last night, it finally snowed in prague.
it started late. i was out watching the steelers lose to jacksonville, and when i left the golden star bar at 3:30am it was beginning to settle on the cobblestones. by morning it was a blizzard (by prague standards) and there was three or so inches on the ground. it finally seems like winter.
alicia and i embarked on our journey to meduza for brunch this afternoon around 1. we were walking to the tram stop and at the end of our street, there was a father with his two young sons playing in the snow at the edge of lyckovo namesti. by the way, kids in prague are adorable. as soon as it's october, they're all bundled up in jackets and hats. it's adorable.
so the father was standing to the side with his videocamera, filming his young children enjoying the first major snowfall of winter 2007-8. the boy was just running around, picking up the snow and throwing it, enjoying the cold weather the way kids can that seems to fade as you grow older, the dad happily recording it all.
as we walked through his mise en scene, i started to tell alicia that it would make a good embarassing video for the kid in about 10-12 years. something his parents could show when he brings a girlfriend home for the first time.
before i even finished the sentence, i felt my feet slide from under me and i was on my ass in the snow. the street wasn't plowed and it was slick with snow, and my chucks couldn't handle it. alicia enjoyed the opportunity to laugh heartily at my misfortune.
but the best part was, the kid was right behind me when it happened. so i'm pretty sure the dad had the videocamera pointed in our direction, and as an added bonus to the warm family memories he was capturing, he probably got a good shot of me slipping and falling on my ass.
i love winter.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Thursday, January 03, 2008
the fish cafe
so, i started my new job today at dino elementary. from 12-5 every afternoon i'll be dishing out red "tea" (which seems suspiciously like hot cherry kool-aid), playing hangman, coloring princesses, critiquing dances... basically, hanging out with kids. which is a lot more fun than teaching them at the bell school.
my new schedule leaves me with an awkard hour-and-a-half gap between my morning adult classes and dino. it's not worth it to go all the way home, so i had to waste some time.
i went to the cafe near I.P. Pavlova, whose name i can't remember, that i used to go to after T-mobile on Tuesdays with a certain English acquaintance. i decided that instead of trying to remember the name, i'm going to call it the "fish cafe" because in the two back corners of the cafe there are aquariums. the chairs in the corners in front of the aquariums are the most comfortable. that's where we used to sit, and thats where I sit still, even though the light is dim which makes reading tricky.
i suppose i chose this place because it's familiar. it's one of the only places i know in prague that i really like, that i'd suggest if i had to make a decision about somewhere to grab a drink. i guess i also chose it because it was somewhere i went with this person that i miss, that i think of fondly. maybe i thought there was a chance the loud footsteps coming down the wooden stairs would be his. wishful thinking, but still.
maybe i thought the dim lights and the bricks and the bubbling of the aquariums, the fish (polar bear, flat stanley and billy no mates in the one on the right), the pictures displayed for sale, the waiter with dreadlocks and hippie tie-dye who i think was a little alarmed that i ordered hot chocolate this time and not a beer, maybe i thought all of that would be comforting. i thougth i could float for an hour or so in the fresh nostalgia of december. maybe thats why i went.
but, surprisingly, it brought back other memories that had nothing to do with cafes, aquariums or even prague. i was reading "all the pretty horses," and for some reason, i can't be sure what triggered it, i thought about my trip to san francisco last year.
i remembered being in a tavern in sausalito last december. i remember sitting around a hexagonal table with ryan and his grad school friends, drinking beer and playing acey deucy. we got so into it that we had to keep running up to the bar, asking the barkeep for rolls of quarters to use for bets. when someone won the pot, they'd buy everyone a round. i think once i won almost $35, which i used to buy the table shots of jager.
which made me think about walking down the main street in sausalito, in the chilly december wind coming off the bay, looking across at san francisco all lit up. i have pictures, but i couldn't capture it. it looks like tiny dots far off in the distance. up on the hillside, the houses of sausalito were decorated in twinkle lights for christmas. couldn't get that on film either.
today i finished "the book of laughter and forgetting," by milan kundera. in it was this line: "whoever wishes to remember must not stay in one place, waiting for the memories to come of their own accord! memories are scattered all over the immense world, and it takes voyaging to find them and make them leave their refuge!"
