Thanksgiving quote

Thanksgiving has never been a part of my life but I'm thankful today for a quote posted on one of the blogs I read (cynical-c.com):
"And then my heart was filled with gratitude, with thankfulness, and went out in love to all the heroes, the thinkers, who gave their lives for the liberty of hand and brain – for the freedom of labor and thought – to those who fell on the fierce fields of war, to those who died in dungeons bound with chains – to those who proudly mounted scaffold’s stairs – to those by fire consumed – to all the wise, the good, the brave of every land, whose thoughts and deeds have given freedom to the sons and daughters of men and women. And then I vowed to grasp the torch that they have held, and hold it high, that light may conquer darkness still."

Ps: Day 4 and 5 of Italy are coming. Sorry - I've been working my tush off elsewhere. Yay!

Movember update

In case it slipped your minds, Movember is upon us! *cue menacing organ chord*
A friend of mine, Chris "El Presidente" Moran, has taken up the challenge (as he did last year to much acclaim) and is growing for the cause. I'll try to rustle up a photo for the next post.
Update: Here's one! (Thanks Wendy)









In the meantime, to donate for Chris (and it's the same for someone else - just substitute the names) you can either:
1. Give cold hard cash to Chris Moran (Mo-Bro) or Wendy Irik (Mo-Sista);
2. Donate online using your credit card or PayPal account; or
3. Write a cheque payable to 'Movember Foundation', referencing their Registration Number 2092381 and mail it to:

Movember Foundation
PO Box 292
Prahran VIC 3181

Remember, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.

The money raised by Movember is used to raise awareness of men's health issues and donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue - the national depression initiative. The PCFA and beyondblue will use the funds to fund research and increase support networks for those men who suffer from prostate cancer and depression.

Did you know?

• Depression affects 1 in 6 men....most don't seek help. Untreated depression is a leading risk factor for suicide

• Last year in Australia, 18,700 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 2,900 died of it - equivalent to the number of women who will die from breast cancer annually.

For those that have supported Movember in previous years you can be very proud of the impact it has had.
Movember culminates at the end of month Gala Party. If you would like to be part of this great night you'll need to purchase a ticket.

Italy: Day 3

Our day began with something of a pact - to never eat or drink like the night before again...Yes, I realise you've heard this all before but it really did seem like a case of "J'ai trop manger".
After arriving a little late at Steph & Thomas' house thanks to my (previously unrealised) appallingly bad navigation, we settled into the hills around Florence in a little village called San Martino alla Parma. Steph and Thomas have a baby, Cassia, who greeted us both with a smile which set our nerves at ease. They're also the nicest hosts and fed us incredibly well. Toast with fresh (as in a few day's old) olive oil, a traditional tomato soup and a massive slab of steak called Bistecca. I kid you not - it was thicker than two hands pressed together and easily 20cm across. Thomas grilled it in the fireplace and IT WAS AMAZING, and made even better by the Chianti and another red wine (which I can't remember now...I wonder why) we drank. B and I had talked about drinking Chianti before we arrived as many of the places we were visiting in Italy were in the Chianti region. I knew Chianti as having an average reputation as a cheap wine and I was sure I wasn't alone. But after tasting the Chianti Classico I really didn't understand the stereotype at all. The wine from this region is fantastic - mostly Sangiovesi grapes, medium-bodied, fruity and full of character. It changed my idea of Chianti completely and I'll be looking for it in stores in Paris and in Sydney soon. If you haven't tried good Chianti yet, make sure you find the ones with the label.
Anyway, it was a delicious meal and despite the less-than-chipper start the next morning it set us up for a day in Florence. Before we left, though, we poked around Steph and Thomas' olive groves, soaking in the sunshine and a view of Tuscany I'd been waiting for - rolling hills covered in vines bathed in sunlight. Ahhh...

Florence, like Lucca in that it was packed with cathedrals, was for me a much nicer experience. It's on a river, has lovely little bridges, cute back streets and a thriving feel that I'd missed previously. It still retains an architectural majesty with the incredible Santa Maria del Fiore (known as The Duomo) and Bartolomeo Ammanati's Fountain of Neptune. We spent our entire day here, wandering around the town noticing big and little things, dodging skydivers, and, of course, eating and drinking at will. As with all of Europe thus far, the best time of the day came in the evening as the sun started to set. The buildings glowed, the air hung with a very faint sense of haze and the sunlight truly felt calming. I wish I knew the reason for this but at the time I was content to be carried along by it all.
We ended our day leaving Florence by a (unintentional - guess who was navigating again) scenic route through the surrounding hills before settling onto the road towards Radda in Chianti, south-south-east of Florence.

RATING
I enjoyed Florence a lot and had the feeling we'd discovered some really worthwhile things while touring the city. It also ended with a truly enjoyable dinner, which I'll get to tomorrow.
4.5/5

Italy: Day 2

Sunday. The day of sleep-ins. We should've known...
Despite our plans to get up early, have a quick breakfast and hit the road to explore the Tower, we managed to leave by about 11am. Look, the breakfast offerings were expansive and delicious, and with several kinds of meals that needed to be tried (cereals, breads, fruits and savoury things like boiled eggs and ham) there was no way THIS happy little Vegemite was leaving early. I did stop to wonder, as I waddled out the door of the breakfast room, whether I'd overdone it again food-wise and doomed both of us to a day of moaning (and not in the good way), but as it turned out my fears were groundless as we spent a large portion of the day walking the breakfast off.
Pisa, at least the bits of it we saw from the car and then around the Tower, is a nice little city. The first thing that got my attention was the Pinus pinea, or Italian Stone Pine (or Umbrella Pine). I love these trees and hardly ever get to see them, so to be introduced to Italy with a sight of them from the hotel window was great. They scream "MEDITERRANEAN!" at you, but in a calmer, more welcoming way, like "Hi there. Welcome to the Mediterranean. Why not lie under my shade for a while? Can I get you something to drink?"
After that, though, all thoughts were directed to the Tower. How much does it really lean? Would it fall on anyone and would we be there to see it happen? Are there really people who stand a fair distance off and photograph their partner trying to make it seem like they were holding it in their hand?
Answers: A lot. No (booo). And yes:











The Duomo and Battistero are lovely to look at, too, as is the entire complex housing them all. And despite being packed with tourists it was quite a nice place to wander for an hour or so. Quiet (compared to Paris), with green lawns and beautiful architecture.

After the Tower we headed back to the car (parked sneakily for free not far away, under windows with women hanging out the day's washing) and began our journey inland. First stop: Lucca. Lucca had been recommended by B's brother-in-law, and he wasn't wrong. I saw more cathedrals this day than in my life up until that point - the place is PACKED with them - and, to be honest, I got a serious case of architectural-marvel burn-out. But, thankfully, Lucca has much more than that to offer - the canal, the beautiful gardens, the walls and the great walk you can take on top of them, and the best part for me: a tower with trees growing on top of it. The view from here over the city and the surrounding areas is amazing. You can see everything from tiny terraces on top of houses to other towns nestled in far-away hills. You can even be quizzed on the fundamental questions of the universe, like "Where is the happ(y)ness?"

As the sun came down and we descended from the tower it was time to find the car (sneakily parked again and again without penalty) and make our way to San Martino alla Parma to stay with one of B's friends and her family. Before that, though, we happened past a deli selling, of all things, slabs of lard. And what does one do with all that lard? You slice it thinly and lay it on toast for an aperatif, like ham. Mmmm... ?

RATING
A lot of walking, some beautiful things seen but a few too many cathedrals.
3.5/5

Italy: Day 1

Day 1 was, in fact, Saturday night. We flew from Paris (Orly) to Pisa, me only narrowly making check-in due to a serious case of dawdling, picked up the hire car (a Fiat Panda - boxy but cute and easy to drive) after something resembling an unguided trek in the dark along a highway (it turns out there's a shuttle bus between the hire place and the airport but it wasn't well-marked...at least, not well enough for us) and headed to a hotel not far from the airport. Our thinking was that it'd be better to have as few hassles as possible so early in the trip and that, by getting to bed early, we would have an early start and hit the town before the majority of the tourists. Ha! Ever the optimists...
The hotel, one of the myhotel chain, was quite nice. Clean, tasteful interior, friendly staff, plenty of food availble (with free champers on arrival) and enough channels in Italian to keep us amused for hours.

RATING
Well, for the part of the day that was spent in Italy I have to say it was great. Nice flight, nice hire car, nice hotel.
4.5/5

Keith Olbermann on gay marriage

Before I get into talking about Italy, this was too important to let pass. It's a video of Keith Olbermann talking about gay marriage and the recent vote in California to ban it. Possibly the worst thing to come out of the presidential election (i.e. focus on president = attention diverted from other, equally important issues)?

Italy. The Saga.

We just flew in from Italy about an hour ago and, boy, are our arms tired!
But seriously, folks - I'll be here for the next four days blogging about the trip. Don't forget to try the veal.

