But you won't be getting the rest of the story this instant. This evening I'll post a summary of the rest of my time in Paris and get the rest of my photos online, but I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up that I'm back in the US, alive and well.
A few notes:
*It's ridiculous that Crossing Jordan on A&E has "ass" bleeped out.
*I rediscovered (for the third or fourth time) the Geek Code, which heralds from the early nineties. It could use an update but's still worth perusing if you consider yourself a little nerdy or geeky (we can debate the semantics of those terms in comments or another post if you'd like).
*I should add a page of useful resources, but I've always found links pages a little sad and pathetic.
*solri (someone I follow on LiveJournal) posted an interesting piece discussing how modern perceptions of Muslims largely fit the old lot accorded to Catholics.
*For anyone who follows xkcd, this Authors@Google talk by Randall Monroe (our benevolent author of xkcd) will please you greatly.
*Those of you interested in Noam Chomsky because of his contributions to linguistics (or for any other reason) may enjoy Chomsky's Authors@Google talk.
*Also, if you missed Fox's spectacular screw-up wherein they reported on a (fairly obviously) bogus story about a thirteen-year-old buying hookers and an Xbox with his dad's credit card, check out this video on YouTube.
That's all for the moment; more things this evening, hopefully more interesting.
Ja ne.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Paris - The CIty of Lights (Fortunately...)
So, I arrived in Paris on Friday, and that went more or less smoothly. Getting of the train at Austerlitz, I got a couple of day passes for the weekend metro and headed to Villejuif (Louis Aragon), the closest metro station to my hotel/hostel (which is more than 30 bucks a night) in Vitry-sur-Seine.
Got off the metro in Villejuif and discovered that there were two exits from the station, which normally wouldn't be a problem, but I'm trying to follow some directions given to me by the host. Oh, wait, but you're missing an important detail there: I forgot to copy down directions, and my laptop had no battery left, leaving me in a bit of a pickle.
Fortunately a nice Chinese couple (of people?) running a cafe just outside the metro station let me plug in at their place and look up directions. The gentleman was also very helpful, walking around to consult one of those bulletin-board maps with me. And, of course, I bought a cup of coffee, too, because, well, I like coffee and they were very kind and helpful.
Too shy (still) to try a conversation in Chinese (though we did learn how to ask directions in class), all I did was throw out a "xiexie, nimen" on my way out the door. Headed down the road a bit to discover that it quickly merged with another, so I darted across and doubled back until I found the little alley to lead me home.
The little alley wasn't all that helpful, though, because there were four or five roads to follow on my way there, and I didn't copy down which way I was turning. Nor did the host tell me that I was supposed to walk behind an apartment complex and through a little gate in the alley to arrive at his place. Quickish resolution came in the form of a nice couple with a GPS in their car who'd been chatting with some friends in the street and a nice guy from the hood. The ten minute walk took 20 or 30, but at least I made it ^^
Fête de la Musique
Saturday I ended up heading out about 10am (I think) and took the metro to the Opera, where I wandered around and took some photos for a while. If anyone's heard of any reason a bunch of teenage girls would be hanging around this part of Paris yesterday, please let me know, because they were blocking sidewalk traffic in three gigantic clumps.
After that I decided to head to the Louvre for a while, though I can't remember just now whether or not I walked there. Picked up a pocket map of Paris in the genre of Practical Paris. Spent hours at the Louvre. I left when I realised I wasn't paying as much attention to each piece of art anymore. Considered having food there, but it was pretty pricey. Discovered that they were having a concert at 9 30 for the Fete de la Musique, but headed out at about 5 45 and didn't make it back.
Walked from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, getting a little confused by my map from time to time but enjoying being in Paris anyway. Saw a sign somewhere along the way that said there'd be a young talent concert at Trocadero in the evening, so I kinda figured I'd wander over there. Grabbed a Sprite and some Fries under the Eiffel Tower and headed across to Trocadero.
The concert didn't really grab my interest right away, but some of the later groups got me moving. Discovered Asa and Minivan, which I intend to find out more about, and heard the John Merrick Experiment and others. Enjoyed being at a concert in front of the Eiffel Tower and watching people play in the fountain. Also grabbed an ice cream cone and a bottle of water before the night was over.
Speaking of the night being over, at about midnight is when the story takes a turn for the worse/more interesting. I started wandering around, looking to fill up my water bottle and thinking about getting out of there. So I headed over to the Trocadero metro station to get a train, because various signs had said that the metro would be open all night, or at least that lines 1, 2, 4, and 6 (and maybe another) would.