i don't really think about that trip to san francisco too often, but when i remembered the jager and sweeping a pile of quarters off the table to buy them, i smiled. and it made me think - i had to chase that memory all the way to prague.
when my nostalgia for december is not so fresh, how far will i have to chase those memories?
my new schedule leaves me with an awkard hour-and-a-half gap between my morning adult classes and dino. it's not worth it to go all the way home, so i had to waste some time.
i went to the cafe near I.P. Pavlova, whose name i can't remember, that i used to go to after T-mobile on Tuesdays with a certain English acquaintance. i decided that instead of trying to remember the name, i'm going to call it the "fish cafe" because in the two back corners of the cafe there are aquariums. the chairs in the corners in front of the aquariums are the most comfortable. that's where we used to sit, and thats where I sit still, even though the light is dim which makes reading tricky.
i suppose i chose this place because it's familiar. it's one of the only places i know in prague that i really like, that i'd suggest if i had to make a decision about somewhere to grab a drink. i guess i also chose it because it was somewhere i went with this person that i miss, that i think of fondly. maybe i thought there was a chance the loud footsteps coming down the wooden stairs would be his. wishful thinking, but still.
maybe i thought the dim lights and the bricks and the bubbling of the aquariums, the fish (polar bear, flat stanley and billy no mates in the one on the right), the pictures displayed for sale, the waiter with dreadlocks and hippie tie-dye who i think was a little alarmed that i ordered hot chocolate this time and not a beer, maybe i thought all of that would be comforting. i thougth i could float for an hour or so in the fresh nostalgia of december. maybe thats why i went.
but, surprisingly, it brought back other memories that had nothing to do with cafes, aquariums or even prague. i was reading "all the pretty horses," and for some reason, i can't be sure what triggered it, i thought about my trip to san francisco last year.
i remembered being in a tavern in sausalito last december. i remember sitting around a hexagonal table with ryan and his grad school friends, drinking beer and playing acey deucy. we got so into it that we had to keep running up to the bar, asking the barkeep for rolls of quarters to use for bets. when someone won the pot, they'd buy everyone a round. i think once i won almost $35, which i used to buy the table shots of jager.
which made me think about walking down the main street in sausalito, in the chilly december wind coming off the bay, looking across at san francisco all lit up. i have pictures, but i couldn't capture it. it looks like tiny dots far off in the distance. up on the hillside, the houses of sausalito were decorated in twinkle lights for christmas. couldn't get that on film either.
today i finished "the book of laughter and forgetting," by milan kundera. in it was this line: "whoever wishes to remember must not stay in one place, waiting for the memories to come of their own accord! memories are scattered all over the immense world, and it takes voyaging to find them and make them leave their refuge!"
i don't really think about that trip to san francisco too often, but when i remembered the jager and sweeping a pile of quarters off the table to buy them, i smiled. and it made me think - i had to chase that memory all the way to prague.
when my nostalgia for december is not so fresh, how far will i have to chase those memories?
Monday, December 31, 2007
new years resolutions
today as i was getting on the metro, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "use of pyrotechnics is prohibited in Wenceslas Square."
so tonight should be interesting.
here are the new years resolutions:
1. this year i'm going to do more things that are not expected of me.
2. i'm going to make more "stupid" decisions. well, not that they're stupid, but maybe decisions that are more of a risk than those i'm accustomed to making.
i'm also going to try to give up coke.
stastny novy rok!
so tonight should be interesting.
here are the new years resolutions:
1. this year i'm going to do more things that are not expected of me.
2. i'm going to make more "stupid" decisions. well, not that they're stupid, but maybe decisions that are more of a risk than those i'm accustomed to making.
i'm also going to try to give up coke.
stastny novy rok!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
the patriots can go to hell
so, the new england patriots are 16-0.
i hate them.
i hate that they are a dynasty, and that everyone thinks they are one of the greatest teams in NFL history. i hate tom brady. i don't think he's all that good -- i think he got lucky to be on a strong team. i'd like to see what he could do with the miami dolphins.
remember the first year the patriots won the super bowl? when they played the oakland raiders in the snow, and they won that game mostly because of a bad call? i think it was fumble vs. forward pass. what if the call had gone the other way? our lives would be 100% better.
