An American in Prague

April, abridged

2007-04-23T08:39:00.000-04:00

I realize I'm long overdue for an update. It seems like the past 3 weeks have just flown by...

1. EASTER IN BUDAPEST: As you know, Molly, Melissa and I made our triumphant return to the Hapsburg Empire's No. 2 city over Easter weekend. This time around, Alex and Vicki (two of M & M's friends from their TEFL program) decided to join us. A 7-hour train trip is never thrilling, but we made the most of it with the help of some cheese, chocolate, a bottle of Hungarian red wine and a never-ending supply of Sex and the City and Golden Girls trivia. OK, maybe that last part is mostly Melissa & Curtis' thing, but whatever ;-) We had to sort out some issues with the hostel on our arrival, and we eventually got bumped over to a new - and much nicer, albeit slightly more spendy - one.

We were concerned about many attractions being shut for Easter weekend as Hungary is considerably more Catholic than the Czech Republic; however, as it turns out, a tourist trap IS a tourist trap, so we didn't have much of a problem. Spent the next two days sightseeing, which meant taking in some of the sights we hit the first time around as well as some new ones. This time around, we climbed the belltower of Svent Ivstan's Bazilika, which offered a stunning panoramic view of Pest (note: Buda and Pest were originally two different cities, seperated by the Danube River). Other highlights included: an afternoon soaking in the Szechenyi Baths, the smoked cheese and goulash at Soul Cafe, Time Cafe (there seems to be a New Age restaurant trend on Raday Utca - bizarre), and the Fisherman's Bastion, quite possibly my favorite place in the world. I've decided that I want all of my milestone events at the Fisherman's Bastion!!!! Oh, and I dragged the crew to find the riverfront panorama of Parliament, which was just stunning.

2. JENN & DARA CONQUER THE CZECH REPUBLIC'S GOLDEN CITY: So scarcely 2 weeks after I returned from Hungary, Jenn and Dara arrived for their weeklong holiday. It's always great to have visitors. During the week, Prague loses a lot of its magic as I'm darting all over town on trams, buses and the metro...from class to class and student to student. But having a visitor always reminds me just how beautiful and incredible the city (and the Czech Republic) is. And not to mention the fact that I get to spend time with old friends and catch up on what's going on with the rest of the crew back in the Big Apple. You know, who's engaged, who's married, who's coming out of the closet and who's pregnant. Ha ha...just kidding, lately it's more like: who's laid off, who's found a new apartment, who's going back to grad school. Anyway, I had two days off of work - they did the standard tourist route on their own, but I accompanied them on day trips to the wine cellars in Melnik and a hike up to Karlstejn Castle. The weather was absolutely perfect - sunny and warm almost the entire week. Jenn was on a quest for liver-dumpling soup, a Czech specialty which turned out to be a lot harder to locate than you'd think. Apparently, many restaurants change the name to "meatball soup," as the word "liver" turns off many tourists. We capped off the week with a night at Lucerna Music Hall, indulging in Europop both good and bad.

Spring has SPRUNG

2007-03-24T12:50:00.000-04:00

So we've dove headfirst into springtime, although you wouldn't be able to tell by stepping outside...we're currently in the midst of a surprising cold spell at the end of the global warming-style winter. However, in honor of the change of season, I offer you a few unrelated items, i.e. "what's been on Curtis' mind" this week...

AT THE RISK OF SOUNDING UTTERLY BOASTFUL: Packed Magazine arrived last Friday, featuring my Czech travel piece. The second Post article will appear in the issue out April 7, if all goes according to plan.

SCORED A SECOND DATE WITH: Budapest, Hungary! That's right, Molly & Co. found a fantastic train fare deal for Easter weekend. Since we'll be a group of 7 people in total, Eurocity Railways gave us a great discount. European travel can definitely be affordable when you do the legwork. I wouldn't ordinarily choose to return to a city so soon after an initial visit, but seeing as how we've discovered a whole list of things we missed the first time around (as well as things I wouldn't mind seeing again), I figured it was a no-brainer. Thermal baths, Fisherman's Bastion and Tokaj...oh my! Top of our itinerary this time around is the Hungarian Wine Museum, where one can sample 55 different local wines for a whopping 10 bucks. Turns out Easter eggs aren't the only things that'll be turning red that day...

SCORED A FIRST DATE WITH: Copenhagen, Denmark! For those who don't know, I have a good pal who'll be taking a graduate course there over the summer. After much hemming and hawing, I bit the bullet and planned a long weekend there for August 17 through 22. I've decided to set aside a certain amount of koruna each much, in anticipation of the "pillaging and plundering" that is the Scandanavian currency exchange rate (guess some of those Viking traditions have stood the test of time). But how could I pass up the opportunity to visit a world-class friend in a world-class place, as well as resist a city that has the Little Mermaid as their official mascot? (Of course, Lonely Planet lists the mermaid statue as "the most overrated tourist attraction in Europe." Granted, I doubt most Lonely Planet writers have "Part of Your World" and "Under the Sea" on their iPods, and I doubt that they've cited various points in the Hans Christian Andersen tale as extended metaphors for events in their own lives now, have they?)

VISITORS A GO-GO: Jenn arrives in mid-April, followed by Lisa in early May. Woohoo!

CURRENTLY WORSHIPPING AT THE ALTAR OF: Chuck Palahniuk (that is, when John Irving, Margaret Atwood and David Sedaris are out of town). Just finished Invisible Monsters, my second Palahniuk novel this year, which was full of sick, despicable characters and one helluva twisted ending. That is to say: brilliant, just brilliant!

SPEAKING OF SEDARISES: Strangers With Candy finally opened in Prague as part of the Febio Film Festival, starring Amy alongside SJP and Matthew Broderick. Sigh...why can't the Sedaris family just adopt me??

BABY, I CAN'T STOP: boogie-woogie-ing to the new Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake CDs. I tried to resist, I swear to God I did! Don't hate me, please!

Sham-a-zon

2007-03-19T06:25:00.000-04:00

There are some times when living overseas gives you hassles that you seem unable to resolve. Case in point: my credit card balance is actually in decent standing at the moment (notice that I didn't say "good standing." I said "decent standing") so I thought I'd treat myself to some books...as many titles are often difficult to locate in the shops here, I figured I'd order a few from Amazon. I chose my titles, filled out the billing and mailing information, planned to pay an arm and a leg for shipping and handling. I figured that would be that.

What followed was a week-long series of e-mails, faxes and phone calls between me and a barrage of different Amazon customer service representatives, all of whom failed on their promise to "expedite the issue." Apparently, they can't ship to a foreign address without proof of address. OK, fine. Certainly it didn't help matters that my billing address is currently listed as my mom's place in Connecticut.

So, in order to complete my order, they needed a copy of my driver's license, a copy of my credit card (front AND back), a copy of my passport, a copy of my credit card billing statement (an online version would not suffice) and a legally notarized letter of consent. Mind you, it took about $40.00 worth of telephone calls with customer service reps just to get this across. They couldn't accept e-mail; it need to be FAXED. This required tracking down a fax machine somewhere in this city, which was easier said than done. Don't get me wrong, we're not living in the dark ages - my school, in fact, has one but I couldn't justify asking my boss to use it to order books for "pleasure reading."

Normally I wouldn't go through all of this trouble and would've cancelled the order. But eventually I got to the point where I just wanted my damn books already! Sheesh! This'll be the last time I order anything for a while, that's for sure!

My love affair with Europe

2007-03-17T16:17:00.000-04:00

So, after several failed attempts at travel in the past few months, I was finally able..to the hit the road again this past weekend! Throughout the trip, I recalled the fifth season episode of "Sex and the City" when Carrie announces that she's giving up relationships with men in order to "date the city."

I wondered, if..it's possible to date a single city, is it also then feasible to be dating an entire continent? After pondering the metaphor, I decided that European travel is a bit like having a series of relationships with a variety of different men, each special, stylish and unique in their own way.

Of course, Prague..must be mentioned first. You could say Prague is like that all-out decent guy you've decided to be in a long-term relationship with. He's charming, sweet and cute. You're aware of his flaws, and you've decided you can probably live with them if he's willing to work on them (building a decent English language bookshop might be a good start -- ha ha). You've introduced him to your friends, and your mother; he gets along well with both. Your love life is absolutely adequate, if getting a tad monotonous; maybe you're secretly hoping he'll find some ways to spice things up a bit. However, after almost 2 years, you're starting to ask questions. Where is this all going? Does he love me for me, or is he just in it for the nookie? Is he in this for the long run, or is it just a way to pass the time? OK, so you're living together...eventually you're going to want some sort of an extended commitment...the equivalent of a metaphorical engagement ring, perhaps.

Which brings me, of course, to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is like that..incredible guy you've spent..one glorious weekend by the beach with. You had a great personal connection from the onset; you really "get" one another...you stay up until 4 a.m. talking about your intimate secrets. He's amazingly smart, talented and gorgeous; he knows how to dress, treats you how you want to be treated and he even drives a great car (or canal boat, as it were). You hate to use the word "soul mate" at the risk of sounding like a needy housewife, but if forced to choose, you'd name him. However, there are obstacles. Maybe it's simply the distance factor. Maybe he's used to dating high-profile attorneys and guys with country club memberships, in comparison, you might seem a little junior. Regardless, you cling to the hope that you'll find some way to work it out so you can be together in the future.

Of course we can't forget Paris. Paris is a bit like the David Beckham of cities -- he's waaaaaaay out of your league; he's arrogant, a bit of a pretty, high-maintainence boy who spends hours shopping at Versace, primping his hair and plucking his eyebrows. However, he'll still let you go with him and the memory of that rendez-vous gives you *ahem* pleasant dreams at night. You're kind of amazed someone that drop-down-dead gorgeous would go for you.

You'll always cherish the memory of Munich, your very first boyhood love. There's Berlin, who's trendy, stylish and modern, but he's got a lot of baggage. There were also those dalliances with Vienna, who's a bit like a rich older man looking for that consummate boy toy, and Sighi-Soara in Romania, who's sort of a low-status, unconventional guy who turns out to actually be not that bad after all.

Which brings me, of course, to Budapest, my most recent destination. I'd admired him from afar for quite some time, like a high school crush on the star soccer player. I'd heard mixed reviews from previous partners -- some told me he was decent, others told me he was a bit of a bore and others warned me not to..put my relationship with Prague on the line, as Budapest wasn't that much different. Regardless, I was undeterred in my quest for a first date. Our..experience was brief and maybe just a tad superficial, a bit like mingling at a co-worker's cocktail party or something. Still, I've decided he's really sophisticated and cool. He's got me really intrigued, and I want to know more...

On the road again!

2007-03-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

So, after several failed attempts at travel in the past few months, I'm about to the hit the road again this coming weekend! The destination is Budapest, Hungary...a.k.a. "Paris of the East."

I must say I'm VERY excited about this trip and have been meaning to do it since I arrived. The main reason for the delay: it's one of the more popular weekend trips if you're already in Prague, so most everyone (and their brother) had already been.

The next item of debate: to Copenhagen...or not to Copenhagen? I'll have a good friend who'll be taking a graduate course in furniture design in the Denmark capital over the summertime. Certainly this could be a rare opportunity to visit a world-class friend in a world-class city...yet the first response I get from everyone is, "Watch out for Scandanavia, it's freakin' EXPENSIVE." As is the case in Switzerland and the UK, it turns out most Scandanavian countries are not even on the Euro, as their currency is so strong. (Of course in the U.K. it's said that it's more a matter of national pride - although the pound IS stronger than the Euro). So that means those hard-earned Czech crowns will go for even less...

Given my family history, I think I'm left with an intense money complex that's rare among my peers. That's not to pride myself, either. I worry about money all the time. Sometimes I wish I could spend money less conservatively!

Of course, being so far landlocked, I do long for a few ocean breezes once in a while, and Copenhagen could certainly provide that. Can Curtis really turn down the possibility of visiting the home of Tivoli Gardens, cited as the "world's first theme park," and said to have inspired Walt Disney? And the city where Hans Christian Anderson's "little mermaid" is a national symbol? Only time will tell...

2007-02-27T07:46:00.000-05:00

In 2007, I find myself in a very unusual position. So I actually can't say that I'm in any position to take any legitimate stance on this year's Academy Awards. I haven't seen most of the nominated films or performances, so there wasn't a particular film or actor that I was rooting for; I didn't view the ceremony (which actually airs on HBO here in Europe -- isn't that strange?) and I've had to rely on E! Online just to view the fashions.

However, I can offer a personal commentary on several films I've recently seen.

1. Saw Helen Mirren in The Queen. The movie was great and she was absolutely, absolutely knock-your-socks-off incredible -- she faithfully captured EVERY mannerism of the British matriarch.

2. Anyway, I know all of you were expecting the Curtis Michael Resident Musical Theatre Dork Wong to go see Dreamgirls in its opening weekend in Europe -- however, I opted against it. It wasn't like Chicago -- in which case I'd seen the Broadway revival, had loved it and was absolutely on the edge of my seat for the film version. In fact, I do own the original Broadway cast of Dreamgirls soundtrack -- and the CD has generally taken the place of an expensive drink coaster in my music collection --which is to say that I don't care for the soundtrack. Despite what I'd read, most of the people who'd actually seen it had given me mediocre-at-best reviews...so I opted out.

3. You all know my thoughts on The Devil Wears Prada (yes, I own the DVD) and Meryl Streep's fabulous performance. I'm happy to see her nominated...but really? I dunno...part of me thinks an actress like Meryl would've been able to phone in that performance.

4. Go see Little Children if you haven't already. I love, love, love me some Kate Winslet. OK, given that I can be a true cheeseball (at least I can admit it), I'll admit that I didn't notice her until Titanic -- however, in retrospect, I think that was one of her weaker performances. I've since loved her in every single movie I've ever seen her in, even if the movie itself wasn't stellar (note The Holiday and The Life of David Gale). Certainly her performances in movies that ARE actually stellar are even more astounding (note Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Hopefully she gets her Oscar due in the future!!! She was the US Weekly2006 choice for the "Ultimate Libra Woman" (yes, Curtis admits he knew that) which only furthered her likability in my "Ultimate Libra" opinion.

So, given my admiration for all things Kate -- I opted for Little Children instead of Dreamgirls. A feel-good movie was not in the least what I was expecting from this, based on director Tom Field's prior film, the depressing In the Bedroom (starring another actress whose altar I worship at, the incredible Sissy Spacek). And I didn't expect to leave the cinema feeling the need to break into song. However, the movie is simply superb. In most domestic dramas, the characters drift through their worlds allowing things to happen to them without taking any responsibility for themselves. Kate, playing basically THE original desperate housewife, screws up, makes bad decisions, acts irrationally. But -- like Helen Mirren in The Queen -- she creates sympathy for (what is stereotypically) an unsympathetic character.

5. On a final note -- I shouldn't fail to mention that Kate's love interest Patrick Wilson is an absolute DREAMBOAT.

Keepin' up as best as possible

2007-02-27T07:41:00.000-05:00

So it's taken me two days, but with the help of E! Online and People.com, I've finally caught up on my Oscar fashions. My verdicts -- Nicole Kidman: fantastic; Reese Withersoon: absolutely, absolutely exquisite, even without Ryan; Anne Hathaway: what the hell was she thinking?!?!?

Sadly, however, no one in our little ex-pat community cares. I get a lot of rolled eyes and the statement, "Curtis, you have too much time on your hands...we hate that celebrity shit." Now, don't get me wrong - I wouldn't argue that any of this is by any means a highbrow or intellectual pursuit. But I swear if I was rattling off baseball statistics or football trivia, everyone would think I was really cool!

If there's one thing I dislike about being an ex-patriate, it's this sense of intellectual entitlement (for lack of a better definition) that many people seem to create. Now, I'm not talking about EVERYONE here, but it does seem to be a general trend. Clearly, I stick out like a sore thumb amongst a group of soul-searching, intellectual hipsters who rely on angst, inside jokes and dark clothing.

I generally have nothing to hide -- I have a low tolerance for alcohol, like take-out coffees, enjoy a good chick flick now and then, and like nothing more than reading glossy magazines with lots of pictures of pretty people on a Sunday morning. Sure, I like European history, but I may never be able to take a legitimate stance on why the ideology of Karl Marx works on paper but not in practice. If given the choice, I generally don't listen to Bob Dylan. If that makes me "uncool," "shallow-minded," and not "a dark and tortured ex-capitalist who hates Westernized culture," then so be it! And hey, I've read Chuck Palahniuk too, ya know!

Somewhere...someday...I will meet someone who loves pop culture as much as me, and together we will pore over issues of GQ, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly and (OK, I'll admit it) InStyle and US Weekly over large cups of take-out coffee...and love every minute of it!

