Sunday, June 14, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Day 324: Fun with English Translations
I’m keeping today’s post pretty quick and dirty. Because something very funny just happened. Serena and I decided to order Chinese take-out for dinner tonight. Which I am very excited about. Recently a local Chinese restaurant had papered our neighborhood… so why now? Let’s check it out. So, we each looked at the menu to see what we wanted… and then I saw it:
Svinjetina sa bademom sa pet zacina
The provided English translation in the menu said the following: “Almond pork with five species”.
Now, my Serbian isn’t all that great… but I have to assume that “zacina” means “spices”… but, just to be safe… because you never know… I passed on my curiosity.
Svinjetina sa bademom sa pet zacina
The provided English translation in the menu said the following: “Almond pork with five species”.
Now, my Serbian isn’t all that great… but I have to assume that “zacina” means “spices”… but, just to be safe… because you never know… I passed on my curiosity.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Day 319: Nick Slaughter for President?
It comes as no surprise that most “A” list American celebrities are worldwide sensations. And for a lucky few, they become cult figures in certain countries around the world, like Jerry Lewis in France. But every once and a while a “lower grade” American celebrity is able to achieve cult status overseas. I think we are all still scratching our heads over David Hasselhoff’s iconic status in Germany... and even more peculiar, how Hasselhoff has been able to use that German support to relaunch his career multiple times in the States. This kind of phenomenon is not unusual and in most cases, when I find out some “B” or “C” list celebrities are insanely popular in some random part of the world, I’m like “Really? They love Jimmy Smits in Iceland? Who knew?” I might not understand their popularity... but at least I know who they are and for the most part I can where their recognition could come from.
That is until a colleague and I recently found out Serbian’s are nuts about Rob Stewart. And no, “Rob” is not a type-o... I meant to type “b”. Yesterday, one of the local Serbian newspapers ran a front page article about the upcoming visit from “Popular American Actor Rob Stewart, aka, Nick Slaughter”. Which of course raised an eyebrow among the American staff... “who the heck is Rob Stewart?” And better yet, “who the heck is Nick Slaughter?” This dilemma reached its apex when we were overheard by our Serbian counterparts... “What do you mean you don’t know who Nick Slaughter is? Come on! It’s Nick Slaughter! Tropical Heat!” And it was at this moment my Serbian colleagues unfolded a story of a seemingly unknown actor (Rob Stewart), his obscure over the top character (Nick Slaughter), and a forgettable television show in which he appeared (Tropical Heat, aka, Sweating Bullets). Of course, I am the one using words like “unknown”, “obscure” and “forgettable”... because for Serbians, Nick Slaughter is far from either... and in 1996 actor Rob Stewart had no idea that he played another part, in real life... one of a revolutionary icon that would help initiate the NEW Serbian path.
Now, before I continue, I should point out that Rob Steward is Canadian... and Tropical Heat was a Canadian television show... but no one here seems to care about that... after all, what kind of Canadian wears unbuttoned Hawaiian shirts showing off his hairy chest? Yeah... I know... it sounds like a very American thing to do.
Anyway, for us Americans, Tropical Heat was renamed to Sweating Bullets and introduced to insomniacs across the country every Monday night/Tuesday morning on CBS... as part of a program line-up called “Crimetime after Primetime”... in 1991. Other distinguished alums of this dubious timeslot on CBS includes “Forever Night” and the originally instalment of “Silk Stalking”
But, while most of us were sleeping through Sweating Bullets in the States... a Serbian station picked it up in syndication and Topical Heat was a breakaway hit. Where an American audience would describe the shows antics as cheesy... for a country in turmoil, Tropical Heat was pure escapism. For everything about the show was the exact opposite as life in Serbia at the time. And although Tropical Heat only lasted three seasons, for a total of 75 episodes... Serbian audiences welcomed Nick Slaughter into their homes well into the mid to late 90s. And those reruns are what transformed him from an escapist ideal to a cult icon. I am sure you have seen the Andre the Giant stickers that were so popular for a while in the States. In some major cities they are plastered everywhere. Well, Nick Slaughter became the subject of a similar movement in the mid 1990s... when graffiti artists began using his likeness all over Serbia with the caption, “Nick Slaughter, Serbia Hails You!”
