Gmail finally gave me some invitations. I have 5 left, anyone's interested?
I need some first and last name and a valid email address to send 'em. Mine is johanka AT gmail DOT com.

It's his birthday today, yes! Me and forget... I was surprised to find quite a few titles by Thomas G. Masaryk on Amazon, even some Czech originals! Out of print/stock though, better order some from Kosmas.cz, the critical edition of his complete works.

Modern Man and Religion is a good one, I can highly recommend, the style hasn't aged at all (very passionate indeed!), some parts of it remind me of cultural studies. I enjoyed it as much as, if not more than Česká otázka (=The Meaning of Czech Nation ?). Talks with TGM by Karel Čapek is highly popular and probably good to start with, but I wouldn't rely on it too much. I'm now several dozens of pages into The Social Question (Masaryk on Marx), but the question is when I finish it because I'm also several pages into a dozen of other books. ;-)

Needless to say, the legendary Philosopher-President and founder of Czechoslovakia occupies a prominent position in my personal pantheon. Of course, his presidency is the least interesting aspect of his persona. Some day I should write about how he influenced me in thinking about my own national/cultural identity. And introduce my half-joking half-serious concept of Aristocratic Democratism (Democratic Aristocratism), it is a bit utopian, but not an oxymoron. :-)

Current Mood: optimistic
Current Music: Fiddler on the Roof

sms to lj ! This is cool if it works!

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( Happy Holidays! )

Jiří Stivín v Krásných ztrátách mě tak pěkně pohladil po shishince...

Jak tam říkal o improvizaci, že se to nedá naučit a důležité je, co do toho člověk vnese sám ze sebe, protože jsme každý jiný a měli bysme být jiní, i když bohužel ve školství a podobných institucích je tendence právě opačná, všechny házet do stejné škatulky, protože se takto s žáčky lépe pracuje; a to já nenávidím, protože pak chci být svá, originální etc. a neumím to, nevím, jak na to. Nebo mám podvědomou obavu, že se nevlezu do něčí škatulky a tím pádem budu mít problém.

Chci vyčnívat a zároveň vlastně nechci. Jak z toho ven?

Current Mood: frustrated
Current Music: anastacia - Late Last Night