Bye bye, birch month. Hello, Prague Castle and many other places that open for sightseeing. Says my phrasebook: "Unlike most European languages, Czech doesn't use the Latin-based words to name months. The Czech names for months have Slavic roots dating from before the onset of Christianity and reflect the seasonal changes in the world of nature." I love the pagans!
Here they are:
* January -- leden (ice month)
* February -- únor (month when ice drips)
* March -- březen (birch month)
* April -- duben (oak month)
* May -- květen (flower month)
* June -- červen (month of worms)
* July -- červenec (month when fruit ripens)
* August -- srpen (sickle month)
* September -- září (month when the sun shines, but isn't hot)
* October -- říjen (rutting month)
* November -- listopad (falling leaves)
* December -- prosinec (probably from "prasinec", the month when pigs (prasata) were slaughtered) Or from "prosit" - to request
I like how 'leden' reminds me of 'leaden,' or how a large enough quantity of solid ice feels. 'Rutting' has to do with mating, now there's an archaic term. And I like 'listopad,' like padding around the forest in your socks, and also 'Moby Octopad'- for you Yo La Tengo fans. I actually think that will only make sense to Jessica.
Sometimes I think I should study linguistics. Then I remember that not everybody who enjoys music should study musicology, and I check myself. Susan Faludi's partner and former Mother Jones editor Russ Rymer says: "Linguistics is arguably the most hotly contested property in the academic realm. It is soaked with the blood of poets, theologians, philosophers, philologists, psychologists, biologists, anthropologists, and neurologists, along with whatever blood can be got out of grammarians."
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Neděle
Sunday.
I'm at the office writing up my review of that chick flick I saw yesterday, at the incredibly bright and shiny Nový Smíchov mall. So far I've been to four different theaters--the arthouses Kino Světozor and Evald, Atlas, and now this multiplex. You're assigned seats in the theater and not allowed in until 5 minutes prior. There are way more commercials than in U.S. theaters, so people were trickling in a good 15 minutes past showtime--now I know! I also know that the multiplex ticket costs nearly twice as much as the other places, naturally, but argh. I could've bought 5-7 pivos, in a bar, for the same price! All the American movie previews were in Czech, and I had a moment of dread that I hadn't read the schedule right, and had chosen a dubbed version instead of a subtitled one. "Česky titulky?" I asked the usher. He said "Ano" (yes), so I went back in to enjoy Katherine Heigl's very expressive face. Fortunately I could also understand her words. Being here working is interesting. I don't think many tourists are sitting in movie theaters in springtime Prague--actually, I know they aren't, because they're all on the Charles Bridge!
Still I'm thinking of myself as a tourist/visitor. I did go to an expat bar on Friday, to meet some co-workers. It was the 14th anniversary of the place and to celebrate, the bar staff (all female) were dressed like Snow White, Princess Jasmine, etc., and the chef made a burger about 3 feet in diameter. It was good times until I fell into a time warp and came out close to 2 a.m. listening to a string of horrible songs being karaoke'd impromptu. Metallica, Bananarama, Nickelback, a medley from the Grease soundtrack?! Czech men next to me were laboriously wresting cups made of ice from their molds, doing one shot of vodka from them, and tossing the cups they spent so much time on, in a fruit bowl. People smoking...I was used to the ban in Seattle. A man from Texas kept me company all night, but disappeared just as some middle-aged Englishmen proved to be no gentlemen. Time to leave. I hadn't figured out my night tram, so my colleague helped me get a taxi whose price was only mildly outrageous. I was drunk enough to try the street food Smažený sýr (fried cheese, usually camembert with mayo), but I didn't. I did go home and drunk-email some people though, and I regret it! Not having heard anyone's voice in two weeks is tripping me out. It feels like much longer.