i might not really have the sports knowledge to argue that the patriots are not as good as everyone thinks they are. but i can say this: the patriots at 16-0 proves that the NFL is boring. most people think it's a good thing to have these dynasty teams, that it proves what an exceptional group of people have been behind the management and coaching of one club in the last decade or so. but i can guarantee you the only people who are REALLY excited about this live in new england, whatever states or cities make up that region (massachusetts, vermont, new hampshire...connecticut? does maine count? what about new york? rhode island? do they even get any input? i have no fucking clue). to everone else? they resent the hell out of it.
i honestly don't care if the steelers get nowhere in the playoffs this year. i just want the patriots to lose, embarassingly.
so, if it were the steelers winning three or four superbowls within a decade, yeah, i'd be whistling a different tune. this also proves that the "rules" of what makes football good change relative to whether they are happening to your favorite team or one of the other 31.
that being said, since the steelers are not the 00s patriots, i'm pissed that they are doing so well. it's boring and predictable. at the beginning of the season, everyone thought the patriots would be unstoppable. and they were. it's yet to be seen what will happen in the playoffs, but so far. i'm bored. if the patriots win the superbowl, this might be one of the most boring seasons ever.
wouldn't it be more interesting if there were a good story to this year's winning superbowl team? like, an underdog winning (like the sixth-seed steelers two years ago). i'd much rather see the packers win this year, so brett favre can finally retire. he deserves it. everyone thought he should quit years ago, and he didn't, because he loves the game. he deserves it. i hope the patriots and the packers meet in the superbowl this year and brett favre makes tom brady look like a 12 year old playing pickup football in the backyard with his older brothers on christmas.
that would be interesting. the patriots undefeated? lame.
i hate them.
i hate that they are a dynasty, and that everyone thinks they are one of the greatest teams in NFL history. i hate tom brady. i don't think he's all that good -- i think he got lucky to be on a strong team. i'd like to see what he could do with the miami dolphins.
remember the first year the patriots won the super bowl? when they played the oakland raiders in the snow, and they won that game mostly because of a bad call? i think it was fumble vs. forward pass. what if the call had gone the other way? our lives would be 100% better.
i might not really have the sports knowledge to argue that the patriots are not as good as everyone thinks they are. but i can say this: the patriots at 16-0 proves that the NFL is boring. most people think it's a good thing to have these dynasty teams, that it proves what an exceptional group of people have been behind the management and coaching of one club in the last decade or so. but i can guarantee you the only people who are REALLY excited about this live in new england, whatever states or cities make up that region (massachusetts, vermont, new hampshire...connecticut? does maine count? what about new york? rhode island? do they even get any input? i have no fucking clue). to everone else? they resent the hell out of it.
i honestly don't care if the steelers get nowhere in the playoffs this year. i just want the patriots to lose, embarassingly.
so, if it were the steelers winning three or four superbowls within a decade, yeah, i'd be whistling a different tune. this also proves that the "rules" of what makes football good change relative to whether they are happening to your favorite team or one of the other 31.
that being said, since the steelers are not the 00s patriots, i'm pissed that they are doing so well. it's boring and predictable. at the beginning of the season, everyone thought the patriots would be unstoppable. and they were. it's yet to be seen what will happen in the playoffs, but so far. i'm bored. if the patriots win the superbowl, this might be one of the most boring seasons ever.
wouldn't it be more interesting if there were a good story to this year's winning superbowl team? like, an underdog winning (like the sixth-seed steelers two years ago). i'd much rather see the packers win this year, so brett favre can finally retire. he deserves it. everyone thought he should quit years ago, and he didn't, because he loves the game. he deserves it. i hope the patriots and the packers meet in the superbowl this year and brett favre makes tom brady look like a 12 year old playing pickup football in the backyard with his older brothers on christmas.
that would be interesting. the patriots undefeated? lame.
it's been a long december
i missed yesterday. i didn't get a chance to get on the computer all day, except for exactly 9 minutes at globe yesterday, after a lively little exchange with the clerk in the bookstore (who i think is half of the guitar-comedy duo that performs at the globe's open mic night, but i can't be sure).
me: can i use the internet?
guy: i don't know, can you?
me: um. may i? is that what you're looking for?
