The Holidaze Are Coming

The holidays are nearly upon me and I find myself wondering how badly I'll miss home, friends, parents, sisters, and all the things back home.

I want to hug Clay, Jon, Xena... and maybe even Chuck. I miss them, and they are as much a part of my home as the wood, tiles, and plaster that makes up my house.

The reality is, based on timing and available money, that I may stay in Europe for the holidays. Of course, my bestest Rainer has invited me to Malta for the holidays - and that really does sound ok this year.

Kolaches, But Not The Texas Way

Last night was cold and I was feeling sick. Flu, head cold, something... It's still there actually. Paris left me with a gift.

I was talking to a Czech friend, Jirka, who offered to come over and make kolaches with me. Back in central Texas, we have kolaches - but not like they make here in Czech Republic. So it sounded like a fun idea, and we baked away - all the while watching the Czech version of Maleficent.

I understood a few words... "Hello", "Goodbye", and "Thank You".

That said, I think the kolaches turned out alright... The recipe called for a lot of dough and not a lot of fruit. I kind of prefer the ratio of dough/fruit the way it is in Austin... A lot of fruit and a little dough.

In any case, they tasted alright!

The Good, The Bad, And The Pretty

After my separation at the end of last year, I've been dating a bit and making my way back out in the world. For those of you that don't know... I'm bisexual. And since I've been in Prague, I've gone out with guys and girls. Generally though, my greater happiness lies with guys.

There are definitely things I like and don't like about the dating scene here - as you can probably imagine.

I'm just going to say that the dating apps are a forgone conclusion when it comes to gay/bi expats... especially when there are language barriers. Merits of the dating apps aside for a moment, they do provide a snapshot of the available market and give a sense of what the people physically look like and what they're looking for from someone else.

In Prague... The gay guys are pretty and standards are high.

(Actual photo of a Czech guy that I met for a drink, pretty representative of a lot of guys here.)

Luckily, I look decent enough to get dates - but that's not the concern. The issue is the culture those standards can sometimes foster. Sometimes - often times, I find myself hating elitist types.

The other challenge when talking to guys on dating apps in Prague is that this might be the first picture you receive...

(Actual photo I received... No "hello"... in fact, no words!)

It's a seriously fetish culture here. I'm not going to get into my boudoir habits, but I'm pretty vanilla compared to most people here. 

For those of you that don't know much about Prague and the sexual culture here, Prague is hands down the capital of porn in Europe. Maybe other things, too. I've met lots of models and actors at the bars now. Reminds me a bit of being back in LA.

Anyway, I'm not sure where this was going other than the uncertainty of not really being hungry for what Prague is serving when it comes to elitists and fetishists. I've made some friends here (that are good looking!) that have told me stories about getting quick rejections because they don't have a six pack. Yeah...

All that said, a classic 'dinner and a movie' date would be amazing.

Paris: Home Of The Best Burger I've Ever Had

Ahhh, Paris! Look, it's Rue de Merde!

I recently had a chance to come back to Paris on a work trip to host a party. I work for a company called Cashplay - which operates in the mobile game space. We help mobile game developers make more money with their games by enhancing skill games with cash tournaments. It's actually pretty damned cool.

Anyhow, we sponsored a live cash tournament at Game Connection in Paris last week alongside Pocket Gamer - one of the most well known media outlets for mobile games.

The party was an absolute blast! I caught up with old friends and made lots of new ones. Let's face it... you're the pretty girl at the dance if you're giving away cash. The big surprise on this trip? I had the best burger ever... and it wasn't in Texas. It was at a place called Chez Papa in Paris' 15 arr.

Estonia... A Very Pleasant Surprise

I recently attended a conference called 'Game Jam' on behalf of my company, Cashplay. The conference was held in Tallinn, Estonia.

Of course, I didn't know what to expect - and I was very pleasantly surprised. There's a very cool combination of gothic era architecture merged with modern buildings. Don't tell the Czechs this, but their English was generally better than what I have encountered in Prague. It also has a very mobile tech culture of not only usage, but programming and development as well. And WiFi was available everywhere... I mean everywhere, even the parks.

The food was quite good. There's a lot of international cuisine in Tallinn, and all of it is delicious. I hosted a dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant which served better prepared food than any equivalent I've had back home in Austin, Texas. I also met some great people in the process. Special hugs to Kadri and Kati.

I just realized, that's probably the highest point in terms of latitude I've ever been!

The Harry-est Potter

In September, I was able to visit London for two days and stayed with an old friend - Susan Bolten. She and I attended sister? brother? high schools in California and I haven't seen her in person for probably 15 years or longer. It was absolutely amazing to spend time with her again and it was meaningful to me to be able to reconnect with her.

In her infinite wisdom, she treated me with a day trip to Leavesden Studios near London where the Harry Potter films were made.

As you can imagine, it was absolute candy for me. Many of the sets were full-on, real. I was able to run across the exploding bridge, touch the giant chess pieces, and ride Hagrid's motorcycle. Life is good.

Prague Has A Zoo?

Not just any zoo, but the best zoo I've ever seen in my life. All the animals I'd expect, and many I didn't, were represented here in a very animal-conscious way. It also helped that it was a beautiful day and everything was clearly visible.

It really was a perfect day. I just happened to be able to spend it with my best friend from Malta - Rainer Borg.

And my favorite creature in the animal kingdom is, without a doubt, the tiger.