Last night after the movie, I bought some tights and garish green sunglasses at H & M (there are 3 here, I keep running into them). Then I went down every aisle at Tesco trying to figure things out. Spices come in instant soup-sized paper packs. You can buy 20 kinds of pasta but only one kind of tomato sauce and the can is very small. Very little of the produce is refrigerated, and people can be seen contemptuously tossing back inadequate heads of broccoli. Apples are still not good anywhere. We only have one working burner on a hotplate, and no oven or microwave, so that limits things. I bought very different things for the fridge than I would in Seattle. Masses were congregated around the deli and the beer aisle. Saturday night! I bought one Hoegaarden and drank it in the bath while finishing my book. And awoke to a blazing sunny day. I can't remember the road's name, but it's one of two I take into town. On the L you see endless stairs leading to a pub, on the R the expanse of Petrin park and hill. There's a nunnery, a community vineyard and fruit trees (nothing on them yet), flowers just blooming, and beyond that the observation tower. Birds were singing and people were sitting in the sun. And I'm sitting at a desk! Not next weekend :)
I'm at the office writing up my review of that chick flick I saw yesterday, at the incredibly bright and shiny Nový Smíchov mall. So far I've been to four different theaters--the arthouses Kino Světozor and Evald, Atlas, and now this multiplex. You're assigned seats in the theater and not allowed in until 5 minutes prior. There are way more commercials than in U.S. theaters, so people were trickling in a good 15 minutes past showtime--now I know! I also know that the multiplex ticket costs nearly twice as much as the other places, naturally, but argh. I could've bought 5-7 pivos, in a bar, for the same price! All the American movie previews were in Czech, and I had a moment of dread that I hadn't read the schedule right, and had chosen a dubbed version instead of a subtitled one. "Česky titulky?" I asked the usher. He said "Ano" (yes), so I went back in to enjoy Katherine Heigl's very expressive face. Fortunately I could also understand her words. Being here working is interesting. I don't think many tourists are sitting in movie theaters in springtime Prague--actually, I know they aren't, because they're all on the Charles Bridge!
Still I'm thinking of myself as a tourist/visitor. I did go to an expat bar on Friday, to meet some co-workers. It was the 14th anniversary of the place and to celebrate, the bar staff (all female) were dressed like Snow White, Princess Jasmine, etc., and the chef made a burger about 3 feet in diameter. It was good times until I fell into a time warp and came out close to 2 a.m. listening to a string of horrible songs being karaoke'd impromptu. Metallica, Bananarama, Nickelback, a medley from the Grease soundtrack?! Czech men next to me were laboriously wresting cups made of ice from their molds, doing one shot of vodka from them, and tossing the cups they spent so much time on, in a fruit bowl. People smoking...I was used to the ban in Seattle. A man from Texas kept me company all night, but disappeared just as some middle-aged Englishmen proved to be no gentlemen. Time to leave. I hadn't figured out my night tram, so my colleague helped me get a taxi whose price was only mildly outrageous. I was drunk enough to try the street food Smažený sýr (fried cheese, usually camembert with mayo), but I didn't. I did go home and drunk-email some people though, and I regret it! Not having heard anyone's voice in two weeks is tripping me out. It feels like much longer.
Last night after the movie, I bought some tights and garish green sunglasses at H & M (there are 3 here, I keep running into them). Then I went down every aisle at Tesco trying to figure things out. Spices come in instant soup-sized paper packs. You can buy 20 kinds of pasta but only one kind of tomato sauce and the can is very small. Very little of the produce is refrigerated, and people can be seen contemptuously tossing back inadequate heads of broccoli. Apples are still not good anywhere. We only have one working burner on a hotplate, and no oven or microwave, so that limits things. I bought very different things for the fridge than I would in Seattle. Masses were congregated around the deli and the beer aisle. Saturday night! I bought one Hoegaarden and drank it in the bath while finishing my book. And awoke to a blazing sunny day. I can't remember the road's name, but it's one of two I take into town. On the L you see endless stairs leading to a pub, on the R the expanse of Petrin park and hill. There's a nunnery, a community vineyard and fruit trees (nothing on them yet), flowers just blooming, and beyond that the observation tower. Birds were singing and people were sitting in the sun. And I'm sitting at a desk! Not next weekend :)
Friday, March 28, 2008
Comeback
I haven't been away long enough to miss Seattle, but as I was just reading SW's website for the first time since I left, this blurb of Aja's made me wish I were there tonight:
Comeback's 4 Year Anniversary Bash with Tronik Youth, Miss Toats & Joee Irwin, DJs Colby B, FITS and Porq
What's the craziest thing that's happened during one of Seattle's filthiest, sweatiest, most innovative queer dance nights since its inception at Chop Suey four (already??!) years ago? "Probably the guy in the chicken-head mask that got his briefs ripped off while go-go dancing and then stage-dived into a writhing mass of wasted queers too drunk to catch him—ouch," recalls co-founder Marcus Wilson, aka Ursula Android.