No such luck. The metro was already closed, so I headed back in the direction of the Tour Eiffel, hoping that one of the other metro stations along my way to the hotel would be open. Happily, my pocket map of Paris had Rue Dalou (the location of my hostel) in it, so I felt pretty secure in that choice.
Heard some pulsing techno, though, so I got sidetracked and headed towards the light. And lost some of my faith in humanity. As I tried to dance in this crowd, I noticed that swarms of guys my age and younger were harassing any female who dared to get near them in the crowd. These guys were not even grinding so much as humping any woman near them. I tried to stay in one place, more or less, so they couldn't swarm as much, but to no avail. I'd danced with a few small groups of guys and girls, groups of friends, without really being invited, but because I was keeping to myself this wasn't a problem. Every one of these groups was driven off by this mad crush of people. Eventually there was one guy who wouldn't take no for an answer from this girl, so I told him to leave her be (in French). When he and his friends started bothering me (in the trying-to-pick-a-fight variety of harassment), I decided it was time to leave.
Wandering in the direction of the Seine, remembering that my hotel was near-ish to the Seine, I found a small rave on the lawn near the bridge in front of Invalides. This was nifty and I danced (as only I can dance) for a little while before moving on.
My nifty map guided me down Boulevard des Invalides towards my hostel, and there were plenty of people on the streets still (at about 2 in the morning) so I felt fairly secure. Until I got to Rue Dalou--an alleyway in the city of Paris and not at all the street I was expecting. Apparently Villejuif is just beyond the perimeter, so my map didn't have the right street in it and, it turns out, I wasn't clever enough to notice sooner.
Tried the Pasteur and Sevres-Lecourbe metro stations, which both serve line six, and found them both closed. Found a little park with enough people around hanging out (presumably all night until the trains started up again?) to lie down but was disturbed when some prick kicked the slide I was lying on, laughing about it with his friends. Not wanting any trouble, I got up and moved on.
A little further down the road, tired as all hell, I found a bench that looked comfortable and safe enough to lie down on for a while and took a break. This lasted from about 3 20 until 5 20, with intermittent interuptions of people singing back and forth ("We're not tired!" "You-all are tired!") or police or ambulance passing by.
By 5 20 I was shivering too much to stay there (that whole core-temperature-drops-when-you-sleep thing), so I headed back toward the train station, hoping the metro lines would be open ridiculously early. Happily, it was, and after waiting around for a while I made it on the metro and got back safely to the hostel. After heading to the bathroom and getting some water, I managed to crawl into bed just before 7 am.
****
So that's my stay in Paris so far. Hope you enjoyed reading and hope I find out soon how late the metro stays open on a normal night.
Ja ne.
Got off the metro in Villejuif and discovered that there were two exits from the station, which normally wouldn't be a problem, but I'm trying to follow some directions given to me by the host. Oh, wait, but you're missing an important detail there: I forgot to copy down directions, and my laptop had no battery left, leaving me in a bit of a pickle.
Fortunately a nice Chinese couple (of people?) running a cafe just outside the metro station let me plug in at their place and look up directions. The gentleman was also very helpful, walking around to consult one of those bulletin-board maps with me. And, of course, I bought a cup of coffee, too, because, well, I like coffee and they were very kind and helpful.
Too shy (still) to try a conversation in Chinese (though we did learn how to ask directions in class), all I did was throw out a "xiexie, nimen" on my way out the door. Headed down the road a bit to discover that it quickly merged with another, so I darted across and doubled back until I found the little alley to lead me home.
The little alley wasn't all that helpful, though, because there were four or five roads to follow on my way there, and I didn't copy down which way I was turning. Nor did the host tell me that I was supposed to walk behind an apartment complex and through a little gate in the alley to arrive at his place. Quickish resolution came in the form of a nice couple with a GPS in their car who'd been chatting with some friends in the street and a nice guy from the hood. The ten minute walk took 20 or 30, but at least I made it ^^
Fête de la Musique
Saturday I ended up heading out about 10am (I think) and took the metro to the Opera, where I wandered around and took some photos for a while. If anyone's heard of any reason a bunch of teenage girls would be hanging around this part of Paris yesterday, please let me know, because they were blocking sidewalk traffic in three gigantic clumps.
After that I decided to head to the Louvre for a while, though I can't remember just now whether or not I walked there. Picked up a pocket map of Paris in the genre of Practical Paris. Spent hours at the Louvre. I left when I realised I wasn't paying as much attention to each piece of art anymore. Considered having food there, but it was pretty pricey. Discovered that they were having a concert at 9 30 for the Fete de la Musique, but headed out at about 5 45 and didn't make it back.
