Birthdays, spicy reveals and even a tag, oh my!

As today, in the last day of Middle Earth’s Old Year, we both celebrate our Birthday, we decided to celebrate it with a post that will reveal some hard truths and clear some popular misconceptions about the two individuals running Re-E since 2015, OlaG and piotrek!

OlaG’s name is Aleksandra (like the Cohen’s song), so she’s female and Polish, not a male Russian lumberjack named Oleg as I believe someone used to think 😉 Below – a proof 😉

Piotrek is a local version of Peter, he answers to both (and Pio, too) 😉 A very popular name, there were four of us in my high school class.

Piotrek: So, we were actually both born March 24, although not of the same year. I – some time in the early 80-ties, Ola – a bit (but not much) later. We met in the beginning of this century, while studying sociology at the oldest Polish University, where we both joined one club. A club dedicated to the study of power and politics, and the fact that the meetings took place in a pub should not make you doubt its seriousness. Believe it or not, I was a resident right-winger, as these days I fancied myself a liberal-conservative. Now my zeal is redirected, as is obvious to any reader of my posts 😉

Ola: Heh, I was always the resident liberal leftist and nothing has changed in this regard. 😉 Though to be fair, I find these political labels more and more constricting and inaccurate – becoming more like tribal totems than a precise reflection of reality.

Piotrek: Sure, but that’s a topic for another discussion.

Somewhere between sociolinguistics and history of social thought we also learned that we both read fantasy and SF, a bit more than most people, and often more obscure books. This was something we discussed more and more, especially after I finished the university – while Ola continued, to become a professional. And one day we decided that our discussions would get some structure and substance if they were recorded in the written form. We’d also give the world a chance to become acquainted with our great ideas. That’s how Re-Enchantment of the World was born.

Ola: Yup, hard to believe that this blog is already six years old and still alive and kicking!

Piotrek: So, we’ve been friends for years. We were, however, never a pair, and we’ve been both happily paired with other people. I, with a fiancée who even called out is unlikely to comment on my blog 😛

Ola: And I’ve been happily married for years, to my high-school sweetheart (whose name is, incidentally, Piotr ;))

Piotrek: And we no longer live close. I stayed in Krakow, and moved back into the flat I was born in (well, where I moved when they released me from the maternity ward, to be precise), and fortified it’s walls with huge bookshelves photos of which I add into half my posts 😉

Ola: Whereas I immigrated to New Zealand three years ago. My bookshelves are still in Poland, but I add plenty of photos of New Zealand to my posts, hopefully as equally enticing as Piotrek’s shelves – it’s such a beautiful country 😉

Piotrek: And now, a light-hearted tag I’ve seen at Bookstooge’s that reportedly originated from the Read-warbler blog 🙂 Stooge called it Navel Gazing in Books. The rule is to answer a series of personal questions with titles of books read in previous year – but I added some read in 2021, as its first quarter is already coming to an end.

Describe Yourself

Piotrek: The View from the Cheap Seats. Reviewing books and reality, happy about my own life, but increasingly uneasy about the state of our disunited world, enjoying my own sense of detachment and superiority…

Ola: The Seventh Perfection. Duh. I just passed the test for the full driving license for the left-hand traffic, and now I’ve got both right- and left-hand licenses – maybe it’s time for a motorcycle license? 😉

How Do You Feel?

Piotrek: Gridlinked. I’m constantly online, with not much difference between working hours in my home office and evening behind the same desk in this pandemic world…

Ola: The Forest God. New Zealand is a land of sub-tropical forests and lush gardens and green, green fields. That aspect was one of the key for us in deciding where to move.

Describe Where You Currently Live

Piotrek: Orwell / Lovecraft Country. Poland is a country of doublethink where animals currently on top are more equal than the others. There is still room for freedom on the personal level, but the state, including state media, is increasingly just a tool of the ruling party. And various ugly monsters use this situation to raise from the shadows, racism, anti-Semitism, nationalism, religious fundamentalism…

Ola: The Ocean at the End of the Lane. No horrifying monsters hiding in tiny wounds and wearing people like sleeves, thankfully, but there’s literally an ocean (well, a gulf) at the end of my lane 😉

If You Could Go Anywhere, Where Would It Be?

