BIBLIOGRIND
The Life of a Wordsmith — Read … Live … Write
Archive for July, 2011
July 31, 2011 at 9:25 am · Filed under The Prague Blog
Off we went yesterday, in the all-day rain, to IKEA. We just missed a metro to Cerny Most for IKEA #1, and as Saturday metros come every 8min or so, we decided to jump on the Zlicin-bound metro just pulling into the station, heading toward IKEA #2.
Yes, Prague, the city of 1.3 million people, has two IKEA stores.
Off we zoomed, soon grabbing seats, taking out our books, and settling in for an 18-min ride. Zlicin is at the end of the yellow line. From there, a free shuttle to IKEA, just a mile away, brought us to promissing pastures of shelves filled with thousands of goods. So many things to buy!!! But we had a mission, we had a LIST!
Paper plates, plastic forks, paper coffee cups, white candles, a dustpan, extra glasses, some extra silverware, wooden stackable boxes (minis, for the bath; more “containers”), picture frames, house slippers (for incoming guests x2 … hint: if you want to bring your own, feel free; we take shoes off at the door, not in homage to Japanese culture, but because Prague is a filthy city and tracking its dirt through the house is a no-no), … ahem, where was I? Oh! …, a photo album, wooden soap dishes, and replacement lightbulbs.
Into IKEA we wandered, with the reward of a cuppa and tort once shopping was finished. Except, we would soon learn that a much greater reward was due us: for PATIENCE. Seems that, once again, half of Prague had turned up at the store, with crying infants in strollers, bratty brats wandering, touching, unsupervised, and strolling couples who seemed to think this was a the FUCKING PARK !!! on a Sunday afternoon. All of this and it was 6pm!
And then it got worse …
This IKEA had only three item on our list. Sooo disappointed!! Either the shelves weren’t stocked, or things had been sold out in that massive sale last month, or this IKEA-Zlicin just sucked and hadn’t the same merchandise as IKEA-Cerny Most. So we left. Paid for our measely four items, and went upstairs to the cafeteria for our “reward”: more brats, gluttons, and cheaters at the drinks-refill station (I guess, though, if refills are free, there can’t be “cheating”). We had our torts (cheesecake, chocolate, split down the middle and shared, like a good “young” married couple).
And then we REALLY left … 
At the metro station, waiting for our train home, Asia suggested we go to the other IKEA at Cerny Most. “We’re out, it’s on the same metro line, we’d only just go home and read. I hummed & hawed, but then, Why not? There were only 30 stops between us and the IKEA #2 … and we knew they had better stock. (we really wanted that pastry brush, because the old one was used on Asia’s hair). Besides, I had foregone eating pallea, and planned for my 2nd chance at #2 !!
So we got good seats on the metro, took out our books, and for the next 40min we kicked back and read. Bingo, we get to Cerny Most, but we’ll have to wait for the bus, 20min! … No, we decide to hike in the rain — “It’s only a 12min walk” — yes, we hiked. Why? Because we had a time limit now: IKEA closes at 10pm, and the official watch (attached to Asia’s wrist) read 8:52 (with next bus coming at 9:14).. We hiked!
We got to IKEA #2 … and I found that the cafeteria was CLOSED FOR RECONSTRUCTION. Oh well, I didn’t need to eat tepid food anyway. Meanwhile, the early pangs of starvation stabbed through my stomach lining, my cerebral cortex, and my posture.
BUT…
IKEA-Cerny Most had some of the items yet on our list. And the store had fewer children. And there were shorter checkout lines. And we caught the shuttle back to the metro station with minutes to spare. Hurray for IKEA!!!
I’m never going there again as long as I live in Prague.
July 30, 2011 at 1:56 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton
An unexpected treasure because of its parallel narrative, which never mentions “pleasure” or “sorrow”, as Botton peaks inside numerous industries and careers to give a narrative — again parallel to — for day-to-day or week-to-week life in aerospace sales, mass food distribution, career counseling, logistics, cookie mfg, rocket science (in the jungles of French Guiana), painting, and accountancy. One gets a sense of both terror and nirvana depending upon how you see your own life fitting (or having fit) into the world of work.
The Twenty-Seventh City by Jonathan Franzen
A terribly gifted imagination and careful writer, Franzen riffs on America’s political structure, power elites, and those who cannot change their stripes. When an Indian woman becomes St. Louis’s chief of police, the black-ops of Subcontinent political chicanery is seeded in the American heartland. At once believable and literary, and we’ve all met people like those populated in this novel.
Talking it Over by Julian Barnes
A love triangle meeted out in soto-voce increments from the three players. Barnes’s dialogue is quite snappy and in high form, although I thought the characters, and plot, ultimately predictable. I read more than halfway, then jumped ahead by increments of 7 – 12 pages, and guessed right: she relents to the 3rd’s advances, ruins her marriage, the new couple tear at each other’s throats while the cuckold tries to win her back. Ugh! Oi! (and there’s a sequal … can you imagine!?)
July 29, 2011 at 2:34 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
But is it also frying? I’ve got many jobs going on, and the importance of each is an omelet stuffed with 10 ingredients. I’ve composed a cracking query letter to agents/publishers/HollyProducers that mixes moxy, experience and good-fucking-writing for The Sculptor and TVW (trying to kill two birds with one stone). There is the notebook whose pages I’ve been increasingly filling with scenes for my next novel (Max the Blind Guy). Must also keep this year’s reading schedule intact (26 books thus far). Oh, and of course the making-a-living thing, too.