Walked from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, getting a little confused by my map from time to time but enjoying being in Paris anyway. Saw a sign somewhere along the way that said there'd be a young talent concert at Trocadero in the evening, so I kinda figured I'd wander over there. Grabbed a Sprite and some Fries under the Eiffel Tower and headed across to Trocadero.
The concert didn't really grab my interest right away, but some of the later groups got me moving. Discovered Asa and Minivan, which I intend to find out more about, and heard the John Merrick Experiment and others. Enjoyed being at a concert in front of the Eiffel Tower and watching people play in the fountain. Also grabbed an ice cream cone and a bottle of water before the night was over.
Speaking of the night being over, at about midnight is when the story takes a turn for the worse/more interesting. I started wandering around, looking to fill up my water bottle and thinking about getting out of there. So I headed over to the Trocadero metro station to get a train, because various signs had said that the metro would be open all night, or at least that lines 1, 2, 4, and 6 (and maybe another) would.
No such luck. The metro was already closed, so I headed back in the direction of the Tour Eiffel, hoping that one of the other metro stations along my way to the hotel would be open. Happily, my pocket map of Paris had Rue Dalou (the location of my hostel) in it, so I felt pretty secure in that choice.
Heard some pulsing techno, though, so I got sidetracked and headed towards the light. And lost some of my faith in humanity. As I tried to dance in this crowd, I noticed that swarms of guys my age and younger were harassing any female who dared to get near them in the crowd. These guys were not even grinding so much as humping any woman near them. I tried to stay in one place, more or less, so they couldn't swarm as much, but to no avail. I'd danced with a few small groups of guys and girls, groups of friends, without really being invited, but because I was keeping to myself this wasn't a problem. Every one of these groups was driven off by this mad crush of people. Eventually there was one guy who wouldn't take no for an answer from this girl, so I told him to leave her be (in French). When he and his friends started bothering me (in the trying-to-pick-a-fight variety of harassment), I decided it was time to leave.
Wandering in the direction of the Seine, remembering that my hotel was near-ish to the Seine, I found a small rave on the lawn near the bridge in front of Invalides. This was nifty and I danced (as only I can dance) for a little while before moving on.
My nifty map guided me down Boulevard des Invalides towards my hostel, and there were plenty of people on the streets still (at about 2 in the morning) so I felt fairly secure. Until I got to Rue Dalou--an alleyway in the city of Paris and not at all the street I was expecting. Apparently Villejuif is just beyond the perimeter, so my map didn't have the right street in it and, it turns out, I wasn't clever enough to notice sooner.
Tried the Pasteur and Sevres-Lecourbe metro stations, which both serve line six, and found them both closed. Found a little park with enough people around hanging out (presumably all night until the trains started up again?) to lie down but was disturbed when some prick kicked the slide I was lying on, laughing about it with his friends. Not wanting any trouble, I got up and moved on.
A little further down the road, tired as all hell, I found a bench that looked comfortable and safe enough to lie down on for a while and took a break. This lasted from about 3 20 until 5 20, with intermittent interuptions of people singing back and forth ("We're not tired!" "You-all are tired!") or police or ambulance passing by.
By 5 20 I was shivering too much to stay there (that whole core-temperature-drops-when-you-sleep thing), so I headed back toward the train station, hoping the metro lines would be open ridiculously early. Happily, it was, and after waiting around for a while I made it on the metro and got back safely to the hostel. After heading to the bathroom and getting some water, I managed to crawl into bed just before 7 am.
****
So that's my stay in Paris so far. Hope you enjoyed reading and hope I find out soon how late the metro stays open on a normal night.
Ja ne.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Journey...Don't Stop Believing?
No photos added yesterday, because I didn't arrive in Paris until later than anticipated, but that's part of today's storytime, isn't it?
Quatre Heures en Voiture
Thursday morning I was supposed to get up at about 7 30 so I could join the neighbors to go somewhere for the day, but my alarm didn't work (for the first time since I made it; didn't I tell you I wrote a quick music alarm clock program?). Anyway, I got up at about nine and screamed through the house getting ready and completing the minor tasks for the day.
Like I said though, we spent about four hours in a car after that. Now that's supposed to shock you (almost) and make you feel sorry for me, but let's be realistic: why would you feel sorry for someone who's visiting France? We didn't even have to spend all four hours in the car, so, really, it's alright.
