Meat: Chicken Rizek(Schnitzel--breaded and fried chicken breast.)
Vegetables: n/a
fruit: n/a but will occasionally eat apple or strawberry presnidavka(puree with added sugar--something like applesauce.)
Grains: potatoes occasionally. boiled rice. No flavoring. French fries.
Dairy: Milk. White cheese as long as it doesn't have holes in it. Chocolate chip or vanilla yogurt.
Any sweets as long as the sweets do not contain any fruit in them.
Rohlik (long thin roll, like a hot dog bun, but not soft. about 200 calories of carbs.) with butter or peanut butter.
Toast with butter.
Rice cake with peanut butter. (hardly ever unless I'm around to give it to him.
Pasta(no flavoring, no butter, no cheese.)
That's it. Doctor says in two years he's gained 1.5 kilos.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Monday, July 27, 2015
Why do many Americans make jokes about Canada
I have a good friend who is Canadian. And I respect Canada a lot. It's one of the greatest countries in the world and everybody knows that.
So I've actually given this question an unusual (and probably thorougly unnecessary) amount of thought : why do Americans joke about Canadians?
The conclusion I've come to is actually very simple.
Americans find Canada funny because of one thing: to America, Canada seems like AMERICA WITHOUT THE PROBLEMS.
This is a bit confusing because I think that problems are part of the American psyche. RAcial problems, money problems, health care problems,, guns on the streets, , an old-fashioned inefficient form of government, civil liberty problems, constant wars and tears, an obesity epidemic probably greater than Canada's(as far as I know.).
AT the same time we can boast some pretty kick-ass movies that the world flocks to see(even if they don't like to admit it; the greatest literature of the 20th century (opinion!), and our culture has been a well-spring and inspiration of musical forms the world over for over a century; we put a man on the moon! We rule the oceans! Our big cities serve awesome cuisine from all corners of the globe! And so on.
Americans are dramatic by nature; we like overcoming obstacles and surviving difficult situations and enduring suffering. Our stories and literature and even history, the very mythology that shapes our national psyche is filled with startling triumphs and crushing, humiliating defeats and failures. Heroes and bad, bad villains.
And most of the Americans I know tend to dramatize their lives and paint them in these terms.
So to think of an America without the problems...its' just bizarre. It's like an oxymoron. The problems America has are something that actually define America and we BROADCAST THEM FAR AND WIDE FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE AND JUDGE. It's hard to imagine living in a society without these deep seated, seemingly unsolvable problems twisted into the fabric of said society and still be 'like America.' there's something funny about it.
Now I know, of course, that no country is really problem-free. But most developed countries do not broadcast their problems with the vigor and enthusiasm like the USA does. So I don't know what problems Canada has. And truly caring about them...well, that would be...un-American.
So I've actually given this question an unusual (and probably thorougly unnecessary) amount of thought : why do Americans joke about Canadians?
The conclusion I've come to is actually very simple.
Americans find Canada funny because of one thing: to America, Canada seems like AMERICA WITHOUT THE PROBLEMS.
This is a bit confusing because I think that problems are part of the American psyche. RAcial problems, money problems, health care problems,, guns on the streets, , an old-fashioned inefficient form of government, civil liberty problems, constant wars and tears, an obesity epidemic probably greater than Canada's(as far as I know.).
AT the same time we can boast some pretty kick-ass movies that the world flocks to see(even if they don't like to admit it; the greatest literature of the 20th century (opinion!), and our culture has been a well-spring and inspiration of musical forms the world over for over a century; we put a man on the moon! We rule the oceans! Our big cities serve awesome cuisine from all corners of the globe! And so on.
Americans are dramatic by nature; we like overcoming obstacles and surviving difficult situations and enduring suffering. Our stories and literature and even history, the very mythology that shapes our national psyche is filled with startling triumphs and crushing, humiliating defeats and failures. Heroes and bad, bad villains.
And most of the Americans I know tend to dramatize their lives and paint them in these terms.
So to think of an America without the problems...its' just bizarre. It's like an oxymoron. The problems America has are something that actually define America and we BROADCAST THEM FAR AND WIDE FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE AND JUDGE. It's hard to imagine living in a society without these deep seated, seemingly unsolvable problems twisted into the fabric of said society and still be 'like America.' there's something funny about it.
Now I know, of course, that no country is really problem-free. But most developed countries do not broadcast their problems with the vigor and enthusiasm like the USA does. So I don't know what problems Canada has. And truly caring about them...well, that would be...un-American.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
BAck to Blood by Tom Wolfe
I mean, sure, he's a bit of a bitch about other writers; and he's apparently a political conservative and that's a turn off for some people.
But I enjoy the hell out of his stories and have since Bonfire of the Vanities in the 80s. Maybe I'm not a big critic because I read other criticisms that are well written and thoughtful, but I just don't see it that way.
This latest one has a lot in common with that book, as well as the other books he's written since. The same laser journalistic eye exposing the hypocrisy and absurdity of modern American institutions and social milieux; the ego-centric, self-characters veering from insecurity to arrogant confidence in seconds flat; themes of corruption, wealth, poverty, race and power; the everyday power struggles and assertions of dominance we all go through; the same laugh-out-loud comic, almost cartoonish scenes of depravity, lust and insecurity...all told in a rich prose dripping with wit and wordplay.
