Lunch with Mimi

Wednesday brought an unexpected treat - a visit from my sister Lisa and my Mom. They live on the other side of the state, and, unfortunately, I don't see them as much as I would like. My sister works at Dartmouth Hitchcock and moved up a year after I did, which makes her a Vermont resident - although six generations short of being a true Vermonter. They had never seen my apartment at the Q and had somehow convinced themselves that I was living in a wretched dorm, and they were pleasantly surprised at how nice it is. We hung around and chatted for several hours, and I treated them to lunch at the Shanty downtown (my Mom loves eating there). Of course, being my Mom, I had to sneak off and pay the bill before she had a chance to do so - as with all mothers, this always leads to a fight at the table unless it is handled delicately (and surreptitously). Mimi has been under the weather for most of 2010 so getting up to Burlington was a nice treat (especially for me).

Josefov

On the bitterly cold Thanksgiving day that began with my first visit to the Charles Bridge and ended with an unexpected turkey dinner, I also made a much too short visit to the Josefov, the old Jewish quarter of Prague. Naturally enough it was both fascinating and tragic. The Josefov is named after the revolutionary emperor Joseph II, the quintessential enlighened despot of European history. He ruled at the end of the 18th century and was essentially a century of more ahead of his time, which meant that most of his reforms unfortunately did not work as well as he had envisioned simply because he was so far ahead of his time. The famous story is that his grave includes the words "Here lies Joseph II, who, with the best of intentions, failed in everything he undertook" - the words were chosen by him. One of the sadder aspects of his "failed" reforms was his remarkably elightened treatment of the Jews. His policies were so favorable that many Jews poured into this part of the world, which would obviously have tragic consequences during World War II. Of the 40,000 Jews who lived in the tiny section of the Josefov I think only around a thousand survived to the end of the war. There actually aren't many Jews left in the Josefov itself now - and the area is mainly dominated by dozens of very posh shops. Because of time constraints (I had meetings scheduled with two universities) I did not go through the New-Old Synagogue, which is supposed to be very worthwhile - nor did I make it over to what is called the Spanish Synagogue (called that because of its "Moorish" architecture). The Jewish cemetary was pretty amazing - and obviously sobering - and it is dominated by thousands and thousands of tombstones jutting out at odd angles; there was only so much space inside the walls. Rabbi Loews, the person who is believed to have come up with golem legend is buried there - and every crack and crevice of his tombstone is full of slips of paper - wishes and pleas from believers. Outside the cemetary - with the stalls actually sharing a wall with the cemetary above it - are a series of touristy stalls. I picked up small golems for my friends Bob and Steve, and wish I would have purchased one for myself as well. I was going to pick one up for my good friend Sarah as well, but since she is great with child I figured that she might find it a big spooky (and, actually, when I gave her her gift [she's the only one of my friends who always gets a gift from overseas, since she's the person who "created" this blog in the first place] and explained my rationale for not getting her a golem she practically shuddered at the thought). Oddly, just as Greek tragedy and comedy came together to form a balanced view of life for the ancient Greeks, the visit to the Josefov produced a sobering balance to a pretty glorious Thanksgiving in Prague.

Gus

One of my favorite chores for the holidays is dog-sitting my good friend Mike's dog Gus. Mike, Jame and the boys have headed back to Nebraska and the housing plans for Gus fell through at the last moment, so he's bunking with me for the week. Fortunately, Gus is a very cool dog and is absolutely no trouble at all. Here's a great picture of him on one of our snowy walks. He has quickly become the official dog of the Q. When the students are here he just roams from room to room, always following the loudest noise (or the tastiest smell).

Stramberske Usi

On my last day in Prague, when I should have been packing, I went for one final walk around downtown to soak up the Christmas charm. Like most folks, I suppose, I will do anything to postpone unpleasantness, which is probably why I'm blogging now instead of finalizing my grades. Anyway, while walking through an outdoor market I stumbled across Stramberske Usi (Stramberk's ears), which are a traditional Czech delicacy. Stramberk is a town in north Moravia and the story (at least one of the stories) is that they were being beseiged by the Tartars in 1241. The Tartars, as was their wont, were chopping off the ears of the villagers to prove to their khan how many prisoners they had captured. The people hunkered down and prayed to God for assistance - and the combination of a terrible storm and the villagers breaching the dam - washed away the Tartars (again, there are other versions of the story, but I like this one). All that remained was a bag of ears. To commemerate their deliverance the Czechs still bake Stramberske Usi. They are something like ginger biscuits with honey and spice - and do sort of look like rolled up ears. The conical shape would allow for them to be stuffed with whipped cream and other goodies, which I guess is quite common. They were a popular gift for several of my friends, and actually made it back to the States unbroken.

