Crumbs, Laga. I'm not going to add my ha'penn'orth to all the suggestions, but I wish you all the best with this situation.

I want to go to Prague. Motherland + amazing architecture + beer

I want to go back to Prague for the same reason.

Holy crap, I didn't realise all you folks were of Czech extraction. Recently? Do you speak any Czech?

Anyway I'd wholeheartedly endorse the notion of going to Prague. The first time I went there I remember sitting in a little cafe drinking wine and looking around and saying "...oh yes. I could do this." And lo, I did go back and live in the Czech Republic for a year after Uni, teaching EFL (albeit I was in Moravia, in Brno, rather than in Bohemia. Which meant better wine). I've not been back for a good number of years, though - would love to return.

And of course a couple of years later I ended up working for Pilsner Urquell's teeny tiny UK office - just me and 2 Czech blokes, and a handful of sales people scattered about the country. Ah, those were the days. Not my most intellectually stimulating job, and God knows I suck at admin, but you've got to love a job where your line leader says "...Fay, I'm getting a beer. Would you like one?" and you get to sit and drink delicious cold beer while generating invoices badly.

Also, as I've said before, I love that my CV can state with all honesty that I have organised a piss-up in a brewery. Several piss-ups, in fact. (The brewery being the one in Pilsen, home of Pilsner Urquell - or Plzensky Prazdroj, to give it its proper name.)

Sorry, that's very mememe - but I'm very 'Yay, Czech Republic!' And this is why.

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So, Fay, do you know if they're still hiring?

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I have definitely decided not to make any potentially life altering decisions while I have PMS.

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I think that's a pretty good call Laga.

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I wish I had studied occlumency so I could watch the episode of Heroes that's in Dennis' brain right now.

edit: oh but then he'd have to watch again with me.

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Annabel story of the day:

I've been playing music in the car instead of listening to NPR while taking her to and from daycare because our local station is in pledge drive mode. Thursday I was playing a mix CD I'd designed for one of my writing projects and happily singing along to "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Miz. Annabel said, "No singing, Mommy. You can sing later." I was a bit surprised, because I'd always thought she liked it when I sang.

Today I put the same CD in. The first song was a Celtic folk arrangement of "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier," just a nice simple ballad with a clear-voiced mezzo soprano on the solo. As it drew to a close, Annabel said. "I love this song." I said I liked it a lot too. The next song was "Do You Hear the People Sing?" I asked her if she liked it and she said, "No, I can't like this one." (She tends to say she can't like something rather than she doesn't like it.) We were nearly to the daycare at this point, so I promised her there would be a different song playing when I came to pick her up. She said, "Oh, OK," and that was that.

This afternoon I didn't say anything about the music as I took her to the car and buckled her in. We were discussing her field trip to a pumpkin patch, and she was showing off the small pumpkin they gave her (which, incidentally, she insisted upon kissing goodnight at bedtime). I drove off, and we just listened to the music, which happened to be a bagpipe solo closing off an arrangement of "The Trooper and the Maid." After a moment, out of the blue, she said, "I like this song, too."

Next up was yet more Celtic music (I like it, and it suits the era and style of my writing), a song whose first line is "The ploughman, he's a bonny lad..." Annabel burst out laughing, and said, "A song about a bunny--that's SILLY. That's a FUNNY song."

As we pulled into the driveway I asked her if she liked listening to music better than the news, and she said yeah. I promised to make more mix CDs.

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Annabel sounds adorable.

Oooh, Prague sounds fun.

I'm debating whether or not to go to Israel for spring break again this year. I've got enough money, but I'm not sure that this is what I want to spend it on. There are a few other Alternative Spring Break trips that look interesting, or I might just want to relax. But I know that, by that time of year, I'm usually aching to travel somewhere.

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I didn't realise all you folks were of Czech extraction. Recently? Do you speak any Czech?

Nope. Grandpa came over either in the womb or as a wee baby - he doesn't even know the name of the village his family lived in pre-emigrating. Also, our(his) last name would suggest we are from Moravia, but Grandma seems to think Grandpa's brother was born near Prague. Grandpa doesn't remember anything. So.

Also, much like I'd like to have proper Guinness (you know, in Ireland), I'd like to have proper Pilsner Urquell.

"A song about a bunny--that's SILLY. That's a FUNNY song."

SO CUTE.

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Fay, these stories are not helping my swoon problem, you realize this, yes?

I didn't realise all you folks were of Czech extraction. Recently? Do you speak any Czech?

Um, well for about 36 years now ;-) Seriously, at least 3 generations in the states. My sister has the family tree. AFAIK, we are pure Bohemian. I would *LOVE* to go and visit. I wish I could speak the language. Ugg. I need a sugar-momma, a benefactor, a trust fund, a winning lotto ticket, SOMETHING so I can afford to travel.

I have definitely decided not to make any potentially life altering decisions while I have PMS.

{{{{{LAGA}}}}}. that probably is for the best. On the whole, I think, no matter what, you must keep up your relationship with your sister. Be politely cold to asshat, and let the chips fall. Either way, I'd say, don't let him get to you like this. he's not worth it!

As for paint. I learned from a scenic artist friend, who asked me, a sound guy on crutches, to come help paint her new apartment years ago, then shoo'd me out as I was doing it wrong (ya think!). There is an art form to painting in a timely manner, that if you let it dry partially, and paint over it, it will have a different hue then if you paint it while wet, or after fully dry. Primer also helps. And different painting implements leave different finishes, which change the perceived hue (brush vs roller vs foam edge roller, etc).

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I was actually able to find it, awesome!

Baby Blanket Pattern

A little late, I know, but thanks -t!

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