Becoming a Writer: May 2008

Friday, May 30, 2008

This is great. In the crosswalk sign here, the little girl has a mini-skirt on, a bob, and a ribbon in her hair. There did seem to be many charming young women in Prague.

The beauty of a child is without equal.

Wise Old

Better not to realize it too slowly or too late. You're own children are the best people you will ever know, if you get to know them, that is. They will charge you with their energy, if you allow them. They will stimulate you with their surprising curiosity. They will shock you with their love for you. Make no mistake. Children are not a burden, but troves of wisdom. They are our teachers.

Pathway. A Road at the Monastery

What I write is what I write. What I do is what I do. The way I fail is just that. Who I am is just me, a stiff bit of clay slowly molding.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Monastic Life

Every time I go to a monastery, or a cloister, I'm so fanscinated, intrigued, drawn in by the structures, the hallways, the ceilings, the cool materials, the smell of stone. They truly are heavenly places. If I could live anywhere I think it would be in a monastery. I could easily be sucked in there. I could easily go into one, and never leave again, I think. Of course, I would need supplies. I don't know what I would do with my days, since I guess I'm not really a scholar, and long, brisque walks can unexpetantly lead me to start writing a story down. Of course, I think monks do a lot of walking around, but it's not the same as walking down a city street, your eyes turned in upon your own thought buzzing inside of you. Still, the monastic life, the tranquility of it, will always appeal to me. Mostly, I am in search of tranquility. Above all.

Monastary Shots....

I guess the best thing to do is to continue doing things, even when you have no clue what you're doing at all. Live life. What a cliché. Instead of sitting, frozen, waiting for life to happen to you, waiting for the key to fall down into your lap, waiting for things to change in your favor, waiting for happiness to happen, for a light to go off in your head, a surge, a burst of energy, when suddenly everything makes sense. You know who you are, why you're here, where you're going, what you're purpose is, and with that knowledge springing out of you, you can do something great, fulfill a dream, create a sensation, somehow, with something, you don't know what, but you want to. You want to change in a 100 ways. In order for any of this to happen, it might be necessary to leave the house, to leave your seat and your coffee machine behind. You might have to shed some of your fear. You might have to allow yourself some liberties. You might have to agree with yourself for once. You might have to actually make a decision about something, someday, at some hour or minute, you don't know when, but you do know, as you sit there cringing, that time is running out on you. Still, you wait, waiting, waiting, waiting. Every now and then, all of the pent up, dull energy you've been preserving for years under the surface might come out in a brief explosion, only to subside again into calm, a silence so still it cuts into you.

Prague Monastary

A Monastary, Prague

Children Crossing, Prague

This is such a cute sign. I liked that there were two kids crossing, and not a kid and an adult.

A Street in Prague

I loved this old VW bus. You don't see too many of those around here.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Stage Set, oder?...

This looks like a stage set, but it's really in the St George Church, Prague.

New Shingles

We've decided to change the look of our house, and replace our roof shingles with some like these....

Only kidding.

I did fall in love with the roof at Karlstein Castle, though...

Karlstein Castle

There are lots of places in and around Prague where you aren't allowed to take photos inside. Karlstein Castle is one of the many. This is one of the only photos I could sneak, with the tour guide along.... It's worth a visit, if you're ever in the neighborhood, you can take a look yourself.

Karlstein

Here's another favorite shot of mine, taken at Karlstein Castle, just outside Prague.

Cool Shot

Here's a cool shot taken at Karlstein Castle, just outside Prague.

The Greatest Certainty

Speaking of certainty, here's something we can all be sure of....

St George Church

Here's a photo of the tomb in St George Church.

I was so busy taking photos in Prague, I didn't have time to do much reading up on things. The entire time I thought, I'll be back here someday soon. Everything about the trip (we were also in Weimar) had the feeling of return, somehow. I knew I'd be back, although, of course, it isn't possible to really know. I was more sure of the fact that I'd return to Prague than I am sure, though it pains me, that I'll ever see my family members again. (It's only 4,000 euro to fly to Salt Lake this summer). But these are all just vague feelings. It did however seem like certainty that I would return to Prague. The thought of visiting the United States is rather uncertain, not unlike the thought of me becoming employed. Writing a novel, hovering toward Prague/Weimar, are greater certainties somehow.

St George Church

Here's another shot in the St George church. It's a lovely religious relic.

This is a secret photo, by the way. ;-)

I'll tell you another secret. While I was in Prague, I imagined lots of things. One of my big phantasies while there was to pack up, move there, and start learning Czech. We learned one Czech word, "doebrieden," meaning "Thank You." Of course, I have no idea how to spell it. I decided that I could learn Czech. I was already reading and understanding things the first day. I also learned how to say "Next stop...." It's such a beautiful city. Tragic, really, not to spend at least a few years living there.

St George, Prague

This must be a statue of St George himself. It was so crowded at the church, we had to move continually. I always have time for snapshots, however....