my french onion soup didn't work

[threeplusfire]

In the paper today, I read an article about the murders that happened across the street from me right before Christmas. A man stabbed his wife and son to death, and then set the house on fire. I remember coming home that morning at 4am, seeing the fire trucks on the street. There is just something that chills me about it. I grew up in this neighborhood, I knew the girl Dana who lived right next door to that family. The boy's cousin survived. How do you get up every day with the image of your uncle murdering your cousin?

I wanted to write about going to Mass at St. Austin's this afternoon. I've never been inside the church before; it's beautiful. I love old cathedrals and churches with stained glass and creaking wooden pews. I like the feeling of connection to all of the other people in the Mass, and all of the people who celebrated it here before. The ashes get on my glasses. I like seeing all the others in my classes. We nod to each other silently.

Professor P. is furious because there are plans to build a giant aquarium on the base where the Stalin statue once stood. They want to tear down the Metronome! To build a guady tourist trap in the center of Prague?! Who goes to Prague to see tropical fish?? You go to the Bahamas for that! Bah! I can't believe this. Perhaps our Czech class will write perturbed letters to the Mayor of Prague. Aquarium. How ridiculous.

Comments

[rillifane.livejournal.com]

I'm curious. What led you to concentrate on the Czech language at university? Are you of Czech descent or was it just a desire to show off by demonstrating that you are actually able to pronounce sentances like strc prst skrz krk? (Lord knows I can't do it)(and I do know there's an accent over the "c" in strc but I don't have an Eastern European font readily available)

oh that sentence is so sneaky.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

Oh, I still can't do my accented r quite right. oof. :D

Well, once upon a time I was a journalism major. Because of my overwhelming fondness for Russian literature, Cold War politics and a frantic desire to improve my writing skills, I took two years of Russian. (I was never taught the rules of grammar, and all that in school. I could do it, I just didn't know what it was.) I first read Crime & Punishment in high school, and was riveted. I've probably read that a dozen times now. Nabokov fascinates me too, paticularily in his bi-lingualism.

So I love my Russian. 3rd semester I have a fantastic Russian teacher, who happens to be friends with the professor teaching my Nabokov class. At the time I had quit journalism, and was wandering in search of a major. My professors began encouraging me to switch over to Slavic, and to take Czech classes. (They seem to like me for some reason and think I show a glimmer of intelligence.) There is something in the structure and sound of these languages that appeals to me somewhere inside. It does help that the literature, culture and politics intrigue me to no end. So I slowly got hooked, and started spending more and more time in the Slavic department.

As far as I know I have no Czech background. My father's family was mostly Germans who came to Texas for farmland, and kidnapped Comanche women for wives. The rest of my family is a typical English/French hodgepodge. I secretly long for some hidden Slavic ancestorto explain my fondness for potatos and Dostoevsky.

and another thing

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

The whole thing was some sort of coincidence/fate/universal conspiracy/act of God. I'm still not quite sure how it all really happened. But I usually blame my professors. They offer these wonderful classes and I just can't say no to them... :D