Here Wolfe applies his eye to the world of billionaire art collectors; Russian mafiosos; Haitian, Cuban and Russian immigrants and the overall racial tensions presided over by ambitious cops and a muscular(and largely Cuban) police force; Jewish retirees; and the city of Miami itself, both it's high-life and it's low-life. And he does it all in typically hilarious fashion in a story centered around earnest Cuban-American cop/body builder/secret detective Nestor Comacho.
One of the things I like about this book--and indeed about most Tom Wolfe books is how it seems to encroach on my own reality. One minute I'm laughing at these ridiculously macho, ridiculously insecure characters; and the next minute I realize, 'My God, they are just like me.'.
I'm left wondering...what would an enlightened being seem like in these books? Then I realized that Nestor Comacho, in duty mode, does achieve a sort of...purity of mind...that lifts him above the male ego that so contols him at other times. This purity is something new and rather nice in a Tom Wolfe book. It takes a bit of the edge off of the bitter-if-funny cynicism that I felt did add some unnecessary weight to Charlotte Simmons--the humor got lost a bit in that one.
Criticisms? Oh, I suppose a few bits could have been cut; a few sharply-drawn characters that don't really go anywhere, a subplot that seems profound but then just meanders out. But it all made sense to me. And if the character of the Haitian(or, ahem, French sil vous plait) character doesn't really do much, it made sense to me to show him as a detail in the overall mosaic of modern, 21st century Miami.
I was really prepared to like this book, but I thought that it's poor sales(one of the biggest commercial flops ever, apparently) would probably mean it was a step below his's other stories. But I loved it. In fact, I found it, ultimately more accessible and (slightly) less cynical overall than some of the novels of the past. And while some people don't like his wordy, witty style, I love it and always have. I highly recommend it. A good story with some profound spot-on observations. The funniest book I've read in a long time.
But I enjoy the hell out of his stories and have since Bonfire of the Vanities in the 80s. Maybe I'm not a big critic because I read other criticisms that are well written and thoughtful, but I just don't see it that way.
This latest one has a lot in common with that book, as well as the other books he's written since. The same laser journalistic eye exposing the hypocrisy and absurdity of modern American institutions and social milieux; the ego-centric, self-characters veering from insecurity to arrogant confidence in seconds flat; themes of corruption, wealth, poverty, race and power; the everyday power struggles and assertions of dominance we all go through; the same laugh-out-loud comic, almost cartoonish scenes of depravity, lust and insecurity...all told in a rich prose dripping with wit and wordplay.
Here Wolfe applies his eye to the world of billionaire art collectors; Russian mafiosos; Haitian, Cuban and Russian immigrants and the overall racial tensions presided over by ambitious cops and a muscular(and largely Cuban) police force; Jewish retirees; and the city of Miami itself, both it's high-life and it's low-life. And he does it all in typically hilarious fashion in a story centered around earnest Cuban-American cop/body builder/secret detective Nestor Comacho.
One of the things I like about this book--and indeed about most Tom Wolfe books is how it seems to encroach on my own reality. One minute I'm laughing at these ridiculously macho, ridiculously insecure characters; and the next minute I realize, 'My God, they are just like me.'.
I'm left wondering...what would an enlightened being seem like in these books? Then I realized that Nestor Comacho, in duty mode, does achieve a sort of...purity of mind...that lifts him above the male ego that so contols him at other times. This purity is something new and rather nice in a Tom Wolfe book. It takes a bit of the edge off of the bitter-if-funny cynicism that I felt did add some unnecessary weight to Charlotte Simmons--the humor got lost a bit in that one.
Criticisms? Oh, I suppose a few bits could have been cut; a few sharply-drawn characters that don't really go anywhere, a subplot that seems profound but then just meanders out. But it all made sense to me. And if the character of the Haitian(or, ahem, French sil vous plait) character doesn't really do much, it made sense to me to show him as a detail in the overall mosaic of modern, 21st century Miami.
I was really prepared to like this book, but I thought that it's poor sales(one of the biggest commercial flops ever, apparently) would probably mean it was a step below his's other stories. But I loved it. In fact, I found it, ultimately more accessible and (slightly) less cynical overall than some of the novels of the past. And while some people don't like his wordy, witty style, I love it and always have. I highly recommend it. A good story with some profound spot-on observations. The funniest book I've read in a long time.
Monday, July 13, 2015
The Greek Situation.
dential Campaign
The rich people generously lend you more money which you give to them and they use it buy lunch for themselves. They give you a bite of it. Then they say, now you owe us even more money. They have sex with your wife in front of you.
So you ask for more money to pay off your debts. The rich people generously lend you more money, which you give back to them. They use it to buy themselves lunch. They give you a crumb. And they add it to your bill. They take your house and throw you on the street.
At this point you are seriously getting hungry. You haven't eaten for a long time. Your hair is falling out and your blood pressure is skyrocketing because you can't afford to buy medicine. Your skin is breaking out in a rash. Lice have made their home in your nether regions. You have tapeworms in yndour belly.
