BIBLIOGRIND
The Life of a Wordsmith — Read … Live … Write
Archive for June, 2009
June 25, 2009 at 9:19 am · Filed under The Prague Blog
I’m within sight of beginning a new novel. The resurrected “Manny the Artist” will now be a two-part story — the younger Minus Orth (fomerly Manny then Mattei) in novel 1, and the middle aged Minus in novel 2, a satire.
I have many pages of notes, my stepping-stone outline method, and by August 1st I’ll have developed enough of a narrative arch, character sketches, and have beginning-middle-ending to start with extended writing.
Meanwhile, THE VILLAGE WIT lies in a good state: looking for a publisher who wants to print it.
What else life brings is gravy.
June 23, 2009 at 1:18 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
Each year for one night, Prague’s 20+ museums open the gates free of charge, and shuttle people in buses to the myriad sites for a night of “museum hopping” from 7pm – 1am.
Art museums, history, architecture, crafts, sciences, music, the great theaters and opera houses, even the Museum of City Police. We missed the last one on that list.
We began at Sternberg Palace, on Hradcany Namesti (just outside the Prague Castle gates). Three floors hold works by Goya, Rubens, Rembrandt, Durer, and many others. Lots of religious themes, but then that was how the Classical through Baroque Eras were.
One piece of sculpture (design?) was outstanding: an inkwell of a bronze frog with gaping mouth and pen holder. Other prizes we found were the many still lifes from the 16th century that look more real than photographs; a “tree of life” carved from wood (of course), complete with carved leaves; a huge central chamber on the 3rd floor that we all agreed would make a perfect bedroom: 45-ft ceiling, 80-ft diameter oval room, dramatic windows beside which can be installed a rock climbing wall (to clean the windows, naturally).
We (Cal, Anne, Radka, Sophie, and Alex) stayed more than 2 hrs at this palace. When we finally got back onto the square, we’d decided that this one museum had been enough. Next stop? Pivovarske “U Hradku” at the base of the castle.
The women peetered out by time we walked down the hill, so me and Cal squeezed ourselves into the crowd and found a pair of chairs amongst a big table of mellow Czech souls enjoying (from a quick look at their bill ticks) their 10th round of Pilsner Urquel.
Cal and I enjoyed two beers before “last call” was announced by the burly bartender. This is a nice pub that’s off the tourist path, where Czech can be heard and our English (and some meager but passable Czech) is understood.
June 20, 2009 at 11:41 am · Filed under The Prague Blog
Well, finally new web service has been order, and — weather permitting — the tech will climb onto the 45-degree-sloped roof and attach the antenna, run cables, hardwire both rooms, and bring me into the 21st century again.
Although I must confess, being without worldwide information for 5 wks has been a pleasure. No Obama-watch; no Republican “just say NO and hope the country fails” reportage; no Tiger Woods choke news; no “Sara Palin 2012″ ads; no nothing.
Except: good reading; beautiful writing; home-made food; Czech & Slovak beer; French wine; the hanging of pictures at the doma.
June 17, 2009 at 7:15 am · Filed under The Prague Blog
That funny (and fun) video game that swept the USA a couple years ago is just getting a hold on Czech youth. I was at Nove Smichov mall the other day (the other week, actually, but I’m trying to make these incidents timely, since internet is nearing connection at home … but not quite there yet) and a Guitar Hero III / Sony Playstation 3 display had been set up near the escalators, and two lovely Czech girls were demonstrating the game.
While the girls were floundering through “easy” mode songs, I asked to try. There were few other takers for the game in such an obvious public space. Czech’s are not want display ostentatious actions (though public face-sucking by teens is the norm). But being American, and liking GH, and once having been really good at this kids video game thus presumed by adult “air guitarist” rockers of the 70s … Me! … I grabbed the offered guitar, set the level to Hard, and picked a song at random.
This newest GH version has Mettalica songs. While not my favorite band, they can jam, and for a GH video, the songs were perfect. I quickly began to draw a crowd as I worked the wammy bar, flowed through the notes, and generally made a spectacle of myself. People stared down from the escalators; the guys from the DatArt electronics center came out to watch in their blue & yellow team shirts; babushkas toting their granny carts watched me with suspicion, as though I might be an American spy or KGB plant, attempting to infect the these good socialist Czech youth with decadent western anti-values (of course forgetting that the revolution pushed all that aside 20 years ago, replacing communism with cell phones, Marks & Spencer, Italian espresso machines, and Wonder Bras … not to mention freedom of choice).
So I rocked the house, got cheers from the Sunday afternoon crowd, and a t-shirt & button for my “YOU ROCK!” jam session on the plastic guitar with Christmas-colored buttons. The shirt is standard giveaway fare, with GH logo, and Metallica logo. There is a smart saying on the back (and if I had proper internet, I’d upload a picture):
“They’re the Gods of Metal, and You’re Just a Mere Mortal.
Good Luck with That.”
June 13, 2009 at 4:49 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
… and now I’m too tired to remember what to say. Except, found some very good restaurants in the neighborhood. My Czech language course is coming along, and I’m beginning to recognize things. Now I can properly order a meal, several beers (at once: “Ctyry piva, prosim!”), and ask for the bill, too.
Na shladano!
