BIBLIOGRIND
The Life of a Wordsmith — Read … Live … Write
Archive for August, 2011
August 31, 2011 at 2:06 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
The Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd
Peter Ackroyd writes historical tales as though he’d just stepped from a time machine. These interlinked stories form a novel, á la The Canterbury Tales. The story follows murder, intrigue in the church, and maneuvering among the politicians.
Capote by Gerald Clarke
Truman Capote lead a life of glamour— mostly on the dime of the world’s richest, most powerful people. He was able to do this because of his innate charm that came out from his otherwise shy personality at a time when thus was refreshing. Nonetheless, he wrote beautiful prose while eventually succumbing to alcholism and pills. Turned out to be a real jerk to his friends. But how to judge: the man or his oeuvre? I’ll take the works, of course; no human ever lives up to his art.
Rabbit, Run by John Updike
Updike write prose like brain surgeons save lives— with intense study of the human inner workings, and working the angles. Besides that, his characters and dialogue in this story of a once-high-school-hero-jock gone to seed and pining (still talking about!) his halcyon days. Meanwhile, he leaves his pregnant wife and 3-yr old child. What happens next is unexpected.
August 28, 2011 at 9:35 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
It’s been rainy or cold, up until last week, when we had nine days of 85+ degrees. And then in the last three days: 91 degrees; 68 degrees w/rain, rain, rain; and today a gorgeous 70 degrees, light breeze, blue sky.
We took in the park for a lunchtime picnic; made hot sandwiches which we wrapped and brought with us to the vineyard; and lolled on the picnic blanket for a half hour, soaking up a Sunday afternoon.
August 23, 2011 at 11:57 am · Filed under The Prague Blog
It’s blisteringly hot today at 86 degrees (30C), with a “promise” to cool down by the weekend … the normal 75 or so … but we’re glad the summer has not been like this from June or even July. Such nasty heat is brutal when you have to take above-ground public trans, w/o a/c and lots of stops in those aluminum boxes.
Also good to have had two cancellations yesterday (no school!) and one later today. As little movement as possible is the only way to get into September and cooler temps.
August 20, 2011 at 3:40 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
I got wind of a Farmers’ Market held along the Vltava each Saturday morning. Asia and I walked down there this morning and found lots of stalls with fresh meats, veggies, cakes, fruit & berries, wicker baskets, cookies, wine (young wine), flowers, breads, honey, etc etc.
At one stall a pair of men were frying up fresh fish, then sauteeing them in a hot-seasoning mix. A plate is perfect for two, and we shared one in the shade while watching the crowds with baskets filling up. Not exactly sated, we decided on splitting a pair of cake wedges: chocolate with cocoa frosting, and carrot cake. Both were delicious.
Then we waddled home and took a nap that began at about 11.53 am.
Oi!!
August 18, 2011 at 6:57 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
So many bits and pieces have been needed to find, sort, and put together — foreign police visit; insurance; official docs; web work; writing; and of course teaching — that I’ve been mentally exhausted or distracted away from writing blog posts. The only subjects that have come to mind are the weather and bitching about something (e.g., students, beaurocrasy (sic), beer-ocrisy &etc.)..
Here’s a subject: how do you find the spelling of a word if you don’t know how to spell it in the first place?
So there’s two weeks and two days before the Euro-American party, here at the palace apartment. Getting a last head count; planning celebratory meal; choosing the wine & beer; scoping out post-party, out-of-Prague excursions with the out-of-town visitors.
I’m even behind on my Dream Journal — I owe it two dreams from the other night, from which I remember because I used pencil & paper in the darkness at 3 am to jot the jist — which I’ve been faithfully keeping since late March.
And now going to the couch to read some Updike … Rabbit, Run
He’s a bad bunny @@@@
August 12, 2011 at 7:16 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
We like to teach English … more or less. Better yet, we get paid for cancellations, when they are later than 24hrs before the start of class.
This is Asia just moments after the notification of a “double” late cancellation of both her Friday classes, just an hour before she would have had to leave to go teach:
Need I say more?
Okay, I will.
Here’s “elation” for the early start of
the weekend brought about by said
LATE CANCELLATION:
Now that’s a happy woman!!
August 10, 2011 at 8:41 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
Yesterday we pulled into Prague railway station at 7.46, and by 8.38 I was at my first class (after having raced home with some luck from precient metro & tram action). Not bad after a long slumber over the rails from Warsaw.
