Acting Reasonably

It's been a pretty warm winter here. Cold at night of course, but even Germany, Czech Republic and Austria weren't as cold as they normally are. And Madrid is way warmer than those countries normally.

Okay- like 6.5 hours of class today. Then the weekend. Manana i'll see Maria. Saturday help Laura's Tim build a bed or some damn thing. Then Menchu's Birthday Party. Giants game Sunday night. And in between sleep. Sweet sweet sleep.

Things with Iran do not look good. It looks like an Israeli operative took out that Iranian nuclear scientist. Or a US operative, but the Mossad is much better at that shit than the CIA. I don't think Obama, Netanyahu or Ayatollah Ali Khamenei read the blog, but if they do, would it be too much to ask everyone to act reasonably? Is it wrong that i'd like to see my friend's children grow up? Maybe myself even?

It's been a long time...

It's been a long time since i rock n' rolled...
-Led Zeppelin




The crowd at the sold out Vienna Capitals game on Jan 6. They won 3-2 in OT against playoff bound Zaegreb to keep their playoff hopes alive. It was awesome. First time i had seen hockey in 4 years! And the atmosphere was great.


On Tuesday my phone rang. The ID said "Jesus." At first i was confused and then i thought, goddammit! i thought the Messiah and i had agreed we were no longer on speaking terms! (we have started arguing about the Crusades every single time we have ever played poker together.) And then, i realized it was my Spanish student, Jesus (Hey - Zeus.) I immediately dropped the condescending tone and learned that he needed to start half an hour later on Wednesday.

Sorry dude. Wrong Jesus. 


But at the time it was perplexing.

BTO or "Goodbye you ignorant slut"

12:44


So far it looks like the Nitt Witt is still the front runner, but NH and IOWA hardly a nomination make.

Bachmann Turnout Override - She caved in after getting trounced in bible-thumping Iowa. Go back to Minnesota! You're their problem now. Your run lasted until Jan. 5th. What a run! But I have a new product (therapy) for you and your 'straight' husband to shill; Pray Away the Stupid. It will not work, but neither does pray away the gay, and people still pay you thousands of dollars for that. (Kevin had emailed me about this when we all were in Austria, just in case i has missed it!)

You see Michele, if you tell people you're great but you are a biggoted religious fanatic, it won't work. You have to actually be cool, like Bender. Or me.

JUEVES

00:41

Things are getting calmer. Bit by bit. Normalizing is a better word

i get by with a little help from my friends
-The Beatles

The Road to Nowhere (part II)

And your heart beats so slow
Through the rain and fallen snow
Across the fields of mourning
Light's in the distance
-U2

So many classes cancelled this week it's crazy. Spanish people are upset about going back to work after having 2 full weeks off, so they cancel class, That's okay. I don't need to eat. I ate all last week.
The classes from the academy are still there but they don't pay you til Feb 2. I guess it's back to running guns in Uganda (once again!) on the weekends til things turn around.


Other than that, everything is great. 

Try not to scream

I will try not to breathe
I can hold my head still with my hands at my knees
These eyes are the eyes of the old, shivering and bold
-REM


Coming back from vacation is tough. That first Monday can be hell. Today a class cancelled for good (and three more cash ones post-poned til next week) and the washing machine broke and i found out that we are going to have a 4th housemate move in because Marcondes lost his job. Ugh. Triple whammy. Eduardo said the guy lived with him before for 3 years and that he's a nice guy. The problem is 4 and one bathroom is kind of tight. If he works in the morning it won't be bad, i guess. He moved in about 15 minutes after Eduardo told me. Just a bad day. These things happen. Jodiendo Lunes! (fucking Monday.)

každý obrázek

English translation from Czech - Every Picture

Count Chocula's Castle, Praha (Prague)

                                                                                                        

every picture tells a story, don't it?

-Rod Stewart

14:00

Must get out of bed. But being in my own bed is wonderful after hopping from bed to bed for a week. I went to J&J's and saw my other family. I was shot by 23:00, came home, showered and went to bed. Now buy some food, cook it and do some laundry. Then go watch the Giants with The Welsh Witch (she's never watched an NFL game) but she knows rugby.

It's good to be home. Work manana. Ugh. Thus it begins again.






Music to unpack to:

Ghosts - Frequency Drift
Karmic Relief - The Adults
Herd of Instinct - Herd of Instinct
To Shatter all Accord - Discipline

Yesterday was my 5th Spanniversary. Ah, Madrid, you filthy saucy wench. But you are home.

The Original Budweiser (Budvar) from the Czech Republic. It was my favorite of all the great beers i tasted.

Hapsburg Palace, Wien (Vienna)


Beautiful. Gaudy. What a bunch of pompous, inbred, horses' asses.

But their reign came to an end with defeat in WWI, as it did for the German Kaiser at the same time. The Fall of Giants  by Ken Follet is a brilliant novel about the First World War. I reccommend it very highy. AND the Mum bought me a Kindle for Xmas (Mel and Jan a gift card) so no more lugging around 1,000 page hard covers. Woo hoo! I began reading The Golden Compass (book 1 of the His Dark Materials Trilogy  by Phillip Pullman. Say hello to the digital age of reading! You press BUY and it downloads to your fingertips in seconds. It's amazing!

Familie, Architektur und Bier

Victory Column- Berlin (Siegessäule) - Celbrating victories in the Prusso–Danish war in 1864, and Prussian victories in wars against Austria (1866) and France (1870 – 71)which lead to the Unification of Germany. 

The Central European Tour was a great success. Great fun. It was great to see Mum, Mel and Jan. Berlin. Prague and Vienna were all amazing.

I will post pics and tales throughout the week. The weather was great - no snow and just a few drops of rain. It was cold but it wasn't 10F or anything. The architecture was fabulous in all three cities. Overall, Prague was our favorite. The beer was fabulous in all three countries. And seeing the family was fabulous. No one was arrested and there were no international incidents. Now that's really saying something. Because, well..., you know us.

NFL Picks

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NYG
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