Little Ms Magic

New Year's Covenants or Resolutions?

2011-01-02T13:28:00.003Z

Went to church this morning, and as usual at church here, I was distracted, wishing I were still at home, and not 100% into the service. In fact, the only reason I went was because it was my turn to count/record the money from the collection plate. I figured as it was the 1st Sunday of the new year, I’d go to the service (often when I have to count, I just skip the service and show up just before the closing hymn).

I know that the ACP is no Old South Church (in Boston) ... there, I always leave the service uplifted, happy, bursting at the seams - wanting to tell whoever I see for brunch after, or talk on the phone, about the service / message / music / joy / fellowship. I very rarely get that feeling at the ACP, and I try, I really do. Obviously I either (a) do not try hard enough ; (b) am trying too much, and thus miss something ; (c) need to go to the American Cathedral instead.

Anyway, here are the bright points in what was otherwise a long 90 minute service (25 min sermon) today at the ACP (in a week or so, you can read/listen to the sermon here) :

1/One of my all-time top favorite hymns was the closing hymn, “Here I Am Lord.” I love love love this hymn - the words, the melody, and the peace it gives me. This is on my list of “funeral songs” for whenever that time comes for me and if a traditional funeral service is held for me. Listen here, and watch a UCC video! (this version is a bit slower than I prefer, but you get the drift.)

2/Sermon : was titled “A Genuinely New Year.” Two of Pastor Laurie’s thoughts in the beginning were good, and definitely food for thought for the week --

-->Are you making new year’s resolutions/commitments/promises, or are you just rearranging all the old things from 2010?

-->‘We cannot reclaim what time and decay have usurped.’

3/Sermon : focus was that we should not create new year’s resolutions, in that we cannot create anything new (i.e. something cannot be both ‘new and improved’), instead, we should have New Covenant Resolutions, and use these three :

3.1/Begin with God : It is not about you, about what you will do, or how you will be.

--nothing you can do will make anything new

--for example, if your resolution is ‘to spend more time at home with family’, your New Covenant Resolution’ would be ‘to get involved in the spiritual [or other type] growth of my family’

--or, for example, if your resolution is to ‘loose weight’, then your New Covenant Resolution is along the lines of sharing more and knowing that God provided yesterday, and today, and therefore God will provide tomorrow, so don’t be gluttonous today.

3.2/Know God : Get over your delusional ideas about God and get to know God through Jesus.

--Christianity is not true/false, but a relationship

--for example, when you ask someone to marry you, you don’t expect a response of ‘true’, but rather ‘yes’. The ‘yes’ implies a relationship, a commitment, a future of growth/struggle/searching that is entered into together. So it is with religion. Faith is not a true/false endeavor, but rather one that is a future of growth/struggle/searching that is entered into together, between you and God.

3.3/Live Forgiving : Get over your own failures and the failures of others.

--nothing [good] ever comes from holding grudges, it only comes from forgiveness

--God entrusts the ministry, the task, of reconciliation to us

So, I'm not sure what I'm doing this year ... resolutions or covenants (or nothing). For NY resolutions (which I never keep), Lenten sojourns, or other times of commitment, I try to focus on one thing from each category : Healthy, Wealth, and Wise, for from Heart, Mind, Body and Soul. I haven't thought/committed to anything for 2011 yet, and based upon this sermon, I think I need to refocus! Hopefully by the end of January I'll have it figured out.

Packing

2010-12-14T07:39:00.000Z

So, in packing preparation, I did the usual apartment inventory v/s my US shopping list to figure out what I need to buy in the US (and thus how much space to leave in suitcase, what bubble wrap to pack, etc)

What I realised is that I (a) am becoming a hoarder ; (b) cannot leave my apartment for way more than 2 years ; (c) have amnesia when in US and shopping at Kroger’s which then induces ; (d) panic buying.

What does a single woman need with 800 Q-Tips? Or about 200 each Advil and Tylenol? Or 4 toothbrushes? Or 325 calcium pills? Or 2 giant (aka US sized) bottles of bath soap, not counting what Marissa just gave me)?

Granted, I do feel that the 1 extra deodorant and 1 extra tube of toothpaste are not enough. And even right now in my mind I’m thinking that having 3 jars of peanut butter is ‘risky’ and I should buy 1 or 2 more, and same goes for having ‘only’ 180 multi-vitamins left. Cripes! Sure, some of the panic buying is because I fear the next time I’ll be back in familiar shopping land (Cincinnati) will be Christmas 2011, so I have to “make it through” the year, but still.

I don’t think I need a glass of wine, I need to be hit over the head with the bottle!!

Shopping adventure

2010-10-02T16:58:00.003+01:00

Today was a “boring” day in that it consisted of running errands, cleaning, and dinner with friends/coworkers (the same 2-3 I always socialise with). Well, “boring” is not the right word - perhaps “usual” or “not-forecasted-to-be-eventful.”

Well, my shopping excursion took me to BHV (where else), for which I followed my usual BHV routine : (1) wake up way earlier than I would like to on a Saturday ; (2) bus 69 to Hotel de Ville ; (3) treat myself to Starbucks ; (4) be standing outside the doors just before 9:30, waiting for BHV to open.

As for point (4), I realise this is as close as I will ever come to the excitement one must feel when waiting for a store to open on “Black Friday.”

As for the shopping .... (a) I wanted to buy sheets for the guest bed I finally bought. Granted, I don’t have any visitors forecasted until the last week of March, and that’s still tentative ; but, I want to be prepared. I’m still in shock, and still doing the math in my head ... how can a top sheet, or a fitted sheet, be 70-100 Euros???? NOT the set, no pillow cases included. Even with the sales of 20-40% off, it was still ludicrous. (Remember, you have to multiply the Euro amount by about 1.35 to get the USD amount!) For that price, they should come with a special service where someone comes and makes your bed every day and washes/irons/folds the sheets. Bed Bath & Beyond, here I come in December!

(b) I am always amused in the bathroom fixture section, where they have all the sets of matching toothbrush holders, soap holders, cups, etc., there is also a section with some nice, shiny, gold and/or silver trash bins and such. But 493 Euros for a trash bin????? That had better be gold, and it had better come with someone who empties it, or better yet, who sits there with their hands over it so that no trash touches the bin. (And, just around the corner from this craziness is the magnifying mirror section ... prices from 50-200 Euros. For.A.Magnifying.Mirror. No joke.)

The gold bin at the back right is the one.

(c) I wanted to get box cutters because of all the boxes from IKEA from my recent purchases. Previously I had used one of my Swiss Army knives, but that kills the blade I think, and isn’t as easy. Yes, I know, I should never utter the phrase “I bought box cutters and will use them”, but I did and I did. But does there really need to be this many choices?? (sorry it's sideways!)

(d) One of the whole points of my trip was to get a lightbulb to replace the one that went out in the ceiling (recessed bulb (is “recessed” the correct word here?). Anyway. I had taken the bulb in to work two weeks ago thinking I would go to the hardware-esque store (Castorama) in La Defense at lunch or after work. Nope, not yet. Of course, I left the light bulb at work, and light bulbs are so different here (shape, size, plug base, etc.), that you really have to have it before you buy. And, also, because there is no way, if I bought the wrong one, that I would do this whole routine next Saturday morning!

On the way home, I stopped on Rue de Bac at the store Au Nom de la Rose to get another rose scented candle. I had received one from a coworker/friend for my birthday and I loved it (and I usually hate all frilly smelling things like that). But when I went to get back on the bus, the “next bus arrives in” board said 30 minutes. So I walked a few blocks to catch another bus.

I was standing behind Le Bon Marche and saw :

1/a Bentley drive by

2/a car leave a parking space directly across from me, and then a Smart Car came up, drove in front of the space to back in and parallel park. It took the Smart Car driver about 3 adjustments to get in the space. Granted, this space was so big that both in front of and behind the car, two people could stand side-by-side and not touch the bumper of the Smart Car or the car in front / behind.

3/a Ferrari drive by

4/a car with California license plates drive by

After I deposited my purchases at home, I met Sybil and we went to Rue Cherche Midi to the consignment ships, Chercheminippes. Cheap DVDs, French books, random jewelry, handbags, clothes, shoes, accessories, sheets, towels, furniture, etc. Sybil said the merchandise changes daily so one never knows what one will find! I bought a few DVDs ... now, if I could just find the time to watch them!!

At least I tried to get culture

2010-09-29T17:02:00.002+01:00

I went to a lecture at the American Library in Paris last night and all I can say is Meh.

The series is “A Night at the Movies”, but ‘series’ isn’t the right word. Last year (Sept-June) it met monthly ; this year just Sept and May. It is led by Judith Merians. The focus is supposed to be : “How does story telling in words differ creatively from story telling in films? A Night at the Movies will compare excerpts from books and plays with scenes from the film versions of the literary works. Once a month scenes from a different and popular book/play and its film version will be featured and each selection will exemplify a different aspect of filmic story telling. Discover why films require their own creative conventions and how filmmakers employ visual and aural techniques to enhance and deepen the tale with as few words as possible. And to add to the enjoyment get the scoop on some of the behind-the-scenes history of the evening's film.”

Back in June, the movie was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the subject was “How do you make an unlikable character likable: the art of casting & the right actors.” This month’s focus was To Kill a Mockingbird and the lecture on “what makes a movie a classic, a universal theme embodied in the perfect cast with the deft director's touch”.

Sounds great, eh? Well, to be Megative (as usual) ....

Things I found off-putting about the lecture:
--she started off by asking “what makes a book/movie/story a ‘classic’.” That question just bugs me – in one way it’s so subjective, but in other ways it’s obvious that the answer is because the story resonates through the ages, it has a moral lesson, it’s a good story, and some of it is just due to marketing. (Or, as my friend Howard recently posted, it’s a movie that has at least two women, who talk to each other, not about men.)
--much of the information Ms. Merians presented is easily found on IMDB.
--Ms. Merians, and others in the audience, were commenting like the movie was the good story, and that the movie was the classic, and on-and-on about the movie ... but it is Harper Lee’s story. Her novel was first. Her novel won the Pulitzer and is required reading for most all school children.
--I was hoping for more of a discussion / lecture on the differences between the book and the movie, about how one turns a book into a movie and what might be sacrificed but what could also be improved. This was more a lecture of the movie itself with Ms. Merians reading the “IMDB fun facts” and basically having the movie fast-forwarding next to her and giving a synopsis of the plot, with a few points thrown in about lighting or facial expressions.

Things I liked about the lecture :
--pointing out that the movie doesn’t have big action scenes, no love scenes, no close-ups of “faces in anguish” but that it has so much inherent action, angst, relationships, etc.
--Boo Radley only appears at the end, and he doesn’t even speak (Robert Duvall in his first movie appearance)
--seeing bits of the movie again, and being reminded of the story – it truly is a classic, and one I must reread!

The library itself :
Con : very, very, extremely, unassuming facade
Pro : but HUGE inside! Two floors even. I didn’t explore the whole thing

Con : you have to join (100€/year for an individual, non discounted)
Pro : events such as the one I attended are free, no membership required

Pro : has several book groups that each have amazing reading lists
Con : all book groups meet during the day
Con : you have to be a member of the library to be in one of the book groups

Pro : website is very well done, with lots of information, including a history with inspiring vignettes and a who’s who of Americans-in-Paris literary geniuses

The library has many great events. I’ll try to get to a few more this season. Will keep you posted.

There are so many great, interesting, tidbits about To Kill a Mockingbird on IMDB, but it was this quotation from Brock Peters (who played Tom Robinson, the man accused of rape in the movie) that has stuck with me all day. (Mr. Peters said this while giving the eulogy at Gregory Peck’s funeral (most of the cast members stayed friends for life)) :

"In art there is compassion," said Peters, "in compassion there is humanity, with humanity there is generosity and love. Gregory Peck gave us these attributes in full measure."

From the news ...

2010-09-29T12:55:00.006+01:00

Yes, I have heard about the “excitement” here in Paris – of course a day or two later. Kind of funny considering I live just a few blocks away, and last night I even walked through the park in front of the Eiffel Tower (Champs de Mars) after attending a lecture at the American Library in Paris.

But couldn’t the AP have found someone better to interview??? There are no ‘woods’ around the Eiffel (clumps of trees / park, yes. Woods, no.) And that scene with her holding the bag of cookies or chips? Oy vay. And she’s complaining because the police were forceful about everyone leaving? Umm.... if someone calls in a credible threat, I do NOT want the police holding a Q&A session, asking for my opinion and group consensus before we all sing Kum Bah Ya while skipping down the stairs! It’s clips like this that make me consider staying in France for a long time, and make me shudder when I think of the phrase “a jury of your peers.”

And I think many expect there to be more threats, especially considering the recent decisions made by Sarkozy and the government.

For a “crazy Megan random thought “, I started thinking that if somehow the structure of the Eiffel were compromised, could it topple over? And could it topple on top of me (physics wise, is it possible based upon where the legs/bases of the tower are)?

I CAN'T WAIT

2010-09-24T08:04:00.003+01:00

11 hours until the Jimmy Buffett concert in Paris tonight!!!!!

Undeniable adult truths

2010-09-24T07:59:00.002+01:00

I received this as an email forward yesterday and was laughing out loud reading the entire thing, so I thought I would share. When I first read the email subject, and the second time, I read “Audit”, not “Adult”. Obviously I need a break!

*my comments to the original text are in green

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. *LOL, so true!!!

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font. *AMEN!

5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? * I finally figured this out about 6 months ago

6. Was learning cursive really necessary? * I hear some schools are no longer teaching cursive!

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day. *Hits me about 14:30 – 15:30, then a burst of productivity comes at 17:15

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again. *Is Blue Ray really going to over take DVD completely? And is it by Zones too? (can I buy Blue Ray here and will it work in US?)

