Sex and the City

---

Strange to say, but in recent weeks I’ve gradually come to the realization that I am in fact starring in my own personal episode of Sex and the City, with myself unexpectedly cast in the archetypical Sarah Jessica Parker role. Think about it - I’m a single, professional, independent woman living in the Big City (know Prague is not quite New York, but still…), who goes out every single night, is hopelessly addicted to cigarettes and Cosmopolitans, never cooks, only sporadically cleans, and needless to say has an incredibly hectic and turbulent (but at the same time ultimately unfulfilling) love life! If only I was doing it all in designer clothes and Manolo Blahiks too, then my transformation into modern-day social butterfly would be complete! It’s almost as if I’m now living through the third incarnation of Sarah - from Oxbridge academic to wandering backpacker and now (to my own immense surprise) ending up here as corporate employee by day / urban socialite by night! Not a bad situation to be in I have to say… ;-)

Anyway onto the most important stuff - namely love life (as ever!). Not that anything is physically happening right now with anyone, though that’s certainly not down to a lack of admirers at the moment! First and foremost quite a lot has happened in the Mr S respect over the last couple of weeks - starting the very next day after that Saturday gig, when he texted me to invite me out for dinner and a movie. I accepted with the proviso that I wasn’t making any promises on any other score, and in the event ended up having a really nice night - on a personality level we really click, and he fills all the necessary criteria of wealth (he has his own company over here), good dress sense, nice flat and car, an appreciation of good wine and no objections to paying for everything too! ;-) Then on Monday he surprised the hell out of me by sending some absolutely beautiful flowers to my office - the first time anyone’s ever done that for me before, or even given me any flowers at all in the last five odd years or so… All my colleagues went absolutely apeshit at the sight of me crossing the office with arms full of flowers and cheeks aflame, while for once in my life I was literally rendered speechless by the whole surprise / complete and utter mixed feelings about it all… Still, if anything the flowers incident has definitely raised my profile in the office as a result - now I have “mystique” all of a sudden, as evidence of my somewhat “interesting” out-of-hours lifestyle has finally penetrated into my equally as mundane office environment! Talk about leading a double fucking life! And it doesn’t end there either. The other day he not only cooked for me too at his very $$$$$ flat in Smichov, but also spoiled me rotten all night with a beautiful bottle of South African red (a welcome change from fucking Frankovká!), a bagful of DVDs to keep me going over the Christmas holidays and even a surprise Christmas present which I’m not allowed to open till the 25th - all very unexpected on my part and definitely more than I deserve, especially as I’ve been holding out on him all this time as well… I know it sounds awful, but even despite all of the above I just can’t make myself fancy the guy - we get on really great and everything, but I just can’t bring myself to kiss him, let alone sleep with him… Still, he does seem to be growing on me bit by bit as time goes by, so God knows I can’t rule anything out right now (especially with all that $$$$$ to recommend him) - oh fuck it let’s be honest, knowing me it’s only a matter of time till I get drunk and sleep with him anyway, whatever I say right now or not…

Then Last weekend I also somehow ended up at Mr Perfect’s Christmas house party out on the outskirts of Prague - only to find him for some reason not quite as perfect as I remembered from our first meeting. Which is probably a good thing really, as it means that I don’t have to hate the gorgeous yet likeable Mrs Perfect anymore, and also that I was free to chat away for much of the evening with the rascally Mr Czech (common language of communication German) instead. Maybe the joint that was going round the room helped, but somehow Mr Czech really had that twinkle in his eye that night, and if I didn’t think he was a player of the first degree then I might well have gone for it - plus it would have naturally ruled me out with Mr Perfect forever if I went and slept with one of his best friends right under his nose on only the second occasion I ever met him…

And last but not least there is Mr America, a fellow new arrival in the Czech Republic who I met up with through expats last week. As he works over the road from me in Chodov we decided to meet up for lunch (which he paid for - I sense $$$$ again!) and ended up having a pretty cool time (even if I was 40 minutes late back off my lunch break at the end of it though - oops). Several emails and text messages received from him since though, so I’m hoping this isn’t the start of yet another of one of those obsessive one-sided relationships that I somehow seem to keep getting myself into recently… In truth though I think he is just in the same position as me really - new in the city and at something of a loose end - so at least I don’t think I have to worry on that score just yet!

Anyway, apart from somehow falling into the role of unwitting siren over the last couple of weeks, I’ve also been spending my evenings socializing - yet more cocktails with Mariam, brunch at Bohemia Bagel with Helen, wine with my new Czech friend Tereza (the only one from the wanky Induction Training to overreact to the sheer level of corporate bullshit there as vocally as I did!) and last but almost certainly least the almost equally as shitty company Christmas party at a fancy hotel over in Invalidova (which at least had the saving grace that I didn’t pass out cold and have to be rescued by fucking Sandra of all people at this one!). I’ve also somehow ended up inadvertently stumbling upon Prague’s alternative scene, with the discovery of these regular Saturday tea drinkings that go on at this little communal flat in the centre, right above the heads of all the picture-taking Japanese and all that other usual tourist hustle and bustle. Basically this bohemian little apartment is shared by a rather ragbag mix of Czech, Canadian and Quebecois music students (plus two seriously obese cats), who have not only decked the place out in Hare Krishna style garb, incense sticks and hippy style candles, but have also somehow succeeded in acquiring several hundred huge glass jars of various teas from a Ukrainian tea-seller in the city who recently sold up here (hence the tea afternoons - they need to get people in to help them get through the stuff!). Naturally I am far too much of a cynic to ever have all that much in common with the happy clappy, tree-hugging, weirdy-beardy brigade, but hey whatever - the tea is still fucking nice!!!

Anyway that’s it for now - in the meantime the exciting ‘Sex and the City’ saga that is my life continues unabated, so tune in next week for more of my latest (and hopefully slightly more scandalous this time!) goings-on!!!

---