Ok, I’ve come to realise that Easter Monday is about the best day ever!!!
Some background…France calls itself a Catholic country (I believe) and Easter Monday, Ascension Day (Holy Spirit goes up to Heaven) and Whit Monday (day after Pentecost ; Holy Spirit comes back and breathes on the people / talks to the people and all understand in their own language) are all public holidays. But, no one seems to go to church. All shops are open. In fact, people see it as a three day weekend – parties, trips to the beach, even bachelor parties are common on Easter Weekend because it can be a three day event. Oddly enough, though, Good Friday is NOT a holiday here. Even stranger, in the U.S. it is not a holiday, but the Markets (i.e. NYSE / trading) are closed.
For me, since I take Holy Week and Easter seriously, it’s not so much a weekend to party and celebrate. Instead, I go to church Thursday and Friday evenings. Saturday I was at church 2 hours in the morning for choir rehearsal (bells). Sunday I was there at 7:20 for rehearsal and then both the 9 and 11 services. So it makes for a somewhat tiring weekend. Lo and behold though I am now living in a country where Easter Monday is a holiday!
Anyway, I slept in – not setting an alarm (I cannot remember the last time I did that. Seriously.) I woke up about 7:30 and then drifted in/out of sleep until 10. It is now 15:30 and it’s been a great day! Cleaning, organising, throwing things away – just an overall sense of productivity. Now, I am sitting down to do some work (ugh), but I have a wonderful glass of 2006 Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay with me.
Aside : my friend Robin first introduced me to this wine several years ago (2003 maybe?). At that time it was delicious and still affordable at restaurants, say $30/bottle when everything else on the menu was $23 to $32. Now, it is much more expensive and still one of my favourites. I was so excited when our Christmas gift in the London office included this wine. (Further aside : it is custom in England to give alcohol as Christmas gifts ; no wonder the country has a drinking problem and is known for it Europe wide. Our box had 2 whites, 2 reds and 2 champagnes. I traded my reds for whites.)
In my cleaning / organising / sorting, I realise I’ve been moving some of the same papers for years now. Really, why was it necessary for me to keep the 2004 Boston Film Festival schedule? I didn’t even go to it! Some things like cartoons, quotations, photos, I like to keep and I like looking through them from time to time. I did come across many things I had kept in hopes to do in Boston – like the Harbour Islands tours ; Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum ; visit the restaurants in Brookline’s Washington Square more often (some great finds there!). Maybe those of you living there can do these things for me?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Meeting the French ER Response Unit
Ok, bet I’m one of the few to whom this has happened ….
Let me start off with a lead-in story….
I completely respect if one is focused on work in the office as that is why we’re all here. And I understand that people don’t listen to what others are saying if their minds are racing and they’re thinking of the next work project ; but generally some switch in the brain will flip a bit later and then the people think, “did she really say that?”
A colleague walked into my office area Thursday morning and I opened the conversation with “I’ve discovered that all the good looking men in Paris are young firefighters and police officers ; I should know as there were about 6-10 in my apartment last night.” To which my colleague says : “What I need you to do is create a report showing…” Didn’t blink an eye, didn’t comment, nothing. Not even 5, 10, 30 minutes later. Seriously?
So you’re probably wondering – Why in the world were 6-10 French fire and policemen in my apartment. Good question. Here’s the story…
By the time I got home and got to bed Wednesday night it was about 22:00. I read for a bit and turned off my light about 22:30. About 23:00 I wake up to hear a banging sound, then it got louder. Pause. Louder again. I realized it was from my door. So I get up and stumble to the front door. Of course, I’m half asleep and foggy due to this cold I have so I neglect all the safety rules of looking through the peep hole, asking who it is, etc. and I just open the door.
Lo and behold there are about 6 young men (20s?) in the hallway. They all seem to be in dark clothes, one guy was in jeans and a leather jacket. I thought they were just being rude and knocking on all doors, being “hooligans.” They start asking me questions (in French of course) whether or not my balcony was attached to the flat next door, and if I knew who lived there, and other such things. I said, no it wasn’t connected. They asked if they could see. I again said no, it wasn’t connected. Then I noticed “Sapeurs Pompiers” on one man’s sleeve – firefighters. (Cultural note : in Paris I’ve been told that you call the firefighters first, and then they decide who to send / what type of emergency it is.) Then I see a woman, probably in her 60s, in the hallway. My brain wakes up and I realize it must be an emergency so I let 3 of the guys in and they go to the dining room (right adjacent to my front door) to check the balcony.