Finally you say: enough. I can't pay you back. I must get something to eat, must take some medicine.
The rich people stare at you for a long long time. You are shaking...you can't breathe. You have a pain in your chest. You get on your knees and say...PLEASE. I need help.
The Rich people continue to stare at you.
You throw up. Surely they can see the desperate straits you're in.
They just stare at you.
Finally you break down...even a crumb is better than nothing. 'Please...' you whisper....'Lend me some money. I'll do anything you want." The rich people stare at you. Then one of htem lifts his boot towards you. You lick the bottom of it.
THe rich people lend you more money. You give it to them. They buy another lunch and give you a few bites. They sodomize your children.
And they add it to your bill. And talk to themselves about what a lazy asshole you are.
Greece is you. The rich guys are the EU
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Thoughts on the latest Game of Thrones episode (Unbowed Unbent, Unbroken)
Regarding the posts I see from A Song of Ice and Fire fans regarding the controversial scene.... I think a lot of it is misguided.
. Violence towards women in Westerosi society(which tries to reflect our own history to a certain extent) is one of the themes of the book series and it's a much bigger theme in the show. The rape is hardly the first one they've shown in the show.
I think where the show fails is that it has this sort of glorification of brutal power. All other forms of power are irrelevant in the show., The Sansa of the books shows a different kind of power, a power reliant on her feminine charms. She soothes the raging Hound a number of times. She takes on the role of Queen to comfort the scared women and children (even though she herself is pessimistic and terrified, she instinctively does it as a kindness to the others) by singing the Hymn to the Mother during the Battle of the Blackwater. She even is able to soothe and convince a quaking, palsied boy into taking a dangerous journey down a dangerous mountain path . And in the sample chapter which GRRM recently published on his blog, she seems to be using a more self-aware sexual element to achieve her desires and wishes. This is power. How you achieve your desires, wishes and goals is power. Which is actually also historically accurate. I mean, historically, women were not *just* victims. They also had their own forms of power, and I'm not talking about the handful of medieval queens who wielded incredible political power in more traditional ways. More on this later.. . By cutting Sansa's storyline and throwing her into Ramsay's arms they have taken her power away. I'm not sure if it's a conscious decision to excise that view of power from the story but there is a pattern that has emerged over the five seasons that leads me to suspect that it might be partially that, which I'll get into below.
Now, Sansa is arguably the most feminine character in the series; not only is she pretty, not only does she have exquisite courtesy, but she also exemplifies a sort of medieval feminine ideal: she sews well and straight, she plays the harp, she sings, she dances. It's not that Sansa is anti-feminist;, that is just who she is. She is a girly girl. That's her natural state. So by taking her storyline away, they are in a way saying, that 'the feminine', as a sort of Jungian archetype, can never have any sort of power; they are saying that only traditionally masculine traits can be powerful. And that's a gross misreading of the books, in my opinion, and not historically accurate. (I say historically accurate, because, even though it is a fantasy series, there are several connections with real medieval history, and several events and characters have been inspired by real historical events and characters. See the brilliant Race for the Iron Throne blog for a deconstruction of this aspect of the (books) series.)
Yet, oddly this treatment does seem to play into a form of feminism and a view of men as victimizers and women as victims that I occasionally see in American discourse. Ultimately, I think that this and other aspects of the show* reflect the show writers' view of modern American issues. They seem to be declaring themselves feminists but there is an unconscious edge of misogyny underneath. I actually this is an echo of the USA mixed vision of women in general. (I'm not picking on the USA, other places have other problems with this.)This is very different in the book. I think GRRM has a mysogynistic bone or two in his body, like many men, but I think his own unconcious view of feminism is a much more sixties-based one, and it's much less militant and much more positive. Mostly though, and this should be underscored twice, I think GRRM's just trying to write a good story, as opposed to the show-runners who are trying to shock and yet be (barf) socially relevant .
And to some extent that is the goal of dramatic art. The Red Wedding (in book especially, but also in the show) worked because its so shocking that it causes catharsis--it's shocking because the way it's written makes it unexpected, but it's still just basically a tragic(in the classic sense) scene. But it worked because it was logical in the confines of the plot. It was not gratuitous. NOt shock for shock's sake.
They seem to be going for more and more of these moments and they are getting less justified, less logical and therefore more gratuitous.
But anyway, back to to their portrayal of women. It's not just Sansa's feminine power that they've taken from her.
By taking dany's strategic decisions in her battles away from her and giving them to her generals they also take her power away. By reducing Catelyn and even Cersei to caricatures of the 'concerned mother trope' they also take away catelyn's political smarts and her non-brutal power and strength; while the glossing over of Cersei's narcissism and paranoia and secret longing to have the sort of brutal masculine power that the show glorifies reduces her character, too. (though it does make her more likeable)
But, personally, I'm not offended. All of these elements have been in the show since the first season and they've become more pronounced over time. Ultimately it's just that the the show runners have a limited faith in complexity. There is a definite pattern over the series in(their portrayal of women and their presentation of brute, masculine strength being the only kind of power that exists. In the end they just dont understand subtle characters like sansa. And that's a real shame.
