To make life more colorful I spent some time with fotoshop and create new background image for my blog. I realized I have a lack of images and it’s hard to choose quality images which could be useful for web design. Maybe it’s time to by such photo camera, to cultivate my hidden designer and artist talent . Of course this is not a final version and as soon as I get proper images, I will try to make some improvements.
Although this wordpress theme restrict a little bit my ideas. Of course it is possible to create my own wordpress theme or even my own blog engine, but unfortunately I didn’t code HTML and PHP for a while and it probably take more time that I can afford.
Today is my birthday. First greeters was my friends in skype early in the morning. Later my co-workers come to visit me and give me a present card of Zelta bowling hall. Now I am on my way home where I planned to spent evening together with Elza. In those days I had eaten cakes more than in rest of the year.

About 3 month ago I got small leg muscle injury when ran Kuldīgas half marathon, but unfortunately it continued prey on me. And then I decided to buy bicycle and go in for sports in that way. I bought it 1.5 month ago but i found much much bigger excitement rather than in simple running. Actually I owned bicycle last summer, but unfortunately it had been stolen 5 month after purchasing. F***ing robbers! I was in loved in that bike a lot, and even now my heart crying sometimes.
Often I ride 3 – 4 laps in Biķernieku motor race track. But when I am in mood and have a free time I take longer ride. Last Saturday I and my friend Mārtiņš took a ride to beacon of Mangaļsala. Our root you can see in my google maps Ride was aprox 60 km long. When we are on our way back, Mārtiņš’s bike caught a peace of glass and ruined hist tyre. Happily we met some guys with pump. Quickly pumped up tyre and rushed to next gas station to pumped up again. And till sunset we luckily reached home.
Today I planned even farther trip through unknown woodlands and streets. I accurately studied map. The most tricky place was woodlands between Bukulti and Carnikova. My plan was use lakes as reference point. I did not want to take map with me because its too uncomfortable so only my orient tool was compass. But as you can see in my root in google map, despite of compass in some places I choose little bit wrong direction and never encounter any lakes. Some death ends privet properties and burial-ground also was a problem as a result of I should choose more unfavorable root. My odometer say’s that trip distance was about 80 km long.

Here are the planed (blue) and actual (red) roots.

View Velo_marshruts_31.10.2009 in a larger map

At last I receive pictures from Maris and Aļonas wedding.

Entering the church. Pastor was very funny man. Often we couldn’t stay calm, and started laugh about his jokes.

Childhood gates for Newly weds. Both should remembered one naughtiness from their childhood.

Crock hammering. This exercise Maris done very well. Almost every crock smashed in first attempt.

With this balance log Newly weds should drew line of their future. Line was calm and deep.

Last gates. Newly weds should said many dishes each other and promise that it will bee cook in future as many times as it possible

Traditional apple biting

Dances all night …

Who has lost their brass?

My dance with new Bride

All guests should showed accuracy and patience for Newly weds

Tried to flew air latterns. Non of any know how to do that. Initially we used small candles to warm up air. Thanks to someone, who red instruction first.

Alumīnija tortīte (Aluminium cake).

Mičošanas ceremony. All guests sang “Līgodama upe nesa”

Last weekend my sister married with her  beloved friend Maris. I and Elza were official witnesses of weddings.  In Latvian traditional weddings are official witnesses called vedējmāte and vedējtēvs as well, or in English it means sponsors of weddings, but they are not really the sponsors rather they are the persons who organize all activity as they should bee like an old Latvians peasant weddings . So it means that our responsibility was to help to organize every bit of detail of that event.

Wedding ceremony took a place in Orthodox Church somewhere in Torņakalns in Riga. After official ceremony when New couple exchanged rings and then all guests heaped up us with flowers. After church ceremony we went to Līgatne where some activities where prepared for Māris and Aļona,  crock hammering, childhood gates, life line drawing and many more.  On the way to main celebration place Jumurda, we were surprised by some friends who made a “gate” over the road. New Pair had to change underwear of  puppet.  Pants of puppet was dirt of lubricant of something, as if it was smelly shit .

Some of guests where in  quite a cheerful and funny mood,  when we arrived in Jumurda and checked in guest rooms, because many of them ride to Jumurda with rented bus and apparently started celebrating in bus . I and Elza were quite nervous because we were evening managers. I had to said first tost, which i made up out of the blue in the very last moment before I said it.  Despite some guests cheerful moods, initially atmosphere of evening was quite still. Thanks to musiciants who made the guests feel less tensed.  Till midnight continues dances and different games was played. And after as usual and according to traditions “mičošanas” ceremony took place. Newly weds red promises and wore a special attributes, all guest stood around newly weds and sang a song “Līgodama upe nesa” and burned candles.

After midnight newly weds cut cake and musicians sang funny song about “alumīnija tortīte” (aluminum cake) . Dances continued and different games were played till midnight.  At 3 – 4 am part of the guest gradually went to their room and fell asleep, including newly weds. The next morning was quite still. I and Elza oversleep a little bit, because of my mobile phone battery was low.  So new bride and bridegroom rose before us and traditional wake up ceremony didn’t take place. All guests ate breakfast and wrote bequest in newly weds bequest book.  All guest thanked for the great evening and slowly went home one by one.

Strange feeling now. My little sister is 4 years younger and married before me.  I wish to my sister and her husband Maris harmony, joy and many children.  And of course love for each other.

(Pictures will be available soon..)

Nearly 6 years ago, when I was 2-nd year student and went to Riga by buss one day, I met Dzintars and we start talking about student corporations. I had no idea what was that, and with Dzintars I also not being acquainted well.  But he started talk with me in such a way he nearly was my best friend  . Of course initially I hardly could understood things what Dzintars was talking about, for instant i had a sparkle in my mind that all that is bullshit or  some sort of  Sect. But we arranged that we encounter some day in  his student corporation,  Selonija.  After day or two Dzintars called me and invited me to “guest evening”. One man (oldermanis) explained for all guests what is Selonija, about traditions and so on. I didn’t like this all and pretended that I am a busy man,  my priority is university,  and i’ll have no time for such things.

After year my room-mate in student hostile Groovy asked me if  I know everything about student corps. He already attended many guest evenings of different student corps, so I remember my encounter with Dzintars. And for fun i agreed with Groovy and Reaalais attend another guest party, because bear is for free . So, in that year i changed my mind about student corps and join to Selonija, because there was few my acquaintances from Vecpiebalga. Groovy and Reaalais joined to corporation named Patria, because i think there were a lot of bear parties rather that other corps including Selonija.

In first year after I joined my status was “new one”,  called also as godson, freshman, fellow and so on. So my tasks was quite simple singing, dancing, fencing,  uncorking bear bottles, and studying history and traditions of Selonija.  So it was as it is in restaurant where you are waiter and others is owners of the restaurant, and quite often there comes restaurant clients from other student corporations. There are a lot’s of grades and professions of members of the corps. As i mention i was “new one”, after one or two years you become a comilton (com!) and after a while a filister (fil!). com! are being putted in professions. Each profession take care of different tasks, for example olderman (care of new one members), senior (main face of student corp) fencing master, and so on.

After i become a com! in same time i become a fencing master. So I realy loved fencing and with excitement I taught younger members. There was a lot’s of activities for example travel to Germany and Estonia to visit student corps there. A lot’s of friends and so on. But then i loose a special feeling and soon decided to leave. This was about 2 years ago, but few days ago I chated with Māris from Selonija  in skype, and he asked me “Where i have been lost?” And soon decided that I wonder to bee taken back.

…(to be continue)