Along the way we stopped at Rocamadour, which is picturesque and pretty touristy, but touristy in the way Saint Augustine is touristy--because it's old and pretty, everyone wants to visit, so there are a ton of small hotels, etc. There are photos, too, even one of me!
After this coffee pitstop it was on the road again...until lunch anyway. Marie Louise (!) and Max made sandwiches for us all the night before--sausage or paté and tiny pickle--and they were pretty good, though the bread was a little dry. The countryside was pretty fantastic for our little picnic, even if we were on the side of the road: while Dordogne has some hills and valleys, the next region over is much hillier and rockier, making for some pretty amazing views which, combined with the stone houses and random castles throughout the region, created a pleasant drive, long though it may have been.
Le Viaduc de Millau
But of course there was a point to all this, and so the end of our journey brought us to the Viaduc de Millau. Near the middle of the A75, the Viaduc de Millau makes it a heck of a lot faster to get across the Valley of Tarn (if I'm remembering the name right, there...) and is thus great for this north-south autoroute popular with vacationers.
The bridge spans more than two kilometers and is taller than the Eiffel Tower, but still manages not to be an eyesore in this pretty little valley. I'd really like to add more about the bridge and the trip back, but I should go grab breakfast.
More to come!
Quatre Heures en Voiture
Thursday morning I was supposed to get up at about 7 30 so I could join the neighbors to go somewhere for the day, but my alarm didn't work (for the first time since I made it; didn't I tell you I wrote a quick music alarm clock program?). Anyway, I got up at about nine and screamed through the house getting ready and completing the minor tasks for the day.
Like I said though, we spent about four hours in a car after that. Now that's supposed to shock you (almost) and make you feel sorry for me, but let's be realistic: why would you feel sorry for someone who's visiting France? We didn't even have to spend all four hours in the car, so, really, it's alright.
Along the way we stopped at Rocamadour, which is picturesque and pretty touristy, but touristy in the way Saint Augustine is touristy--because it's old and pretty, everyone wants to visit, so there are a ton of small hotels, etc. There are photos, too, even one of me!
After this coffee pitstop it was on the road again...until lunch anyway. Marie Louise (!) and Max made sandwiches for us all the night before--sausage or paté and tiny pickle--and they were pretty good, though the bread was a little dry. The countryside was pretty fantastic for our little picnic, even if we were on the side of the road: while Dordogne has some hills and valleys, the next region over is much hillier and rockier, making for some pretty amazing views which, combined with the stone houses and random castles throughout the region, created a pleasant drive, long though it may have been.
Le Viaduc de Millau
But of course there was a point to all this, and so the end of our journey brought us to the Viaduc de Millau. Near the middle of the A75, the Viaduc de Millau makes it a heck of a lot faster to get across the Valley of Tarn (if I'm remembering the name right, there...) and is thus great for this north-south autoroute popular with vacationers.
The bridge spans more than two kilometers and is taller than the Eiffel Tower, but still manages not to be an eyesore in this pretty little valley. I'd really like to add more about the bridge and the trip back, but I should go grab breakfast.
More to come!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
No Continuity Whatsoever
So maybe I shouldn't seek out my dream job of being a script writer (except maybe for Doctor Who, or something with equally many convenient plot devices), but I should have time in the morning or when I arrive in Paris (!) tomorrow afternoon to write a decent post.
In the interim, go check out my photos! I've added about fifteen more, and will probably add 15 to 30 more each day for the next week or so. Also forthcoming, my comprehensive photo gallery, with everything I've taken over here (not just a select few).
Love.
In the interim, go check out my photos! I've added about fifteen more, and will probably add 15 to 30 more each day for the next week or so. Also forthcoming, my comprehensive photo gallery, with everything I've taken over here (not just a select few).
Love.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
::sigh:: Finally - A Decent Update
Alright, so I'm at the neighbors again, but I've got some time tonight and can actually write a bit.
Christian's headed out of town for a while, so it's actually just me at the house. I'm sure that's going to make it a little creepier walking back in the blackness of night, but I should survive. More interestingly, tomorrow I'm going to sit in a car for seven hours with the neighbors (3.5 hours each way) to go see a bridge--I think it's that really tall, really long one there's been a History (or similar) channel special on, but I haven't managed to catch the name so I don't really know.
Today I did some more epic weed-whacking (I think I made a mistake saying it wasn't too bad), but it wasn't too bad. The neighbors were happy, too, because part of the property was pretty close to theirs, and now it'll look all pretty when the real neighbors come back. (What? I didn't mention already that these people are house-sitting...I could've sworn I did...)
