I was finally able to make it to Ari Kupsus's famous monthly Salon a couple nights ago. Ari is a Finnish art dealer living in Budapest.Read more »

I normally close my house in the countryside for the winter because I do not want the pipes to freeze and burst, but this year my Dutch friends Jeroen and Lennard convinced me (with no arm twisting needed) to keep it open for 2 weeks for them over the holidays. They went down a couple days befor me and started heating the house up. After 2 days, they got the 60cm thick horseshit-straw-mud brick walls from -3 up to 13 degrees C. I was very nervous that I would not be able to join them because of the train strike.Read more »

Like last year, I was lucky enough to be invited along to the Discover Budapest staff party. As most of you know, Treehugger Dan's second location behind the Opera House rents space in the Discover Budapest office. Last year the party was at Ben’s wine cellar.Read more »

It is not every day your dream comes true and at the same time, you help make dreams come true for others. I have been lucky that I have now been able to realise 3 out of my 4 life-long dreams: ski the Alps, open a used book store play Santa Claus, and become the first Jewish pope.Read more »

Having just moved into a partly furnished flat, I had to get rid of an old Russian fridge that was already in the flat. There the awkward debate of course about what to do with old non-energy efficient fridges and the freon gas in the coils. However, I reckon it is better that someone gets some use out of it if it still works rather than sending it to the landfill where the coils will be broken, the gas escapes, and someone has to pay for the resources going into a new appliance. There is a shop at Wesselenyi u. 40 (VII district) that deals with used tvs and fridges.Read more »

The Voice & The Verse joyously hit Budapest again last night and gave me a good wallop of cheer when I needed it. The quartet of 2 Irish Poets and 2 singer-songwriters from the US and Ireland have played Treehugger Dan's several times over the last 3 years, and frankly, I cannot get enough of them.Read more »

Last night I had the first dinner party at my new flat. It is flat number 21 in 18 years in Budapest, but this one is MINE (and the bank's for the next 27 years ;-) I made some nice pumpkin soup, new potatoes with sage and garlic, and a big salad. When my Dutch friends arrived, I expected them to bring some wine for the house warming, but instead, I got a bit of my own back. Lennard and Jeroen brought me two excellent gifts - an energy efficient lightbulb, and an extension cord with a master switch.Read more »

A couple years ago I visited the Orkeny Theater for the first time and saw an amazing performance of "Az Alku"  (not sure, but I think this is "The Price") by Arthur Miller, starring GÁLVÖLGYI JÁNOS, PUSZTASZERI KORNÉL, TÓTH ENIKŐ and DUNAI TAMÁS.Read more »

I came of age in the early 1980's when people had no idea how HIV was transmitted, and everyone in the US got a packet of info hung on their front door from Attorney General Koop. Back then, people still thought HIV could be transmitted by toilet seats. Although much more is known about the disease now, the behaviour of many people, including close friends, has not changed. They are still putting their lives, and the lives of their loved-ones at serious risk.Read more »

The Global Financial Incompetence BailoutRead more »