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
*Just happened to me yesterday morning! I stop after 2.

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is. *All the time I do this

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

I Don't Know, and I Don't Care

2010-09-12T15:00:00.002+01:00

Various musings on random things at work / in the office ....

How is it that my work laptop can be plugged in all day and yet only have 95% power – shouldn’t it be 100%?

Before moving to our new office building, we were able to take a tour of a sample floor and vote on office furniture samples. In this tour, it was said that we would not have trash bins and that instead, we would have to take our trash to common trash bins in the copy rooms – thus, reducing the amount of trash and the cost of removing it. Fine. I’m all for saving the environment and reducing costs. But, when we moved in to the building, low and behold, we had trash bins. Yippee!! They were smaller than the old office and not emptied every day, so I figure a compromise was made (or unions chimed in). Then, after 2-3 months, one day our individual bins were gone. Poof. Magic. Instead, we have this little brown bag (imagine 1/3 the size of the brown lunch bag you carried to school) in this plastic thing that hooks on to the half partitions between desks. Of course, the desk is deep enough and the partition far enough away that my arm cannot reach. And the bag is ludicrously small. So, instead, I just bring in small brown bags (like the ones from Starbucks) and use that all week. Fine. We’ve adapted. We all have less trash. But now I really do not understand this ... two weeks ago someone started coming by to empty the brown bag in the little plastic thing and replace it with a new little brown bag. And the person came again last week. So doesn’t that defeat some of the purpose of cost savings?

Two weeks ago, we got an email to indicate which 2011 calendar/planner we wanted – and we had to have our choice submitted by 10 September. Cripes. Then again, I’ve already planned my Christmas holidays, so 2011 isn’t that far off.

You know it’s not good when the building maintenance guy bugs out his eyes, scratches his chin, and says ‘wow’. (When looking at a cracked tile under the cheap carpeting on the floor of our new (new in 2009) building.)

Why is the cleaning guy trying to figure out why the copy machine has a blinking red light? This is the same cleaning guy who completely disorganizes your desk when ‘cleaning’ it – meaning he beats the dust rag on top of all your stuff, picks up papers and ‘shakes’ the dust off (usually shaking out papers), moving around your keyboard etc. ! And this is the same guy who using the same swatting technique when cleaning the tables in the conference rooms, thus hitting the telephone buttons and turning them on so then you hear music on hold after a while.

And speaking of conference rooms and cost savings ... in our brand.new.building, we still have flip charts in the conference rooms. Yes, the giant tableau of paper. No white board. No smart white board. And the video conference rooms are set up so the screen is at the ‘head of the table’ – so everyone sitting at the table is facing each other, but not the screen. But, to face the screen, and thus the participants in another location, you have to turn and then you really cannot write notes on your paper on the table. I think this is a result of one of the two companies pre-merger (not mine) who was government-run, France focused, and didn’t even have conference call capable phones in the old building, let alone video!

Oh, and last point, speaking of conference rooms ... I asked a PA to arrange a series of meetings for us to discuss current operations, finance, etc. The meeting attendees number about 20, but I expect 10-15 to show up. The PA replied to my email asking if I would need meeting rooms reserved for the meetings. Seriously? Isn’t that a given, or am I just expecting too much?

Starbucks in Paris

2010-09-12T14:44:00.001+01:00

There is a Starbucks near my new office building (Hallelujah!). I have come to the horrible habit of going nearly every morning. I am not the only person there – often I wait in line behind French people (not tourists from the nearby hotel). French people often are waiting in line behind me. These French people get beverages to go. But, and this what I don’t understand, if you are walking on the sidewalks outside Starbucks, near my building, you do not see people carry Starbucks cups. Do the people just magically melt in to the ground when the leave the store? Do the French have some sort of secret cloaking device that make the Starbucks cup invisible so they are not noticed?

So much for eating outside and enjoying the summer ... I did a few weeks ago with a friend/colleague and a friend of hers who was in town on a one-day layover. Great dinner, great view (Eiffel), great conversation. Horrible because 1-2 days later I realised that the French-super-mosquito-noseeum-bug-things attacked me. At least 7 bites on my right leg and 2 on my left. They not only itched, they hurt.

I had several work colleagues over to my place for an end-of-summer party (or Rentree, for ‘re-entry’ into the city). As the French love fruit for dessert (pineapple and melons), I decided to buy some. And I was yet again amazed at people in the grocery smelling, squeezing, examining them. Like they really have any idea?

Ok, back to Starbucks ... I’ve now decided to ‘boycott’ it for 3 reasons (1) cost ... paying 4.50€ for a grande chai latte is not the best use of my money (2) calories ... not the best for health (3) rudeness ... on two occasions in August I was at the door about 7:45 or 8, and even though it opens at 7:30, it was still closed. Last week I went at 8 and a worker was setting up the chairs outside and the doors were open and so I start to walk in. The woman stops me saying (all French) the store isn’t open yet. I look at her with a confused/are-you-kidding-me look, and reply (in French) that it is 8 and the store opens at 7:30. She says, yes, but she is the only person there .... seriously??? And there is a new woman working there who is rude (too long/petty to write, but just know that I don’t enjoy being told ‘Non!’ with a finger shake before 8 a.m. when I’m there paying an exorbitant amount for a tea). Oh, and a carry-over annoyance of Starbucks from (1) Boston : the store on State Street opened at 6:30 but across the street Au Bon Pain was open at 6, Dunkin Donuts at the next corner was 5:30 or 6, and the independent coffee shop in Faneuil Hall was 6. Seriously? Starbucks couldn’t open at 6? Nothing worse than getting there at 6:20 and wanting Starbucks they are closed ... at least the rest of the competition was open! And (2) Cincinnati : now, I’m thrilled there are Starbucks’ on the west side of town, but certainly they could’ve hired people with better math skills?

I know I’m definitely going to miss the food here when I leave in 2 years. And already I find it easier to read a menu in French instead of English. I’ll know intuitively what something is in French, but when you ask me the equivalent in English, I blank – but it just makes sense to me in French, and the choices all sound more appetizing!

And, I know I’ve been here too long because I was out with my new friend and her husband, and another American couple who just moved over, and they couldn’t fathom eating a cheeseburger with a knife and fork. Well, I can. In fact, I think eating one w/o a knife and fork, when in France, is disgusting. Don’t get me wrong, if I’m in the US, I’m eating with my hands and making a mess, but here, that just seems so uncivilised, whereas in the US a knife & fork is too pretentious. Random.

Photos uploaded

2010-08-30T21:48:00.002+01:00

Click on the photos in the Flickr image/graphic on the right to view photos of :

--Bayeux (France) & Normandy

--Firenze (aka Florence), Italy

Blog posts (descriptions, thoughts, impressions, etc) to come at some point in the future

It's My Job

2010-08-24T13:31:00.004+01:00

It has been one week since I “officially” started my new job. Correction : my new job function. I am still employed at the same company, but instead of being in Portfolio Management, I am in Business Control. And from conversations I’ve had with many of you, I know you are not quite certain what I do at work. So, here is a (hopefully) understandable explanation of the departments (as they relate to my particular job / business unit / company).

Portfolio Management (Valuation & Risk Management)
--optimize the value of the supply chain and assets (portfolio) by monitoring the business portfolio and commercial environment
--increase financial margin while reducing costs and risks
--ensure that commodity and foreign exchange risks are measured and managed in a portfolio context
--provide deal and project valuation services in a portfolio context
--ensure Portfolio’s models, tools, and processes evolve as needed
--provide annual budget forecasts for the supply chain (operational business), monthly updates, and explanations of variances in budgeted figures versus actual results

Business Control (Finance, Accounting and Risk Control teams)
Finance & Accounting
--management control (budget, medium term plan)
--performance monitoring (results and cash flow)
--financial and fiscal monitoring of commitments (acquisitions, disposals, reorganisations, investments, guarantees)

Risk control
--validate transactions to ensure economic & market risks are captured accurately and are in compliance with Risk Policy
--monitor and perform control actions on the commodity and currency risks ; report exceptions and troubleshoot and repair immediately
--document all financial deals and prepare reports as required by IAS and IFRS
--follow internal control procedures to ensure proper documentation and information accuracy on transaction modelling, trade capture and deal maintenance. Create, modify, and standardise controls (processes & procedures) as needed
--audit and control inputs into and calculation methodologies within the business unit

Ok, maybe that’s not so clear? Or, it is clear from a conceptual view, but I don’t think it’s clear what I’m giving up and what I’m taking on. Basically, I no longer do the calculation of the hedge requirements or deal transactions. Instead, I validate the calculations once they are done to make sure accurate & consistent assumptions were used, that a calculation was actually done, and that the deal does not add risk to the group. I’ve basically moved from the “Front Office” to the “Middle Office”. Not really a “creator” but a “monitorer”. And, I know, that doesn’t sound interesting ; and, it sounds more bureaucratic. But, it is a much better fit for me. When I first started in Portfolio with the company 6 years ago, it was a great fit. Now, it’s more technical and high-strung than I prefer.

Also, I put “officially” in quotes because I technically made the change effective July 1, but due to my being on holiday, and other co-workers (including my new boss) being on holiday, I was still doing my old job functions until last week. Well, I’m still doing some, to be honest. And, well, ok, the major reason I am now in my new job function is because I finally changed desks.

And what does changing desks entail ...

It seems it means you ask your assistant to make the request to ‘the people’ in the building and your request sits there a week or two or three and finally you get so fed up you bring in your own screwdriver to remove the “security” lock on your laptop, and you move yourself.

I used to have a ‘room with a view’ – a gorgeous view of Paris/Montmartre, the clouds, sun, etc. Now, I have a hotel. My new area is much quieter, but also darker. The lights are on a sensor, so they often go out. And you can sit in your chair and wave your arms like a goof, but that doesn’t activate the lights. In my old space that was fine because there was all sunlight. I’m not even thinking about how dark it’ll be when winter comes.

I was sitting in an area that was much noisier / active (stands to reason as it operations & trading) and in closest proximity to 3 French men & a Belgian. So it was 90% French all the time, and I found that as every day passed, I was less a part of the group than the day before. (Sure, I didn’t make much effort to stop that from happening ; I think such effort would’ve been futile.) But, I didn’t mind their talking – conversations were business focused, to the point, and short.

Now, I’m in a super quiet part of the floor, in one of the corners, so people don’t really walk by. It’ll be quiet, which I like, but then when people do talk it seems intrusive rather than a part of business. The two women behind me seem to like to talk, and they think they’re being helpful by whispering, but it makes it worse! Instead of blocking out regular talking, all I hear is the high pitch frequency that accompanies a whisper. Nails on a chalkboard. I’m hoping that when the other 2 people in the desk area return from holiday next week that the whispering will stop.

The other point of contention will be the air conditioning. The two women don’t like it because it makes noise. But when we turn it off (each area of 4-8 desks has a remote to control the a/c, lights, window blinds), it gets warm and stuffy. However, most French seem to be cold all the time (e.g. when temperatures dropped from upper 80s into upper 60s two weeks ago, scarves, sweaters, turtlenecks, etc. were making appearances).

This should be interesting. But, I’d better learn to adapt as this is my space for 28 more months!

My new space

Quietly Making Noise

2010-08-23T16:06:00.000+01:00

I know, I know, I know ... I’ve been gone from here for quite some time, but that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about blogging. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve composed hundreds of posts / funny quips in my head ; I’ve written down tens of ideas/first sentences of posts ; I’ve written at least a dozen half-composed posts ; and I actually have a few I’ve written but not posted. Ok, ok, none of that helps you. But trust me, I have plenty of self-imposed guilt and remorse.

In my mind, I have grand plans of leading an organised life in which I : blog frequently ; organise and post all my pictures ; am caught up at work ; am caught up in emails ; send birthday cards before your birthday, instead of mailing it a few days after ; have time during the week to go the gym ; have time/energy during the week to actually cook instead of heating prepared meals or just having crackers & cheese or cereal for dinner ; have time to do jigsaw puzzles (which implies having the time to file/sort/toss all the papers covering my dining table which prevents me from doing any puzzles) ; you get the idea ....

I kind of feel like life is snowballing forward and I have no time to catch up with it, or that I’m trapped inside the snowball and I can’t grab hold of a branch to slow it down. And then what makes me feel even worse is that there are people (most of you) who are way busier than I am, with way more commitments (spouses, houses, children, families, volunteering, etc) and who are way more productive and organised than I am. What is your secret?

In my defense, there are two big reasons for my lack of posting : (1) internet (2) travel.

#1 Internet : Since April, my internet has been loopy at home. I’d say it works about 25% of the time, and not reliably when it is working. I know, I know. I need to call to have it fixed (well, have a co-worker call as my French is not good enough to deal with someone in a call center). So having little to no internet makes it a bit difficult to post a blog, and much more difficult to post pictures.

#2 Travel : I’ve been travelling a lot, so much so that in April through July this year I was away 3 out of 4 weekends every month. I had great fun on all these trips, but that meant my time in Paris during the week was super hectic trying to cram in all personal chores into Mon-Thurs after work. Sorry, but laundry took precedence over blogging.

To recap a year of travel, and much of what I hope to blog about ......