The point they are making about women is clear but it's dumb.
Personally, as a fan of the boook series I"m much more disgusted with the horribly written, horribly staged, horribly acted Dorne subplot. They cut Jaime's journey of self-growth and self awareness, his slow transformation into a hero; cut Arrianne Martell's character completely and the complex plot to place Myrcella on the throne in place of Tommen coming into conflict with Doran Martell's grander plan to supplant the Lannisters entirely and replaced it with 'The Dornish are crazy. They like to fuck and fight!' It's lame. But, you know? It's like watching Star Trek at this point. It's got a campy 'so laughably bad it's kind of good' feeling to it to me.
Lance
*for examplethe reduction of the ser Loras character to a gay stereotype, and his subsequent struggle against the Taliban-like Faith Militant, the equating of all religion to fanaticism, the glorification of the secular and the physical and the selfish...I could go on.
. Violence towards women in Westerosi society(which tries to reflect our own history to a certain extent) is one of the themes of the book series and it's a much bigger theme in the show. The rape is hardly the first one they've shown in the show.
I think where the show fails is that it has this sort of glorification of brutal power. All other forms of power are irrelevant in the show., The Sansa of the books shows a different kind of power, a power reliant on her feminine charms. She soothes the raging Hound a number of times. She takes on the role of Queen to comfort the scared women and children (even though she herself is pessimistic and terrified, she instinctively does it as a kindness to the others) by singing the Hymn to the Mother during the Battle of the Blackwater. She even is able to soothe and convince a quaking, palsied boy into taking a dangerous journey down a dangerous mountain path . And in the sample chapter which GRRM recently published on his blog, she seems to be using a more self-aware sexual element to achieve her desires and wishes. This is power. How you achieve your desires, wishes and goals is power. Which is actually also historically accurate. I mean, historically, women were not *just* victims. They also had their own forms of power, and I'm not talking about the handful of medieval queens who wielded incredible political power in more traditional ways. More on this later.. . By cutting Sansa's storyline and throwing her into Ramsay's arms they have taken her power away. I'm not sure if it's a conscious decision to excise that view of power from the story but there is a pattern that has emerged over the five seasons that leads me to suspect that it might be partially that, which I'll get into below.
Now, Sansa is arguably the most feminine character in the series; not only is she pretty, not only does she have exquisite courtesy, but she also exemplifies a sort of medieval feminine ideal: she sews well and straight, she plays the harp, she sings, she dances. It's not that Sansa is anti-feminist;, that is just who she is. She is a girly girl. That's her natural state. So by taking her storyline away, they are in a way saying, that 'the feminine', as a sort of Jungian archetype, can never have any sort of power; they are saying that only traditionally masculine traits can be powerful. And that's a gross misreading of the books, in my opinion, and not historically accurate. (I say historically accurate, because, even though it is a fantasy series, there are several connections with real medieval history, and several events and characters have been inspired by real historical events and characters. See the brilliant Race for the Iron Throne blog for a deconstruction of this aspect of the (books) series.)
Yet, oddly this treatment does seem to play into a form of feminism and a view of men as victimizers and women as victims that I occasionally see in American discourse. Ultimately, I think that this and other aspects of the show* reflect the show writers' view of modern American issues. They seem to be declaring themselves feminists but there is an unconscious edge of misogyny underneath. I actually this is an echo of the USA mixed vision of women in general. (I'm not picking on the USA, other places have other problems with this.)This is very different in the book. I think GRRM has a mysogynistic bone or two in his body, like many men, but I think his own unconcious view of feminism is a much more sixties-based one, and it's much less militant and much more positive. Mostly though, and this should be underscored twice, I think GRRM's just trying to write a good story, as opposed to the show-runners who are trying to shock and yet be (barf) socially relevant .
And to some extent that is the goal of dramatic art. The Red Wedding (in book especially, but also in the show) worked because its so shocking that it causes catharsis--it's shocking because the way it's written makes it unexpected, but it's still just basically a tragic(in the classic sense) scene. But it worked because it was logical in the confines of the plot. It was not gratuitous. NOt shock for shock's sake.
They seem to be going for more and more of these moments and they are getting less justified, less logical and therefore more gratuitous.
But anyway, back to to their portrayal of women. It's not just Sansa's feminine power that they've taken from her.
By taking dany's strategic decisions in her battles away from her and giving them to her generals they also take her power away. By reducing Catelyn and even Cersei to caricatures of the 'concerned mother trope' they also take away catelyn's political smarts and her non-brutal power and strength; while the glossing over of Cersei's narcissism and paranoia and secret longing to have the sort of brutal masculine power that the show glorifies reduces her character, too. (though it does make her more likeable)
But, personally, I'm not offended. All of these elements have been in the show since the first season and they've become more pronounced over time. Ultimately it's just that the the show runners have a limited faith in complexity. There is a definite pattern over the series in(their portrayal of women and their presentation of brute, masculine strength being the only kind of power that exists. In the end they just dont understand subtle characters like sansa. And that's a real shame.
