Latvia arrival

8pm?

Waiting for the flight with us was a pair of girls approximately my age. One was stunning. She was dressed in a "Roxy" t-shirt and some plain, flattering jeans. Her hair had been bleached some 5 months ago and her medium brown roots were showing. Her power was in that she spoke no english and when she pronounced a 'P' or 'B', the tip of her nose dipped down like the siren in O, Brother.

I didn't know that this beautiful girl was a warning. Since I got here, I've been constantly visually assaulted by girls with perfect faces and fabulous figures. It's terrifying. These girls are better looking than the girls in advertisements around here.

The boys are less impressive, though I did see the grown-up, GQ-ed version of the drummer boy from the Sigur Ros video, no one could be described as stupefying, which, even conservatively applied to the women here, becomes overused.

I was taken to a place called Lido today. I was not hungry, and it was obvious that we were there for me. I blame the grandmother. She must have said something to them in Latvian for which I paid in awkward. Five people watched me refuse to eat a pasta dish I was forced into picking due to ham, and suffer through some vegetables Ladymama decided I wanted, despite my best efforts to quell the notion.

On the way to the apartment we drove through areas where "one's life is in one's hands" and bullet holes remained from 50, 60 years ago. The stone and concrete buildings are discolored and the wooden ones are rotted.

To my amazement, we did not leave these areas to arrive at the apartment. I'm not sure if it's dangerous here, but we are unquestionably in Eastern Europe (like the pictures).

Cats are everywhere and everything is unkempt. The result is beautiful trees and people who look despaired, beating rugs and hanging clothes to dry in the public court.

I watched some Rowing World Cup on TV (in Russian) and took a long cold shower (it's been around 90° and sunny as hell). I have no idea what time it is. The sun is still up, but that only means it's not between 11:30 and 3am. I've not slept more than 30 minutes since yesterday, so I'm going to pass out. Hopefully I'll dream up something good.