Then it gets interesting. The 3 of them come back to the hallway and get harnesses and helmets. They get geared up and somehow rappel over to the other balcony. I’m still having minor conversations with the other men (in French). And thankfully the woman spoke intermediate / good English.
She asked if I heard the alarm in the apartment (smoke detectors?) and I said no. She said she lives above this flat (semi-elderly couple lives there) and she and her husband heard the noises, then somehow the young man (the one in jeans and leather jacket) was in hallway or something and the two of them called the firefighters. She said the woman in the flat is sick and is/was in a wheelchair. I said I had never met her, but had met the man, and actually saw him Saturday morning.
It might’ve been around this time that the police came – enter 4 more people into the hallway / my apartment. Did I mention it’s about midnight and I’m still in my PJs, trying to follow everything in French?
Also arriving at this point is the Guardian of the building next door. (Cultural note : Guardians would be what an American calls a Concierge, but that word isn’t really appropriate here. The person lives in the building and does basic repair, maintenance, etc. and usually people give the Guardian a set of keys if they are expecting deliveries, need things done, etc.)
Two of the policemen then ask me questions – do I live there? Alone? For how long? When did I last see the people in the flat? Was it the sick woman? My identification? These two guys were hilarious, like a comedy routine, and good looking. It was becoming like Who’s On First regarding whether or not I had seen the woman. I said I had seen A woman in the doorway, but I didn’t know if it was the wife of the woman / the tenant because I hadn’t formally met her. I just don’t know how to say in French “I didn’t want to stare”. And, it seems that when the police are writing down all your contact information for whatever report, they also want to know what city you were born in. Try spelling Cincinnati in French and getting the guy to understand it and make it fit in his little notebook. I would spell it (in French), the other guy would repeat, and still the one writing it down was making mistakes! Really, it was comical.
Remember, I’m still in my PJs, conversing in French.
Eventually they get into the flat, using the keys the Guardian brought. Turns out, no one is home. So all that excitement and adrenaline rush for nothing, which I suppose is a good thing! All I kept thinking was that if someone had been hurt inside, the hour spent banging on the door, waiting for the Guardian, and all that would not have been beneficial.
Things I learned :
--Always keep a sweatshirt or robe or something by your bed in case you have to get up and answer the door in the middle of the night.
--Get smoke detectors, you’ll feel safer (note : I think my company is getting safety kits for those of us who moved over here – smoke detectors, fire extinguisher, fire ladder, etc.)
--This was actually a pleasant experience in that none of these people made snide remarks or glances about me being American, or living there alone. My French language skills seemed to suffice. None of them made comments about the size of my flat being so large for one person. (Cultural note : seems to be the norm here to ask a person how many square meters one’s flat is. And in my case, 99% of the time it is followed by some snide remark of it being so large, or wondering where my family is, etc.)
Let me start off with a lead-in story….
I completely respect if one is focused on work in the office as that is why we’re all here. And I understand that people don’t listen to what others are saying if their minds are racing and they’re thinking of the next work project ; but generally some switch in the brain will flip a bit later and then the people think, “did she really say that?”
A colleague walked into my office area Thursday morning and I opened the conversation with “I’ve discovered that all the good looking men in Paris are young firefighters and police officers ; I should know as there were about 6-10 in my apartment last night.” To which my colleague says : “What I need you to do is create a report showing…” Didn’t blink an eye, didn’t comment, nothing. Not even 5, 10, 30 minutes later. Seriously?
So you’re probably wondering – Why in the world were 6-10 French fire and policemen in my apartment. Good question. Here’s the story…
By the time I got home and got to bed Wednesday night it was about 22:00. I read for a bit and turned off my light about 22:30. About 23:00 I wake up to hear a banging sound, then it got louder. Pause. Louder again. I realized it was from my door. So I get up and stumble to the front door. Of course, I’m half asleep and foggy due to this cold I have so I neglect all the safety rules of looking through the peep hole, asking who it is, etc. and I just open the door.
Lo and behold there are about 6 young men (20s?) in the hallway. They all seem to be in dark clothes, one guy was in jeans and a leather jacket. I thought they were just being rude and knocking on all doors, being “hooligans.” They start asking me questions (in French of course) whether or not my balcony was attached to the flat next door, and if I knew who lived there, and other such things. I said, no it wasn’t connected. They asked if they could see. I again said no, it wasn’t connected. Then I noticed “Sapeurs Pompiers” on one man’s sleeve – firefighters. (Cultural note : in Paris I’ve been told that you call the firefighters first, and then they decide who to send / what type of emergency it is.) Then I see a woman, probably in her 60s, in the hallway. My brain wakes up and I realize it must be an emergency so I let 3 of the guys in and they go to the dining room (right adjacent to my front door) to check the balcony.