A new wind in my sails, hopefully

2007-02-21T06:55:00.000-05:00

Why is positive thinking -- particularly about careers -- just a generally difficult practice overall? And why is it so hard to give yourself credit for the things you can do before you throw yourself into an overdramatic tantrum over the things you can't do? After a series of minor panic attacks and at the request of my friend who studies Eastern thought as well as my family, I'm trying my best to think positively...and this blog is partly a result of that.

I've recently decided two things -- first off, that my primary career objectives still exist outside of the TESOL industry. Even with its ups-and-downs, teaching has been (and remains) a good time overall, but I'm coming to the conclusion that one can only do it for so long. As part of this, my biggest 2007 goal is to get some additional non-TESOL experience to put on my resume so that I'm not completely unemployable wherever I go next (which, for the record, has yet to be determined). So, my objective is to re-build my portfolio and get as much freelance work published as possible. That journalism degree from UConn set me back 40,000 bucks...and although I do hope to get my master's degree, I'm still determined not to let my BA gather dust on a shelf while I get shoved back into the depths of some corporate job.

As many of you know, I've been working (on my off-teaching time) for Provokator, an avant-garde Czech-based culture magazine, since July of last year. My initial story pitch was my Do-It-Yourself: Salzburg tour, and since then they keep giving me assignments each month. In recent issues, I've covered nightlife, sexual fetishes (those were some interesting interviews, let me tell you), the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments, the Petrin Hill funicular railway as well as previews for music festivals in Cesky Krumlov and Ostrava. My next piece will be about the increase in Chinese studies. I also have a piece on "Hidden Prague" in the March issue of Packed Magazine, a German and Austrian-based travel magazine which is published out of Berlin and Salzburg, and that comes out next month -- and will even include a headshot of Yours Truly!

Finally, after hemming and hawing about it for several months, I just pitched a story to the E.I.C. of The Prague Post, which is the primary English language newspaper here. We had a meeting early on Monday and I believe that it went well. My first story is due next Monday.

Positive thinking, Curtis...positive thinking...

Instructions requested!

2007-01-28T13:17:00.001-05:00

Don't you wish life came with a book of instructions sometimes? I spend insane amounts of time worrying about major life decisions. It's been driving me crazy. I guess it's weird to be in this chapter of your life. As an adolescent/teenager, you're expected to go to school...after that, you're expected to go to college...and after that, then what? Culture would have us believe that adulthood means that should land some an incredible job with incredible benefits, a beautiful house with a white picket fence and of course some amazing spouse.

But what if your path isn't so linear as that? There's no longer a guaranteed "next chapter" in place, like there was before. I spend so much time thinking, "Did I make the right decision in that situation? Would things be different if I had done this? Did I sabatoge this relationship or burn a bridge by doing such-and-such? Was it worth it in the end?"

A friend of mine and I were recently conversing on this topic. The focus of my stress lately has been "career-career-career," and "resume-resume-resume," and I know that it's made me considerably more irritable -- and, unfortunately, maybe a bit more self-involved -- than usual. She assured me, "Be grateful you don't have all of your important decisions already made at 27. Every moment for you is pregnant with possibility." Granted, that's easy to say...harder to accept. I'm not naturally a ruthless, cut-throat kind of person...but I want to have aspirations.

As soon as you choose one option, another one goes away. However, I have been trying to accept the fact that "real life" requires a lot of trial-and-error. You make a decision, you hope for the best...if it doesn't work out, you pick up the pieces and move on. I've heard it said that our failures in life are just as important as our successes. OK, so maybe I could've done things differently in certain areas. But don't we always make the best decision for us at any given time, based on the information at hand?

Never a dull moment

2007-01-24T09:18:00.000-05:00

So I awoke this morning to see the city covered in white...snow, that is, for the very first time this year. Compare this season to winter 2006, which lasted well into late May as far as I'm concerned. Even though I will always prefer warm weather to cold, I certainly appreciate changing seasons, and I'd been finding the unseasonably mild temperature of the past few weeks increasingly and increasingly disturbing. This is unlike most of my students who were happy to have mild weather. Of course it would've been nice to have seen a little bit of the white stuff when there were still Christmas decorations up all over the city.

Is it just a cruel coincidence that we get an unseasonably warm winter the same year that global warming is riding high on the political agendas? Of course you can't attribute it all to global warming. Unlike most everyone I know, who seem to actually enjoy the creepily mild weather, I actually want snow this year. I'm not in the mood for the world to end JUST yet. Of course it would've been nice to have seen a little bit of the stuff when there were still Christmas decorations up all over the city.

Of course I was bad today...I've been completely red meat-free since well before the start of the new year, but my student took me to lunch today and I ordered the roast pork and dumplings. Nothing quite says "winter" to me like heavy Czech comfort food.

With winter well underway, my usual "where-the-hell-am-I-going-to" dilemma returns, like clockwork. I've decided that this is a uniquely American phenomenon. Case in point: a friend of mine recently celebrated her birthday and invited a palm reader to come and entertain her party guests. When it got to my turn, the palm reader started off with some crap about soulmates or something like that, and I quickly shut her up with: "I don't care about my love life! I want to know about my career! What will I be doing in 10 years?" After which she chuckled and said, "So you want to know about your career -- typical American!"

I've decided that 27 is a strange age. It's too late to claim that all liberal arts majors can't find fulfilling jobs, that you are just out of college, need more experience and so on. It's frightening -- I feel like I've gone through this debate time and time again -- although I know that it's bulls**t, it's hard to not to succumb to it sometimes.

At 27, you're supposed to be a person who knows what your entire career will entail, what your future financial goals are, what your relationship and/or future family planning strategy is. You're supposed to have a clean-and-cut idea of what lies ahead for you and be well on your way to be doing so. As for me, I still feel like I have to fight an uphill battle to be taken seriously sometimes -- at work, at home and so on. I still get stressed out at the prospect of balancing my checkbook. And the thing is: I know that I feel I could be completely happy being married to my career if I could find a job that I enjoy. I weigh every financial and personal decision as if it's some kind of life-or-death thing. Why is there all of this insanity in my brain??

Apparently plans for my ten high school reunion are underway. The big question looms: to attend or not to attend? Is it worth it to arrive in roughly the same weight-height proportion as high school, with nothing in the realm of material wealth or significant other to show for it? Egad -- I need more time! I was supposed to be living some glamourous life, wearing a Dolce and Gabbana tailored suit and bragging about how I won my Pulitzer on the piece I wrote for Vanity Fair or National Geographic! Sheesh!

Holiday re-cap

2007-01-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

So it's my second Christmas here in Europe...it's funny how the holidays don't REALLY seem like the holidays when you're away from your family. And it's sort of strange...I don't think I heard "Jingle Bells," "Silent Night" or "The Twelve Days of Christmas" the entire month, for better or for worse, though I generally have no problem with holiday music. Despite the fact that the city's ex-pat community empties out during the month of December, I think we made the most of it.

Christmas Eve was spent with Kelly and Mellisa, as well as Kelly's dad who was visiting from the U.S.A. Mel and I both battled headcolds to enjoy dinner at Red Hot & Blues. On Christmas Day, I went to a dinner party hosted by my friends Jenn (who's American) and her flatmate Farrah (who's British), dragging my new roommate Scott along as well. (Funny how I seem to know a Jennifer in every city, huh?) Farrah's pals Jakub and Martina dropped by to join the festivities as well.

Anyway, Jenn tried her hand at lasagna, albeit with a Czech twist (cottage cheese and klobasa). It was interesting. True to form, I prepped spinach-artichoke dip (shocked that I could find all of the ingredients in the shops here) and Farrah's friend Jake prepped some svarak and desserts. And how many Christmas celebrations an say that they end with a dance party, courtesy of Justin Timberlake and Pink?

So that's Christmas in a nutshell...New Year's Eve was great! Kelly, Melissa and
I went up to Berlin and it was fantastic! You know it's a great city when I decide to visit twice in one year. Since we had limited time, we took a free walking tour the first day we were there. We had a great Bulgarian-Jewish tour guide named Nicholai who was really passionate about German/WWII/Communist era history and gave us tons of interesting tidbits, as well as taking us to some off-the-beaten-path places (the EXACT locale where Adolf Hitler committed suicide, which is now a parking lot, for example).

On New Year's Eve, there was an ENORMOUS street carnival in Tiergarten with a fireworks display, plenty of food, dancing, spiced wine and beer (naturally) everywhere, so we hit that on New Year's Eve and stayed out until 4 a.m.! Those Germans know how to throw a party, that's for sure! The only thing I would've changed was the hostel situtation...the three of us were packed into a room with 15 guys and one girl from Denmark who were loud, obnoxious and a little indiscreet when it came to P.D.A. By the end of the weekend the room smelled like a locker room. But hey, we were only really there to sleep, so in the long run, it wasn't so bad.

So 2007 will certainly bring changes...the outcome of which remains undeterminable at the moment. I hesitate putting anything into writing that's still uncertain...

Vesele vanoce a stastny novy rok!

2006-12-24T09:53:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, dear readers! Or, as they say here in the grand city of Praha, vesele vanoce a stastny novy rok!

Here in the Czech Republic, there is no Santa Claus, there is Jezicek, or the Infant Jesus, who will visit thousands of homes across the country tonight to deliver presents to good children. I didn't bake any cookies, so I've debated leaving a plate of svickova (the official Bohemian dish of roast pork served with dumplings and cabbage) as well as a glass of svarak (mulled wine) out for my evening visitor...but it occured to me: what if He is still teething? Or, even worse, let's say He is keeping kosher these days. What am I to do?

Yesterday Jenn and I headed up to Dresden for "Christkindlmarkt-ing." No one does Christmas like the Germans, and Dresden is no exception! In bountiful supply: seelachsbrot, gluhwein (tried a special sauer kirsch variety that was amazing), rostbratwurst, stollen and lebkuchen. Treated myself to a few Christmas presents: two handmade ornaments! All in all, a great trip.

Either way, I'm gonna do my best not to go stir-crazy over the next couple of days. I'm having dinner/gift exchange tonight with Mellisa and Kelly and then tomorrow it's dinner at Jenn and Farrah's place, with my new roommate Scott. We've got the 26th off from work here as well -- it being "Saint Stephen's Day" or "Boxing Day," depending on who you ask. It must be the American workaholic side of me that wants to get back to work as soon as possible! And then on Friday, we leave for Berlin for New Year's Eve! I can't wait!

A 2007 resolution, of sorts.

2006-12-22T04:28:00.000-05:00

Over dinner some time ago, Beth and I got to discussing how one of the most interesting things about living in a foreign city is the spectrum of people you come into contact with. Subsequently, you wind up developing friendships with people who you probably wouldn't have connected with otherwise...people of all ethnic backgrounds, ages, preferences...people with different interests, personal tastes, political views and so on. Being able to speak English well becomes more than just a method of communication; suddenly it's an act of solidarity. Maybe you don't agree on whether or not the romantic comedy is truly "noble" cinema, but that doesn't mean you can't be good travel or hiking buddies or something.

Don't get me wrong, I realize that this is Europe, and not North Korea; you aren't going to run out and chat up every English speaker just because they're an English speaker, too. Of course there are plenty of people who are just as self-involved, judgmental and superficial here as they are elsewhere. Regardless, I consider the people I've met and befriended since I've been here, and I can't help but think that we probably wouldn't have been friends otherwise.

I also recalled a situation that occured quite some time ago regarding another friend of mine. His somewhat questionable sexual preference had been the subject of some gossip between friends. Sadly, I can't say that I was totally innocent in the matter...in fact, I was anything but. After an evening out with friends, during which the subject of said friend's sexuality interjected our conversation intermittedly, I returned home and felt like utter crap. Here was a good friend, who'd been nothing but kind towards me since the day we'd met (at least to my face, ha ha), and all I could do was bash him behind his back at his reluctance in choosing an acceptable 'label.' My natural instinct was to cry 'foul.'

It occurred to me that if I found out a group of my so-called "friends" were saying similar things behind my back, I'd probably be on the verge of suicide. Here I was, expecting people to be open-minded about my interests, lifestyle and so on...and yet, I was being anything BUT open-minded.

Though I'm hardly political, it also occured to me that this touches on one of the biggest -- and strongest -- arguments for civil unions and gay marriage, in my opinion: unless we're sleeping with the individual, why should we honestly care or take any vested interest in what goes on behind closed doors?

As some of you already know, I had a recent experience in which I was worried that a difference in labels would create friction and perhaps an overall bad situation. Thus far, it doesn't seem to be the case. OK, I've had some bad experiences in the past, but there's no reason why I need to project the memories of that history onto this new situation. Maybe the one who REALLY has the most to learn about dropping personal labels, stereotypes and boundaries here isn't everyone else, it's actually Curtis. Labels are labels...a human-manufactured element designed to categorize and divide people for no apparent reason. It's important to lose 'em -- or at least become less relying on them -- if we can!

Given these observations, yesterday I made a sort of internal pact with myself that if I am to expect people to be accepting, non-judgemental and friendly, I'm going to have to make a personal effort to be the same way...a sort of New Year's resolution, perhaps. And the concentration on gossip has to go, too.

Let's talk about love!

2006-12-04T04:08:00.000-05:00

I'm currently out-of-commission as my mother is visiting me here in Europe at the moment, but I promise something new and exciting next week. In the meantime, enjoy my love survey ;-)

01] Is there someone who you like at the moment?
I'm currently a clean slate in this department. Although I kinda miss having a crush on someone sometimes, it needs to be worth the anguish and stress that comes along with it usually!

02] Have you ever given or been given roses?
Given, yes...received...I'm not sure...?

03] Whats you're all time favorite romance movie?
"When Harry Met Sally"

04] How many times can you honestly say you've been in love?
This is a long-standing matter of intense debate. There's a FINE line that exists between "true love" and "unrequited, 8th-grade-level infatuation with self-absorbed losers who treat you like dirt." I'm not sure on which side of this line I've usually fallen, but I reckon it's the latter.

05] Do you believe that everyone has a soul-mate?
I think I like the fantasy notion of one, but I'm not so sure about the "one and only perfect match" in reality. I mean, let's say my soul mate lives in outer Mongolia. How the heck are we supposed to meet?!?!?!

06] Do you think that you should put your friends first?
Depends on the situation, of course, but usually, yes.

07] Have you ever had your heart broken?
Yes.

08] What do you think about long-distance relationships?
I like the fantasy notion of having to jet off to Paris on a moment's notice for an outrageous moonlight rendez-vous with a handsome foreigner over champagne and strawberries, but I'm sure the reality of a long-distance relationship is a lot less glamourous.

9] Your thoughts on online relationships?
There's still a negative stimga that exists over meeting online, but I don't think it's any different than meeting in a bar or club.

10] Would you rather date someone five years older or five younger?
TEN years older!

11] Have you ever seen a friend as more than a friend?
Yes, but it was brief.

12] Do you believe the statement, "Once a cheater, always a cheater"?
Anyone can make a change in themselves if they put in an effort.

14] Do you usually fall for the wrong boy/girl?
In the past, yes, but lately it's been getting easier to read the warning signs. Knock on wood, of course.

15] What is your favorite color(s)?
Green, in all its various forms.

16] What are your views on gay marriage?
For it, obviously. But there are more serious issues in the world at present.

18] Imagine you're 79 & your spouse just died, would you re-marry?
Hey, if I was fortunate enough to meet someone at that age and fall head over heels...why not??? 1

9] At what age did you start noticing the opposite sex?
very young, we would play dress-up and dolls together

20] What song do you want to hear at your wedding?
Something classy...Frank, Dean, Ella...something by Cole Porter...that sort of thing...

21]Do you think that some one likes you?
I'm pretty oblivious to that sort of thing, but I can't think of anyone at the moment.

Go Democrats!

2006-11-14T10:25:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-11-14T05:35:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-04T14:37:00.000-05:00

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'

2006-11-02T11:45:00.001-05:00

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...

Halloween is in the air!

2006-10-25T12:06:00.000-04:00

OK, so we technically DON'T celebrate Halloween here in the Czech Republic (or in Europe, for that matter), but that doesn't stop me from feeling spirited...

Happy autumn, everyone!

Autumnal ease and consta-party!

2006-10-23T06:53:00.000-04:00

As I was recently telling my flatmate Beth, I think I've watched too much HBO for my own good. After finishing several seasons of Q.A.F. and getting wrapped up in the over-dramatic goings-on of pretty TV characters, it occured to me: wow, at the moment, life is relatively calm. I mean, OK, so there's the usual credit card annoyances and what not, but at the moment there (fortunately) isn't any major drama brewing anywhere. Knock on wood, of course!