Schmap Madrid Fifth Edition: Photo Inclusion

"Hi James,
I am delighted to let you know that your submitted photo has been selected for inclusion in the newly released fifth edition of our Schmap Madrid Guide:
Segovia Bridge
www.schmap.com/madrid/sights_water/p=26800/i=26800.jpg
If you use an iPhone or iPod touch, then this same link will take you directly to your photo in the iPhone version of our guide. On a desktop computer, you can still see exactly how your photo is displayed and credited in the iPhone version of our guide at:
Segovia Bridge
www.schmap.com/?m=iphone#uid=madrid&sid=sights_water&p=26800&i=26800
Finally, if you have a blog, you might also like to check out the customizable widgetized version of our Schmap Madrid Guide, complete with your published photo:
www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=39888082N00/c=SH1401462
Thanks so much for letting us include your photo - please enjoy the guide!"

1 out of 3204 photos? Totally worth it.

My new favourite photo

By Amy Stein, via LifeLounge.

Paris: Then and now

Via Ewen (thanks again, Ewen!), this is a great bit of Paris' history, photo-journalism style.
Having walked down and cycled through the Esplanade des Invalides, it is mind-boggling to realise the absence of those amazing palace buildings. All there is now is grass...

A story without words

Well, sort of. The always-fascinating TED has a blog which features a great fairytale without traditional text. This makes me :)

Artist on LSD

Three posts in one day? Unheard of!
Nonetheless, voilà!

Beards and mo's

Since I mentioned Movember recently, head on over to BuzzFeed for a cute diagram of the options available.

"Great moments in post-modernism"

From an interesting blog, "Buildings and Food", comes an equally-interesting analysis of post-modernist culture via a rap video.
Key point: More money = more problems.
Thoughts?

No, I'm not missing...

...just lazy.

But things have been happening!

• I got my French work permit. Hoorah! It took a long time between agreeing to work for the MBA Center and finally reaching an agreement with my actual employer, a 'portage' company which acts as an intermediary between me and the MBA Center to satisfy the requirements of my visa (namely that I can't work as an independent and must be employed by someone). The upside is that everything is legal and the owner of the portage company is lovely; The downside is that 50% of my pay packet is taken away. Sob. Still, at least I'm now able to work legally and can finally get paid for the work I've already done (which is significant). Oddly enough, the hours-of-waiting-in-line-only-to-be-turned-away-due-to-insufficient-documentation that I was expecting (y'know, the stereotypical French Bureacracy) never eventuated. Yet again I met with someone lovely who was patient with my lack of language skill and who, in the end, didn't need half of what I'd prepared. What I have now is a simple sheet of paper that was almost painless to acquire. Phew!

• I've booked my flight back to Sydney for my birthday and Christmas. I've also booked another return flight from Sydney to Paris, assuming that I'll need to apply for another visa if I want to return (which, at this stage, I do). I'll be staying in Oz until the 9th of January - come say hi!

• B and I have also been talking about what's going to happen when my visa runs out and, as the previous bullet-point suggests, I'm almost decided that I'll be coming back to Paris for a while. Things with B are going well, and while I miss Australia and still have every intention of returning at least semi-permanently, I don't mind this town and am happy to see life play out here a while longer. Of course, that could all change tomorrow but this is the status quo.

Aside from all that, life is kicking along its merry way. We're visiting Italy the weekend after next for four days. We're flying into Pisa and pottering around Tuscany (y'know, as you do. Ahem), hopefully visiting some great vineyards and seeing some of the things my dad saw and loved when he was in Italy all those years ago. 1997, was it, dad? Wow, that's dating... Rest assured, my Flickr account will be significantly heftier on our return. Speaking of which, the latest photos of the zoo at the Jardin des Plantes are up here!

Movember

For those who don't know, Movember is "an annual charity event held during November" that "aims to change these attitudes...that they have to be tough - "a real man" - and not see a doctor about an illness or go for regular medical checks...and make men's health fun by putting the Mo back on the face of fashion, and in the process raise some serious funds for key men's health issues."
I did it last year:




I know - a bit pathetic when you see the other blokes' efforts!





Anyway, in 2007 the organisation raised AUS$16.2 million! That's incredible, but really only a small start when you consider prostate cancer is now the most diagnosed cancer in Australia (ahead of skin cancer...in Australia...That's just crazy). Check out how the organisation used the funds here.
Movember is coming up again so for all those reading this blog please consider either Mo'ing up or supporting someone else as a MoBro or MoSista in their quest.

Autumn

It's truly here. Leaves are turning colour, scarves are making a reappearance, menu choices are decidely different (Cassoulet replacing Tomate Farcie, for example) and people have that look, when crossing bridges, like they're about to visit Toto and Dorothy in some far away land. It's actually quite a nice time - it's not too cold and the sun is still shining for most of the day (about 8am to 7pm). Also, papers in the Northern Hemisphere are churning out pieces like this (see photo 16 for an approximation of what Paris looks like in any of its numerous parks). All in all, this town is a lovely place to be.
Oh, and did I mention I finally got a contract today? :o)

Obama vs McCain

I've resisted weighing into a debate I know too little about whenever the opportunity has arisen. I've done a fair bit of blog-reading/vlog-listening, though, and this was one of many recent highlights. That's Donna Brazile, manager of Al Gore’s 2000 Presidential run and frequent commentator on CNN.

Tilt-shift

Tilt-shift + post production = Amazing photography that makes real objects look like miniature models. Here's a video.
The best part? This was done by an Australian, not far from where KT and I used to paddle. See his other TS videos here.

Photography

As an avid (some might say obssessive) amateur photographer, this sort of stuff is breathtaking and inspiring. Thanks, Yann Arthus Bertrand!

gooseGrade

You may notice a new thingy on the RHS of the page: the gooseGrade icon. It's a new widget that "allows you to suggest spelling, grammar, factual, and other corrections to authors." Basically, if you spot a mistake in any of the posts click on the icon and make your corrections. It's particularly for those who love mistake-free reading (read: anal-retentives) - people like moi...Chicken, mum & dad, KT, etc! (Just kidding, folks.)
More here.

What the...?!

Huh? No Sharon?
Yet another example of me leaving the country (for almost 6 months! Phew!) and everything going south. It's a good thing I'm coming back for Christmas or you'd all be running from the latest catastrophe...most probably some kind of godzilla-like thing.

Totally Famous

We saw Gotye at Nouveau Casino on Monday night. I'm now, like, totally famous.
Yeah, okay, so I'm in the background...but it's a start!
Btw, this is such a good photo of the stereotypical French model. It's just perfect. The I-could-care-less stare, the styled-beyond-all-understanding ensemble - perfect.

Friday (okay, Sunday) means music

Covers! Gotta love 'em. Thanks to Lifelounge for this collection.

"Second floor: Watches, handbags, Karl Lagerfeld..."

Tom's staying with us...again. (Just kidding, mate!)
He had an interesting run-in with celebrity last Friday: Shopping for something in Collette's he turned to see Karl Lagerfeld standing beside him, in all his high-cuffed, black sun-sunglassed, make-upped, zombie-appearing glory (or gory, perhaps? Ha). Considering the status of Herr Lagerfeld, I was mightily impressed...but I'm not sure Parisians feel the same way. There are SO MANY celebrities here, and the celebrity culture is such that they're treated with almost-anonymity, that to realise you're standing next to a cultural icon is really not that much of a big deal. I mean, sure, they might ask for a photo but the mobbing we've seen of even B-list celebrities in Australia just doesn't seem to happen here. It's bizarre. Personally, I might've wet myself (with joy, not fear - despite the undead-resemblance) at being stood next to a fashion guru. At the least, I would've started a small, in-store riot to ensure Karl knew we loved him. It's the sensible thing to do, people! Ah well. The joy of living in a new culture.

Before I go, just a quick update on the job front: My contract is being delayed while we search for a portage company. MBA only want to employ me as a freelancer, but while I love the title ("James Whisker: Freelancer"!!!) it means that, to satisfy my working visa requirements, I need to be employed part- or full-time by an intermediary. It'll suck half my pay away but at least it'll be legal. I'm hoping next week will see some dotted-line action. Oh yeah.

And finally, this weekend has seen BEAUTIFUL weather in Paris. Cool, clear, sunny - perfect for a picnic...which is what we're doing later today. Nice.

Big news!

I got the job!
I haven't signed on the dotted line yet so I'm still afraid of jinxing the whole thing but it's looking good for the moment and I'll now be working as a coach for the MBA Center in Paris, assisting people with their applications to and interview prep for MBA colleges in Europe.
I promise, more details when it's all signed, sealed and delivered. Until then, though - yay!

Satisfying all criteria

Today's post is two-fold: One, to link to a fantastic video of Stevie Wonder on Sesame Street doing 'Superstition', with a particular note for the wild child at 4.10, and the wonderful restart after the first end (which, for me, changed the song to something more serious, more driving and insistent than just something to nod your head to), and to say that I think I might have found a job. I had an interview yesterday and have another one on Friday night (5-7pm - I know, go figure). I'll let you know on the weekend how it goes but this could be the break I've been looking for for four months. Fingers crossed!

And what do these things have to with the post's title, I hear you ask? Well, the first combines the Muppets with incredible music (an unbeatable duo) and the second combines work with money (and all that that entails...like tripping to Australia in December!) Nyah, so there.

