Yesterday

I went to a cafe yesterday, grabbed a miniscule bit of time to escape.  Here's all I had time to write there:

Escape to cafe in Palác Knih Luxor bookshop on Vaclavák.  I needed this.  I should try to allow more time for this, if it is at all possible. (I know, immediately, the bank manager in my head says, "NO! IT ISN'T POSSIBLE!  DO YOU WANT TO END UP HOMELESS?!"  But I think he's a Nazi and I'm refusing to listen to him.)

I've got myself a ,Viděnská káva' - one in a tall glass with whipped cream and a long spoon - and I'm sitting behind a woman who must be in her 60s but looks like she's in her 70s (everyone looks older than they are here) who's reading an article headed ,,Sex je modus života", which must translate as 'Sex is a way of living', or 'Sex is the way to live' or some such notion.  I just hope she's getting some, not just having to longingly read about it mournfully.

There is a new row of photography books across the walkway.  I can see about 4 or 5 different Josef Sudek ones, which means they must have re-published his work in  categories, such as portraits, still life, landscapes etc.  He had some beautiful, dreamy pictures of garden steps and of his own little studio and I used to love looking at them.

Once again, I can't stop and enjoy things here.  I've got to get back for a Czech lesson but maybe it's just as well, as there are so many interesting things I could buy here, from Vogue posters (499Kč a pop) to those Sudek collection books, to silly children's books and about a hundred magazines...

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So that was that.  Today, I have had tantalising amounts of free time, but so little energy - I think the heat is making me wilt - and I should have done something useful and important, but I neeeeeded to do something enjoyable.  It was an emergency.  Like buying apricot shower gel and then apricots to eat was a total necessity yesterday.  I'm so glad I spent a little bit of money on frivolous nice things like that.  It has done me good.  I hope the money will just come back to me from somewhere and that the fact that I've handed in my notice to the institution that was killing me (for whom I have to work only two more weeks) will not result in my inability to pay the rent come August.  I am determined it won't.  (By hook or by crook...)