Go Democrats!

VICTORY FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY -- GREAT NEWS!

It continues to amaze me how well-informed (many) Europeans are on foreign affairs when compared to (many) Americans. Clearly I'm making a generalization here. However, the hot topic of conversation among my students this week has been the Democratic victory in both houses of Congress. They ask my opinion on the situation; they raise a few eyebrows when I tell them that I'm not a Republican and not a Bush supporter. As if I would ever support a President who is not only bad for the environment, but also wants to amend the American Constitution to include discrimination against minorities.

However, it also goes to show how much the current administration has alienated foreign bureaucracy (and just plain-old common citizens) from the United States. That's not to say that they were ever big fans to begin with. Never has this been more clear to me than during my recent visit to Amsterdam -- though it's certainly not surprising, given the reknowned Dutch liberal mindframe. I saw anti-Bush graffiti on buildings and in restrooms, and propaganda on sale in souvenier shops, even at the airport.

Of course I realize it's impossible to compare the Czech Republic to the United States; you can't compare a country roughly the size of North Carolina to a global superpower whose politics make international headlines. However, do (many) Americans go to any length to be informed about the politics of other global superpowers? And certainly I include myself in that category as well.

It's not the New Yorker, but...

I wanted to hate the film version of The Devil Wears Prada, I really did. The novel was certainly the most despicable piece of trash literature I'd ever read; not only was it poorly written, but it was dreadfully edited as well. You can't trust the credibility of an author who has no concept of verb tense agreement within a single sentence. Plus, as someone who tried unsucessfully to crack into the Manhattan publishing world, I find it hard to have sympathy for a self-involved, loathsome brat who lands a job at Vogue...ahem, Runway, directly after college. OK, we get it -- your boss is a witch, but certainly you weren't forced to accept the complementary pair of Jimmy Choos, the Jean-Paul Gaultier trousers, or the Chanel scarves at gunpoint, right?

However, the movie began to pique my interest early on when I heard that director David Frankel and costume designer Patricia Field (both Sex and the City veterans!!!!) were attached. The end result is a sinfully delicious flick -- a fantastic Manhattan romp. It's thankfully more in the vein of All About Eve than Lifetime: Television for Women. Fortunately, Lauren Weisberger's grammaritical errors and shallow characterizations don't make it to the big screen, but the movie retains enough of what made me pick up the damn book in the first place (publishing industry! haute couture! bitchery! gossip!).

Let's not forget the soundtrack! There's a ultra-fantastic montage scene in which Anne Hathaway transforms from office assistant duckling into sparkling designer-clad fashionista to the tune of Vogue. That's what I call quality cinema. Add in sweeping skyline shots of Manhattan and Paris and you've got a movie, as Beth put it in keeping with the fashion pun, "tailor-made for Curtis."

And it's impossible not to love Anne Hathaway. Let's face it, the gal got her start alongside the legendary Julie Andrews. Not only is she exquisitely gorgeous, but she now gets to wear fantastic Patricia Field clothes and then make out onscreen with Jake Gyllenhaal on one day, Adrian Grenier the next (talk about a hard day at the office) and is dating a high-profile Italian aristocrat in real life. Sign me up for that job ASAP!

Ghouls and gals -- Halloween roundup

As Jack Twist, with Babicka Beth, Doug and Raggedy Christine


Rockin' around the Andrew tree...


With Rasta-Jules, Baby Girl Jo, and White Trash Clayton

Jack Twist & Rasta-Jules

Babicka Beth and Hlavni Nadrazi Stewbum Nick


With 1980s Wall Street Mark, Flapper Megan and Scarface Scott

Visa extension, or 'How to Deal with Foreign Administration, Curtis-style'

So I achieved a milestone yesterday: I finally recieved my new Czech working visa for 2007. This may not seem like a big accomplishment for most; however, it involves tracking down and authorizing countless official documents, a medical examination, numerous trips to the bank and to a notary public, staring down assorted officials (or, as I've nicknamed them, people-who-sit-on-sticks) in two cities, two trips to the Czech Embassy in Dresden, a total of 100 Euros, several hours of train travel and, finally, one God-awfully-long morning standing (yes, STANDING) in a four-and-a-half hour line at the foreign police station here in Prague, just to "register."

So given the red tape and bureaucratic tap-dancing that's involved, you can see why it's such a big deal. And mind you, you're dealing with antiquated computer and paper-filing systems about 70% of the time, too. Certainly it's very easy to get discouraged. I honestly don't think I felt this content about a personal situation since getting my SATs out of the way. OK, maybe that's a stretch...but still, it's a good feeling.

Certainly there's no necessity in obtaining a visa. There are many people here working under-the-table. Of course the government here seems to turn a blind eye for the TOEFL industry; most people are able to avoid this godforsaken process by claiming just to be a tourist, not a resident, and leaving the country every 3 months. Of course that's a good excuse for travel. For me, however, it became more of a self-fulfillment; I wanted to be legal to feel better about the situation. So now I'm OFFICIAL and LEGAL in work and residency for the coming year!

So, the question remains: how does one cope with this process? As has often been the case with me, I rely on a set of unorthodox methods which involves relating my current situation to something slightly more entertaining. As I mentioned earlier, in order to 'register' and hence validate your visa, one must make a trip to the foreign police no later than 3 days after your return from receiving your visa in Germany. So, I equate it with something more amusing. As per her deal with Ursula, Ariel had a time limit of 3 days on land before she had to return to the ocean. Certainly she was dealing with a much more crooked bureaucrat and worse conditions if she failed in her mission, right? If a cartoon mermaid can cope with a deadline, hell, so can Curtis Wong. This became a source of encouragement as I dragged my behind out of bed at 5:45 a.m. to begin my venture to the foreign police.

What lies ahead, however, is the problem of the four and half hour line in a cramped, damp corridor with groups of foreigners that can best be compared to Ellis Island (or, rather, the Ellis Island as depicted in documentary films and movies). My solution? I remind myself that I waited 3 hours in a cramped, damp corridor filled with groups of foreigners (namely, Japanese tourists) to experience Splash Mountain when it first opened in 1990. While my four hour wait at the police station doesn't climax with a 90-foot, 52 m.p.h., gleeful plunge down a waterfall, it will result in access to European health care, a pay increase and the personal gratification of being a legal employee and resident.

By comparison, a thrill ride seems anti-climactic, doesn't it? Certainly this is just as good, right?

Oh, yeah, and Beth thinks I'm crazy...