So the weather's already dropped significantly here...not too surprising as August was a really lackluster month weather-wise, but we enjoyed a few weeks' worth of Indian summer (or, as they say here, 'grandmother' summer). I've already gotten accustomed to wearing wool again. Sigh. The fall foliage is at its peak, though I can't say it compares to New England.

Saturday was Jennifer and Katja's joint birthday party near Namesti Miru. I prepped pasta salad (naturally) and headed to the party, which was fantastic. Lots of wine, lots of dancing and lots of interesting company. On Sunday, I met up with two new friends, Roman (from Ostrava) and Jason, who's here from Ohio. (It's funny how I seem to have accumulated a good number of friends from Ohio). We enjoyed mint coffee from Cafe Erra and an afternoon stroll through Petrin Park, the Prague Castle grounds and beyond. I capped off the evening with a glass of wine in Tynska and a delicious Thai curry meal with Farrah, Jennifer and Eva. As they say in Calvin and Hobbes, a Sunday evening is like the last meal before an execution. Thankfully for me, I was eating Thai!

So this coming Friday, we'll be celebrating Beth's 26th birthday, although the evening plan has yet to be finalized. On Saturday, Jules and Clayton are hosting their annual ex-pat Halloween party. I haven't selected a costume as of yet but I've got a few vague ideas floating around...

Since I took the time to fill this silly thing out...

2006-10-09T14:07:00.000-04:00

Meant to be completed by those ADULTS out of high school (does not apply if you are older than 25 and still living with your parents!)

Tired of all of those surveys made up by high school kids? Here are some questions for the people who are a little more mature...

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
All of them! But the credit card is especially depressing for obvious reasons.

2. What's the best place to eat a romantic dinner?
Well, I could rattle off a list of restaurants, but isn't it more romantic if said love interest knows how to cook?

3. Last time you puked from drinking?
The last time I can specifically recall was in March.

4. When is the last time you got drunk and danced on a bar?
It would've had to have been at Iguana's in Portland, Maine.

5. Name of your first grade teacher?
Mrs. Whitman

6. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Sleeping! Or basking on a beach.

7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
This is a work-in-progress, folks...!

8. How many colleges did you attend?
One, which I've learned is not enough these days.

9. Why did you wear the shirt that you have on right now?
because it was chilly outside.

10. GAS PRICES First thought?
Fortunately, I haven't been driving regularly for the past 5 years. Learn to use public transportation, people!

11. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you...
I've had fantasies involving random Ozzie backpackers, battered pick-up trucks and the Australian outback...but you REALLY don't want to hear about that!

12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
Damnit!

13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
probably grumbling about the fact that it was almost Monday.

14. Favorite style of underwear?
boxer briefs

15. Favorite style of underwear for the opposite sex?
white cotton panties

16. What errand/chore do you despise?
scrubbing the toilet or bathtub

17. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer at an art gallery?
Actually I think that sounds like a wonderful activity!

18. Get up early or sleep in?
Sleep in, thank you very much!

19. What is your favorite cartoon character?
Sebastian or Ursula

20. Favorite NON sexual thing to do at night with a girl/guy?
Have one of those all-night talks that last until 3 or 4 a.m.

21. A secret that you wouldn't mind everyone knowing?
I'll never tell.

22. Are you planning on remaining in your current field?
For the immediate future...but hopefully not in 5 years.

23. If you are not married, do you see yourself married in the next five years?
No

24. Your favorite lunch meat?
Turkey

25. What do you get every time you go into a WalMart?
I prefer Target. But I would purchase Sour Patch Kids for sure.

26. Beach or lake?
Beach, definitely.

27. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual that was invented by people who died at 20?
No. I think it was as difficult to practice then as it is now.

28. Who do you stalk on MySpace!
Bleh. No one in particular (or worthy of stalking on Myspace, too).

29. Favorite guilty pleasure?
I generally have no shame...Justin Timberlake's new Future Sex/Love Sounds album :)

30. Favorite movie you wouldn't want anyone to find out about?
A Walk to Remember

31. What's your drink?
Mojitos

32. Cowboys or Indians?
Cowboys!

33. Cops or Robbers?
Cops

34. Do you cheer for the bad guy? in a movie?
depends on who's playing the bad guy :)

35. What Hollywood star do you think resembles you best?
I've gotten Joshua Jackson in the distant past, but I disagree

36. If you had to pick one, which cast member of Lost would you be?
I've never seen this show...

37. What do you want when you are sick?
usually orange juice, to lay around and be completely anti-social.

38. Who from high school would you like to run into?
There are several people...

39. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
None

42. Norm or Cliff?
Norm

43. The Cosby Show or the Simpsons?
Simpsons

44. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?
Basically, just wasting time obsessing over situations that were clearly going nowhere.

45. Do you like the person who sits directly across from you at work?
I don't really have one.

46. If you could get away with it, whom would you kill?
Other than Jessica or Ashlee Simpson, no one...

47. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
David Sedaris

48. What famous person would you like to sleep with?
Jeremy Piven

49. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
No

50. Last book you read for real?
Mystic River

51. Do you have a teddy bear?
I have an octopus

52. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
Not sure

53. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go?
San Francisco

54. Number of texts in a day?
depends on the day

55. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or relationship?
Either would be great at the moment.

57. Pencil or pen?
Pen

58. bueller??? bueller??? bueller???
Carrie Bradshaw's future husband

59. How many jobs have you had?
I think around 10 or so (if we're counting high school part-time stuff)

Recap and roundup

2006-10-08T14:24:00.000-04:00

So I rang in my 27th year last Friday night here in Praha. Beth had planned a multi-component party excursion in my honor, and it couldn't have been better! We started off with pizza from Lucky Luciano's (by far the best Italian in Prague, as far as I'm concerned) then headed out to the Letenske Sady Beer Garden, where we met up with Kelly, Mellisa, Scott, Molly, Nick, Jo and Jules. We didn't have much time to linger here, as we had to buy tickets for component #2...

...which was the nighttime fountain show at Krizikova in Holesovice, which is something I'd been wanting to check out for some time! Farrah and Jennifer (who'd taken me out for lunch at Radhost - yum) met up with us here. It's basically like a mini-version of the Bellagio's choreographed fountains, but featuring out-of-date American music (think early-to-mid '90s hits, along the lines of Aerosmith and Celine Dion). By far, the best part was the "Titanic" section, which featured the orchestral score and "My Heart Will Go On," WITH Kate & Leo's dialogue played in loop over it while the fountains were lit in blue. Of course I loved it!

Next up: dancing at Valentino, where Paul met up with us, along with his very attractive friend who was visiting from Toronto. We stayed here until 4:00 a.m. Among the more memorable events: shots of Bechorovka (a.k.a. Christmas Juice), dancing up a bluestreak, Jo and Farrah's "chemistry," and Jenn puking behind the bar stools. Ahem!

Among my gifts was a CD of Helena Vondracova, essentially a Czech version of Cher or Barbra Streisand. She's turning 60 this year, but has enough plastic surgery so that she doesn't look a day over 35. It makes for a great conversation piece: it's a whole album of Broadway and movie songs! All the classics are represented: Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Phantom, Miss Saigon, The Wizard of Oz, even a Liza Minnelli cover...and so on...sung COMPLETELY in Czech! It's amazing to listen to Andrew Lloyd Webber tunes sung in a Slavic-based language.

Which, of course, brings us to this weekend. Enjoyed Molly's housewarming party in Vysehrad last night with Jules, Beth and Kelly. Met some new folks (it's hard to believe exactly how many ex-pats there are here in Prague...and each one has a different story). Unfortunately, Mellisa is out of commission due to a back injury.

So far in 2006

2006-10-01T12:56:00.000-04:00

A quiz for today --

So far in 2006 --

1. Have you had more than 5 different serious relationships?
How can you have more than 5 serious relationships in 9 months? That would mean that each 'relationship' would average about a month and a 1/2. Ridiculous!

2. Have you had your birthday?
Just this past Friday ;-)

3. Been to church?
If you count going inside of a church to observe restored frescoes and architecture...well, yes :-)

4. Cried yet?
Nine months is a long time. I'd have to be a REAL trooper not to have shed one single tear in that timeframe!

6. Pulled an all nighter?
Since I'm not in school, this doesn't really apply. But I have stayed up very late on occasion.

7. Drank Starbucks?
Yum. With James in Vienna!

8. Went shopping?
Of course!

9. Been camping?
Nope. Meant to, though.

10. Been to the beach?
Yes

11. Bought something for over $200?
A plane ticket to the U.S.A.

12. Met someone?
I've met tons of people. Prague's a transient place.

13. Been out of state?
Certainly.

14. Gone Snowboarding?
No

Have you:

1. Hugged someone?
A million times. I'm a big hugger.

2. Slept in someone else's bed?
Yes. Well, not when someone else was in it anyways.

3. Snuck someone over?
This is a middle school survey, isn't it?

4. Snuck out of your own house?
No.

5. Gotten Drunk?
Ha. Ask Beth. Or Anne. Or Mark. Or Paul. Or Melissa. Or...YES!

6. Lied?
If we're counting white lies...nothing life-altering, though.

7.Gone over your cell phone bill?
I don't have a set rate currently

8. Gotten high?
No.

9. Been called a whale?
Not this year!

10. Drove somewhere?
Yes

11. Done something you regret?
Not this year.

Lasts:

Last Thing you bought?
I lost my cell phone last week, and since I can't live without one, I had to get a new one.

Last Person you hugged?
Someone on Friday...

Last Person to call you?
Jennifer

Last time you took a shower?
This morning.

When was the last time you felt stupid?
Saturday morning!

Who was the last person you danced with?
All of my beautiful friends at my 27th birthday party

Who did you last yell at?
I can't remember.

What did you do today?
Made breakfast. Watched "What About Bob" with Beth. Took shower, got dressed. Made lunch. Headed into town. Sat at a cafe and read e-mail. I'm promising to be more productive this evening :-)

TEN FACTS

01. Hometown: Coventry

02. Natural hair color: dark brown

WHERE DID 3 GO?

04. Hair style: Short and no-nonsense. Otherwise I look like I'm auditioning for the Jackson Five.

05. Eye color: Hazel

06. Height: 5'8'' on a good day

07. Pets: Only Beth's kitten Mila!

08. Mood: Alert and contemplative (as I'm taking this survey)

TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

01. Have you ever been in love? A long-standing matter of debate. There's a fine line which exists between "true love" and "8th-grade-level-infatuation-with-self-involved-losers-who-treat-you-like-shit." I'm not sure on which side of the line I've usually fallen, but I'm guessing it's the latter.

02. Do you believe in love: Absolutely!

03. Why did your LAST relationship fail: Ask me when I can keep a house plant alive, and then we can talk about relationships!

04. Have you ever been heartbroken: Of course

05. Have you ever broken someone's heart: Not sure.

06. Have you ever fallen for your best friend? Yes

07. Have you ever loved someone and never told them: More so than not!

08. Are you afraid of commitment?: A little bit.

09: Would you ever date one of your exes?: No way.

10. Have you ever had a secret admirer: I can't really answer this question if it was successfully secret, right?

TEN THINGS:

01. Love or lust: Love

02. Liquor or beer: Liquor

03. Night or day: Night.

04. One night stands or relationships? Relationships in an ideal world...but sometimes, a boy's gotta do what a boy's gotta do, ya know?

05. TV or internet? INTERNET!

06. Pepsi or Coke: Coke

07. Wild night out or romantic night? Depends on the type of week it was

08. Black or white: Black

TEN EMOTIONS:
01. Are you missing someone right now: I miss a lot of people right now!

02. Are you happy? Content

03. Are you talking to anyone right now: No

04. Are you eating: No, I'm full from dinner :)

05. Are you german: Yes

06. Are you Irish: Yes

07. Are you French: No

08. Are you Italian: No

09. Are your parents still married? HELL NO!

10. Do you like someone right now: I love and like a lot of people!

Backpaddling, as it were, to the Netherlands

2006-09-22T05:02:00.000-04:00

So while I have lots of fun and juicy stuff about my American trip to write about, I still have to post my memories of my first visit to Amsterdam, which has earned a place on my Top Ten list of Curtis's Favorite European Cities, before I forget 'em all! So here goes!

DAY ONE: Paul and I depart for Amsterdam on September 1. Sadly for me, the flight departs from Prague at a VERY unpleasant 7:00 a.m., which means that I have to make it up to Ruyzne by 5:45. I hoof it there without coffee or a shower...needless to say, I am NOT a happy camper, particularly when they announced that the flight was delayed for 20 minutes! One way or another, however, we arrive in Amsterdam safe and sound. I require my caffeine injection within minutes of stepping off the plane, but by then, all was well. Our hotel turns out to be a bit of a trek from the train station. In fact, we have to take a ferryboat across a canal and walk roughly a mile to get there.

Spend the late morning/early afternoon exploring the incredible city; of course, this means strolling along picturesque canals and what not. I'm disappointed to see the tower of the famous Westerkerk (as referenced in The Diary of Anne Frank) under heavy scaffolding for the season; however, we get to visit the famous Homomonument which, although it's a bit overrated, is still pretty damn cool. We eat lunch at a local cafe. I indulge in savory mushroom pancakes. This will be my sole sampling of Dutch cuisine the entire weekend! The late afternoon/early evening is spent at the Van Gogh Museum; while I like "Sunflowers" and "Irises," I discover I'm not such a big fan of his lesser-known works. It's a bit monotonous. We have dinner and drinks at the Amsterdam branch of the famous London noodle house Wagamama, I have a Thai chicken dish which is superb!

DAY TWO: We enjoy a breakfast of bagels and coffee at the train station...the only thing less-than-enjoyable about this arrangement is the stench of stale urine from the spot where we're forced to stand across the street. Paul takes me to a variety of retail outlets, I buy an olive oil-based hand cream and tourist guide. Lunch was grabbed at the local supermarket...a bagel with lox (yum) for me and a chicken fajita sandwich for Paul. I insist on strolling down the Reguliergracht, which Lonely Planet rates as the most beautiful of Amsterdam's canals given the seven hump bridges that line its banks. I can't say that I disagree!

Dinner was Indonesian at a bustling restaurant near the city center, which is fantastic (like a milder version of Indian) albeit considerably more expensive than I had intended. At least it was something different than you can have here in Prague, which makes it all the more worth the added expense! We take the evening to explore some of Amsterdam's gay neighborhood, which is pretty fantastic. First stop: Montmatre, which is basically a tiny neighborhood gay bar that played lots of fantastic tunes. Second stop: SoHo, which is one of the more unusual bars I've ever seen. Imagine the dining room on the Titanic with disco balls, flirty bartenders and thumping techno music. We retreat to the hotel around 1 a.m.

DAY THREE: Our final day of Dutch sightseeing, given that we're devoting the final day to the Madonna concert! Paul has to get some work done, so I head into the city solo. My first venture is a canal boat cruise, which is a deal at 6 Euro/hour. The journey is interesting, save for some obnoxiously loud Italian tourists who are sitting in front of me and who wind up spilling Coca-Cola all over themselves during the tour. I also take the early afternoon to explore the (in)famous Red Light District. It's not at all what I expected - it's like walking down a shopping street with women instead of mannequins in the shop windows, which are lit up with red lights. Many of them are not in the traditional "Playboy bunny" mode that one expects. You can find heavy-set women and many on the much-older side. I got to observe several transactions taking place...a man simply approaches the shop door, a curtain is pulled...and then...well, we'll have to use our imaginations.

I meet Paul at 3:30 at a furniture store nearby. We then head to the Anne Frank Huis, the last on my must-see museum list for Amsterdam. It's unsettling, naturally, and a lot more poignant than I expected. You see the revolving bookcase which hid the entrance to the Secret Annexe and Anne's film-star postcard collection as referenced in the diary itself. By the time you reach the diary, which sits in a glass case in the final room of the museum, it's impossible not to have a lump in your throat.

Dinner is, again, Asian cuisine; I sample a green curry which is quite delicious, albeit a bit on the messy side. Paul retreats to the hotel a bit early after we finish, I insist on staying in the city to take more pictures by night. I finally manage to capture the so-called Magere Brug, or "Skinny Bridge," which is stunning when lit up at night.

DAY FOUR: Finally, it's September 4, the day of our audience with Her Madge-sty! We finish up our sightseeing in town before having Greek for lunch and heading to Amsterdam Arena at 3:00 p.m. There's already a gaggle of fans sporting '80s duds and cowboy hats outside the arena...a few are wearing the H&M tracksuit that Madge recently hawked in their fall ad campaign. The Dutch certainly go all-out for Madonna...we pass a concession stand serving up "Like a Virgin" and "Like a Prayer" pastas! The doors finally open a little before 5:30 p.m. There's some confusion with the correct gate where we're supposed to enter, which unfortunately delays us a bit. We rush the stage and manage to get in front of the soundboard, but still not as close as I'd hoped. There's a forgettable opening act by British DJ Paul Oakenfold.