Football Pool Subsidy

Every year during this time Mike Lange pressures me to participate (by that we mean subsidize) the college football bowl pool. As is well-documented, I know nothing about college athletics, so this is truly about building up the pool for the winner. Last year I was pleased to find out that with something like six bowls to go I was the only one who could have caught the eventual winner Andy Burkhardt - until Mike explained to me that I was in that position because my picks were so ridiculous that I was the only one who could have benefitted from six straight improbable potential upsets (so, as Bill Murray opined in Caddy Shack, I got that going for me). Anyway, out of my respect for my constant pursuit of truth, I'll go ahead and post my picks (which I'll be including a running commentary as Mike explains to me how far behind the leaders I am). When we got together last week to watch college basketball we pulled out my picks and began trashing them then, so, much like the Reds normally, I'll probably be mathematically eliminated after the first game. I'll also try and include the picks of my friend Cyndi Brandenburg. Apparently I am the brother that Cyndi never had so she is archly competitive around me (hence the chicken wing eating competition last year). She filled out her bracket using the brilliant strategy of circling all the teams in the left column, except for a few in the right column she had heard of before (or something like that). And yet she still felt the need to talk smack about how she was going to cream me in the pool. I think I left her picks on my desk at school so it will require me walking there from the Q, but I am all about the truth. OK, here are the bowls and my picks will be in bold, if not particularly bold (or bright). I was not going to participate this year, but, as you can see, Mike can be very persuasive.

New Mexico Bowl - 18 December
BYU vs. UTEP
Brandybuck's pick: UTEP
I picked BYU because I have Big Love for their program.
Win for BYU - head to head: Scudder 1-0 & Brandybuck 0-1

Humanitarian Bowl - 18 December
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State
Brandybuck's pick: Fresno State
I can honestly state that I have never bet against Northern Illinois in a bowl game.
Win for Northern Illinois - Scudder 2-0 & Brandybuck 0-2

R+L Carriers Bowl - 18 December
Ohio vs. Troy
Brandybuck's pick: Troy
It's hard to believe that the Buckeyes had to settle for such a lame bowl . . . or maybe I'm confusing an Ohio state university with The Ohio State University (and, yes, Mike Lange is the biggest OSU fan in the world). Also, I really love the Illiad, so I have to back Troy.
Win for Troy - Scudder 3-0 & Brandybuck 1-2
Score & Commentary: Oddly, so far I'm 3-0 in the pool, which I'm pretty certain is one of the signs of the apocalypse. Even stranger, Lange and Brandybuck are both 1-2, so I have fleeting bragging rights.

St. Petersburg Bowl - 21 December
Southern Mississippi vs. Louisville
Brandybuck's pick: Lousville
Now this would be a much more interesting bowl game if it were played in St. Petersburg, Russia. I picked Louisville because they're a traditional University of Cincinnati rival (yes, I know that little about college football that I'm making decisions based on rationale like that).
Win for Louisville - Scudder 4-0 & Brandybuck 2-2
OK, stop the madness. I know this all has to come crashing down around my feet very soon, but 4-0 - come on.

Las Vegas Bowl - 22 December
Utah vs. Boise State
Brandybuck's pick: Boise State
Well, my first thought is - did anyone consider the economic viability of turning a bunch of Mormons loose in Las Vegas? Not since I attended the national economics conference on search committee business has such potential for fun been dashed by a poor match-up. Still, I will be led by my friend Sandy's constant rant about the ghettoization of Boise State and pick them.
Win for Boise State - Scudder 5-0 & Brandybuck 3-2
Yeah, this is just getting spooky now . . .

