Computer Problems

Hey folks, we're having some problems with our laptop right now, so I need to wait until we get things running reliably again before I blog. Coming soon: updates on Colin's birthday (last Thursday) and our visit from friends Keely and Brandon! Stay tuned....

The Other Viewpoint

One of the blogs I follow, SuperFrenchie, has a really interesting post about US pride in its military victories over the years. OK, you can exchange "interesting" for "incendiary" quite easily. SuperFrenchie is on vacation, so this post is from another person. Given the earlier discussion from my blog about Francophobia, I think it's worth a read. And, since the bulk of my readers are Americans, I would love to see some of you post your responses to what this person has to say.

Here's the link. I hope some of you will chime in.

Congratulations, it's a baby ... tooth??

Could someone please explain to my body what age group I am supposed to be in? I've already mentioned the recent discovery of a gray hair. And, as you can probably pick out in my pictures, I still get zits on a regular basis. But today ... well, this is the last straw.

I lost my last baby tooth today.

OK, so it's not like I didn't expect this day to come. I knew I had a baby tooth in the back of my mouth that would come out eventually. And yet, it's been really weird to have the experience of wiggling a loose tooth around in my mouth for the past few weeks. All of those childhood memories have been flooding back -- being devastated at losing my first tooth in a Hostess cupcake, thus swallowing it before I knew what happened; sitting in the cafeteria at Eugene Field Elementary School, being dared by my peers to pull hard on a loose tooth to get it out; waking with anticipation to see if the Tooth Fairy really left me a shiny quarter. Ah, those were the days, I tell you!

So, now I have a gaping hole in the back of my mouth (thank goodness it's not up front, thus sparing me from a hillbilly-esque appearance for the next several months!). In all fairness, I'm not the only adult still harboring vestiges of my youth. It's actually fairly common that people get baby teeth that have no permanent teeth formed beneath them. I've met a lot of people in the same boat (though Jodster, you take the cake, buddy!).

So, once I get back to the US, I get to start the long process of getting an implant put into that hole. My dentist will be SO happy -- he's been salivating over the opportunity since I first saw him. (By the way, I picked my dentist because of his ad in the yellow pages that proclaimed, "We cater to cowards.") I had a ton of dental work done as a kid, including retainers, braces, surgery, and a total of 10 teeth pulled. Man, would I have been UGLY! It was a miserable time, but I'm glad for the mouth that I have to show for it. Oh, in case you were wondering, my childhood dentist wanted to pull this baby tooth and put in a bridge, but when he told me what he was going to do that day, I cried and he felt too bad for me to do it. So, I've had it ever since! I feel ready now to go through the pain of getting the tooth replaced, so I'm glad I was allowed to wait. (Of course, I wish my parents had paid for it instead of me!!)

And, since everyone loves a happy ending ... Sabra, one of my longest and dearest friends, just gave birth on Friday to a healthy baby girl! Mia Marcella joined the world at 12:10 pm central, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces. Mia joins two brothers, Bruce and Sam. I am so excited for the whole family, and only sad that I'm too far away to visit. I'll post pictures as soon as they are available. In the meantime...

Welcome, Mia!

Spring picnic at Luxembourg

Colin and I met Rachel, Mike and Annie for a picnic dinner this evening. There's just nothing like kicking back in the Jardin du Luxembourg on a nice spring evening! A few photos...


Mike, Rachel, Annie, and Colin. Oh yea, and the Palais de Luxembourg.


We tried to get Mike to pose for a picture. Honestly, we did. But when we told him to smile as if he actually liked his wife, they both cracked up laughing. (I'm not entirely sure what this says about their relationship ...)


Colin and me, sitting at the edge of the fountain in the center of the gardens.

Pictures from Musée Rodin

I've been having ongoing problems getting multiple photos uploaded onto the blog, but fortune smiled on me today. Here are a few shots from yesterday's excursion to the Musée Rodin.


Here he is, The Thinker in all his pensive glory. Colin and I were both marveling at the detail in his calf muscle. Just amazing!


