I somehow made it through the afternoon/evening without thinking too much of what was going on in Lipnica. Of course it wouldn’t have done any good — I’m here, unable to go there for months at least. And to be honest, at this point I’m glad I wasn’t there — the morning/day after studniówka is always a bit horrendous. I wouldn’t have gotten back home (wherever that might have been — the Matelas’ place, I guess) until sometime this morning, and the rest of today would have been shot. What would I have done today? All things considered (i.e., I would be there on vacation with responsibilities for tomorrow — no lesson plans, no grading, nothing), I might have tried to meet Janusz at Quattro sometime this afternoon and just sit around doing next to nothing. But I’m here, not there — moot points all in all.

I got a new Philadelphia Trumpet (the December ‘99 issue) in the mail Friday and I’ve thumbed through it throughout the weekend. I’ve noticed two things afresh:

1. There is an increasing number of articles about China — specifically the “Red” aspect of its political structure. The reasons for this are a little unclear. In the two articles in the latest Trumpet, there are no mentions of China “in prophecy” and considering how it’s supposed to be Germany that defeats America, I’m a little unclear on what role China is supposed to play in all this. I can understand the article on the Panama Canal if it were Germany that was gaining control over it, but it’s China — or at least a Chinese conglomerate.
2. Among the Trumpet writers (or at least those in the Flurry clan — Stephen and his father Gerald) there seems to be virtual worship of two folks: Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. They are great leaders, oft quoted in the Trumpet. Yet, according to PCG’s theology, they are by necessity deceived people. They might as well be worshipping Satan — they didn’t tithe; they didn’t keep the Sabbath; they didn’t abstain from Christmas; they ate crab and shrimp and pork. They are as foul as the rest of the unconverted scum of the earth.

I started a letter to Anna P. yesterday, though I really didn’t get that far with it. It was taking me quite a bit of time to eek out a few lines in Polish. I’m torn about whether to write in Polish or English. If I write in the former, then everyone can read it — and I trust no one in that village regarding mail. Poczta Polska has a less-than-stellar record in my experience, and further, if the letter gets delivered to the wrong address, I have no doubt that the individual who accidentally receives it will read it. Not that I’m writing the most personal things in the world — to a degree, it wouldn’t even bit a big deal considering the content. Yet I know how people in that village talk, so I don’t really want to take a chance. Yet if I write in English, then it will be all the more enticing if it’s mis-delivered; and Anna might not have the motivation to wade through all the unknown portions. For now I’m writing in Polish, but we’ll see.