Poinsettia Bowl - 23 December
Navy vs. San Diego State
Brandybuck's pick: Navy
The stadium where this is played is apparently flooded - how can Navy not win? Oh, that's how. Well, at least the illogical streak has come to an end and the world can return to normal.
Win for San Diego State - Scudder 5-1 & Brandybuck 3-3

Hawaii Bowl - 24 December
Hawaii vs. Tulsa
Brandybuck's pick: Tulsa
The Hawaii Bowl, Brandybuck, not the Tulsa Bowl. I can only assume that one of the times that Cyndi was in witness protection she must have been located in Tulsa and thus has some attachment to it.
Win for Tulsa - Scudder 5-2 & Brandybuck 4-3
OK, the bleeding has started and soon I will be 5-27 (yes, years of being a Vikings fan has made me that fatalistic).

Little Caesars Bowl - 26 December
Florida International vs. Toledo
Brandybuck's pick: Toledo
I picked Toledo because I imagine it is fairly close to Winesbug, Ohio, the site of my favorite American novel (of the same name). Now, the fact that Winesburg is fictional should not anything away from the brilliance of the pick. At the very least I can't lose any more ground to Brandybuck.
Win for Florida International - Scudder 5-3 & Brandybuck 4-4
Apparently the Toledo defense was just as fictional as Winesburg, Ohio. OK, Team Scudder is now in complete free-fall, although it feels much more normal.

Independence Bowl - 27 December
Air Force vs. Georgia Tech
Brandybuck's pick: Air Force
Win for Air Force - Scudder 6-3 & Brandybuck 5-4
I'm not quite certain why I picked Air Force in this game. My "hometown" pick should have been Georgia Tech because of my time in Atlanta. I'm guess it's good I didn't have time to apply my usual "logic" to this pick.

Champs Sports Bowl - 28 December
West Virginia vs. NC State
Brandybuck's pick: NC State
Win for North Carolina State - Scudder 6-4 ^ Brandybuck 6-4
Team Brandybuck has surged back to tie, and the local papers are calling for me to be fired.

Insight Bowl - 28 December
Misouri vs. Iowa
Brandybuck's pick: Iowa
Win for Iowa - Scudder 6-5 & Brandybuck 7-4
OK, so I have to admit that I picked Missouri just to annoy Mike and Jamie, who are big Iowa fans. I guess I should base these decisions on something other than their potential ability to annoy my friends, although why should this be any different than any other decision in my life? Team Brandybuck has now blown past us in the pool and I've sacked my entire front office.

Military Bowl - 29 December
East Carolina vs. Maryland
Brandybuck's pick: East Carolina
I need Maryland to play a good game so that I can catch up to Brandybuck. Happily she's obviously not paying much attention to the games - or she left her pool picks on her desk - because she hasn't been bombarding me with abusive emails.
Win for Maryland - Scudder 7-5 & Brandybuck 7-5
I've pulled back into a tie in the second division category where Brandybuck and I reside.

Texas Bowl - 29 December
Illinois vs. Baylor
Brandybuck's pick: Baylor
I picked Baylor because of my general anti-Big 10 bias, although that then interfered with general anti-Texas bias. After making the pick I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Baylor was supposed to be pretty good - emphasis on supposed to be very good.
Win for Illinois - Scudder 7-6 & Brandybuck 7-6

Alamo Bowl - 29 December
Oklahoma State vs. Arizona
Brandybuck's pick: Oklahoma State
Win for Oklahoma State - Scudder 8-6 & Brandybuck 8-6
There are four games on the 30th, and oddly Brandybuck and I have picked four different teams, which means they neither of us have any idea what's going on.

Armed Forces Bowl - 30 December
Army vs. SMU
Brandybuck's pick: Army
I never pick Army in bowl games or land wars in Asia. I do find it interesting that Brandybuck picked Army, Navy and the Air Force Academy to all win their bowl games - apparently she likes men in uniform.
Win for Army - Scudder 8-7 & Brandybuck 9-6

Pinstripe Bowl - 30 December
Kansas State vs. Syracuse
Brandybuck's pick: Syracuse
Win for Syracuse - Scudder 8-8 & Brandybuck 10-6
After falling to a .500 record I suppose I should say something like "how the mighty have fallen," but I didn't think I'd do that well (grin - uh, groan). It was the 5-0 start which messed up my perceptions. Brandybuck may now be unstoppable.

