Nevertheless, "To thyself be true" Shakespeare..and in this case I am with respect to my children.  However at this timeI am returning to my career while maintaining my priority and passion for my children.  A new venture begins.

I have several hobbies, clearly being a playtron at Renaissance faires is one, others include:  music, playing classical piano (especially Beethoven), cooking (more than ever now),  horseback riding in a forest, that  I find transcending (something I have started doing again, after taking a hiatus from it since high school) reading.  My most common  complaint is that I don't have much time to do most of these hobbies anymore.  Of course each year I realize that last year I had more time than this year...so time is always running out.  Since  "mundane" pages often include "favorites," here are a few that come to mind, I'm sure there are more-and these are always subject to change.

There are also numerous books, more recent readings or impacting ones include : 2/10/08

Some of my favorite  current musical artists include:  6/22/06

I won't rank order the music, because we pick music to listen to based on the mood we are in or want to be in.  And of course there are many other musicians on this list.

Smashing Pumpkins	especially Melancholy (actually Mellon Collie) and the Infinite Sadness CD-very diverse rich music...and although these songs are not new....they stand the test of time and life well.
Prince	the earlier Prince -  not necessarily his most popular songs that were overplayed (and not the popish 1999)-fun music. Although I don't  listen to Prince as much as I used to.
Nine Inch Nails	NIN survives the test of time and changing lives...always appropriate.
Others include: Amon Amarth (Viking metal-especially Valkyries Ride), Lacuna Coil, Arcana,   Radiohead,  Muse, The Clash, Tool,  Murder by Death,    Sex Pistols,  Hossam Ramzy,  Baladi (Egyptian). for more energetic music....I do enjoy Euro techno music....Goa Trance.
Led Zeppelin	specifically this "No Quarter" CD that takes some classics, but they were performed and recorded in Morocco and other parts of the world, features some great violins, hurdy-gurdy,  percussions and mandolin even....and Hossam Ramzy on Kashmir.

For classical music-which I love, but this is not something to casually listen to as background music: 4/18/06

Beethoven	Symphonies, as well as some of the BEST piano sonatas and concertos (Emperor concerto - second movement is one of the best ever ...another is Pathetique Piano Sonata - 2nd mov. ).  A recent highlight  in my life has been going to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to see (and hear) a piano program by Beethoven that included the Pathetique Sonata (the event was a Mother's Day gift from Shanti).
Bruckner	this is not the most known composer, but his Symphony #4, is a true dedication to nature-
Liszt	Hungarian Rhapsodies - emotionally whirling ones
Wagner	This ties in with my enjoyment and interest in Norse mythology.  But I do prefer the Wagner "without words" orchestral works. To me the voices spoil  it all.  Listening to his music, you can see Valkyries riding horses through the heavens and through the sky.
Mozart	Mostly the Piano concertos.
Chopin	again, for certain moods, specifically Chopin Prelude #4 in E minor as most music in E minor....has a very tragic longing sound-its duration in time is only 1:46-but very lasting in other ways.

Movies:

Again, many more, depending on mood. 

Art

Van Gogh, Gauguin,  Renoir, Toulouse L'Autrec, Ancient Egyptian  art.

Favorite restaurants:  The Chicago Diner (vegan - dairy free heaven), Paprikash (Arlington Heights)-authentic Hungarian/Magyar cuisine,  C.F. Changs (Chinese- but caters to all sorts of tastes and styles of eating), Bob Chinn's (seafood).  Beans and Barley (Milwaukee), Pita Inn-cheap great food with a diverse dynamic clientelle.. Favorite grocery store (maybe more relevant):  Whole Foods....can purchase all kinds of organic foods without toxic food additives/preservatives and overly processed ingredients; Hungarian Kosher Store, dairy free heaven.

Traveling I would like to visit or revisit in this life:  Europe, including: Paris (did 6/05!), Vienna, Budapest (did in May 2006), Lake Balaton , Egypt, Morocco.  I did get to visit, after a long absence, my hometown Budapest. 