guy: oh you know that one?
in a perfect word i would have responded "yeah, i've been to third grade." but much like george costanza, i often find the perfect witty, biting remark coming to me hours later.
anyway. i don't have anything interesting to say. we watched true lies last night.
a few months ago i asked my mom to send me some DVDs. i intended for her to send me DVDs i already owned, but instead she bought a few at wal mart. "there were a bunch there for only $5!" in the mix were match point, barefoot in the park and true lies.
i wasn't actually all that excited about watching it, but boy was i mistaken. what a great movie! i totally forgot about it. everyone was making fun of me as i squealed during the action scenes. but come on! there was a lot of dangling from unsteady perches hundreds of feet from the ground, which is one of my worst fears apparently for others as well as myself (second only to being chased up stairs, which also happened!).
we felt that james cameron was jipped by not being given an academy award for his directing. fuck titanic... true lies was amazing.
also, another thing i was thinking... whatever happened to the actor who played Sam on Clarissa Explains It All?
lastly, things i'm not excited for:
a. going back to work.
b. making new years resolutions.
ugh.
me: can i use the internet?
guy: i don't know, can you?
me: um. may i? is that what you're looking for?
guy: oh you know that one?
in a perfect word i would have responded "yeah, i've been to third grade." but much like george costanza, i often find the perfect witty, biting remark coming to me hours later.
anyway. i don't have anything interesting to say. we watched true lies last night.
a few months ago i asked my mom to send me some DVDs. i intended for her to send me DVDs i already owned, but instead she bought a few at wal mart. "there were a bunch there for only $5!" in the mix were match point, barefoot in the park and true lies.
i wasn't actually all that excited about watching it, but boy was i mistaken. what a great movie! i totally forgot about it. everyone was making fun of me as i squealed during the action scenes. but come on! there was a lot of dangling from unsteady perches hundreds of feet from the ground, which is one of my worst fears apparently for others as well as myself (second only to being chased up stairs, which also happened!).
we felt that james cameron was jipped by not being given an academy award for his directing. fuck titanic... true lies was amazing.
also, another thing i was thinking... whatever happened to the actor who played Sam on Clarissa Explains It All?
lastly, things i'm not excited for:
a. going back to work.
b. making new years resolutions.
ugh.
Friday, December 28, 2007
the smokiest bar in prague
last night i got a call from drew. i met her at the globe and after a few beers/glasses of wine and some dishing about our respective boy troubles, we decided to mosey elsewhere.
we ended up at u sudu, which i had to make a point this time to remember the name of because i usually can't. when drew asked if i had any idea of where to go, i described it as "that bar that we were at that one night, it's downstairs, looks like old catacombs, the really smoky one..."
eloquent, i know.
most bars in prague are smoky, but if you say to anyone "that really smoky bar," they'll probably know that you're talking about u sudu. it's amazing the amount of smoke in there. i've been there three or four times in recent weeks and every time i wake up the next day ill from the smell of smoke lingering in my hair, in clothes i wore and ones i didn't even have on, on the sheets and pillowcase and blanket. it soaks into your skin, you can taste it in your mouth. i swear, for an entire day after drinking at u sudu, a cloud of smoke follows you around like Pigpen.
so drew and i were having a good time by ourselves, just talking and drinking and whatnot, when a guy came up to us. he rattled off a long schpiel in Czech and i was delighted to be able to proudly exercise my only language skills and say "nemluvim cesky!"
but he got me. english? he asked.
he said something about his friend and himself wanting to sit with us, and that they were going to do a shot and they wanted to buy us one too, so what are you drinking? i'm not as graceful in these situations, so i looked to drew and she said confidently "sure! we'll both have a beer."
so these guys sat down and we talked for a while. the one that was talking to me asked "do you want to play soccer?" and by soccer he meant foosball. we played several games, of which i think drew and "vaclav" beat myself and "honza" (we managed to meet two guys with both of the most common names in prague). honza had some particularly excellent defensive skills, executing some backfield passing on a foosball table that my high school team could never master in real life. i was disappointed to learn that we weren't allowed to spin the handles as hard as we could, and thats just about where my foosball skills end.
it started to get a little creepy when vaclav kissed drew square on the mouth in a post-goal celebration, so we bounced.
