Czech sweets

Old Czech Christmas tradition says you should bake a lot of small sweet cakes and buiscuits similar to those on the picture. My grandma and my mum spent many hours preparing these (on the picture you see only 1% of the final amount). Its delicious!!

Old town square

I brough the first snow. Since early November, people here have not seen a snow. Yesterday, we saw a few inches, though. Our old town square looks just adorable, dont you think?

I came home on 23rd late evening. The day after, my parents, sister and her boyfriend took a walk in a newly reconstructed area along the Ohre river in my hometown. In the background , you can see our castle from 13th century and the fort. I was nicely surprised by all changes which have been made her within only a year.

Mirela at the London airport

Then I flought back to Chicago, and London. There was a fog emergency issued at the London airport. I stayed here for almost 10 hours. Fortnutaly, everything run really fast since I met here my good friend Mirela from South Dakota. She was waiting for a next flight to Bukurest, her booked flight was cancelled two days before. I felt worry for her but I was glad I could stayed and talked to her

I left Brookings on 20th of December and headed to Pensilvania to visit my old friend Vipin after more than 1.5 years. Pensilvania really remind me of the Czech Republic with its sligh hilly landscape. We went to Philadelphia and also to New York.

For me, this was the first time in New York. Times Square, Rockefeller center.. just in few hours we saw most of the places which make New York famous. I really liked the caleidoscop show at the main station.

My two new friends

These are my two vey good friends. Mirela who introduced me to a great Rumanian musica and "crazy Eric" whose website you can visit if you scroll upper right and click on the Erics\'s link.

Makovy Strudl, Poppyseed Sttrudel

Happy Thanksgiving!
Some poppyseed for thanksgiving? My mum provided me with a good recipe. Here we are..

250 g of flour (the smoother the better)
1 egg
2 spoons of vineger
3 spoons of water
50 g of butter
little salt
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Mix everything together so that you have one complex piece and let the dough rest for an hour in the refrugirator. Then use the rolling pin to do make a thin layer as on pict. 1
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and the filling? Boil poppyseed with little of milk for 2o minuts, graze apples, mix both with razins and seeve for the liquids. Put onto prepared strudel layer and roll. Bake for aprox. 30 minuts on 450 F. DOBROU CHUT!!

Brazilian COOL Music

Hello my friends, My friend from Columbia introduced me to some cool music. If you would be interested listen to:
Elis Regina & Tom Jobim

Carlos is fixed

Seems that Carlos is OK by now. Doesnt look as pretty as before, but has its own shape again..Happy Thanksgiving my friends

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Am I so conservative? Maybe, let me know

I saw this movie last friday, thought about the gags and jokes over weekend and tried to evaluated everything. Did not change my first impression, though. How can Sacha Cohen publish rude and irritating jokes about nation most of the Americans do not have any clue about.

In my opinion, these types of jokes are not suppose to be presented as a "blockbuster" movie. Why? I will give you an example. I saw this movie with my friend and 30 American teenagers (the only audience which came) in a movie theater in South Dakota. Most of them never heard about this state and think actually that its a part of Russia. This was their first impression about the ninth largest country in the world.

I like Sacha's type of humor. To some extent this reminds me of Monty Python. They however make fun of things people are familiar with. Borat is the type of movie which nations do about themselves, but in most cases do not allow to go abroad, especially not to the US.

Birthday

My mum is always saying.."I dont beleive that the girl (meanim me) is in America, when we call each other, its like her calling from Prague".. and y see, another proof, czech bread, czech cabbage soup, everything in czech, even the flovours look czech...

Thank you!

Thanks for all the concerns. Beleive me, I am allright. I just put the picture here in order to warn any potential drivers who do think that nothing can happen on a small road..

Macek

Deer hunting season in the Midwest

uph.. a good advice, dont hunt from your car!!

State Farm estimates that 1.5 million vehicles collide with deer every year, resulting in $1.1 billion in vehicle damages.

So..in a nutshell...I was really lucky.

Comment on CO2

I heard about the possibility to sell your CO2 surplus before and agreed with that. What, however, surprised me recently was to such extent did this trade developed. This whole thing was first inniciated as an action which should support CO2 reduction in future. Yet it dramatically increased the number of companies which are spending more time searching for cheap CO2 rates than trying to decrease the actual CO2 production. The european CO2 carbon exchange program has its own websites, the whole process takes place online. Clean, without any emission. Companies may not even realize what is really being traded.
Some inspiration??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmnTLKHtKnA

7 Steps to HABANA

This group was full of musical surprises, but Viviana Pintado (piano) was just amazing

Trip to Minneapolis&St. Paul, the home of SNOOPY

My new roommate in my new apartment

SOFIA is my new roommate. After a 3 year experience of sharing appartment with my friends from Iran, Armenia and Turkey, I decided that I already know enough about middle East :-) .. Sofia is from Columbia, lets practise little spanish now..

Back to Brookings

Our trip is over. For a while we will be living in our memories. We had a great time, saw amazing sites and concluded the whole journey in a very friendly atmosphere with some of my best friends..
below you see a) some of my friends from Selleck Hall and newcoming czech students in Lincoln, b) Mr. Vosoba and Mrs. Callehan... Mr. Vosoba almost and Anicka fluent in czech, c) at the bottom GO BIG RED, Larry and Caroline Ruth

Ruby Beach, Olympic Nat. Park

Honestly, I have never seen something like that before. Here you really feel the strength of the ocean and get to know who is leading this planet.

Olympic National Park

Entering Olympic National Park

Look for my parents...

Cape Disappoointment

Canona Beach

Pacific Ocean, Hug Point, South of Canona Beach

Pacific Ocean in Oregon, Waldport

Crabbs, where are you?

We got the most thorough describtion how to catch crabbs from my really good friends Georgio and Martina. Yet did not catch anything. Never mind, we had a really good time and got to know a lot of local people. We also were a source of amousement, especially for the small seelion which was floating around.

Giorgio and Martina in Corvalis

Columbia river Valley and its wineries

Beautiful view from the historical highway along I84, also the Columbia valley discovery center was worth visiting













And Mount Hood at the background, it was 85F yesterday, the forecast says it should snow tomorow..

Cascade Mountains close to Highway 20

No comment..these pictures talk for them own..


































Only one comment..
this is the proud driver of our SUBARU forester

Whale Watching, departure Anacortes

Amazing journey.. highly recommended!!

Anacortes

COOOLD on the boat to San Juan Islands

Fort Casey State Park

Cocking in the wilderness

Fort Casey State Park

Seattle State Park, oposite Washon Island

Chicago

The Hancock building













The Pier at night

BIG DAY, Graduation August 2006

Yes, that small dott in the middle..thats me



























My very good friend Marianna, also August 2006 graduate.