These Dutch aren't all that freaky-deaky, either--in fact, they're pretty cool. I must say, I had a few moments of cultural recognition during our conversation, noting a certain common heritage that must stem from historical commonalities: South Africa, colonialism, being (Northern, somewhat Germanic) European, etc.
They appreciated the bottle of wine that I bought them, too--they've been quite helpful and tolerant in letting me (ab)use the internet here, and generally too kind. That makes roughly five bottles of wine I've bought here, though I may have lost count. It's nice to be able to do things like buy wine to enjoy with your meals.
Alright, well I said something about making lists (and I misjudged the amount of time I've got, so I need to get going), so here's a whirlwind tour of everything that comes to mind just now. (If you'd like me to elaborate on a particular item, comment and I'll try to do so next time I get on.)
Food:
I've been eating all sorts of vegetables, something I never really do in the States. I now regularly eat salad and whatever vegetables are provided with my meal, though I may avoid some if I find the dish less than incredible. That said, all of the food here has been delicious; get with the program America!
In detail: cucumbers, duck, lamb, (Japanese) curry, couscous, ...
(Just got cut off--bed time for everyone over here. The list will be bigger, I promise!)
Christian's headed out of town for a while, so it's actually just me at the house. I'm sure that's going to make it a little creepier walking back in the blackness of night, but I should survive. More interestingly, tomorrow I'm going to sit in a car for seven hours with the neighbors (3.5 hours each way) to go see a bridge--I think it's that really tall, really long one there's been a History (or similar) channel special on, but I haven't managed to catch the name so I don't really know.
Today I did some more epic weed-whacking (I think I made a mistake saying it wasn't too bad), but it wasn't too bad. The neighbors were happy, too, because part of the property was pretty close to theirs, and now it'll look all pretty when the real neighbors come back. (What? I didn't mention already that these people are house-sitting...I could've sworn I did...)
These Dutch aren't all that freaky-deaky, either--in fact, they're pretty cool. I must say, I had a few moments of cultural recognition during our conversation, noting a certain common heritage that must stem from historical commonalities: South Africa, colonialism, being (Northern, somewhat Germanic) European, etc.
They appreciated the bottle of wine that I bought them, too--they've been quite helpful and tolerant in letting me (ab)use the internet here, and generally too kind. That makes roughly five bottles of wine I've bought here, though I may have lost count. It's nice to be able to do things like buy wine to enjoy with your meals.
Alright, well I said something about making lists (and I misjudged the amount of time I've got, so I need to get going), so here's a whirlwind tour of everything that comes to mind just now. (If you'd like me to elaborate on a particular item, comment and I'll try to do so next time I get on.)
Food:
I've been eating all sorts of vegetables, something I never really do in the States. I now regularly eat salad and whatever vegetables are provided with my meal, though I may avoid some if I find the dish less than incredible. That said, all of the food here has been delicious; get with the program America!
In detail: cucumbers, duck, lamb, (Japanese) curry, couscous, ...
(Just got cut off--bed time for everyone over here. The list will be bigger, I promise!)
Monday, June 16, 2008
Hierarchies of Thought
I've tried to explain to some of you before my hierarchy of thought, but xkcd has a beautifully succinct version in case I wasn't clear.
Stuff about France next time, sorry.
Stuff about France next time, sorry.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Stolen Moments
Not as romantic, nor as literal as it sounds: I'm using the internet at a friend's place at the moment, so I can't post everything I've been meaning to.
Super short summary--
*each day I remember some cool thing I've done that I haven't written about yet;
*my French is definitely getting better, though, as usual, I feel like I haven't worked hard enough;
*and I've been eating all sorts of vegetables I'd never've touched in the States.
That's it for now, sorry to disappoint.
Ja ne.
Super short summary--
*each day I remember some cool thing I've done that I haven't written about yet;
*my French is definitely getting better, though, as usual, I feel like I haven't worked hard enough;
*and I've been eating all sorts of vegetables I'd never've touched in the States.
That's it for now, sorry to disappoint.
Ja ne.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Good French Wine
Started typing this post multiple times and kept getting cut off. Here we go again!
Sorry I've been out of action for about a week, but we (thought we) didn't have internet access for a while there. Turns out that Freebox (the company they use for internet access) should stick to internet access and let people set up their own networks: wireless and this weird USB connexion Pascale uses to connect her computer weren't working, but as soon as I connected my laptop by USB, everything ran smoothly.
Anyway, here's what you missed...