Then it gets interesting. The 3 of them come back to the hallway and get harnesses and helmets. They get geared up and somehow rappel over to the other balcony. I’m still having minor conversations with the other men (in French). And thankfully the woman spoke intermediate / good English.
She asked if I heard the alarm in the apartment (smoke detectors?) and I said no. She said she lives above this flat (semi-elderly couple lives there) and she and her husband heard the noises, then somehow the young man (the one in jeans and leather jacket) was in hallway or something and the two of them called the firefighters. She said the woman in the flat is sick and is/was in a wheelchair. I said I had never met her, but had met the man, and actually saw him Saturday morning.
It might’ve been around this time that the police came – enter 4 more people into the hallway / my apartment. Did I mention it’s about midnight and I’m still in my PJs, trying to follow everything in French?
Also arriving at this point is the Guardian of the building next door. (Cultural note : Guardians would be what an American calls a Concierge, but that word isn’t really appropriate here. The person lives in the building and does basic repair, maintenance, etc. and usually people give the Guardian a set of keys if they are expecting deliveries, need things done, etc.)
Two of the policemen then ask me questions – do I live there? Alone? For how long? When did I last see the people in the flat? Was it the sick woman? My identification? These two guys were hilarious, like a comedy routine, and good looking. It was becoming like Who’s On First regarding whether or not I had seen the woman. I said I had seen A woman in the doorway, but I didn’t know if it was the wife of the woman / the tenant because I hadn’t formally met her. I just don’t know how to say in French “I didn’t want to stare”. And, it seems that when the police are writing down all your contact information for whatever report, they also want to know what city you were born in. Try spelling Cincinnati in French and getting the guy to understand it and make it fit in his little notebook. I would spell it (in French), the other guy would repeat, and still the one writing it down was making mistakes! Really, it was comical.
Remember, I’m still in my PJs, conversing in French.
Eventually they get into the flat, using the keys the Guardian brought. Turns out, no one is home. So all that excitement and adrenaline rush for nothing, which I suppose is a good thing! All I kept thinking was that if someone had been hurt inside, the hour spent banging on the door, waiting for the Guardian, and all that would not have been beneficial.
Things I learned :
--Always keep a sweatshirt or robe or something by your bed in case you have to get up and answer the door in the middle of the night.
--Get smoke detectors, you’ll feel safer (note : I think my company is getting safety kits for those of us who moved over here – smoke detectors, fire extinguisher, fire ladder, etc.)
--This was actually a pleasant experience in that none of these people made snide remarks or glances about me being American, or living there alone. My French language skills seemed to suffice. None of them made comments about the size of my flat being so large for one person. (Cultural note : seems to be the norm here to ask a person how many square meters one’s flat is. And in my case, 99% of the time it is followed by some snide remark of it being so large, or wondering where my family is, etc.)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Still disconnected
Well, I still have no phone/internet/tv at home, so hence my lack of updating, emailing, etc. It's not that I really miss internet or tv at home considering I was without TV for 6 years, and without home internet for about 3.
Quick updates :
--I now have a cold. But, pretty good considering I made it 2 months here before getting one.
--I am now a master at hanging drapes/curtains and other such things. I could be the next Bob Villa. That is only if you want one curtain to be 2 cm higher than the other (not sure if it is the curtain itself or my measuring/drilling) ; and if you want me to break a drill bit because I'm stupid enough to try to drill into a stone wall.
--Still no tourism things doing here as I spend all my time at hardware stores, furniture stores (although I've yet to buy a couch - what's wrong with a living room only having an Ikea chair and a folding camping chair? They're both crazy comfortable), grocery shopping, etc.
--I've discovered French cuisine is really just chicken and french fries, but it's all about the sauces they use. That and the desserts.
--Work is good, but very busy due to all the projects, budget forecasts, and the usual.
--Yes, I saw the Northern Lights in Norway. I swear I will post pictures of Norway sometime soon ; first though, I'd actually like to look at them. Can you believe I haven't?
--Am nearly finished reading Confessions of an Economic Hitman (recommended by my friend Robin) and LOVE it. You MUST read it. Amazing story. And I'm nearly finished with Duma Key by Stephen King and love that too.
--Once you get behind in listening to podcasts you'll never catch up again. I have about 225 "new" ones in iTunes. They all seem interesting based upon their titles so I cannot bring myself to delete them. Oh well.
Ok, time to go home, but now I am too late to pick up my drycleaning (closes at 19:00 and it is now 18:15 and takes me 45 min max to get home). Oh well, Friday night at the drycleaners and grocery is the excititing life a single expat woman leads in Paris.