That's so Seattle. I love the humor that Wilson comes to his projects with...that November night at his short-lived Pony was one of the best times I've had in Seattle, ever. It was the ideal Random Event with Some People. Everytime I listen to Joy Division's "Disorder" I think about that trashy dancefloor with the broken photobooth, the '70s porn they projected on the walls, the first time Naseem and I hung out, all the 7-ft-tall hot gay men, and the only straight one putting his arm around me at 5 a.m.
On that note, I'm reading Jeanette Winterson's Written on the Body. I tried to read one of her books ages ago (hi Annie!) but it didn't stick. This one is brilliant. I've dogeared many pages. It sort of applies to my recent relationships in different ways, being about passion/loss/ambivalence and a certain emotional recklessness.
love: I will hold on to this pulse against other rhythms. The world will come and go in the tide of a day but here is her hand with my future in its palm. She said, 'Come upstairs.'
loss: The earliest pilgrims...the journeys they made were beyond common sense; who leaves the hearth for the open sea? Especially without a compass, especially in winter, especially alone. What you risk reveals what you value.
ambivalence: Written on the body is a secret code only visible in certain lights; the accumulations of a lifetime gather there. In places the palimpsest is so heavily worked that the letters feel like braille. I like to keep my body rolled up away from prying eyes.
recklessness: Is it nobler to struggle for a week before flying out the door or should I go and get my toothbrush now? I am drowning in inevitability.
Now, something about Prague! Above is Malá Strana, and these storefronts look similar to where I had my first authentic Czech meal, of roasted pork, dumplings and cabbage. The dumplings are like thick potato cakes that you use to sop up the juice of all the other stuff. I had two monstrous glasses of Krušovice lager, and an apple strudel for dessert because I was really hungry. But wow...I think I'll save that kind of eating for special occasions. I was stuffed, and passed out before 10:30 p.m., despite (or maybe because of) having to walk up 1,000 stairs immediately afterward to make my way home. So the good news is I think the exercise balances out the calories. Here's the area I walked through to get home, adjacent Černínský Palác (Czernin Palace). You'd feel perfectly in the past if it weren't for the packs of college women singing, "Sexual Eruption! ooh-Woah!" (that would be Snoop Dogg's "Sensual Seduction") behind you.
You might be surprised to learn that I've been up by 8 a.m. every morning, in the office by 9:30ish, and alseep well before midnight. Some magical after-effect of jet lag, I'm sure. Hopefully I can sustain it long enough for my transformation into A Real Adult to occur. Hehe. Well tonight is my first night without Steffen here, and what trouble will I get into? Who will give me shortcuts and help me pronounce words? And tell me the stories of the statues? I asked him a million questions in the last few days. My goals for the weekend are: find black tights, a hair dryer (it turns out mine will probably short-circuit the electricity), a good cocktail (the food critic laughed at this suggestion), to review 27 Dresses, and to tackle the supermarket. And also to look at some beautiful buildings, but that's a given. Hope you all have a good weekend!
Comeback's 4 Year Anniversary Bash with Tronik Youth, Miss Toats & Joee Irwin, DJs Colby B, FITS and Porq
What's the craziest thing that's happened during one of Seattle's filthiest, sweatiest, most innovative queer dance nights since its inception at Chop Suey four (already??!) years ago? "Probably the guy in the chicken-head mask that got his briefs ripped off while go-go dancing and then stage-dived into a writhing mass of wasted queers too drunk to catch him—ouch," recalls co-founder Marcus Wilson, aka Ursula Android.