August 2009 @ Belfast

September 2009 @ London : Saturday day trip to tour Houses of Parliament
September 2009 @ Boston / Maine / Cincinnati for 1.5 weeks / 2 weekends

October 2009 @ Mont Saint Michel
October 2009 @ Bordeaux
October 2009 @ London for NFL game (Patriots v/s Tampa)

November 2009 @ Friends visit for 4 days
November 2009 @ London for 2 days work

December 2009 @ Cincinnati for 11 days / 2 weekends

January 2010 @ Marrakech for 4-day weekend

February 2010 @ London for 3 days work
February 2010 @ Rome – supposed to go for a weekend, but that’s another post

March 2010 @ London for 3 days work
March 2010 @ Friends of friends visiting for a week

April 2010 @ Easter : bells at church Saturday & 2 Sundays
April 2010 @ Cincinnati for 8 days / 1 weekend

May 2010 @ Netherlands
May 2010 @ Marseille
May 2010 @ Houston : work for a week
May 2010 @ Cincinnati : 1 week / 2 weekends

June 2010 @ Normandy
June 2010 @ Reims
June 2010 @ Florence

July 2010 @ Canada : 2 weeks / 3 weekends
July 2010 @ Friends visiting for 4 days
July 2010 @ Vienna

And now, August 2010, I’m finally in Paris and I have no trips planned until October for NFL UK (Denver & SF) and November to Jordan.

(Yes, I do know where I was every day of the year – if you had to complete taxes for 3 countries, you too would be able to verify your whereabouts whenever asked. Taxes ... now there’s a whole new post ...)

It's just not easy

2010-03-26T22:01:00.002Z

Goodbye Grandma, I miss you. God bless.

Leaders, Life & Purpose

2010-02-20T11:18:00.004Z

Two Fridays ago I went to listen to a speaker that was sponsored by Leaders, Life and Purpose (I went to an event sponsored by LLP back in October). The main draw of the speech was that it was being held at the US Ambassador’s residence - of course I wanted to see the inside!

The lesser draw was that I have been craving ‘deep, meaningful’ conversation that is NOT about work. I had such a great community in Boston through church, friends, and other social organisations, that I was never lacking for challenging thought, questioning beliefs, and social interaction outside the office. Paris is a different story. I basically live work 100% as my social network consists of only a few colleagues and bell choir rehearsal two hours per week.

The speech Failure in Success? Success in Failure? that was being given by Jonathan Aitken seemed like a good way to have a bit of a life outside the office, even if the title didn’t really ‘capture’ me. But this line in the invitation email did : ‘... with glimpses from his own colorful career as a U.K. Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament, and ex-prisoner and his experience rebuilding a life after prison, bankruptcy, and divorce.’

As we sat down to the dining table that comfortably fit 30, having a light breakfast, Aitken began his remarks. At first I thought I’d be able to remember the 2-3 points that struck me, soon I had pen and paper out writing down all sorts of things and have been thinking about all he said since then.

Such as :

--CS Lewis said Pride is the greatest sin ; Aitken agrees. ... So then I started thinking about pride, if I have it, who else has it, what I think of it, etc. I have no answers yet, but welcome discussion.

--and that pride is not the same thing as ambition, being driven or having energy

--Denial : Aitken said people do not want to admit they are the cause of their own, or other peoples, problems. That a parent will admit the faults of the children are all due to society, or their children, and not recognising that they could be part of the problem ; and in opposite that parents will not admit their own problems, instead blaming society, unruly children, the economy, etc. ... This is more difficult because it means turning the pointing finger of blame back to myself, and helping others do the same.

--Being rooted : He asked what our roots are, what roots us, in terms of values. ...I have started to think, well what is a list of values? Which do I think are most important? Which do I have and are these different from those I want to have? This has been an interesting inner discussion as I realised I couldn’t name what values I cherish most. More posts to come on this as I discover my answers. Again, welcome discussion.

--Failure : he said he likes to ask people what is their greatest failure. ... And in my first internal reaction, I first thought of things work related. Then I was shocked as I realised I did not first think of a failure I had done to myself on a personal level ; nor how I may have failed my family, my friends, my faith, or society.

--’Pluses of pain’ : when he said this, I really liked it. ... Because so many of us wallow in our own self-pity whenever something goes wrong, and we rarely take the time to look at what good can come from it. And then it made me think about the title of the speech again : Failure in Success? Success in Failure? And how both of these statements can be true - if only we took the time to realise it. And that some success is just like a Pyrrhic Victory.

--He mentioned that one way to get closer to one’s faith, or if not faith, then personal growth, is through small groups - that the personal touch of these, the implied accountability, are important. ... So I’ve begun to search out a small group or two that I can join (book club, social event, etc.) Will keep you posted!

--Other things he mentioned, which I want to check out are : Psalms 130, 51 and 131 (during his time in jail, he devoured all he could on the Psalms and then went into Seminary and focused on them) and the Tom Houston book Public and Private Morality.

--His anecdotes of his time in prison were great - murderers and thieves, and him there on perjury. But that how he learned so much from these men, and they from him. And how a small group prayer/faith study formed almost accidentally. How all this shaped and changed him. It was great in contrast to Jeffrey Archer - another famous UK man who spent time in jail. Archer and Aitken were acquaintances and met after both were released from prison. Archer told Aitken that he learned nothing in jail, indignant that anyone could think he was guilty. ... Hmph!

--In the Q&A portion, one man said he had a similar ‘change in heart’ as Aitken had when he himself was in his 50s/60s, when he asked himself : ‘who will I be when I’m no longer driven by my insecurities and fear, and the need to please other people, and the need for recognition?’ ... Um, ok, wow. Lots to think about there - and I’m hoping my answers to this will come from my self-discovery on my own values.

What was refreshing was that Aitken went to jail at age 57 and then changed his entire outlook on life as a result. Now he uses his time and talents fighting for prison reform and social justice, advocating faith, and enabling positive change. So if he can change at 57, it’s not too late for any of us!

Looking back, this was exactly the type of thing I’ve been craving. Discussion on faith, values, business and politics. And Aitken is certainly good at speaking, quoting scripture, Shakespeare, Kissinger, CS Lewis, etc. A mental workout definitely.

I am glad I did not do research on Jonathan Aitken before going to hear him speak. I think if I had, I would not have respected him as much, or perhaps not listened with an open mind. The articles and his story/actions paint a pretty bleak picture of him. And I realise this is a failing on my part - that I likely would have pre-judged him, despite all the amazing work he has done since. If you do want to know more about him, you can find various articles on The Guardian’s website, or BBC, and of course Wikipedia.

Oh, and the Ambassador’s residence? WOW. The 2 rooms we saw were fantastic. Amazing artwork. The curtains were fabulous. The tassels holding them back were amazing works of art themselves. Originally built for a baroness in the mid 1800s, it was acquired by a Rothschild in 1876 and then sold to the US Government in 1948.

Values

2010-02-19T07:20:00.001Z

I have to laugh at our corporate values. As a result of the merger of the two groups, new values needed to be created. Fine, good.

Previous Values :
Professionalism
Sense of partnership
Team spirit
Value creation
Respect for the environment
Ethics

New Values of the combined Group:
Drive / Exigence
Comittment / Engagement
Daring / Audace
Cohesion / Cohésion

These were released 6 months ago and I still cannot help feeling it was a step backwards. Something is definitely lost in translation. Daring? What does that mean? The further definition gives us :

Drive / Exigence : guarantee performance over the long term, for all stakeholders ; efficiency ; innovation. Seriously? You get all of that from ‘drive’?

Commitment / Engagement : development with respect for the planet ; provide essential services for people. Ok, but why not keep it ‘respect for the environment’? From ‘commitment’ I certainly do not think about the trees.

Daring / Audace : live with optimism and build a future with creativity. Huh?

Cohesion / Cohésion : shared spirit of teamwork ; sustainable sources of progress and development. Kind of seems like the catch-all value, the feel good one you have to have even if you don’t define it well.

And then the collateral used for this ... well, that’s an entirely separate story which cracks me up!!! See, the corporate communication group does a great job. But for this, the main image was a group of about 100 people walking in a triangle shape, like an arrow sort of. Of course, on the little postcard we all got, I noticed the details. And the details were that these were stock images! See that guy in the khaki pants and red shirt on the left? Well he’s in khaki pants and a blue shirt on the right! And further back in the same outfit! There are probably at least 10 ‘individuals’ who are repeated – either exactly as is, or just with in different colored shirt or trousers. Unbelievable. So much for creativity. At least originality is not one of the values.

Why do I bring up values that were released 6 months ago? Well, the whole ‘respect for the environment’ thing really gets to me. We’re moving office locations over a span of about 6 weeks (different floors/locations move on different weeks). In preparation there have been bins in the hallways for recycling non-sensitive paper material and other bins for shredding documents. Fine, good.

Well, in these clearly marked ‘paper recycle bins’ there was most definitely :
--sensitive information
--non paper stuff
--perfectly good folders, binders, dividers, etc.

In fact, there were so many perfectly good things in the bin that I was doing my own ‘dumpster diving’ and got a nice new stack of office supplies. Several colleagues were trying to stop me, point me to the supply cabinets. So I said somewhat forcefully and in disbelief, ‘but these are perfectly fine! They are like brand new – this is so wasteful to throw all of this away, no respect for the environment. What values?’ And then I’d walk away with my head held high, basking in my saving of the environment one used folder at a time.

Acronyms

2010-02-18T21:02:00.001Z

France must be an acronym for something if my company is any indication of how things are named in this country (and one really has to wonder, because I’m referring to the half of my company, pre merger, which was state owned and thus more ‘French’ than ‘International’ (in my opinion)).

The each letter in the acronym can represent the first word of the project description ; or 2 letters from the first word, the 3rd letter from the second word, and the last letter of the last word ; or some other crazy system, which lends you no help in trying to determine just what exactly the project is supposed to be. Here is just a sampling of projects, software projects, databases, etc. that we use for all sorts of things including technology updates (email, computer), price curves, valuation tools, etc. :

skipper, melinda, meteor, sicav, actarus, vegas, pomax, valse, pluggin, and my personal favourite, gedy (complete with a picture of C3P0).

And while they are quite creative, spending hours, days, weeks on meetings and votes/polls for names of new projects, naming of children is a bit simpler .... Jean-Philippe, Jean-Claude, Jean-Noel, Jean-Marie, Jean-Charles, Jean-Luc, Jean-Baptiste ...

I’ll give a prize to the best creation of what France, or Paris, could represent.

e.g. Paris = Pretty Area Ruined In Sh!t

Lent

2010-02-17T05:46:00.001Z

If you are giving up caffeine or chocolate for Lent, I.Don't.Care. All that does is benefit you. But, if you're taking on something new, doing something that benefits other people, that's something about which I do want to know.

As for me, still haven't solidified what, if anything, I'm giving up or taking on. I figure I haven't made/kept any New Year's Resolutions, nor Birthday ones, so I'm not confident in my success rate here.

Happy Birthday Marietta

2010-02-14T08:01:00.002Z

Happy Founder's Day and 175th Birthday to Marietta College today!

Vacuums

2010-02-13T14:13:00.003Z

First, updates from my Facebook posts this week :

Last Sunday, Feb 7 : If my BlackBerry had a camera, I could have posted a picture of the 17 blokes, all wearing helmets, in a single file line, in front of the Eiffel Tower, riding Segways.

Last Sunday, Feb 7 : Since the Patriots aren't playing, the Super Bowl doesn't exist for me. The Red Sox report for Spring Training in 10 days. (update - equipment trucks left for Florida!)

Friday, Feb 12 : So happy to be living in a place where it appears that no one cares much about (1) the Olympics ; (2) the We Are the World remake ; and (3) Valentines Day.

Friday, Feb 12 : Happy Birthday Cassie!!

Today...

I had yet another thrilling and exciting morning in the life of a single woman in Paris. I bought a vacuum. Since I bought 2 rugs in Marrakech, I figured I needed one. And my 2nd bedroom has carpet, which I have not vacuumed since I moved in, but as consolation I told myself that all I use it for is drying laundry so it couldn’t be that dirty.

Anyway, two weekends ago I looked at vacuums at Darty (electronics store) but there was too much choice, and I was shocked at the prices. So I went to a local store on Rue Cler today, which only sells vacuums, pretended I understood the woman’s French, and picked one. (Note : Rue Cler is one of the best pedestrian/market streets in Paris. Now overrun with tourists thanks to Rick Steves - but, he doesn’t include this vacuum store in his map!)

And, I’m surprisingly happy! The thing really cleans! And, I did some online research after the fact (a trait of mine ... buy something now, see if price decreases later or if better seats available ; or buy something now and then research to see if there was something better). Turns, out, the price I paid is comparable to what is on Amazon, and this little bit of German engineering gets great marks! Whew. I got the Miele S4212, but in the only color available, maroon (of course I would’ve preferred a shade of blue).

Now, I am procrastinating from doing my US taxes, a Health Assessment form, and balancing my bank statements.

Floods and Photography

2010-02-07T12:37:00.002Z

Last weekend (Saturday Jan 30) I went to two temporary exhibitions in Paris - and they were both well worth the trip out into the cold when my preference is generally to stay inside with a cup of tea, a good book and a jigsaw puzzle.

These were two things I really wanted to see. For coworker/friend Paul and his wife, my friend, Sybil, these were things they wanted to see, too, but also they’ve been to all the ‘A-list’ museums in Paris, and B-list...they think they’re down to E-list now.

Anyway.

First was Izis : Paris des Rêves. The website is very good, albeit with a lot of flash, as it includes a sampling of the photos.

Israëlis Bidermanas (1911–1980) was Lithuanian, but spent most of his life in Paris. He is known for his more ‘humanist’ photographs, as well as those of circuses and of resistance fighters. ‘Paris of Dreams’ is the title of his first book. In 1950 he joined the staff of Paris Match, and worked for that magazine for 20 years. He also was chosen by Chagall to photograph Chagall’s work / creation of the ceiling of the Paris Opera.

What I liked about this exhibition ...

Izis did a series of photos in London at the time of QEII’s coronation. The difference between the London scenes and Paris scenes is evident, but I cannot find the words to describe it - I just know that the two cities looked/felt different - does that make sense?

