Brno Parking

Since 2018, Brno uses a "flower" model for parking in the city.  A person's residential, or a business address, is the flower's centre and the neighbouring areas are the petals.  The city is  divided into three different zones: A, B, and C.

Zone A is the historic city centre.  If you don't have a residency permit then you can't drive in the area or park.

Zone B is a sign around the city centre.  Visitors can park here for for one hour free.  After the first hour it costs 40 Kč (~$2) for every hour after.

Zone C, where I live, takes effect next effect next week.  Parking during the day is free, and on weekends.  On workdays from 17:00 to 06:00, visitors can park for free for the first hour.  Then it's 30 Kč for every hour after.

You have to register your vehicle at the parking metre or via an on-line app in order use the free first hour.  Except for weekends and holidays when you don't have to register for free parking.

A resident parking permit costs 600 Kč ($30) per year for the first vehicle.  It's another 15.000 Kč ($726) for a second vehicle and another 30.000 Kč ($1,450) for every additional vehicle.

Residents can allocate "visitor hours" to guests and tradespeople.  If you live in Zone A or Zone B then you can issue 200 hours per year for free.  You have to pay for additional hours.

For Zone C, it's 100 hours per year for free and additional hours are paid.

Claudia is coming for a visit next week so I registered her German license online so she will be able to park near my flat for 100 hours for the next year.

Crazy Tipping

Tipping is much different here in Euroland from how it works in the USA.  The biggest difference is that service works in Euroland don't live off of their tips.  European employees provide an actual salary, with health benefits, to their staff which is required by law.  Customers here don't need to subsidise the employees so that they don't have to provide a living wage.  As someone who used to live off of tips, I have strong opinions about tipping but after almost 15 years of living in Europe I see how flawed the American system is.

While we were on holiday I saw just how out of control tipping has become in the United States.  It seemed that wherever we went, there was a request to tip.  I ordered a bubble tea at a food stall in Atlanta and tried to pay by card.  The system prompted me to enter a tip amount in order to complete the payment.  Why the hell am I being asked to tip for a bubble tea?  And the system required me to swipe to a second page to confirm that I did not want to tip.  We bought hot dogs at the Braves game and the again, I had to enter a tip amount in order to pay for our food at the game.  

During Covid time, I think a lot of people were more generous with tipping in order to help out service workers during all of the lock downs.  Yet, it seems that once the lock downs ended the expectation for higher tips didn't.

I had explained the whole tipping thing to Kája.  He didn't understand why the customer is responsible to pay an extra +20% because employers don't pay better.  Why don't people just get better jobs?  Not easy to explain.  Here's an interesting video I found on YouTube about tipping having gotten out of control.

©CNBC

New Washing Machine

Old washer

Last week my washing machine stopped working.  A repairman come over for a service call and for 500 Kč ($22) I got confirmation that it's officially broken.  

Service call invoice

I thought that the washing machine came with my flat but I found out that it didn't.  The previous tenant purchased the washing machine but left in the flat when he moved back to Norway.  So, (1) I had a washing machine that doesn't work, (2) it was out of warranty, and (3) I needed a new washing machine before  I have a flat full of houseguests in a few days.

I entertained the thought of replacing the old washer with an integrated washer and dryer combo.  My old flat had a washer/dryer combo but I really only used the dryer once a week for bed linens.

Yes, having a dryer would be nice once in a while, but after having gotten by without one for the past eight years it just didn't seem necessary.  

In the end I went with another Whirlpool machine for 11.000 Kč ($475) and it comes with a ten-year warranty.  

I suppose I can take it with me if I move out.  More importantly, I can catch up on a week's worth of laundry before the girls show up.

Weekend in Strážnice, CZ

We spent this weekend in Strážnice, visiting Kája's dad and sister.  

Just a quiet home visit and a walk around the town.  Nice and relaxing.  Just what I needed before this next crazy week begins.  

Claudia, Tünde, and Nat are all coming for a visit but before that, I need to replace my washing machine which died a few days ago.  So getting a new washing machine is the priority before everyone comes to stay for about a week.