The point they are making about women is clear but it's dumb.
Personally, as a fan of the boook series I"m much more disgusted with the horribly written, horribly staged, horribly acted Dorne subplot. They cut Jaime's journey of self-growth and self awareness, his slow transformation into a hero; cut Arrianne Martell's character completely and the complex plot to place Myrcella on the throne in place of Tommen coming into conflict with Doran Martell's grander plan to supplant the Lannisters entirely and replaced it with 'The Dornish are crazy. They like to fuck and fight!' It's lame. But, you know? It's like watching Star Trek at this point. It's got a campy 'so laughably bad it's kind of good' feeling to it to me.
Lance
*for examplethe reduction of the ser Loras character to a gay stereotype, and his subsequent struggle against the Taliban-like Faith Militant, the equating of all religion to fanaticism, the glorification of the secular and the physical and the selfish...I could go on.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Goodbye Columbus by Phillip Roth
Goodbye, Columbus is a brutal, funny collection of short stories about second and third generation Jews assimilating in suburban America in the mid-twentieth century.
I really liked this complicated stories with their complex, well-drawn characters. Philip Roth does not shy away from showing the darker, pettier sides of suburban America, but he doesnt wallow in it, either. The characters are selfish, lustful, silly, yet never really less than real. I feel that I've known each of these characters. Never more so than in the opening novella from which the collection gets the title. It struck a really familiar chord in me, from its portrait of the suburban home, to it's detailing of the romantic fling the narrator has, and the concerns and worries and obsessions of the characters. In fact, it's eerie how much it pulled me in; I could feel the air conditioning, feel the heat of the summer, smell teh sweat on skin...
I'm not Jewish, but I almost felt Jewish reading this. Make no mistake, there is not a single story here that doesn't concern Jewishness. Judaism is wrapped around these stories and inseparable from them. But they transcend that.
Being set 60 or 70 years ago(published in 1959) hasn't really dated the stories too much, other than a few terms(colored boy, for example)and a few details. Overall, it really felt fresh to me. There's a bitter sadness to these stories, and an beautiful anger--and a wicked sense of humor. I chuckled to myself more than a few times.
And man, can he write!
There are some powerful stories here which range they range from incredibly good to unbelievably good--more than a few disturbing moments too. They're probably the best short stories I've read since I read JD Salinger in the 90s. In fact, I'd say they resemble JD Salinger. They're sort of a mix of Salinger and Saul Bellow, but funnier.
I highly recommend this book to anybody who likes great 20th century AMerican literature.
I really liked this complicated stories with their complex, well-drawn characters. Philip Roth does not shy away from showing the darker, pettier sides of suburban America, but he doesnt wallow in it, either. The characters are selfish, lustful, silly, yet never really less than real. I feel that I've known each of these characters. Never more so than in the opening novella from which the collection gets the title. It struck a really familiar chord in me, from its portrait of the suburban home, to it's detailing of the romantic fling the narrator has, and the concerns and worries and obsessions of the characters. In fact, it's eerie how much it pulled me in; I could feel the air conditioning, feel the heat of the summer, smell teh sweat on skin...
I'm not Jewish, but I almost felt Jewish reading this. Make no mistake, there is not a single story here that doesn't concern Jewishness. Judaism is wrapped around these stories and inseparable from them. But they transcend that.
Being set 60 or 70 years ago(published in 1959) hasn't really dated the stories too much, other than a few terms(colored boy, for example)and a few details. Overall, it really felt fresh to me. There's a bitter sadness to these stories, and an beautiful anger--and a wicked sense of humor. I chuckled to myself more than a few times.
And man, can he write!
There are some powerful stories here which range they range from incredibly good to unbelievably good--more than a few disturbing moments too. They're probably the best short stories I've read since I read JD Salinger in the 90s. In fact, I'd say they resemble JD Salinger. They're sort of a mix of Salinger and Saul Bellow, but funnier.
I highly recommend this book to anybody who likes great 20th century AMerican literature.
My Tuesdays
Jana made the observation yesterday that me and my family 'write a lot.' That made me feel kind of proud, though I'm not sure she didn't actually mean that we were addicted to Facebook, haha. I guess she has fewer FAcebook friends than I do(though I've unfollowed most of mine) so she tends to see a lot more updates from my brothers and sister than her other Facebook friends.
It's true that I can sometimes really get into writing, whether it's a book review or whatever. I don't really consider myself a writer, though at one time I was and did.
In truth I'm probably not disciplined enough and I have spent too much time and energy getting my business going and so on. I don't work as hard at work as I used to, partially because policies are policies and once you make them, things run more or less smoothly without you, and getting Jana and Zuzka(assistant) working for me has meant that my job on the management side has dwindled to financial management, hiring(and firing--thankfully it's only happened once) and making the schedule. This is still an enormous amount of work, I reckon that the schedule is about 100 hours of work and hiring new teachers probably the same. But gone are the days of the 60 or 70 hour work seeks, leaving home at 5.00 and getting back at 9.pm. That was the heart attack year, incidentally!