Quick updates :
--I now have a cold. But, pretty good considering I made it 2 months here before getting one.
--I am now a master at hanging drapes/curtains and other such things. I could be the next Bob Villa. That is only if you want one curtain to be 2 cm higher than the other (not sure if it is the curtain itself or my measuring/drilling) ; and if you want me to break a drill bit because I'm stupid enough to try to drill into a stone wall.
--Still no tourism things doing here as I spend all my time at hardware stores, furniture stores (although I've yet to buy a couch - what's wrong with a living room only having an Ikea chair and a folding camping chair? They're both crazy comfortable), grocery shopping, etc.
--I've discovered French cuisine is really just chicken and french fries, but it's all about the sauces they use. That and the desserts.
--Work is good, but very busy due to all the projects, budget forecasts, and the usual.
--Yes, I saw the Northern Lights in Norway. I swear I will post pictures of Norway sometime soon ; first though, I'd actually like to look at them. Can you believe I haven't?
--Am nearly finished reading Confessions of an Economic Hitman (recommended by my friend Robin) and LOVE it. You MUST read it. Amazing story. And I'm nearly finished with Duma Key by Stephen King and love that too.
--Once you get behind in listening to podcasts you'll never catch up again. I have about 225 "new" ones in iTunes. They all seem interesting based upon their titles so I cannot bring myself to delete them. Oh well.
Ok, time to go home, but now I am too late to pick up my drycleaning (closes at 19:00 and it is now 18:15 and takes me 45 min max to get home). Oh well, Friday night at the drycleaners and grocery is the excititing life a single expat woman leads in Paris.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
"Home" again
I'm in London now for work meetings today and tomorrow, and staying at my London flat (I have the lease until end of May). I was glad to be coming back for a few days, but also wished I were staying in Paris as I just want to finish settling-in at my place (i.e. buy and hang curtains so I don't have to change clothes in the one part of the hallway that is private).
Anyway, when I got to St. Pancras station last night and took the Tube to my place, and even this morning, I realised that this chapter of my life is past. There are actually things about Paris I like more, give me a few days to think on this before I post. However, it is quite nice to be in London and to not nearly gag on the Tube (Paris Metro smells horrible) and I do not have to worry about stepping in dog poop everywhere.
Anyway, when I got to St. Pancras station last night and took the Tube to my place, and even this morning, I realised that this chapter of my life is past. There are actually things about Paris I like more, give me a few days to think on this before I post. However, it is quite nice to be in London and to not nearly gag on the Tube (Paris Metro smells horrible) and I do not have to worry about stepping in dog poop everywhere.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Smells
Paris might be called the "City of Lights" (which, in this economic time and environmentally-conscience time, wouldn't it be better to turn off the lights?), but it is also the city of smells.
Sure, there is the smell of fresh bread baking at every boulangerie each morning, the sweet smells from the patisseries, smelling wine at tastings, and soon the trees and flowers in bloom.
However, just to warn you, it is also smells of exhaust, urine, feces, cigarette smoke, and other such unpleasantness. Yes, I have seen several men urinating in the street (in the bushes, against the sides of buildings, on a car's tire...), and some of my colleagues have seen the same. There is dog sh!t everywhere. I couldn't tell you what a lot of the buildings look like because I'm always looking DOWN to watch where I walk. And I swear, some of these piles on the sidewalks cannot possibly come from the accessory-sized dogs that seem to plague this city.
I figure a few years are being taken off the end of my life just by living here and breathing all of this. And, I'll probably develop some ghastly combination of allergies and asthma. Vive la France.
Sure, there is the smell of fresh bread baking at every boulangerie each morning, the sweet smells from the patisseries, smelling wine at tastings, and soon the trees and flowers in bloom.
However, just to warn you, it is also smells of exhaust, urine, feces, cigarette smoke, and other such unpleasantness. Yes, I have seen several men urinating in the street (in the bushes, against the sides of buildings, on a car's tire...), and some of my colleagues have seen the same. There is dog sh!t everywhere. I couldn't tell you what a lot of the buildings look like because I'm always looking DOWN to watch where I walk. And I swear, some of these piles on the sidewalks cannot possibly come from the accessory-sized dogs that seem to plague this city.
I figure a few years are being taken off the end of my life just by living here and breathing all of this. And, I'll probably develop some ghastly combination of allergies and asthma. Vive la France.
