Random thoughts

· Last week the once wildly popular German Interior Minister, Joska Fisher, faced an investigatory commission on live, primetime television. At issue was his lack of supervision, which, critics claim, resulted in allowing too many visa-applicants into Germany; this in turn has resulted in higher crime.
At one point in the proceedings, Fisher partially accepted fault for the actions of his agency, even going so far as to say, "My mistake was…"
While this was obviously a reluctant apology littered with qualifications, for me it was a refreshing thing to see: a politician actually admitting to having made a mistake.

· The outgoing Czech Prime Minister, Stanislav Gross, is 35 years old. Thirty-five and he's already been a PM. What the hell have I been doing with my life?

· Two weeks ago in Prague I saw some dumbass kid walking around with the number of the beast on his t-shirt.

· Also in Prague: I was riding the metro on one of the newer trains they have – the ones with straps and orange bars to hang on – when the train pulled into a station. I was standing back from the doorway watching all the people negotiate their way in and out when some jasper wearing a long black jacket and carrying a really big duffle bag and an assault rifle nonchalantly stepped onto the train.
Jasper – he had short black hair – looked up and down the train before doing an about-face and standing in the doorway, facing the platform. He was just in front of me.
Two unobservant policemen walked past on the platform.
Jasper put his duffle bag on the ground and it made clanking metal noises. Then he held the rifle with both hands, as if he was standing for inspection.
Fuck this, I thought, and stepped off the train right before the doors closed.
I expected the tunnel to be filled with bullets or an explosion any second, so I hurried up to the street and hung out for a few minutes, mentally preparing myself to help rescue the survivors.
But nothing happened. At least that I heard of.

· Our refrigerator has been broken for three weeks and the landlords have been dragging their feet about replacing it. So we've been using the windowsill for keeping our food relatively fresh. FYI, European birds don't like leftover tuna fish, but do like butter, cheese, and Hungarian salami.

· At a party last Saturday, I had to endure a twenty-minute conversation with a close-talker with bad breath.

· My neighbor organized a wine-tasting tour last Sunday. Ten of us joined a group of 70 or so and walked through the town of Freyburg and into the surrounding hills where the vineyards are located, stopping at six of the hilly plots to taste the white wines produced from the respective fruits.
It was a warm day and the refreshing wine went down a trifle too easy. Plus, some of our group were from Hamburg and had to drive home that day, so I sometimes tasted the wine twice. And if I was quick enough, I could wrangle my way through the crowd for seconds.
Sunshine, springtime, good wine and good friends. It was a truly lovely day.

· An excerpt of my forthcoming novel was recently selected for inclusion in an anthology, which is the first whiff of success I've had in the publishing game. With Jarmila there to share in the excitement, I did the pogo dance, the locomotion, and the moonwalk when I found out. Let me know if you want to buy a copy.