Oh! And I've uploaded some more photos to flickr. One of the videos (of the night sky from the apartment) didn't quite come out the way I wanted...but perhaps if you watch it in a dark room it'll be more effective.

No camera - aack!

Of all the days to forget my camera...On an incredibly beautiful day (made more so by the preceding incroyablement blah days) Tom and I played petanque in the jardin du Luxembourg in the early afternoon and then I went to the canal St Martin to pick up the kids I'm baby-sitting at the moment. (Oh yeah - I forgot to say that I'm baby-sitting three kids at the moment for a friend of B's. They're lovely - super polite, super cute and no trouble at all.) Where their school is, there's also a lock, and as I got there early I was able to watch three boats (two canal cruisers and one normal motor boat) navigate the three stages. In the dappled sunlight, the cool-yet-comfortable temperatures and with the sound of water seemingly everywhere it was quite a magical twenty minutes. How I kicked myself afterwards for not having my camera, though!

It also gave me time to reflect that life is really quite lovely. Tomorrow I have an interview for a job that, if I can swing a semi-permanent contract position rather than a freelance one, means I'll have enough money to come back to Sydney for my birthday and Christmas at the end of the year. That's a goal and a half, let me tell you! Fingers crossed for tomorrow!!

I'm gone for a few months and look what happens...

"Australian Fast Food Chain, Hungry Jacks, has just released a burger with more than 70g of fat and over 1000 calories, called "The Quad Stack". With 4 beef patties, 4 slices of cheese, 8 slices of bacon and BBQ sauce, this burger is guaranteed to give you 4 heart attacks, 3 strokes, 2 comas, and one of the biggest regrets you’ll ever have."

That's it: I'm sending back my passport. Seriously, what happened to our country that we thought it appropriate to take this epic step backwards in health and well-being?

Friday means music...4?

Whatever number it is, it's time for some serious funk: Carl Holmes with 'Black Bag'.
Enjoy!

In other news, Alex L was here to stay for a couple of nights. Gosh it was great to see onther familiar face.
And Tom T arrived yesterday, which is awesome. We had a big night out last night replete with innards, congealed-blood sausages and other pretty darned tasty things. Today has been a cruisy one so far and THANKFULLY the sun has come out so the afternoon could continue in the same vein outside. Nice.

Food examples from Paris

Alex L is in town so we're heading out to Restaurant Domaine de Lintillac tonight for some traditional French fare.
Check out the menu (scroll down) for some classic examples of what makes up the delightfully...varied...French cuisine.

Last Friday meant music

It sure did, and in the absence of regular blogging (which, I assure you, is not the way this blog will be for much longer) here's a super groovy song from the awesomely-named Fonzworth Bentley: Everybody.
"CoolOutrageousLoversOfUniquelyRawStyyyyle" !

Farewell Summer, we hardly knew ye...

Yep - it's been and gone. I'd like to whinge and compare it to the gloriously and perpetually sunny summer of Sydney...so I will! Seriously, it only just going before throwing in the towel. It really seemed like just a few weeks of warmth and sunshine before the grey skies returned and brought us today - rain, greyness and cold. We did have some lovely weather, though - going out late at night with the sun still up, crossing the Pont Neuf feeling the sun from the west still strong on my face, is a feeling I'm not soon to forget - but it's over. Sniff.
And for the Frenchies out there, yes, I know that I'm being a little harsh and probably more than a little inaccurate given my recent recollections of the season in Sydney (which, truth be told, were not much better than here) but still, a month? Really? Well gee, thanks.

Still, it's not all bad. In fact, things seem to be balancing out:

• Last weekend we went to Cellettes for two days of sunshine, bike riding, swimming, tree chopping, and, of course, eating and drinking with friends of B's. But then I got sick and am still, five days later, working through what seems to be a throat infection.
  

• Today I navigated on my own the world of French medicine (read: I visited a doctor). Speaking only in French I managed to convey that I had a sore throat, a mild fever, and was in need of the kinds of drugs the French are known to swig every time the wind changes direction. But on the downside it cost me 60€.
  

• I've continued to search for full-time work and had continued to receive nothing in response...up until two weeks ago when I finally heard back from a company. It now looks as though they're interested in hiring me, but I won't jinx it by giving away the details until I've signed on some kind of dotted (or not, I'm not fussy) line.
  

• And, while we didn't conquer the pool like I'd hoped we would, we're still doing HEAPS better overall in the Olympics than the French. Ha!

So yes, it's all balancing out.

Oh, and yet again I almost forgot to send this week's instalment of 'Friday means music'. An oldie but a goodie: The Whatnauts with "Message from a Black Man". You'll probably recognise the guitar riff - a common grab for contemporary hip-hop artists (including the great MF Doom, whom I adore, who's linked on the same page under 'King Geedorah'. Slightly NSFW lyrics in the remix).

"Christians are like a pickle impaled on two forks being electrocuted"

Reported on Cynical C (a brilliant read, btw - the video is about 2/3 the way down) a man tries to explain the power of the Christian god by way of a pickle.
As far as I can tell, if you accept this god into your life you'll first glow in the dark and then die a horrible, smelly death. Ooo, sign me up!

Kitten vs. fan

I'm taking time out from a job application to bring you this glorious bit of teh internets: Kitten vs. fan
Fair enough, I say. If you hadn't been told what air and wind are, wouldn't you think you too were being covered by some insidious, invisible, mist-like blanket?

Discovery

Sometimes it's the discovery of small things that gives me the most joy. Take, for example, the 'Moro-Sphinx' (Macroglossum stellatarum, or Hummingbird Hawk-moth). Check it out here. I've seen this thing once, whilst sitting by the pool in Coubeyrac. Hearing the humming this thing made I thought I'd stumbled upon a French hummingbird but, yet still equally interestingly, it was only an insect. Still! It was enormous (for an insect) - about 1 1/2 inches long and beautiful. Ah, the small things in life....

The holidays

A little belated but this, in summary, is how our week in Bordeaux went:

• Day 1 - Saturday: Caught the train to Gare de Montparnasse and then a TGV to Libourne where we were met by Estelle (co-owner of Chateau Lestrille). Stayed with her, her husband Martin and their three kids for a night. Ate great food, drank superb wine, sat in the sun and generally did not very much.
  

• Day 3 - Monday: Moved to B's aunt's place in Bordeaux and hung out in the city for the day.

Day 4 - Tuesday: Hired a car (a Citroen C1 - a fantastic little car) and drove to Le Porge-Océan on the West coast for a day at the beach. It was the first time I'd seen a real (by a Sydney definition) beach since arriving in France. Sigh.

Day 5 - Wednesday: Left Bordeaux in the car and drove to a small B&B at La Gueriniere, Cenac via Sarlat-la-Canéda.

Day 6 - Thursday: Drove to les jardins de Marqueyssac, near Castelnaud, then Montbazillac and finally to B's aunt's country house in Coubeyrac, a truly relaxing place replete with donkeys, vineyards and the kind of countryside you normally only see on shows like Getaway.

Day 7 - Friday: Drove to St Emilion but otherwise relaxed at the house.

Day 8 - Saturday: Visited some local markets then spent some of the afternoon at a show put on by a local horse-riding school (where one of B's cousins was attending). That night we had an amazing dinner in Gensac. I wish I'd taken my camera to photograph the sun setting over the valley, and I wish I'd remembered to take the business card of the hotel/restaurant so I could share the details with you but sadly I did neither of these. Sorry.

Day 9 - Sunday: Drove back to Bordeaux to drop off the car and hopped on the TGV back to Paris.

Of course, all of this is on Flickr here, although you might want to make a cup of tea or at least find an extra cushion for your chair before you click through the 375 photos. Ahem.

Music for yesterday

Late again - music for yesterday's instalment of 'Friday means music'. This time it's an Australian artist introduced to me by Marns at USyd (thanks Marns!):
Sol Seppy with her track "Human".

And while I'm thinking about music, how many of you Björk fans? I am. I've never been to a concert but I have many of her albums and listen to her music pretty regularly. Oddly enough, considering I once spent several months listening to Post almost exclusively before going to sleep, I only recently realised she uses several key melodic phrases in many (most? all?) of her albums, and that the songs in which you hear these Björk-markers could not possibly be mistaken as belonging to anyone else. I'll try to outline them below but don't expect cross-referencing - you'll just have to trust me that these phrases exist in several albums.

Case in point: "I've seen it all" (from the Dancer in the Dark soundtrack, of which the film, btw, is amazing - utterly heart-breaking but very worthwhile). Song here; video here. (I'll be using the song link for the timings. The video is worth watching but it skips some of the examples.)

• Björk-marker 1: What I'll call the 'Tilt-head-back-and-go-for-it pt1' phrase. Listen from 2:04 to 2:16.

• Björk-marker 2: A sort of nonsense phrase but a marker nonetheless. Listen from 3:05 to 3:13.

• Björk-marker 3: The 'Tilt-head-back-and-go-for-it pt2' phrase. Listen from 4:45 to 4:49. Less obvious than the first one but still, at least for me, a strong indicator of Björk-ness.