Consumer Protection Changes

Within the EU, there has been a greater push for consumer protection, especially between member countries whose own consumer protection laws may differ.  

Here's a short, English-language video from the European Commission that talks about five important consumer rights.  However, the video is at least nine years old.

©European Commission

On 6 January 2023, a new amendment to the Consumer Protection Act and the Civil Code came into effect.  The Czech law was updated to be in synch with EU laws.

• Exercising the right to withdraw from a contract will be more precise.
• Unless the consumer and the business mutually agree to different terms, the goods must be delivered to the consumer no later than 30 days after concluding the contract.
• Information that a business must provide to the consumer before concluding the contract is now specified.
• Consumers are not protected from fake reviews and less-than transparent online transactions.
• Consumers have the right to withdraw from a contract made online within 30 days.
• Consumers will be protected from prices being artificially raised prior to discount events as the seller must inform the consumer about the lowest prices the goods were sold for during the last 30 days.  So a company can't raise the price of something 20% only to then immediately offer it on sale at a 20% discount.
• Sellers online are not allowed to use "pre-ticked" boxes which would require a consumer to make additional or future payments.
• If a consumer has been the victim of unfair business practices then they have the right to withdraw from the contract within 90 days.
• Consumers have the right to claim for defective products within two years.
• Dual quality goods are now forbidden.  If a retailer sells goods in Czechland, as identical to goods in other countries, but with ingredients, parts or features which are significantly different then the seller can be fined.

The amendment to the Czech consumer protection act falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and is policed by the Czech Trade Inspection Authority.  I believe that the failing to comply with the law will result in fines up to 5 million Kč (€200.000; ~$231,000).

A few weeks ago I ordered a new router online from Datart but when it arrived I realised that I ordered the wrong thing.  I immediately ordered the correct item but needed to take the wrong item back to the store.  I thought that I needed to do this within 14 days but now that the law has changed I could have waited an extra two weeks before returning it.  This was my first product return I've had since living in Czechland.  It was simple enough.  I took the router and the receipt to the store.  They inspected the product and issued me a refund.  I assumed that they would have just credited the credit card I used to make the purchase online but they gave me cash.

Expired Banknotes

Czech currency banknotes have changed.  Not a lot but they are now slightly different.  The new notes look almost identical to the old notes except that the old banknotes have a thin silver security strip and it doesn't change colour under light.  The new banknotes have a thicker strip that changes from purple to green when tilted under light.

Good note on top; bad note below

This goes for the 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000 Kč banknotes.

The old banknotes were from 1995 to 1999 and at the end of June they became no longer valid.  I learned this the hard way when I went to pay for something in the shop and the cashier told me that the money wasn't any good.  Ugh!

The old banknotes can be exchanged at financial institutions and at offices of the Czech National Bank until 30 June 2024.  From 1 July 2024, you can only exchange the bills at offices of the Czech National Bank but I don't know how long they will allow old bills to be exchanged for new ones.

Update:  Apparently the 5000 Kč banknote is the exception.  For now, both versions of the banknote are still valid.  I've been here over 13 years and I have yet to see a 5000 Kč banknote.

Kultunrí Dům

A house of culture, kulturní dům (KD), also called a kulturák, can be found in most cities and towns across Czechland.  Following the 1948 coup, when the communists took over Czechoslovakia, public buildings were built that would be social centres for socialist culture.  They were meant to take the place of churches as meeting places within the community. 

From 1959 to 1989, the kulturáky were used to for cultural, artistic and social events including balls, concerts, theatre performances, in addition to Communist party meetings.  

Today they are used as town recreation and community centres.

No More Plastic Straws

Back in 2020, the EU agreed to enact restrictions on single use plastics and last year the Czech government put forth legislation banning specific disposable plastic products that was supposed to take effect July 2021.  There were changes to the bill which meant another 18 months in the parliament before the Senate approved it this past August.

As of yesterday, the law went into effect.  It is now illegal to produce or sale single-use plastic items including straws, cups, plates, cutlery, drink stirrers, plastic sticks used to hold balloons, polystyrene food containers, and cotton swabs made from plastics.  

