haonowshaokao

So, after six or seven phonecalls, I managed to wangle just over half my wages out of them, which pays my rent at least. Hopefully the rest of my money is on the way.
In the meantime, food.

My mother and sister arrived on Saturday night, right in the middle of the Czech – Netherlands game. A tv screen in the arrivals area had it on and as I waited for their delayed flight to check out the team staged their comeback and the place went nuts. Security guards, cleaners, plane staff and hostel runners stood around and cheered.
Sunday I took them around town, then we went to the Tyn Church in Old Town Square to see a choir perform a very strange selection of songs. Monday I was working, but we managed to get to the theatre to see some Chehkov, which was very funny. About five or six people I know turned up too, it’s a small world out here.
Today we went around a bit more, and to the Mucha museum which is alright, though a little small. I was a little distracted, though, as my language school has decided not to pay me my wages today after all. The reason? Apparently because they ‘haven’t got the money.’ Oh, well, that’s alright then! I’m just some fucking trust fund kid, yeah? I don’t have to pay the fucking rent today? I don’t need money to buy food and, um, a new transport pass to take me to the lessons I’m teaching for them! Jesus fucking christ. I like how they gave me 2 hours warning too, and how they were too cowardly to finish the argument by anything other than text message.
Mum and sister have just gone home. Sad to see them go, it has been a lot of fun having them here.

Another long long journey across town last night. I managed to get two trams and one bus before being dumped the wrong side of Černy Most, leaving me with a 40 minute walk down the motorway. Superb indeed. I may purchase / borrow / ‘find’ a bike to fix this problem, though it is a stupid idea now I think about it and I probably won’t bother. If Prague wasn’t so full of hills, cobbles and licensed psychopaths behind the wheel I may just consider it though.
I haven’t eaten today, and I’m running out of money. Chips, methinks.

Out of money, so have to hurry. Mum and sister here tomorrow, so all is cool anyhow.

I found some unbelievably cheap mince at Julius Meinl yesterday. It was labelled ‘akce maso’ which translates as ‘action meat’ but means ‘cheap shit.’ How could I resist? Frying it some time later I produced an unmistakably rancid smell which soon came to dominate the house. Martin advised me that it was probably unfit to eat so I eventually decided not to eat it, but throw it away. What a waste of 17 crowns.
Martin’s nieces locked the spare room a few days back, and lost the key. This morning I lay in bed and listened to an emergency locksmith chiseling the lock off the door, the aborted effort having shattered the frame. Not a soothing sound really, but I slept through it and spent the remainder of my day listening to War Of The Worlds, lying in the sun, drinking tea and vaguely preparing lessons.
Have just found out it is Hamish’s birthday today (why was I not told?) so will be forced to jake a few jars in, just hope I’m not observed teaching tomorrow.

In a great mood.
This morning I had no money and not really any coming.
Now I have a whole 140 crowns and more on the way.
Which is nothing really, but compared to this morning, when I was wondering if I would have to borrow, I am ecstatic.
On the tram I pulled faces at people. It was highly juvenile.

In a hurry. Vuff.

A more sedate kind of weekend, this time. We went out to the Clown & Bard on Friday but spent the rest of the weekend in with a bottle of Becherovka as we were both pretty much completely broke, for the moment at least.
And of course, the football was on.
What can I say?
I saw the England vs France game at the sports bar. In a room full of French and Scottish people. Shit. Fuck. Bollocks. Shitting fucking bollocks.

Tired, broke, but the weekend is here and I’m happy about that.
The day generally went pretty well, at the start at least. All the transport connected with no running or waiting necessary, and my one student was cool. Then at home the Addams Family was on TV, in Czech but never mind. I cooked some food and it was delicious. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. Ronald Reagan is still dead.
Then I had to go into my language school to be told off for half an hour. That put a bit of a dampener on things. But the weekend is here now and I have a large bottle of becherovka in my bag.

June in Prague again. I had forgotten quite how dramatic it can be.
Some time yesterday was spent lying in the baking heat, then Jess called me on my way home and invited me out for a drink at a pizza restaurant by my old house. On the bus there I heard occasional thunder and as I found them under an awning I could feel the air getting tense around me. By now the sky was full of deep red storm clouds moving swiftly toward us. And then, safely sheltered (so we thought) such thunder, the sky lighting up with intricate flashes of lightning. Then the rain! In an hour we had gone from sunbathing weather to a storm so violent it would have been reported on the news in the UK.
We dashed inside eventually, and sat watching it, eating medovnik. When the clouds cleared the sky was black and I went off home.