Prague Journal

Saturday, July 23, 2005.

It’s still dreary and rainy, not at all like summer. We hear that Denver has 105-degree weather. If that persists, we will surely be in for a “temperature shock” when we return next week. Today I have started making a list of final things to do, including paying final bills, closing my bank account, backing up my computer, etc. I’ve already sent change-of-address forms to my US banks, securities, and credit card companies. Among things on the to-do list: 2004 taxes, sabbatical report, syllabus and book orders for fall classes. My committee obligations start August 4 (although I can gracefully back out of this first meeting if I want to). Fortunately, I had some time to think about my DU obligations this afternoon, so I have made a course outline and activated my Blackboard container. I still have two manuscripts to review, but they should be easily finished tomorrow.
Rick and I had a delightful evening with Jana and Edvard Outrata. Rick said he has not had such a pleasantly stimulating, deeply intellectual and worldly discussion of world affairs in quite a long time! Jana and Edvard are highly educated, well-traveled, and well-read, so it was interesting to hear their take on world affairs and Czechs (and views of Czechs). Edvard is in his last senate term, so we are eager to see what his next “retirement” looks like – he surely won’t be idle. Jana’s International Women’s Network has been renamed “ALTISA,” and she is still a women’s advocate and social activist. She gave me a copy of her new book, “Where is my Home?” which is just recently available in Czech, as “Not Stepping Twice Into the Same River.” We had been invited to come at 5pm for “a glass of wine,” which was poured from a vat that Edvard had gotten directly from the vintner in Moravia. Jana served several spreads and pate, a delicious cauliflower-cheese soufflé, and rum (tuzemák )-berry custard. We had intended to eat dinner at home afterwards, but were both quite full when we left their house at 7pm.
If you’ve been following the Tour de France, you know that Lance Armstrong won the penultimate stage today, thus securing his lead. Armstrong’s time for the 55-km time trial around St. Etienne was 1 hour, 11 minutes and 46 seconds, 23 seconds ahead of Germany’s Jan Ullrich. This puts Lance’s overall race lead at 4:40 over second-place Ivan Basso of Italy. Tomorrow Armstrong will ride past the Arc de Triomphe and up the Champs-Elysées to his seventh victory. Amazing.

posted by JWinn @ 10:22 PM