• Björk-marker 4: A falling melody that neatly finishes a song. Listen from 4:51 to 4:58.

And before you comment, yes, I realise I have too much time on my hands.

Back from Bordeaux

And tanned! Okay, so it's really just a darker shade of pale but it's a start!
I'll try to think of something interesting to write but in the meantime you can amuse yourself with the 370'ish photos/movies I've added to Flickr.
Honestly, they must hate me. I have almost 3000 files stored...Does that say more about the country I'm in or me?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy them. My favourite is the "Coubeyrac. Donkey. The movie". Those things are LOUD!

Oh yeah...

I almost forgot - Amsterdam!
In 25 words or less (counting words like "it's" as one word):
It's the most beautiful city I've ever seen and a place I could easily live in. When the weather's doing the right thing, that is.
Seriously though, walking by the canals in the Jordaan was amazing. I felt instantly at ease because of the seclusion, the water so close by and the wonderful surprises around each corner (like Space Invader mosaics), not to mention curb-side gardens, houseboats, the impressive (in the way giants can be) locals, the excellent range of cafes and bars (like a cross between Glebe, Surry Hills and Bundanoon) and the ability to move from heavily tourist-ed areas to virtual isolation in the space of 200m.
We had some great times: Catching up with Chris M and Bernard M, visiting Marken and Edam (another truly beautiful town), trying space cakes ('sublimely happy' was the phrase for that evening), seeing some Van Gocccccgggggggghhhhhhh masterpieces up close, and escaping cold winds by ducking into warm sandwich shops for 'broodjes' (e.g. Kaasboer - highly recommended).

And the holidays continue! Tomorrow we're catching the train to somewhere in Bordeaux for a week's worth of wine tasting, visiting B's friends and family, and maybe even getting to the beach in the SW of France. I know - a beach! Ha! I'm looking forward to it a lot.

ps: I miss Sydney, my friends and my family a lot at the moment. Being in Amsterdam, which felt a lot like home, has left me feeling homesick in a big way. I miss being on the water with KT in the morning - paddling the OC1 into the middle of the Harbour and watching the city wake up with the sunrise; I miss the Chicken especially - for everything we did together; I miss being with my folks at their place in Bundanoon - the freezing cold outside at night kept at bay by mum and dad's (mostly mum's - dad, you slacker) incredible cooking... Heck, I miss it all. But I push the homesickness down while I'm experiencing new things so I'm sure it'll pass quickly and I'll be left enjoying a wine tasting in no time. ;o)

Friday means music 3

I never leave myself enough time to do this...

Anyway, to make up for the missing weeks go check this out. It's a film of Radiohead doing almost an hour to celebrate the 2007 NYE.

Arguably the greatest band of all time, taking into account record sales, the number of albums, and the sheer creative guts behind their evolution.

Hope you enjoy it!

Time flies

It sure does. I can't believe it's been almost a month since the last meaningful post. Yikes!

Anyway, to make up for it, here's a collection of what's been going on in the last four weeks:

• I stopped going to French classes at Alliance Francaise. It's 'trop cher' - far too much to be spending without me earning a reasonable amount at the same time. The teachers have all been fantastic and the location is excellent, but I wasn't learning quickly enough (they tend to drag the courses out) to warrant the cost. I'm looking for a new college as we speak, though.

• We went to Flan (sp?) in Normandy last weekend to stay with B's sister and brother-in-law, their son and a large number of their friends who dropped in for various meals. It was two days spent sitting in the enormous garden soaking up the sun or sitting inside listening to the incredible record collection, eating fantastic food, drinking amazing wine and chasing the resident ducks with B's nephew. Relaxation was definitely the word for the weekend.

• We went to Chaumont for an international garden competition, stopping by Blois ("BLAH!"), Chambord and Beauregard to make up a brilliant weekend. I even convinced (read: blackmailed) B to let me drive for a while. LHS, manual on tiny roads - no probs! There are heaps of photos on my flickr page, which now has an easyURL. Chouette!

• I've picked up another PT client, which makes a grand total of two. I have lots more interest but from people who want to start in September. Apparently, Summer in Paris is 'merguez and rosé' time and therefore not the time to be exercising. I don't agree - I would've thought Summer was the perfect time to get fit - you can exercise outdoors in the sun and warm weather, you can eat whatever you want sans-guilt because you're exercising...perfect! Alas, it seems I'm the only one who thinks that...

• We've been planning a trip to Amsterdam for some time and it's finally happening this weekend. We'll be catching up with Chris (El Presidente) from Tsunami and Bernard (who some of you might remember from the Fire Dragons in Boracay a few years ago) so I have to remember to take my rashie.

• I finally found a suitable description for what I experience (as a newbie French speaker) when at parties surrounded by native French-speakers: It's like being a bear fishing for salmon in a river. You're surrounded by rushing water filled with things you recognise but which are moving too quickly to grasp. Occasionally, however, you manage to latch onto something long enough and you're able to do what you came there to do - eat fish, or, in my case, talk with others in a meaningful way. That's not to say parties aren't fun even when you can't communicate clearly or understand a large portion of what's being said, and I have to say that B's friends have been - without exception - happy to speak in English if I'm really not understanding the conversation, but all the same I would prefer to be able to take part in French more easily. I guess it's a question of patience and time - the former of which I have very little.

• Tom arrived in the UK, which is great news and which has kicked off a flurry of grand scheming.

• I found this. Ha!

• And Paris is in the grip of festival fever. We went to a great African concert on the spur of the moment on Wednesday night, near one of my favourite spots (the Square du Temple) - photos on flickr soon. We've also been watching the build-up to Paris Plage which starts on the 21st. That's gonna be weird.

And so to today which, for me at least, is a lazy one to be spent packing and researching for Amsterdam. We'll be there for four days, returning to Paris for a few more, then heading out (by TGV, First Class. Ooo!) to Bordeaux for a week or so, visting B's family, (hopefully) many vineyards, and possibly even the beach. I'll try to post some pics on flickr between the trips so stay tuned.

Discoveries

I know, it's been a while. Sorry about that. It's just that, well, I've been busy discovering things like this.
My favourites are 'Emerge' and 'Arrow game'.
More soon.

Friday means music 2

Today, it's a video of Thom Yorke and Johny Greenwood doing Arpeggi/Weird Fishes at the Ether Festival three years ago.
I challenge you to find the beat he sings from. Does he come in at random or is one of the instruments giving him cues? Either way, Thom's a genius. Odd, but a genius.

Rosecrans Baldwin

An excellent American writer based in Paris. Check out his latest post for The Morning News here.

One afternoon a roving band of 30 teenagers stopped traffic on the Champs-Elysées, marching toward the Arc de Triomphe, followed by a battalion of 60 police officers in riot gear, marching in rows of two. I asked a French co-worker what the kids were celebrating. He squinted, looking into the sun. “That it’s May,” he said. “That they’re French, that they’re young. You will not understand.”

Huh?

Gotta be quick - I'm supposed to be getting to class but I wanted to write about something that happened recently. It was a random meeting on the street:

Woman: Excusez-moi?
Me: Oui?
Woman: (In French) Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah?
Me: Er...Hmmm?
Woman: (Repeating the same thing - in French) Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah?
Me: Um, sorry, I mean, pardon. Je ne parle pas francais tres bien. Excusez-moi. Repetez, s'il vous plait?
Woman: (By this time clearly getting a little agitated) Blah ou blah cinema blah blah blah?
Me: Oh! Le cinema! C'est la.
Woman: Le cinema? Non, blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah?
Me: (Red-faced with embarrassment and wishing frantically for the first case of alien abduction in broad daylight on the streets of Paris) Excusez-moi. Um... Ah... Hmmm. Pardon.

And so ended the type of random meeting I seem to have on a weekly basis. Clearly, my goal of speaking conversational French in three months is running a little behind schedule. Which reminds me, it's time to get to class. Merde!

Bad for business

We're back from Normandy, dry AS. I'm in two minds about this one - it was great to go somewhere and enjoy some sunshine but at the same time I'm mourning the set-back to our fool-proof business plan...Damned changeable French weather! Anyway, we came back with an enormous tomato so I'm leaning to the positive for the trip.


Tonight I'm doing pan-fried trout for some of B's friends. Does anyone have any decent recipes? I've found a good honey & mustard one that I'll use this time but new ideas for next time are very welcome.

Friday means music

Music is a huge part of my life. I used to sing in choirs, have played a couple of instruments, and now listen to as much new music as I can get my grabby little hands on.
When B and I were still on opposite sides of the world I used to send her an mp3 every Friday - a song I loved that I thought she might too - and, if I can maintain any kind of regularity, I'd like to do sort of the same thing here.
So, for the inaugural 'Friday means music', this is a link to a site where various dance music luminaries collaborated with uovo magazine to present ten songs that "saved their lives". Now that I think about it, there are so many songs here that I'm covered for the rest of the year even if I never do this segment again...but of course that'd be cheating.
Enjoy!

Gelato

I made it. It was good. AND it's a great way to get rid of 'trop mûr' rockmelon. Let me know if you want the recipe.