And as the anti-Milosevic movement began to materialize, those seeking a NEW Serbia turned to Nick Slaughter as their symbol of oppositional politics. It was not uncommon to hear protesters chanting and see banners declaring “Nick Slaughter for President”. Furthermore, Slaughter was the hero in numerous anti-Milosevic political cartoon strips and deified in song by Serbian bands... most notably: Atheist Rap.
What makes this story so wonderful is that Rob Stewart never knew of his popularity, impact, and role in Serbia’s rebirth... or that Tropical Heat had ever aired in Serbia in the first place for that matter, until January 2009 while surfing Facebook:
“I accidentally bumped into a Face Book profile of a Serbian Ivan Jovanovic who wrote next to his name ‘Nick Slaughter for the President’. I wrote a witty comment: ’Hey, if you want me to be your president, all you have to do is to ask’ and I thought that would be the end of this story. “ – quote from Blic (Serbian Newspaper)
Of course... it wasn’t the end of the story. Ivan wrote back explaining everything that I just explained... and even sent Rob an English translation of Atheist Rap’s lyrics.
What now? A documentary about the impact of the Nick Slaughter character on Serbia is in the works... and tomorrow, Rob Stewart will join Atheist Rap in Novi Sad, Serbia for a concert celebrating the bands 20th anniversary... how cool is that?
That is until a colleague and I recently found out Serbian’s are nuts about Rob Stewart. And no, “Rob” is not a type-o... I meant to type “b”. Yesterday, one of the local Serbian newspapers ran a front page article about the upcoming visit from “Popular American Actor Rob Stewart, aka, Nick Slaughter”. Which of course raised an eyebrow among the American staff... “who the heck is Rob Stewart?” And better yet, “who the heck is Nick Slaughter?” This dilemma reached its apex when we were overheard by our Serbian counterparts... “What do you mean you don’t know who Nick Slaughter is? Come on! It’s Nick Slaughter! Tropical Heat!” And it was at this moment my Serbian colleagues unfolded a story of a seemingly unknown actor (Rob Stewart), his obscure over the top character (Nick Slaughter), and a forgettable television show in which he appeared (Tropical Heat, aka, Sweating Bullets). Of course, I am the one using words like “unknown”, “obscure” and “forgettable”... because for Serbians, Nick Slaughter is far from either... and in 1996 actor Rob Stewart had no idea that he played another part, in real life... one of a revolutionary icon that would help initiate the NEW Serbian path.
Now, before I continue, I should point out that Rob Steward is Canadian... and Tropical Heat was a Canadian television show... but no one here seems to care about that... after all, what kind of Canadian wears unbuttoned Hawaiian shirts showing off his hairy chest? Yeah... I know... it sounds like a very American thing to do.
Anyway, for us Americans, Tropical Heat was renamed to Sweating Bullets and introduced to insomniacs across the country every Monday night/Tuesday morning on CBS... as part of a program line-up called “Crimetime after Primetime”... in 1991. Other distinguished alums of this dubious timeslot on CBS includes “Forever Night” and the originally instalment of “Silk Stalking”
But, while most of us were sleeping through Sweating Bullets in the States... a Serbian station picked it up in syndication and Topical Heat was a breakaway hit. Where an American audience would describe the shows antics as cheesy... for a country in turmoil, Tropical Heat was pure escapism. For everything about the show was the exact opposite as life in Serbia at the time. And although Tropical Heat only lasted three seasons, for a total of 75 episodes... Serbian audiences welcomed Nick Slaughter into their homes well into the mid to late 90s. And those reruns are what transformed him from an escapist ideal to a cult icon. I am sure you have seen the Andre the Giant stickers that were so popular for a while in the States. In some major cities they are plastered everywhere. Well, Nick Slaughter became the subject of a similar movement in the mid 1990s... when graffiti artists began using his likeness all over Serbia with the caption, “Nick Slaughter, Serbia Hails You!”
And as the anti-Milosevic movement began to materialize, those seeking a NEW Serbia turned to Nick Slaughter as their symbol of oppositional politics. It was not uncommon to hear protesters chanting and see banners declaring “Nick Slaughter for President”. Furthermore, Slaughter was the hero in numerous anti-Milosevic political cartoon strips and deified in song by Serbian bands... most notably: Atheist Rap.