Music City Bowl - 30 December
North Carolina vs. Tennessee
Brandybuck's pick: Tennessee
Win for North Carolina - Scudder 9-8 & Brandybuck 10-7
Well, that was one of the more illogical victories I've ever seen, but at this point I'll take it.

Holiday Bowl - 30 December
Nebraska vs. Washington
Brandybuck's pick: Washington
Win for Washington - Scudder 9-9 & Brandybuck 11-7
This one is doubly painful. First off, my utter collapse continues. With the exception of North Carolina's completely insane victory over Tennessee I'd have gone 0-4 for the day, so it was a bloodbath. And NC's win kept Brandybuck from going 4-0 - she is obviously either a force of nature or a closet gambler. Nebraska is also my favorite college football team, as much as I have a favorite college football team. I "chose" all of my favorite teams in 1970, which apparently the year (having turned 10) that I became truly aware of sports. And it seems like teams that were good in 1970 were ones I adopted: Nebraska, Reds, Vikings, North Carolina college basketball, etc. Now, some people would move on and evolve, but not me. However, with the exception of the Vikings (which must be a Norse word for "curse of god") they have all delivered championships to me at one time or another.

Meineke Care Care Bowl - 31 December
South Florida vs. Clemson
Brandybuck's pick: Clemson
Win for South Florida - Scudder 9-10 & Brandybuck 11-8
I never bet against SEC teams - oh, Clemson is in the ACC . . .

Sun Bowl - 31 December
Notre Dame vs. Miami
Brandybuck's pick: Miami
Win for Notre Dame - Scudder 9-11 & Brandybuck 11-9
Yes, I'm one of those Hoosiers, and there are more than a few, who hate everything about Notre Dame.

Liberty Bowl - 31 December
Georgia vs. UCF
Brandybuck's pick: UCF
Win for UCF - Scudder 9-12 & Brandybuck 12-9
OK, this was a complete "homer" pick for me going back to my Atlanta days. It is rather amazing that UGA is not better. Georgia is a football hotbed and with the exception of Georgia Tech you have first dibs on all that talent. Neiboring Florida has, I think, something like five teams in bowls this year so the talent gets dispered a little more competitively. My friend Janan must be beside herself.

Chick-fil-A Bowl - 31 December
South Carolina vs. Florida State
Brandybuck's pick: South Carolina
Win for Florida State - Scudder 9-13 & Brandybuck 12-10
Wow, what a bloodbath. Today's 0-4 massacre makes yesterday's 1-3 day seem like the Golden Age.

TicketCity Bowl - 1 January
Northwestern vs. Texas Tech
Brandybuck's pick: Northwestern
My strategy for today's game is a simple one - pick for the SEC and against the Big 10. My time in the South made, if not an outright fan of the SEC, at least appreciative of what great fans they are. This, of course, annoys my friend Mike Lange (the guardian of the college football pool and staunch Big 10 defender) no end, which is another advantage.
Win for Texas Tech - Scudder 10-13 & Brandybuck 12-11

Outback Bowl - 1 January
Florida vs. Penn State
Brandybuck's pick: Florida
Side note - I watched most of these games at the Gentlemen of Excellence meeting at Mike's house on his 52 inch monster TV: Mike Lange, Steve, Erik, Mike Kelly, Andy, Heidi and myself (decked out in my fantastic new Ric Flair t-shirt, which was a gift from Mike Kelly and family for watching Gus over the holidays). Lots of great food, beers and football excellence.
Win for Florida - Scudder 11-13 & Brandybuck 13-11

Capital One Bowl - 1 January
Alabama vs. Michigan State
Brandybuck's pick: Michigan State
Win for Alabama - Scudder 12-13 & Brandybuck 13-12
So far the strategy is brilliant and I'm half way to a much-needed sweep. I was trying to engage folks in a discussion of whether or not Michigan State's 49-7 thumping at the hands of Alabama is, in fact, the worst showing by a top 10 team in bowl history, but they are all so stunned and bloodied by the Big 10 debacle that they don't want to talk about it.