Ever the diva, Madonna doesn't actually hit the stage until 9:15 or so, but she does not disappoint! She descends onto the stage via an enormous disco ball, with a rock-star quality rivalled only by the Mick Jaggers and Chers of the world, and proceeds to belt and hoof it through two hours of old and modern tunes, with seven costume changes along the way. Her voice has certainly improved over the years. There's no telling as to whether or not she's had work done, but she's in amazing shape and still a babe at 48. True to form, she seems to favor the modern stuff (no "Vogue" or "Like a Prayer" in the set list, sadly), but she certainly makes my day by throwing in "Like a Virgin," "Live to Tell," "La Isla Bonita" and "Lucky Star." Even though we're relatively close to the stage, a sea of heads makes it difficult to see the stage at times. I hope they air the show on TV or release a DVD at some point! The show ends - SANS ENCORE, I WAS FLABBERGASTED - and then we make a beeline for the metro. Our dinner consists of pommes frites with curry sauce.

Observations, realizations and confessions

2006-09-19T12:59:00.000-04:00

So I've just returned to Europe from my first trip back to the United States since my departure exactly a year ago. Time certainly flies when you're having fun, as cliche as it sounds. I spent the first four days of my return with friends in Manhattan and then headed up to Connecticut for, essentially, one family event after another. The week is a blur. I am, however, looking forward to getting back to work and routine...

As is usually the case in these situations, I didn't get to see everyone I'd hoped and planned to see...and I didn't really get adequate time to catch up with those friends and family members who I *did* have the fortunate opportunity to see. So, for those of you who I did visit, THANKS-A-MILLION for coming out! And, for those of you who I didn't get to see, I'm really sorry and YOU HAVE MY WORD that you'll be on my short list for the next visit!

So, in my semi-delirious jetlagged state, I began a thorough self-evaluation about the past year...I don't want to get all "pompous, condescending American ex-pat" on you, because there's nothing I hate more than pompous, condescending American ex-pats. I mean, really, we all know you've realized how big the world is, how you've found yourself, how liberal everyone is outside of the U.S.A., and how much you've changed for the better and all that. Personally, I like to think ALL life experiences, foreign and domestic, change people in some way...and not necessarily for the better!

Anyways, here's my list of observations, realizations and confessions:

1. You can take a boy out of capitalism, but you can't take capitalism out of the boy. Yes, I can shamelessly admit that I REALLY miss Target, Dunkin' Donuts, Barnes & Noble and discount shops in the vein of Century 21 and Burlington Coat Factory. Fortunately, I got my dose of all of these in the past week.

2. I also miss: hot sauce, Diet Dr. Pepper, fresh guacomole, free refills, free tap water at restaurants, drinks served with crushed ice...and of course HALLOWEEN! I'm hoping some American pal puts together a party like last year.

3. An observation: most Americans know NOTHING about Prague or the Czech Republic...I swear many relatives and friends think I'm living in a grass hut on the outskirts of Cambodia.

Among the questions people asked me this past week:

"So where is Prague exactly?"

"Wait...isn't that in Czechoslovakia? What's the Czech Republic?"

"Do people celebrate Christmas there?"

"Do people drive cars there?"

"Do they have Wal-Mart there?"

"How do you do your laundry there?"

"Do they speak German there?"

(The list goes on and on, but those are my favorites).

4. On the same note: most Americans know little-to-nothing about European history. Yes, I include myself in this category...although I feel like I've learned a bit since being here and it's becoming a passion of mine, I've still only scratched the surface. One friend wasn't sure if W.A. Mozart was living or dead. Yes, you read correctly.

5. Out of all of my various experiences in the past year, most friends and family seemed most interested in two things: how airport security for trans-Atlantic flights been increased since the London incident last month, and "The Sound of Music" tour. I certainly was willing to dish about the second part...yes, I made my Julie Andrews pilgrimage to Salzburg in early May. Yes, I paid 30 Euro for the official tour. Yes, I danced around the "Do-Re-Mi" fountain and under the ivy trellises; yes, I saw Leisl's "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" gazebo; yes, I spun around in a daisy-filled alpine field, screeching "The hills are ALIVE..." in a voice to wake the dead. Would you expect anything less from me?

6. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I realized that, yes, I definitely intend to return to the United States at some point. Although I absolutely love Prague and Europe, and I've had some fantastic experiences, I really do miss my friends and family!

The continent of Europe is so wide, mein herr...

2006-08-18T15:47:00.000-04:00

So I'm back from my Berlin trip with Mikki. I was initially ambivilent about travelling to the hauptstadt of Deutschland, not for any specific reason other than I didn't know much about the sights there. It wound up being an incredibly pleasant surprise!

We left for Deutschland bright and early on Saturday morning. First stop: Dresden, a beautiful city not far from the Czech border, where we spent the afternoon. Much of it was destroyed during WWII, but there's still a beautiful restored city center. First on our agenda was to visit the giant Ferris wheel, which is visible from the bahnhof. Talk about a posh amusement ride -- the cabins are equipped with air conditioning and piped-in music! Unfortunately, we got shoved into a cabin with a group of three people, one of which didn't seem to be wearing deodorant, so it made for a less-than-pleasant viewing excursion. After that, Mikki went off to visit some museums. Having visited Vienna recently, I'd had my fill of artistic masterpieces for the time being so I choose to cross the river to get some paroramic shots of the historic center. After that, we fought the crowds to visit the Frauenkirche, which just re-opened last year after a multi-year renovation to restore it to its pre-War spendor. It was beautiful, of course, but it felt...too "new," and for good reason. We finished up the time in Dresden with a bratwurst and beer in the local beer garden before hopping the train up to Berlin.

So that brings us to Deutschland's hauptstadt. Let me just say...it is totally unlike any other German city, and the difference is apparent as soon as you enter the hauptbahnhof, which is a stunning, multi-level combination of steel and glass...also featuring restaurants and shops. The rest of the city is similarly contemporary. There are maybe a handful of historic buildings, and even many of those had to be re-built after 1945, so they feel brand new. Some buildings are STILL being re-built! If I had to compare it to anything, it would be Los Angeles, actually. It's REALLY spread out and there's no hauptplatz or anything like that.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Steal my sunshine (and water, too)

2006-08-09T07:02:00.000-04:00

So after what seemed like a never-ending heat spell that lasted most of July, Prague suddenly finds itself thrust into an early fall. That's what it feels like, anyway. Temperatures have plummeted and it's been mostly gray and rainy for over a week. The heat and humidity wasn't exactly pleasant, but at the same time, I'm not ready for fall weather just yet! I was hoping to maintain some semblance of a tan. Sigh! Here's to hoping that some sunshine and warmth return before the onset of autumn!

So Mikki arrived last week. One of the best things about having visitors is that it gives you an excuse to be a tourist in your own city. Having been working full-time for most of the year, I haven't seen as much of the tourist sites here in CZ as one might think. On his first night here, we hit the Letna Beer Garden, and then on Friday we left for a night in Cesky Krumlov. This was my second time here (the first being Melissa's visit back in March) and I found it a much different place than the first time. It was LOADED with tourists! Unforunately, the weather was in a rut almost the whole time.

On Sunday, Beth, Molly, Mikki and I rented a car and took a drive through the Czech countryside, which included stops at two medieval castles and Karlovy Vary. Again, the weather was totally miserable, but we made the most of it regardless. Thank heavens for the car! The highlight of our roadtrip was a stop in Loket, an adorable Czech town not far from the German border that miraculously seems to have escaped the tourist trade. The entire town is surrounded on all sides by the Ohri River and featuring adorable 18th century architecture. Of course, a gorgeous castle towers high about the river on a bluff...easily on par with anything I've seen along the Rhine and elsewhere!

I guess I should have been more thankful for the rain...because yesterday, I awoke to find the water turned off in our apartment. Thinking it was yet another of our various water problems, I didn't get too worked up about it initially. But as it turns out, it was our entire neighborhood! Why does it always seem to happen when I have guests? They already think I live in the Stone Age, not having a microwave, TV set or proper oven!

A Viennese venture...visitors, visitors everywhere!

2006-08-02T11:54:00.000-04:00

So let me just say -- after this weekend and my previous venture in Salzburg, Austria is becoming one of my favorite European destinations! All of my travels there have been so wonderfully pleasant and serene. Again, if it wasn't for that f*&^%$, God-forsaken Euro...

All stress about bad exchange rates aside, I just spent a glorious weekend in Vienna with my friend James (who was visiting me from New York) and it was absolutely amazing! As one Lonely Planet author put it: "If New York is the Big Apple, then Vienna is the Big Wedding Cake." That pretty much sums it up, and I can't think of a better way to express it than that. The architecture is all in delicate pastels, very imperial and gilded -- it reminded me of a mix of Munich and Paris. Friends who'd visited it previously said it was very similar to Prague, but I have to disagree. I can't say I like one city more than the other as they aren't really comparable (try comparing, say, San Diego to Philadelphia, for instance).

On the first day, at James' insistance, we saw a concert composed of W.A. Mozart pieces and Johann Strauss waltzes at the Kunsalon Wien. It was a bit touristy...okay, so VERY touristy, but once you weaved yourself out of the Japanese tour groups clogging the lobby, it was a good show. Included in the set were a couple of ballet performances, and these were easily my favorite parts of the show. For dinner, I had an amazing goulash with homemade spaetzle...and you can literally taste the Hungarian influence, as it was considerably more spicy than any Czech goulash I've tasted.

The second day, we hit Schloss Schonbrunn (the famous Hapsburg summer residence palace and birthplace of the infamous Marie-Antoinette) which was absolutely gorgeous and not-to-be-missed. The interior was typically baroque (a bit on the gaudy side in certain rooms), but the gardens were just spectacular...pictures can't do them justice. A wonderful panorama of the city from the gardens was just icing on the cake (if we're keeping with the "Big Wedding Cake" analogy).

After spending several hours in the gardens, we returned to the city, where we took the opera house tour. This was equally spectacular and I'm especially glad we did this, as it was different than the usual castle/art museum/old town experiences that you can get in most European capitals. Of course, in Curtis-land, a trip is never REALLY complete without some sort of amusement park ride. So, in the evening, we rode the 100-year-old Ferris wheel in the Volksprater Fun Park.

On Sunday morning, James convinced me to visit one more museum before I departed for Prague, so we opted for the Imperial Apartments in the Hofburg Palace. With its gilded rooms, it was kind of like an extension of Schonnbrunn, albeit in the city center, but interesting nonetheless.

Of particular interest here was the Sisi Museum, dedicated to Kaiserin Elizabeth I who came to power towards the end of the Hapsburg Empire (during the late 19th century). The Bavarian-born "Empress Sisi" has a sort of Princess Diana/Eva Peron-type vibe about her: powerful woman, gorgeous looks, chic fashion sensibility, highly criticized during her lifetime by the media and peers, and a tragic death in Switzerland that cemented her icon status. Yet another of those interesting things that they never teach you about in history class (of which there are many).

Quick side note: one REALLY important thing I'm learning here in Europe: the value of a dollar...and how to budget my money (and still enjoy myself in the process). If you'd have asked me 5 years ago to travel on a budget, I don't think I would've been able to do it.

So that's my Vienna experience in a nutshell. My friend Mikki arrives today, bearing goodies from the U.S. I guess his visit in January wasn't enough (as another author said, "Mother Prague has claws...") We're thinking of renting a car and taking a day trip in the Czech countryside over the weekend.

Ghost town Praha, and The Poor Man's 'Titanic'

2006-07-15T13:43:00.000-04:00

So it's been a ghost town here in Praha (aside from the thousands of tourists) and, truth be told, I'm getting a bit lonely! Beth has been out of town quite a bit, too, with trips to Serbia and Vienna. So these days it's just kitty Mila keeping me company. The ex-pats who are in town seem to be keeping to themselves and have little to no interest in travel. So I've been doing a lot of stuff on my own. Fortunately I still have more teaching hours than most other TEFLers I know, so (God willing) no poorhouse for me. Of course that's good.

Last weekend, I discovered a beach (yes, a beach) in the Prague district of Smichov -- it has a pub, a swimming pool and a DJ who was obviously an '80s music fan! So I got to sunbathe a bit and sip a few mojitos last week. The Vltava River is so polluted, it actually smells an awful lot like the sea, so if you close your eyes, you might as well be on Long Island or Cape Cod. I also took a day trip to Karlovy Vary on Sunday. Missed the film festival, but the city itself was really beautiful.

Anne left on Thursday (for good). So I'm a bit sad about that, even though I know it's the best for her. She starts her job in Portland, Maine in a week.

So, as they say, when the going gets tough...the tough head to the movies. True to form, I treated myself to a movie yesterday evening. I chose "Poseidon," a re-make of the 1972 classic "The Poseidon Adventure." While it was entertaining, I've now nicknamed the movie "The Poor Man's 'Titanic'." It's chock-full of cheesy dialogue and there's no character development whatsoever. That said, however, it certainly held my attention and the cinematography is just incredible. And did I mention the attractive cast looks REALLY good soaking wet? Sure, there's not a Gene Hackman or Shelley Winters among them, nor even a Kate Winslet or Leonardo DiCaprio, but at least they're all really pretty!

So my triumphant return to Austria is imminent, via an impromptu venture to Vienna is on my agenda when James arrives in town in two weeks. Woohoo! My new goal, however, is to organize a trip somewhere in the former Eastern bloc. I've been trying to get people interested in Budapest or Krackow, but of course, it's the Western locales that get all the backpacker hype. I'm thinking I may try to travel to Budapest over my birthday weekend.

Cure for the summertime blues

2006-06-24T12:29:00.000-04:00

Given my natural tendency to dwell on the negative (and inspired by a friend's blog), I decided that it would be in my benefit to try to focus on something positive. Over brunch a while back, I had a reality check: during the course of the meal, my conversation had consisted of bitching about almost every single thing in my life at that given moment: acquaintances, students, relatives and so on. I'd contributed nothing to the conversation other than an unnecessary tirade and criticism.

It doesn't take a holy man to tell you that negativity only begets negativity. And, no matter how you wear it, self-pity doesn't suit anybody. So I've decided to conduct an experiment: making a list of "Good Things that Happened to Curtis this Week." Don't worry, folks I haven't gone all New Age-y on you just yet. But here goes:

1. Prague Provokator, a bilingual monthly magazine, will feature not one, not two, but three stories by Yours Truly in its July issue. I pitched a travel story their way, they liked the idea and I landed two additional assignments out of it. Honestly, I thought my journalism days were kaput. Believe it or not, the original story I pitched is actually based on one of my blogs from a while back. So these things do have value sometimes.

2. The gelato café in Staromestska Namesti hired a REALLY generous new scooper. It was practically the size of a sundae on a cone! Yum yum jahoda!

3. Two of my students decided to renew their contracts for the remainder of the summer and extending into the fall and told me they "only wanted to work with me, and not another teacher." Yikes.

4. I tried some impromptu yoga stetches with an instructor about 3 weeks ago and discovered I wasn't half bad. I even held a sort of lopsided handstand for about 1.5 seconds. So I took my first class on Wednesday. Only 200 crowns (under 10 bucks) to have my ass kicked for 2 solid hours.

5. I started a Czech course on Friday, so that I'll be able to say things other than ordering a beer and apologizing for bumping into someone on the Metro. Contrary to popular belief, there's more to the language than ordering beer (granted, it's important to know THAT command before stepping off the plane) The language won't get much use anywhere but here, of course, but it'll be nice to communicate a bit without breaking into English after three basic sentences.

6. Mom was (surprisingly) supportive of my new, albeit tentative, idea regarding January 2007. Just as long as there were no massive tropical storms involved.

7. Franz Ferdinand (!) and Pet Shop Boys (!) were announced as headliners for this year's Love Planet Music Festival in Prague! It's an entire weekend of live music in August for only 700 crowns (roughly 40 bucks).

8. Three friends from the U.S. have plans to visit this summer! Or maybe they're just taking advantage of a free place to stay. Not sure...

9. Attended Skrivanek BBQ on Thursday night, met a few new peeps and had a really great time.

10. I treated myself to the smoked lox at Bohemia Bagel after payday...lox being one of my favorite foods and notoriously hard-to-find here in Prague. I practically lived off the stuff during my weekend in Salzburg. Maybe I really was Jewish in a past life.