i don't know if you noticed but i'm not good at conclusions. basically i woke up this morning drenched in smoke and feeling the several beers and shots of jager. those were the first honest to god czechs i've really talked to, and it was interesting to say the least.
we ended up at u sudu, which i had to make a point this time to remember the name of because i usually can't. when drew asked if i had any idea of where to go, i described it as "that bar that we were at that one night, it's downstairs, looks like old catacombs, the really smoky one..."
eloquent, i know.
most bars in prague are smoky, but if you say to anyone "that really smoky bar," they'll probably know that you're talking about u sudu. it's amazing the amount of smoke in there. i've been there three or four times in recent weeks and every time i wake up the next day ill from the smell of smoke lingering in my hair, in clothes i wore and ones i didn't even have on, on the sheets and pillowcase and blanket. it soaks into your skin, you can taste it in your mouth. i swear, for an entire day after drinking at u sudu, a cloud of smoke follows you around like Pigpen.
so drew and i were having a good time by ourselves, just talking and drinking and whatnot, when a guy came up to us. he rattled off a long schpiel in Czech and i was delighted to be able to proudly exercise my only language skills and say "nemluvim cesky!"
but he got me. english? he asked.
he said something about his friend and himself wanting to sit with us, and that they were going to do a shot and they wanted to buy us one too, so what are you drinking? i'm not as graceful in these situations, so i looked to drew and she said confidently "sure! we'll both have a beer."
so these guys sat down and we talked for a while. the one that was talking to me asked "do you want to play soccer?" and by soccer he meant foosball. we played several games, of which i think drew and "vaclav" beat myself and "honza" (we managed to meet two guys with both of the most common names in prague). honza had some particularly excellent defensive skills, executing some backfield passing on a foosball table that my high school team could never master in real life. i was disappointed to learn that we weren't allowed to spin the handles as hard as we could, and thats just about where my foosball skills end.
it started to get a little creepy when vaclav kissed drew square on the mouth in a post-goal celebration, so we bounced.
i don't know if you noticed but i'm not good at conclusions. basically i woke up this morning drenched in smoke and feeling the several beers and shots of jager. those were the first honest to god czechs i've really talked to, and it was interesting to say the least.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
some archives
i'm afraid of losing all the files on my hard drive, so i'm trying to put most of my writing here as a back up.
i just posted my senior seminar story. it's in May 2006 (i wrote it from January - April 2006). it's quite long but if you're interested, go for it.
i can't decide what i think of it now. i suppose it's not fair to retrospectively edit; but there are things i would change. there are also lots of things i still wouldn't.
it's called "the things we hold on to." i think only 3 people have ever read it.
i just posted my senior seminar story. it's in May 2006 (i wrote it from January - April 2006). it's quite long but if you're interested, go for it.
i can't decide what i think of it now. i suppose it's not fair to retrospectively edit; but there are things i would change. there are also lots of things i still wouldn't.
it's called "the things we hold on to." i think only 3 people have ever read it.
the world by road
so i'm here at reporter's, again. christmas is officially over (yet, the christmas markets are still open... which i don't understand. close them already so i can walk from mustek to the post office without running into 157 people, milling around eating those sugary roll things and not paying attention to where they're going).
i feel pretty terrible because i've had 6 days of vacation so far and i've been just sitting around. having fun with the girls, of course, but feeling like i/we should have taken advantage of this time off to travel. some did -- lori to budapest, anna to the mountains, julie, amanda and marie to vienna -- but i just didn't get it together in time. i had wanted to go to italy, but after christmas shopping for myself, buying a new metro pass and filling my phone with credits, i've got about 400Kc leftover.
i've been in europe for almost 4 months and i've barely been anywhere. dresden and vienna for less than a day combined.
one advantage of staying in town was the opportunity to meet lori's friends, steve and steve. all of those stranded in prague for christmas gathered at drew/marie's apartment saturday night. lori had just returned from her trip to budapest and bratislava, which she embarked on with her friends from college -- the aformentioned steve and steve -- who are in the midst of travelling around the world.
i can easily say that every one of the people i've met so far while i've been abroad have opened me up to a new experience or worldview and whether very or maybe only a little different than mine, they've all been valuable. but these two blew my mind. they dropped everything -- quit very secure jobs, cashed in 401Ks, planned for two years -- and have been travelling now for almost a year.