But again, aside from these 'favorites categories,' I have deliberately chosen to allocate most of my time to my children for many years now. . Shanti is in the honors program at Marquette University,  and  Jordan learns many new things in life with a passion; he is presently in third grade and is great at dealing with life's countless challenges.  I also, finally have two dogs that I adopted as puppies from the Wisconsin Humane Society:-Athena and Starbuck and have a new puppy Karma Curley-a Snorkie (miniature Schnauzer and Yorkie terrier mix).  In my spare moments I enjoy playing classical piano, horseback riding, reading, music and going to renaissance faires.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mundania Links 4/18/06

Information on Rescue Dogs/Dogs

Some great dog adoption (adopt, do not buy from pet stores and support inhumane puppy mills-as well as potentially end up with a sicklier dog with behavioral problems) links:

       for Wisconsin:                          Wisconsin Humane Society (where I adopted two of  my dogs from)

        for Illinois:                              Save A Pet, Grayslake, Illinois (I volunteer in various capacities)

These shelters have great adoptable dogs of great variety.....some pure breeds, some mixed, some puppies, some older.  Dogs in pet stores come from cruel puppy mills. Buying a dog from a pet store you are supporting animal cruelty for profits. For more information on cruel puppy mills:   see the Humane Society's information on puppy mills (where pet store dogs come from) "puppy mills"   and  another interesting site  "Stop  puppy mills"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'Health' Issues with Dairy as well as Factory Farming:

http://www.strongbones.org/index.html - the truth about how to get AND absorb calcium for strong bones (by the Physician's Committee for Responsible medicine (instead of the  dairy council)).

http://www.godairyfree.org/

http://www.notmilk.com/

PETA - PETA2 don't  prejudge these organizations-they are not a bunch of fanatics...these sites are  very informative and allow us to help make educated choices.  The links show how animals are treated.....I mean rather mistreated. No, I don't believe in pouring paint on people's possessions, that is an act of  vandalism (some people define PETA as such).  Instead I think individuals need to be informed where  their dairy products, eggs and meat  come from, how animals are treated, slaughtered, how dairy cows are treated (forced to stand and live  in their own feces), how milk is extracted, and so forth.  Then one can make informed choices about how to live out the rest of their lives.  For some it means becoming a vegan, for some a vegetarian, for some going off all dairy products and consuming free range non tortured animals only. For some of course it may mean nothing.  I strongly believe in FREE WILL, but the quality of our choices can improve with knowledge.  And ironically, after having done a lot of research on food  (recently because of Jordan) and its impact on our health.....it really is true, that what is good for nature is good for us.  For those who continue to chose to eat meat, free range meat is MUCH healthier than the tortured unhealthy counterpart that comes from factory farms (horrible torture centers). Don't just evaluate the low menu price of a fast food meal, instead evaluate the total price, the damage to your health and maybe your ethical values.

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Some of my Favorite Quotes from Literature and Science and even Television: 2/10/08

"My marriage is a fake Fendi"  Charlotte from Sex and the City, Season 5.

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"I had earned a Ph.D. in survival." - Augusten Burroughs

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Character is formed in the stormy billows of the world." -Goethe

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"Must it be, that what makes for man's happiness becomes the source of his misery?" Johann Wolfgang von Goethe  "The Sorrows of Young Werther"

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"I was at the point of breaking off, for no argument upsets me so much as when someone comes along with an insignificant commonplace when I am speaking from the fullness of my heart."-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "The Sorrows of Young Werther"

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"a loveless world is a dead world, and always there comes an hour when one is weary of prisons, of one's work, and of devotion to duty, and all one craves for is a loved face, the warmth and wonder of a loving heart." Albert Camus

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The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within. - Mahatma Gandhi-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals" ~ Immanuel Kant philosopher (1724-1804)

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