11. Currently looking forward to: BERLIN in August! AMSTERDAM in September! (granted, this is violating my earlier vow to save money by visiting only one Western European city every three months)

I think I feel better already!

I am 26 going on 27

2006-05-14T10:56:00.000-04:00

Me (as in 'me, a name I call myself') paying tribute to the greatest movie-musical of all time

So last weekend, I finally made my triumphant return to Salzburg, Austria after several weeks of debate. My main point of hesitation was, of course, the currency and affordability of said venture. The Czech crown (and the American dollar, for that matter) doesn't hold up so strong against the Euro, which is (by far) the most annoying foreign currency I've ever encountered. This tends to limit how much Western European travel an English teacher earning a modest Czech salary can accomplish. Sigh, how I long for those days when Germany had its marks and Austria had its schillings!

So I decided some time ago that I was going to limit my travels in Western Europe to countries where I either had family (i.e. Germany) or places that I REALLY wanted to visit. Austria happened to top the list of those places and, unfortunately, those Salzburg hills were alive and well with the sound of Euros! So, it was decided, Curtis was going to be a BUDGET if it killed him. Heck, I lived in NYC for four years, so I'd been through tighter financial circumstances. Hence, I found a cheap hostel and made my highly-anticipated Salzburg pilgrimage. And I'm happy to say that I certainly didn't regret it!

I boarded a 6:00 a.m. train out of Prague on Saturday. One of the best parts of the trip was the train ride itself. Once we got outside the Prague boundaries and into the southern parts of Bohemia, the train sped through flower-filled valleys, dense forests and picturesque mountain villages. I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep a wink! Once I arrived in Salzburg, my first stop was Schloss Mirabell and its beautiful gardens, which were in spectacular full bloom.

On Sunday, I acheived my lifetime goal of taking the official "Sound of Music" tour! We started off bright and early, at 9:00 a.m., first visiting both of the 2 locations that were used as the Von Trapp home in the movie and Liesl and Rolf's "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" gazebo. After that, we went to two small towns outside of the city, Mondsee and Wolfgangsee, which feature the heart-stopping vistas as seen in the opening and closing scenes. Mondsee is also home to the cathedral where the wedding of Captain Von Trapp and Maria was filmed. These were by far two of the most incredibly beautiful places I'd ever visited...flowering meadows, ice-blue lakes and sweeping views of the Alps above. Our guide also pointed out miscelleanous sites along the way, some of which I tracked down on my own afterward (Nonnberg Abbey, for example, where scenes for "I Have Confidence" and "Maria" were shot, and where the real Maria served as a postulant nun before her post as governess to the seven Von Trapp children).

A few little-known facts: for example, the real-life events of 13 years are condensed into the musical, which is set over the course of a single year. Christopher Plummer HATES the movie and now refers to it as "The Sound of Mucus." The actress who played Gretl Von Trapp almost drowned during the filming. And the real Von Trapp family didn't actually climb through the Alps to flee Nazi-occupied Austria, they simply boarded an Italy-bound train! (I was SO sad to learn that one...sigh, the magic of Hollywood!)

All striking of iconic Julie Andrews poses aside, I have to say that Salzburg is officially one of my favorite European cities. It's like a little Valentine tucked into the snow-covered Alps. Of course I also took some time to explore the city and enjoy the other sites, too. The baroque architecture is just amazing. And the best part was that the weather was perfect! I wore a T-shirt and shorts for the whole weekend. I had some initial reservations about travelling alone, but I found that I was able to meet a lot of interesting people at the hostel. My roommate was an Australian backpacker and the place was swarming with Brits. I gave them all my contact info in case they come to Prague as well.

A truly Czech weekend!

2006-05-04T14:18:00.000-04:00

Spent last Friday in Melnik, a small town about 45 min. north of Prague where the Labe and Vltava Rivers converge. This prime location makes it excellent for wine production, the fruits of which we (of course) sampled. It was quite nice (had a budget meal and walked around the old town) but the weather totally blew, and we arrived to find both the wine cellars and chateau closed for the day.

On Saturday (yet another rainy, miserable day) I joined my friend Anne and her 2 Slovakian colleagues for a night at the cinema. Took in "The Constant Gardener," a British film for which the fabulous Rachel Weisz won an Oscar. It's certainly not a feel-good kinda flick. But the performances were stellar and the cinematography superb.

On Sunday, Anne and I went to a witch-burning festival just outside of Prague...we didn't last long, however, as it was FREEZING outside. So we made our way back to town and to a pub where we enjoyed glasses of bile vino and smazeny syr, a.k.a. "Heart Attack on a Bun," but SO delicious.

Monday was simply the perfect day...the weather warmed up just in time for May Day, the European equivalent of Labor Day. It also bears some similarity to the American Valentine's Day in that it's considered a "day of love," and men traditionally kiss their girlfriends/wives underneath flowering fruit trees to ensure good luck, love and fertility for the coming year. Although I personally cannot partake in this time-honored tradition, I did indulge my inner voyeur as we strolled through town. I spent the afternoon "garden-gazing" with my pals Mark and Megan. The entire city was in bloom, or so it seemed.

I can bypass zoos, but a well-manicured garden is not-to-be-missed in my book. I drove everyone in NYC crazy because of my affinity for the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and it's quite the same here. We hit Petrin Hill where we partook of the sweet-smelling cherry blossoms, and then to the Wallenstein Garden (where the outdoor concert scenes in "Amadeus" were filmed) and then to the Royal Gardens at Prague Castle (which feature a "singing fountain" and loads of tulips, one of my favorites) and then over to Letna Park, where we grabbed a pivo.

Also, we had dinner at Cantina in Mala Strana...hands-down the BEST Mexican food I've had since I've been here. Granted, that's not saying much...

So I'm (hoping) to hit the scenic hills of Salzburg this weekend after all. I've been looking forward to it...albeit a little apprehensive as I'll be travelling entirely by myself. I don't get it...am I the only person who's ever dreamed of visiting Mozart's birthplace and channeling Julie Andrews on an Alpine hillside? (That's a rhetorical question, thank you...no comments from the peanut gallery are necessary). I've travelled alone before, of course, but I don't usually do much weekend-long sightseeing on my own so this will be something new. Libras ARE the partnership sign, after all :)

Once upon a dream

2006-04-25T18:14:00.000-04:00

And yes, Oma, we hiked ALL the way to the top!

Took a trip to Karlstejn, the Czech Republic's most famous and best-preserved castle, over the weekend. Kelly, Erin and I spent the afternoon hiking to the top (easier said than done) and exploring the fairytale courtyards. It's places like this that make you realize just how underrated the Czech Republic is compared to, say, Germany or France; this medieval castle and its surrounding hillsides were simply incredible and on par with anything I've seen in the latter countries!

Unfortunately the weather only cooperated with us for about half of the time...we had scarcely sipped our post-hike pivos in the town's beer garden when the sky burst with raindrops. But it was an afternoon well spent!

I made it through the wilderness...somehow I made it through...

Kelly and Erin enjoy a post-hike refreshment, Czech-style...

Curtis-enpowerment, craving gossip

2006-04-05T14:32:00.000-04:00

So I'm wasting way too much time in an Internet cafe. I don't want to know what my bill will be. What else is new, right? But here goes nothing.

After an uneventful St. Patrick's Day, April Fool's Day turned out to be a really fun night! Beth and I relaxed on Friday, so we were up for a party on Saturday. We started off by attending my co-worker Jo's 27th birthday party at Radost. This restaurant has THE best nachos I've ever tasted in the Czech Republic, so we enjoyed some of those. After that, we hit Casa Blu for Tereza's birthday party, where I had a fantastic Mojito and sangria, mostly since I was trying my damnedest to avoid drinking beer after our Mexican indulgence at dinnertime. Nick, Melissa, Kelly and Anne met us there and we capped off the night by dancing at Zero near Dlouha Trida. Cut to me dragging my tired ass home at 4 a.m. and sleeping until noon. Ha! Pictures of this April tomfoolery will follow.

Other than that, not much is new with me since Melissa's departure. So I'm hoping to travel to Salzburg, Austria during one of two long weekends we have in May. They're not big on the long weekends here. This'll be my first official long weekend since Christmas (i.e. first actual holiday). Since I'm on this whole new "Curtis-enpowerment" kick, I'm not gonna wait for someone to come with me - I am gonna do it alone.

My new work schedule has pros and cons...on the one hand, I don't travel as much as I was in November and December, but on the other hand, the students are becoming REALLY boring lately since they are all businessmen who want business English. Throw me a bone and let me have ONE student who wants to discuss movies or music or something, ya know? I didn't try this business out to talk about finance all day, ya know?

I've been dying for some good, juicy gossip or something. Or something to shake up my world. It's becoming routine. You know what I mean?

Be still, my heart!

2006-03-31T07:42:00.000-05:00

So as of two weeks ago, I've got a girl crush! Don't act so surprised; they DO happen from time to time (contrary to popular belief)! In true Curtis fashion, however, the crush is one of the current Hollywood It-Girls of the Moment, Rachel McAdams. She is drop-down-dead gorgeous and an incredible new talent! Thus far I've loved her in "Mean Girls," "The Notebook," "Red Eye" and "Wedding Crashers," but I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing her in "The Family Stone," starring two of my other top favorites, Sarah Jessica Parker (natch) and Dermot Mulroney. I somehow missed this film when it was in theaters and I've been kicking myself ever since.

Let's hear it for the tragically un-hip

2006-03-27T12:51:00.000-05:00

As someone who prides himself in knowledge of useless pop cultural facts, I came to a realization the other day: I'm tragically and hopelessly un-hip. For all of my fascination with fashion trends and the creative world, I consistently miss the cultural zeitgeist -- by the time I arrive at the party, only a faint outline remains and everyone has moved on to more substantial material and newer themes. A friend recently suggested that my personal tastes were like the musical, literary and cinematic equivalents of cotton candy: sweet and instantaneously satisfying, yes, but not quite 'filling,' i.e. politically driven, thought-provoking or semiotically dissectible. Somehow, he suggested, this was indicative of a shallow, immature mindset. The truly artistically-inclined, intelligent and trendy folk steer clear of what's in the clubs or pre-packaged for the masses, he said. While I did little in retaliation, I reacted by pondering said sentiment and taking personal inventory long after the conversation ended. Was he onto something?

At first meetings, I've found that you can tell a lot about a person simply by browsing their CD collection. This can be somewhat off-putting for some people (there's not a discreet way to ask someone to snoop through their music), but I've found it to be a dependable tactic. However, glance through my music and -- in addition to film soundtracks and scores -- you will find a myriad of dated material (typically released in the '80s) alongside a variety of current, albeit conventional, selections. It might only be considered 'edgy' or 'fashionable' if we were living in 1987. Ask me who or what 'the kids' are listening to these days and I'll be forced to declare ignorance. Consider, for example, the two best known albums I purchased this past year: "X & Y" by Coldplay, a rock band whose credibility has receded since its front man's decision to grant his offspring a produce-aisle moniker, and "Confessions on a Dancefloor" by Madonna, a venerable pop icon who seems to be struggling -- in often unflattering ways -- with middle age. While I take pleasure in listening to both of these selections, neither exactly grants me a much-sought aura of trendiness or arthouse sensibility.

When I find myself enjoying something off-the-radar, it's typically through word-of-mouth or by way of a friend's generosity, e.g. a personal mix CD. I am never going to be the one to say, "Check out this amazing band whose gig I caught while they were touring in southeastern Bohemia," or, "I learned about so-and-so before he got signed to Warner Brothers when he was still playing coffeehouses in San Diego and driving his father's 1986 Chrysler LeBaron." By the time I get a listen, their album's had a stellar review in Entertainment Weekly and the world is buzzing about their upcoming Irving Plaza gig which sold out in six minutes.

The same applies to my taste in literature and cinema. Among my more recent book/film selections: epic dramas, High School Confidential-style satires and, of course, the romantic comedy. Upon viewing or reading said material, I won't be able to defend a religious doctrine or critique political theory. There is, however, one consistent theme: pure escapism. I enjoy retreating to a world where the men are witty and dapper, women sassy and astute and all is set against a background of glamour and sophistication in some bustling metropolis or exotic locale. The right man always wins, no relationship goes unconsummated and lives are devastated only following a series of steamy rendezvous. By focusing on escapism, am I unconsciously telling myself that present realities have nothing to offer? Or that consuming oneself in fictional love affairs is better than pursuing a real, flesh-and-blood one of your own because of the consequences? Do I truly place more emphasis on style than substance? At the very least I've learned to save many of these movies for rainy day rentals and I'm past the dreadful "chick-lit" phase of 2003, during which I pored through such literary classics as "Wedding Season" and "The Devil Wears Prada," only to hate myself for wasting so much time in doing so. Sometimes *Curtis* even embarrasses Curtis.

So is there a way to up my 'cool, hip and trendy' factor, and if so, will there be a significant benefit? My conclusive thoughts on the subject: OK, so I'm hardly riding the cultural zenith. I've no right to classify myself as an artistic snob, not that I ever did so in the first place. While cultural tastes become part of one's character, I can't subscribe to the notion that subjective matters can truly be a basis for judgment. As I wound up telling my friend, it might be another thing altogether if I wasn't willing to ask questions or expand my thought. This is something I definitely strive to do.

In other news, I attended a special screening of "Trembling Before G-d" at Kino Svetozor this past Thursday. Talk about missing the cultural zeitgeist: the documentary got its American release in 2001! Regardless, I found the film -- about gay and lesbian communities of hasidic and orthodox Jews -- truly fascinating. I'm not sure why I've always found Jewish customs so intriguing -- perhaps, as someone who felt little to zero connection with organized Christianity since the age of 12 (much to the chagrin and dismay of my mother, mind you), I find those willing to dedicate themselves so rigidly to matters of faith pretty remarkable in their own right. Since I've just finished reading a book about an orthodox Jewish family with its own series of problems, the film made a suitable companion piece. Following the screening, there was a special Q & A session with the film's director as well as the "world's first" openly gay orthodox rabbi. While much of his spiel leaned towards the self-congratulatory, the rabbi made some interesting theories. It was interesting to witness his ongoing dilemma, to see that he's still torn between religious philosophies and the quest for his own personal happiness even after coming to terms with his sexuality. "Well, my boyfriend and I have made a beautiful life for ourselves in this world," he said. "Whether or not we'll be able to do the same thing for ourselves in Paradise...well, I don't know." Wow.

Familiar faces, unfamiliar places

2006-03-20T13:57:00.000-05:00

If it seems like it's been a while since I've written, it's only because I've had a week-long encounter with a mysterious someone from my past. For the past week, we laughed, we talked, we ate, we drank. Oh, yeah, and we slept in the same bed.

Intrigued yet? Teehee :)

For those who don't know -- my dear friend Melissa made her first venture across the Atlantic to visit me during my stint in the Old Country! It was a complete blast - it was soooo great to catch up with an old and honored friend! Of course, I also got to play tour guide for a large part of the week, a role that (as many of you know) I've always enjoyed. We covered a good bit of ground the first day, hitting the major tourist sights (Charles Bridge, Stare Mesto, Mala Strana and the like). The evening was spent at U Sudu, a medieval wine cellar bar in Karlovo Namesti, followed by dancing at Lucerna Music Bar, where they have their weekly retro party night. My little-seen "club-goer" persona came out in full force. Melissa wound up enjoying the company of a British stag in town for the weekend. I couldn't have been happier for her!

Unfortunately on Sunday, we had to forgo our planned venture to Kutna Hora because of timing (neither of us is exactly the most punctual) and inclement weather (a late-season snowstorm...would've made travel tough...ugh). So instead we grabbed the great brunch at Fraktal, a tour of Strahov Monastery and the Czech Literature Museum. I dragged her to see "Brokeback" -- which I've nicknamed "Gay-tanic." It was my second screening, her first. Incidentally, the only other times I'd ever seen a film more than once in the cinema was for Kate and Leonardo and the famous sinking boat. Oh, yeah, and "Chicago." What can I say...once a sap, always a sap!

Given my new super-busy teaching schedule, she was on her own for sightseeing for most of the week, but that didn't stop us from hitting some of my favorite restaurants and pubs around town. However, on Saturday we made our weekend venture to Cesky Krumlov, one of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen on the planet. One the one hand, it's sort of a living testament to the Nazi regime...it came under German rule shortly before World War II and remained a part of Germany until 1945. From the food to the morale, a strong German influence remains throughout. On the flip side, however, it's one of Europe's best-preserved medieval towns, with gorgeous baroque and gothic architecture and an amazing fairy-tale castle atop a craggy bluff overlooking the city. We couldn't help making up medieval-themed fantasies involving courtiers and unlaced peasant garb (I'll just leave it at that). We spent the weekend in an amazing hostel (one of the best I've experienced) and bar-hopped about town in the evening. Two of the more memorable stops: the Horor Bar (done up like a medieval dungeon, right up my alley) and a Gypsy bar with fantastic live music. The food was fantastic as well. In keeping with the medieval theme, we sampled an Old Bohemian feast the first night and then a grilled meat platter for lunch. I can't recommend this place enough!