Piotrek: Ian Banks’ Culture. I’m cheating a bit, using series’ name and not a title of any specific book, but I did read two Culture books last year, and this universe is my Utopia, I’d move there any time.

Ola: Heh, what a wonderful coincidence that in 2020 I actually re-read for the eleventh (or more) time The Fellowship of the Ring!

Favorite Form of Transportation

Piotrek: Dealing with Dragons. Yep, this is the way to travel.

Ola: The Pale Horseman. I actually went for a horse-riding trip in November, that was an adventure! 😀 Plus, there’s a lot of sailing in Cornwell’s book, and I do love sailing. And have I mentioned that Team New Zealand just won the 36th America’s Cup?

Your Best Friend Is …

Piotrek: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Time of Your Life. She might not be a nerd, but she’s a feisty, no-bullshit feminist, at times rushing into action in an instant, even if a bit more planning could be advised…

Ola: Polity Agent (actually, Brass Man, but I read it in 2019 so probably doesn’t count ;)). But generally, a badass nearly indestructible AI would be a great friend to have 😉

You and Your Friends Are …

Piotrek: Saga: Book One. Ignore the boob and the baby, but our Saga is just beginning 🙂

Ola: The Paper Menagerie. All my friends are dispersed around the world, and the contact with them is mostly through the screens – especially now in the time of pandemic. There’s a bit of magic, and a bit of nostalgia, and a bit of optimism, too.

What’s the Weather Like?

Piotrek: The Shadow of the Gloomy East. Yep, Poland is sometimes pretty, but not now. It snows a bit, then it melts and we have even more mud.

Ola: Race the Sands turning slowly into Mexican Gothic (it’s the southern hemisphere, after all – autumn in upon us 😉

You Fear …

Piotrek: Critical Failures. On all fronts, societal, personal, and while playing RPG… sometimes bad things happen and there’s nothing one can do. But not always 🙂

Ola: Ethnic Chauvinism and A Morbid Taste for Bones leading us all to Sea of Rust.

What Is the Best Advice You Have To Give?

Piotrek: A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism. It’s about the title, you don’t need to become a liberal like me 😉 Go for a lot of small, incremental improvements, in all areas, avoid grand schemes and big assumptions!

Ola: The Dragons and the Snakes: How the Rest Learned to Fight the West. Military-minded, but quite illuminating in describing how the political power in the world is in a constantly state of flux.

Thought For the Day?

Piotrek: The Ministry for the Future. Humanity needs to get its shit together and save the world together. Unlikely, I know.

Ola: Aurora. We all live in a spaceship hurtling through the space and we all need to take care of it – or perish in the very empty, very cold abyss. Or something like that 😉

My Soul’s Present Condition?

Piotrek: Sweet Silver Blues. The title, not the book, I’m not a P.I. Garrett kind of guy. It’s a bit melancholic, but rather sweet, so blues it is.

Ola: Anathem. I feel I have a lot to be grateful for, even if some things are bitter-sweet. Plus, it’s always highly beneficial to know your philosophers and your scientists – the power of human mind is the true magic of our world.

105 thoughts on “Birthdays, spicy reveals and even a tag, oh my!

  1. Ok, i’m totally two tabbed and ready to blab!
    Taking it from the top….

    The opening paragraphs just about had me choking with laughter. Good old Olag and Pio, what a pair I thought you were back then.

    Piotr, you look disturbingly like my brother in law, no joke. lose the hair and it could be him. Sure you’re not secretly scottish?

    In regards to your politics, I’m reading them in american terms, but am not sure if it’s switched like it is with England? I’m pretty sure it is analogous having read your blog posts 😉 but want to make sure.