That's so Seattle. I love the humor that Wilson comes to his projects with...that November night at his short-lived Pony was one of the best times I've had in Seattle, ever. It was the ideal Random Event with Some People. Everytime I listen to Joy Division's "Disorder" I think about that trashy dancefloor with the broken photobooth, the '70s porn they projected on the walls, the first time Naseem and I hung out, all the 7-ft-tall hot gay men, and the only straight one putting his arm around me at 5 a.m.
On that note, I'm reading Jeanette Winterson's Written on the Body. I tried to read one of her books ages ago (hi Annie!) but it didn't stick. This one is brilliant. I've dogeared many pages. It sort of applies to my recent relationships in different ways, being about passion/loss/ambivalence and a certain emotional recklessness.
love: I will hold on to this pulse against other rhythms. The world will come and go in the tide of a day but here is her hand with my future in its palm. She said, 'Come upstairs.'
loss: The earliest pilgrims...the journeys they made were beyond common sense; who leaves the hearth for the open sea? Especially without a compass, especially in winter, especially alone. What you risk reveals what you value.
ambivalence: Written on the body is a secret code only visible in certain lights; the accumulations of a lifetime gather there. In places the palimpsest is so heavily worked that the letters feel like braille. I like to keep my body rolled up away from prying eyes.
recklessness: Is it nobler to struggle for a week before flying out the door or should I go and get my toothbrush now? I am drowning in inevitability.
Now, something about Prague! Above is Malá Strana, and these storefronts look similar to where I had my first authentic Czech meal, of roasted pork, dumplings and cabbage. The dumplings are like thick potato cakes that you use to sop up the juice of all the other stuff. I had two monstrous glasses of Krušovice lager, and an apple strudel for dessert because I was really hungry. But wow...I think I'll save that kind of eating for special occasions. I was stuffed, and passed out before 10:30 p.m., despite (or maybe because of) having to walk up 1,000 stairs immediately afterward to make my way home. So the good news is I think the exercise balances out the calories. Here's the area I walked through to get home, adjacent Černínský Palác (Czernin Palace). You'd feel perfectly in the past if it weren't for the packs of college women singing, "Sexual Eruption! ooh-Woah!" (that would be Snoop Dogg's "Sensual Seduction") behind you.
You might be surprised to learn that I've been up by 8 a.m. every morning, in the office by 9:30ish, and alseep well before midnight. Some magical after-effect of jet lag, I'm sure. Hopefully I can sustain it long enough for my transformation into A Real Adult to occur. Hehe. Well tonight is my first night without Steffen here, and what trouble will I get into? Who will give me shortcuts and help me pronounce words? And tell me the stories of the statues? I asked him a million questions in the last few days. My goals for the weekend are: find black tights, a hair dryer (it turns out mine will probably short-circuit the electricity), a good cocktail (the food critic laughed at this suggestion), to review 27 Dresses, and to tackle the supermarket. And also to look at some beautiful buildings, but that's a given. Hope you all have a good weekend!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Soudný den
That's Doomsday, to you. I walked clear across town this morning for a screening of this British killer-virus film...the heroine looked just exactly like Victoria Beckham, and I wished it were her instead. On the way, I got an amazing breakfast bagel from Bohemia (for Kate) and a káva sebou (coffee to go). The smells of coffee and cinnamon all the way from the palace through Staré Město and across the bridge are marvelous. I learned many new landmarks from the route Steffen outlined for me, including the Týn Church (above). Construction for this piece began in the 14th century...amazing for my eyes to see. The oldest thing I've ever come across is the city of St. Augustine!
Also, in case you don't read the whole wiki entry: "The great Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who worked for Emperor Rudolph II, was buried in the church in 1601. His beautiful marble tomb slab is located inside." Lucianne, the tram stop closest to my flat is right in front of a statue of Brahe and Johannes Kepler :)
Things I learned from Doomsday, other than in the event of social apocalypse, you'll still be able to find purple dye for your mohawk somewhere:
dobre chlap = good man
mluv = speak!