Fortunately, this year I don't have to hire any new teachers from abroad as they're all staying. Knock on wood. What this means is that for the winter I basically do nothing but look at the money and make sure we're not spending more htan we're taking in so that we survive the summer, when there is much less work but the same amount of fixed costs.
It's true that I can sometimes really get into writing, whether it's a book review or whatever. I don't really consider myself a writer, though at one time I was and did.
In truth I'm probably not disciplined enough and I have spent too much time and energy getting my business going and so on. I don't work as hard at work as I used to, partially because policies are policies and once you make them, things run more or less smoothly without you, and getting Jana and Zuzka(assistant) working for me has meant that my job on the management side has dwindled to financial management, hiring(and firing--thankfully it's only happened once) and making the schedule. This is still an enormous amount of work, I reckon that the schedule is about 100 hours of work and hiring new teachers probably the same. But gone are the days of the 60 or 70 hour work seeks, leaving home at 5.00 and getting back at 9.pm. That was the heart attack year, incidentally!
Fortunately, this year I don't have to hire any new teachers from abroad as they're all staying. Knock on wood. What this means is that for the winter I basically do nothing but look at the money and make sure we're not spending more htan we're taking in so that we survive the summer, when there is much less work but the same amount of fixed costs.
. The school year is winding down and I definitely have that 'home-stretch' feeling. I'm looking forward to teaching a little less and relaxing and reading a little more in the summer. One of the teachers is staying through the summer, which means I'll be able to take it a little easy and give him some of the hours I usually teach--I'm usually just as busy in the summer as not. I started out the year as one of the school's busiest teachers but I've ended up having a pretty easy schedule, though I do have some stressful classes. I've been saving money for the planned vacation in America next year, and I suppose some of that will be going for living costs this year.
We haven't really made plans for this year: what I'd like to do is maybe have a little holiday in the High TAtras of Slovakia--it's not as good for little kids as Austria is but for bigger kids and adults it's just as good,
If there's one thing living in the Czech Republic has taught me it's how to look and plan ahead and save money. The amount of money that I have saved would have been absolutely impossible in the States. I remember one time realizing that, as I walked through Denver one hot summer day that I hardly went ten minutes without spending money somewhere. And when I visit America, I was surprised at how often Dad or Blake, when they were driving, would just casually stop the car somewhere, run in and get a Coke or something to drink. It blew me away. I've been trained to think about every little purchase I make. Which is not to say I never splurge but it's something I always ask myself about first. Because, SUMMER IS COMING. Summer with its smaller amount of work and vacaations to boot. After spending a penniless summer in 2004 eating almost nothing and spending my copious free time watching fish swim in the Bečva and sitting in mz bedroom in the evening practicing saying Czech words outloud, I've learned to control my spending much more tightly than back in the US of A.
I've got an easy day today because we're doing PET examinations at a local school--well, Jana and Petr are doing them. My morning class was consequently cancelled because the students in it are taking the test. I don't go 'til 2.00 today. I'll geet off at 8.30, so really just 6 a nd a half hours of work and it's all pretty easy on Thursdays.
Tuesdays are my demanding days. Let me tell you about my Tuesdays. I get up at 4.30 and do my morning ritual of coffee and reading. (sometimes I get on the net but usually I read on my Kindle.) At 5.45, I jump in the shower, get out, skip shaving, get dressed, hunt for my keys/phone/wallet/kindle/laptop and head out to work. At abuot 6.05, I drive across town to pick up Catherine, who, like me, also works in Val Mez on Tuesdays. Then we drive to Val Mez, which is about 13 miles away. Sometimes we chat amiably, especially now that it's light out and that gives me energy. Sometimes we exchange a few pleasantries and sit the rest of the journey in the silence. It's all good. I usually get to the office in VM at about 6.40 at which time I turn on the kettle, set up my laptop and hastily plan my first lesson, which starts at 7.00.
We haven't really made plans for this year: what I'd like to do is maybe have a little holiday in the High TAtras of Slovakia--it's not as good for little kids as Austria is but for bigger kids and adults it's just as good,
If there's one thing living in the Czech Republic has taught me it's how to look and plan ahead and save money. The amount of money that I have saved would have been absolutely impossible in the States. I remember one time realizing that, as I walked through Denver one hot summer day that I hardly went ten minutes without spending money somewhere. And when I visit America, I was surprised at how often Dad or Blake, when they were driving, would just casually stop the car somewhere, run in and get a Coke or something to drink. It blew me away. I've been trained to think about every little purchase I make. Which is not to say I never splurge but it's something I always ask myself about first. Because, SUMMER IS COMING. Summer with its smaller amount of work and vacaations to boot. After spending a penniless summer in 2004 eating almost nothing and spending my copious free time watching fish swim in the Bečva and sitting in mz bedroom in the evening practicing saying Czech words outloud, I've learned to control my spending much more tightly than back in the US of A.
I've got an easy day today because we're doing PET examinations at a local school--well, Jana and Petr are doing them. My morning class was consequently cancelled because the students in it are taking the test. I don't go 'til 2.00 today. I'll geet off at 8.30, so really just 6 a nd a half hours of work and it's all pretty easy on Thursdays.
