If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me

Lapse and Recap

Ok, it has been 12 days since my last post, and it'll be at least another 18 before my next. So, what are the causes of these lapses?

--I went to London for the Jimmy Buffett concert on July 5th - holy amazing!!!!!!! British Parrotheads are alive and well! GREAT outfits, everyone singing along, small venue. Awesome time - I think I was smiling for about 4 hours straight - much needed rejuvenation.

--I was in Trinidad for work for a week, July 6th-10th. The return from which involved flying to London, having a 'layover' at St Pancras station, and then taking the Eurostar back to Paris. Planes, trains and automobiles! The time at St Pancras was lovely though - book store shopping, relaxing at the Starbucks in the station which is conveniently located next to doors that were open to let in the fresh air, and relaxing in the Eurostar Business Class lounge. Work went well, but I had little to no time to be on internet. Will post the few pictures at some point...

--July 11th was a happy day as I spent the ENTIRE day in my apartment - an awesome pajama-wearing, book-reading, champagne-drinking, music-listening, weather-watching day at home. Next time that is likely to happen will be on/after Aug 29.

--The 13 hours of sleep I got Friday evening, July 10th, came back to haunt me when Saturday night I was awake past 2 a.m. unable to sleep. So 8 a.m. came very early - I got up to go to church because I had volunteered to help count the money from the collection plates after the service. And no joke, the sermon was 25 frickin' minutes long. Not necessary. I guess I don't have to go back until September! And, it wasn't even a good sermon. (Side note : on counting the money, the woman 'in charge' of the volunteers is also on Finance committee with me (her sole qualification for being on the committee is that she is in charge of the money counting). She is the bain of my church life existence. She was complaining about the amount of money collected saying it wasn't enough/expected ; flitting about the room not doing anything ; treating me like I was an imbecile who was unable to count bills ; chastised me for using 2 paperclips on a stack of bills instead of 1...)

--After church Sunday, I went to Marissa's for brunch with other expats from work. Quite a nice time. Got home, and no sooner had I put on my PJs and started to read than I get an email from Kevin (coworker) who said he was in the neighborhood with his sister (in from out of town) and asking to meet for drinks. I swear I could be in the sequel to the movie Yes Man (I've not seen it, but the premise is Jim Carrey's character answers Yes to everything for a year). Of course I should've stayed home, gone to bed early, etc. But, of course, I said Yes and went out and wasn't home until 11.

--Monday was exhausting at work and extremely quiet since Tuesday was a holiday for Bastille Day.

--Bastille Day I left home at 8 a.m. to walk to the Champs Elysee to find a spot for the 10:30 parade start. I should've stayed in bed - it was horrible!!!! All it was was military tanks and artillery and such cruising down the street. It must've been down by Concorde where the troops were marching (I only saw the invited Indian troops on the tour bus taking them to what I presume was Concorde in the morning - they looked like they were having fun). So I stood there and watched this stupid display of military 'might'. Parades in the UK and US are MUCH better. There at least you have people waving flags, noise makers, face painting, etc. People have national pride. The parades are full of volunteer groups, workers' guilds, bands and dance teams, car enthusiasts, they old guy playing the spoons, etc. Those parades at least showcase the people, the nation, the spirit. Not some random Jeeps and tanks that are so heavy they break many of the cobblestones on the street.

--I came home, did some work, and then Marissa & Julia came over and we had dinner/drinks and waited for the fireworks to start at 10:30. Although I am literally 1 block from the Champ de Mars / Eiffel Tower, I cannot see it. So we walked out and got a great spot. AMAZING fireworks. Great use of light, optical illusion, music, and the Eiffel Tower. You Tube it, seriously. Well worth it. 30 minutes of being in awe.

--Julia and I were supposed to leave on an early train this morning to see Bruce Springsteen at Vieillles Charrues festival in Carhaix, but we cancelled - it involved camping out (which I do NOT do) and forecasts are for heavy rain/thunderstorms/wind. And, we would've gotten back late Friday night and a variety of other factors. Instead, we are going to see the Alvin Ailey dance theatre at Chatelet Friday night.

--Now it is Thursday evening. This has been the slowest work week. I am still jet lagged from Trinidad and NYC/Houston (I was in Boston/NYC/Boston/Houston for 12 days, Paris for 4, London for 1, Trinidad for 5, Paris now for 6). My body is not happy with all the change.