And as a total non sequitur we're off to Normandy again this weekend, togs and umbrella in hand. No, wait, just the umbrella - the forecast is for rain! I know - like, no way!!

I love living in France

Reason 1: Julien Dore's 'Les Limites'
A dancing man, a chicken, a mule and slapstick humour. What more could we ask for?

The Rainmakers

Sorry for the absence. B and I have been working on a business plan that we had to test again in the field. Basically, we hire ourselves out to people (from individual gardeners to national governments) who need or want rain. We plan a holiday there, arrive, and collect our paycheck...because, almost without exception, everywhere we go together it rains, often completely out of season. I tell you, I'm starting to believe in weather-oriented kharma and am wondering what I did in a past life to warrant such pay-back...
You might think I'm exaggerating but our research suggests otherwise: 2 weeks in Sydney, mid-Summer - rain for all but 3 days; 4 days in Madrid, the start of Summer and traditionally a dry time - 3 wet days; A weekend in Fontainebleau with sun predicted - rain the first day and threatening (although admittedly unrealised) storms on the second.

We could make a mint!

Anyway, Fontainebleau was a lovely town and we'll definitely return when the weather is drought-dry. I highly recommend a dinner at 'L'Ecurie des Cepages' - a wine bar with a great selection of light meals. Don't expect the best service (it's run by the sommelier and one other staff member) but do expect great wine and delicious, fresh food. The wines we had were:

• A 2006 Languedoc from the SE of France ('Donnaire Mas de Matin')

• A Cab Franc called 'Coup France' from the SW (Chateau par Stephanie Roussel)

• A Champagne called 'Drappier'

• And a 2005 dessert wine which I wrote down as 'Corvu Pierre Corvee' from 'Chateau de Rutille'...which could be completely wrong because, let's face it, I'd been drinking all night.

It's been a week of discovery - of France, of my goals for my time in Paris, and of myself - not all of which has been pleasant but probably all necessary and certainly all beneficial. I won't bore you with the details; suffice to say I know more about myself now and feel more confident in becoming a better person. And, after all, isn't that one of the main drivers for travelling - discovering a wider world and growing for the positive as a person?
I only wish the discovery had extended to a permanent job. Alas, it's an elusive quarry and the hunt continues. The PT I mentioned in the last post worked out well and will hopefully become a source of casual spending money but it's not what I want for a full-time job.

Ah well, la vie est bonne, Paris est beau et le temps a tourné pour le meilleur. C'est chouette!

Locals

So here's a question I asked myself recently that I'd like some help with: What does it take to call yourself a 'local'? Is it:

• A question of time? If so, how long? A month? Six?

• A question of knowledge? For example, if I know the best restaurants to eat at depending on the amount wanting to be spent or the cuisine to be eaten, or if I know how to navigate the metro without help from another person.

• Development of a routine? For example, regular visits to the gym, the supermarket, language classes, etc.

• A combination of these?

• Something else?

I ask because I've developed a real problem with tourists - treating them like foreigners to MY town - and I find this bizarre because I've only been in this town for 6 weeks.

And on an unrelated note, I have my first PT (personal training) gig this Friday morning. Woo! I'll let you know how it goes.

The lolvant garde

I'm a big fan of 'lolxxxx' (e.g. lolcats) so this was just too cool.

Sharing

A great article from the NY Times about online sharing via blogs.

Stuffed

Oh yeah, I've added a few more photos to Flickr. Click the pic.

Cough, cough

Yep, I have a cold. I'm not exactly sure how - it's not like I've been over-indulg... Oh, wait. Yeah, okay, that'd be it...

This week has been pretty good so far. After feedback from several sources (thanks J and C, amongst others) I sent my first job application yesterday. It's for a job in Spain, granted, but it's a start. I have a few more to do this week for companies in France but I'll get to those after lunch. I think B is secretly thrilled that I'll be contributing beyond buying the odd loaf of bread - she's been super-supportive thus far but it's high-time I got back into work of some kind. Fingers crossed, eh?

This weekend should be pretty good, too. On Saturday we're going to sit down with a map of Europe and start planning places to go this year. We already have outrigging in Marseille, a few days with el Presidente in Amsterdam and visiting B's friends in London lined up, plus a stay in a treehouse possibly in August, but there are so many other places in Europe I would love to see that it's going to take some serious planning. High on my list are Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, mostly because I have a perverse desire to run naked through snow and dive into the freezing cold ocean...No, not really...Actually, yes really, but that's not the reason for going to these places. I just imagine that because they're so close to the North Pole they'll probably have completely different customs and that's one of the main things I want to experience while I'm over here. The desire for something different is strong in this one.

If you've been somewhere in Europe you think is worth visiting let me know. I'd love to hear your experiences.

Thoughts on Paris after 1 month

Parisian women are beautiful. Not all of them, but many. Slightly angular faces, nice hair, good fashion sense and when they talk in French I just about melt. I fall in love at least 7 times every day. Of course, I've living with the most beautiful one of them all so I quickly fall out of love with the others...but I had to write that as she's standing beside me, sharpening a knife...

Parisian transport is like a slippery eel. You think you have it and then something happens and, whoosh, you don't. It looks to me like a cross between Australian (e.g. Sydney) and Asian (e.g. Hanoi), big-city traffic. It moves like a school of fish - dividing markers are guidelines only, with cars often drifting between lanes sans indicator, but there are veyr few accidents as all cars are doing the same thing. The mob mentality of traffic is amazing to watch sometimes...from a safe distance.

The Parisian attitude to non-French speaking people I was expecting has reared its ugly head only a few times - in the supermarche (fair enough, considering the number of people trying to buy essentials and get home) and in Alliance Française (very odd, considering THEY'RE A LANGUAGE SCHOOL!) I'm still coming to terms with the non-service-industry-like service industry but I really haven't had any major problems with being unable to express myself adequately in French.

I'm becoming a snob...okay, more of one...since moving here. Case in point: On our first day in Madrid B took me to a lovely bar for lunch. I was disappointed in the apparent lack of beauty in the buildings and streets of the area because I had just come from Paris where you can easily be in awe of something architecturally or historically astounding every five metres. (After less than half a day, however, I discovered the real beauty of Madrid, which is in its people and their interaction with the city. Sure, it might not be as spectacular as Paris but it more than makes up for that with the symbiotic relationship it has with its inhabitants. The city provides numerous safe, interesting and engaging places to meet and in turn its patrons behave with consideration and a carefree attitude.)

The worry I had about not being near an accessible body of water like Sydney Harbour has proven to be less of the major issue I was expecting. I live near the water - about five minutes' walk from the Seine - so I get the connection with water I need via the river, and there are plenty of paddling opportunities around the city if one is willing to try something different. I lived an incredibly spoiled life in Sydney, at least as far as paddling (e.g. dragonboating, outrigging, canoeing) was concerned, so I'm not too disappointed in not paddling very often. It helps, of course, to be able to do other forms of exercise, which I do via the gym.

I have become less fanatical about what I eat (some would say that was already happening before I left Sydney...they'd probably be right) and have discovered a small joy in the balance of food. B and I live a life that she calls "dans la maison de l'equilibre" - 'in the house of balance' - a perfect description for our enjoyment of both food & drink and hard work & exercise. This is not to say I wouldn't exercise more if I was paddling but I wouldn't feel guilty about what I was eating if that didn't happen.

The city is alive in a way that Sydney is not. The centre of the city in Sydney, generally speaking and barring the major tourist spots like the Rocks, closes after work finishes and you need to visit the outlying villages and suburbs to find places to eat, drink and be merry. Even then, if it's a Tuesday night for example, you might be out of luck. But Paris is, by contrast, alive almost all the time and even on the unofficial slow nights (Sunday and Monday) there are places open everywhere to get what you need.

These are only my observations based on my experiences and you might disagree in part or whole. If that's the case I'd love to hear your views. Discussing the differences and similarities between the two cities and countries has become something of a party trick for me, especially when I've exhausted my limited French and the party's French guests are over speaking English and need something interesting to talk about, so any differing views would be great.

Ciao for now - dinner's on the table.

As it was foretold

Just a quick post (I'm supposed to be preparing dinner for a meal at home with B's cousins) to say that last night I had something closely resembling a breakdown. Okay, so perhaps that's a bit melodramatic...Let's just say that all the things I miss about home (family, friends, Glebe, the Harbour, paddling, etc, etc) came together in my mind and, fuelled by several free champagnes from a landscape design gallery opening and a book launch, produced the first verbal outlet of angst since I arrived. I guess this is par for the course and, now that I think about it, something several people told me would happen so I shouldn't be surprised that it did. However, it's still weird how several little mole-hills can become a mountain if you're not careful, even though you deal well on a daily basis with the individual mole-hills.
Anyway, all is well now. And I have cooking to do. A bientot.

Shake, shake, shake. Shake, shake, shake. Shake your booty!

