Miscellaneous thoughts

1. Fast food is oddly popular here. There's a McDonalds, Burger King or KFC on every block in the main section of town, and they are almost always packed. Signs are on almost every street corner as well saying "KFC, 200m" or "BK 90m". I guess American fast food is just good business no matter where you are in the world.
2. I haven't touched my smart phone since I've been here, and it has been a wonderful feeling. I only use my computer in the evenings between dinner and bars to write out my thoughts, but for the most part, I have felt very detached and free. I missed that feeling this summer because I did not spend it away at summer camp, so I'm treating this experience like I would summer camp. 
3. Last night I went to a club called "Meet Factory", which was designed by a very famous Czech artist named David Czerny from an old meat factory. I thought it was really cool, as most of the club took place in one giant warehouse type room. My roommate introduced me to some of his artistic friends, who were really interesting. They brought me to a back room where they sold their artwork and cut watermelons with large axes. A winning combination if I've ever seen one. 
4. I've been thinking a lot about ideas for my film and now I honestly just cannot wait for my film classes to begin. FAMU orientation begins Monday, and while I have big exciting plans for this weekend (we're going to the largest club in Europe!), I actually think I'm more pumped for Monday...
5. At first I thought dogs were just never leashed here and owners just trust them to be smart enough to not run into the busy streets, but now I have a different theory. Prague is overrun with stray dogs. Almost none of them have collars. Last night a few of us were at a small bar downtown and a little rat dog that I thought belonged to someone in the bar runs out of the bar, down the street, turns a corner and never comes back. 
6. I fell asleep thinking about one of my movie ideas--Chess if you recall me mentioning that earlier--which deals with a disturbed child who finds solace and understanding through a game of chess with an old man in a park which then leads him to confront his drunken abusive father. With these thoughts in mind, I drifted into slumber where I  had extremely vivid dreams about my own family and the relationship I have with my father. In it, we had a huge screaming match about something minuscule and pointless (packing, I believe). I felt anger and sadness towards him, which I never feel towards either of my parents, and I hated it, which showed me how strong my characters will feel when they reach their point of emotional release. It made me realize that perhaps I've been underestimating how strongly my main character will actually feel once he confronts his father. I've never really had parental issues in my life so it's sort of difficult for me to empathize, but now I have a clearer understanding how heavy a fight with a parent can feel, and I hope I can bring that intensity to my film.
7. I had the best lasagna of my life for dinner last night. Just thought you should know. 
8. I've never really had good style, but I'm determined to change that while I'm here in Europe. I hope to come back looking sharp and well-dressed, and I may even sport a Euro haircut, but we'll see how that pans out :P

That's probably good for now. I'm about to go on a run with Jose to the park up the street which overlooks the entire city, so that should be fairly pretty. Hopefully the copious amount of beer and food I've consumed over the past week doesn't drag me down too much before I even reach the top of the hill. 

As they say in Czech, Tak Zatim!