Maggie the Cat

I grew up watching old movies, or "classics" as they call them these days. My favorite films starred women who were dazzling, sexy, brash, smart, funny and full of moxie. I knew from a young age that being a womancould be way more fun than being a man. Women like Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Stanwyck, and of course Elizabeth Taylor shaped the woman I would one day become. Dame Liz died this week leaving a large pair of stilettos to be filled by todays actresses. 

Elizabeth Taylor never apologised for the way she lived her life, and I loved that about her. She collected big jewels, husbands, gossip and acclaim. She lived her life loud and with passion - she was frank, sexual and fierce. She was a real woman. Elizabeth Taylor had opinions about everything and wasn't afraid of what the press or the public would think about them. She was a Hollywood icon, a feminist and a personal hero of mine. 

Liz Taylor took on roles that challenged the conventional ideas of women. Her very first role (at age 12!) in National Velvet was ground breaking. She played a female jockey. She didn't stop there. Liz went on to play single mothers, call girls, queens, and women who had to fight for their loves, their lives and their sanity.

My favorite film of hers is "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" where she played the crazy, abusive, alcoholic Martha. There was nothing glamorous about this role. She was fat, ugly and frightening. She was mean, cruel and totally bad ass. And Liz took the role without a thought about what it would do to her "image". 

I think that is a lesson that today's leading ladies could stand to learn. It's not about what people think of you, or what the press has to say about you. It is about being yourself at all times and not giving a shit. She stood up for what she believed in both personally and professionally and she did it with class. I think that most actresses today are too afraid of "bad press" to stand up for anything, or take on challenging roles professionally. Liz would have NEVER played a woman who's only goal in life was to catch a man. She would have never taken a role that made women look cheap and stupid. I couldn't imagine Katherine Heigl or Anne Hathaway taking on the roles that Elizabeth Taylor did, and doing them without a single excuse or apology. 

And that is class. Liz Taylor will be missed, but more than that she will be remembered.

London

Canal in Hackney where I am staying

Bette Midler once said, “When it's three o'clock in New York, it's still 1938 in London.” She has obviously never been to Prague. Getting off of the plane in London was like getting out of a time machine - London is a bustling, fast paced, big city. It is also an English speaking country. Cool beans. 

One of the first people I met here was a girl who I'll call "Beth". She is what I would call a typical London Party Girl. She is in her late twenties, she knows everybody in the bar and she is loud. She prizes fashion above all else and makes a living off of getting free drinks where ever she goes. She even boasted about knowing all the Taxi Drivers in the neighborhood. She also does taxidermy. I made the mistake of calling her a Brit and was told in no uncertain terms that she isn't British - she is a Londoner. I said, "I might just be a stupid American, but isn't London a part of Britain?" She said that of course it was, "but you wouldn't go around calling Irish people British, would you?" I though for a moment and decided that this was one of those conversations that would eventually get me right smack dab in the middle of nowhere. Welcome back to London.

This is Byron in front of his bar in Hackney - Off Broadway

This isn't my first time in London, far from it actually. I was first here five years ago, all by myself on my way to Prague. My oldest and dearest friend Byron now lives here and runs a fantastic cocktail bar in Hackney called Off Broadway. So I am staying with him this time and eating my way through the city. Yesterday we walked through the neighborhood that I had stayed in, and it looked completely different. It was built up and there were plenty of new places to eat and hang out that were not there even five short years ago. 

We meandered through all of the markets and booths on Brick Lane. There was food from every part of the world and it all smelled delicious. I  love the markets here and I wish Prague had something like it. There are stalls for designers, antiques, food, flowers, crap you would never want in a million years and ... you get the picture. Prague doesn't really have a big art/design community. There are a lot of artists in Prague, but there isn't much of an outlet for them. This is something I would like to see change, and something I might look into changing. 

Everything is super expensive here compared to Prague, so that I don't envy. But the Museums are incredible. Today I plan to see my favorite museum The Tate Modern. I also plan to sing karaoke tonight making total countries I have sang in - 4. Operation Karaoke World Domination is off to a slow start, but I am not a Londoner. I don't need a fast paced hustle and bustle lifestyle. I just need a little space, good food and ten to fifteen adoring fans a week. 

Cabin Fever

Spring, last year: Riegrovy Sady

Winter is not for the faint of heart here in Praha. It's kind of like the Lord of the Rings movies: It lasts a really long time and just when you think its over... it keeps going. Most people dwelling in the city of spires anxiously await Spring, and I am no different. Bring it on.

For the last four months or so I have been really cold. The sun sets here about 3pm in the winter, and doesn't show up again until after 7am the next day. And when Mr. Sun does manage to peek through the gloom he doesn't provide much in the way of excitement. It has basically been cold and dark here for the past four months. I have been spending ample time in the "Hobit Hole" (Wow. I need to let up on the LotR references) just waiting for the first sign of spring.

And I have seen the light! For the past couple of weeks Prague has managed to break out of winter and embrace spring. Spring is one of my favorite times of year here because everyone (and I mean EVERYONE!) is ready to get outside and play in the sun. The trees begin to bloom with the most brilliant colors and the folks of Prague try to do the same. (Honestly. There is a guy who goes to "tan" every year in Riegrovy Sady park. We call him "Bronze Guy". He wears a shiny gold Speedo and sits on his towel - one knee up, elbow on knee. I should mention that Bronze Guy is probably about 65 years old and has the typical Czech belly. HOT.)

