Seren In Prague

Czech Tongue Twister This is funny. You know the tongue twisters we have in English that go, "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck..." or "Peter Piper picked a peck..."? Here's a Czech analogue. Petra, one of my students, recorded this for me today. Czech Tongue Twister It means, "333 fire engines squirted...  

My 20th and 21st CenturyI saw an incredible film this weekend as part of the Vaclav Havel-sponsored One World Film Festival. My 20th Century is the story of 3 older Czech women, modern painter Adriana Šimotová (middle), writer and journalist Lenka Reinerová (right--check out this link! it is a must!), and...  

They got some coo-coo Chinese restaurants up in these parts. Here's what I found this weekend at three difference Chinese restaurants. I've eaten Chinese food only once since I've been here, and I can say that the Chinese food in Prague is a lot like Czech food, if you get my drift.... Exhibit A. What's a...  

If you look to your right, you'll can listen to the latest Marteeny song, "The Wind in the Rain". Truth be told, the "cha-cha-cha" part in the middle and at the end of the song is lifted directly from the new Belle & Sebastian song, "Funny Little Frog". But you'll have to listen very carefully to catch it....  

Quack, Gobble, Squeak, Roar, etc.The damnedest thing happened to me this morning. I woke up and this enormous turtle was lying in my bed. I knew things had gotten a little crazy last nite, but I just couldn't remember a thing about taking a 500 pound turtle home with me. First time for everything, I...  

Quack, Gobble, SqueakThe damnedest thing happened to me this morning. I woke up and this enormous turtle was lying in my bed. I knew things last night had gotten a little crazy last nite, but I just couldn't remember a thing about taking a 500 pound turtle home with me. First time for everything, I...  

News From Cabbageville There's a new Marteeny song to tempt your tummy with the taste and nuts and honey. It's a honey-oven-oh, it's honey nut marteeny o's. Grotesqueries For The Violin & Cello In other news, I've found out where I'm going to grad school in the fall. Press here for the mystery school to be...  

At the risk of turning my travelogue into a political soapbox, I want to say just two more things about this whole Danish/Arab cartoon melee: 1) It's a good thing the Arab media never publishes any offensive cartoons; 2) That's it. I'm going back to picking the sausage out of my cabbage soup now. Bye.  

From Japan With Love Here's some footage of a cartoon on my t.v. last nite. It's a Japanese cartoon, I'm pretty sure, with Czech subtitles. I am so settled in here that sometimes I forget I'm even living in a foreign country. But what does jar me back to reality is my television. Especially when there's...  

A double header weekend for Marteeny. Here's another. It's 21 degrees out, I'm sick, and I've been listening to sappy music all weekend--except for my own, of course, which is sweeping the nation... of...of....eastern Europe. Just kidding. Although, while I'm at it, the Czech Republic is actually considered...  

I mean the hits don't stop! Marteeny strikes again with "Lightrail". Lightrail  

The latest Marteeny track, Red Ready, hits the streets! It's an amateur foray into classical music with some break beats and piano chops thrown in. It needs some work but bleh! Red Ready Here's some photos I've taken lately. First, a creepy advertisement for a nearby hair salon. It's advertising some sort of...  

The new Marteeny track, Red Ready, hits the street! It's new, it's genre-less, it's me. Red Ready Here's some photos I've taken lately. First, a creepy advertisement for some sort of hair technique or wig service or something. I really don't know but I walk past this thing everyday on my way into my metro...  

The new Marteeny track, Red Ready, hits the street! Red Ready Here's some photos I've taken lately. First, a creepy advertisement for some sort of hair technique or wig service or something. I really don't know, but I walk past this thing everyday on my way into my metro station. The ad is posted in a trash...  

Raise your arms for the new Marteeny song, Namesti Miru. It's too cold to do anything else. Press the little blue button. Namesti Miru  

Here's a short video I took in December of a super cute Viennese kid giving his squeeze box some rockin' squeezin'. Pretty cool, this kid. You can watch it right here. Yee haww!or watch it here if there's trouble:Cute Kid in Vienna  

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My loyal correspondent in Micronesia sent me a field recording of some pigs whose oinking occurs 50 feet from her apartment. Gooooood morning, Micronesia! Click the blue button to listen Oink Oink Also, it's 9 degrees fahrenheit outside right now. I mean what.  

My loyal field correspondent in Micronesia sent me some field recordings of pigs whose oinking occurs 50 feet from her apartment. Click the blue button to listen or check here Also, it's 9 degrees fahrenheit outside right now. I mean what.  

It's 9 degrees fahrenheit here right now. I mean what, people.Meanwhile, my loyal Pohnpei, Micronesia field correspondant sent me an mp3 of some loud pigs whose oinking lives 50 feet from her apartment.Click the button to listen to "  

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Post-Holiday Interim Message I'm very late in posting a post-holiday note! I've got some nice photos and a few things to say. Although I have to work right now, here's a few things to whet your goulash. In non-eastern European news, Marteeny, my music project, is my new favorite thing. I've been writing...  

Hi Ho, Hi Ho It's Off to Slovakia and Hungary I Go One of my favorite classes. These gentlemen all work for the Czech national bank, CSOB. From the left their names are: Mirek, Michal, Frank, David, Milan, and Erik. They are advanced English speakers. They are pretty fun. Yo Peeps. Anyone miss me? I haven't...  

Today I took a stroll down Ye Ole Communist Lane as I waited for 2 hours in the crumbling office of the Czech Foreign Police to take care of my work visa. The whole thing was a perfect re-dramatization of Russian style Communism, with all the uninterested and unhelpful characters who exhibited all the...  

Vienna! I am still here, peeps. I accidentally left my battery charger for my digital camera at home when I went to Vienna last weekend and my camera croaked almost immediately upon arrival. No pictures for you yet because the disposable camera I used has not been developed. Weeeeee! So, in the meantime,...