    I am really glad you two never hooked up or will. When I started full time on WP in ’16 I followed a small number of either couples or even group bloggers. The couples have all split and you guy sar are the only group left. so congrats on making it work. I appreciate it even when I vehemently disagree 😀

    Pio: bro-bump for SO’s who don’t chat it up on our respectively awesome blogs 😉
    Olag: BALLS AND WEINERS! WE’RE PRACTICALLY TWINS!!!!!!!! Because you live in New Zealand and I live in New England and they both have “new” in the name and both have trees. If that doesn’t make the case for identical twins, I don’t know what does.

    1) Ola: go for the motorcycle license. As as long as you drive safe, they are a blast!

    2) Pio: Sometimes I feel like when I’m not at work, I’m always online. I’d say cut the cord, but NO way.
    Ola: New England has green lawns, in the 3 months of summer. Jus’ saying….

    3) I got nothing.

    4) Pio: I hope the Culture gets its ass kicked by Penny Royal! Howza ’bout dem apples?
    Ola: 11?!?! I am wicked impressed. I’ve only re-read the Bible that many times, no other book.

    5) Ola: If it’s America’s Cup, why did we give it to New Zealand? Sounds like some shenanigans to me.

    6) Ola: Go Polity! Rah, rah, rah. They’re the best!
    Pio: I hope you are taking notes on my exhaustive reasonings why you should like the Polity more.

    7) Pio: face palm. Some things I did NOT want to know about you.
    Ola: glad you are staying connected and I hope they reach out to you as much as you reach out to them.

    8) Pio: our mud season is just about to start too. Warmer temps are nice, but all that frost, ohhhh.
    Ola: Winter’s Coming 😉

    9) Pio: I bet you cheat and re-roll, don’t you? Come on, admit it, we’re all friends here…
    Ola: I didn’t realize you had started the Brother Cadfael series. I’m rather surprised to be honest.

    10) ditto to #3

    11) Good luck to you both.

    12) Pio: Wut? Your pix led me to believe you were a 6’2″ former marine! 😉
    Ola: As long as you are grateful, there’s always hope (got that from a random lifestyle blogger who just followed me. I guess they were good for ONE thing, hahaha)

    Well, I think that’s enough from me. And just think, now your navels are completely free from lint. What a world we live in!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. LOL, those were the times! :D:D:D

      Yes, you could see a lot of similarities between Polish and U.S. politics – though the division lines are not the same. Our right-wing politics is very much socialist in economic terms, with expectations that a limited number of productive honest tax payers will pay for the rest: e.g. for privileges of small vocal groups like coal miners, who receive 13th and 14th monthly wage, plus a host of bonuses, despite being fully paid by taxpayers, because coal mines have been bringing no profit for ages, and only increase pollution; for early retirees who work for a very short period of time and expect huge pensions, etc. There is also a whole corruption/nepotism package in it, increasingly blatant. And a very conservative slew of ideological views, because there’s no boundary between the Catholic Church (increasingly at odds with Vatican: pedophilia, money laundering, etc.) and the ruling political party. Sounds like a banana republic, but Polish main export material right now is young, educated people 😉

      Yeah, that’s actually funny, how many people thought we’re a pair. Or – those who know my husband – how many thought he was the one writing the blog 😉 Though to be fair it’s probably not that common to have friends living on the opposite sides of the planet, working together on a hobby for six years and counting 😉

      Identical twins, exactly! 😀 And happy birthday to you too, Bookstooge – you had yours just a few days ago!