First beer of the season: Letna

Aside from the pretty trees and interesting people to watch, there is the annual opening of the Beer Garden. This is the place where I (and most people here) spend their Spring and Summer. There are ample Beer Gardens in Prague, but the most popular are Letna, Riegrovy Sady and Vysehrad. Each offer cheap beers, awesome views and super sweet parks to play in. Living and working in Prague through the intense and long Winter is completely worth it once Spring peeks out through the gray sky. People who leave Prague in the Spring or Summer are just plain stupid. I don't think you could find a more relaxed and fun place to spend time in the sun.

I am still sitting in the Hobit Hole, even as I type this post because it is raining again today. And it will probably rain and get really cold at least one more time after this. But I can handle it. I know Spring is just around the corner and hell, eventually even Frodo left the Shire in search of grand adventures.

Man... I really need to get out more....

Superhero

This is me as I see myself daily.

I am a superhero, and I have the scars to prove it. I have no qualms about sharing this information with you because unlike Spiderman or Iron Man, I don't harbor a secret identity. I was just born with certain abilities that make me way more of a bad ass than your average Joe.

I guess I should clarify a few things. First, I don't have actual "super powers". I was not born "The chosen one" and I don't have super strength. I cannot leap tall buildings in a single bound, nor can I fly or shoot bursts of telekinetic energy from any part of my body. I am not a descendant of an Amazon tribe of warrior babes (obviously), and I was not jettisoned to earth in order to ensure my survival. I am more like Batgirl or Batman - I can do cool shit.

My origins are fuzzy. Many think that like Elektra, I come from Greek decent. Others think that like Batwoman - I am jewish. I'll take them all. I am adopted and I kind of enjoy the ambiguity surrounding my past. It allows me to believe things about myself that other people just don't have the luxury to do. For instance I happen to believe that I am the illegitimate and unclaimed daughter of a Chinese Queen, thus making me a Chinese Princess. (This is true by the way. I thought it up when I was a little kid. The story goes that my mom - the Queen - had an illicit affair with a white dude and was forced to give me up or die. So... that's how I ended up in Sunny California.)

I have been honing my powers since birth. For starters, I have absolute cat-like vision in the dark. It's great because my flat is super dark all the time and I never trip. My voice (both singing and non singing) can bring a room full of people to a complete halt. This came in handy recently when a couple of guys attacked me on the street. I have no doubt that it was my voice that saved my from further harm. Every time I see the scars on my chest and knees I thank god for that powerful voice of mine. And then there is my stature. As a tiny person, people tend to underestimate me. At 4'11 its an easy thing to do. But the cool thing about me is that I often times appear taller! Half the time I strut about Prague as if I am 6'7. I have a confidence so powerful that sometimes it boosts me up like a phone book does for me when I drive.

I have some other powers, but if I told you about them I'd have to elaborately kidnap you and hold you for ransom. And believe me, there would be a pit of alligators involved at some point. But whether my powers are hidden secrets that only a select few know of, or they are common knowledge, they are still Super Powers. There is nothing at all un-super about me. And I pity the fool who tries to tell me different.

30 Days of Song...All at Once

Sorry kids, reposting all these videos is far too much work for me, so here is the link to my NEW blog site. Become a fan. Subscribe or whatever.

http://alicia-prague-blog.com/2011/03/04/30-days-of-song-all-at-once/

Hobbit Hole

I affectionately refer to my flat as "The Hobbit Hole". It is small, dark and cozy. Leaving my flat in the day time might give you the same feeling as opening those heavy Vegas hotel room curtains first thing in the morning after a night that was the equivalent of two Fridays and a Saturday. Some folks have called my flat a "glorified dorm room", while others have called it "The Black Hole". Basically, once you come inside my itty bitty flat, you just don't want to leave. 

I have the rare pleasure of living alone in Prague, thus the tiny flat. Most teachers here live with at least one flatmate, usually more. English teaching in Europe sure soundsglamorous, but if you are looking to make money you are looking in the wrong place. I pay a very large portion of my very small salary to my rent so that I can live alone.

 The Hobbit Hole has everything I need. I have a shower, a washing machine, a kitchen, a big bed and utilities/internet included. I also get the added bonus of having heated bathroom floor tiles. (A friend of mine suggested that I sleep in there because it is so incredibly awesome.) But I don't have a stove, and I can't really have "people" over. I can have about one guest at a time. So no dinner parties for me. But, the trade-off is that I do get my privacy. I don't have to worry about putting on clothes when scurrying to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I can have a fella over if I so choose and not have to worry about a flatmate and their proximity to my room. I can have an underwear dance party anytime, and as loud as I want. These things are worth more to me than a stove.

I am working on my fifth year as an expat and one thing that I have learned about myself is that I don't really need anything. When I look at my life before moving here I am baffled by the amount of "stuff" that I felt I needed. I needed a car, a billion pairs of shoes, cool furniture, a TV, cable, a computer... But I am happy to say that if I needed to, I could fit my life into a suitcase and run. That is cool. The Hobbit Hole is a reflection of how I have scaled back my life to the point that actually fit in this little, tiny space. 

I like my life here. I like having a four-day work week. I like getting off of work at 1pm and hanging out with my friends drinking beer in the park. I like being able to schedule my work around my social life - and not the other way around. I am so happy to have people in my life here that support me and pretty much think I'm bad ass. The friends I have here don't look at my little flat and think, "Awww... how sad. She lives alone in that little dorm room." 

No. They think, "Fuck man. I wish I had heated floor tiles..."