Items made with plastics now require packaging labels to notify consumers about reusable alternatives.  The labels on wet wipes, filtered cigarettes, sanitary napkins, etc., must now indicate that they contain plastics and must include special instructions for disposal.

The maximum fine is 5 million Kč (~$234K) for breaking the new law. 

Manufacturers of plastic products now require participation in cleanup activities across Czechland.  The government will collect money from manufacturers and within three years, most cities, towns, and villages will get reimbursed for cleaning up plastic litter.

Czechland recycles around 80% of the PET bottles sold in the country which is amongst the highest in the EU.  Under the new law, it will be 90% by 2029.

WhatsApp

When I was in hospital I would give a daily update to my parents in Arizona, my sister in California, Claudia in Berlin, Natalie in Wellington, and Kája.  I couldn't use iMessage because Nat and Kája are Android users and everyone is on Apple.  I couldn't use WhatsApp because my parents and sister don't use it.  So I had to go old school and use SMS (text message). 

SMS is Short Message Service but in the USA we call it a "text message" and we use "to text" as the verb.

The USA is one of the few big countries where SMS remains the usual way to chat.  SMS/Text message travel over telephone lines rather than over the Internet.

If you use an iPhone then and you want to message someone else who also has an iPhone then you send them an iMessage.  The message goes over the internet.  If you want to message someone who uses an Android phone then you send them an SMS.

The benefit of SMS is that it works with any phone.  However, there are security flaws, you don't get notifications when the recipient has read your message and you can't start a video call from a text message.  SMS messages are up to 160 characters.

WhatsApp is a free instant messaging and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service that was purchased by Facebook in 2014 for $19.3 billion.  It's the most popular way to message people in most of Europe, Africa, Latin America and most of India.

It's heavily used across Europe.  Mainly because it's free.  In the USA, SMS is usually priced at a flat rate and most carriers include text messaging as part of your mobile package.  In Czechland, a single SMS is usually around 1 Kč (5¢) which over a month can add up to a good chunk of change.  On the other hand, most U.S. mobile providers charge a heavy fee for international text messaging.

To use WhatsApp you just need an internet connection.  With WhatsApp you're not limited to 160 characters per message, you can send images, videos, audio files and documents, there are read notifications when the recipient has seen the message, you can use it to video call, group chats and calls are no problem and it uses end-to-end encryption which means that only the sender and the recipient of the message can see its contents.  Plus, it's free.

Spain uses it the most.  Something like 90% of mobile users use WhatsApp.  In the USA, only about 1/3rd of users have downloaded the app.  I bet that a good chuck of the users have it to communicate with family and friends in parts of the world where SMS is expensive.

In China, WeChat is the go-to messaging tool while in Japan, Line is number one, and Telegram is popular in Russia.  WhatsApp is banned in China, North Korea, Syria, Qatar, and the UAE.

Here's a short video I found on YouTube that talk about why Americans don't use WhatsApp.

©Digital Trends

Inflation in Czechland

The average gross monthly wage here in Czechland is 40.086 Kč ($1,860) which in the USA would be $22,320 per year.  By comparison the average monthly salary in the USA is $6,228 (134.248 Kč).

The 40.086 Kč is 4,4% higher that it was a year ago but once you factor in inflation, Czech wages have decreased in real terms by 9,8%.  Basically, people in Czechland are able to buy one-tenth less with the same wages that we earned a year ago.

Munchkin Visit

Claudia and Tünde came for a visit so I got to spend some godfather time with the munchkin.  

We had a few movie nights including a Harry Potter & sushi night.  

Another night we headed out to Ikea for a bit of shopping and some Swedish meatballs.  

It was fun getting to spend some time with the chicas.  On Thursday night, we headed over to the park at the observatory to see the planets.  The Moon is back on display with the Earth, Mars, and this time with Venus.