      1) My husband got his motorcycle license recently, and I must say this does look like fun – though the more dangerous sort, admittedly 😉
      2) Yeah, I think we won’t be going anywhere this year… NZ won’t start vaccinating till autumn 😉 But sometime later – I always wanted to visit New England, those red oaks in autumn look marvelous!
      4) I used to read LotR every year, or even twice a year, since I was 7 – stopped in my high school years, and I figured now is a good time for a re-read 😀 And of course Polity wins! :D:D
      5) Heh, actually if you have a minute or two, check out this story, it’s really fun. You Americans were quite reluctant to allow others to compete, but due to the absolute belief in its own supremacy the U.S. finally deigned to allow others to play – and lost! 🤣🤣🤣 Though this year’s US contestant, American Magic, had an incredible story and I was sad to see them go.
      6) I absolutely agree with your indisputable reasoning regarding the Polity. Foolproof!
      7) Yeah, the pandemic might’ve actually helped a bit with it 🙂 It’s not bad!
      8) Ooh yep. Though no snow, only rain, and cold, all the time 😉 It’s very green, even in winter, but pretty depressing with all those thick clouds and rain that can rain sideways or even parallel to the ground.
      9) I’ve read the first three, enjoyed them, but found them repetitive in large quantities. I’ll get back to them, it’s a cool cozy mystery series.
      11) Thanks, man!
      12) LOL, every day we learn something new! 😀

      Thanks, Bookstooge!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Ok, somehow I unfollowed you WHILE leaving my comment. I didn’t mean to, sigh. I thought you had unpublished this post because of a timing thing or something. Dang computers. Whatever. Surprise, you have a “new” follower, hahahaaa 😀

        Thanks. My own b-day was pretty much taken up with work and then finding time to go to Mr Macs, a local restaurant of premium mac n cheese. I love that place 🙂

        1) I gave up my motorcycle when married because we needed another car. Plus, motorcycles are just inherently dangerous. But I still have my license for if I ever want to get back.

        2) Good luck with traveling. I figure it’s going to be another solid year or two before the tourism industry even gets back on its feet.

        4) Ahhh, a precocious child, when one year was the longest time ever!

        5) See, opening up borders is a bad thing! 😉

        6) fist bump!

        7) That’s great. So many people just tend to drift apart over time.

        8) How cold does it get? It reminds me of what Mrs B tells me about “winter” in California.

        9) I’ve yet to find a long running mystery series that isn’t. Of course, I just started Nero Wolfe AND Father Brown, so I’m up to 3-4 mystery series at once now. By the end of Cadfael I was ready for it to be over 10 books before 😦

        12) I promptly disallowed their following 😉

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Welcome back, Bookstooge! 😀

          1) yeah, I’d never even consider a motorcycle in Poland – the roads and other road users make it too dangerous. Here, though, it’s definitely safer. I’ll wait and see – either that or I’ll learn how to make a backflip/frontflip on a trampoline (only do them jumping into the water right now ;))
          2) Yup, my thoughts exactly. Though I hope we’ll be able to visit Poland next year.
          4) LOL 😉
          5) Heh – if it helps, the Auld Mug is actually the worst-looking cup ever 😉
          6) Yay!
          7) Yeah, the time difference is a killer, especially when it changes from 12 hrs to 10 hrs in summertime – but it’s still doable 😀
          8) We get 0 or even -3 degrees Celsius once or twice a year, but generally the temperatures are between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius throughout the winter, sometimes getting all the way to 11 maybe 😉
          9) Yup. That’s why I take it slowly, one book a time, and don’t imagine myself going through the whole series – maybe first 6 or 7, that’s it.
          12) Hahahaha! 😀

          Liked by 1 person

    2. piotrek

      Well, I do intend to keep my hair, thank you, and judging by family history – I have every chance to succeed 🙂 The beard is a bit reddish, but, as far as I can tell, I’m 100% Polish. Maybe I’ll do one of these DNA tests one day?

      Politics is complicated, and there are small differences in how the various terms are understood throughout the world. “It’s the little differences”, in the immortal word of Vincent Vega. I’ve always been some sort of liberal, but initially it was a Polish “liberal conservative” which in US would make me… moderate Republican, I guess, I really liked Bush senior and his crowd. Now I moved to the left significantly, but I’m still more liberal than leftist, on most issues. Not a big fan of identity politics, for one – but white Christian is also an identity, in my book.

      Gridlinked – one used to occasionally go online. Not any more, now Internet is an integral part of reality, at least for me, for better or worse.