I just liked the expression on this angel's face. I think he's in the midst of battle, but I like to think that he's just really stoked about something, and is yelling, "Yeah!!"


Here is the statue of Honoré de Balzac that Auric was always compared to. (Let's just say that both men were pleasantly plump in the belly area. Of course, the faces are somewhat similar, too.) In the background, you can see the gorgeous gold dome of Les Invalides, where Napoléon rests.


This is the view from the far end of the outdoor sculpture garden, looking back at the museum. It's a typical French garden - everything is symmetrical and groomed into perfect little shapes. I'm glad we got to see it before this place is absolutely swarming with tourists.

Friday Fun

After our late night with the long-winded opera singers, Colin decided to stay home and sleep in this morning. By the time we really got going, it was time for lunch, so we decided to indulge our craving for "real American food" by trying the diner in the 5th. Known as Breakfast in America, this restaurant proudly proclaims its status as a "real American diner in Paris." After reading through the menu online, I was practically drooling with anticipation.

I wish I could say it lived up to my expectations, but it didn't. Don't get me wrong - it was good food, and definitely a diner-esque atmosphere. (I was surprised to be greeted in American English.) And, I can honestly say that my root beer float rocked. (Funny what six months without an A&W can do to you.) But, Colin's milkshake was too thin, and the burgers were pre-made patties that weren't the real, truly meaty and juicy style that I love. (Of course, Colin grills the best hamburgers in the world, so I'm already spoiled for nearly all of the competition.) I guess there are just some things that you can't get in France. (By the way, the picture is from the women's restroom. I managed to get a picture before the light turned off on me. (The button in the women's stall was broken, so you had to push the button in the men's stall to turn on the light. I enjoyed a few moments of panic when I couldn't find the lock on the door. Argh.)

After lunch, we met up with Rachel and headed over to the Musée Rodin. It is really a lovely place -- just big enough that you are satisfied with the amount of stuff you see, but not so big that you're tired before you're finished. Of course, I am a big fan of Rodin's sculptures. After my trip to the Musée d'Orsay, I realized that no one can hold a candle to his work. We got to see "The Thinker" in person, as well as "The Gates of Hell" and "The Kiss," all among his most famous works. Of course, there was the usual requisite number of illiterate people who apparently didn't understand any of the languages requesting that no one touches the statues. Sigh. But, I decided not to let it bother me. The weather was just spectacular outside, so it was hard to be in a foul mood.

After we toured the museum, we sat outside at a café for a while and just chatted. It's so great to have nice weather again. Of course, half of all of the Parisians are wearing coats and scarves as if we were in the middle of winter. (Doesn't anyone watch the weather report around here?) Rachel and I also hit a couple of sales in some nearby clothing stores so that I could have something else to wear besides printed t-shirts that I got in college. I finished the day with a stroll around the neighborhood with wild-man Didge, who tried (and nearly succeeded) to run in every direction at once. He's a bit happy about the nice weather, too.

A loooOOOOOOoooooong night

I am crushed. Truly, utterly, and completely crushed. Remember when we went to the Opera Bastille, and I was one of two people wearing an evening gown? Tonight, we went to opening night of Bellini's Semiramide at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, which is located on the French version of Rodeo Drive (av. Montaigne) and I was the only person even remotely dressed up! Seriously, there were tons of people in jeans and t-shirts, toting along their shopping bags from their excursions earlier in the day. (One guy spilled the entire contents of his FNAC bag down the stairs during the first half of the opera. Sigh.) So, once again, I felt like a fool when I thought for sure that I would be in better company this time. I've never been happier to see the door to our little apartment.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the opera left a lot to be desired (like acting, for example). Colin didn't tell me until intermission -- 2 hours into the performance!! -- that the most important part of 19th century Italian opera is to showcase the beauty of the human voice, rather than to tell a story. Then, he let slip that we had another 1.5 hours to go! Oh man, what torture. We got home a little bit after midnight from a show that started at 7:30 pm. Ugh. I never thought I'd get "car butt" from sitting in a theater! Oh, and don't think that I took solace in the costumes or scenery: it was 100% black and white, save two red robes. (When the first red robe came on, I wanted to weep with joy.)