I was going to post a photo of ham(s), as the search for the next culinary delight pretty much sums up our trip to Madrid, but this seemed too good not to use. This was taken on the city's metro and wasn't intended as an invitation to boogie, but I couldn't help hearing KC and the Sunshine Band's song 'Shake your booty' when looking at it.
...Go on, reef through your old CD collection - you know you want to. ;o)

So. Madrid. Not suprisingly, they had uncharacteristic spells of rain during our visit. I know - it, like, NEVER rains whenever we go on holiday...But we had heaps of fun nonetheless and some great experiences. Here's a quick run-down:

• Day 1 (Thursday): Arrived around lunchtime. Went to a swanky little bar for tapas and beer. Went to another, less-swanky-but-still-cool bar for a second round of tapas and beer. Afterwards, went to the house of a friend of B's (Monica) who had very kindly lent us her place from Thursday to Sunday. We dumped our stuff and headed out for a quick tour of a small part of the city before meeting up with Monica for dinner.

• Day 2 (Friday): B had a haircut while I explored Goya, getting lost but still still managing to find an English-speaking bookstore where I bought a map and a phrasebook. Met up with B, had a long walk through the Parque del Buen Retiro, the city-centre and a few other places, eventually ending up in a great bar for drinks and dinner with some more friends of B's.

• Day 3 (Saturday): Woke up with something resembling a hangover, got ready and headed to the train station to meet Enrique and Adrienne (yep, you guessed it - friends of B's) for the trip to Segovia for Titirimundi. Predictably enough, it rained the entire day and the outdoor performances were cancelled but we still had heaps of fun exploring the city, stopping for lunch to have cochinillo (roast suckling pig) along with two bottles of wine from the Ribera del Duero region (which, along with Rioja, is one of the most famous Spanish wine regions), followed by 'pacharan' (sloe-flavoured liqueur) in another bar. We spent the afternoon walking, if a little unsteadily, through the rest of the city before heading home in the evening to visit B's apartment to view the rain damage.

• Day 4 (Sunday): The sun finally came out so we spent the day exploring the city, having some great food along the way (quelle surprise!) before heading to another friend of B's to stay the night (which was closer to the airport. You'll see why that was so important below).

• Day 5 (Monday): Got up at 6.15am (see now?), headed straight to the airport where we ran into 200 of B's ex-workmates from CocaCola, and arrived home around midday.

Phew!

Life since then has returned to normal - the sun is out and all is well - and I've resolved to work on my CV and look for work in earnest this week. No more excuses of being on holiday! I still have quite a bit to write about, though, so expect some more posts in the coming days.

Pre-Madrid

So yeah, I forgot to tell you: tomorrow B and I are going to Madrid, Spain! We'll be there until Monday morning, visiting B's friends, stopping by her apartment to see the recent rain damage, and travelling to Segovia for a puppetry festival called Titirimundi. Expect a few thousand photos on Flickr next week...

It's unlikely I'll be posting while I'm away - B's friends party pretty hard so I'll be putting sleep ahead of blogging in terms of priorities - but if the opportunity comes up I'll try to drop a line or several.

In other news:

• Last night we went to Notre Dame for a concert celebrating the composer and organist Louis Vierne. The sound of the organ was incredible and in the setting of the cathedral became something other-wordly.

• This morning we had breakfast on the Pont des Arts (pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins, croissants and a pot of tea in the beautiful morning sunshine) which was a wonderful way to wake up.

• Today I'm meeting Jessie, an Aussie friend from French class, for coffee and a wander around (and possibly to find a place to buy thongs).

• And later on I'll be heading to the gym for a workout, coming home to work my sewing skills to mend a backpack and one of B's coats, and hopefully speaking to Flo who arrived in Paris last weekend. Oh yeah, and doing my French homework too.

And before I go, check this out: http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/architecture-of-ascent.html. The graphics are beautiful and have reminded me I need to get back into climbing so I can do this sort of thing one day.

So, à bientôt everyone. Have a great weekend and I'll catch up with y'all next week.

Dance Frenchy, dance

Drums at Parc de le Villette

Weekend

I had a great weekend. We went to the Marche d'Aligre on Saturday in the bright sunshine, via the wonderful Velib system Paris installed recently (which I'll get to in just a bit). The markets were packed but we picked up some great veggies, fish and flowers, and even managed to find a table in the sun for lunch. On the way home we took a walk along the viaduct (one of a few?) which the city has converted into a lovely, garden-filled walkway. It turned out to be an excellent decision as, on the street below, a huge procession was filing by advertising a carnival. Dancing girls, brass bands, floats, clowns, guys spraying everyone with confetti...fantastic!
Sunday was just as nice. I went to the gym in the morning, on the way home picked up some croissants, a pain au chocolat and a flan Normande for breakfast, had a chat with C (the first time in 3 weeks!) and then B and I headed out for a picnic with friends of hers (and their 3 kids). After a few hours sitting in the sun, drinking wine and eating lovely food (including strawberries which are now in season) we had a few games of petanque. Such a great, relaxing weekend. Sigh.

Oh, and the velib: What can I say? It's a love/hate thing. I love it because it's such a good public transport system - and I hate it because it's almost without flaw and therefore annoyingly brilliant.
Check out the 'find a station' website and zoom out to the maximum length: http://www.velib.paris.fr/trouver_une_station
Ha! We have five stations within ten minutes' walk...
It's cheap to use (I think it's €1 for a day), well-maintained, safe (especially in the cycle-only lanes) and easy to use. I'm impressed.

Week 2

My second week in Paris went off without any further disaster. Alright! Score one for Team Oz. We even made it out of the city and into some beautiful (if brief) sunshine in Normandy to visit B's mum's new place in Houlgate (pronounced 'oolgaht'). Unfortunately, I completely missed out on any ANZAC services. But I made a giant ANZAC Biscuit yesterday to make up for it. Here's a pic:

Which reminds me to write that I've updated Flickr with some pics of Normandy, the planting we (and by 'we' I mean the resident green-thumb, B) did on our return, and of my second week in Paris in general.

Anyway, sorry it's been so long since my last entry. It's been more than a week and that's not how I wanted this blog to be. So, after discussion with my better half regarding my addiction to being online, I've decided to write smaller posts more often. Hopefully that'll result in more interesting stories at more regular intervals. Hopefully!
And while I'm aware of the irony of this post dragging on a bit I did want to say that life in Paris is working out really well. In fact, the only negative thing to report was that I had my first bout of homesickness last Friday. I felt low and emotional thinking about being away from family & friends and missing outrigging on Sydney Harbour with KT...but I had a few hours to myself in the afternoon and went for a walk along a Normandy beach and up onto the headland. Being outdoors in the sunshine and wind did the trick and the rest of the weekend was lovely.
I'm still jobless (although might have lined up some short-term casual work for an ex-boss in Sydney) but am not so fazed by it anymore. I'll find work soon enough and in the meantime will try to enjoy my oodles of free time to explore and discover.

And finally (I promise), I've been to a nice restaurant and cafe in the last 24 hours. The cafe was 'Le Select' (coffee, with Eric, yesterday. One of the few places that are as they were in the 1920s), and a great-because-it's-so-average Italian restaurant (dinner, with B, last night) called...um...oh bugger. I've forgotten the name. I'll get back to you. It's on rue Guénégaud if you're in town and desperate for cheap but tasty Italian food. [Editor: It's called La Main a la Pate]

Gotta go - the sun is out again!

Dear France...

Dear France,
I recently received a complaint regarding the alarming amount of your 'ipp-opp' flooding online music channels (specifically, radioblog). If you would be so kind, please stop this nonsense altogether.
Gratefully,
The online music public.

Dear France,
What's the deal with your 'service' industry? I understand this particular part of business nomenclature is foreign to you - 'entreprise du secteur tertiaire' translates to 'company of the tertiary sector' - but does having a name not directly linked to service give you an excuse for not actually providing adequate levels of said concept to your clients? I think not. I point, in an admittedly-general way, to your Parisian supermarkets. Look, we've all had a hard day, right? I don't want to be waiting in queues any more than you want me to hand you a €20 note with no change (quel horreur!) but is chatting to your friend in the queue next door while we wait patiently (if while secretly planning to stab you with a baguette) really the level of service you'd like to become known for? I hope not.
Plottingly yours,
Parisian shoppers

Dear France,
Re the frustratingly brief sunshine your sky flashed us with last weekend: Apart from unexpected sunburn, the premature exposure left a strong sense of unfulfilment. What's that? Oh yes, I'm sure it happens to most countries. There are probably all kinds of support now for nations with your...issue...
Look, it's not really a big deal. Truly.
Hmmm? No - this doesn't make me love you any less.

Okay, enough of the silliness. :o)

Wombat

Meet Wombat. He'll be travelling with us for a while. He came with us to Fiji but since then has spent the time on a shelf in B's living room so it's time he made an appearance and was introduced to the world...again.

Sadly, Wombat replaces Frog. To be honest, I don't know where Frog is. At one point he left me during a trip and never returned. If anyone has any clues as to his whereabouts please come forward. There's a reward - my undying gratitude (and, really, what's more valuable than that?)

Oh, and I had a good day today. A sleep-in, some email catch-up, French class, gym, and now B's cooking quiche. Niiiiice.