But… there IS the Poland trip next week: overnight train to Warsaw (2-sleeper party room!) & back; The Szustek Party w/glomky (meat-stuff cabbage) & cake.
All of that, and keeping up with blog posts for the interested people (all 6 of you!) out there in cyber-space.
Meanwhile, today is AsiaMark’s 1-week wedding anniversary!
July 28, 2011 at 10:00 am · Filed under The Prague Blog
We’re planning a late honeymoon to Venice, likely Sept or Oct, long weekend that fits with a Czech holiday … and then coast along through the fall on wedding-day memory bliss! This past week we had an at-home honeymoon (cluck-cluck!) following a short-but-harrowing ceremony (Oi!).
Prague is cool but threatening rain every day, though lots of blue skies too, so I don’t know what’s happening either metorologically (sic?) or seasonality (sick?). The professional wedding photos are in, and I must fiddle with them a bit before sending a few pics to friends & family. Otherwise, the slow summer classes have given me time to mentally wander to inspire scenes and characters and themes for the new novel, tentatively titled, “So Danced the Minotaur” (don’t ask why).
Meanwhile, Asia has had dental surgery for wisdom teeth that turned more evil than wise. She is a true Dental Warrior and shall be justly rewarded at the weekend.
July 22, 2011 at 2:39 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
The wedding went off with almost no hitch (but then this is the Czech Republic and there’s always a hitch— more in a moment) and the ceremony was filled with good marital values. They read us a story of Man & Woman hitching up. Very moving.
There was lots of mini-hustle & bustle, choosing the organ music and working with the photographer and making sure the Czech-to-English translation was okay. Then we were suddenly ushered to our starting points, the music began, and Asia & I walked as an unmarried couple into the chamber (pics to come!!) and before the asst. magistrate.
The Asst Magistrate said a few words of introduction, and so this brought out the Official Magistrate, a congenial but determined looking woman, wearing an official necklace (comes with the job title). She spoke Czech, the translator read from her hymnal in English. We were schooled in the wonders and happiness and togetherness of marriage, were read a short story (vaguely familiar, Judeo-Christian in origin), and then the big moment of asking the “Yes” question (a forgone conclusion, n’est’ce pas?).
As official as the ceremony was, the magistrate duo were quite honorific in their roles and honoring in their happiness that a new couple was being made in good’ole downtown Prag. We stepped up to the desk and exchanged rings (truth be told: I grabbed my own ring (doh!)), then stepped back, were pronounced married, and I got to kiss my wonderful bride.
Then we signed the official documents. Lots of signing. Very official. Pictures were taken.
We made our processional to the fanare of our own thoughts, and the photographer took some more snaps outside the building (pics TO COME!!)
And … now we’re married. Such a good feeling.
July 22, 2011 at 7:47 am · Filed under The Prague Blog
Ah, a peaceful sleep awakened to a cool July morning, overcast but dry … an easy breakfast and reading for pleasure … did some writing on my new project “Max the Blind Guy” [think I've got the ending] … now a light whiskey coffee before a shave & shower.
And Asia has made up her nosegay of white roses…
3hrs 25min till lift-off !
July 21, 2011 at 6:19 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
She’s packing her purse, trying on the ring, making lists and checking them twice … trying to decide if she’ll be naughty or nice.
My vote is “naughty” … 
July 19, 2011 at 7:48 am · Filed under The Prague Blog
Asia knitted pencil & pen holders that are so perfect and stylish that I had to write a post. I’ve not used a pencil case since grade school, but since I’m doing lots of things in these English lessons, and I wander around Prague writing and noodling in notebooks, having a p&p hold convenient and saves time looking for things.
I got to pick my colors, an Earth-tone mix, and I wanted to add white to it on the cover wrap to get that snow-dust look. The wooden peg gives the bag an old world look, and the mini pencil sharpener makes me feel like a little boy again.Thanks Asia!!
July 18, 2011 at 6:03 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
Yes, the document that confirms I am legally in the Czech Republic has been procured … but not without incident. Seems there are communication snafus in this gov’t bullshit the preclude smooth sailing, on just about anything that needs to be done.
Fuck it. Water under the bridge.
Wife-to-be is excited. Friday is W-Day, H-Hour Noon, P-PartyTime Noon+ 15min.
July 17, 2011 at 5:17 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
The Message to the Planet by Iris Murdoch
When a nutter mathematician miraculously saves his friend’s life (something like the breath of God blown into the dying man’s mouth), people think he’s a sage, or the messiah, or someone with supernatural gifts. His other friends aren’t so sure. But one sees this in the rose-tinted light of possibility. Much happens to everyone, including a roiling manage a trois, but the truth lies somewhere in between them all.
The Counterlife by Philip Roth
Nathan Zuckerman’s brother dies of a heart attack, but how would his life had changed if he’d had the bypass operation and lived? Roth writes one of his brilliant fictive realities and has great fun talking about Jews, Jewery, and the Gentile/Jew chasm.
Life by Keith Richards
Growing up listening to Blues (Chicago, Memphis, Mississippi), Keith wanted to be Muddy Waters, and when he got the chance to form The Rolling Stones, he worked hard, by all accounts. He learned to write songs — lyrics and music — something he didn’t know he’d had in him. He learned to be a bandmate with Mick. He learned to take drugs … and how to live while keeping the buzz going. A real story here, as once again the life of a simple guitarist-become-superstar is so far afield of what 99.9% of people live, or can even imagine. A good story, but all in all, Keith is a bit of an asshole.
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