Rozumím = all clear/copy that
ulicka = alleyway ---> i particularly like the sound of words like this, and devicka, which are pronounced "ooh-lits-kah and "deh-vits-kah"
kurva = fuck
moo (like a cow) = buuu (with umlats, i can't make it work)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Bollocks Airways
Finally...three days late...my bag arrives in the nick of time, as it looks like Christmas morning out here! The ground is blanketed with hail and flurries are flying about. My paws have been numb, and my feet sore, but no more. Now I have sweaters, socks, and sneakers! And I finally feel at ease, knowing I don't have to replace my entire wardrobe, and lose the irreplaceable items like my 30s dress. On the trip back I'll be sure to pack those things in my smaller case (the one that had Oma's jewelry and which I got back earlier) and try to carry it on. I guess this is your PSA against taking every single material thing you love with you on a long trip...off to training now, at last.
Ah, I meant to say that the only thing BA was good for was the in-flight entertainment. I watched Juno (finally, Jen!) and Enchanted (too cute), and listened to Mark Ronson's Version. His re-creation of Britney Spears' "Toxic" gave me my next burlesque act idea. Of course, the thing sounds ilke it was made for the Pussycat Dolls...I'll have to try hard to infuse just a smidge of true glamour into the naasty proceedings.
Ah, I meant to say that the only thing BA was good for was the in-flight entertainment. I watched Juno (finally, Jen!) and Enchanted (too cute), and listened to Mark Ronson's Version. His re-creation of Britney Spears' "Toxic" gave me my next burlesque act idea. Of course, the thing sounds ilke it was made for the Pussycat Dolls...I'll have to try hard to infuse just a smidge of true glamour into the naasty proceedings.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Krtek, the little mole
The shop windows contain: marionettes, Swarovski crystals of all kinds (from miniature animals to ornate chandeliers), Russian fur hats, garnet jewelry, nesting dolls, and little plush moles. The mole is Krtek, created as a children's cartoon in 1956. Just about the most disgustingly cute thing I've ever seen...although I say that all the time. Here's one of the cartoons, "Krtek a zelena hvezda," or "Krtek and the green star." It's what he finds when he does spring cleaning! Pshaw...I only found some lost CDs and dust bunnies.
Pomlázka
Easter Monday is called Pomlázka in the Czech Rep., and there's an interesting pagan ritual that's survived to mark it...says pragueexperience.com:
"On Easter Monday people get up early. The boys and men set off on a whipping trip through the village. Boys stop at people’s homes and whip the legs of every girl and woman who live in the house. Small boys are required to recite an Easter carol as they go about their whipping.
As if the whipping is not enough, a popular custom is also to grab the girl and throw her in a bath of cold water, known as an "Easter dousing". The whipping and dousing is performed to chase away illness and bad spirits. They may not appreciate it at the time, but it is actually good for the girl!
Once all the whipping and dousing is over, the girl, strangely enough, rewards the boy with one of her painted eggs. She then ties a ribbon around his whip and he moves on to the next house.
As the boys progress through the village, their bags fill with eggs and the whips become more and more colourful, with many bright ribbons. For older boys, the gifts of eggs and ribbons have latterly given way to the man being offered shots of alcohol. By the time the men arrive home, they can be fairly happy!"
Of course, it's not like this in the city. It's manifested for me as getting smacked on the ass downtown last night by a devious teenager, and once this morning on the Charles Bridge by a smiling older man. Steffen says the smacking is to keep the women fertile and beautiful, which is why they'd traditionally reward the men for doing it. I've seen people get smacked for less. I think it's charming.
Time for me to start my job training! I'm at the office now, with nice window and scary elevator. "It's padded so if you get stuck, nobody can hear you scream." Ha, ha.