Gator Bowl - 1 January
Mississippi State vs. Michigan
Brandybuck's pick: Michigan
Win for Mississippi State - Scudder 13-13 & Brandybuck 13-13
Finally, I've caught up with Brandybuck. However, we've picked the same for the final two games of the day so I won't be making up any more ground, at least on her. I think our TCU pick is in the minority.

Rose Bowl - 1 January
Wisconsin vs. TCU
Brandybuck's pick: TCU
Win for TCU - Scudder 14-13 & Brandybuck 14-13
Over .500 again! A win for the "little" guys of TCU. I had no idea they only had around 9000 students. Amazing. However, my facination with them went out the window with all the Bible quotes by the players after the game. Oh, that is what the C is for (doh!). Actually, in this case I think it's OK because these kids actually go to a religious school, as compared to the ones who parade out their "religion" solely for show. However, I do hope I live long enough to see a player score a touchdown and then point down to the ground instead of upwards towards heaven.

Fiesta Bowl - 1 January
Connecticut vs. Oklahoma
Brandybuck's pick: Oklahoma
Win for Oklahoma - Scudder 15-13 & Brandybuck 15-13
Wow, a 6-0 day, and that still brought me back to just barely over .500. That 4-13 stretch after my 5-0 killed any chances of winning the pool, but at least it's not as embarrassing as it was.

Orange Bowl - 3 January
Stanford vs. Virginia Tech
Brandybuck's pick: Virginia Tech
Win for Stanford - Scudder 16-13 & Brandybuck 15-14
Finally, I sneaked ahead of Brandybuck again.

Sugar Bowl - 4 January
Ohio State vs. Arkansas
Brandybuck's pick: Arkansas
Win for Ohio State - Scudder 17-13 & Brandybuck 15-15
Did I tell you how much I love the Big 10 and the Buckeyes? This was the one Big 10 team that I picked in the bowl pool. My understanding is the foundation of statistics is that nothing is impossible only improbable, so I went out on a limb and backed Ohio State.

GoDaddy.com Bowl - 6 January
Middle Tennessee vs. Miami (Ohio)
Brandybuck's pick: Middle Tennessee
Win for Miami - Scudder 18-13 & Brandybuck 15-16
Yes, as with all things related to college football, it always comes down to the GoDaddy.com Bowl . . . Team Scudder, while destined to finish out of the winnings, is now assured of finishing with a record above .500.

Cotton Bowl - 7 January
LSU vs. Texas A&M
Brandybuck's pick: LSU
Win for LSU - Scudder 19-13 & Brandybuck 16-16
The win streak stetches to 10 bowl games. I think that Mike "Slice" Kelly has the pool wrapped up, but I'm making it interesting.

Compass Bowl - 8 January
Pittsburth vs. Kentucky
Brandybuck's pick: Kentucky
Win for Pittsburth - Scudder 20-13 & Brandybuck 16-17
It was the best of days, it was the worst of days. The improbable win streak has now reached 11 bowl games, with a goodly chance to reach 13 after the last two are wrapped up. However, even though I'm in the top six I've been mathematically eliminated. Still, as I pointed out last year, by not finishing last I've in fact won and have already spent my winnings. Apparently my great friends Erik Esckilsen, Mike "Slice" Kelly and David Rous still have a chance to win and it all comes down to the National Championship game. A great time was had by all. Wonderful job by "Original" Mike Lange for putting it all together.

Fight Hunger Bowl - 9 January
Nevada vs. Boston College
Brandybuck's pick: Nevada
Win for Nevada - Scudder 21-13 & Brandybuck 17-17
Well, the bowl win streak has reached 12 games and if you just looked at the won-lost record you would almost think that I knew what I was doing, which, of course, I do not. Still, it has been fun and I've, for probably the first time, actually paid attention to the bowls.

National Championship - 10 January
Auburn vs. Oregon
Brandybuck's pick: Oregon
Win for Auburn - Scudder 22-13 & Brandybuck 17-18
Apparently 2011 is going to be a great year because I'm undefeated in the new year - a perfect 13-0 - and I almost crept into the money in the football pool. I finished tide for third, behind the king of kings, David Rous, and the valiant Erik Esckilsen and Mike "Slice" Kelly. A great time was had by all. My always pick the SEC team, especially when they are facing the Big 10, paid off handsomely.