and they're driving all of it. they started in LA, went through new zealand and australia and asia. lori met them as they entered eastern europe. they came through prague on the way to berlin to go through denmark, sweden and norway, back through london and eventually to africa. they still have about 10 months or so left to circumnavigate the globe latitudinally and longitudinally.
talking to them was fascinating. we couldn't stop asking them questions (that i'm sure they've heard a thousand times), but they were always willing to share their stories. they talked about catching dengay (sp?) fever, which causes internal hemorrhaging and at its worst makes you cough blood and bleed from your eyes. hat-of-child steve showed me a scar on his elbow from a cut he stitched himself. i can't remember all the things he told me, and that was only the tip of the iceberg.
it was pretty inspiring. they're smart guys but there's nothing unusual about their story other than they both were willing to do anything to have this experience. it made me feel pretty bad about never having left the united states until i was 23 and staying here in europe without taking advantage of the opportunity to travel.
i can't really put into words how cool it was to meet them and how amazing their story is. you can check out their trip on http://www.theworldbyroad.com. they have a blog and pictures, and you can meet up with them for a part of their journey.
i feel pretty terrible because i've had 6 days of vacation so far and i've been just sitting around. having fun with the girls, of course, but feeling like i/we should have taken advantage of this time off to travel. some did -- lori to budapest, anna to the mountains, julie, amanda and marie to vienna -- but i just didn't get it together in time. i had wanted to go to italy, but after christmas shopping for myself, buying a new metro pass and filling my phone with credits, i've got about 400Kc leftover.
i've been in europe for almost 4 months and i've barely been anywhere. dresden and vienna for less than a day combined.
one advantage of staying in town was the opportunity to meet lori's friends, steve and steve. all of those stranded in prague for christmas gathered at drew/marie's apartment saturday night. lori had just returned from her trip to budapest and bratislava, which she embarked on with her friends from college -- the aformentioned steve and steve -- who are in the midst of travelling around the world.
i can easily say that every one of the people i've met so far while i've been abroad have opened me up to a new experience or worldview and whether very or maybe only a little different than mine, they've all been valuable. but these two blew my mind. they dropped everything -- quit very secure jobs, cashed in 401Ks, planned for two years -- and have been travelling now for almost a year.
and they're driving all of it. they started in LA, went through new zealand and australia and asia. lori met them as they entered eastern europe. they came through prague on the way to berlin to go through denmark, sweden and norway, back through london and eventually to africa. they still have about 10 months or so left to circumnavigate the globe latitudinally and longitudinally.
talking to them was fascinating. we couldn't stop asking them questions (that i'm sure they've heard a thousand times), but they were always willing to share their stories. they talked about catching dengay (sp?) fever, which causes internal hemorrhaging and at its worst makes you cough blood and bleed from your eyes. hat-of-child steve showed me a scar on his elbow from a cut he stitched himself. i can't remember all the things he told me, and that was only the tip of the iceberg.
it was pretty inspiring. they're smart guys but there's nothing unusual about their story other than they both were willing to do anything to have this experience. it made me feel pretty bad about never having left the united states until i was 23 and staying here in europe without taking advantage of the opportunity to travel.
i can't really put into words how cool it was to meet them and how amazing their story is. you can check out their trip on http://www.theworldbyroad.com. they have a blog and pictures, and you can meet up with them for a part of their journey.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
some artsy-fartsy writer shit
i know what it's like to be close to someone without ever having kissed them; a different kind of closeness. the closeness you feel when someone takes your finger and traces the skyline of their bottom teeth. when they can tell you they don't change their underwear everyday. when you tell them things you've never told anyone, like fights you've had with best friends or things you've stolen or that you sucked your thumb until you were twenty.
i didn't tell you that yet.
but i haven't decided yet which kind of closeness is more dangerous; the sexual kind or the other kind. i don't know which kind is safer or which one is less likely to rip open old wounds.
i didn't tell you that yet.
but i haven't decided yet which kind of closeness is more dangerous; the sexual kind or the other kind. i don't know which kind is safer or which one is less likely to rip open old wounds.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