There's a country song that came out a few years back, entitled something to the effect of "I shaved for this?" Well, I thought about titling this blog with the same sentiment, except that I actually didn't shave for that. We had the start time wrong, so I had to hurry through my shower. So, take that, jean-wearing Frenchies! I may have worn an evening gown, but I had hairy legs, damnit. (Sigh. I wish I could say that "insult" made me feel better...)

ps Happy Birthday, Dad!

The American in Paris

I finally saw An American in Paris last week. I figured that, after 6+ months of living the title, I was obligated to see what all the fuss was about. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed, mostly with the ending. I won't give away the ending here, but I thought that the resolution happened very quickly and left me feeling like, "That's it?" The bright side, however, is that Gene Kelly's dancing does not disappoint. Wow, that guy can move! He's so graceful and light on his feet, no matter what complicated steps he's performing.

I was going to write the majority of this blog posting on my general disillusionment with the US government, but I'm finding the words very hard to come by.

---snip---

The rest of this blog entry just hit the cutting room floor. I needed to vent, but I decided it wasn't worth leaving up on the blog for the rest of the world to read. After all, I've got rhythm, I've got music, I've got Colin ... who could ask for anything more? :)

The Bois de Boulogne

Colin, Didge and I went to the Bois de Boulogne yesterday to enjoy the nice (albeit cloudy) spring day. We were out for about five hours total, including métro riding and whatnot. Didge is an absolute wreck today, completely wiped out from all of the running around. (Happiness is a tired puppy.) Here are some pictures from our excursion.

We crossed the Avenue Foch on our way to the entrance, and got a nice view of the Arc de Triomphe. (Metro: Porte Dauphine)


A shot of the runoff from the Lac Inferieur in the Bois de Boulogne.


When we were still dating, Colin used to say that he always knew it was spring when the magnolia trees bloomed on campus at Mizzou. No magnolia trees so far, but hopefully, this will do! Welcome, Spring!


OK, so Baron von Haussmann destroyed the homes of countless poor people while renovating Paris in the 1850s and 60s. I'm still a fan of his because it resulted in a lot of green space, and the creation of such lovely landscaping as this faux waterfall! What a nice reprieve from the dirt and noise of the busy city.

You might notice that there is a person standing behind the waterfall (look for a red shirt and jeans). When we walked behind there, Didge finally won the battle to go swimming by slipping in before we could get him under control. He had a ball, though, as evidenced by the short video I shot. But, if you still don't believe that he had a good time ...

... here is evidence of his blissful happiness!

Lazy Sunday

Happy Easter, everyone! (Or, for the non-Christians, happy Sunday!)

It's a pretty cloudy day here in Paris, but already in the 50's, so I can't complain. Colin and I are going to risk the chance of rain and take Didge out to the Bois de Boulogne for a long stroll this afternoon. I wish I could say we will be working off a big Easter dinner, but since it's just the two of us, we'll have our normal fare. We tried to find ham of a respectable enough thickness to have ham steaks, but no such luck. Oh well, just one more thing we can enjoy when we get back to the States!

Except for the exciting arrival of the letter from Michèle Auric, it's been a quiet week for us. Colin has been diligently combing the libraries, and I've been visiting the gym and lugging groceries up the stairs. (Side note: I thought stairs were supposed to get easier when you took them all the time. Not so. I think they get harder every day!)

I also made a trip to Cimetière Montparnasse on Thursday to get more grave pictures for FindaGrave.com. As usual, I met an assortment of characters among the graves, including a gentleman who has been searching "for years" for the grave of painter Oscar Dominguez. I got the grave's exact location from the conservation, but neither one of us could find it. So, my anonymous friend decided instead to reward me with a tour of other graves nearby where we were. I learned that the sculpture on Cesar Franck's grave is an original Rodin (my favorite scultptor), as they were good friends. I continue to marvel at the people that wander the rows of cemeteries, just waiting for a chance to show a tourist what they know! You never know what you're going to find next.

