Our Long National Nightmare Is Over

I’d almost forgotten but tomorrow is the big presidential election in the United States of America, where millions of people will head out to the polls to vote for a man or woman they’ve never heard of, who theoretically will accurately and fairly tabulate these votes and then weeks later meet secretly with other anonymous men and women, who will then cast their vote for … Continue reading Our Long National Nightmare Is Over

Murder in Piata Unirii

On a bitterly cold and dark morning last week, long after the last club goers had staggered home and before the commuters began heading to work, I saw a murder right in the center of Piata Unirii, the main square in downtown Cluj-Napoca. It was a brazen thing, committed right in the center of the square, which could’ve easily been witnessed by people. But there … Continue reading Murder in Piata Unirii

Double Your Pleasure

Yes! Today you get not one but two awesome Romanian words explained, thus doubling your pleasure! The first one is a common phrase: a freca menta. You might recognize the word mentă because it comes from the same Latin root as in English, meaning “mint”, whether the savory plant or the flavor that we derive from it. The verb freca however means to “rub” or … Continue reading Double Your Pleasure