Better than any of the sightseeing, however, was just spending time with a familiar face and cherished friend of many years. It didn't feel different, but so many things have changed since we last saw each other. She had just moved and was just getting re-established in Florida; I had remained but was barely treading water emotionally/socially/financially in New York. Now the tides have shifted somewhat, but we still have as much in common as ever. Of course I miss having her around all the time, but I think each of us is happier with our current circumstances. Being abroad, I've started to worry a bit about that whole "out of sight, out of mind" mentality that seems to happen with people you'd once thought you'd be friends with forever. There's no sense in complaining about it because it's just a natural cycle of life - it already happened at the end of high school and at the end of college...sadly, I can already feel it happening with several friends of mine in the States. I think it is necessary to sometimes be taken away from the things you are most comfortable with to see if they are truly worth your time. Those that are truly worth the effort survive, and those that aren't...well, go figure.

The verdict is in!

2006-03-06T08:46:00.000-05:00

So, decades after the rest of the civilized world, I finally saw THE movie. When I say *THE* movie, of course I mean "Brokeback Mountain," which finally got its European release last week. Without access to my US Weekly subscription here, I missed much of the insane hype surrounding this film in the United States, so it was a pleasant surprise. Incidentally, the difficulty in accessing quality celebrity news here has made me start to lose my touch! Case in point: last year I held an Oscars' party -- this year I had no idea when the Oscars were even airing until this weekend! Last year I would've had my nose pressed against the screen.

Anyway, so back to "Brokeback." It was AMAZING -- the first gay-themed film that I've ever seen that wasn't too issue-driven or cliche-ridden for its own good. It didn't strive to be overly political -- in all honesty, the story would've been almost as compelling if it had depicted a heterosexual relationship. I haven't gotten so consumed with cinematic characters since the end of "Sex and the City" two years ago. Contrary to popular belief, I never cry at movies -- but I sobbed unashamedly during the final scene (which is especially surprising because the ending had been ruined repeatedly for me). Unfortunately, all movies can't end the same way as "When Harry Met Sally."

So I woke up to the news that my sad cowboy boyfriends didn't take home as many Oscars as had been initially predicted. What -- are Oscar voters not keen on seeing the cinematic quality of broad-shoulder men?? Some cry 'homophobia,' but I haven't heard anything but critical accolades otherwise.

Despite the fact that I worship at the altar of Sir Jake almost daily, I thought Heath Ledger was the more impressive of the two, and Michelle Williams was great! You really feel bad for her character even though your sympathies should be aligned with Ennis and Jack most of the time. That's not an easy task in a movie starring two of the sexiest men on the planet! I'm half tempted to move to Wyoming when I get back to the States so I can have great scenery and hot cowboys on my doorstep, ha ha :-)

While it's a placid social sea, a tempest brews at work...

2006-02-27T07:54:00.000-05:00

'Twas another weekend spent in fine Prague style! On Friday night, I hit the town for my friend Clayton's flatmate Yvonne's birthday party. We hit two interesting pubs. The first was called the Street Cafe in Vinohrady, which played the best party mix of tunes: think ABBA, Tom Jones, Donna Summer, Ray Charles and Jennifer Lopez. OK, I admit it, I don't care much for J-Lo, but I love dancing to her songs! I can't recall the name of the other one, but it had a "Saturday Night Fever" theme, albeit with a European twist (i.e. it was in the cellar of an 19th century building, the dance floor was about the size of your average backyard patio, and it was as smoke-filled as a scene out of "Backdraft") and it was in Nove Mesto.

On Saturday I went bowling with my friend Anne, her two Slovakian co-workers and two people who didn't speak any English. I lost by a landslide, but no matter: it was a good time and in all honesty, I scored a better figure than usual. Speaking of figures, we watched the Czech hockey team's final Olympic match on huge overhead screens.

So while the social life is floating on a placid sea, I've got a typhoon of professional changes to endure in the next couple of days. Lexis Language Agency just gave me a brand-new contract to start 12 (yes, twelve) new business English classes at a new location. Apparently, my four years of experience of working in a Manhattan financial office has convinved them that I'm the one for this particular job. I can't complain too much as the pay is pretty decent (read: decent as far as Czech currency is concerned; in the States, it'd still be peanuts) and I won't have to travel from office to office as I've been doing since November. This required them to give away three of my existing classes to new instructors. I'm only sad to see one of them go.

A bit of springtime creepin' in...

2006-02-26T09:44:00.000-05:00

The Troja Chateau -- a 17th century chateau in Prague with formal gardens. Yes, all of this exists about 10 minutes from my flat. Crazy, huh?

Photos from my afternoon in Tabor, CZ. This is the view from the clock tower in the center of town and the river overlook.

Enough of these American-isms!

2006-02-21T07:47:00.000-05:00

So after reviewing my last few blog entries, it made me realize that I've been partaking in too much imported American consumerism and I'd better get back to talking about Europe before I started boring everyone to tears. After all, I promise I do think about things other than Jake Gyllenhaal!

So the weekend was fantastic -- it's started to warm up, slowly and gradually, so it's above freezing! Hooray! On Friday night, Clayton and I went for dinner at this Native American pizza restaurant not far from the Vysehrad section of Prague. I'm now teaching several classes in this neighborhood so it was pretty convenient. It's no secret that decent pizza is hard to come by in the Czech Republic. And no joke -- it was a Native American pizza place! You can order such tasty dishes as "Running Bear" pizza and "Tomahawk" lasagna! I had a vegetarian pie with broccoli, tomato, mushrooms and corn.

On Saturday, I accompanied Clayton, along with his roommate Christine (from Bayside, Queens) and his friend Jules to Tabor, a small Czech town about an hour and a half outside of Prague to the south. It wasn't the most exciting locale, and given that it was the weekend, most businesses were closed by the time we arrived. But there was a cool church tower to climb and lots of cheap beer to be sampled. Christine and I really hit it off -- she offered to share her "Sex and the City" DVDs with me (as most of you can imagine, it's been almost 6 months so I'm in withdrawal) and we're planning a thrift-shop venture really soon (this city is FILLED with thrift stores on every streetcorner).

Sunday was another perfect day weather-wise, so I went for brunch with Beth, Kelly, Melissa, Mark, Megan, Scott, Nick and David at Fraktal at Letenske Namesti. The array of American accents was enough to make even the most open-minded Czech citizen cringe! Despite some issues with the service that resulted in me starting my meal about 5 minutes after the rest of the gang, it was a really fun time! Everyone meshed really well -- I get nervous before any sort of group outing that this won't take place. After that, we took a stroll through Stromolvka, this incredible park only a few tram stops from my flat. We finally made it to the Troja Chateaux, an unbelievably beautiful 17th century chateaux on the banks of the Vltava River and surrounded with formal landscaped gardens. Pictures will follow, I promise!

Following our Troja venture (and quite possibly the most unsavory bus ride back to Nadrazi Holesovice), Kelly, Beth and I enjoyed a screening of "Memoirs of a Geisha," or simply "Gejsa," as it's referred to here. The novel is one of my all-time favorites so my expectations were very high. The acting was superb, the cinematography was unbelievable and the costumes left the screen drenched in amazing color throughout...but it was just a HAIR too long. I'd have trimmed it by 10-15 minutes or so. And I can't recall the exact logistics of the original ending, but I swear it was a bit different than the ending of the film.

It's official: I'm a Gyllenhaal-ic

2006-02-15T06:44:00.000-05:00

Sigh...how dreamy!

Without anything new to report, I thought I'd post a little something that should make us all (or most of us) feel a little better. Hot damn!

In honor of Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T05:56:00.000-05:00

'When Harry Met Sally' -- still my all-time favorite after all of these years

Let's face it, karma is a boomerang. I have reason to celebrate this Valentine's Day. Love is not a zero-sum game. Even though I am not experiencing the roller coaster high that is the first flush of love, I am also not going through the doldrums of a stale coupling or the incessant root canal of a contentious marriage. For each of my happily-linked friends, I can think of just as many who are in merely good-enough or lousy relationships.

The past few years, I kept thinking I had to radically alter myself in the name of boy attraction. I feigned interest in a variety of mediums. I made sure I wasn't seen wearing my glasses within 50 feet of any given love interest. I even lied to one guy about the number of years I'd taken dancing lessons and hid my "gay" CDs when he came over to visit. Yes, for some reason I thought I'd be seen negatively if a guy saw my tap trophies or how many different recordings of "Les Miserables" I own. And look where it got me!

So I've decided to focus my time making *Curtis* like Curtis. For 2006, I will turn over a new leaf; I plan to make a list of things that *I* want to accomplish in life, instead of worrying so much about what others think. For instance, I really want to visit Copenhagen, Croatia and Budapest, research some graduate schools, get some freelance stories published in the Prague Post. Perhaps this newfound attitude will make me more attractive to men; perhaps (and more likely) not. But there is no point in wasting my time and energy reading crap books about 'he's just not that into me.'

My heart is a-flutter with anticipation...March 3, baby!

The soundtrack of life

2006-02-13T11:07:00.000-05:00

Curtis's Life: The Soundtrack

Opening credits: "Head Over Heels" -- Tears for Fears

Waking up: "Tempted" -- Elvis Costello

Average day: That's a toughie...maybe "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac

First date: "Orange Colored Sky" and "Almost Like Being in Love" -- Nat King Cole (assuming the date was good)

Falling in love: "Maybe I'm Amazed" -- Paul McCartney (Wings), "My Funny Valentine" -- Chet Parker, "More Today than Yesterday" -- Spiral Staircase

Love scene: "Wicked Game" -- Chris Isaak (can't think of a better love scene song than this!)

Fight scene: "Precious Things" -- Tori Amos; "Smack My Bitch Up" -- The Prodigy

Breaking up: "Don't Come Around Here No More" -- Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Getting back together: "God Only Knows" -- Beach Boys

Secret crush: "You Don't Know Me" -- Ray Charles; "Open Your Heart" -- Madonna (I had this MASSIVE crush on an old co-worker who used to have to unlock the door to the office for me. The "I hold the lock, and you hold the key" line fit the situation perfectly)

Life's okay: "On a High" -- Duncan Sheik, "That's Life" -- Frank Sinatra

Mental breakdown: "Blue Monday" -- New Order (depending on how bad the breakdown is, the Orgy re-make is also appropriate).

Driving: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" -- Elton John (I've often fantasized about playing this song while driving in a convertible down the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Barbara, CA)

Learning a lesson: "Sour Girl" -- Stone Temple Pilots (this song was playing *when* I learned an important lesson)

Deep thought: "Don't Change Your Plans" -- Ben Folds Five (after leaving Manhattan on 9/11/01, I came home and put this song on repeat. Since then I sort of associate it with that emotion)

Flashback: "1979" -- Smashing Pumpkins, "Ironic" -- Alanis Morrisette

Partying: "Take Me Out" -- Franz Ferdinand, "Last Night" -- The Strokes

Happy dance: "Since U Been Gone" -- Kelly Clarkson

Regretting: "Re-Offender" -- Travis

Long night alone: "Moon River" -- Andy Williams

Death scene: "Live to Tell" -- Madonna (Morbid thought: I want this song played at my funeral. Still her best ballad after all these years!)

Closing credits: "Bittersweet Symphony" -- The Verve (OK, so I'm stealing from "Cruel Intentions," but I honestly can't think of a better song for credits!)

I don't care what everyone else thinks -- I love the Old World Brit lady-of-the-manor look!

OK, let's try again please

2006-02-12T14:47:00.000-05:00

So it ain't 'Citizen Kane,' but how can one resist Mark & Jen?

So I had my interview at Skrivanek on Thursday, and I'm happy to say that it went very well! They hired me on the spot! So now I'll be splitting my time between Lexis Language Agency, Active Languages and Skrivanek School. I start two brand new classes this Monday morning! Also, a friend of mine passed my contact info onto the editor of the English language newspaper here in Prague, who claims that they are "desperate" for freelancers. As my teaching skills have progressed, I'm worried that my writing skills have been slipping. So hopefully something will pan out in this realm as well!

So it was a great weekend overall. On Friday night, my co-worker Clayton invited me over to his flat for a cocktail party. He has a spectacular flat overlooking the city with a working fireplace, no less. It was the perfect cure for the insanely cold weather we'd been having. There was Moravian wine, savory snacks and great '80s party music. Those close to me know that this combination is closest thing to paradise in Curtis-land! My friend Kymm was also there, as was Tereza, a friend of Beth's. A good time was had by all.

I met up with a new friend, Jose, on Saturday afternoon. He's a grad student from Madrid, living in Prague through June while doing some sort of research for a graduate thesis in political science. We enjoyed brunch at Radost, a vegetarian restaurant in town and one of the few places in the city that can actually serves decent Mexican cuisine. Brunch was followed by coffee at Cafe Erra. On Sunday, Kelly and I went to see "Rumor Has It." The film has been panned by the critics - and OK, it wasn't "Citizen Kane." But it definitely had a few things going for it in my book: it was helmed by Rob Reiner (who directed "When Harry Met Sally," one o of my all-time favorites) and starred Jennifer Aniston and Mark Ruffalo, who can do no wrong in my book.

Upon re-reading my last post (in addition to the concerned e-mails and messages I received from friends and family members following its appearance on my blog), I realized that, OK, I was being over-dramatic. Things aren't half bad: I'm in EUROPE, for Pete's sake, and I'm experiencing a new career venture that I certainly like a hell of a lot more than sitting behind a desk in a stuffy office all day. My friend Dave made a good point: there's no point in comparing oneself to others because everyone has different paths. OK, so I don't have the summer house in the Hamptons with the white picket fence, but I'm meeting lots of interesting people and living within walking distance of CENTURIES of history. I'm doing what I want to be doing and something that is both challenging and makes me happy.

A jarring of emotion

2006-02-08T09:28:00.000-05:00

How does one measure happiness and success?

It's a question I found myself asking not so long ago. Recently, I received an e-mail from an old colleague of mine, with whom I hadn't spoken in over 5 years. It's inaccurate to call this person a friend, as we were the most passing of acquaintances and our social circles rarely meshed. Needless to say I was surprised at having received the e-mail in the first place, but even more taken aback by its contents. Aside from assorted small talk, there stood the glaring statement: "I've finished graduate school, recently gotten married, and just now have a child on the way."

Of course, compulsory congratulations followed on my behalf. But what was I to offer in individual response? Compared to someone who has more than one degree, owns a home and will soon be supporting a family, I couldn't help but feel a bit like Peter Pan. I haven't started graduate studies, usually consider myself fortunate to score a third date, and regard the concept of child-rearing as a foreign practice and something to mull over in another decade or so. It was amazing that two people who were on the same page 5 years ago wound up in totally different worlds. He's buying a house and ordering patio furniture; I'm booking an overnight train ticket to Amsterdam. He's worried about whether Crate and Barrel still carries a wallpaper pattern for the nursery; I'm concerned with finding an affordable hostel during peak season. Clearly, if we think about the 'idealistic life model' to which most of us have been conditioned to strive for since childhood, which of these is more significant?

The fact of the matter is: I spent almost four years really craving a "secure, established, grown-up" feeling. I desperately wanted having those romanticized ideals such as an incredible apartment, a fantastic job, a great relationship and so on. For me, those effects represented stability, security and self-assurance. Having that sense of validation was to be legitimate, and to have it all. But for one reason or another, they didn't materialize. And not by my lack of trying, I have to say.

It occurred to me that rarely in my life have I ever felt satisfied with myself at any given time. I can trace this habit back to adolescence, when I felt like a failure when not placed in the most advanced classes and not winning a superlative during middle school graduation. Certainly, I perceived my family as feeding into this drive in varying degrees. My father would enroll me in math and English classes during my summers in Los Angeles. Shortly after his death, my aunt sent me a sympathy card which read: "Dear Curtis, you are all that remains of your father's legacy now. Don't forget that." Simply put, that sentiment left a big impression on my then-15-year-old mind. In hindsight, it seems like a lot of pressure to put on an adolescent. From then on, I felt as if my failures weren't just strikes against myself, but against him as well. I wish I could say that this doesn't still affect me. But, to some degree, I can't.