One more thing, that I wrote in my journal last night after a fruitless late-night search for food:
Local man noticed my sniffling in the Mustek metro station and gave me a scratchy tissue. This is noteworthy because: 1. The man was handsome, and this allays my fears of only encountering males of the "rowdy British stag party" variety. 2. all paper goods in Prague so far are 1-ply and scratchy. And I do mean all. Ouch!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter Sunday
In Prague, and it was snowing when I woke up! Ano ("yes"), I made it! It's absolutely gorgeous here. I was so out of it yesterday on arrival...British Airways lost my bags (have found one, but still not delivered it), so I spent all day worrying about my stuff and being cold. I have one pair of shoes, thank god they're flats, because these cobblestone streets are no joke. And I just bought some underwear at an H & M situated in a building where Kafka once worked. Something feels slightly wrong about that! Steffen showed me around our neighborhood, Hradcany, plus Mala Strana ("little quarter," around the foot of the castle), Stare Mesto (old town) and Nove Mesto (new town), yesterday. I was in a daze as we walked past so many charming and ancient structures. We had thai-style food in a cozy, cave-like restaurant. He says cozy- "komorny"- is a big concept here. Again when I wanted some coffee to drink while walking across the most (bridge), we ended up seated in another cave for espresso. "Take-away" coffee isnt' a big concept here, but apparently take-away hot wine is, I see it everywhere and can't wait to get some. But, my latte came with a small glass of water and a dark chocolate, which I broke into little pieces and dropped inside. I can see that I'll have to get used to some things, like slow service and not having every convenience as I'm used to. I remember hearing someone say recently, in regards to the election, that people want change, but not too much. They actually value comfort and predictability/dependability more. I've been thinking about that and hoping I'll be open-minded in this travel adventure and future ones. And of course, I'm just talking about a dumb little thing like coffee. Well, and my weird hot dog on two pieces of wheat bread that I had for lunch. BUT I ate it while sitting outside the National Museum in Wenceslas Square!
I just changed some money and am trying to figure out if it's any better than the Euro. I think a little, but not by much. I'm going to do a breakdown of what I get with this initial $100/1449kc. There are tourists everywhere...yesterday I stood at St. Vitus Cathedral and looked up at the gargoyles, that resemble howling man-dogs. Steffen said when it rains, the water comes pouring out of their mouths. There are a lot of creepy/beautiful things I hope to document for you with pictures, when I get my hands on a camera. Am really regretting not getting a cheap one on Craigslist before I left the US. I feel very disconnected right now as my phone is seasonally shut-off, and no Internet. Although, my flatmate said we'll be getting wireless this week, if not tonight.
I should get out of this Internet cafe. I was here earlier but had forgotten my passport, so I had an adventure getting home and back, and now I know the route. Woo hoo! On the way back, I listened to Booka Shade on my headphones while taking the metro and tram, and will do the same now, one ear open for my stops, "Malostranska" and "Pohorelec." I can't wait to spend the weekends taking the metro to all the stops, and wandering the streets of Mala Strana. And finding the 20-somethings in Zizkov, and drinking pivo in the pubs and coffee in the grand cafes. Oh! I missed one of my favorite drum & bass producers, High Contrast, by one day! If I can afford it, I'll go to an Easter concert in one of the cathedrals tonight.
Na shled! xoxo
I just changed some money and am trying to figure out if it's any better than the Euro. I think a little, but not by much. I'm going to do a breakdown of what I get with this initial $100/1449kc. There are tourists everywhere...yesterday I stood at St. Vitus Cathedral and looked up at the gargoyles, that resemble howling man-dogs. Steffen said when it rains, the water comes pouring out of their mouths. There are a lot of creepy/beautiful things I hope to document for you with pictures, when I get my hands on a camera. Am really regretting not getting a cheap one on Craigslist before I left the US. I feel very disconnected right now as my phone is seasonally shut-off, and no Internet. Although, my flatmate said we'll be getting wireless this week, if not tonight.
I should get out of this Internet cafe. I was here earlier but had forgotten my passport, so I had an adventure getting home and back, and now I know the route. Woo hoo! On the way back, I listened to Booka Shade on my headphones while taking the metro and tram, and will do the same now, one ear open for my stops, "Malostranska" and "Pohorelec." I can't wait to spend the weekends taking the metro to all the stops, and wandering the streets of Mala Strana. And finding the 20-somethings in Zizkov, and drinking pivo in the pubs and coffee in the grand cafes. Oh! I missed one of my favorite drum & bass producers, High Contrast, by one day! If I can afford it, I'll go to an Easter concert in one of the cathedrals tonight.
Na shled! xoxo
Friday, March 21, 2008
na shledanou, nyc
That's "Goodbye/See you" in Czech.