Kelly s'en Va
Kelly was supposed to leave on Wednesday, but finally received an email from her host on Tuesday saying that he wouldn't be there and that she'd have to come Thursday. Fortunately, Christian took her to Le Buisson to change her ticket and (I don't think) they charged her anything for the exchange because she made it before the scheduled departure.
Of course we'd already planned a goodbye dinner, so Noriko prepared a Japanese dish and Jacques came by to say farewell to Kelly. Oh, and by "a Japanese dish" I meant curry prepared using a Japanese curry mix and (perhaps) cooking style.
Thursday morning Christian, Noriko, and I accompanied Kelly to the train station, where a bus picked her up. Hey, don't look at me--comprennez-vous les français?
Les Vélos Sont Dur
Apparently an uncle of Christian's is quite ill, so Friday evening Pascale and he went to Bordeaux (I believe) for the weekend, leaving Noriko and I to fend for ourselves in this strange land.
With the parents gone for the weekend, of course we had to have a party. By have a party, of course I mean plant strawberry plants in the garden like they'd asked us to, check on the animals, and take the bicycles for a spin.
About two o'clock we broke out the bikes, only to discover that the tires were flat on one and the seat too high on the other. Luckily, I'm a genius, so I solved those problems right away, and we were on our way.
The trip started out pretty well, being downhill and all that, but about a half kilometer into the ride we discovered that--lo and behold--France has hills, and fairly large ones at that, considering they have these things called valleys and whatnot. Also noteworthy at this point was the fact that we had to go another 9.5 km to get to Le Bugue.
The next two kilometers were uphill, followed by a short downhill stint, and a bit more uphill. After that it was pretty much downhill to the Bugue. I'm not gonna lie, rolling downhill for that long a period is pretty fantastic, especially in scenic Dordogne, not that I'm shamelessly plugging for the tourist bureau or anything.
Arriving at Le Bugue, we headed toward Intermarché, a run-of-the-mill super market, because Christian'd told us that we could find a wine-tasting-and-sales-type place there. We wandered around looking out of place for a while, trying to comprehend the massive variety of alcohol in the world, until one of the reps asked us if he could help. We tried five or six different wines from the region and got to practice our French. Half-an-hour (or some equally arbitrary amount of time less than two hours) later, we headed out with three bottles of wine and some little tin of some duck product that Noriko got for Christian and Pascale (I think). She bought one of the bottles of wine.
For those of you who're good at math, you've realised by now that I bought two bottles of wine, obviously with the best of intentions--no, seriously, one's a gift for Christian and Pascale, and I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to bring wine back to the States, so the other's for us to drink before I leave.
Those of you who're good at math and logic and can hang onto a thought for more than 10 seconds have realised something else: six kilometres downhill heading to the Bugue means six going UP on the way back. Ouch. And I mean that--my rear still hurts because of that accursed seat.
On the cool side of things, though, we found the opening to a small cave along the roadside, and I wandered in to explore a little, though I'd left my flashlight at the house, so I couldn't go too far. As a keepsake from this cool little moment, I've got a few photos and a couple of exemplary stones from the cave. w007 ^^
Ils Reviennent et Je Suis Malade
Last night, for no apparent reason, I started to feel ill, possibly because the pigeonnier is colder than I'd like and I road a bike 20 km or so. Or something like that.
Anyway, today I was feeling kinda under the weather, which is saying something since it rained most of the day again today, but I'm doing fine and will probably be ready to continue working tomorrow. Yet again I was unable to make it to Mass this week, but I have a feeling that He'll understand if I didn't want to hop on that bike for another 20km trip today.
This evening Pascale and Christian returned as I was asleep on one of the beds they use like sofas here. We had a nice dinner, and I came upstairs to write this. Should be writing again tomorrow, hopefully with some retrospective stuff about the first (more than) half of my trip and more character descriptions (if I can think of anything interesting to say). Time to watch Doctor Who...
Have a good one ^^
Sorry I've been out of action for about a week, but we (thought we) didn't have internet access for a while there. Turns out that Freebox (the company they use for internet access) should stick to internet access and let people set up their own networks: wireless and this weird USB connexion Pascale uses to connect her computer weren't working, but as soon as I connected my laptop by USB, everything ran smoothly.
Anyway, here's what you missed...
Kelly s'en Va
Kelly was supposed to leave on Wednesday, but finally received an email from her host on Tuesday saying that he wouldn't be there and that she'd have to come Thursday. Fortunately, Christian took her to Le Buisson to change her ticket and (I don't think) they charged her anything for the exchange because she made it before the scheduled departure.