Last Wednesday we reversed that route, leaving Prague at 8.17 on the “Chopin” routing eventually all the way to Moscow. We got into the wagon and our 2-person berth with little fanfare, and found a big group of Chinese tourists putting themselves into their berths. When one man passed by our still-open door and spoke enviously of our large (!) space, we got to talking in the corridor while the train moved slowly through Prague and on into the northern countryside.
Daniel was from a western province, in a large city beside a lake of which I can’t remember (and probably couldn’t pronounce, nor spell, its name). He said that he and his family found Prague to be a relaxing city, and scenic, and that their several days were sadly ending. But on they were to Warsaw. Daniel’s English was quite good, and he was friendly, but there was my newly minted wife waiting in our cabin, so I said my good-bye.
We slept like babies on the overnight trip. When we got into Warsaw at 7.30-ish, the weather was cool and bright, blue skies, and a busy Thursday workday for the Polish folk moving about beside the big Stalinist cultural building next to the main rail station. We dropped off our luggage and found we had six hours to play in town before our trans-country train left.
We made our way to Old Town, where we found lots of closed shops and a few open coffee houses. Life is better after a good cuppa joe and a handful of snacks to keep cranky-pants Mark from going ballistic (Asia once quoted a home-country proverb: “A hungry Pole is an angry Pole”).
The trip across to Gdynia was long again because of all the reconstruction going on for next year’s Euro Soccer championships held in Poland & Ukraine. The country is getting a nice facelift and infrastructure boost. This time next year, the trip via Warsaw – Gdynia is scheduled for 3.5 hrs. Bonus LIFE-TIME points!
At Gdynia Glowna, Asia’s brother, Adam, picked us up. This was the first I’ve met him, and in the car, he pulled out words from his bag of English: “Mark! We’re now brothers-in-law. I hope you’ll be the last I have!” Asia chuckled.
At Adam & Natalia’s house, we bedded down upstairs in their bi-level apartment, under the skylight that opened for cool night air. Young Wojtek was happy to see his auntie Asia. And then Adam used more of his English (which is far better than my Polish!): “Mark! Do you want a beer?” We sort of fell asleep pretty quickly that first night, as train travel is, at best, a mugging.
Friday was a day of buzzing about for Asia, with bits & bundles of Poland-errands. I tagged along and got fed, watered, and shopped around. Later then, we stopped at Babcia Helena’s house (“Asia!”), who is doing quite well living alone at 84 years old. She complained about politics and enjoyed the story of our wedding day. Then we were off to say hello to Wladyslaw and Ewa. This was a good visit, because it cut the nerves that would have been there (for me and Asia) on Saturday, with the big group.
Here Asia re-aquainted with her paternal Babcia Andzia, whom she hadn’t seen in about 10 years. Andzia presented us with knitted slippers and socks, which she claimed were easy enough to knock out and “Robienie na drutach jest bardzo relaksujace.” Well, of course, right? So we had a snack of batter-fried fish and potatoes and coleslaw … all homemade by Asia dad & mum. Just out-of-this-world good.
More tales tomorrow, including: 1) visiting Adam & Natalia’s newly built home in little village; 2) the sit-down luncheon with AsiaMark as newlywed honories; and 3) packing up the leftovers for later munchies over beer and Polish-English-Polish discussion at AdNat’s place.
August 2, 2011 at 9:32 pm · Filed under The Prague Blog
I’m reading a mystery that takes place in London of 1399, the reign of Richard II, apothecaries, belief in God so strong people bless their bowels, and superstitions strong enough to beat people to death in the streets.
Meanwhile, the views of London were so strong, and people’s movement well explained, that I had to find a street map of London for the period. While I didn’t find one from that year, I did find an excellent detailed map from the reign of Henry VIII (1520s). Given the directions the author, Peter Ackroyd, described of his characters’ wandering through the city, not much had changed in 130 years.
I was able to track horseriders and thieves, spies and whores, through the city’s smallest streets, and out beyond the city walls. What’s most surprising to me, the modern, is how London was a town of many small rivers flowing into the Thames, and these rivers correspond to many of today’s tube lines or underground stations. Seems the 19th century “moderns” diverted the tributaries, or dredged them out, or sent them further underground, and used the dry ditches to lay some of the earliest tracks.
Fleet Street corresponds to the Fleet River. And many streets are those recognizable today.
The book is “The Clerkenwell Tales” and the map website is here. Click on the different sections for an enlarged image.