The photos were just simple, yet artistic, and showed everyday life - often with either a humorous or sad undertone. He captured expressions, body language, and landscape. I’m not sure if the photos were more powerful because they were all black and white?

He also photographed men fishing along the Seine ; one line from the audio guide said that ‘a fishing rod is like a do not disturb sign.’ I’d never thought of it that way before, but it is so accurate.

At the Hôtel de Ville

From 20 Jan to 29 May 2010

Every day, 10h - 19h, except Sundays and holidays

Admission free ; 5 € for audio guide (and it is a good one)

After lunch we ventured over to the Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris for : Paris Inonde 1910.

Wow.

In January 1910, Paris had a huge flood. The website is very good and the ‘carte interactive’ is great. I cannot remember specifically, but it was a result of melting snow, more snow and rain ; plus there were not the dams and water control in place that there is now. The high water lasted from end Jan to beginning March, with the extreme height from 21-28 Jan ; and then clean-up commenced.

The water came to the base of most all the bridges, and spilled into the city. I just cannot imagine what it was like : January, cold, dark. No heat, no lights, no running water.

Galerie des bibliothèques - Ville de Paris

22, rue Malher, 75004

Tues- Sun, 13h to 19h ; Thursdays until 21h

4€ entry

Definitions

2010-02-07T12:07:00.001Z

Just because I always question which is correct to use, and thus I'm always looking up the usage, I'm posting here so you know, too (from dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster)

So it seems ‘quote’ is a verb and ‘quotation’ is a noun. However, I’m still not sure if it correct to say I went to an art ‘exhibit’ or ‘exhibition’.

Exhibit

Verb, used with object (transitive)

--to offer for view or inspection (exhibit the newest iPods)

--to manifest or display outwardly, especially visible by signs or actions (exhibit anger or interest)

--to place on show for purposes of competition or demonstration

--to submit to a court ; to present/offer officially or in legal form

Verb, used without object (intransitive)

--to make or give an exhibition

--present something to public view

Noun

--an act or instance of exhibiting

--an object or collection of objects shown in an exhibition

Exhibition

Noun

--a public showing (of art, products, athletic skill)

--a large fair of extended duration

Quote

Verb (transitive)

--to speak or write from another source with credit acknowledgement

--to cite in illustration

--to state the bid/offer for a commodity/stock/bond

Verb (intransitive ; w/o object)

--to inform a hearer/reader that matter following is quoted

--to make a quotation

Quotation

Noun

--something that is quoted ; a passage quoted from a book, speech

--the act or process of quoting

--naming or publishing of bids and offers of prices/securities/commodities

Sunday morning

2010-02-07T10:27:00.003Z

If my BlackBerry had a camera, I could have posted a picture of the 17 blokes, all wearing helmets, in a single file line, in front of the Eiffel Tower, riding Segways. This was too much of an assault on the senses and my sarcastic wit for 10:15 in the morning.

I went to the grocery this morning to get a few things and obviously the grocery list I had started in my kitchen was an old one, as I now have 6 rolls of paper towels, 8 boxes of tissues, and 20 rolls of toilet paper. I guess that song is right ... 'making a list and checking it twice'.

Growing Older But Not Up

2010-02-01T16:58:00.001Z

Ok, I’ll say it : I do not like celebrating my birthday. I should’ve been a Wednesday’s child, not a Tuesday’s.

It’s not that I care about being older, because that does not faze me. Honestly. 33, 23, 45, whatever. Either you become another year older or you’re dead – so I’ll take being another year older. And everyone ages. Every day in fact. So it’s not like my turning another year older makes me more, or less, special than anyone else.

And, coming from a small family, it’s not like birthdays were huge events in our house. Sure, we celebrated, but it was always small scale. Or inevitably, one of us had gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, study group, you-name-it, after school so plans were delayed or altered. Plus, with a birthday on the heels of Christmas and New Year’s, I’m all partied out. And, growing up, I knew that whatever I had not received on my Christmas list, I was going to receive for my birthday. Both holidays involve sweaters and jeans, it’s not like I can benefit from a summer and winter wardrobe, or new releases of books. I just get the after Christmas sales (which, I will say, I took advantage of this year and bought myself some nice things in the off-season).

Other reasons I could care less about celebrating my birthday :

-inevitably, when someone finds out it’s my birthday (or anyone else’s), said person will say, ‘only # years old? That’s so young!’ or ‘I cannot remember being that young’ or some other such inane thing. Don’t you realise that makes any special feelings I had about my birthday vanish into the pot of your ‘dismissivness’? Don’t trivialize my birthday.

-or, people younger than me say something like ‘you’re # years old? Wow, what’s that feel like?’ And this is exclaimed in a way that makes me feel ancient, uncool, and older than one feels.’ Thanks, but I don’t need that.

-when I wake up, I don’t feel differently. I don’t remember being born. Nothing changes overnight in some magical way.

-in my memory, whenever I have planned a party or anything special like that, it was always way way less than my expectations and I was severely disappointed and let down. So now I figure why go to the hassle of planning, of all the cooking – cleaning – shopping – anticipating – etc., when I will just be frustrated and sad?

- do NOT ‘surprise’ me with a cake at dinner and do NOT try to plan my dinner, or a dinner around the date of my birthday, don’t try to tell me I need to go out with you, and a group of people, to celebrate, and don’t talk down to me if I say I just want to spend my birthday at home doing what I want. It might make you feel better or superior or ‘giving’ when you think you’re doing something ‘for’ me, but I despise it – all you are doing is making yourself feel better. Pat yourself on your back at someone else’s expense, not mine. And I cannot stand the song ‘Happy Birthday’.

-to continue on that thought, I often don’t want to do anything with others for my birthday because I don’t want to subject other people to doing something they may not enjoy ; or I may not know what I want to do / where I want to go until the last minute, and that isn’t fair to the invited people. Sure, I go along with whatever you want to do for your birthday, even if I don’t like it. But I don’t want to subject you to the same discomfort. Human beings are selfish enough anyway, why do we need to go above and beyond?

-living in a different time zone just makes it less special. For me, my birthday is half over by the time most of you are waking up. And do I celebrate my birthday in my current timezone, or do I have to wait until the timezone of my birth location? (At which time, I’ll be in bed asleep.)

-and birthdays just make me play the comparison game in my head. At my age, my parents had been married 10 years and had 2 kids. Refer back to first point, where everyone older than me this past week has been telling me what they were doing ‘when they were my age.’ In every case, it makes it seem like I am the lesser person – I am not married, I don’t have kids, I am not a vice president, I am not travelling SE Asia, I don’t have a doctorate, etc. Sure, I know these people are just making conversation, but the comparison game never works well. Having a birthday just reminds me that I don’t know what I want to do with my life, where I want to do it, or when ; and that other people seem to have done more than me by the same point in their lives.

So, I don’t need people dismissing me, and I don’t need to feel like I’m older than I am or less than I am. I am what I am. Who cares if I survived another year? We should celebrate every day if that were the case.

Why all the megativity around this? Well, I’ve always felt this way, now I’m just voicing it.

For a cultural perspective : in France it is the responsibility of the birthday person to take friends out to dinner and/or bring croissants (or something) in to the office. Overall, probably a good deal as then you never have to foot expensive bills for all of your friends’ random celebrations – this way you only pay once during the year. However, it is a bit annoying to shell out 30 USD before 8 a.m.

To end on positive notes :

-in the last decade (Feb 3 2002 ; Feb 1 2004 ; Feb 6 2005) I had the joy of celebrating my birthday at Super Bowl parties (go Pats!), at which no one knew it was my birthday. So that was fine, and fun.

-2008 was a good celebration because I was in Houston and then on a plane to New Orleans for Mardi Gras where I celebrated with Cassie and Manny – thanks !!!

-with a birthday on the heels of New Year’s, I am given a 2nd chance at completing resolutions and refocusing my life (not like it has mattered or amounted to anything). I feel like I’ve had a month to relax from the holidays and travel, and thus I can spend some time thinking about what I’d like to change in my life.

-the Australian Open and US Figure Skating championships are always around my birthday (not that I watch either, but still)

-I do love receiving emails and cards for my birthday. These I can enjoy at home, read them again and again, and know that you took time out of your busy day to write me. I like that. And I apologise to all of you who received belated birthday cards from me in 2009 (or so belated, none at all). I promise to be better this year!!!

-And, the past few years, I have come to count on Cirque du Soleil, NFL UK, Swarovski, Best Buy, FNAC and Eddie Bauer – I get email birthday greetings from them, always in my mailbox before I wake up. Today, as of 2 p.m. Paris I’ve received 3 email wishes from friends (not w/in the office) and 6 from companies.

Birthday

2010-02-01T16:54:00.001Z

February 1
Feast day of St John of the Grating, St Henry Morse, St Pionius, St Bride or Brigid of Kildare, St Seiriol, and St Sigebert III of Austria

2005 : Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act, making Canada the fourth country to sanction same-sex marriage.
2004 : Super Bowl XXXVIII, Reliant Stadium, Houston, New England Patriots beat Carolina Panthers 32-29. Janet Jackson's breast is exposed during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, resulting in US broadcasters adopting a stronger adherence to FCC censorship guidelines.
2003 : Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
1996 : Visa and MasterCard announced security measures that will make it safe to shop on the Internet
1991 : President F. W. de Klerk, says he would repeal all apartheid laws
1982 : "Late Night With David Letterman," debuts on NBC-TV
1979 : Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after 16 years of exile
1978 : Harriet Tubman is 1st black woman honored on a U.S. postage stamp
1978 : Director Roman Polanski skips bail and fled to France after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl
1977 : Heavy blizzard in New England claims 100 lives (what a day!)
1972 : 1st scientific hand-held calculator, the HP-35, introduced for $395
1968 : Former Vice President Richard Nixon announces candidacy for presidency
1968 : Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyen Van Lem by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyen Ngoc Loan is videotaped and photographed by Eddie Adams. This image helped build opposition to the Vietnam War. ( this is the image I recall the most, one of the events I recall most often, when I think of Feb 1 ‘this day in history’)
1966 : Buster Keaton died, US silent-film comedian
1965 : Martin Luther King, Jr. and 700 demonstrators arrested in Selma, Alabama
1965 : Peter Jennings, 26, becomes anchor of ABC's nightly news (he was only 26???!!!!)
1965 : NL adopts emergency team replacement plan to restock any club struck by disaster (wow, that’s eerily fascinating)
1960 : 4 students stage 1st civil rights sit-in, at Greensboro North Carolina Woolworth (this is something else I also associate with Feb 1)
1959 : Swiss males vote against voting rights for women
1957 : 1st black pilot (PH Young) on a U.S. scheduled passenger airline
1954 : 1st TV soap opera "Secret Storm" premieres
1953 : "You Are There" with Walter Cronkite premieres on CBS television
1953 : Dr. A de Waal appointed as Netherlands 1st female Assistant Secretary of State
1944 : Piet Mondrian died, Swiss painter
1920 : The Royal Canadian Mounted Police begins operations.
1930 : The Times published its first crossword puzzle (not 100% certain of this, but it’s fun to think it’s true – and not sure which ‘Times’ is meant)
1898 : 1st auto insurance policy in U.S. issued, by Travelers Insurance Co
1896 : Giacomo Puccini's Opera "La Boheme," premieres in Turin (no, I’ve never seen this)
1892 : Mrs William Astor invites 400 guests to a grand ball at her mansion thus beginning use of "400" to describe socially elite
1884 : 1st volume of the Oxford English Dictionary, A-Ant, published (ok, this is very very cool)
1871 : Jefferson Long of Georgia is 1st black to make an official speech in House of Representatives (opposing leniency to former Confederates)
1865 : 13th amendment approved by President Abraham Lincoln
1865 : General Sherman's march through South Carolina begins
1865 : J. S. Rock, 1st black lawyer to practice in Supreme Court, admitted to bar
1862 : Julia Howe publishes "Battle Hymn of Republic"
1861 : Texas becomes 7th state to secede
1851 : Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley died, English novelist
1810 : 1st insurance co managed by blacks, American Insurance Company of Philadelphia
1793 : France declares war on England and Netherlands
1790 : Supreme Court convenes for 1st time (New York City)
1650 : René Descartes died, French scientist and philosopher
1587 : English queen Elizabeth I signs Mary Stuarts death sentence

When looking at who was born on February 1st over the centuries, either I’ve missed my calling, or society doesn’t put much weight into when business leaders were born. Then again, for this data to really mean anything, I’d have to compare it to other birth dates / sun signs / months / etc. to see if there is a trend, or if this is the normal distribution :
Athlete : 49
Actor / Director / Singer : 49
Composer : 24
Military / Politician : 22
Writer : 18
Science / Psychology : 9
Philosophy / Education : 7
Law : 5
Religious : 5
Artist : 3
Business : 3

Births Of note (to me) :
1968 : George Quigley, Jr., born in Cincinnati, Ohio, skeet 1996 Olympics
1968 : Lisa Marie Presley, American Musician
1967 : Tim Naehring, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, infielder for the Boston Red Sox
1965 : Stephanie Marie Elisabeth de Grimaldi, Monte Carlo Monaco, Princess
1948 : Rick James, American Musician
1938 : Sherman Hemsley, Philadelphia, actor, All in the Family, Jeffersons, Amen
1937 : Don Everly, Brownie, Kentucky, vocalist, Everly Bros-Wake Up Little Susie
1931 : Boris Yeltsin, born in Russia, first President of the Russian Federation, endorsed free market economies
1905 : Emilio Segre, born in Tivoli, Italy, physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, discovered antiprotons, a sub-atomic antiparticle and an element used for Fat Man atomic bomb used on Nagasaki
1902 : Langston Hughes, poet/translator
1901 : Clark Gable, born in Cadiz, Ohio, actor, Gone With the Wind
1878 : Hattie Wyatt Caraway, politician/teacher/1st woman elected to senate (not sure if US or State)

Whew

2010-01-30T17:50:00.000Z

Swept, mopped, dusted, scrubbed, laundered, showered. Tomorrow : filing, sorting, corresponding. But for now, champagne.

