You know you're not in Kansas anymore...

When you get off the metro at Mustek on Wenceslas Square in Prague and find a guy sitting on the steps with his right leg jean-pant pulled up exposing his hairy skin and a needle in one hand. Perhaps I've lived a sheltered existence in the United States, but I've never seen anyone shoot up with heroine until tonight. And, the thing that really bothers me is that I keep sensing drug deals at certain street corners and I've arrived either right before or right after a few young people on the street were shooting up. Seems to me this is getting out of hand. I'm one of the most naive people around and I'm on to it. It bugs the heck out of me that drugs are so prevalent and it doesn't seem like anyone is doing anything about it. I definitely wish the local government were a bit more hands on with some of these social issues. The only thing I've seen happen since I arrived is that it is now illegal for prostitutes to frequent certain areas of town. It's all about baby steps - I guess.

What else is new? I'm almost certain my fate is to end up like Dana Reeves: non-smoker contracting lung cancer. The no smoking ban has not yet reached this area of Europe and I'm finding the second hand smoke a major challenge to deal with. In fact, I feel like my throat is coated with soot. Yes, I'm in quite the mood.

So tonight I went to my first Czech hockey game in the new Sazka arena, which was built to host the 2004 World Championship. I saw Praha Slavia take on Pardubice (another Czech town). Slavia won 5-2. It was pretty cool overall. The Czechs have a great sense of humor. Throughout the game there were funny moments with the jumbotron in the ceiling. The guy manning the camera would pick out people in the audience, use their face and put a cartoon body (e.g., a body builder) over the rest. Sometimes he used the face of a famous person (e.g., Gorbachev or Pamela Anderson) and superimposed it over a person in the stands. Then they had a "Kiss Me" screen. The camera guy again found some entertaining couples to put on the jumbotron screen and 9 out 10 smooched. One couple included a small boy and girl probably no more than 10. They were cute! Oh, least I forget, there of course is some sensual element of sports. Every period 4 women in sports bras and tiny shorts skated onto the rink to clean up the ice near the goal. Why do scantly clad women show up everywhere in sports? Please tell me... I don't need to see them. I just don't get it.

As for the hockey, according to a resident expert sitting next to me, Jim, a Czech emigre from Edminton, the players skated well, but their play was a bit boring. I enjoyed it just the same. Oh, and of course, there was the FC Slavia fans sitting in the section to our immediate left. They made the evening all the more entertaining with their drum and chants.

Well, that's it for now folks. I'm trying to get to bed earlier. Tonight could be a new beginning. We shall see.

Oh, this is a picture of my street corner. If you haven't heard. I live on Polska street (Polish street). No polish jokes accepted!