Christmas on Church Street

OK, so it's not Vienna, but Church Street (our downtown pedestrian shopping area here in Burlington) is still pretty lovely. It's easy to sometimes forget how small Burlington is - and, come on, even though it is our metropolis, it still only has something like 39,000 souls living here officially. I suppose in most states this would hardly qualify as a county seat, although I know people up in the North East Kingdom who won't come to Burlington because the traffic scares them. Strangely, I didn't really spend much time on Church Street until the last couple years. Right after my separation I essentially haunted Church Street because I was living in my office and was flat broke - and was, as I've discussed, firmly in my monastic stage. Since I had no money I couldn't buy anything - and since I was determined to be as miserable as possible I could not engage with anyone or anything - so I spent my time literally and figuratively window-shopping at life. The last couple years I've really tried to open myself up to life and have an amazing crew of friends, so I've spent a lot of time on Church Street (in a flesh and blood form, not a spectral one). Apparently, with life as with stores, you can walk in the door.

A Real Tree

Once again, another new experience, and another one which logically should not be a new one. This year for the first time I have a real tree, after fifty years of artificial ones. It just seemed like the right time for any number of reasons. Maybe it's part of my continuing process of starting over and rebuilding my life. Last year I didn't even have a tree. I have this theory that when you've going through a divorce you have to pass through a monastic phase where you have to suffer - that you don't really deserve to enjoy anything, and not having a tree was representative of that mood. So, I sat at home, ducked a family Christmas in Chicago, read the Enright novel The Gathering, watched an Atom Egoyan movie marathon, didn't take any phone calls, and languished in a very dark place. This year, while I still struggle with issues of guilt, I'm just in a much, much better place - and thus a tree, and a real tree, just seemed like the perfect thing to do.

Biggest TV in Our Small World

On Saturday I made my way over to my friend Mike's condo to watch a basketball game. Now, anyone who knows me will testify to the fact that I normally wouldn't cross the street to watch a basketball game, which may seem strange since it's the only sport I played (and doubly troublesome because I am from Indiana, which makes me a heretic). It is made even stranger because it was a college basketball game and - again, as anyone who knows me can attest (it's one of my favorite rants) if I were czar of all sports I'd eliminate all college athletics above the club level because I think they are a cancer - thus it is even stranger that I went out of my way to watch a game. However, this was not just any game, and not simply because it was Wisconsin vs. Marquette, which I learned is a big rivalry game. This was the inaugural sporting event on Mike's new 52 inch TV that he bought off some kid for $50 (and I think the kid woke up with a horse's head in his bed). I caught the shuttle over to campus, worked out, did some grading in my office, and then caught a ride with one of my ex-students (that may be generous, because she described it as mooching a ride) and eventually made my way into the splendor - or really splendour, only the British spelling can do it justice - of Mike's magnificent new TV. It has now replaced the Taj Mahal in my list of the most awe-inspiring things I've seen with my own eyes, which is appropriate because the Taj could easily fit behind it. As always, Mike put out a good spread, so I was able to stuff my face, watch the game (which some team won) and enjoy an afternoon of convivial splendor (splendour). To wildly paraphrase Shakespeare, the other Gentlemen of Excellence who didn't make the event will think their manhood cheap (but will get a chance for a make-up on New Year's Day for college football).

The Glamorous Life: the Shuttle

Yes, and just in case anyone thinks my life is one long series of trips to Prague, I have my continuing series of the more glamorous moments that make up my day. While living at the Q is pretty sweet, getting back and forth is a challenge. Luckily the college provides pretty good shuttle service that leaves every half-hour (we're not on the main Burlington bus line - and I've let my son have my car most of the time any more so he can get back and forth to work). When I lived at the Woolen Mill in Winooski I had the choice of the college shuttle and the main Burlington bus line, so in between the two it was easy to get wherever I needed to go. This takes a little more planning. Grabbing groceries, as anyone who depends upon bus service knows, is challenge number one. Yesterday I took the shuttle up to campus to work out and then walked down the hill to the City Market to grab a few things, and then back up the hill to catch the shuttle again. However, the various Champlain shuttle runs fold together on the weekends, so they only leave any particular spot every hour and the bus then visits every location. So, I jumped on the bus with my groceries, and then we drove to the Gilbane parking lot and then on to Spinner Place in Winooski and then finally back to the Q. I think the picture is blurry because I was falling asleep.

