BIBLIOGRIND
The Life of a Wordsmith — Read … Live … Write
Archive for February, 2011
February 28, 2011 at 8:26 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
It’s been so long since my last post, the only thing left to do for the month is to “blurb” it …
Asia celebrated her birthday on the 18th, and in her words, “I’m 32 and I’ve got nothing to hide!” (which is a great follow up to last year’s “In my thirties, I do things differently!” Looks like it’s going to be another very good year!!
We’ve begun to make pizza dough, and have experiemented with the best sauce, toppings, etc: Sauce … tomato paste diluted with red wine, with added herbs; Toppings … light on the cheese, mushrooms and kelbasa on top to roast.
Asia has won two games of SCRABBLE this month – one just tonight – with her stellar placement of such big-scoring words as “jam” and “fox”
I’ve begun the second draft of “Of Sirens and Muses” … it’s going to take me a lot longer than I had thought, but this is because I want to make the language sing, and the story sizzle.
Asia has nearly completed another knitted bag project. It’s fantastic, as is her talents with the needles.
Project LOVE continues … 
February 15, 2011 at 6:42 am · Filed under The Prague Blog
I woke to find a little gift bag on my computer … filled with chocolates! Asia was still asleep. I wouldn’t see her until lunchtime. Let her sleep, and dream of puppies.
At lunch, she came home to find her wrapped present … filled with chocolates!
Asia gave me sticky toffee chocolates. I gave Asia an assortment of Leonidas. She took ten photos of the box and chocolates peaking through the window. Now that’s what I call a real Chocolateer!
So then we kissed.
In the night, we played Scrabble in bed, propped up by pillows. Asia won! 279 to 270. Lots of long words, triple scores, adjectives and nouns.
The best St V-Day ever.
February 7, 2011 at 10:37 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
Richard Ford’s “Frank Bascombe” trilogy:
The Sportswriter introduces Frank Bascombe to literature and the public. Frank is a sportswriter and once-upon-a-time short story writer who just didn’t have another book in him. His first-person narrative story of post-divorce, post-death-of-his-son, and now-into-the-crypto-solitary existence life gives a fine portrayal of American existence.
Independence Day continues with Frank Bascombe, five years on, coming to terms with his son’s weirdness, his ex-wife remarried, his own ongoing romance and near-to-failing relationship. But now Frank is a real estate agent, a father trying to reconnect with his teenage son, and trying to just hold LIFE together.
The Lay of the Land is Frank Bascombe at his Permanent Existence, aged 56 now, wealthy but still with the same existential problems, only updated by the times, his adult children, a second marriage temperamentally on the skids, and the trouble of seeing death in the face.
All synopses aside, Ford’s writing is tight, shows brilliance for word choice and sentence invention, with a character who is both sardonic and true, comic and insightful. With Ford, also, there is no such thing as the mundane discription of home, highway, personal habits of people, or thoughts on myriad subjects.
February 5, 2011 at 8:11 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
Ronal Reagan would have turned 100 this Tuesday, but of course he’s dead and so won’t, however that hasn’t stopped the fucking fools who liked the man as the “Great Communicator” and … I can’t even imagine what else he might be admired for, given the facts of his record as U.S. president.
In fact, Reagan has blood on his hands no less than Stalin, Hitler, Manson, and Pol Pot. He helped to kill hundreds of thousands in Central and South America through his illegal backing (and funding) of murderous regimes; and he sold arms in order to procure the release of hostages, in direct contradiction to law (a felonious and thus impeachable act). Worst of all, even before he became president, he was negotiating with the Iranians for the release of the revolution-incited hostages from 1979 (an act that is treasonous and which carries with it the death penalty).
The best thing that could have happened to America during his presidency would have been his assassination. George H.W. Bush was far more prudent and reasonable from a political stance. Alas, the assassin aimed poorly.
The USA has been on a downward slide ever since. And yet, AND YET … there are millions in America who have been suckered by the mystique of Reagan, just as Weimar Repblican Germans had been taken in by Hitler.
February 4, 2011 at 6:38 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
“We can’t do anything, so why try.”
It isn’t even posed as a question. This is the mantra I hear from my students, Czechs, about their political system. Their politicians are bathing in the champagne of tax dollars: skimming, kickbacks, bribes, graft, payola. Call it what you want, but the Czech people are getting the hollow shaft from their legislators, and they think they have no ability to do anything about it.
Of course, looking at the system, it doesn’t seem as if they do have any recourse: business is in cahoots with gov’t; the courts are in cahoots with the legislators; the media reports but doesn’t dig; the people throw up their arms and say little; the legal system is stacked in favor of a Machine Politics mentality. And billions of crowns are yearly siphoned from the till, bound for the pockets of said politicians.
Fingers are pointed between political parties, but since everyone is feeding from the same placenta, no one will ever speak. This system reminds me of Tammany Hall circa 1920, Chicago circa 1955, Washington circa 1870, 1930, 1972, 1985, 1992, and 2001-2008.
Ooops!
But … the major corruption of American politics was corralled by outside political groups that, after decades of pressure, finally forced the insiders to act. And then, with law and repercussive actions on their side, states attorneys across the nation used strong subpoena powers to get at the political racketeers.
This is where the Czech system stands: in need of several strong, independent people who have the people in mind when fairness and equality are used in the philosophy of a gov’t made of laws. This will be some time before such a strong people-oriented system gets its foundation and then thrives. I think perhaps another 10-15 years. But if the Czechs hold on, and work at their democracy, then the system shall change.
February 3, 2011 at 10:03 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
My Five-Class-Thursday ended with a wimper: got to the eye doctor’s to pick up my glasses just 10 mins past closing time.
It began to snow at 1pm, fat, heavy flakes the size of goose-down feathers. I walked in it for ten minutes.
I had a 90-minute conversation about UFO’s and secret tunnels connected around the Earth. Couldn’t have been weirder; then again, anything’s possible.
February 2, 2011 at 5:09 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
My follow-up with the well-educated, English-speaking opthalmalogist (sic?) went well. I had to travel “out beyond” to see him at his other office, but it was worth the time: my eyes are without gunk or virus, and he commended me on my diligent and careful treatment. So there.
And then he fitted me for two sets of glasses: reading/work, and distance. I’ll pick the reading/work up perhaps Friday, but likely Monday.
Meanwhile, I’m back at the computer and in a better mood to research, network, blog, and generally surf as before. And meanwhile-meanwhile, it’s time to get back writing and take this second draft of the new book slowly and deliberately, to see how it all fits together.
I hear our Chicago friends have got 17.3” of snow (and still falling). Sounds like fun, if you’re holed up with food, liquor, music, books, and a wood-burning fireplace. Here in Prague, the deep freeze is about to lift, and by Monday we should see temps in the 50s. Now, where’s that suntan oil?
February 1, 2011 at 1:04 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
There’s nothing that makes my day more enjoyable than a late cancellation coming through the text msg an hour before class is supposed to start.
Money + free time = utter happiness.
While I like to teach, having a bit-o-fun during an otherwise long day makes the week, and life that much more soothing. But who am I kidding? I just had a 45-min talk with Prof. Kriz, who asked me to disquisit on the Egyptian uprisings. Not a bad morning’s work.
For all the people who complain that teachers don’t work as much as they themselves do (and there a congress of such louses), I only have this to say: tough shit! … you picked your bullshit career, so go suck an orange!