On a different note, I have a question for the few people who still comment on my blog. (Hint hint!!) Colin and I discussed this with our friends Ryan and Lisa last night on AIM, so I thought I'd bring it to the blog.

Practical considerations aside (safety, health, money, etc), what is the place on earth that you would LEAST like to visit, and why? (Or, if you prefer, what is your top destination and why?)

Jackpot, baby!

I apologize for the Dickey-V-ism in my subject for today's post, but what else can I say? You are looking at a photo of Michèle Auric's signature!! Yes, Colin got a handwritten letter in the mail from her today, expressing great interest in his project and giving him permission to photocopy Auric items in the national library!

This is all a direct result of my chance encounter in one of the Paris cemeteries. If you haven't heard or read the story, here's the link from the day I blogged about it. Colin e-mailed the gentleman that I met that day, and he sent Mme Auric's current address. After two years of letter writing, he's finally made contact -- and he's the first musicologist to get a response. Ever. Not bad!

Grève off

After much fuss, the widely hated CPE law has been repealed. I have to say, I'm a little surprised that it was withdrawn at this point, after it actually became a law. I figured that if it went into effect, that would be the end. (Not the end of the strikes, but the end of the government's action directly regarding that particular piece of legislation.) I assumed there would be another law that superceded it, rather than seeing it withdrawn all together.

So, mark a victory for la jeunesse on this issue. All that remains to be seen, from my perspective, is whether de Villepin will lose his job.

By the way, please observe a moment of reverent silence for Annie, who must now go back to work. Sorry, Annie! Grève off.

Other than this monumental event, this was a quiet day for us. Colin went to the library early and I did my normal Monday chores (cleaning house, grocery shopping, etc.) Rachel and I are meeting for lunch tomorrow, possibly with Maggie, and if the weather is good, we'll head up to the cemetery at Montmartre afterward. I haven't been to this one yet, so it should be interesting to see how it compares to the others.

ps If you ever wondered what our landlord does (which I'm sure you didn't), check out this recent posting on Superfrenchie's blog. Steven L. Kaplan owns our apartment! We're so proud.

Wait, it's FRIDAY?

Normally, when you get sick, you have one small consolation that you can roll around in your head: you don't have to go to work. In ideal cases, you are paid to stay home (i.e. sick time). Now, I'm not saying that I'm an advocate for abusing sick time - quite the contrary - but when you feel lousy, you look for a bright spot wherever you can find one. Of course, when you're at work, you console yourself by counting the days until the weekend. Finally, TGIF comes and you have the promise of two whole free days ahead of you.

Today, I find myself saddened that it is Friday. I missed a whole week! And what's more, nobody missed me when I didn't show up anywhere! Very discouraging.

Since I didn't really do anything this week, I'll instead post a few pictures that I took before and after the Paris Marathon.

Here's a self portrait of me and Colin, just before my birthday (observed) party kicked off. We are facing out of the open window in our bedroom - the weather was gloriously warm.


My "last meal," so to speak. [Clockwise from the cups on the left: Muriels' chocolate/coconut cake; Muriel's apple, cinnamon, and nut bread; Doug and Stephanie's fruit cream cake; my Colin's family-recipe rice pudding; and Colin and Maggie's chocolate/raspberry pie.] I still can't look at desserts without feeling a little sick. Could this be the end of my love affair with sugary goodness?? Bum bum BUM!


A closeup of one of the tulips that Muriel brought me. I think Colin took this picture for me on Monday, once they had really opened up. They were absolutely gorgeous for days.


Poisson d'avril! This little girl has on a full fish hat/mask that she must have made in school (there is an école maternelle across the street from us). I shot the picture from our window this afternoon.

Back story: On April Fool's Day in France, the customary joke is to tape paper fish to your friend's back, belongings, office door, and so forth. There are a mix of stories as to why a fish was chosen as the symbol, but the most plausible to me seems to be that April 1 coincided with the end of Lent, and that serving fish when you didn't have to eat one anymore was the joke. Of course, Easter is yet another week away, so I guess the fish is on us...