JW = WMD

Yep, that´s me - a veritable cataclysm that, apparently, was just waiting to happen. Things are fine now (as the smile on the Pont Neuf indicates, thank goodness) but in the last week I´ve:

• Destroyed the wok B bought us before my arrival, without even having cooked with it. Apparently, the highest setting on the stove is actually higher than any normal substance can withstand. Who knew? Note to self: Don´t leave things unattended.

• Unintentionally dismantled (read: caused to come crashing down) the new shelves B bought to accommodate my stuff in the bedroom. They´re back up after some serious DIY but not without me wondering what was next.

• Caused B's laptop to malfunction in a seriously-not-good way (so THAT'S what was next!) So bad, in fact, it couldn't get to the log-on screen and instead stuck itself in a restarting loop. Ay. 3 days of missed work for her, 6 trips to Belleville and €80 for me later we finally have the laptop back. The worst thing was the missed working time for B. She´s trying so hard to get a landscaping career going and finally landed a gig designing a garden for a friend of a friend. Unfortunately, the time the computer was being repaired was the time she had put aside to do the Autocad and Photoshop work required for the job, which meant a lot of unnecessary stress and much hand-drawing of plans for her. Needless to say, I haven't felt like a particularly useful member of the global community lately and it's only in the last 24 hours or so that I've felt like I've made amends.

Anyway, this makes it sound like my time in Paris has been doom and gloom when it's actually been (barring the instances above) wonderful! I've had several "Ah!" moments:

• Watching pigeons (the really nice, big ones they have in Paris, not the dirty ones in Sydney) glide slowly on the morning breeze between the narrow rows of trees in the Jardin du Tuileries (while B was locating bins...a story for another time)

• Sitting across from a beautiful African woman and her daughter of about 5 on the metro. She had her chin resting on the head of the little girl, both had their eyes closed, and the mother had the most serene look on her face. When she opened her eyes I wonder if she was surprised to see most of the carriage looking at her with silent sighs?

• Finding a great Sth Vietnamese restaurant in the 13th today. I hadn't had Asian food in over 2 weeks so I just about stuck my head completely into the pho when it arrived. It's called 'Indochine' if anyone's in town and wants a great feed. We're definitely going back, hopefully with Axa and Jes, B's sister and brother-in-law.

So at the end of my first week in Paris I can honestly say I'm having a fantastic time. I don't feel at home in the city yet but I do feel comfortable and not like I'm a short-stay tourist. The people in Paris have been friendly and welcoming, proving to be the exceptions that change the rule; my pathetic attempts at French conversation haven't been met with scorn; and living with B has been a truly wonderful experience. I do miss friends and family and think of them every day, often several times, but I'm in love in a city designed for lovers and when I'm not burning down the kitchen it's a sublime existence.

I end this with an offering of Berocca to any Tsunami's feeling the effects of a big night out at the End of Season Party. I'm sorry I missed it and am dying to know who won what!

When good cheese goes bad

No kidding - these are the same cheese at different stages of development. Both delicious though!
Paris is wonderful - sometimes sunny, sometimes rainy but always beautiful. It's cold but in a crisp, refreshing way, especially when the sun comes out.
I've started French classes at Alliance Francaise on Boulevard Raspail. The classes are nothing like what I'm used to - in Sydney they were 98% grammar and 2% conversation; Here it's the other way around. Everyone in the class speaks French reasonably (if not completely) fluently and seems to be taking the classes to get a more sophisticated understanding of the language and culture, whereas I'm still trying to figure out how to identify the COD and COI when used in a sentence together. I have a 2-week intro to the course and will make a decision on whether to stick with it or not after that. I'd probably benefit from doing heaps of homework out of class so I'll hit it hard for the next fortnight and see how it goes.
I've also started going to a gym, which B very kindly bought me membership for. It's just about the best gift I could've hoped for as, after an absence of a week or so from daily exercise, I was starting to get a little antsy. It's a Fitness First gym and - no, wait! It's not so bad!! It opened this week so it has that new-gym smell and not many people to hog the equipment, plus I'm seen as something of a novelty being one of a handful of non-French speaking clients at the moment. Watching someone giggle while trying their broken English on me is nice in an odd sort of way - it reminds me Parisians aren't as perfect as their attitude can sometimes suggest.
So the only thing remaining is to find some work! I'm not in any hurry, at least for a couple of weeks, and B has been very understanding and patient about that, but I still want to find something reasonably soon. Ideally it'll be something I can do from home (editing, proof-reading, etc) and which I can do alongside some fitness training. Having language class in the middle of the day puts a barrier on having a regular 9-5 office job, which, I must say, is a great feeling. So if anyone has any contacts in Sydney, Paris or elsewhere who need things worked on let me know. I'm available right now!
It's now 10am so I suppose I should amble off to the gym or the market to find some food for tonight's dinner. Sigh...life is tough...

Paris

Touchdown!
What a great day - Paris is beautiful, even when raining; I had croissants for breakfast; and I'm with the Frenchy!
One downside - the French keyboard. As an example of the devolution being forced upon me as I watch every tap my fingers make, here's the first sentence as if I was writing in qwerty:
"Ahqt q greqt dqy ) Pqris is bequtiful, even zhen rqining; I hqd croissqnts for breqkfqst; qnd Iù, zith the Frenchy1:"
So, um, sorry but no - I'll do the flight update tomorrow when I have the requisite number of functioning brain cells to figure out how to change the keyboard layout...
Ps: But I'm still in Paris so it's all good ;o)

Biscuits

I'm scoffing the Chicken's famous white chocolate and berry biccies - YUM - while sitting in Hong Kong airport (the Plaza Premium Lounge, no less) after a 9hr flight from Sydney. There's still another 13 1/2 hr flight to Paris remaining but I have 4 hours to enjoy a hot shower, have a meal, relax and update the blog on the journey.
It's been about a week since I last wrote and so much has happened I might be forced into bullet points...but I'll try to give the detail where important. You'd better make a cup of tea just in case. Here we go.

• Saturday April 5: Trained in the morning - the last time before leaving. Wendy made much of the fact - embarrassment ensued. Spent the rest of the day packing and procrastinating about cleaning. Went to Simon's house-warming in the evening (nice place, Sime!), walked home (stopping for bags of lollies for the Mixed crew) and got back into more packing.

• Sunday April 6: Got up at 5am for a 5.45am pick-up by Chris to drive to the State Champs. Have been getting up at 5am feeling anxious for a few days...only natural, I guess. The day was AWESOME though. The best racing I've seen and been of a part of with Tsunami ever, including that win over Snatch all those years back. The Mixed crew came 5th in the State (must've been the lollies) and the Open team came 7th. The team presented me with life membership to Tsunami after the racing and for once I was speechless (not to mention quite teary with some of my closer friends in the crew). It's a huge honour and one I'm not sure I deserve, but I've packed the picture frame to remind me what I have to return to.
  After all that we went to the Aussie Yoof for dinner and drinks. I crashed big time that night.

• Monday April 7: Got up at 5am to finalise packing (does it seem like I've been doing this far longer than I should?). Dad drove from Bundanoon (the Southern Highlands) with a large trailer to take me and my mountains of gear back to their place. We managed to avoid most of the rain on the drive back and made it in time for some unpacking before an (as usual) amazing dinner cooked by mum. We had a bottle of white from Vouvrais B and I bought ages ago which wasn't bad at all. Surprisingly good, in fact, considering how unsure we were at the time of buying.

• Tuesday April 8: Left Bundanoon at 6am to drive back to Sydney for a final cleaning of the Glebe home. It took me 3 hours (the drive), including lengthy periods at 20km/h. Yawn. But after 4 hours of cleaning, my landlords signed the bond and I was free. I dropped by Ro's place in Queen's Park to hand over some stuff she gave me many years back but no-one was home so I left a note. After that I swung by work to finish some things off and have lunch with John. I've made a friend in that guy, really quickly, and I'm going to miss the laughter a lot. At least I won't have to hear anymore his pathetic sob stories about not getting any because of his new diet. I mean, really.
  That night Aunty K and Ann came over for Ann's birthday dinner. Another amazing meal (thanks mum) with an equally amazing bottle of wine to match (thanks Steve)

• Wednesday April 9: Spent the morning faffing around home before lunch with Tom and Katie (looking forward to seeing them in the UK for lunch one day soon - they're starting a journey of their own) and yet ANOTHER brilliant dinner with the folks, including - drum roll, please - mum's in/famous self-saucing chocolate pudding. I slept well that night!

• Thursday April 10: Said goodbye to dad at 7am (he was going to a garden trip he'd organised) before taking the dogs for a 90min walk around the villages. I'm going to miss my shadow and her partner in crime. And yes, dad too!
  Mum drove me and about 35kg of luggage back to Sydney at about 1pm. We had lunch near C's place before I said goodbye to mum - thankfully tear-free. Just. Spent the rest of the arvo drinking tea and reading the paper before C got home and we headed out for dinner in Newtown.