Tuesdays are my demanding days. Let me tell you about my Tuesdays. I get up at 4.30 and do my morning ritual of coffee and reading. (sometimes I get on the net but usually I read on my Kindle.) At 5.45, I jump in the shower, get out, skip shaving, get dressed, hunt for my keys/phone/wallet/kindle/laptop and head out to work. At abuot 6.05, I drive across town to pick up Catherine, who, like me, also works in Val Mez on Tuesdays. Then we drive to Val Mez, which is about 13 miles away. Sometimes we chat amiably, especially now that it's light out and that gives me energy. Sometimes we exchange a few pleasantries and sit the rest of the journey in the silence. It's all good. I usually get to the office in VM at about 6.40 at which time I turn on the kettle, set up my laptop and hastily plan my first lesson, which starts at 7.00.
My student shows up at 7. He is always exactly on time. I think he literally walks into the school at the precise moment that all the second hands in the world are pointing straight up at the twelve. I give him his tea, and sit down and teach him for 60 minutes. Jiři is a pretty nice guy. He's short and looks a little rodent-like. He's the HR manager at a factory in Hranice na Moravě. His wife is a doctor, as is his daughter and his son is studying computer engineering in Brno. He's about a typical a middle-class Moravian as you can find. Works hard. Goes for walks at the weekend. Skiing holidays in the winter. Croatia in the summer.
After he takes off, I horse around on the Internet for about 15 minutes or talk to Petr about some important business. Then I go into overdrive and I plan the rest of my work day in the next 35 minutes or so. I make some copies and I'm out the door at about 9.25, running late for my lesson at MTT, a factory which makes plastic mouldings that make pieces for cara(like the plastic inside of your car doors or the light frames and 'glass'(it's plastic) around your tail lights. They also make tools, but not tools like hammers and such. They make these huge industrial machines that...make molds and so on. I don't really know what they do. Anyway, I usually get there about three our four minutes late(it's four kilometres away and I always underestimate how bad the traffic will be.) It doesn't matter because my student, Petr is always even later. He always comes in at about a quarter til ten apologizing for his lateness. I always say, 'that's OK, I was actually a little late, too.' We have our lessons. Petr is also pretty typical for a Moravian in these parts, but he's sportier than average, I'd reckon(and Moravians are a sporty bunch) He lives in a village about 5 miles from Val Mez, and when it's not raining or snowy, he rides his bike to and from work. He's a technical designer for MTT, meaning he designs these industrial machines they make. He's 50 but he looks about 35. He has a very thick accent. His wife is a psychologist, his son a technical designer and his second son is kind of a deadbeat of whom petr despairs. He goes on exotic holidays every couple years(safari in Africa, hiking in Nepal) and he also goes on a fishing trip to Norway every spring. At weekends, he and his wife travel somewhere in the Czech Republic, often to South Moravia to wine cellars or for cycling in the Bohemian lowlands or whatever.
I finish that one at 11, and drive straight back to Vsetin, where I walk in the office at about 11.30. I eat lunch which I've either prepared the night before or which I've had Zuzka order for me from one of the restaurants in town. I don't like ordering from the restaurants in town because they nearly always include something I shouldn't eat, like potatoes or they are late and I don't have time to eat. Anwyay, i finish eating at 1115, at which time I take a toilet break for 15 minutes. Then I correct homework for the next half hour and if I play my cards right, I can take it easy from 12-12.30 and check the bank account and pay whatever invoices have piled up on my desk.
At twelve thirty I pile everything into the other car(the one for teachers that no one uses this year because none of the teachers can drive, so I drive it a couple of times a week so it doesn't fall apart.)
After he takes off, I horse around on the Internet for about 15 minutes or talk to Petr about some important business. Then I go into overdrive and I plan the rest of my work day in the next 35 minutes or so. I make some copies and I'm out the door at about 9.25, running late for my lesson at MTT, a factory which makes plastic mouldings that make pieces for cara(like the plastic inside of your car doors or the light frames and 'glass'(it's plastic) around your tail lights. They also make tools, but not tools like hammers and such. They make these huge industrial machines that...make molds and so on. I don't really know what they do. Anyway, I usually get there about three our four minutes late(it's four kilometres away and I always underestimate how bad the traffic will be.) It doesn't matter because my student, Petr is always even later. He always comes in at about a quarter til ten apologizing for his lateness. I always say, 'that's OK, I was actually a little late, too.' We have our lessons. Petr is also pretty typical for a Moravian in these parts, but he's sportier than average, I'd reckon(and Moravians are a sporty bunch) He lives in a village about 5 miles from Val Mez, and when it's not raining or snowy, he rides his bike to and from work. He's a technical designer for MTT, meaning he designs these industrial machines they make. He's 50 but he looks about 35. He has a very thick accent. His wife is a psychologist, his son a technical designer and his second son is kind of a deadbeat of whom petr despairs. He goes on exotic holidays every couple years(safari in Africa, hiking in Nepal) and he also goes on a fishing trip to Norway every spring. At weekends, he and his wife travel somewhere in the Czech Republic, often to South Moravia to wine cellars or for cycling in the Bohemian lowlands or whatever.