What makes this story so wonderful is that Rob Stewart never knew of his popularity, impact, and role in Serbia’s rebirth... or that Tropical Heat had ever aired in Serbia in the first place for that matter, until January 2009 while surfing Facebook:
“I accidentally bumped into a Face Book profile of a Serbian Ivan Jovanovic who wrote next to his name ‘Nick Slaughter for the President’. I wrote a witty comment: ’Hey, if you want me to be your president, all you have to do is to ask’ and I thought that would be the end of this story. “ – quote from Blic (Serbian Newspaper)
Of course... it wasn’t the end of the story. Ivan wrote back explaining everything that I just explained... and even sent Rob an English translation of Atheist Rap’s lyrics.
What now? A documentary about the impact of the Nick Slaughter character on Serbia is in the works... and tomorrow, Rob Stewart will join Atheist Rap in Novi Sad, Serbia for a concert celebrating the bands 20th anniversary... how cool is that?
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Day 313: Luke Skywalker and the Venice of Doom
Whelp, my days of bachelorhood (revisited) are over. The family hath returned. Thank the lord! I never sleep well when they are away and I can finally get some much deserved rest. Anyway, so many of you are probably asking… where did they go? Why were you not with them? Well… the answers to those questions are pretty easy. Serena and Gray spent the last week on the Italian coast just outside of Venice. And listen… I don’t want to hear it… I am jealous too.
A few months ago, Serena was informed of another business trip, this time just north of Venice. Now, the thing about her work is that she is contracted on a daily rate. So, no matter where in the world she is sent, she is paid per day. And her travel to get to the location comes out of her daily rate. It sounds weird, I know… it took some time for me to get used to it… but it really works since the daily rate is closer to what a normal person would make in a week… (But it evens out after travel costs are taken out) and most of the time she is contracted for two days worth of work which makes paying for her own travel totally cost effective. But, a couple of times she has only been contracted for one day… and that can cause some problems. This has only happened twice since being in Europe… the first being Croatia. Which is was only a four hour drive from home, so it was a no brainer. We turned it into a family trip.
The second time this happened was Venice. Which was a pretty “major” problem. You see, flying in and out of Belgrade isn’t exactly the cheapest endeavor in the world. Although Belgrade is the largest city in the former Yugoslavia, it is over shadowed by Budapest (which is only 4 hours away) when it comes to affordable airfare. As Serena began to research the trip it became very apparent that round trip airfare to Venice was going to be more expensive than driving eight hours and renting a condo off the beach for a week (off season). I am not pulling your leg… the condo for the week was about 150 Euro cheaper than her round trip airfare would have been… which comes out to be about $215.00 cheaper. Bargain? I think so.
Originally we talked about going as a family… but being that this is my first year in this new job and that we wanted a chance to return to the States for a visit sooner than later, eating up a whole week of annual leave just didn’t seem like it was in the cards.
So, Serena started talking to our neighbors and the next thing we knew… it was a mom’s trip (with kids). Which sounded great to me! And it was… for about a day and a half. Then it simply got down right boring.
But! They are back! Hurray! And Grayson and I had a wonderful time at his schools international day festival today for three hours while Serena finished up some work and recovered from the excessive driving.
The festival was a lot of fun, not just for Gray, but for me as well. A lot of my friends here have kids at the school so it was a very social time for everyone. And Gray and I won a restaurant gift certificate worth 3,000 Dinar (you can do the math yourself)!!! I also really enjoyed to time to simply be with Gray… I don’t like being way from him for extended lengths of time. He grows up too fast. I made some of my friends laugh today when I would ask Gray how he grew up fifteen years in just one week… it sounds funny… but it feels true.
The best part of the festival was when we went to the face painting booth and we were waiting in line. I asked him what he wanted painted… and he said… Luke Skywalker. I couldn’t help but laugh… but Gray was insistent. He wanted he face painted like Luke Skywalker.
Being that I am a total geek… all by brain could think of was… “does he want pre-car accident Mark Hamill, or post-car accident Mark Hamill?” Either way, I got some laughs when I asked if anyone knew how to paint Mark Hamill on my sons face…
In the end, we were able to distract him with a drawing of a Ninja Turtle. I think the teacher at the face painting station was thankful… she didn’t seem like a Star War fan.
So, for the rest of today we have been instructed to call Gray, “Raphael” … he has refused to wash his face… and is no longer calling Serena “mommy”, she is now “April”… and I…. I have been properly remained “Master Splinter”. I have to say that I am very impressed with Gray’s imaginative play skills. He is so in character that he has found two sticks (which he calls his “sai”) and alternately refers to me as “Teacher” and “Master”.
