Not only because it's an eastern bloc nation (there are a number of east european countries that take a by on tolerable, and go straight on to "nice to visit." Personally I doubt that there are many where the "but I wouldn't want to live there" rider isn't also appropriate, with the possible exception of Poland), but because it has the latest posted release date for the newest Harry Potter movie. I suppose Norway (which has a release date of November 20th for HPII) isn't that far away, but it probably isn't a day trip. And frankly, the shape of the Norway/Sweden/Finland triad makes me vaguely uncomfortable, though I'm not really sure why.

So what I'm saying is that, this month at least, it sucks to be Estonian. On the upside, they threw off the yoke of Communism 10 years ago, which is more than I can say for China (I would put a Hong Kong release date for the Potter movie here, but evidentally everyone in all the major Chinese metropolitan areas already has a copy of it on DVD, so they aren't bothering to put it in theaters).

My apartment is still awesome. I picked up a couple of bookcases last night (one small, one large). Filled up the large one, and then realized that I don't have enough books in Queens to distribute over multiple bookcases. So I'm considering putting the smaller one (which is about 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide) in the living room. But I have no idea what we'd do with a bookcase in the living room... Chatchkes? Chess set? Books we want people to think we read? Empty beer can "collection"? I have a relatively profound collection of Homies... Maybe I'll recreate important Civil War battles using figurines of Hispanic urban youth.

Last week I called up Con Edison to set me up with gas and electric. Now that I'm paying my own electricity bill, I'm being a total conservation freak. At any given time there are only two lights on in my apartment: One is the overhead light for the room I'm currently in, and the second is the green LED on the speakers to my computer. It actually got a little out of control last night, when I would turn off the light in the room I was leaving before I entered the next room (thus leaving me in pitch black darkness in what is still a strange house). Luckily, I was carrying my cell phone with me, and the backlight on that thing is as powerful as the Bat Signal. I wonder if I should start charging the batteries for my phone at the office; I can cut down my power consumption to the trickle required to activate the pilot light on the stove...