Sometimes I feel that I fight a constant battle with my own ambitions -- that feeling that I must always be in competition with peers, this internal craving to achieve more, do more, have more to put on the resume. More career endeavors, more boyfriends, more dates, more education, more money, more possessions and so on. More, more, more. In turn, more just winds up feeding on itself. Clearly I have no problem in commending others for their endeavors; why can't I do the same for myself? Instead of focusing on positive elements, my natural tendency is to dwell on the negative: the unsuccessful job interview, the apartment I can't afford, the guy who didn't call back. The list would continue to include botched professional connections, sabotaged relationships, the various opportunities (in hindsight) I feel passed me by.

As is my wont, I retreated to pop music for inspiration in the midst of this self-examination. "It's not having what you want," sings Sheryl Crow, "It's wanting what you've got." OK, so it's not exactly Emily Dickinson or even Ani DiFranco, for that matter, but it made complete sense at that moment. Being at a remove from the vortex of American culture (save for visits to the cinema and imported foods from visiting friends and my mother), you start to realize that many of the ideals we are so fervently conditioned to strive for are little more than Westernized status symbols. That's not to say that they have no value, but only that one is capable of achieving personal contentment without them. In other words, it's difficult to stop pining for the things that you don't have, and to start being grateful for what you do. While it's important to have ambitions, there's no sense in drawing up game plans of the age you will get your master's degree, purchase your first home or make that lifelong commitment to the man of your dreams. Sometimes it's important to take some time to figure out what the hell you want out of life. Maybe my life map won't be as linear as it is for some, but perhaps I should learn to embrace uncertainty and stop being such a control freak. Last but not least, maybe I need to learn when to quit feeling sorry for myself.

And isn't that what happiness, or at least life, is all about?

Winter chill means movies and job interviews

2006-02-07T05:37:00.000-05:00

Not much new to report currently. Work is pretty routine for the time being, but I do have another job interview at another school coming up this Thursday morning. I've also got offers for two private students, which is a nice surprise. I'd like to pick up between 4-5 more classes to beef up my teaching schedule.

I just started the official work visa process with my school so I will hopefully not be an illegal alien for much longer!

So Prague is currently in the midst of a Russian front that has brought about the COLDEST temperatures that the Czech Republic has experienced since 1940! NO JOKE! It's been 8 degrees below freezing for almost 2 straight weeks now. The worst day, however, was January 22, when it hit a record 20 DEGREES below zero! It's kind of crazy to think that we're situated so close to Russia that we get some of their weather patterns. I really can't wait for spring. I'm so sick of wool...I want to feel khaki and linen against my skin!

Cold weather in Curtis-land means trips to the movies, which is a surprisingly affordable thing to do here in Prague. It generally costs between 90 - 120 crowns to see a movie (roughly $4-5 in American currency, about half the price of a movie ticket in the U.S.). I highly recommend "Walk the Line," which was excellent...and don't believe the critics about "Derailed," as I found it a very enjoyable film! I'm looking forward to "Memoirs of a Geisha," but I really can't wait for "Brokeback Mountain," which won't open here until March. Sigh! Incidentally, you can add Jake Gyllenhaal movies to the list of the three things that make me act like a screaming 12-year-old girl (theme parks and Madonna concerts being the other two). Damn those delayed European releases.

Meanwhile, I've also been passing the time by dreaming of all of the fantastic European cities and places that I want to visit. There are no immediate plans for travel, but I've been creating a "travel wish list" agenda, if you will. On my agenda for 2006: Copenhagen, Berlin, Budapest and Salzburg. Of course I'll return to Bavaria for a visit to the relatives once it warms up a little.

I also checked out the State Opera with my friend Anne last Friday night. Anne works for the Study Abroad division at Charles University and had an extra ticket. The opera was based on Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid." How perfect for me! The story was considerably different than both the original tale and the Disney version. For example, the Sea King actually SUGGESTS that the mermaid visit the witch for help in becoming human...definitely NOT part of the original tale! However, Anderson's original tragic ending was maintained in the story. The state opera house was just beautiful, too...crystal chandeliers, ceiling frescos and the like.

A Valentine's Day story. If you want one.

2006-02-01T09:13:00.000-05:00

Since I'm living in Prague, I thought for once I'd be able to escape that God-foresaken tradition - the most dreaded of dreaded holidays - St. Valentine's Day. As it turns out, the 20,000 or so ex-pats who are residing in the Czech Republic can't seem to live without their message hearts and rose petalled bric-a-brac. So, many boutiques in the city have been invaded by Chucky Doll-esque cupids as they are annually in the United States. For Pete's sake, can't they let go of that plastic celebration and allow the Czech people keep their own culture? Halloween and Thanksgiving are one thing, but Valentine's Day is on an entirely different level.

While pondering this Western infiltration, I had a stunning revelation. I'm done with romantic crap. I've spent the past 26 years being a pathetic, sentimental nit-wit schmuck - you know, the type that fantasizes about kisses in the rain and moonlit walks on any number of beaches (insert other assorted gag-inducing schmaltz here) - and what has it gotten me? Crap, and absolute crap, for the bulk of my dating "career." Yes, I say "career," as the quality of most dates is on par with unsuccessful job interviews or auditions for the starring roles in high school musicals that I never seemed to snag (hey, I thought of this metaphor BEFORE Carrie Bradshaw! Go me).

My flatmate and I had a discussion yesterday about how many of the personal milestones (during which most people meet their future spouses) have already passed us by. The college days are but a distant memory. That 'swell' first job in the big city has come and gone. And don't even mention high school - that's ancient history.

So what's left? We've got only a handfull of choices: the Metro, the Internet, or succumbing to the advances of a sweaty, drunken sleazeball who reeks of stale cigarettes in one of the many crummy ex-pat bars here. (Side note: Beth and I also decided that we'd have to make the smoking issue less of a dealbreaker if we want to attract European men. Sigh).

So that's it. I won't be bitter; it's better to embrace your shortcomings. I must find a way to relish my fate as a "terminal bachelor." (Note: "bachelor" sounds considerably more glamourous than "singleton" or "male spinster.")

Sounds a bit like me, I suppose...

2006-02-01T09:09:00.000-05:00

Your Birthdate: September 29

You have the mind of an artist, even if you haven't developed the talent yet.
Expressive and aware, you enjoy finding new ways to share your feelings.
You often feel like you don't fit in - especially in traditional environments.
You have big dreams. The problem is putting those dreams into action.

Your strength: Your vivid imagination

Your weakness: Fear of failure

Your power color: Coral

Your power symbol: Oval

Your power month: November

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

More Paris

2006-01-22T15:21:00.000-05:00

There's nothing more elegant than a beautiful carousel...

For those of you who don't understand why I found this metro stop so amusing...I know you can't be my friend!

It's no wonder they call it the City of Lights...

Moi, at Sacre Coeur

It's like visiting an old friend in a foreign country...

La Tour Eiffel...

Where the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake...

2006-01-20T05:09:00.000-05:00

So I've accomplished another major lifetime milestone...I've now experienced not one, not two, but THREE distinct incarnations of THE BEST theme park attraction of all time, Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion! Note: the French incarnation at Parc Disneyland Paris has been re-named "Phantom Manor" in order to aid with translation. Yes, you can call me a major dork...but just think, if my obsession was Harry Potter or "Star Wars," everyone would think I was cool!

Rendez-vous in Paris

2006-01-20T04:42:00.000-05:00

The past month -- in a nutshell!

2006-01-18T13:29:00.000-05:00

Forgive me for taking forever and a day to update...it gets kind of hectic having friends in town and travelling! I know, I know...poor me, right?

So Christmas was spent with family after all, albeit extended, in Oma's hometown of Augsburg. It's so weird returning to a place that I previously experienced at the ages of 9, 12 and 19 and yet still feeling a sense of complete awe, but on an entirely new level. I also enjoyed the company of my great aunt and cousins...I put my limited German vocabulary to use as much as possible and they did the same with their English. Somehow we made it work - I honestly haven't laughed that much in a long time!

I arrived in Germany just in time to hit the Christkindlmarkt on Christmas Eve, where I enjoyed gluhwein and seelachs brot (my favorite). Christmas dinner was German traditional - a fine sauerbraten with bacon dumplings, and red cabbage salad. They even surprised me with a beautiful pen set and some Mozart marzipan direct from Salzburg!

Mikki arrived in Prague the day after I returned from Augsburg, and as if on cue, snow began falling...and falling and falling and falling, making the entire city look like an idyllic setting for a Christmas card. We did a lot of Prague sightseeing right away as well as a day trip to Kutna Hora. It was kind of ideal since I hadn't done much travelling/sightseeing since I'd arrived (given the start of my training course and then work immediately afterward). But the best part was just having a familar face around! It was reminiscent of those old times in NYC: Mikki, me, a bag of Sour Patch Kids and "Golden Girls" re-runs playing on the laptop! I hadn't quoted Rose Nylund in 4 months!

New Year's Eve was fun, if a tad anti-climactic (aren't they always?). I prepped pasta salad for a TEFLer feast and then we headed out to watch the fireworks at Namesti Miru. I seem to remember a penis-shaped bong, black ice, chair-dancing, stolen Mexican salsa and a rifle being part of the evening. And someone telling me that my dancing on a table got us kicked out of a bar. You figure it out.

And then, of course, there was the road trip to Paris! You can keep NYC -- gay Paris is the greatest city in the world! Fortunately, Mikki was keen on my idea of quality travelling -- i.e. plan like the gestapo beforehand -- and we crammed as much sightseeing into those 4 days as physically possible. It would take a seperate blog to list everywhere we visited, but some of the more memorable sights included: the Louvre, the Luxembourg Gardens, Musee de Moyen Age, Notre Dame, Saint-Sulpice, Champs Elysees, Arch de Triomphe, the Paris Catacombs (very "Phantom of the Opera"-like), an antique flea market, Oscar Wilde's gravesite and assorted smaller galleries and museums. My personal favorites were an evening boat cruise on the Seine (freezing our butts off in the process) and walking along Les Quais. Of course, we didn't forget to sample the excellent wine and crepes. We also checked out Les Marais, the "gay"-borhood of Paris and that was just incredible as well. I am officially in love!

True to form, we set aside one day for Parc Disneyland Paris! Let's hope you wouldn't expect anything less. After being here for the holidays, I needed my dose of fine American capitalism. And Lord knows I got it - and then some - in the form of fish and chips that set us back 10 Euros each :-) Of course I loved it, though. It was surreal, a bit like visiting an old friend in a foreign country. And for the first time, I had to bundle up to visit a theme park...imagine that! Anyway, we rode the French version of my favorite attraction, the Haunted Mansion - the French incarnation of which is titled Phantom Manor - a personal record of FIVE TIMES because the crowds were so light! It's interesting to compare/contrast theme parks. It's much smaller than the American versions in L.A. and Orlando, and some of the rides are considerably different. For example, their Space Mountain kicks ass, but their "It's a Small World" feels cheap and slapped together on a budget! Plus their is smoking everywhere and you can order drinks at Mr. Toad's Pub before embarking on the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups.

A calm before the travel storm

2005-12-19T13:57:00.000-05:00

This blog is well overdue for an update...I am sure I will have more tales to tell once Christmas passes, but here is the lowdown...

Beth and I threw the first annual Ho Ho Ho Bash in cooperation with Melissa and Kelly. Despite some post party drama that I will not go into here, the party was a huge success. Oh yeah, did I mention that we forgot about half of the ingredients for svarene vino and Melissa did not bake the cookies she had initially promised? Of course, no one danced except for me, ha ha. How is it that people can actually stand still when 80s tunes and the Jackson Five are being played? I do not understand. I certainly have never been able to. I jump out of my seat every time.

If all goes according to plan, I will be traveling to Augsburg, Germany this coming Friday, where I will spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my German relatives. I am getting a little nervous as this will be my first major travel excurison outside of Prague, save for the Kutna Hora day trip that I took last month. The train trip is about 7 hours, and includes four major stops, which is kinda long considering the fact that it only takes about 3 hours to drive there. I guess the train waits at the Czech borderline and what not.

Mikki arrives in Prague on December 28. As of right now, I have no classes scheduled that day so hopefully I will be able to pick him up at the airport. He will be here until January 16. In the meantime, we will be traveling to Paris from January 6th through the 10th. I cannot, cannot wait.

The twelve days of Christmas -- revisited!

2005-12-09T11:18:00.000-05:00

"The Twelve Days of Christmas," or "All Men are Jackasses During the Holidays and the Rest of the Year"

(written and performed by Beth M. and Curtis W.)

On the twelfth day of Christmas, this jackass gave to me...

...twelve stood-up dates,

...eleven ambigious e-mails,

...ten cold shoulders,

...nine mixed messages,

...eight used rubbers,

...seven missed calls,

...six toilets to puke in,

...five hostage CDs,

...four Polish vodkas,

...three warm beers,

...two battered egos,

...and one blank SMS back!

It's beginning to look a lot like...vanoce!

2005-12-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

Check out some of my photos of Stare Mesto in full holiday decor:

Look what this dude named his truck!!! Teehee!

A sugarplum dream

2005-11-30T14:44:00.000-05:00

The holiday season is in full swing here in Prague. The city is completely decked out for the holidays and looks like a sugarplum dream. The "vanoce trhy" (Czech Christmas markets) are up in Wenceslas Square, Old Town Square and Andel. Vendors are hawking ornaments, decorated gingerbread (which is incredible), crafts, toys, hot wine and roasted chestnuts. I finally get to see the legendary holiday morsels really DO exist and weren't just made up for the carol. It'd be nice to say that Europeans are somehow less commercial about the holiday than Americans, but sadly, that's not true.

As is the case in many European cities, St. Nicholas gets his own special day here, instead of being carelessly drafted into the Christmas holiday like in the U.S. That's next Tuesday evening.

Speaking of sugarplums, the first meeting of my gay Prague ex-pats' group is this coming Friday evening. So, I've gotten about 5 responses -- guys from the U.S., Spain, Britian and the Czech Republic! We'll see how it goes!

In the meantime, enjoy some photos:

Old Town Square:

And Vysehrad:

And then there were none...

2005-11-27T09:35:00.000-05:00

So as of today, I am officially one of two Americans remaining from Oxford TEFL's September/October class in the Czech Republic. I was under the impression that most foreigners came over here for the same reason: get certified to teach English, and then live abroad for an indefinite amount of time. Apparently, that's not everyone's agenda...some people just do the program and then go home. Not that one option is better or worse than the other, but it just surprises me that people would cough up almost two grand for a certificate that is recognized the world over and then opt to not even try to get anything out of it. Several classmates talked about how they couldn't bear to be away from their families, friends and significant others and what not. One guy even said that he felt that being so far away was "completely selfish."

I beg to differ. Certainly, being 3000 miles away from home during the holidays isn't going to be easy, but then again, who wants 'easy'? 'Easy' doesn't make you learn, it doesn't make you think. I have to thank the Powers that Be to finally find myself in a situation that makes me think.

Speaking of holidays, Thanksgiving turned out to be a lot of fun. We actually had two celebrations instead of just one...my friend Mark hosted dinner at his flat on Friday night, and then Beth and her friends organized a second dinner on Saturday at Ian's flat. While some of the basics were there (turkey and stuffing, natch), both meals had a distinct European flair. Kurt made a Serbian potato casserole, and Scott made an Italian dish involving steak stuffed with ricotta. The Saturday dinner involved a few more of the traditional holiday dishes: mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and salad, but due to the lack of American ingredients, we often had to find Czech substitutions that made the final products a bit more 'unique,' for lack of a better word. I was able to justify inhaling everything in sight by making note of the fact that I wasn't able to eat anything for almost an entire week while I was sick. Noticeably absent from Feedbag Weekend, part 1 and 2: no pumpkin pie (pumpkins are quite exotic over here) or traditional desserts! We had to make do with some chocolate wafers.

A word to the wise: if you decide to purge yourself all day prior to a Thanksgiving meal, don't attempt to start drinking without ingesting at least a little bit of food first. At Feedbag part 2, I wound up passing out BEFORE the meal was served. Lots of photos were taken. Egad.

On a slightly irritating note: all of the ex-pats here find my musical tastes and admiration for Madonna a source of great comedy. I honestly wish it didn't get brought up every time, but despite my best efforts, somehow it always gets mentioned (typically in the same sentence as "crap" or other choice words). Even Death Cab for Cutie is considered a sell-out. Apparently, an ex-pat's soundtrack should consist only of Bob Dylan and other shoe-gazer moody rock poet types from decades past. Sigh! We've found some common grounds (Ben Folds, Manu Chou, Patti Griffin for example) but they are few and far between.