Now… I have to admit… I was a Star Wars and a Ninja Turtle freak growing up… but I have never pushed either on him. But, when he comes to me asking… “What is Star Wars”, “Who are the Ninja Turtles”… my hearth melts… and I know it is time for a serious father/son talk… “You know Gray? The Ninja turtles started out as normal turtles… just like the ones you have in the fish tank at school… but the people that had the Ninja turtle couldn’t take care of them and let them go into the wild of the New York City sewer system…”
Anyway, I won’t bore you with anymore… but I will tell you this… It was a wonderful conversation.
A few months ago, Serena was informed of another business trip, this time just north of Venice. Now, the thing about her work is that she is contracted on a daily rate. So, no matter where in the world she is sent, she is paid per day. And her travel to get to the location comes out of her daily rate. It sounds weird, I know… it took some time for me to get used to it… but it really works since the daily rate is closer to what a normal person would make in a week… (But it evens out after travel costs are taken out) and most of the time she is contracted for two days worth of work which makes paying for her own travel totally cost effective. But, a couple of times she has only been contracted for one day… and that can cause some problems. This has only happened twice since being in Europe… the first being Croatia. Which is was only a four hour drive from home, so it was a no brainer. We turned it into a family trip.
The second time this happened was Venice. Which was a pretty “major” problem. You see, flying in and out of Belgrade isn’t exactly the cheapest endeavor in the world. Although Belgrade is the largest city in the former Yugoslavia, it is over shadowed by Budapest (which is only 4 hours away) when it comes to affordable airfare. As Serena began to research the trip it became very apparent that round trip airfare to Venice was going to be more expensive than driving eight hours and renting a condo off the beach for a week (off season). I am not pulling your leg… the condo for the week was about 150 Euro cheaper than her round trip airfare would have been… which comes out to be about $215.00 cheaper. Bargain? I think so.
Originally we talked about going as a family… but being that this is my first year in this new job and that we wanted a chance to return to the States for a visit sooner than later, eating up a whole week of annual leave just didn’t seem like it was in the cards.
So, Serena started talking to our neighbors and the next thing we knew… it was a mom’s trip (with kids). Which sounded great to me! And it was… for about a day and a half. Then it simply got down right boring.
But! They are back! Hurray! And Grayson and I had a wonderful time at his schools international day festival today for three hours while Serena finished up some work and recovered from the excessive driving.
The festival was a lot of fun, not just for Gray, but for me as well. A lot of my friends here have kids at the school so it was a very social time for everyone. And Gray and I won a restaurant gift certificate worth 3,000 Dinar (you can do the math yourself)!!! I also really enjoyed to time to simply be with Gray… I don’t like being way from him for extended lengths of time. He grows up too fast. I made some of my friends laugh today when I would ask Gray how he grew up fifteen years in just one week… it sounds funny… but it feels true.
The best part of the festival was when we went to the face painting booth and we were waiting in line. I asked him what he wanted painted… and he said… Luke Skywalker. I couldn’t help but laugh… but Gray was insistent. He wanted he face painted like Luke Skywalker.
Being that I am a total geek… all by brain could think of was… “does he want pre-car accident Mark Hamill, or post-car accident Mark Hamill?” Either way, I got some laughs when I asked if anyone knew how to paint Mark Hamill on my sons face…
In the end, we were able to distract him with a drawing of a Ninja Turtle. I think the teacher at the face painting station was thankful… she didn’t seem like a Star War fan.
So, for the rest of today we have been instructed to call Gray, “Raphael” … he has refused to wash his face… and is no longer calling Serena “mommy”, she is now “April”… and I…. I have been properly remained “Master Splinter”. I have to say that I am very impressed with Gray’s imaginative play skills. He is so in character that he has found two sticks (which he calls his “sai”) and alternately refers to me as “Teacher” and “Master”.
Now… I have to admit… I was a Star Wars and a Ninja Turtle freak growing up… but I have never pushed either on him. But, when he comes to me asking… “What is Star Wars”, “Who are the Ninja Turtles”… my hearth melts… and I know it is time for a serious father/son talk… “You know Gray? The Ninja turtles started out as normal turtles… just like the ones you have in the fish tank at school… but the people that had the Ninja turtle couldn’t take care of them and let them go into the wild of the New York City sewer system…”
Anyway, I won’t bore you with anymore… but I will tell you this… It was a wonderful conversation.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Day 308: Meeting the "Big Bosses Best Friend"
Okay… so, politics and political leanings aside I have an amazing story to share with you… to go along with the picture.