      I used to be a sore loser, in my early days in boardgaming and tabletop RPG… now I’m a mature middle-aged guy and I can take it 🙂 and I am 6’2”, actually (I had to use online converter, it’s 188 cm in European).

      Thanks!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Nah, if you keep your hair, your not from that line 😀

        Ahhh, a fan of Prez Bush Sr. Say no more 😀

        I’ve made it a point to NOT have the internet on my phone. It’s still a smart phone with the capability, but I refuse to pay and use it. That being said, even without the internet I can text like a fiend, sigh.

        Holy smokes, you really are that tall? Are you one of those tall skinny guys? Definitely not like my bro-in-law then, he’s even shorter than me!

        You are welcome 😀

        Liked by 2 people

  2. It is great to see you both, and I really enjoyed reading your answers and explanations. I admit that I did wonder if you had once been a couple, not that it makes any difference. It’s clear that you both enjoy this collaborative blog very much, and we all enjoy reading it. Six years is very impressive, especially with the current long-distance collaboration. Looking forward to your future posts. Keep on keeping on!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks, Wakizashi! 😀

      It was a good opportunity for a fun post 😉 We usually stick to the reviews, but once in a while – a background post or a tag is a good way to get to know each other better, even when we’re oceans apart 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I agree. I used to stick to reviews, too. But thanks to Bookstooge’s influence, I’ve started doing these “Tag” posts. They are a lot of fun and a good way to get to know each other, as you point out. 🙂 (Still jealous you live in the Shire!!)

        Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you, Mogsy! 😊

      It’s actually quite uncanny, I know nobody else who has birthday on the same day as me 😉

      Yeah, we figured it was high time to put some of the wilder theories to rest! 🤣🤣🤣 And I find it’s nice to know a bit more about fellow bloggers, especially when I stalk their blogs almost daily – so we started with ourselves! 😉

      Like

    2. piotrek

      Thank you 🙂 Yes, so do I, such posts give some background to a person I feel I know, through their writing, but will probably never meet…

      and it is a funny coincidence, our Birthdays being on the same day, I know a few people born in March, but no one else on March 24 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Happy birthday you two!
    What a great post, I loved every bit of it!
    Many bloggers are (rightfully) reluctant to give away portrait photos. But I‘m happy as a cake to be able to think of faces when you post or comment.
    So, there we have it in the best Hobbit tradition: our present from you. Thank you!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Andreas! 😊

      Yes, I am usually wary of putting pics of myself on the blog as our blog is mostly dedicated to reviews – but I also like to be able to put faces to the bloggers I spend so much time discussing books and various other topics with! Nice mustache, btw! 😁
      And since if someone was really keen on finding my pic they would be able to do it with ease anyway, there seems to be no harm in putting up that one pic 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks, I didn’t expect you to like my pornstache, an 80s relict! I tried several times to shave it but my wife and my daughter hate my face without it. I stay in the 80s, along with the mullet 🤣

        I guess, we‘ll have to wait a little bit longer for your bikini photos (no pressure 😎).

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Don’t worry, I’ve seen many of these, too 😉 Well, I would never consider riding a motorcycle in Poland – roads and road users make it way too dangerous. Here, though, there are many more motorcyclists and the road culture is much better. I’m on the fence about it, so we’ll see 😉

          Liked by 1 person

    2. piotrek

      Thanks, Andreas! It’s a small risk, but I agree with what Ola says. So we decided to go for it.

      Well, well, there is a certain 80s feel, you could be a “Dark” character (take it as a compliment, I love that show 🙂 )

      Liked by 3 people

        1. piotrek

          Are you even German ;)? I see it as a better, more serious version of Stranger Things, a German Netflix production with great characters, plot, and general atmosphere…

          Liked by 1 person

          1. You have a point here: I‘m more Bavarian than German.
            Anyway, I very seldom watch series or films and probably have missed a lot of good stuff. Just looked at the trailer, but that’s not my cup of tea at all.
            Vikings it is for me at the moment, and „For all Mankind“ (alternate history space race where the Russians were first on the Moon). That’s more than I watched the whole last year!