Of course we'd already planned a goodbye dinner, so Noriko prepared a Japanese dish and Jacques came by to say farewell to Kelly. Oh, and by "a Japanese dish" I meant curry prepared using a Japanese curry mix and (perhaps) cooking style.
Thursday morning Christian, Noriko, and I accompanied Kelly to the train station, where a bus picked her up. Hey, don't look at me--comprennez-vous les français?
Les Vélos Sont Dur
Apparently an uncle of Christian's is quite ill, so Friday evening Pascale and he went to Bordeaux (I believe) for the weekend, leaving Noriko and I to fend for ourselves in this strange land.
With the parents gone for the weekend, of course we had to have a party. By have a party, of course I mean plant strawberry plants in the garden like they'd asked us to, check on the animals, and take the bicycles for a spin.
About two o'clock we broke out the bikes, only to discover that the tires were flat on one and the seat too high on the other. Luckily, I'm a genius, so I solved those problems right away, and we were on our way.
The trip started out pretty well, being downhill and all that, but about a half kilometer into the ride we discovered that--lo and behold--France has hills, and fairly large ones at that, considering they have these things called valleys and whatnot. Also noteworthy at this point was the fact that we had to go another 9.5 km to get to Le Bugue.
The next two kilometers were uphill, followed by a short downhill stint, and a bit more uphill. After that it was pretty much downhill to the Bugue. I'm not gonna lie, rolling downhill for that long a period is pretty fantastic, especially in scenic Dordogne, not that I'm shamelessly plugging for the tourist bureau or anything.
Arriving at Le Bugue, we headed toward Intermarché, a run-of-the-mill super market, because Christian'd told us that we could find a wine-tasting-and-sales-type place there. We wandered around looking out of place for a while, trying to comprehend the massive variety of alcohol in the world, until one of the reps asked us if he could help. We tried five or six different wines from the region and got to practice our French. Half-an-hour (or some equally arbitrary amount of time less than two hours) later, we headed out with three bottles of wine and some little tin of some duck product that Noriko got for Christian and Pascale (I think). She bought one of the bottles of wine.
For those of you who're good at math, you've realised by now that I bought two bottles of wine, obviously with the best of intentions--no, seriously, one's a gift for Christian and Pascale, and I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to bring wine back to the States, so the other's for us to drink before I leave.
Those of you who're good at math and logic and can hang onto a thought for more than 10 seconds have realised something else: six kilometres downhill heading to the Bugue means six going UP on the way back. Ouch. And I mean that--my rear still hurts because of that accursed seat.
On the cool side of things, though, we found the opening to a small cave along the roadside, and I wandered in to explore a little, though I'd left my flashlight at the house, so I couldn't go too far. As a keepsake from this cool little moment, I've got a few photos and a couple of exemplary stones from the cave. w007 ^^
Ils Reviennent et Je Suis Malade
Last night, for no apparent reason, I started to feel ill, possibly because the pigeonnier is colder than I'd like and I road a bike 20 km or so. Or something like that.
Anyway, today I was feeling kinda under the weather, which is saying something since it rained most of the day again today, but I'm doing fine and will probably be ready to continue working tomorrow. Yet again I was unable to make it to Mass this week, but I have a feeling that He'll understand if I didn't want to hop on that bike for another 20km trip today.
This evening Pascale and Christian returned as I was asleep on one of the beds they use like sofas here. We had a nice dinner, and I came upstairs to write this. Should be writing again tomorrow, hopefully with some retrospective stuff about the first (more than) half of my trip and more character descriptions (if I can think of anything interesting to say). Time to watch Doctor Who...
Have a good one ^^
Monday, June 2, 2008
No Church Again
...and this time I didn't even listen to the readings or read up on Islam or do anything spiritual to make up for it; I'll have to take some meditative-focus-type time during the week. (It's not so bad, but I am mildly superstitious that I have a bad week when I don't go to Mass.)
La Japonaise Arrive
Yesterday was fairly laid back, being a Sunday. I just managed to haul myself upstairs by noon, so we could go pick up our new arrival, Noriko, at Le Buisson. Considering the fact that I'm travelling to Japan soon and there's a tri-cultural mix about to occur, I was a little uneasy as to what would happen: would we all understand each other and get along well? would I be expected to speak Japanese at some point? would something cultural make the ride awkward for all of us?
Turns out I do take after my mother somewhat, because my worrying was entirely unfounded. Noriko arrived and everyone exchanged bisous--the traditional French cheek-kissing gesture you (probably) all know about--and introductions went briefly and well. An uneventful car-ride later, we'd had a brief chat and discovered that, in fact, Noriko has already been in France for eleven months babysitting in Paris.
