Meeting with old friends at Vilnius science fiction club Dorado, May 2004

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On my trip to Lithuania in May of 2004 I met with some of my old friends at Vilnius science fiction club Dorado.

S and I in the Cathedral square
We are about to meet with my friend Audrone. At that point in time I had not seen her for 10 years. She lives in Sweden and I in the US, so there wasn’t a chance for us to meet until I visited Lithuania. She greeted us by taking snapshots of us as we walked up to her!
Myself (left), Gediminas and Audrone at the Dorado club headquarters
Myself (left), Gediminas and Audrone at Gediminas’s workplace which doubles as headquarters of Vilnius science fiction club Dorado. At that time he worked for an organization that manages science-related extracurricular activities for middle and high school students; he was the head of an astronomy club. For a long time he was also the president of the Dorado club. The two masks on the wall above our heads were both designed and made by Audrone back in the early nineties. I helped her with the left one. It was supposed to represent Master Yoda. We used them in a couple of plays performed by us and other members of the Dorado club at the conventions of the ancient past.
Me at the headquarters of the Dorado club
Me at Gediminas’s workplace in May of 2004. Gediminas used to be the head of the Vilnius science fiction club Dorado. At that time he worked for an organization that managed science-related extracurricular activities for middle and high school students; he was the head of an astronomy club. Hence the starry sky dome and the models of planets hanging from it. I hope it adds enough redeeming value to this picture to compensate for my silly facial expression. You can also see Lithuanian language posters for Hollywood movies in the background. And the desks are exactly the kind that were used in Lithuanian schools in my day (and maybe still are, I don’t know). In other words, not much changed in this room during the 10 years I was away. The building itself hasn’t changed much either, if only for the worse. Lithuania’s vigorous economic growth seems to have passed it by. No doubt, like many non-profit organizations, this one probably doesn’t have resources to renovate the old soviet-era building it still occupies. Back when I lived in Lithuania I used to be afraid to ride the elevators in this building. The fear returned when I heard the doorman warning four (young and rather slim) people not to get into the elevator all at the same time, since they will exceed its weight limit and it will get stuck.