More Trdelnik - and a backstory

Here's a picture from my last day in Prague, when I should have been packing but instead headed back down to the Old Town Square to soak up more of the holiday cheer - and eat more Trdelnik. This version was also quite good (different location than last time) but I learned a valuable lesson - insist on the Trdelnik that they are taking right off of the flame, as compared to the ones that have cooled. They're both good, but the warm ones (like any freshly baked goody, I suppose) are over the top delicious. I'm also including a picture that tells the story - or, I suspect, one of the stories - of the Trdelnik.

Czar of all (local) media

It is a testament to the life of utter mediocrity that I've led - although also shaped more than a tad by a modicum of common sense - that I've made it to age fifty without ever being on television. That changed this last week, although in a pretty pleasant way. The local station, WCAX, contacted me and wanted to do a live interview in the regards to the Professor of the Year award. I agreed, although I do not like public speaking and the entire things made me more than a little nervous. Happily, everyone I talked to at WCAX - the Associate Producer Alden Pellett, the Senior News Producer Christine Hinkel, and Mike McCune, who interviewed me (and even reporter Kristin Carlson, who when stepping aside to let me on stage said, "excuse me, professor" - if my students said that even once I'd faint) - could not have been nicer. I was waiting to walk up on stage and was chatting with Mike McCune and he was talking about what an honor the award was, and I told him that I assumed I had received it solely because I was the tallest nominee - he just laughed and said, "You don't have to tell me anything, look at me." Anyway, they all made me feel very comfortable and I actually enjoyed the experience. It's odd because the stage itself looks so nice, and then five feet beyond that in any direction it looks like a warehouse. The whole thing went very well - although, to be fair, I had pretty low goals, mainly being on stage without having my fly open, so I think I set myself up nicely for success. I have not watched the video - nor do I plan to do so - mainly because I hate the sound of my own voice, and it just makes me cringe. Seeing myself talk just destroys the self-deception that keeps me going that I'm marginically intelligent. I have a really funny class of juniors right now who were watching the video on a laptop at the beginning of class yesterday, and I almost jumped out the window. Luckily I distracted them by pointing out that my great friend Kerry Noonan was in Friday the 13th, part VI, and that set them off in another direction. Yes, I just threw one of my best friends under a bus, but this was a desperate situation.

Merry Christmas - from Oman

Occasionally I'll get subtle reminders of what an odd life I lead. My first Christmas card came today - from Muscat, Oman. This is from my friends Johanna and Francois, who are South African expats (who I first met when Johanna taught at our Champlain campus in Dubai). It is absolutely lovely, and is called Mosque Tops (for that matter, the Omani stamps are very pretty). Now, Johanna and Francois are not Islamic, but it is nevertheless charming to get your first Christmas card from the Middle East. However, it is not that rare, at least in my experience, because last year I received more Christmas cards from my Islamic friends than from my Christian ones. Hamdillah hamdillah!!

More Vienna Christmas Lights

Just a short, picture-laden post. I promised more pictures of the lovely Christmas lights of the square around St. Stephens in downtown Vienna. I arrived back after 7:00 to the Hotel Wandl after my last day's travel - this time a train trip down from Prague. It was too late to do much of anything other than grab a meal (yet another visit to Lubella's, this Italian place I visit every time I'm in Vienna - incredible Nubile Penne, one large house beer, an apple streudel and a melange - and one happy boy) and some sight-seeing.

Pitchman

One of the things that I find interesting are the American stars who would never be caught dead doing commercials in the U.S., but who do them with regularity in other parts of the world (Conan O'Brian did a pretty funny commercial parody of that one time). George Clooney is a classic example. Now, I really like Clooney, and it's not simply because of the Cincinnati connection. I like his politics, obviously, and he's certainly turned out to be a much better actor than anyone would have ever guessed. My friend David one time pointed out that if Hitchcock were still making films today he would pick Clooney to star in them, and I think that's probably a good call (think of some strange combination of Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart). Anyway, everytime I'm in eastern or central Europe I see Clooney's picture everywhere. The brand he pitches most is Nescafe, and I just saw an actual commercial that he did with John Malkevich where they're in a taxi and it somehow ends up being about Nescafe.