It's still new but I recently started seeing someone.  We're just starting to introduce each other to our friends.  Karel joined us for an hour at the park and Tünde was very excited that she, and Claudia, got to be the first people who've met him.  They seemed to approve so that's a plus.  Let's see how things go but on Friday we headed to Prague for the weekend and had a good time.

A Couple of Birthday Cards

I received a couple of birthday cards in the mail today.  My folks mailed their card from Arizona on 12 July and my aunt and uncle mailed there's from California on 14 July.  Two weeks isn't that bad.  During Covid mail was taking much longer because there were so few flights between the USA and Euroland.

Keyboard Stickers

It was time to refresh my work computer and I had the choice to stay with a Mac or switch over to a Lenovo laptop using Windows.  Well, I'm such a jablečný kluk, an Apple guy, now that I didn't even consider switching back to a Windows operating system.  Kyndryl provided me with a new MacBook Air.  There's just one big problem.  They issued me a laptop with an American keyboard.  

I can't use an American keyboard.  It may seem funny to some people but my muscle memory has changed and now I touch type with a Czech keyboard.  I struggle anytime I have to use an American or German keyboard because I'm so used to Czech keyboard now.  It's not just the QWERTZ vs QWERTY thing but all of the punctuation characters are in different spots and I also type using Czech accented letters.

The fix was to order keyboard stickers.  I went into settings as set up a Czech keyboard and now I'm going to place stickers on the keys.  Even when touch typing, I occasionally glance at the keyboard to get my bearings and I want the keyboard to match my language setting.

Down 33 kg

Yes!  I'm now down 33 kg (72,75 lbs).  I wrote before that it's been a long five plus years to lose this much weight.  Since it has been gradual, not many people noticed the first 35-40 lbs, especially with everyone working from home during Covid.  Everyone seems to notice the last 30ish lbs.  I've even lost so much weight that a colleague asked if my cancer was back.

I've had to order buy some new clothes because nothing fit right any more.  Just another 2 kg (4.4 lbs) still to lose. Fingers crossed.

Down 30 kg

When I achieved my weight loss goal of losing 25,4 kg (56 lbs), my first challenge was to maintain it for a week which I did.  Then to keep the weight off for a month.  I did that too.  Yeah me!  Since then I've continued to lose and today I hit -30 kg (66 lbs).  

In all honesty, I did have a bit of a stomach bug this weekend so I'm not really surprised that I hit -30 kg this morning.  Let's see if I can keep this off for a week and then for a month.  

It's been a long five years to lose this much weight but it feels good.  On the negative side, I need to buy some new clothes because I'm starting to drown in my fat boy clothes.  Just another 5 kg (11 lbs) to go.  Fingers crossed.

New Old Man Glasses

Back in 2017, the optometrist diagnosed me with "old man eyes."  I only needed them for reading but now I find myself needing them more and more.  So a couple of weeks ago I went and had my eyes checked.  Yep, my vision has gotten a little worse so I got a new prescription and ordered some new frames.

Aside from my vision having gotten worse, two things were different this time.  

1. In order to squeeze me in sooner, the clinic scheduled me a visit with an optometrist who doesn't speak English.  I did the entire visit in Czech.  I was kind of proud of myself for that one.
2. There used to be a 150 Kč discount towards new frames but apparently that doesn't exist anymore.

This week I picked up my two new pairs.  I tend to keep one pair for work and another pair for home.  What do you think?

New Mattress

The old mattress

Back in 2011, I bought a mattress from Ikea.  It was 160 cm (63 inches) wide.  Well after 11 years the mattress was getting a bit lumpy and it was well past time for a new one.

This time I actually went to a mattress store for something a bit better.  The first thing is that I wanted the maximum size mattress which is 180 cm (71 inches) wide.  My first adventure at the shop was explaining to the shop assistant that I didn't want to go with two individual (90 cm) mattresses.  

The shop assistant asked me which side of the bed I slept on and I said "the middle" which is why I don't want to sleep on the crack between two smaller mattresses.  He then tried to explain to me why it is so much better to go with two smaller mattresses.  He asked if I was married and tried to suggest that perhaps my future wife would prefer two mattresses.  I was starting to get annoyed.  Not just because he assumed that I was straight and would have a wife but because I came in to spend money and he was making me not want to give him my money.

