Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 1994 (6. évfolyam, 1-50. szám)

1994-09-02 / 33. szám

AMERICAN Hungarian Journal Susan Jancso WORKGRIEF I admit I suffer from a bad case of workgrief. I know grief is not a popular sentiment - no one wants to hear about yours, since everyone has enough of his own. Yet certain kinds of grief are most enjoyable, while others inspire artistic creations that make the whole humankind happy. There is melancholy, grief without reason, caused by one’s inner makeup and temperament, therefore incurable. There is spleen (ennui, mal de vivre, taedium vitae, life weariness) which can easily be cured with travel, new faces and new adventures. Then there is, of course, the grief of love, caused by one single person, and curable by the same, an ailment we have all come across at one time or another in our lives. Furthermore, there is workgrief. What exactly is workgrief? Grief that befalls you in connec­tion with work. You suffer from workgrief if you are over­­qualified for your work. Or underequipped. If your work is not appreciated. If its worth is so exaggerated you are made to believe no one else could do it right. If you realize after many years that you are in the wrong job. If your job has no upward mobility. If you haven’t had a raise in a long time. If you haven’t had a paycheck in a long time. If your boss is ungrate­ful. If he is too grateful. If your long-time co-worker resigns without training her replacement, and she even forgets to leave the password for the computer program she alone was familiar with... Now then, if your grief is about love, everybody pities you, listens to you and understands you. Especially if you wrap it in a touching story like Boccaccio’s Fiammetta, or Francesca da Rimini in Dante’s Inferno. Even more so if you set it to music like a troubadour or an opera singer. Everything becomes love. Liebestraum, Liebestod, per sempre tua... But try to say ''Arbeitstraum", and you’ll see it doesn’t fit. Dreaming on the job? If they catch you, they’ll kick you out so fast you’ll never know what hit you... ’Arbeitstod"? Perhaps worth a few lines in the "Obituaries" section: "Window-washer John Doe fell a hundred feet to his death because he was watch­ing the pretty secretaries’ feet instead of his own." And "forever"? Has anyone ever said, in the intoxication of the first paycheck, that he wants to stay forever with this wonderful com­pany as a messenger boy? But I’m digressing from the workgrief, which in my case is invariably caused by an overload of work. You know, I must confess I don’t really like to work. It will come as no surprise to those of you who have come to me with 25-page Hungarian school documents to be translated into English, possibly by yesterday, or with detailed German hospital reports, in spite of my vigorous protestations that the last time I studied German was in Kindergarten when my mother was reading to me from a Courts-Mahler novel in place of a bedside story... Instead of advertising my talents, which I’m urged to do all the time, I would rather keep it quiet. My advertisement would sound like this: "If you need your documents, plays or biographies trans­lated into foreign languages, feel free to call - someone else!" You are not going to believe it, but I would rather walk, swim, listen to music or read a good book... If only I had the time... But I get more and more work every day, and less and less "little indians" with whom to get it done. When this happens, when new responsibilities are dumped on me, I get worked up and I swear this is it, I am not going to do it any more. I want to run away (where is the person with a house and garden, swimming pool, independent wealth and a good sense of humor who would take me in?) Then the next day I go in and do it anyway. What’s worse, sometimes I even like it... Not all coworkers leave you with a mess, though. One ex­ample of wonderful decency and caring comes to mind. I had been working with Ellen for some ten years when one day the girls in the office heard she won the Lottery. It was true. We all saw and touched the winning ticket, which was worth 8 million dollars! We thought we would never see Ellen behind her desk again. We were wrong. The next morning she was there, working away as if nothing had happened; in fact, she had stayed for a full month in order to train the person who will take her job.. She could have flown to Hawaii and not come back until Doomsday, and still have enough money to live on for the rest of her life. Yet she stayed, in order to assure a smooth transition for her colleagues. Then, of course, she invited everyone for a farewell dinner. So you see that’s why I say I would rather work in a big office and be part of a strong collective than be