            Liked by 1 person

  4. Only been following you guys for a short while, but i love when i see you both liking and commenting on a post i did. I made the mistake of thinking you were a couple🙈. Glad to finally put a face to your names. Happy birthday to you both🌹🌹🌹🌹

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Dawie! 😊

      No worries, that’s an easy mistake to make, especially when you’re blogging with your wife on two different blogs! 😀 That’s why we made that post in the first place 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Happy Birthday!!!!! And what an amazing coincidence that both of you share a birthday date: one might say that your shared blogging endeavor was fated from the very start! 😉
    It’s so nice to be able to know one’s fellow bloggers better and to put a face on their names!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Maddalena! 😀

      Heh, the year’s different, but the day the same, so two starts, really! 😉

      Yes, exactly! Happy to see this post gets so much good will and enthusiastic responses from other bloggers 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Happy double birthday, and I‘m joining the queue of those who (1) enjoyed every aspect of this post, including the fact that you included photos (nice to „meet“ you all over again), and (2) genuinely discovered a whole host of things about the two you and had a few misconceptions busted (e.g., I was one of the people who thought Piotr and Piotrek were the same person … hah!).

    I love the fact that you‘ve kept this blog running for so long, and doing so from opposite ends of the world makes this even more awesome. Not to mention staying close friends at such a huge geographical distance in the first place! (I used to co-host a recurring online event with a friend living in Australia for a while, so I know the behind-the-screen logistics of a joint online venture can be challenging at times if you‘re living in almost completely opposite time zones.)

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you! 😊

      Yeah, the 10 to 12 hr difference is a killer – especially when it changes from 12, which is workable, to 10, which is much, much harder 😉 That’s why we mostly write, and on-screen meetings are set up way in advance 😉 But we make do, so that’s a reason to celebrate! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  7. piotrek

    Thank you very much 🙂

    You are right, we have regular videocalls and it’s hard to schedule them… usually it’s late evening for us here, and early morning in NZ. Writing is easier.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Happy birthday to both of you! That was a fun post. I always enjoy getting to know a bit about the bloggers I follow. Also, I realised, I don’t know what most of my blogging contacts look like. Not that it matters. I did realise Ola was female, but still it’s amazing how much we start to identify a blogger with their avatar. Which obviously doesn’t bode well for my image in the blogging community. 😁 Hope you will continue to blog for many years to come!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Stargazer! 😊

      Heh, isn’t that right! I’ve been called “Sir” so many times, I imagine people were seeing a 70-something grumpy old man in my reviews! Maybe it’s my inner self! 🤣🤣🤣

      I would actually love to be able to see the people on the other side of the screen/keyboard – especially those who I’m engaged with in discussions and reviews etc. – I always form a mental image of them, but probably most of the time it’s totally wrong! 🤣

      Liked by 1 person

  9. I’ll just add my twopenn’orth here and say I’m pleased to virtually meet you both — though Piotrek is less hirsute than I imagined, while Ola is as smiley as I picture from her posts, though her reviews can be like an iron fist in a velvet glove!

    Also, thanks for sharing your character traits and likes through book titles, and if it’s any consolation they confirm I shan’t be unfollowing you two any time soon… 😁

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Chris, for that wonderfully sophisticated compliment! I accept it with a bow – and smile! 😀

      Heh, you’ve already known us so well that this little tag would have been an exercise in saying “I knew it!” But I hope you enjoyed it enough to give it your own spin at some point, after March madness passes! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    2. piotrek

      Thank you, Chris! Well, I am, in fact, getting more and more hirsute, as they closed all the barbers again… in a month I’ll have the “Old Testament Prophet” look 😉