Happy Anniversary to Me

2010-01-14T19:29:00.003Z

It's my one year anniversary of moving to Paris from London today (well, I moved on a Thursday, but on the 15th - so you decide). Oddly, I just have no motivation to do a 'retrospect' on the past year or a brainstorm ('thought experiment' as I've heard it called recently) on this year to come. But, amazing that a year has gone by. I think I'm about 80% settled in my apartment, so I guess that's good. Just debating whether or not I should hang my pictures on the walls, or leave them propped on the floor?

Puzzles

2010-01-02T10:52:00.002Z

I did 8000 pieces worth of jigsaw puzzles over 9 days in Ohio ; and now this 1000 piece puzzle is taking me at least 4 days. Ggggrrrrrr. (ok, dad helped me in Ohio, but still! Those 9 days included 2 trips to Dayton, 3 shopping days, Christmas, packing and bad lighting!)

NYE

2009-12-31T17:50:00.002Z

It's an M&C NYE for me :

Mac & Cheese ;

Moet & Chandon ;

Mark & Carrie (Hamill & Fisher, Star Wars DVD) ;

Marriage at Cana (jigsaw puzzle).

Time to get started - it's already nearly 19:00!!

Oh, and if you want to watch the excitement that will be, literally, 2 blocks from me, go to this website and watch the excitement.

Updates

2009-12-10T21:29:00.003Z

It's 10:30 and I'm just now having dinner after bell choir rehearsal. As I haven't had much more than 1 hour to myself at night between arriving home and going to bed these past weeks, I figure the easiest way for me to update is to recap my Facebook updates ....

Random thoughts first, yet to be posted to FB :

--if I ever invite you over for dinner, check the expiration date on the food before you eat it

--Boston just seems so far away right now, and I wonder if I'll ever get back

--Saturday is the Christmas concert at church, and after bell rehearsal tonight, I'm no longer looking forward to it. Although, about 20 people from work are coming. Cripes.

--Sunday I am going to Ballet Russes at the Opera Garnier

Today : From church finance committee tonight, while discussing the Pastor's Discretionary Fund ... one woman says 'except then you still have people coming to the front desk hungry [and looking for money/handouts]'. Umm... it's a church, you share and do good work, right? And then bell choir put me in a worse mood. Bah Humbug.

Wed, 9 Dec : Dizzy this morning, weird.

(And also locked my keys in my apartment, still in the key hook. Luckily I have a spare set at work. So I get to work about 8, leave at 8:30 to go back home and hope the spare set works (in most Paris locks if your keys are still in the lock on the inside you cannot open it) I got lucky.

Tues, 8 Dec : Ohio, you disappoint me. [execution by lethal injection]

Mon, 7 Dec : Patriots, you're breaking my heart and ruining my Monday mornings.

Sun, 6 Dec : Bells at church today. Then tour of the famous Paris les egouts (sewers).

(Also, did you know that rats are the only animals that can survive in sewers, survive the bacteria, etc. That's pretty cool.)

Sat, 5 Dec : Back from IKEA - got nearly everything I needed, but should've bought 2 of one thing instead of 1 - gggrrr. Now off to BHV.

Fri, 4 Dec : It's 53 in Boston ; snowing in Houston ; and I have yet to turn on my heat in Paris.

(And Happy Birthday, Allison!!!)

Thur, 3 Dec : Finally got to the Louvre last night.

Sat, 28 Nov : Watching 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' on DVD. Only 2 days late, but it counts! (well, 1 day late as we had our T-giving celebration Friday night)

(But, I'm so 'Bah Humbug' right now, I have no motivation to watch the Christmas special ; and for me, I never feel like it is Christmas until I do watch it. Should be an interesting year for me then.)

Sat, 28 Nov : Up the Eiffel tonight (only to level 2 as level 3 was closed due to strong winds)

Sat, 28 Nov : Fontainebleau

Thanks-what?

2009-11-26T22:02:00.003Z

Well, this ranks up there as one of the most un-eventful Thanksgivings for me, and overall just a really 'meh' day.

What megativity you ask ...?

--Only 1 person in office said Happy Thanksgiving to me ; and one guy actually asked why I didn't want to be in the US with my family for the holiday. Gee, that made me feel better.

--I don't know if it's from stress or sleeping but I've pulled something in my neck. Not serious, but just an annoyance.

--Lunch in the canteen was worse than usual and the best option was a small-ish salad with two melba-sized pieces of toast each with half a soft-boiled egg and a sliver of smoked salmon. I thought I'd make up for that by taking what I thought was raspberry mousse for dessert. It was strawberry - ick. And the mini baguettes were stale. And, one guy from the office sat at our table and he has chronic severe halitosis so that was what I was smelling/breathing in while eating.

--I had several pointless meetings today, in which nothing was accomplished or I felt we took a few steps back. And I had to explain to a 4th set of auditors/consultants some of our business processes - don't they all talk with each other? I could've found a better use of my two hours. And in another meeting it was me and several men (as is usual) and of course the other three were more sprawled out in their chairs, assuming the 'cocky male stance' so to speak ; and one of them was perched on his desk, assuming an air of authority he gave to himself.

--I had bell choir rehearsal (fine) but that means I didn't get home until 22:30.

--I left work a tad early so I could get to the drycleaner to pick up a suit I had cleaned and a pair of pants I had the hem redone on - 35 Euro for that. That's FIFTY TWO DOLLARS. For cleaning a pair of pants and a suit jacket and stitching the hem on a pair of Eddie Bauer pants.

--I called my grandmother and my parents. They had a nice lunch together today but I was sad talking to my grandma because she was sad / disappointed that Lauren & Heather were sick and thus they couldn't come up, too.

--It is now 23:07 and I haven't had dinner (and won't at this point).

--And my day started at 9 a.m. when I felt something poking me in my side / under my arm. Yep, the wire on my bra was coming out so that was the proverbial 'thorn in my side' all day long.

MBTI

2009-11-26T05:25:00.003Z

Yet again, I am the same Myers-Briggs type. Yet again, no change in my type since I first took it 16 years ago. Seriously? (I’ve taken it 4 times ‘officially’ (either with the official-official test, or a very good summary one ; and several times, as today, with a 70-question test from a book I have on the subject.)

I thought people were supposed to change? I thought I had. While answering the questions I thought that I certainly had changed, or was close to changing in two categories. Or at least I figured I had since living in Paris as everything is so crazy and I’m doubting so much about myself. But even if I alter my score based upon the questions next to which I put a question mark, my results barely change.

When at Thunderbird, my professor of Supply Chain Management took one day to give us a version of the test and show us ways to analyse results in the context of an organisation. For example, showing us that all types are necessary for successful project implementation and what types of people to employ on projects at what time ; how to balance one type with another ; what questions to ask when hiring to help determine one’s type ; etc.

My results, this and every time, are that I’m the dull one who likes thinking ‘how can we do it within this organisation’ and ‘what needs to be done’ àI’m management, not leadership.

I’m to like factual details, micro issues, control and certainty, work roles and organisational goals. I like goals that are realistic, down-to-earth, and based upon efficiency (all true). I should value ‘tough minded people who can get others to accomplish the job.’

This last part troubles me ... when I read books where characters are like this, I love them, want to be them. But when I’m confronted by such people in real life, I see them as cold, unfeeling, mean bitches/bastards and I just want to crawl back into the cave from whence I came.

It’s just when I read over the descriptions and differences for Extrovert/Introvert, Sensing/iNtuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perception, I know what I am for E/I, but for the others I think I could be in either category, have a bit of both ; but then my results are usually 80% in one box. And when I think on conversations I have, it seems to me others might perceive me as being different from my results ; or is that just wishful thinking on my part? Am I really as cut-and-dry as 16 years of taking this test has determined?

I guess I’m just one of ‘life’s natural organisers’ and partly ‘committed to getting the job done.’ Me and Harry Truman and QEII.

It’s good to remember, as I learned at T-bird, ‘type watching is only an explanation ; it’s never an excuse.’

Bordeaux

2009-11-21T16:00:00.005Z

Map of wine regions in Bordeaux

Wine making process

Last weekend (Nov 13-15), Marissa (friend / co-worker) and I went to Bordeaux for the weekend. We found a good weekend deal, either on the Air France or SNCF (train) website, so figured, what the heck. The weekend deal, sponsored by the Tourist Bureau, included hotel for 2-nights, 2-hour walking city tour, 1/2-day tour to two wineries outside the city, free museum passes, a bottle of wine, and vouchers for a wine bar.

We left work in the afternoon and took the TGV getting to Bordeaux about 19:30. Because we had been sitting for 3.5 hours, we decided to walk around and see some of the city.

Saturday morning : we got up and headed to the tourist bureau to get our welcome information packet and then walked around the city, to some of the churches, window shopping, etc. We had lunch near the tourist office (love the goat cheese salad with honey!), which was right next to a Relais d’Entrecote (steak place, where that is the only thing on the menu, and only 1 kind of steak). The line literally wrapped around the building!

Saturday day : we did a 1/2-day tour on a bus to two wineries and the woman leading the bus group was very good, saying everything in French and English, talking about the history of the region, the wine growing areas, the small towns, and some of the wineries. Our first stop was at Chateau Maucailou, then to a photo-op stop at Chateau Margaux, and our 2nd tasting was at Chateau Giscours (with quite an interesting history).

Winery tour thoughts : I was expecting more from the tours, I think because the tours of Champange houses in Reims and Epernay were so great. Chateaus in Bordeaux just do not market themselves the way Champagne houses do. While covering the technical aspects of the wine making (in French and then English), it wasn’t thorough, the women at each Chateau did nothing to make me feel connected to their wine, their brand. In fact, when talking about it at work on Monday, I couldn’t remember the names of the two Houses! Even the tasting of the wine was impersonal - they didn’t tell us how to taste, or what tastes we should expect in what they poured (oak, vanilla, spice, etc.). I didn’t feel connected with the wine and thus found it quite easy to walk out without spending 50 Euros on a bottle. Also, I was surprised that most (all?) of the wineries do NOT age their wines once in bottles. Once the wine is bottled, the wineries sell it to distributors and such and they age it for another few years. I think to them it is wine, it is France, it is Bordeaux, so it doesn’t need marketing or fancy language or talk. (Even though the French on the tour asked a bizillion questions, with the arrogance of being experts.) As Bordeaux has been renovated, I imagine the region will get more tourists and maybe then they’ll step up their touring and tasting lectures?

Saturday evening : we stopped at the wine bar and used our vouchers, walked down to Place de la Bourse to get pictures of it at night, and then just meandered back to the hotel.

Sunday : we did a two-hour walking tour, led by the tourist bureau. It took us many of the places we had been on our previous walks, but this way we learned about the history, the new development, etc. Well worth it. I wish I could remember the description about the Girondins Monument!

What impressed me the most : the city of Bordeaux itself. It has undergone major renovation (in fact, if you look it up on google maps and go to satellite view, the view of the river front is of dirt and heavy machinery working to make it into an esplanade). The whole downtown city centre is mainly pedestrian streets ; there is an extensive new tram car system, powered by wires placed underground so as to not detract from the view above ground ; majority of buildings have all been power washed, so the stone is no longer black (literally) but back to original granite / sandstone look.

What surprised me about the city : (1) lack of wine bars and wine paraphernalia stores - no where to buy random wine stuff like tea towels, dish towels, bottle openers or stoppers, wine glasses, etc ; (2) lack of wine bars - there was 1 tasting bar across from the tourist bureau, but that was about it ; (3) the sharp contrast between the renovated city centre area and the rest of the city.

Overall, the only downfalls for me were : (1) I was so tired Friday / Saturday morning that it made it more difficult to really enjoy everything ; (2) we never made it inside any museums, so I’d like to go back to do that ; (3) the week or two before I did something to my left foot - I have no idea what. But it makes walking very painful, so I’d like to go back and be able to walk around more and do so without hobbling or wincing ; (4) I’d like to go to a different winery or two for tours, to see if the tours are any better (although I’ve heard Burgundy is better at them, better at marketing) ; and, (5) the train ride back - screaming baby several rows back, 2 fidgety toddlers behind me (one who often cried) and 1 fidgety baby in front of me who was crying, teething, and I think sick (and who’s father spent more time on his iPhone and reading his car magazine than helping his wife with his son).

Leaders, Life & Purpose

2009-11-16T21:57:00.003Z

Back in October, I made the choice to go to an evening discussion/dinner put on by ‘Leaders, Life & Purpose’, a forum for business people sponsored by the American Church in Paris (ACP), St George’s Anglican Church in Paris and the McDonald Agape Foundation. The purpose is to outreach to Christian business leaders and professionals and to provide an environment to hear inspirational talks and stimulate conversation, exchanging ideas on the deeper spiritual issues of purpose, work and life. Sounds good, eh?

I’ve been trying to find something more spiritual to do in Paris, but everything the ACP offers is either (1) Thursday nights when I have bell choir – such as their new series on God and Darwin, Bible studies, etc. ; or (2) all the great programs are for the Young Adults Group (ages 18-30) – weekly meetings, movie nights, volunteering, lectures, etc. Once you’re 30, they assume you’re married and then the ACP has a slew of activities aimed at that demographic.

