BALLERS
a few weeks ago, we took a train to ostrava. our friend martin is the starting center for the basketball team. he picked us up at the train station after our 3.5 hour journey through east bohemia and moravia to watch his team play the team from liberec.
our hotel had several interesting motifs. in the lobby, as a lovely welcome, we were welcomed by several animals, including this
and this
and this
and the bar area seemed ready to go to war with this
and this
and this
but in contrast, the restaurant had a distinct overlook hotel feel to it.
this painting was also in our room.
we went to the the arena around 5. the game itself was amazing. i could try to recap it, but i'm no good at that. everyone there was extremely attentive to what was happenning on the court. and there was no food in the stands, no slurping of sodas or crunching of nachos.
afterwards, we travelled to martin's apartment for pizza and drinks. there were very minimal amounts of english being spoken, which was nice. eventually, we walked over to the infamous stodolni street, home to 80 bars and clubs. i kept trying to order beer, but the ostravian ballers kept handing me vodka currant cocktails. we all had a swell time. thanks martin!
I'VE BEEN WRITING A LOT OF NEW SONGS.
some are string arrangements.
some are appearing on acoustic guitar.
some are evolving as beats in the computer.
some are reworking themselves from previous material.
some are just sounds like the ones i posted a couple weeks ago.
some are really annoying the hell out of me.
no clear theme has emerged from any of it.
it's going to take some time, i reckon.
but it's going to be different.
i promise.
MY AMAZING WIFE...
my amazing wife, brooke, has been asked to be the dance critic at the prague post. here's a photo of the front page for one of her stories.
yeah, she's pretty awesome.
AN UNFORTUNATE EVENT
i've learned during the past few months that while riding public transportation, you should be ready for sudden stops and lurches. well, apparently, i wasn't overly ready on thursday evening. i was sitting down when the bus took a sudden turn to the left. my body slipped off the seat and was thrown to the floor. i laughed as I picked myself up, but couldn't help but notice a sharp pain in my leg.
MY BIRTHDAY WAS LAST MONTH.
i am now 29. i don't feel old, but several people asked me if i felt that way. i know my body looks different. i know some of my thinking patterns have changed. i know i've made some good and bad decisions. and apparently, other things have been happening in the universe that have influenced the things that are happening now. and so on.
THE CZECHS + PYROTECHNICS
the czech don’t mess around when it comes to pyrotechnics. on new year's eve we went to old town square to see the fireworks. at one point, i was walking through the crowd with some hot mulled wine. i saw an opening and thought, 'oh, that's convenient.' i had just entered the clearing when two bottle rockets suddenly flew skyward to my right and a loud explosion went off somewhere on my immediate left. i spilled some wine on my hands and made some sort of painful 'ahh!' noise.
AGAIN & AGAIN & AGAIN & AGAIN & AGAIN...
so it's 2007. it sounds more futuristic than 2006. soon we'll have crystals on our hands that will flash red when we're scheduled for carousel. sanctuary!
HELLO EVERYONE.
to all of you who have followed the progress of this endeavor, i thank you. remember, this album is now definitely and undeniable yours. it was made for you. listen and interpret in whatever manner you please. high volume, low volume, different speakers, change the order, phones backward, walking, driving, flying, sitting, alone, with friends, angry, happy, sad, whatever. it's never really finished. all i can do now is let it go...
CITIZENS
i finished watching angels in america last night. i know it's been given all sorts of awards and what not, but i have to say it is one of the best works of art i've ever seen. thank you tony kushner.
no matter who we are or what we do, we are all 'citizens.' we are human beings searching for answers out of oblivion, yearning to love and be loved. and we are all, every one of us, prophets.
'the great work begins...'
ON THURSDAY
i was flipping threw provokator, the magazine for which brooke has been writing film reviews, and found an article on a punk rock show centered around anarchism, anti-racism, and anti-fascism. and it was happening that very evening. and it was just down the street. as i left for the show, i walked out my front door and found this.
I'VE BEEN SICK ALL WEEK.
i bought some medicine today at the pharmacy called coldrex. coldrex? sounds organic. so far i still feel abominable. like a snowman. but it's cold out. and it gets dark at 4pm here. or 16.00 i guess. but that has nothing to do with snowmen. or germs. or anything...
I KNOW.
another two weeks without a post. ok, let's see...we traveled to cesky krumlov for our anniversary...i saw a beastie boys documentary...i opened a bank account...i finished three new songs...i read notes from underground...i mailed a postcard...i watched ghost dog again...i recorded the subway...i cooked enchiladas...i missed the robocop kraus show because i'm stupid...i purchased two tickets to barcelona...i came a little closer to pronouncing r with an hacek correctly...i got a good night's sleep.
there's some other stuff in there somewhere...
GONE CLUBBIN'
on friday night after a party with some friends, we all went to a place north of town called the cross club. it consists of 3-4 floors of narrow, dimly-lit hallways that open up at times into larger rooms for bars, sitting areas, or dancefloors. i say 3-4 floors because even after spending a couple hours there, i'm still not sure how the place is laid out. it had a slight twinge of that scene near the beginning of the matrix where neo meets trinity. only cooler. sadly enough, here's the only picture i could manage from the evening.
it's a metal sculpture in front of the building. there were many more variations on this theme inside the club. and other than getting extremely lost on the way home, 'twas a very enjoyable evening.
Here are a handful of other photos as well.
HERE'S MY NEW STUDIO SETUP.
it's not very glamorous. i brought a guitar as well, but i couldn't fit that into the picture. hopefully soon i'll purchase a harmonium. i have to find one first though. i saw one near wenceslas square being carried around amidst a group of hare krishnas. maybe i'll follow them around and ask where they got it.
next is a photo of the menu at the local kfc.
i asked my friend svatka what "proklate dobre" means in czech. she said "damn good." i don't consider myself a kfc aficionado by any means. but i have to admit that's quite persuasive.
we went to see coffee and cigarettes at kino lucerna last night. as much as i enjoy a good jarmusch film, anything you watch here is definitely going to enhance your viewing experience. it is certainly the most romantically constructed movie theatre i've ever seen. plus, there's an outstanding David Cerny sculpture in the lobby. and a cafe downstairs with cheap beer. and a music bar just down the hall. and a guru who sits in the corner and explains all of life's mysteries. as you can see, it very well-rounded.
what should i be for halloween?