A Threebee

As the saying goes, good things come in three's. Here are ours for the day:

1. I feel much better today!!! Though I'm not completely well, I was able to venture outside with the dog this afternoon, as well as pick up around the house a bit. From this point on, I will be referring to the past week as my own personal Paris Marathon. Why? Because I have no intention of running that much in a short period of time in this city EVER again. (And with that, I bring to an end the string of crass jokes in relation to my recent illness.)

2. Colin was offered a GSIship with Screen Arts and Cultures (formerly Film & Video) this fall at U-M! (To translate the Michigan lingo, he got an offer to be a teaching assistant.) It's a relief to know that there will be at least one income for us to survive on. No word yet on whether mine will come from a certain community college, but the position just closed last Thursday.

3. Colin also got accepted to present at the national meeting of the Royal Music Society this summer in Birmingham, England! This is a really prestigious conference to present at, so we are both very excited about it. He's hoping to make the Scotland and England trip at the same time, with a stopover in London in the middle to do some research and meet up with some friends. I, of course, am DYING to join him! At this point, however, it's going to be a neat trick to pay for his trip (damn that English pound...) so I'm not holding my breath. Of course, you're welcome to contribute to the cause through my tip jar! [insert sheepish -- yet charming -- grin here]

Not sprouting a beak yet

Hey folks, I am unfortunately still in the grip of la grippe. For those of you who don't speak the language, la grippe is French for hell on earth. If you know the story behind why I hate hummus, all I can say is: this flu is WAY worse.

Fortunately, eggs are not among the things I am laying these days, so I think it's safe to say that it's not the bird flu. I think the real problem is that I'm taking a bunch of homeopathic crap that the pharmacist recommended. I need some drugs with unrecognizable chemical names, man!

I remember thinking during my French lessons that it was odd to stress the word "biologique" (organic) as a key word to learn right away. Then, I moved in next door to a "para-pharmacy" with nothing but holistic remedies. Now, I am literally digesting this lesson in the form of activated charcoal gels that come in a tin suspiciously similar to what US gourmet lemon drops would come in. Sorry, but it's really hard to take a drug seriously when they have carefully packaged the instructions for use in an artfully designed fold-out circle. (One of the statements in said instructions really made me laugh, but it's a bit more graphic than I would like to post here. If you *really* want to know, e-mail me.)

Anyway, while I continue to languish in bed, I offer you yet another blog to enjoy:

http://www.digitalfog.com/

The pictures on this site are hilarious! I had to stop looking because laughing hard hurts. (Love those flu aches!)

p.s. Colin is, once again, going to win the Husband of the Year award. The rest of you don't need to apply.

The Grip of La Grippe

As it turns out, I wasn't suffering from a massive hangover of epic proportions. I have the flu. Lucky me.

Speaking of unrest (ha ha), the CPE law is in effect now and the activists are not happy. There is another big nationwide protest planned for tomorrow, so you can expect to see burning cars on CNN by this time tomorrow night. I hope I'm joking! There was a spontaneous protest down the street from us this afternoon, where a bunch of high school kids blocked off the intersection of Avenue du Général Leclerc, Boulevard Brune, and Boulevard Jourdan. It was SO loud! Colin told me the details, since I was stuck in bed and he was at the grocery store at the time.

While I struggle to regain my health, here is another fun video clip:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QPtVwWwmIPY

I think you'll agree that this would be a lot more fun to see in Paris than what we get to see!

Wine, Wine, Whine.

You'll have to forgive the brief post, as I am nursing a wicked, wicked hangover. Too much wine + excessive amount of desserts = unbelievable pain for Amy! Ugh. (Note to self: never let Colin (Maggie's Colin, not my Colin) anywhere near my glass when drinking.)

In the meantime, I stumbled upon a new blog that might interest some of you: Intercept Exchange. Basically, this guy is giving his two cents on every controversial issue he can think up. He's only got 5 posts so far, but has already covered the death penalty, same-sex marriage, and the evolution debate. So far, nothing particularly wacky has come up ... but here's hoping! I haven't had a chance to comment on his views, but my current headache is preventing deep thought at the moment. :)

With that said, I'm going back to bed!