Anyway, I went to the LLP forum on Friday 9 October (a rainy Friday, which I would’ve preferred spending at home, in my PJs, watching a movie). The topic was ‘The Economics of Mutuality’, presented by Dr. David Young, Founder and CEO of Oxford Analytica, which provides business and government leaders with timely and authoritative analysis of world events. (Although, I’ve never heard of them before). Dr. Young served on the National Security Council Staff during the Nixon administration and as Special Assistant to Dr. Kissinger in the White House from 1969-73. Sounds good, eh?

So, I paid my 55€ for an evening of cocktails, lecture, dinner and moderated discussion.

I want my money back, and here’s why :

-- Dr. Young was a good speaker, but in no way memorable. I do not remember his voice, his looks, his message. The only reason I do have comments is because I took notes during his lecture.

--His lecture had NO talk of faith, nor purpose. There was no overarching theme. It was all touchy-feely and didn’t seem applicable to every day life. It was more super macro focused, rather than micro. It’s things like this make me want to go read Ayn Rand and 48 Laws of Power

--Side note : why are people are so impressed with themselves when they ask questions to a speaker? àshows just how self-centered they are

--The lecture was to be about 30 minutes, and it had 2 parts, the second of which had eight (8!) points.

First point in lecture : Are we at a Wilberforce moment? (a turn in the road that can make a difference). Wilberforce is from British history (1759-1833). He did much work for the campaign against slavery, as well as lobbying for better manners. So what, he gets extra points for using Wilberforce, instead of just saying Tipping Point?

Second point : 8 Propositions for Sustainable Market Capitalism. The idea that ‘you first have to have justice to have a lasting peace’. And that things must be sustainable : environmentally (LT goal) ; socially ; and, economically (ST goal).

1) Is the system broken?

a. Yes. It is unsustainable on 3 fronts : economic, social, environment

2) Do we have a correct assessment of human nature?

a. Marx had correct view of capitalism, but incorrect view on human nature

3) Can man be trusted? Is man good?

a. Founding Fathers said no, so they created checks and balances

4) How critical is freedom?

a. At enterprise level? Social? Do the two have to be same? If different, how to reconcile? Or do we need better governance?

5) Do we have a holistic approach?

a. Necessary for balanced government

6) We have to move from thinking of value to thinking of values.

a. Values of the system

b. Bill of Rights ; freedom

c. Order ; rule of law

d. Justice ; fairness ; equity

e. Ownership

f. Entrepreneurial

g. Individual

i. Needs of the poor (mercy, concern, compassion,)

ii. Civil society

7) 3 dimensions within sustainable market capitalism

a. Hard : financial performance

b. Soft : environment we have ; creation of things

c. Mid (spiritual) : human-to-human ; common good ; culture ; society

8) How do we build sustainable market capitalism?

a. Justice

b. Mercy

c. Humility

Seriously, those are my notes. He did not really expand upon the ideas any further. He did not really tie in faith, purpose. He did not address how we as business people, in varying levels of authority, could help enact change.

Dinner

Dinner was set up with tables of 8-10, with each having a pre-arranged moderator. To my knowledge, the role of a moderator is to lead discussion, keep it on subject, get everyone involved, bring up points from the lecture, etc. Of course, such a person should have some opinions, have a voice that can carry across the table, and exude some sort of confidence. Wouldn’t you figure I pick a table that has to have one of the worst moderators! He barely talked, when he did you could barely hear him, and he never really brought up subjects from the lecture. The rest of the people at the table were also soft talkers, and generally without opinions.

The only points I took away for further thought, and these were NOT from the meat / key points of Dr. Young’s speech, but rather were side notes.

--We ‘long for lives that count’ ; which made me think – what makes my life count?

--What purpose has my God laid upon me?

--What are the ‘common assumptions that will guide your team over the coming years’?

--NYC has a group ‘Socrates in the City’

--by 2010, 90M more in extreme poverty ; and 59M more lose their jobs in 2009

--In the US, from

1776-1781 : we won our freedom

1781-1789 : we ordered our freedom

1789-2009 : we maintained our freedom

It was a painful evening all round. But at least I tried, right?

iPod and iTunes, my thoughts

2009-11-16T21:54:00.002Z

While working in Boston, and then in London, we had the freedom to download iTunes onto our work laptops. So, all music and podcasts were on my London computer. But, now in Paris, we cannot even sneeze on our keyboard without asking for administrator approval it seems. As I try to spend most of my day with headphones on listening to music, I needed to break down and buy one of the original, large storage, iPods as I only have the tiny Shuffle. I bought one when in the States in September.

After spending enough money on the iPod ‘classic’, the newest version too, I have a few suggestions :

1) Volume. I use Shure SE210 sound isolating ear buds (I love these!). Because of the noise reduction, I often turn the volume way down low and still find it loud enough. Problem with my new iPod – the volume cannot be turned down all the way to zero. So its quietest setting is still too loud when I’m walking to the Metro early morning, on the train, etc.

2) When I go to Music, the Artists, why isn’t there an alphabet that allows me to immediately jump to a letter? I hate having to scroll through everything. And, when I’m at Pearl Jam and I want Aerosmith, I might want to go PQRST...XYZA .. why won’t you let me? Why do you insist I go backwards through the alphabet?

3) On the ‘Now Playing’ screen, the song name scrolls past so you can see the whole thing, but why doesn’t the artist name, or the album?

4) I added the clock so it appears in the top left corner, opposite the battery symbol ; and it is in 24h time like I want. But why when the screen fades out does the clock on the main screen show up in 12h?

5) Why can’t I add/change a rating of a song on my iPod? I can change contacts etc in my BlackBerry and that syncs with my computer, so why not with an iPod? (And don’t tell me to get an iPhone, I want the functionality on my iPod)

5a) Same concept – why can’t I add/delete a song from a playlist while on my iPod? If I‘m using this the most and not sitting in front of my computer, what am I supposed to do? Keep a paper list of ratings and/or playlist changes?

6) This is more for iTunes, rather than iPod, but I think a feature should be added so I can see what playlists a song is in. You know, like in Gmail how a message can be in several folders and you can see that plain as day.

Am I missing something in the settings?

Remember

2009-11-09T20:01:00.002Z

It is good for all of us to remember today, 20 years ago ... read about the fall of the Berlin wall.

NYT / IHT

Telegraph (UK)

Patriots at Wembley Today!!!

2009-10-25T09:08:00.000Z

One day at work this week ...

2009-10-23T19:51:00.003+01:00

Seriously?

2009-10-11T17:19:00.001+01:00

Soooo many comments floating around my head, don't know where to start!

Parents in Barnsley have been criticised by police for drinking alcohol when dropping off and collecting their children from school.

Full story here.

McDonald's restaurants to open at the Louvre

2009-10-05T20:20:00.001+01:00

Unbelievable. And France is 2nd biggest market after USA? (The last 5 paragraphs are the best)

I've got to get to the Louvre in the next month BEFORE this happens!

French class

2009-09-29T07:06:00.002+01:00

A bit of Megativity to start your day ...

Stop telling me French is easy to learn, that I just have to immerse myself – how? When? Don’t they get it – I live here ALONE. Work is in English (except when the team talks to each other in French, which is more and more often now, but when they do so, it is to the exclusion of English speakers). My cable box for TV isn’t working so I cannot watch that. If I have the radio on at home, it is classical or jazz, not talk/words. When I go shopping (rarely), I don’t have to talk to people – everything is automated in life ; and besides, I can get through the basic pleasantries and mindless shopping banter.

If the people who make these comments to me (‘aren’t you fluent yet?’) take the time to speak to me like a 5-year-old as I do to them in English, maybe I’d be trying. Or if they’d at least speak slowly and clearly.

Meanwhile, in French lessons, do the various instructors insist on :
(1) saying things like ‘there isn’t the same expression in French, you cannot say that’ (for learning things like on/off, in/out, etc.) Duh sh!t. I know it’s a frickin’ different language, that’s why I’m trying to learn it. I’m just asking you how I would say ‘turn the lights off’ and what would I use for ‘off’ – I’m not expecting a frickin’ literal translation, and I most certainly do not need you talking down to me like I’m a 7-year-old trying to grasp multiplication tables.
(2) talking loudly (there are only 3 of us in the small room). I’m not some 3-year-old or Gen-Y’er who needs constant stimulation or excitement.
(3) interrupting me after every word I say when I’m trying to convey a thought/sentence. By the time I’m half-way through with said sentence/thought, I’ve forgotten the point because of all the interruptions. Then the instructor gets a bit put off when I cannot repeat the phrase correctly. Just let me complete the phrase first!
(4) thinking they know what I’m going to say and thus try to ‘help me’ finish my thought when in reality, they are completely off base. Let me finish my thought/idea first, then correct me. You are not clairvoyant.
(5) correcting me when I use a word incorrectly when only 10 minutes before you told me to use it that way! I know, I have it WRITTEN in my notebook, i.e. using ‘devant’ for behind (as was originally instructed) when it really means ‘in front’ (but, and get this, it only means that a person is ‘in front’ of you when the person’s back is to you, otherwise, if a person is ‘in front’ of you and facing you, it is ‘en face de’). The instructor said behind=devant but then tried to pass it off 10 minutes later as my stupid mistake / miscomprehension.
Look, I know teaching is not easy and that everyone learns differently, but when all of this happens in one class, on a Monday evening, it’s a bit much.

And, to top it off, we were in the children’s room. i.e. bright blue carpet, one bright orange wall, one bright yellow one, one lime green ; a lime green table/chair set ; my colleague wearing a bright red shirt. Cripes. No wonder I was developing a headache. Thanks much (honestly) for offering to switch to a normal room for the last 45 minute session ; but, if I say no thanks, I’ll be fine, STOP ASKING ME. You only make it worse when you continuously ask.

Briefly

2009-09-27T00:02:00.001+01:00

London show was way better than the Paris one. Somewhat disappointing, actually, more than somewhat :(

Fins to the left !

2009-09-26T14:22:00.001+01:00

Just a few more hours to wait until the Buffett concert at La Cigale in Paris tonight :)

We are the people our parents warned us about!

Random thoughts

2009-09-08T19:01:00.002+01:00

Some random thoughts I've been compiling the past two weeks (my apologies if any are repeats) :

--If it is Monday and I say "next weekend I am going to Boston", what do you think? Do you think 5 days from now or 14? In France/French, they think 5 days (i.e. le week-end prochain), as in this weekend. It was confusing enough when we expats got to the Paris office, so we overcompensated by always using dates. But now, we're getting ourselves confused with using "next" - is it this or next, or next next?

--One colleague gets Le Monde every day at work. But it is in his corporate mailbox by 3 p.m for the next day - how can they write, edit, layout, print, publish and distribute the next day's paper by 3 p.m. the preceding day?

--I am always amazed by people who go on holiday and then return all gung-ho, ready to work 12 hour days and are excited about work. Sure, I return from vacation all rejuvenated, but not necessarily raring to be back at work.

--I keep trying to figure out what to do with my life when this stint is up. I thought, gee where would my current zip code put me in the US? Turns out, Denton Texas. Time to think up a new moving location strategy.

--Yes, it seems to be a universal problem....filling the copy machine with paper. I feel like I am forever putting paper into it, nevermind that I print 1% the amount that the guys down the hall print. I just went in to pick up a print job and one guy was staring at the display screen, then left. Ummm, 2 of the 3 paper try indicators were Red, showing 0 paper. And the dude just walked away. I'm going to go mental one of these days very soon.

--If you’re supposed to use hot water to wash your hands, how come most of the faucets in the women’s room are turned to cold?

--And speaking of hygiene ... the company has had all these meetings and studies relating to H1N1 and whether or not we can all work from home. But still the French insist on shaking hands every morning (or, if it is 3 p.m. and it's the first time they've seen you, then shake hands then) ; granted, it's better than the kissing. But seriously - GERMS. I know not everyone washes hands. So now, before the person even turns away I take out my hand sanitizer and use it in front of them, with a slight look of disgust on my face. One day I want to sneeze into my hand and then shake theirs. And never mind the interruption it brings to your work/concentration, to stop what you're doing to shake hands ; or that the other person will stand there in the hallway and wait with hand outstretched while you shift your papers, phone, pens from right hand to left.

--One of my neurosis is I like blue ink pens... Another one is that even if it’s a cheap, free, pen, I.want.it.back. So how did I ‘lose’ 2 pens and 1 pencil last week? I am sure when colleagues were at my desk and we were doing work, they walked off with them. And I think I know who, but how can I go take back a cheap, free, office pen? The kicker is the pens were from the London office and I like them. A lot. Ugh.

--The UK has a “Serious Fraud Office”? Seriously? That's the name, honest.

--When I read books where characters are in relationships, experience emotions, etc (i.e. all books), it makes me realise I have little of that, of close human emotion/contact and makes me feel more alone. I feel better when I read things like National Geographic (well, then I just hate humanity and weep for Mother Earth rather than myself).

--Yes, I actually feel like it is a minor victory, like I have done something to advance time when I am looking at the clock on my computer and it changes. Seriously. It was 13:52 and then it was 13:53 - all because I looked! Whew.

Thoughts

2009-09-06T18:19:00.002+01:00

Some thoughts from church the past two weeks ...

This Sunday ... about the Pharisees (Mark 7 : 1-8, 14-15, and 21-23) and how while they were well respected, spiritual people, they focused too much on the rules and regulations, and not on the spiritual. This was also the subject of the UCC's Daily Devotional this week (Sept 2) ; as Kenneth L. Samuel wrote "The real consequence of majoring in conventions and missing the commandments is that while we uphold religious protocol, people suffer and even die through neglect of the essential commandments of God." (under the title Majoring in Minors and Missing the Majors).

So, who do you close yourself off from - people who are not clean or smell? people of a different political background? or economic strata? or zip code? or intelligence level? people who are unemployed? If you do this, but go through the motions of being religious, you're missing the point.