Rien à Dire
Which is to say, that I have nothing to say, really. Kelly, Noriko, and I had a nice conversation yesterday after lunch and, all in all, we're getting along pretty well. I feel like I'm speaking enough French now and all that jazz, too, though there'd been a brief slump about a week after my arrival (maybe the end of that "honeymoon phase" Daniel wrote about in his journal).
Japanese accents are a little more interesting in French, and Noriko's keeps throwing me off--I either anticipate Japanese because of the sound quality or I just don't understand at first. This normally happens with short phrases that come out of the blue, fortunately, and not all the time, though I occasionally do a mental double-take when listening to her. The mélange, though, is feeding my linguistic curiosity, which I'd count as good (wouldn't you?).
Today was rainy so we didn't do too much work, though we de-mossed the well and did a little weeding. Kelly and Noriko painted some (new) chairs, and I did some research for Christian and Pascale regarding how they can improve their web-presence. Other than that, we basked in the sunlight during a pleasant conversation this afternoon and enjoyed a great lunch together, too.
Les Personnages - Christian
Christian's nearly sixty, but looks like he's closer to my dad's age. He grew up in Paris, learning to cook there--not only did he work at a few restaurants for his first jobs, but he actually attended a professional cooking school there, too. Sometime in that mispent youth of the late sixties--he and his friend Jacques talked to us about the classic free love generation outlook on youth--he took up photography and he seems to be pretty good at it. Friday his photo club met here at his house in the morning for coffee to plan an exhibition in Sainte-Alvère in August. You might've noticed that I mention him fairly frequently; he's usually our task-master around here, telling us what to do during the day and randomly taking us to the market or to nearby sights.
***
I'll try to post with a little more style later this week, but the main thing today was just to get some thoughts down and work on habit-forming (y'know, the good kind?).
A Bientot!
La Japonaise Arrive
Yesterday was fairly laid back, being a Sunday. I just managed to haul myself upstairs by noon, so we could go pick up our new arrival, Noriko, at Le Buisson. Considering the fact that I'm travelling to Japan soon and there's a tri-cultural mix about to occur, I was a little uneasy as to what would happen: would we all understand each other and get along well? would I be expected to speak Japanese at some point? would something cultural make the ride awkward for all of us?
Turns out I do take after my mother somewhat, because my worrying was entirely unfounded. Noriko arrived and everyone exchanged bisous--the traditional French cheek-kissing gesture you (probably) all know about--and introductions went briefly and well. An uneventful car-ride later, we'd had a brief chat and discovered that, in fact, Noriko has already been in France for eleven months babysitting in Paris.
Rien à Dire
Which is to say, that I have nothing to say, really. Kelly, Noriko, and I had a nice conversation yesterday after lunch and, all in all, we're getting along pretty well. I feel like I'm speaking enough French now and all that jazz, too, though there'd been a brief slump about a week after my arrival (maybe the end of that "honeymoon phase" Daniel wrote about in his journal).
Japanese accents are a little more interesting in French, and Noriko's keeps throwing me off--I either anticipate Japanese because of the sound quality or I just don't understand at first. This normally happens with short phrases that come out of the blue, fortunately, and not all the time, though I occasionally do a mental double-take when listening to her. The mélange, though, is feeding my linguistic curiosity, which I'd count as good (wouldn't you?).
Today was rainy so we didn't do too much work, though we de-mossed the well and did a little weeding. Kelly and Noriko painted some (new) chairs, and I did some research for Christian and Pascale regarding how they can improve their web-presence. Other than that, we basked in the sunlight during a pleasant conversation this afternoon and enjoyed a great lunch together, too.
Les Personnages - Christian
Christian's nearly sixty, but looks like he's closer to my dad's age. He grew up in Paris, learning to cook there--not only did he work at a few restaurants for his first jobs, but he actually attended a professional cooking school there, too. Sometime in that mispent youth of the late sixties--he and his friend Jacques talked to us about the classic free love generation outlook on youth--he took up photography and he seems to be pretty good at it. Friday his photo club met here at his house in the morning for coffee to plan an exhibition in Sainte-Alvère in August. You might've noticed that I mention him fairly frequently; he's usually our task-master around here, telling us what to do during the day and randomly taking us to the market or to nearby sights.
***
I'll try to post with a little more style later this week, but the main thing today was just to get some thoughts down and work on habit-forming (y'know, the good kind?).
A Bientot!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)