We recently met US Vice-President Joseph Biden. Yeah... Biden... crazy right? Honestly, celebrities and figures of his stature rarely meet my expectations when I meet them. And of course, these expectations are formed merely by what these people want you to see. Whatever you think about Biden, there is one thing I have to say having now met him... he is the real deal. Exactly what you see is what you get. Only two celebrities have ever exceeded my expectations: Joe Biden and Malcolm McDowell. Biden is no-nonsense, he speaks off the top of his head, he oozes love and respect for family, and he loves kids. And he surrounds himself with kids… you will see a lot more of that in May’s video… but my point is that a person cannot fake these attributes around kids… they can smell fakes… and Biden is not one.
During his recent to the Balkan’s, which was his first overseas visit as VP, Biden took out time in his very busy schedule to host a meet and greet for all families associated with the embassy. Apparently, these kinds of evens are not the norm for high level visits. And when they did happen, they almost never included spouses and children. There was a lot of speculation from my colleagues, that the meet and greet would be cut short… or last no longer than thirty minutes. One colleague “knowingly” said that Biden would probably give a short speech, shake the hands of the 10 people in the front row and then leave… at least this is what people in my line of work has been accustom too… I don’t think anyone was prepared for Biden. In fact, earlier that faithful day, I was talking with a woman who worked on Biden’s campaign who commented on the fact that the VP is known for sticking to his schedule and didn’t expect any issues on timing… but then volunteered her opinion that he would probably only go long at the meet and greet… “he likes those kinds of things.” And he most definitely went long.
When he first arrived to the meet and greet, he was introduced and he began to address the crowd, but quickly stopped himself, walked off the front of the stage, took down the rope keep us back, and invited all the kids to have a seat around the stage with him. When he got back to the podium… before starting his formal remarks he took a moment to talk about how our kids and spouses make the greatest sacrifice for the work we do and he just can’t let the kids stand roped off like cattle. Sure, everything is a photo op, I am not that naive... but these are not photos for a national paper, there were no reporters... it was just for us. This kind of event doesn't make the papers. And what he did was very rare for officials of that level.
Grayson was one of the youngest... and although he behaved VERY well, he got a little bored and had been walking back and forth, periodically, from his seat on the stage and Serena and me (who were standing by the ropes) during the speech. He would get up to come stand with us... and would then go back to his spot. It happened a couple of times… nothing too distracting.
Anyway, the VP spoke for about 10 minutes and Gray was standing with us when Biden got off the stage to meet the kids. Biden asked if he could sit with them and when they made space for Biden, Gray's spot was obviously the one that disappeared to accommodate. Grayson wasn't interested in going back at first... kind of shy (like with Santa), but when he saw Biden shaking hands and talking to all of the kids like a grandfather would, everything was okay and Gray wanted to go back, without any suggestion from us. He went back to where is spot was... no room... he asked Jacob (a six year old friend) if he could sit on his lap... Jacob said “no”… But, another older kid told gray that he could sit on his lap if he wanted. But, before Gray has a chance to react. Biden reached over saying "you can sit on my lap", picked him up and planted him there.
Gray was very funny at first, I could see it in his eyes, “What just happened? Where am I?” And when he realized he was on the lap of “The Big Bosses Best Friends” (As Gray calls him), he was totally cool with it… he dug it. Gray was very interested in being Biden's "right hand man" while he continues to shake hands and talked to the other children. I took a ton of pictures and switched over to video just in time to catch Biden give Gray a very warm kiss on the top of the head as he stood up to give some attention to us parents.
Just a little bit later it was our turn in the receiving "mingle" to say hi... Biden instinctively greeted Gray first by bending down and scooping him up in his arms... and then greeting Serena and me. What was even more impressive is that the VP stayed to greet and take a picture with every single one of us. It’s the small thrills right? But we’re talking about 100 to 200 people… outside on a hot Serbian day after a long day of meetings. It was quite a commitment on the VP’s part. Pretty amazing.
But, I must make another comment as the very proud parent that I am. Gray’s photo op on the VP’s lap was not like his yearly trip to see Santa. For Santa… ever kid gets the honor to sit on his lap… for Biden’s visit… Gray was in the right place at the right time… he was the old kid to have the honor.