And I liked in the prayer today - when tired, ask for strength ; when anxious, ask for peace. And, I learned that Eucharist means "good grace" in Greek.

Last Sunday ... Ephesians 6 : 10-20. What are you battling? Battles are not 'out there' (in the world), but they are inside you. For any battle, you should wear the Armour of God : "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth...the breastplate of righteousness...the gospel of peace....the shield of faith....the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit....

And, a reminder from several Sundays ago... Life should NOT be about the pursuit of happiness, but rather finding the source of it. So .. .what did you pursue this week thinking it would bring you happiness, only to find you felt just as empty as when you started?

On a less spiritual note, but applicable nonetheless ...

--is it so wrong that immediately after the passing of the peace, before I touched anything, I got out my disinfectant gel and used it?

--why does it seem EVERYTHING in the announcements, messages in the sermons, goals, etc. are aimed toward families and children? This just alienates me as a member of the church. Yes, I recognize that younger generations are the future and that we must nuture them. However, there are many of us without children, who are not parents, and constantly hearing focused messages to those who are is annoying.

Vampires, Mummies & the Holy Ghost

2009-09-06T17:29:00.003+01:00

Saturday I went to London for the day to do a tour of the UK Parliament building (Westminster Palace). Last summer I did a tour of Buckingham Palace, but had no idea that Parliament opened for tours during summer recess (Aug/Sept*). So I used some Eurostar points and went over.

Of course, the Tube lines and stations I wanted to use were closed for weekend maintenance, so I just took a cab from St Pancras ; and allow me to say - How Civilised! The cab drivers are nice and pleasant, they know EXACTLY where to go, they understand what you’re saying, they don’t drive like madmen, etc. Just driving along the streets in the morning was a treat.

I got to Trafalgar Square and went to the Starbucks around the corner for a chai latte - again, it felt great to be in a place where one can walk down the street with a take away coffee cup - from a major US chain - in a size larger than a thimble - and not feel like a pariah.

Blue skies, light breeze, crisp air, wispy white clouds, sun reflecting off Parliament. Perfect.

The tour itself was very good, and was detailed perfectly in my Blue Guide London book (thanks Norah!). You can do virtual tours on the Parliament’s website. (Since I haven’t spent serious amounts of time on the US government website, I don’t have a comparison ; but, I think UK’s site is really good.)

The intricacy in the details inside were great. In some ways the House of Lords is way ostentatious when compared to House of Commons (or from the opposite view, the House of Commons is pathetically drab). Either way, both have their charms. Photography inside was not allowed.

I was surprised that both Houses do NOT have enough seats for all Members. Where is the whole Representation in that?

After the tour finished, I crossed over to Westminster Abbey and took that tour. The Abbey was less impressive than I remember it being 15 years ago. It is 15 GBP to get in, and you get a headset to listen to for descriptions of everything. I found that those descriptions, and the whole headset thing, took away from the overall awe/peace that one would’ve otherwise felt. It definitely felt more like a museum / mausoleum than a place of worship. Every place on the floor and in the walls are stones either marking someone's gravesite, or an 'in honor' thing. A lot of them on the floor are nearly illegible because they have been walked on so much they have worn away. Photography inside was not allowed.

Both Parliament and the Abbey were MUCH brighter inside than I expected. Sure, I know part of it has to do with the fact it was a sunny day, but the sheer number of windows was impressive. From a distance, Parliament doesn't really look like it has a lot of windows, but from closer look it is nearly 50% windows I think.

Every time I see historical things like this, I am just amazed that none of them were bombed to ruins in wars.

After that tour, I had just enough awkward time before my train : meaning, it wasn’t really enough time to take a cab/tube to a shopping area, as the transportation aspect would’ve minimised shopping ; but, by going directly to the train station, I had a lot of time there.

Sure, St Pancras International has a lot of shopping, but the bookstore didn’t have what I was looking for and the food choices, while good, were not what I was craving. I think, too, by this point I was tired and ready to get back to Paris. So this just means more shopping when in the States in a few days, especially at Borders.

Good things about London :

--black cabs

--the parks - they are huge, and people use them, and you can sit on the grass, and they have great flowers

--less smokers in the street - you can walk behind a group of people and not be walking in a 2nd hand smoke cloud

--all the pubs - just the way they look, with beautiful overflowing baskets of flowers adorning the front

Bad things :

--air seems dirtier, even on a crisp fall day

--lack of trash bins on the streets (I know, it’s a safety thing)

--more crowded, just a lot more people

Overall, London feels like a city of purpose, energy, action. Paris is “pretty” (image focused), laid-back, and philosophical. If one were to use the historical, stereoptypical, gender descriptions - London is male and Paris is female.

I prefer London.

But, I find that weird because when I lived there, I never really feel like I fit in, or felt ‘at home’.

*So why do Americans in general complain that the French (and Spanish) take all of August off as holiday. US Congress is in recess, and UK seems to be as well. Sure ‘members work away from Westminster’ but one has to wonder...

Passing

2009-09-02T05:44:00.002+01:00

Rest in peace Erich Kunzel.

"Erich Kunzel, the award-winning conductor who headed the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra since it was founded three decades ago and who won international fame through sales of more than 10 million recordings, has died at age 74"

Cincinnati Pops Tribute Website is very nice, too.

I've been in the wrong pew this whole time.

2009-08-30T19:39:00.003+01:00

I went to church at the American Church in Paris this morning. I went to the 9 a.m. service instead of the 11 a.m. since I was going to brunch at Marissa's and then to the Musee d'Orsay. I discovered the 9 a.m. service to be soooo much better than the 11 a.m. - less people, no fussy children, no fidgeting people, no latecomers shoving into pews, etc.

It was communion Sunday so we all got up to walk up front and take it. As I was walking, I was looking at the small plaques on the end of each pew which indicate who it is in honor/memory of. And when I saw this one, at the same time I got a huge grin on my face and a pang of sadness in my heart. Imagine, a bit of Old South here in Paris with me! I've been going to church there for a year and never saw this! I've been sitting in a pew 'donated' by a church in Newton, Mass., for something 'close by'. Now, I guess I have to change seats - but this one is much closer to the front than I'd prefer. (which, as the saying goes - why do people fight for front row seats to a concert, but fight for the back in church?).

Lots of Random Thoughts

2009-08-26T19:15:00.002+01:00

Lots of random thoughts, mostly observations made at work, presented in random colors.

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother coming in to the office early (7:30 or 8). I have not even 2 minutes to breathe as at least two of the people in my team are already in office (I think they get in at 7 or earlier?) ; I liked having a boss an hour time zone behind me and who came in late (although it meant I had to work many late nights to accommodate her schedule). I don’t even have time to have my computer on and log in to my email before I’m being asked a question that is also awaiting me in my email. Gggrrrr. I am awake in the morning at home, I enjoy the morning, I enjoy reading on the commute, I even enjoy the leisurely walk from the RER to the office. But as soon as I sit down, tiredness and lethargy sets in. It's as if my body suddenly thinks it's 3 a.m. and it was rudely transported from bed to desk.

I know people are allowed to have changes of opinions, and it’s actually a good thing, but seriously? I think some in my company have done full 180s in opinions this past year, some even doing 360s, and 540s. Fine to do that, but don’t then pretend like your first opinion never existed and that instead it is some error in logic on my part! (i.e. I create a presentation/analysis based upon your point-0 assumption ; you then change your mind to point-180 and tell me my numbers are all wrong. Umm, they were your idea in the first place!) It wouldn’t bother me so much if point-0 was incorrect, but 99% of the time the difference between point-0, 180, 360... is just due to a change in company politics rather than some sort of underlying fundamental business reason.

My co-workers in Portfolio tell me I have the best desk in our office ; but even though I tell them no and the reasons why, they don’t believe me. My back is to the window and I can see the door and sort of through the venetian blinds that are in-between the double windows in the hallway. Fine. But, (a) all morning I have a horrible glare on my screen, at some points so bad that the only part of the screen I can read is the part that is in the shadow of my head (b) I cannot see outside as my back is to it (c) I get to see everyone who comes in, and then see them try to mask the disappointment on their faces if I am the only one in the office. And, this also points to the fact that people will naturally goof off a bit at work – who cares who can see your computer screen if all you’re supposed to have on it is work stuff anyway?

Why do others get huffy that I have my keyboard settings set to English? Let me explain... I have a French keyboard (AZERTY, along with a lot of other changes), but in the Control Panel settings I set it so it types as if it were US. I don’t have to look at the keyboard when I type. And, there is an icon in the menu bar down by the clock that says EN, you can change it so it is FR, and voila you have a French keyboard. So if a co-worker or two on my team is at my desk and we are working and then they want to type, they get all flustered and annoyed that it is EN. I point out that I can change it with one click to FR and they decline. Well, if you decline then deal with it.

Why did the IT guy who installed my new laptop, and supposedly is the point of reference for our business unit, tell me to call the company IT hotline to have a program installed? Like I want to do that? It’s a program I had on my old laptop. It’s a program that the company created and has the license for it. Why couldn’t he call when he was here? Why couldn’t he have it pre-installed on my laptop as I had identified it as one of the programs I use. Cripes.

I have a daily French phrase calendar, by Living Language. Why must co-workers feel the need to tell me when there are errors? And not like they are errors, but more ‘this is how you should say it’ – like if an English calendar had ‘To whom did you give the book?’, and I was the smart-ass who says, while that’s grammatically correct, people actually say ‘Who did you give the book to?’ Give me a break. I feel like they are berating me and not the calendar.

Why does Windows Vista NOT have a lot of options already in Auto Correct? Older versions of MS Office did (which , it’s a frightening list – go to Tools, Auto Correct – then look at the words. Some are easy to see they are corrections for people who type too fast, i.e. adn instead of and. Others are corrections of misspellings and these are horrific!)

It looks like, more than a year after the merger (which was in discussion for 2 years), that the London offices of the two companies will combine at some point this year (or next). Our side of the group, the much much smaller side, is complaining. Oh boo hoo, you have to move across town and your commute is longer? For what, all 30 of you? Really? You’re complaining about having to transfer Tube lines? You didn’t have to move to Europe like some did. Or have to move to Houston like others from Boston did. Or get made redundant. Buy a book and enjoy the commute.

Why do my French coworkers all say Salut to each other but Bonjour to me? (Hi v/s Hello // Informal v/s Formal)

Why does everyone else think Chartres is so stunning and beautiful? It’s not the best cathedral I’ve seen.

In Excel in the new MS Vista, if you are saving it as an older version of Excel so the rest of the world can still open the document, you get the warning message of : ‘Minor loss of fidelity’. A loss of fidelity? Really?

What is the H1N1 outlook where you are? Are people all terrified? ‘50% of the US will get it’ is one thing I’m hearing here – that’s like saying 50% of marriages end in divorce. So what, that means 50% don’t. All these contingency plans for working from home – fine, sign me up, I’ll do that now. We (expats) are trying to get the French to stop all this hand shaking every morning – you know not everyone washes their hands between Metro and office.

Ok, now I know how the French stay skinny .... A co-worker had English class today, so missed lunch. I gave him the bag of almonds & cashews I have in my desk drawer. He had some and said thanks, that it was better than nothing, even if it was junk food. JUNK food? Nuts? He said, yes. There is salt. And that cashews are the fattiest nuts. Seriously? Ok, I know that, but they're not laced with chocolate and caramel in a candy bar!

And how can Le Monde, the leading French newspaper be in our mailbox in the office by 3 p.m. when it is the next day’s paper? This means it had to have been printed by noon to be delivered to the office and then distributed. It’s not even a late edition for the same day, but the NEXT DAY. I guess I do find out the news before it happens!

And, I am much sadder about Ted Kennedy's passing than I am about Michael Jackson's.

Chartres

2009-08-23T15:58:00.002+01:00

Yesterday (Saturday) I motivated and actually did something cultural. I got up early (07:00) and went to Gare Montparnasse to get a train to the town of Chartres. Coworkers/friends had been and raved, gushed, awed about the cathedral there. I will say upfront, I was underwhelmed. I like the Cathedral and the Basilica in Reims better, and other cathedrals I've seen.

The train ride was an easy one hour, and the walk to the cathedral from the train station is simple. I got there about 11:00 and even though it was a bright, stunningly sunny and beautiful day (like today), there wasn't much light coming in through the multitude of stained glass windows - that was a surprise to me, and a disappointment. One thing I found quite strange was how my sneakers squeaked on the floor. It seemed most people's shoes squeaked. What did they use to clean the floor? Weird.

I did a walk through and then decided to walk through the town, hoping that by coming back to the cathedral in an hour or so that the windows would be more 'alive.' The town is nice, quaint, typical French. Market was open, some stores closed due to August holidays. The Swarovski store was closed which ticked me off because that would have been the one place I wanted to go!

When I meandered back to the cathedral, I decided to walk around the outside of it to the back and from there, the views of the town are great as are the views of the cathedral (photos posted on Flickr). Going back inside, only a few specks of light were evident from the sun through the windows - still not a 'wow' moment.

Other things that made it underwhelming :

--The choir area is being renovated, so when you walk in, instead of being able to see all the way down the nave, into the choir, and to the chapel at the far end, your gaze is abruptly stopped at the altar by a floor-to-ceiling cover (nicely done though). I think this prevented some of the sunlight from getting in and through the stonework.

--Chairs were set up in the entire nave, covering over the labyrinth pattern in the floor.

--The South Rose Window was covered over for renovation

--The South Portico (outside) was behind scaffolding for repair/cleaning

I was surprised to find a Zodiac stained glass. You could really spend a lot of time looking at the detail of the windows, but I think you'd need binoculars because they are so high on the walls that it is difficult to see the detail from the ground level.

I'd like to do some more research and go back when it is not being renovated and to find out what time of day to go to have the windows be at their most brilliant.