Ahh, my stay in NYC (Brooklyn, I should say, because I didn't actually go into the city once) was perfectly relaxing. I feel somewhat caught up with the clock. I didn't see Starshine Burlesque last night, unfortunately, but it was cold and blustery out. We just had some drinks at a local bar, played Scrabble, and got Chinese takeout at home. Takeout!! My housemates and I have been fantasizing about that... this afternoon, Andy took me to the other Bonita for more Mexican corn and some delicious eggs & poblanos. I've decided I really, really like Brooklyn...the preponderance of hip parents is something else, though...hehe
Ok I'm boarding soon, so see you on the other side of the ocean...gulp!
Ahh, my stay in NYC (Brooklyn, I should say, because I didn't actually go into the city once) was perfectly relaxing. I feel somewhat caught up with the clock. I didn't see Starshine Burlesque last night, unfortunately, but it was cold and blustery out. We just had some drinks at a local bar, played Scrabble, and got Chinese takeout at home. Takeout!! My housemates and I have been fantasizing about that... this afternoon, Andy took me to the other Bonita for more Mexican corn and some delicious eggs & poblanos. I've decided I really, really like Brooklyn...the preponderance of hip parents is something else, though...hehe
Ok I'm boarding soon, so see you on the other side of the ocean...gulp!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
hello, prague blog!
Hello, friends and family! This is the first time I've made a super-public blog with the intention of keeping interested parties up to date...so I'll try to keep it free from the in-jokes, obscure song lyrics, and celebrity nattering that my most recent blog fell victim to. I've also been inspired by my former housemate Aimee's around-the-world blog, as being able to spy on her adventures in Bangkok and Phnom Penh has been great.
This blog is to share with you my time in Prague and show you pictures like the one above. That's Hradčany (pronounced hrad-cha-nee), the castle district, and my neighborhood for the next three months! Wow!! Because I'll be living in the shadow of this ancient beast, I'm using this particular picture of myself, taken by my talented friend Dave, as my profile image for now. hehe. Dave has previously made andy appear on a Mcdonald's billboard in Seattle, and Brian in some chi-chi glasses in Flaunt magazine, for the millions to see. i want to thank Dave and Michelle again for helping me get some pictures ready for my burlesque portfolio before I left town. In the blog's title, "Peachie" refers to one of my burlesque alter-ego's. "Nora" is the one in this picture, but Peachie sounds better with "Prague." I'll make a myspace for these girls in the coming weeks, and probably dump my more frivolous posts there.
At the moment, I'm chilling in Fort Greene, NYC, with my old Jacksonville friend Timmy. He just finished a record under the name Power Douglas, check it out. I can hear him telling somebody, "It's kind of out there, it's hard to describe," although it's not "japanese classical music/western swing" as myspace reads. postscript: I just read the Urb review that'll be out in a few days...pretty spot-on. I'm so proud of Timmy.
I flew from Seattle yesterday at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m. to a dark and drizzly NYC. n.b.: Delta seats are wider than United, and not having a connection for once was great. Jess, they showed August Rush, and thank god I slept through the whole thing, listening to Pop Ambient 2008 on my headphones (thanks Cha Cha!!). I was dead tired upon arrival, because I'd stayed up all night packing and getting the room ready for the guy who's subletting it. My ladies Jessica, Kate, and Rebekah came over with some Ezell's fried chicken and champagne earlier in the evening, to help me get ready. I'll miss you!!
Back to the present, I was nodding off in the cab while coming in to Brooklyn. Timmy had just gotten back from that bbq beerfest, SXSW, so we just walked around in the rain, ate some mexican corn, and watched a couple hours of planet earth. I slept for about 12 hours and now I'm finishing some dining guide assignments for the Weekly, and listening to someone do an improv rap in the other room that sounds really awesome. Pratt is right around the corner...Andy's hood is too, and I'll see him tomorrow. Creative NYC...maybe I should spend more time here in the future. hmm...are there any cheap burlesque shows tonight?? "Brookyln Ed's NYC burlesque calendar"(ask and you shall receive!) says YES.
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