my own boss in a place where there’s no one left to boss around. If I did, perhaps my workgrief would be cured too. English Page by SUSAN JANCSO A Grand Italian Opera Concert Sunday night we were invited by Lula Szász to a fantastic opera concert at the magnificent Bever­ly Hills home of a famous artist. Many Hungarians were present in the international company, among them Mr. András Márton, consul general of Hungary. The concert was a fundraiser for the Romani Foundation, started in Germany and about to be ex­tended to Los Angeles. Tenor Arturo Romani and his wife, dramatic soprano Ella Lee are two extraordinary people who, after long careers in Europe, have recently returned to L.A. Ella is a true Angeleno, who studied at LACC and UCLA. Arturo is the great-great grandson of Felice Romani, librettist for the great Italian opera composers. Arturo met Ella in her Los Feliz Hills home, proposed to her in Wies­baden, Germany, and they were married in Odensee, Denmark, home of the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. The concert was something out of this world, with the artists under the palm trees, next to the antique piano, singing "just for you" amidst the grandeur of the mansion, while outside in the gar­den you could hear the splashing of the fountains, see the blue splendor of the illuminated swim­ming pool and the sparkling of the city lights below... Among other things, Arturo brought us graceful pieces by hardly known composers like Cavalli and Legrenzi, while Ella sang Leonora’s two most dramatic arias from Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, and some "spirituals". Besides Ella and Arturo, there were two other singers: soprano Kristin Hammer and tenor Michael Lyon, plus the expert ac­companist Barbara Ebert. All the arias and duets were greeted with heartfelt applause. It was a night to remember... The Romani Foundation is devoted to the appreciation of opera and the furtherance of operatic talent. ' Computerized News Services 1-800-COMPUTR The Real Hungarian News CSAK CSÜTÖRTÖK SPECIÁL! HALÉTEL ÉS CIPÓ A CSÁRDÁSBAN Hungarian Media Law Drafted MTI reported on August 23 that the Hungarian parliament’s legal committee has finally com­pleted work on a draft media law regulating Hungarian radio and television. Elaborate negotiations are expected be­tween the political parties and media interest groups about the final shape of the law. A vote is planned at the end of Septem­ber. The proposal includes three options with regard to foreign ownership of radio and television companies: a mini­mum Hungarian ownership of 33%, 51%, or unrestricted foreign ownership. Economic Results for the First Six Months The Central Statistical Bureau reports that Hungarian in­dustrial production rose by 8% in the first six months of 1994, compared to the first half of 1993. Energy consumption decreased by 5%. The con­sumer price index rose 17.5%. Foreign trade registered a $1.7 billion deficit. The budget deficit in the first half of 1994 reached 184 billion forints, or about $1,8 billion, an increase of 150% over the same period of 1993. Projected Army Cuts Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Lajos Erdélyi told Magyar Hírlap on August 23 that financial constraints will force the Hungarian Army to reduce in the next one-and-half to two years the number of its conscripts by 10,000 to 12,000 - a 15% drop from the present 60,000. Thus some 20,000 con­scripts will start their service this week, 2,000 less than a year ago. The ministry also plans to reduce in the near future the length of military service from 12 to 10 months, and prepare a list of military units and installa­tions to be eliminated as part of a long-term crisis management program. AUTO ACCIDENTS MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS ACCIDENTAL DEATH 24 ÓRÁS SZOLGÁLAT (213) 854-1113 MAGYARUL IS BESZÉLÜNK DÍJTALAN KONZULTÁCIÓ SLIP &. FALL ACCIDENTS BOAT ACCIDENTS BUS ACCIDENTS E. ANDREW MATYAS Ügyvéd - Attorney at Law 250 S. La Ciencga Bivd. Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Aki erre a hirdetésre hivatkozik, 25% engedményt kap! K & K TRANSPORT CO. SZÁLLÍTSON GYORSAN, BIZTONSÁGOSAN ÉS A LEGKEDVEZŐBB ÁRON BUDAPESTRE AZ ACE HARDWARE HIVATALOS SZÁLLÍTÓ VÁLLALATÁVAL. Személyi ingóságok, bútorok, háztartási és ipari gépek, autók szállítása garanciával zárt konténerben. Győződjék meg személyesen kedvező árainkról! 5842 Mc Fadden Ave. # M Huntington Beach, CA 92647 Ph:800-575-7363 • 714-895-2134 Fx:714-895-3104 • Pager: 714-294-0347 Magyarországi képviselő: Kovács Gábor Helyi vezető: Kovács Ferenc Csomagolást vállalunk English Spanish LAW OFFICES OF Korean Hungarian E. ANDREW MATYAS PERSONAL INJURY NO RECOVERY NO FEE 1994. szeptember |

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