• Friday April 11: Said goodbye to C at 6.30am and was finally overwhelmed by everything. The poor cabbie...listening to a grown man cry... Saying goodbye to my best friend was the straw that broke the camel's back - the thing that ultimately brought home the finality and the reality of the move. It was like all the emotions I'd held in check and pushed down when they threatened to overtake me were finally able to have their time in the sun. And all it took was me looking up from my seat in the cab into her eyes, welling up with tears. I hope I never see that or feel that way again - it was heart-wrenching. I will miss the Chicken immensely - we've hardly spent more than a week or 2 apart in the last 4 or 5 years so this 12 month stint is something I'm going to find hard to deal with. But such is the price of adventure - sacrifices are made to hopefully bring about something spectacular.

Which brings me here, with 3 hours left before the HK-Paris leg of the flight. I think it's time for a coffee and more of the biccies. The next post will be from Paris - and more up-beat, I promise!

One week to go

Yep. 1 week to go. Aack! Mais non, it's not that bad.
The car got sold - MAAAAAASSIVE thanks to Mr Roberts for helping me out. I'm now halfway to paying mum back. Phew.
The Salvos picked up a reasonable quantity of stuff this morning but not the biggest items (the 2 bookcases). Most things are now boxed and ready for transport although there are still a few things to pack or throw out. The laneway outside my place won't know what hit it...
Sunday is my last dragonboating event in Sydney. I can't believe we have 2 mixed teams, a women's team AND an open crew. Awesome! Go Tsunami!
And it's my last day of work today. I'm going to miss the people I work with, some quite a lot, but they have given me support in the move and that brings me closer to them. Plus several are thinking about a trip to Europe some time soon. I think, above all other forms of contact, visiting me in Paris will be my most-desired form, so if you're reading this and are contemplating a trip don't delay! Grab that wallet, head to the nearest Flight Centre and get a wriggle on!

Update

It's the end of March (!) and time for an update on the to-do list:
1. Sell my (seemingly magic pudding-esque) stuff: About half the stuff has either gone or is promised to people. Of the things left I'll be taking only a few to my parents' place. Everything else is going to the Salvos or on the street.
2. Either give away or store those things I can't/won't sell: See above.
3. Get the car repaired and sell it: It got repaired and, with the very kind help of a mate, will hopefully be sold in the next week. Phew!
4. Contact my service providers (phone, internet, bank, etc) and other companies I'm associated with and either cancel my membership or ask their advice on what to do: This is on my list for tomorrow afternoon.
5. Find out if the working visa has been approved: Done. Approved. Hooray!
6. Move out from Glebe into my parents' place in the southern highlands for the last week in Australia: This is happening on Monday week, and dad's driving down with a large trailer to bring back a heap of stuff.
7. Race at the NSW Dragonboat State Championships: Less than a week to go until we're racing at Penrith. The team, despite missing a few experienced and strong paddlers, feels pretty good and we might even get two full mixed teams on the water. Unheard of!
8. Have a party (more of a want than a need): We did, last night, and it rocked. Big thanks to KT for organising it and to everyone who was there for making it so much fun. I have to say though, the conversation I had with my brother at 2am was one of the more bizarre experiences of recent times...An outpouring of genuine emotion that I'd never seen from him, and a demonstration of his willingness to bridge the distance within the family. Kudos to Matt for having the courage to accept his part and try to make amends. Hopefully, as with his wedding to Jos, this will be a permanent step in the right direction.
9. Review my French class notes and cram before the flight: Yeah, okay, so not everything is going according to plan. But I bought a revision book and plan to spend the 27 hours to Paris making good use of it.
10. Find a job in Paris: Not much luck, I'm afraid. But I'm optimistic and quite looking forward to trying something/s new.

Aside from all this I'm catching up with friends, working until next Friday, planning things to do and people to see while in Europe, and generally feeling more and more excited about the trip.

T-minus 12 days!

Easter

Chocolate eggs, a 4-day weekend - what more could we ask for? Oh wait, I know - how about good weather!? In typical Sydney fashion the 2 weeks of glorious sun and warmth disappeared instantly last night, leaving behind rain and wind. I mean, really - you could give us a little more warning than that, don't you think? I'd planned a paddle + picnic with friends today but it's not looking all that inviting right now. Still, it's not even 9am yet so I'll keep my fingers crossed for a change.

And while I'm waiting I can recap on the week that's been. I got the visa on Monday - hooray! It's ugly (as far as visas go - China, for example, was beautiful) but it was the last obstacle preventing me from making the trip so I'm feeling more than just a little relieved.
On Tuesday night I went to Elodie's house for dinner with some of her friends. Dinner was amazing - 5 courses, all hand-made, inlcuding Iles flotant for dessert. Mmmm. Her friends are great too, so it was a lovely night. The only down-side was breaking my Havianas and Marie's car running out of petrol in the middle of the city (coincidentally at the same time...ooo, spooky) on the way home.

On Wednesday night I played Wii at John's house. Holy shirt - talk about exhausting! I'm going to convince the Frenchy to buy one and claim the health benefits above the gaming experience. It'll totally work. Anyway, we ate pizza, played Wii until late, and managed to avoid being eaten by Mr Tibbs, John's 'cat' (inverted commas because it's really a not-so-small lion in disguise).

And yesterday I got the car back from the repairers. It looks amazing and will hopefully help the potential sale this weekend.
Speaking of which, the sale is going well. Most items have a buyer or taker and I'll be getting rid of a few things this weekend. I can't wait for the house to look a little more empty - at the moment it's still like it always was (i.e. crammed with stuff) - as I think having less in the house will make me feel like I'm closer to being able to leave.

Okay, enough from me. Time for breakfast.

VISA?

I has it :o)

Why?

I realised today - typically belatedly - that I haven't written about why I'm moving to Paris. Primarily, it's to live with B. We've been going out (in the modern, world-encompassing sense of the term) for almost 2 years and we recently made a decision that if we were going to stay together one of us needed to move. I'm at a point in my life where it's relatively easy to make a big move like this, hence the blog.
It's not that I don't like living where I am now. I do. A lot. I love Sydney, and I'm madly in love with its Harbour and my access to it. Plus I have a great bunch of friends, my family and I are getting along better and my lifestyle is pretty darned good. But B and I have something and I want to see where it goes. Also, the move gives me a chance to try new things work-wise and find something I can call a career, and that's a great thing.
This doesn't mean I intend to move permanently. I have every intention of coming back to Sydney at some stage. I just don't know when or how long that will be for, and for now I really want to see what adventures Paris has in store.

There are now less than 4 weeks to go. Oddly enough, despite the reduced time, I'm not as anxious as I was when this blog began, partly because we can cross a few things off the to-do list - visa submission (and hopefully approval - fingers crossed for tomorrow), car repairs (it's due for retrieval this week) and selling my stuff (about 2/3 of the CDs and furniture). Plus I'm having fun with life - bike rides, outrigging, concerts, movies, dinner and more exercise than before so the remaining time seems well-spent.

Anyway, the adventure is getting closer and I'm feeling better about it. Someone asked me how I was feeling today - I said 'Do you remember that Simpson's episode where someone asks Marge how she felt about Homer being an astronaut? She said "You know Homer, when I found out about this I went through a wide range of emotions. First I was nervous, then anxious, then wary, then apprehensive, then kinda sleepy, then worried, and then concerned. But now I realize that being a spaceman is something you have to do."'
That's how I feel. My feelings change throughout each day but overall I'm happy about the decision that's been made.

Bridge to Beach

Blues Point on Sydney Harbour - the start of the 2008 Bridge to Beach. We (KT and I) paddled from Rose Bay at 7am to Blues Point, then 11km to Manly Cove, then back to Rose Bay. All up - 29km. What an awesome morning!
My head is swimming from the swell (and also probably from the 29km and being up since 5am) but there's a smile planted firmly on my face.
But it has me thinking - the times I'm outrigging on the Harbour in this sort of weather are the only times that make me wonder why I'd ever leave Sydney. I mean, look at it - can you blame me?
...focus on the pain au chocolat, focus on the adventure, focus on her...

The weekend...

...started on Friday night with dinner on Oxford Street with John & his mates for his birthday. Good food, good wine, good company - nice.
Saturday began early (5am - yawn) with Tsunami time trials. I maintained my position as the fastest paddler - a great way to see out the last trial before the move. As always, being up against Matty helped hugely. Thanks Feros!
The day's continued well - I've been ripping CDs to the portable hard drive, working my way through the list of things to sell, even managing to fit in some baking (a banana bread & butter pudding, which turned out quite well all things considered), and soon Claire will be here for a cup of tea and a taste-test of the pudding. The rest of the day will be spent ripping more CDs. I'm such a social butterfly!
Tomorrow is looking fantastic - a 5am start again but then a 25-30km paddle (on the OC1) including the Bridge to Beach. KT and I are starting at Rose Bay, heading over to Blues Point for registration, then paddling to Manly Cove and back to Rose Bay. Even better, the weather is supposed to be wonderful and I might even get the chance to take a few pics for the blog. it's been ages (last October in the Hawkesbury Classic) since I did a decent length stint on the OC, and I'm really quite excited about it.
After the paddle there's a going-away picnic for Anna & Steve in Glebe, which should be heaps of fun. It'll be a great way to end the weekend.