Chram Svateho Vita

The one full day on the entire trip that I was not travelling or giving presentations or embroiled in meetings - and thus able to devote myself to shameless sight-seeing - was the Friday after Thanksgiving. So I spent the day running all over the Prague Castle and the Mala Strana. One of the highlights was definititely visiting St. Vitus's Cathedral (Chram Svateho Vita). Even if I've been somewhat spoiled by Notre Dame and the cathedral in Toledo, Spain - it was still an awe-inspiring cathedral. Some highlights wer the sarcophagus of St. John of Nepomak (the one who was chained and tossed off the Karluva Most - and whose statue is the good luck charm on the bridge). Accroding to legend - and those determined Catholics will make up anyting to win an area back from the troublesome Protestants - at one point when his body was exhumed his tongue was found intact and pumping with blood. The tongue still has its own reliquary. The Valdstejnska Kaple (Wallenstein Chapel) is impressive. Not surprisingly, the Savatovaclavska Kaple (Chapel of St. Wenceslas - the good king of Christmas carol fame) is splendid. I guess his evil brother Boreslav (sort of like Boremir in Tolkien, I guess) owed it to Wedceslas to bury him here after killing him (he was initially buried in a church at Stara Boleslav - near where Boreslav killed him - but too many miracles associated with his remains pressured Boreslav into moving his brother's body to St. Vitus.

Thanksgiving in Prague

Even though this last trip has been pretty uniformly amazing (and, typically, I was in no mood to go and was almost dreading it), I think the most memorable experience was spending time - and getting an unexpected Thanksgiving dinner - with some amazing folks in Prague. I was visiting the Anglo-American University (more on that later) and talking to the director of international programming, Milada, when I mentioned that one of my goals for the day, it being Thanksgiving, was to find a place to grab a turkey dinner. I told her that last year in St. Petersburg my Russian friends told me that Russians just didn't do turkey. Now, what I should have thought of at the time but didn't until this trip, was that the logic approach would have been to figure out where the most popular expat bars/restaurants are and go there - figuring that they would produce a turkey dinner for their American expats. When I proposed this idea to Milada she grabbed a passing professor, who turned out to be American, and asked him where the best expat American bars are - and thus I was introduced to Ted Turneu, a truly extraordinarily nice guy. He's an American and he and his family have lived in Prague for years. He informed me that there were a couple great choices, but they had both recently closed - and then he invited me to come to his house for Thanksgiving. To say that I was floored is an understatement. I told him that he was entirely too kind and that I was trying to connive my way into a Thanksgiving meal - he laughed and told me that it was an annual tradition at his house and that I'd be joined by forty other people (it turned out to be fifty). Since he was rushing off to class he wrote directions to his house on a small sheet of paper and handed it to me. I didn't know if I would end up going because I still have business to take care of with Milada, and then make it on to the University of Economics Prague - let alone figure out the directions on his slip of papers (which included a couple trips on the Metro and then a tram ride and then a walk). Nevertheless, I decided to give it a whirl and I'm so glad I did. At the house I had a chance to talk to Ted's wife Carolyn, the founder of the feast, and their daughters Claire and Ruth. And about fifty other people. Some of them were Americans, but most were international students and faculty who wanted to see what all of this famous Ameircan gluttony is about. Apparently it's an annual tradition at his place that just keeps going. Carolyn said that the first few years they actually tracked down a frozen turkey, which turned out horribly. But then they discovered some woman who lived outside Prague who actually grows turkeys. This year's turkey was over 23 pounds and there was some initial concern that the bird was simply too big for the smallerish Czech oven and that they might have to try and partially cave in the bird's chest cavity. Luckily, everything fit, and the bird was delicious, and I thoroughly enjoined Carolyn's special family recipe of "drunken onions." Oh, and one of the American students whipped up a strawberry shortcake, one of a number of wonderful desserts. I will never forget this Thanksgiving. For a lonely soul, far away from home, it was truly something to be thankful for.