      Liked by 2 people

  10. Omg! Happy Merry Birthday to you both!! 😀
    So I kept saying “Olga” in my mind every time that I read “OlaG” lol. I can’t stop apparently, because I just did it again, lol.
    I did not know that “Piotrek” is a version of “Peter,” so that’s something new I learned today.
    “I find these political labels more and more constricting and inaccurate – becoming more like tribal totems” << HIGHLY agree with you, Ola. There have been times where I’ve encountered folks who for some reason think that because a person is liberal they can’t have a conservative-leaning option or vice versa. It’s as if a person states that they fall under a certain label that they aren’t allowed to deviate from it. Anyway…
    Lol at Pio’s answer to “You and Your Friends Are …”
    I enjoyed reading this post. It was very entertaining and I appreciate getting to know you both a bit. 😊

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Zezee! 😊 You’re a March girl too, if I remember correctly?

      Actually, I know one “Olga” who prefers to be called “Ola” too 😉

      Yes, that tribalism is increasingly tiring, and very myopic: I feel like we’re all being squashed into ready-made molds, and generally any chance of discussion and compromise is being taken away from us because we’re so enamored of these labels. Ideology pre-packaged and neatly divided into clear dichotomies: either or, and nothing in between. It’s a bit scary, actually…

      Many thanks! 😊

      Liked by 1 person

    2. piotrek

      Hey, thanks 🙂

      Piotr is a regular version of Peter, Piotrek is a diminutive (in Polish, these are often longer then the original version…).

      I miss the old days, and in Poland we’d have to go back… oh, 15 years? You could be a centrist back than and only look at the issues, not the labels. Now, when my core values are being attacked, I slide more and more in one direction, and I know that – but I see no alternative. Centrists are enemies of the people, in the populist regime, and in self-defence they also get radicalized… Ola went away to a saner country, that was brave and served her well, I feel like too much keeps me here, still. But I chose Orwell and Lovecraft for the “Describe Where You Currently Live” question…

      Thanks again!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. piotrek

      Thanks! It’s been very nice, despite the limitations of our times, second year in a row… and the tag was so much fun to write, it was hard to decide which title to choose for most questions 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Happy birthday(s), and thanks so much for sharing a glimpse into your world! I agree that “the power of the human mind is the true magic of our world.” That’s why I love to meet up with all the great minds I encounter through blogging.

    Liked by 2 people

        1. Heh, no need to feel the fool at all – I readily admit it was deceptive, though in my defense I didn’t intend it that way 😂 Let just say that Sam Vimes reflects certain parts of my personality with significant fidelity! 🤣🤣🤣

          Liked by 2 people

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  13. An awesome post, and so good to get to know you both a little better. ❤
    Both of your Thoughts for the Day resonated with me. We’re in agreement there, both in hope and concern.
    And now I have faces to put to the names. 😊 A belated happy birthday to you both and long may your blog continue too. 😘😘

    Liked by 1 person

    1. OMG I’ve no idea how it happened but your comment landed in spam… Just retrieved it! 😀

      Thank you, Mayri! 😊
      It’s very nice to learn something about the bloggers behind the reviews, so I’m very happy to be reading your “meet the blogger” tags responses recently! 😀

      Like

  14. Happy belated birthday to you both! What an epic coincidence to cement your friendship even more! I love that you both cooperated together to make this blog and that you stuck around for over 6 years now. It’s also nice to fully destroy all misconceptions about who you both are by putting a face on the awesome people you both are too. I had a good laugh seeing how Piotrek would depict his current home as hell while Ola portrays it as heaven. 😛 I’m not surprised with 99% of the book choices that formidably answer each question though. 😀 Piotrek gets extra points for sneaking in a couple of comics in there. Shame on you, Ola!!! How dare you not mention one!! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Lashaan! 😊

      Man, if I were in Poland right now I’d be foaming at the mouth… 🤯 So even though NZ might not be exactly perfect, in comparison to PL it’s very close to an ideal 😉

      Hey, not fair! Most of my last year’s comics sucked big time! You should commiserate! But if I were doing this tag with this year’s titles, I’d be sure to sneak a Dragon Ball manga or two! 🤣🤣🤣

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Pingback: Re-Enchanted 2021 – Re-enchantment Of The World

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