Overall though, a truly amazing structure that was started in 1195. It survived some calamities while under construction, survived many wars, the Revolution, and two World Wars (the windows were removed for both).

I Wish Lunch Could Last Forever

2009-08-19T19:20:00.003+01:00

Some random thoughts I've been accumulating the past few days....

--Why does my refrigerator sound like it has a cricket living inside it? (And the fridge is only 4 months old.)

--Why can’t a girl just buy a pot watcher if she wants one? My mom has one and I think it’s the greatest thing ever. However, trying to find one in a store in the U.S. is impossible. Suggestions?

--Why is it when I decide to go to Starbucks after church, to pay an exorbitant 4.50 EUR (6.40 USD) for a chai latte, and to sit and read, that the are always 3-5 groups of people with young children? And these young children are ALWAYS annoying, loud, screeching, pounding on tables, etc. I ALWAYS end up storming out of the place in anger.

--Why is there always ONE person in church who cannot read the prayer in the bulletin, or recite the Lord’s Prayer, at the same cadence as everyone else? Why must said person always be a few words ahead or behind? Certainly it should be obvious that he/she is off-beat and adjust? And why must these people always be within earshot of me?

--Don't know what it was at work today, but it was first day in three weeks where I was fantasizing about the Jameson & Ginger I was going to have on the commute home. Tastes soooo goooood....

--I really really detest / despise / hate when I’m in meetings and other people are on their BlackBerrys. Not just checking the time or a quick message, but sitting there head down, frantically pounding the tiny keys into oblivion while replying. Hello, I’m talking to YOU and asking you questions. Get your head out of your a$$ and pay attention in the meeting and stop wasting my time. (This megativity also stems from the fact that a few of the people weren’t listening to me in the meeting (half of it I was leading), weren’t reading the information I sent out, and obviously hadn’t paid attention or read the information six months ago the last time we went over this strategy exercise. Oh, sorry if the forecast of the group’s operations isn’t interesting to you... whine whine whine.)

--When did work stop being fun, exciting, challenging, engaging, etc? Well, I could tell you but then it’d just be depressing that I never quit. Time to do the 4-1 countdown (1/1/11).

--I don’t know if it’s the whole company, but at least our branch is working on an H1N1 (aka hi-ni to some of us) contingency plan. Not so much what would we do if 50% of our workforce died, but rather, can they work from home if necessary. And get this, the fear isn’t for infection in the winter, but rather in September when the whole population gets sucked back into Paris on some sort of giant rubberband that let them escape on holiday for 3-6 weeks. We Americans in office are trying to stop shaking everyone’s hands each morning, but it’s so engrained into the French psyche that it’s like asking them to give up wine, bread, and cheese.

--I’ve found a good way to lose weight : be so tired when you get home from work that you have just enough energy to have a bowl of cereal for dinner.

--And seriously, why was the financial ‘crisis’ that ‘hit’ last September such a surprise to everyone? If you look at most of the economic figures (fx rates, unemployment, job creation, GDP, ISM indices, etc.), they were all going down starting since at least March-2008, if not 3-6-9 months prior.

Everybody's on the Phone

2009-08-09T14:15:00.000+01:00

I got a new laptop at work this week as part of the company’s job to get us upgraded to Vista (from Office 2001). Of course, it is a full year project for our Branch. I was interviewed back in April regarding what software I use, programs, language preferences, etc. Four months later, voila. I guess I shouldn’t complain too much, I did get it in August, the month of nearly full-unemployment in Paris as everyone takes 2-6 weeks holiday.

I opted for a French keyboard (AZERTY, not QWERTY) because you can change the settings so it types as if it were the latter - this way if the laptop is given to a French person to use, or if I want to type in French, it’s easier.

However, I did opt for English software (Microsoft Vista). There was no way I was going to continue to suffer with keyboard shortcuts (i.e. CTRL-G for bold, while CTRL-B deletes or closes a program or something sinister like that) Nor was I going to try to learn Vista in another language.

How do I feel about Vista....? BLECH.

It seems like a 3rd grader helped develop the format/layout of all the menu bars. in Excel, Word & PowerPoint - it’s set up more to look pretty than to be functional. I hope I’m not in a hurry any time the next few weeks because there is not much logical in terms of how things are named nor arranged, nor are there many similarities with Windows XP - in my opinion.

Vista reminds me a lot of the operating interface of my MacBook, and that just makes me angry. Is Bill Gates trying to be like Steve Jobs or something? Does Microsoft think that by making its software look similar to iWork that it’ll prevent people from becoming Mac users, or convince Mac users to buy a PC?

For example : there is a tool bar on the desktop that has a calendar, clock, news fee, and options to add other things. Hmmm...it’s just the Dock in Mac, but not as good. The setup of what was Windows Explorer now looks a lot like Finder in Mac. Even things in Excel, how sheets are arranged, is more like Numbers in iWork.

What really irks me is that I liked using a PC at work and a Mac at home - the programs were different enough that my brain could differentiate. Now, my brain is just all sorts of confused.

And, I’ve only had the new PC for 6 hours at work. It’s going to be a long week this week and a more loathsome Monday than usual.

Church today - big sermon

2009-08-09T13:49:00.003+01:00

Today, I heard the Rev Jesse Jackson, Sr. preach at the American Church in Paris. He is currently the President (and founder) of the RainbowPUSH Coalition.

The title of his sermon was ‘A Mind for Peace’, or ‘A Dream of Peace’ as he stated in the beginning. He used two applicable Bible passages, Genesis 37:5-11 (Joseph and his dream) and Matthew 5:9 (Blessed are the peacemakers).

My observations :

--He said he and his delegation were jet lagged, arriving from Chicago today (?) that’s what I thought he said, but I don’t know if that is logistically possible to then show up for an 11 a.m. service.

--I guess the jet lag explains his subdued demeanor (but I never saw him yawn), but did he have to look solemn/serious/unhappy?

--I was shocked he did not even read along when the Apostle’s Creed was said. Certainly this is something every ordained minister knows by heart and would feel compelled/moved to recite with the congregation?

--As with the Associate Pastor at ACP, the Rev Laurie Wheeler, he wasn’t as cognizant that the ACP is an International congregation, not just American, and for many English is a 2nd language : he talked too fast, dropped the end of his words/phrases, and used idoms. I found myself in serious concentration to understand him and I think my English is pretty good.

--In the theme of peace, he referred often to the Aug 6 events of 1945 and 1965. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the signing of the Voting Rights Act in the US.

--Evidently, this was not his first time at ACP’s pulpit, but I don’t know when before he was there.

--The Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. has also preached at ACP, in 1963, a year before he won the Nobel Peace Prize

--After reading about Rev Jackson on Wikipedia (I know, not the most scholarly nor in depth source of info), I am not sure how I feel about him. Is he a great leader? A great spiritual person? A peace maker? Definitely lots of good things he’s done, but also some interesting viewpoints. ACP Senior Pastor Scott Herr introduced him, saying Rev Jackson has been called a ‘great unifier’ and ‘the conscience of the nation’ - I don’t think I’d consider him either. But, he must be one heck of a negotiator for all the work he has done having hostages freed.

Lines from his sermon that I liked

(I assume the sermon will be available to listen online on ACP’s website. If so, it would be found here) :

--‘Peace is not he absence of noise, that’s quietness ; it’s the presence of justice’

--‘Why do dreamers face rejection?’

--Dreamers are ‘all minorities with majority dreams’

--‘No nation is moral enough, trustworthy enough, to have nuclear bombs...WMDs’

--‘The war budget reflects our character.’ There are no soldiers to fight cancer, poverty, access to potable water, etc.

--‘Peace is seen as weak, naive.’

--‘We love martyrs when they’re dead, not when they’re alive.’

Overall feeling :

It felt more like a conglomeration of sound-bytes than a sermon. While I definitely liked that he related back to the Genesis Bible passage, it wasn’t enough for my tastes. He read the speech more than not, and wasn’t really engaging with the congregation ; he started off quiet and subdued, working his way into a more (to-be-expected) rah-rah tone (i.e. louder). While a good speech, it didn’t compel me to leave and find the nearest protest for peace to join, or to examine my life for the hypocrisies in it. It also made me think of the phrase I’ve heard often in church and in motivational literature : Be the change you want to see in the world.

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

2009-08-09T07:51:00.003+01:00

My 2009 Canada modified Top 10 list ; over a 2 week / 14-day / 1 fortnight timeframe :

9-10 : average hours of sleep per night

8 : about the number of times I had a BLT for lunch, my summertime favorite!!

7 : ????

6 : thousand pieces of jigsaw puzzles put together

5 : number of approximate variations of my name Lauren had (my 2 year old niece)*

4 : showers

3 : times ten (30) plus mosquito bites (cumulative) **

3 : bruises (and 2 minor cuts) - a low-injury year for me!

2.5 : litres of Jameson

2 : perfect weather days (last two, figures!)

1 : magazine read, and no books ; just wasn’t into reading this year

* including : Bagin, Biggin, Pigin, Pagan, Vagan. She can say Mommy and Mine quite well, so I’m not so sure what the issue is with my name

** if I live my life and don’t die from, or at least contract, some sort of mosquito borne illness/disease, it will be a miracle

I also learned...

--Playing games together as a family is FUN. We played dominoes two nights (I was 2nd I think?) and Scattergories 1 or 2 nights. I ROCK at Scattergories (at least while playing my family). I LOVE that game. Funny though when one list had “Leisure Activities” and I couldn’t come up with answers in the 3 different rounds we played. That doesn’t say much about me.

--Adam, Heather & my mom are addicted to Scrabble (on the laptop, CD-ROM game). Thank goodness no one wanted to play an actual game because they are just too good.

--Who cares about French baguettes when you can have a Tamworth Bakery bagel every morning?? Certainly not me!

-- This was the longest time (continuous days) I’ve spent in one place in the past 2+ months

--While there is so much to see and do in the area (parks, other lakes, natural beauty, small towns, big town, Old Fort Henry, etc.) I just have no motivation / desire to get in a car and drive any farther than the 4 miles into town.

--My French must be subliminally improving because I could tell from the loud speaker announcements in Montreal airport just how crazy the French Canadian accent is! (I dread starting French classes again in Sept after about 3 months off)

--Why is it Canadians seem to be the only country whose tourists have the Canadian flag as some sort of emblem on their travel gear? (Backpacks, hats, luggage, etc.) Are they just that proud to be Canadian? Are they trying to prove they are not American? Are they hoping that if they meet enough fellow Canadians they can have an impromptu hockey game?

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

2009-07-18T07:08:00.003+01:00

Lapse and Recap

2009-07-16T20:08:00.004+01:00

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

2009-07-04T11:59:00.004+01:00

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

2009-07-03T05:16:00.003+01:00

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.

I Don't 'Heart' NY

2009-06-25T13:11:00.003+01:00

I admit, I don't really love New York the way most people do (and by 'most people', I mean the tourists and business people who come here for a few days a year and think the city is wonderful and has 'color' ; and, I mean the people who live here, or were born and raised here).

Anyway, I find the city too big, too loud, too busy. I really do not like Midtown - to me, it has no charm, no character. Midtown is all offices and shopping, I find restaurants and bars few and far between. Yes, I know you have to go uptown or down to the Village for such things, but I don't want to do that. I do not like the Metro here.

Some other random observations this week :
--New Yorkers commute in high heels (well, the women do), and most of them cannot walk gracefully in them. They are either teetering, lurching or stomping ; and, the heels themselves look like they're going to break off from such misguided walking.

--New Yorkers do not commute with iPods or other music devices - don't they need something to block out the noise?

--Why aren't museums open later in the evening (i.e. MoMA and the Met)? And why is admission for each $20?

--What happens to all the half-used bars of soap that are in hotel rooms when people check out? I cannot imagine these are rewrapped. Even if the cleaning crew took them home, they'd have pounds of them. So, where do they go? Ok, we all take the mini bottles of shampoo, but bars of soap?

--The Grand Hyatt on 42nd & Lex is tired. Compared to the Hyatt's in Madrid, London and Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, this one should be ashamed to have the Hyatt name. Fine, I understand if the decor is a bit outdated - it takes a lot of money/time/logistics to renovate - I get that. But the meeting facility services are sub-par, in my opinion. No one comes to clean away the dirty breakfast glasses/plates, instead they pile up all day - we had to put one tray of them in the empty room next door - that tray was still there the next morning. What they charge for said 'breakfast' service is absurd.

--I absolutely LOVE Pandora radio and keep hoping that all the copyright and legal issues will be fixed so it becomes available in France. Whenever I'm in the US I log in, go through my stations, and just have fun. Sure, if you are in the US and listen to it a lot, certain songs and artists repeat too often, but if you are only in the US 2-3 weeks per year, it's all new to you!

One more evening in NYC before heading back to Boston for the weekend, then back home to Paris. Not sure what I'll do tonight in the city.

Love that Dirty Water

2009-06-20T13:49:00.003+01:00

...Boston you're my home.

Ok, not really officially anymore, although my driver's license is still Mass. And true, I was not born and raised here and have no family here, but it still is 'home' to me.

Arrived yesterday from Paris and immediately felt comfortable, as if all was 'right', while in the cab from Logan to Back Bay. Met my friend Nancy and immediately went to Cornwall's, which is as wonderful as ever!! (Landed at 3:20, at Cornwall's by 4:30!) Fun night with friends, and despite jet lag and just being exhausted in general, I stayed awake until 10 p.m.!

Was great to wake up today, open the refrigerator and see such familiar things as Hood Half & Half ; Trader Joe's brands ; Trappist preserves ; and Thomas' English muffins. Mmmmm...great breakfast!

Today is running errands (shopping, bank, Starbucks chai latte fix) and Sox game tonight!!