.JPG)
We recently met US Vice-President Joseph Biden. Yeah... Biden... crazy right? Honestly, celebrities and figures of his stature rarely meet my expectations when I meet them. And of course, these expectations are formed merely by what these people want you to see. Whatever you think about Biden, there is one thing I have to say having now met him... he is the real deal. Exactly what you see is what you get. Only two celebrities have ever exceeded my expectations: Joe Biden and Malcolm McDowell. Biden is no-nonsense, he speaks off the top of his head, he oozes love and respect for family, and he loves kids. And he surrounds himself with kids… you will see a lot more of that in May’s video… but my point is that a person cannot fake these attributes around kids… they can smell fakes… and Biden is not one.
During his recent to the Balkan’s, which was his first overseas visit as VP, Biden took out time in his very busy schedule to host a meet and greet for all families associated with the embassy. Apparently, these kinds of evens are not the norm for high level visits. And when they did happen, they almost never included spouses and children. There was a lot of speculation from my colleagues, that the meet and greet would be cut short… or last no longer than thirty minutes. One colleague “knowingly” said that Biden would probably give a short speech, shake the hands of the 10 people in the front row and then leave… at least this is what people in my line of work has been accustom too… I don’t think anyone was prepared for Biden. In fact, earlier that faithful day, I was talking with a woman who worked on Biden’s campaign who commented on the fact that the VP is known for sticking to his schedule and didn’t expect any issues on timing… but then volunteered her opinion that he would probably only go long at the meet and greet… “he likes those kinds of things.” And he most definitely went long.
When he first arrived to the meet and greet, he was introduced and he began to address the crowd, but quickly stopped himself, walked off the front of the stage, took down the rope keep us back, and invited all the kids to have a seat around the stage with him. When he got back to the podium… before starting his formal remarks he took a moment to talk about how our kids and spouses make the greatest sacrifice for the work we do and he just can’t let the kids stand roped off like cattle. Sure, everything is a photo op, I am not that naive... but these are not photos for a national paper, there were no reporters... it was just for us. This kind of event doesn't make the papers. And what he did was very rare for officials of that level.
Grayson was one of the youngest... and although he behaved VERY well, he got a little bored and had been walking back and forth, periodically, from his seat on the stage and Serena and me (who were standing by the ropes) during the speech. He would get up to come stand with us... and would then go back to his spot. It happened a couple of times… nothing too distracting.
Anyway, the VP spoke for about 10 minutes and Gray was standing with us when Biden got off the stage to meet the kids. Biden asked if he could sit with them and when they made space for Biden, Gray's spot was obviously the one that disappeared to accommodate. Grayson wasn't interested in going back at first... kind of shy (like with Santa), but when he saw Biden shaking hands and talking to all of the kids like a grandfather would, everything was okay and Gray wanted to go back, without any suggestion from us. He went back to where is spot was... no room... he asked Jacob (a six year old friend) if he could sit on his lap... Jacob said “no”… But, another older kid told gray that he could sit on his lap if he wanted. But, before Gray has a chance to react. Biden reached over saying "you can sit on my lap", picked him up and planted him there.
Gray was very funny at first, I could see it in his eyes, “What just happened? Where am I?” And when he realized he was on the lap of “The Big Bosses Best Friends” (As Gray calls him), he was totally cool with it… he dug it. Gray was very interested in being Biden's "right hand man" while he continues to shake hands and talked to the other children. I took a ton of pictures and switched over to video just in time to catch Biden give Gray a very warm kiss on the top of the head as he stood up to give some attention to us parents.
Just a little bit later it was our turn in the receiving "mingle" to say hi... Biden instinctively greeted Gray first by bending down and scooping him up in his arms... and then greeting Serena and me. What was even more impressive is that the VP stayed to greet and take a picture with every single one of us. It’s the small thrills right? But we’re talking about 100 to 200 people… outside on a hot Serbian day after a long day of meetings. It was quite a commitment on the VP’s part. Pretty amazing.
But, I must make another comment as the very proud parent that I am. Gray’s photo op on the VP’s lap was not like his yearly trip to see Santa. For Santa… ever kid gets the honor to sit on his lap… for Biden’s visit… Gray was in the right place at the right time… he was the old kid to have the honor.
.JPG)
Friday, May 15, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
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