Pictures of Kutna Hora

2005-11-21T09:02:00.000-05:00

Below are some photos of my ventures to Kutna Hora with Erica, Mark and Dara. Apparently, a Czech monk with an apparently twisted sense of interior decorating found a new use for the remains of Black Plague victims. In the 17th and 18th centuries, a church in Kutna Hora was constructed, with its sanctuary created entirely out of skeletons. Definitely appeals to my fascination with the macabre...

Eerie doppelganger

2005-11-21T08:48:00.001-05:00

A glimpse of one's fate in waiting for the perfect man...

You must ignore the super-gay, limp-wristed pose I'm making in this photo -- everyone told me I resemembled the painting on the wall of this pub so I decided to strike the same pose to show the resemblence.

Happy Madonna Day!

2005-11-15T13:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Madonna Day everyone!

Today is the release of "Confessions on a Dancefloor," the album that is apparently going to remove Mrs. Ritchie from the trappings of her Kabballah soap box, childrens' libraries and affected accents of late to bring her right back where she belongs...grooving and gyrating under the mirrorball with all the boys!

Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. Of course I will be purchasing this disc in just a few short moments; I hope you didn't think that being overseas was going to stop me from doing so. As you all know, you can't take my opinion on said matters with any shred of seriousness. She could release an album of her reading aloud from the Yellow Pages while a polka band accompanies her in the background and I'd STILL be first in line to purchase it (and probably purchasing a pair of lederhosen on the way home so that I could choreograph dances to it in my living room).

Work -- and 20Something Prague (?)

2005-11-08T19:29:00.000-05:00

So this blog is well overdue for an update, but I wanted to make sure I had news to report before I took the time to write something.

As of last week, I am now officially employed. I am working not one, not two, but three part-time jobs here in Prague! I work for: Active Languages, Lexis Language Agency and Ulyrch Language Studio. I'm starting up with 6 English classes this week. All are one-on-one, like private lessons. I am hoping I get some groups, though, since I prefer teaching small groups. Here in Prague, they have a lot of English language agencies where adults can get tutored in English and what not. I am teaching at 3 of the agencies and I have to travel out to different offices to teach employees of different companies. Most are at the upper-intermediate level, although I do have one pre-intermediate student.

Most of my classes will involve intricacies of the English language, such as refining grammar and new vocabulary and what not. They will hopefully give me more classes next week or later. But for now, I am content that this is a decent start. One of my students is a heart surgeon, so he wants to know a lot of English medical terminology. I'll be starting with him next Monday. To celebrate my gainful employment, I bought myself a new winter jacket finally :-)

For now, I have a good deal of downtime before I add more classes to my schedule; it's a bit nerve-wracking trying to figure out what the hell to do with myself. Now that I am working, it's become difficult to meet new people other than my Czech students. My TEFL group, most of which I hung out with for the past month, has kind of disbanded, with some of my classmates going to Asia and elsewhere in Europe. So I had this crazy idea to start a gay/lesbian/bisexual/questioning social club, a Prague version of 20Something in New York, if you will. Of course, it would be a lot more grassroots, a lot less structured than 20Something is, since I don't have the motivation to organize formal meetings with topics and the like - it'll be like, "Oh, you're gay/lesbian and an ex-pat, come out with us to Friends [a Czech gay pub not far from my school] tomorrow night!"

We'll see what happens. But I've decided I need to meet some people to obsess about "Confessions on a Dancefloor" with, and who might want to check out the "Sound of Music" tour in Salzburg with me sometime!

It may not be Dunkin' Donuts, but...

2005-10-23T12:47:00.000-04:00

Catherine indulges on her last night in the Czech Republic

Erica and I getting caffeine fix on regardless :-)

It is OFFICIAL!

2005-10-21T09:30:00.000-04:00

It is OFFICIAL!

As of today, I am now CERTIFIED in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages by Trinity College in London, UK!

On Monday I passed in my final individual learner profile project, and on Tuesday I somehow magically passed an exam, i.e. "Everything You Ever Learned About English Language Grammar and Then Some," i.e "Everything They Kinda-Sorta Vaguely Taught You in Middle School But You Don't Remember." And then today I had my final interview.

And now I am DONE!

Go me.

Someone please employ me.

Let the hell week begin

2005-10-15T20:07:00.000-04:00

It's Saturday night and I've got tons of work to do...only one more week of TEFL training left! I may regret saying this by this time next week, but I can't wait!!

Prague update

2005-10-01T13:06:00.000-04:00

Time, it just goes so fast...when you're attempting to get your CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching for Adults) accomplished in just 4 short weeks! I've been swamped with work since my certification classes started on Monday. It's a lot like taking a full load of college classes in the course of a month. Oh, I had my first experiences with student teaching last week. I taught a class of native Czechs on Thursday and Friday. Thursday's class was a bit of a bust, but Friday's went much better.

I'm not so much homesick, as I am convenience-sick and friend-sick, if you catch my drift. I miss having so many Westernized conveniences at my fingertips and just being able to call my friends up anytime to hang out.

Get this - today a woman came up to me on the street and asked me if I spoke any German. I used the little bits I remember from my Oma drilling into my head as a child to respond that, yes, I know a little bit. She then told me that she is Czech and currently lives in Prague, but that she was born and raised in AUGSBURG, Germany of all places (Oma's hometown)! How funny is that??

My 26th birthday was fun, although I can't say just how much I missed having my close friends and family around :-( Beth, my new roommate, surprised me with a slice of traditional Czech honey cake in the morning. My fellow ex-pats (those who are in my class) and I went for Mexican food since we've quickly tired of eating nothing but carbs and red meat covered in gravy all of the time, and then to a pretty fun bar in the center of Prague's Old Town section with cheap drinks and a dancefloor. It's a bit weird trying to celebrate with people you've only known a week. Granted, we spend 8+ hours together in our TEFL classes every day, so we've gotten to know each other pretty well already and I've made a couple new friends. Today, I took some time to explore Hradcany and Prague Castle a little bit. Took some pictures, the area is amazing!

Volleyballs or balloons

2005-08-29T22:29:00.000-04:00

So I have officially moved. Well, all of my worldly possessions, at least. They are currently residing in the basement of my aunt and uncle's house in Portland, CT. The move went much smoother than anticipated -- we started at 1:30 and were on the road by 3:00. By the time we unloaded everything and grabbed food and what not, it was about 7:30 or so. The physical post-moving soreness has yet to sink in.

So right now I'm back in New York for the next couple of weeks, in a sort of quasi-limbo stage before I actually leave my job and the city. I'm staying on the floor at my old apartment until Wednesday, and then I'll be sofa-and-sleeping-bag-hopping in the apartments of some very generous friends from now until September 14th.

In many ways, I'm really glad that my move is gradual. If I'd have just packed up my old apartment and left, I would've been beside myself now. This way, I'm allowing me time to be left alone with my thoughts...memories of the past 4 years and pondering what the future holds. I keep wondering who I'll actually keep in touch with from the U.S. (and New York in particular) once I'm away. People definitely surprise you sometimes. You spend all this time talking about "friends forever," but it's amazing to me how quickly your companions fall out of touch once you branch out into a new realm. For instance, I only speak to one friend from high school and my contact with the majority of the UCONN peeps diminished quickly. For now, I am looking forward to a going-away gathering -- which I initially protested, but eventually caved on -- which is being thrown in my honor. But I guess only time will tell.

In general, relationships -- with friends, lovers, even family members -- are like a game of volleyball. One person is always the game server -- always being the first one to call or write -- and when a connection is made, you meet up one more time and then it's back to the let-me-catch-you game again. If it was up to the other person, the ball would easily have since fallen on the grass on their side of the net. And yet, you then wonder why you don't just let it do the same. Why should you expend all the effort in keeping it off the ground? If the other one doesn't care, why should you?

And occasionally -- actually very rarely -- you find relationships with people that turn out to be less like volleyballs and more like hot air balloons. Not like helium balloons, as those would just fly off, but hot air balloons -- which just sort of magically hover effortlessly.

When they say, "Hey, I'm from Chi," they mean Chicago, Illinois!

2005-08-26T22:19:00.000-04:00

So I'm back from my 3-day venture to Chicago, courtesy of C-scare. I wasn't sure what to expect, but Chicago is really a world-class city that's definitely worth visiting. It's definitely a less interesting city overall, but aesthetically speaking, it has an edge over New York. Certainly there are skyscrapers, but there are also tree-lined parks with rolling hills, fountains and flowerbeds tucked off in little nooks and crannies of the downtown area...which give the city a picturesque, 'Main Street U.S.A.'-style charm that Manhattan sorely lacks. Oddly, there's a distinct seafaring vibe in some neighborhoods -- surprising when you consider the fact that you're smack-dab in the heart of the Midwest, but fitting given the city's position at the shores of Lake Michigan, which might as well be an ocean.

I had to wake up at the asscrack of dawn to catch my 7:00 a.m. flight on Tuesday, but I decided to meet up with Katie and Bobby for dinner after my class that night regardless. As it turns out, Katie lives in right in Lakeview, a.k.a. "Boy's Town," Chicago's more promiment 'gayborhood.' I'd say it's more akin to Park Slope than Chelsea. We also walked by Wrigley Field -- I may be the only person whose initial reaction to seeing a ballpark is, "Oh wow -- they filmed scenes from 'My Best Friend's Wedding' and 'A League of their Own' there," as opposed to reciting historical baseball trivia. We ate at a really good Mexican restaurant (meal accompanied by a pitcher of margaritas, natch) before heading back into the city loop.

After dinner, I decided to take a stroll through Grant Park -- when who do I see, but Jennifer Aniston! Yes, that's right...Jennifer Aniston, whom I simply adore, in the flesh! According to US Weekly (ha), she's just wrapped a new movie, "The Break-Up," and remained in the city for some re-shoots. I got to watch her film a scene that involved entering and exiting a taxicab...which they must've shot about 50 times consecutively! For those who keep track of such things (myself included), she was wearing a sky blue dress paired with an off-white camisole.

The second day was a real treat...after my class, Katie invited me on a 3-hour long evening architecture boat cruise along the Chicago River...yes, just like the one taken by Julia and Dermot in "My Best Friend's Wedding." Katie works for the Chamber of Commerce for the Lakeview district and this was their company's summer party. Her company certainly went all out for their employees -- a catered meal was served, alongside an OPEN BAR -- followed by a fireworks display over Lake Michigan to end the evening! The skyline looked spectacular at night from the lake vantagepoint. The entire event had a Hawaiian luau theme. Fortunately, the tropical punch was not potent enough to send Katie nor I toppling overboard as was initally feared, but I did wind up donning a grass skirt by the end of the evening!

Oh, yeah, silly me...I seem to have forgotten...it was a BUSINESS trip! As far as that's concerned, I am very grateful to get back. I suppose agreeing to attend training sessions literally days before I'm supposed to move was a bad decision on my part. Granted, when I committed to it in February, I wasn't planning to move. So I had to sit through day-long sessions on the wonders of creating Macros through the use of Word documents and Excel spreadsheets...taught by a couple of Midwesterners with very little sense of humor...when, mentally, I was clearly unavailable. I couldn't concentrate on work...my mind kept thinking about being able to schedule the moving van, where and how I'm going to store all of my shit, what sorts of things (other than clothing) will I keep accessible and so on.

Even so, I've started to feel a little guilt over quitting C-scare, seeing as how we are INSANELY understaffed at the moment. If anything, however, the trip helped to re-iterate how redundant the job is and how I don't want this to wind up being a permanent career. It occured to me how little I have in common with any of my colleagues there, too. Katie kept asking me if it was OK that I kept ditching my co-workers...but my two work colleagues who attended the trip with me had little interest in sightseeing or even socializing at all. One of them didn't say a single word to me on the departing flight even though he sat next to me, and then retreated directly to his hotel room immediately after class let out BOTH days. I understand people are different and all...but we're 25, not 45. I understand taking your job seriously, but really, C-scare people -- get a sense of humor! Lighten up!

Back to packing for the time being...

They have their seasons, so do we

2005-08-21T20:21:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it. This summer is slipping right through my fingers. And, phew...boy, do I have my work cut out for me for the next couple of weeks! If I can make it through the next 2 weeks in one piece, I'll consider myself fortunate. Packing sucks...and it's just the tip of the iceberg.

Of course, even though I have plenty of my own stuff to worry about at the moment...the question of the week has been: "Has Curtis heard about Madonna's equestrian accident?" Everyone and their brother has asked me if I have, so I suppose I must acknowledge...duh people, of course. And no, I did not send flowers and a get well card. Turns out Madge fell off her horse and broke a few bones. Of course, the natural Christopher Reeve comparisons are being made -- now, if THAT had been the case, I would be beside myself. Granted, I was reminded that one could technically still 'vogue' if paralyzed from the waist down. Thank goodness she practices her yoga and eats macrobiotic foods -- hopefully she'll heal up right away.

Bedtime stories

2005-08-15T23:21:00.000-04:00

So I sold my bed today...my very first big boy bed. I was quite sad to see it go. The girl who bought it must've been pretty desperate...she came to look at it this afternoon and then wanted to take it home right then and there. Talk about a quick sale. It's kinda creepy because the sounds create echoes in my room now.

The buyer recently spent a year living in Vienna, correctly identified Michael Buble on my closet door and actually quoted lines from "American Life" in conversation (proving that she's not just one of those "I-own-the-Immaculate-Collection-therefore-I-think-I-am-a-legitimate-Madonna-fan" phonies) so I can safely say I think my bed is in good hands.

Thankfully she didn't check for samples of my DNA on the mattress. I suppose that's the problem with buying a used mattress. It's been, um, used.

So I'm camping out on the futon for the rest of the month.

Gastropubs, mountaintops, siblings and travel

2005-08-05T19:52:00.000-04:00

So last Saturday night, in honor of a friend's 25th birthday, I had my first experience with a "gastropub." For those who don't know, the "gastropub" is a unique fusion of Old and New World cultures, in which the rustic ambiance of a British pub meets a Manhattanite's palette for upscale cuisine. Apparently, they're quite the culinary rage in London right now. Forget fish and chips or shepherd's pie -- you order your pint of ale alongside an order of foie gras, grilled Chilean seabass or sheep's milk gnudi, a ravioli-like pasta. Here, the burgers come topped with Roquefort instead of cheddar slices.

It was my first trip to a "trendy" new restaurant in some time, as evidenced by initial frustrations with the 45-minute wait in the cramped bar area beforehand. I hadn't ventured too far outside of my usual Thai, Mexican and sushi places in a while. Fortunately I had a great deal of catching up to do with the present company as they were visiting from out-of-town. While causing a sizable dent in the wallet, however, the food and drink was every bit worth the time and effort. It was my first time sampling foie gras, and I finally understood how a dish so revolting in concept could taste so delectable...it literally melts in your mouth. We finished off the evening with several rounds of ale at a more budget-friendly local brewery, making for an exceptionally interesting subway ride home.

Perhaps to offset this recent intake of ale and fatty foods, I tried my hand at rock-climbing for the first time this week. It was the indoor version, of course -- a simulated Alpine mountainside housed inside the relative comfort of an Upper West Side gym. It was, by far, the most strenuous physical activity that I partook of in some time -- two days later, my sore limbs can attest to that. The amount of equipment involved creates an atmosphere of slight danger, too. In the end, of course, it's a blast. Plus, it's hard not to pretend that you're starring in a Broadway production of "Peter Pan" while being suspended 50 feet in the air by cables attached to a pelvis-hugging harness, too.

So my sister is making her way into the city to visit this weekend, and this time around, her boyfriend-du-jour is in tow. I probably shouldn't say that -- they've been off-and-on for a couple years now, but true to form, she's had a variety of other boyfriends in the meantime. I'm not sure what we'll be doing just yet as far as sightseeing or activities are concerned. Of course, her first question to me is, "So, is it OK if we find a place to go drinking somewhere? Is that cool?"

It isn't always easy being the older sibling -- I fight a constant battle within myself between trying to be a "cool" brother versus being the "responsible" one. Granted, I am aware that Angela is certainly no stranger to drinking and smoking pot. Furthermore, she will be turning 19 and entering her sophomore year in college soon, and by that time, I'd had more than several experiences with alcohol...and at least she'll be in a location where no one has to worry about driving home, et al. It's also my last out-of-town overnight visitor at the Astoria pad...

In other news, my company is offically sending me out to Chicago from August 23 - 25 for training on a new Macro-based software. At first I felt a little bad about accepting, but after 3 years, I've certainly put in my share of substantial time at this office. It'll be exciting since I've never been to Chicago before, even if I have to sit through those annoying training sessions. I hope I'll get a chance to track my friend Katie down while I'm there.