I am sure I could've written much more on all these topics, and I do have pictures to post (and still to post more from Norway in Feb ; Reims in May ; Ireland in May/June...) I think I just need to resign myself to my new state of being - hopelessly forgetting things, being way behind on stuff, and never being able to catch up!

Roland Garros

Ok, nothing like being 4-6 weeks late on this posting...

I had the opportunity to go to Roland Garros (aka French Open) twice this year. The first was for Benny-Berthet day (charity day) and the second was for the quarter finals.

Benny-Berthet day (which I believe will be renamed next year?) is a great way to see all the players and spend an entire day there. Plus, the benefit is that "Proceeds from the day's events will go to charities supporting scientific and medical research, helping sick people and their families and helping children in need." Tickets are cheap and generally easier to get. My friend Andrea and her mom were in town, so we went, along with my friend/colleague Marissa. Thank goodness Andrea and Marissa were there because they are tennis fanatics! They knew all the players. And, Andrea is really good at taking photos, so I just sat next to her and clicked away (see her full tennis portfolio at Zenfolio and you can then see her other work as well; her Paris and Roland Garros photos are works of art, too). We saw all the big names : Nadal, Safin, Federer, Monfils, and many others I cannot remember.

I also had the opportunity to go to the quarter finals match between Roger Federer and Gael Monfils. This was a work sponsored outing that started off with a four hour morning session on hedging, options, derivatives, etc. Our reward for that was the match. First, of course, were drinks and lunch. At our table of 10 I was the only woman, and one of only two non-French speakers. All the men loved their Ricard pastis drinks (which I find disgusting due to the anise flavor, but French men LOVE it).

The match was good, although it was very hot and I was in long sleeves and long skirt and hat - mostly to cover up from the crazy sunburn I got 4 days prior in Ireland. The seats are so narrow (think Fenway Park) that you're basically thigh-to-thigh with the person next to you. I was disappointed that the crowd wasn't more into cheering for the French favorite, Gael Monfils. And that he wasn't showier / flamboyant (for lack of my brain thinking of a better word) like he usually is.

Some things I noted : Federer jumps a lot, as in when taking every shot ; when Monfils serves, he keeps his skinny legs and feet together, it just looks unnatural ; I like watching matches on clay and watching the players slide, it definitely has its advantages, but I can see how it would be difficult ; there were some crazy outfits in the stands, and hot pink seems to be popular, and why do groups find it necessary to wear matching hats? ; when people take out their mobile phones to check messages and text, the glare reflecting off is brutal.

Overall, a nice day at the quarter finals and I will definitely sign up for the charity day again next year!

Random thoughts

Just some recent thoughts throughout my sleep deprived day Thursday :

--Sleep deprived because I landed in Paris (from Houston) at 9:30. Wednesday and was able to sleep a bit on the plane. But, Wed night, I went to bed about 22:00 and was awake from at least 01:00 to 04:00 - I think it was the first time that jet lag has really ever hit me that badly.

--I think the new 103rd floor glass balcony at the Sears Tower (Chicago) is just insane!

--Happy to read that India decriminalized homosexual intercourse between consenting adults. When one lives in a more liberal place, one can often forget the discrimination elsewhere.

--July is looking to be a good month : Paris, London for Buffett concert, Trinidad, Bastille Day, Springsteen in France, and Canada (let's hope I didn't jinx myself!)

--It took me at least one full day to go through my work emails and sort them and file them and ... after being out of the office for the week (one of the perils of having two work email accounts, one of which is only accessible on the laptop that I do NOT take when I travel because it is : old software, all in French, French keyboard, and weighs a lot)

--It has been hot in Paris and I don't think my office space area has proper a/c vents. The hallways and other office areas are cool, but mine is not. And we have a window, which one of my colleagues will open (I usually open it every day when it is cool outside), but the air outside is hotter. Basically, it just turns into a hot, stuffy, stale air mess.

--Why does an Eddie Bauer order I placed, with express shipping, go via FedEx from Columbus (OH), to Indianapolis (where it sits overnight), to Erlanger (KY) and then to Cincinnati? Where are the logistics in that?

--I had to be in two photos for corporate in-house magazine stuff (young, female, American - I allow them to check off several boxes). But these were to be photos of several of us 'having a meeting'. Then photographer kept telling us to lean in toward one another and to smile, to 'be natural'. There is nothing natural about that!! I don't smile obsessively during business meetings ; we don't lean in toward one another ; we don't focus on someone and look into his eyes when he's talking - we're all leaning back ; some checking blackberry ; looking out the window. No wonder why I always look at photos in such publications and scoff at them.