I finally just put my foot down and said that this is what I wanted and that was it.  Because the mattress is not a standard size it would take longer to make and to ship it to me from Slovakia where it would be manufactured.  I was told it would take about five weeks and it arrived today.

I'm so looking forward to a good night's sleep.  Now I just have to get rid of my old mattress.  The company didn't offer a service to remove the old one.  It looks like I'll put a message up on the Brno Facebook page to see if anyone wants a free mattress.

Three Week Update

I am over Covid and I'm cleared to return to work tomorrow.  The doctor wants me to take it easy still.  I'm not allowed any strenuous exercise or sport for at least three months because, as she put it, "at your age we want to be careful".  I swear that I didn't feel old when I turned 50, but I'm starting to with all of these "at your age" comments.

I had my first two Covid vaccinations in May and June and then I had my booster in December.  Covid kicked my butt for almost a month.  I don't want to imagine how bad it could have been if I hadn't received my vaccines and booster.  

I'm also very grateful that I didn't have to worry about the cost of being sick.  The Czech healthcare and social insurance system meant that I could focus on getting better without the fear of financial ruin.  In the USA, the vast majority of Americans are one major disease away from bankruptcy.  

I've had a goatee for years but I've never tried growing a beard before.  While I was stuck at home I didn't bother shaving.  I was starting to look like a mountain man so now I'm going to give a beard a try.  What do think?

Before and after

I've also managed to keep the -27 kg for a week.  

Let's see if I can keep it up.  I'll be happy just to keep the -25,4 kg off for an entire month.  

Weight Goal Achieved

I've had this goal of losing 25,4 kg, which is 56 lbs, for quite some time.  I actually want to lose a bit more than that but the first step that I've been working towards for a while is to hit 85 kg (187 lbs), which is why my goal is to lose 25,4 and not just 25.  At the end of January I hit -24 kg.  That mean I only had 1 kg left to go.  Well, actually 1,4 kg (3 lbs).  

As expected, I kept fluctuating +/- 0,5 kg each week until I finally hit my initial goal weight.  Yeah!!!

I've actually overachieved it because I'm now down 27 kg (59 lbs).  The bad thing is that I don't really think it counts.  I'm stuck in bed with Covid and not eating.  I still have my sense of smell but I'm just not hungry.  I have a feeling that once I start feeling better the I'll put a couple of kilos right back on.  But it was nice to see the -27 kg.

Now I've got two new goals.  The first goal is to stay at -25,5 kg for a month.  The second goal is to hit -30 kg (66 lbs).  While I want to hit -30, the goal of keeping off the weight for a month is more important to me.  

No Siren Test

On the first Wednesday of each month, at noon, there's a regular siren test across the country, except in Olomouc.  The siren goes off for 140 sends and is followed by an announcement in Czech that it was only a test.

In Olomouc, the tests take place ten minutes later, at 12:10 pm, so that it doesn't conflict with the astronomical clock.  

They started up following the 2002 floods.  However, the Czech Fire and Rescue Service cancelled this month's test so as to not create any unnecessary panic given the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  This isn't the first time the test has been cancelled.  It was cancelled during the floods in 2009 and 2013, in 2010 when the U.S. and Russian presidents met together in Prague, and in 2020 during the four worst months of Covid lockdown.

Here's a video I found out on YouTube so you can hear what the various warning sirens sound like over here in Czechland.

There's a fire alarm signal for voluntary firefighters to report to the station.  There's a general warning siren for people to seek refuge in a brick building and two Seall all air accesses due to a possible radiation or chemical hazard.  

There used to be a flood wave signal that was in used until November 2001.  That's when the laws pertaining to siren signals were changed and it was replaced by the general warning siren.

©Czech Siren Tech

Update: The tests were also cancelled in April and May.  They resumed in June 2022.

Я за Україну. Я за Україною. Слава Україні  Stojím za Ukrajinou!  I stand with Ukraine.