I finish that one at 11, and drive straight back to Vsetin, where I walk in the office at about 11.30. I eat lunch which I've either prepared the night before or which I've had Zuzka order for me from one of the restaurants in town. I don't like ordering from the restaurants in town because they nearly always include something I shouldn't eat, like potatoes or they are late and I don't have time to eat. Anwyay, i finish eating at 1115, at which time I take a toilet break for 15 minutes. Then I correct homework for the next half hour and if I play my cards right, I can take it easy from 12-12.30 and check the bank account and pay whatever invoices have piled up on my desk.
At twelve thirty I pile everything into the other car(the one for teachers that no one uses this year because none of the teachers can drive, so I drive it a couple of times a week so it doesn't fall apart.)
This car used to belong to Petr. He sold it to the school for 30 000 kc earlier this year. It's a bit of a hunk o' junk but it's the fastest ship in the galaxy. Petr smoked in it constantly so it smells very strongly of cigarette smoke. If you're not a smoker, this is absolutely the worst smell in the galaxy. But fuck it.
Anyway, I drive about 6 kms to Austin(google maps says it's 7 kms but mapy.cz says it's about 6.) a factory where they make explosives used in mining and for blasting holes in hills for highways to go through. It's an American-owned company, based in Ohio. It's called Austin for its founder who founded the company like 180 years ago or something. I teach there from about 1.00 to 4.00, to lessons back to back. I don't mind it at all. I really like the students and if ever a class is lacklustre or boring, it's nearly always my fault.
My first lesson is comprised of too IT technicians, a chemist and...Petr. I'm not sure what Petr does, to be honest, but I know he works 6 days a week. He's a big bellied, recently divorced guy who makes a lot of self-deprecating, ironic jokes, which are actually pretty funny despite the fact that he's probably the weakest student in the class in terms of language skills. Then there's Miroslav, the IT technician whose passion is building and flying model remote control planes, Bron'e, an IT technician who has a girlfriend at university in Olomouc who he visits every weekend, and Jarda, a chemist and electrician who uses over formal words all the time as if he's learned most of his English from istruction manuals. Which he has. His daughter, who I taught at when she was 14 is some sort of English-Czech translator and teacher in Brno.
After that there's the advanced class: Jana, who is a technical designer working on her Master's Degree, Magda...I think she works in the purchasing department. She's about 32 but her sons are in their teens. Tomas, another IT guy, but higher position than the ones in the first class. And Tonda. Tonda's about 45 but he had a mild stroke a few years ago and changed his position. I'm not sure what he did before, but now he's in charge of safety procedures. Austin's pretty strict about safety because, after all, they make explosives.
When I'm teaching there, classes are intermittently interrupted by explosions echoing through the tree-clad hills as somewhere in the huge complex the chemists are testing products. The windows rattle, I mutter 'excuse me' (which no one EVER gets) and we carry on.
Anyway, I drive about 6 kms to Austin(google maps says it's 7 kms but mapy.cz says it's about 6.) a factory where they make explosives used in mining and for blasting holes in hills for highways to go through. It's an American-owned company, based in Ohio. It's called Austin for its founder who founded the company like 180 years ago or something. I teach there from about 1.00 to 4.00, to lessons back to back. I don't mind it at all. I really like the students and if ever a class is lacklustre or boring, it's nearly always my fault.
My first lesson is comprised of too IT technicians, a chemist and...Petr. I'm not sure what Petr does, to be honest, but I know he works 6 days a week. He's a big bellied, recently divorced guy who makes a lot of self-deprecating, ironic jokes, which are actually pretty funny despite the fact that he's probably the weakest student in the class in terms of language skills. Then there's Miroslav, the IT technician whose passion is building and flying model remote control planes, Bron'e, an IT technician who has a girlfriend at university in Olomouc who he visits every weekend, and Jarda, a chemist and electrician who uses over formal words all the time as if he's learned most of his English from istruction manuals. Which he has. His daughter, who I taught at when she was 14 is some sort of English-Czech translator and teacher in Brno.
After that there's the advanced class: Jana, who is a technical designer working on her Master's Degree, Magda...I think she works in the purchasing department. She's about 32 but her sons are in their teens. Tomas, another IT guy, but higher position than the ones in the first class. And Tonda. Tonda's about 45 but he had a mild stroke a few years ago and changed his position. I'm not sure what he did before, but now he's in charge of safety procedures. Austin's pretty strict about safety because, after all, they make explosives.
When I'm teaching there, classes are intermittently interrupted by explosions echoing through the tree-clad hills as somewhere in the huge complex the chemists are testing products. The windows rattle, I mutter 'excuse me' (which no one EVER gets) and we carry on.
Anyway, at 4 o'clock, I get into the school car and drive as fast as I possibly can BACK to Val Mez. This takes about 40 minutes on average, becaue the traffic is quite heavy between the two towns at that time. Then I get in, teach my lessons from 445-8.00 deliver the homework I've checked to the three ladies who I give extra homework to, and finally I'm finished at 8.00. I drive back home, and get in usually about 840. at which time, exhausted, I change clothes, climb into bed and read a bit before sinking....And that's my day.
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