Commuting
So now that I'm moved into my new apartment, I'm trying to figure out the fastest and most pleasant way to get to/from work. This week, I have been trying the RER instead of the Metro (the RER is more like the Commuter Rail in Boston, but it also goes through the city). It takes me 45 minutes from turning off the lights in my flat to turning on my computer ; the train is QUIET and not crowded and there are seats for everyone ; but, they don't announce the stops, so if you're engrossed in your book, music or podcasts, you best pay attention!
On the RER, I take the C line, which goes one direction northbound but about 6 southbound (see map here.) What I find fascinating is how the directions are marked. Logic would assume that they would be marked "Pontoise" or "Dourdan" or "Versailles", or at least PONT, DOUR, and VERS for abbreviations. Logic however has yet to come to Paris ; either that or they've thrown caution to the wind and are ignoring every French philosopher.
Pontoise (which I take to get to work) is marked by NORA. I think I can also take GATA, GOTA or GUTA (if I read the website / signboards correclty), but those three trains never seem to run.
To get home, I can take : ELBA, MONA, ROMI, CIME, DEBA, JILL, BALI, DUFY, ELAO, FOOT or JOEL. These names mean nothing - for instance, ROMI goes to Porte de Rungis, CIME goes to Versailles Ch., ELBA to St. Martin and DEBA to Dourdan.
I have a feeling one day I'll be like "Charlie on the MTA" and will end up somewhere I shouldn't, outside the Zone for which my ticket is purchased, and will just keep riding around until I get on the correct train.
Seriously though. How difficult would it be to come up with more appropriate code names?
On the RER, I take the C line, which goes one direction northbound but about 6 southbound (see map here.) What I find fascinating is how the directions are marked. Logic would assume that they would be marked "Pontoise" or "Dourdan" or "Versailles", or at least PONT, DOUR, and VERS for abbreviations. Logic however has yet to come to Paris ; either that or they've thrown caution to the wind and are ignoring every French philosopher.
Pontoise (which I take to get to work) is marked by NORA. I think I can also take GATA, GOTA or GUTA (if I read the website / signboards correclty), but those three trains never seem to run.
To get home, I can take : ELBA, MONA, ROMI, CIME, DEBA, JILL, BALI, DUFY, ELAO, FOOT or JOEL. These names mean nothing - for instance, ROMI goes to Porte de Rungis, CIME goes to Versailles Ch., ELBA to St. Martin and DEBA to Dourdan.
I have a feeling one day I'll be like "Charlie on the MTA" and will end up somewhere I shouldn't, outside the Zone for which my ticket is purchased, and will just keep riding around until I get on the correct train.
Seriously though. How difficult would it be to come up with more appropriate code names?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Quick recap
Ok, Norway was good - saw the Northern Lights (luckily!) in Tromso, went dog sledding, ate reindeer meat, enjoyed the snow and walked around the town. In Oslo, I saw The Scream at the National Gallery, went to the Nobel Peace Museum, the Munch Museum, and absolutely loved Vigeland Sculpture Park.
Am moving out of temporary housing into my new flat this week so it's all a bit hectic. Apartment inspection yesterday, buying appliances today, movers Thursday, plumbing inspection Saturday as well as telephone installation. Then, it's all unpacking, putting together Ikea furniture and going shopping for things like curtains and curtain rods, trash cans, and lamps. Who knew Paris could be so exciting?
Am moving out of temporary housing into my new flat this week so it's all a bit hectic. Apartment inspection yesterday, buying appliances today, movers Thursday, plumbing inspection Saturday as well as telephone installation. Then, it's all unpacking, putting together Ikea furniture and going shopping for things like curtains and curtain rods, trash cans, and lamps. Who knew Paris could be so exciting?
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Going to Radio Silence
I know I don't post all that frequently, and definitely less than I'd like. But I can tell you now, I won't be posting for at least a week, if not 2.
I am going on holiday tomorrow up to Norway - first Oslo, then Tromso. Please hope and pray for clear skies because it's a Northern Lights excursion! And, how cool is this, I'll be in the Arctic Circle!
Then, when I get back (Sunday the 1st), it is moving week. I have my apartment inspection with the landlord, the movers, the plumbing inspection guy, the cable guy and who knows what else? Oh, right - work. I think I'm still on track for being "all settled" here by 1st April!
As for the title of this post : it's because I've started watching Alias again and am caught up in all the jargon.
I am going on holiday tomorrow up to Norway - first Oslo, then Tromso. Please hope and pray for clear skies because it's a Northern Lights excursion! And, how cool is this, I'll be in the Arctic Circle!
Then, when I get back (Sunday the 1st), it is moving week. I have my apartment inspection with the landlord, the movers, the plumbing inspection guy, the cable guy and who knows what else? Oh, right - work. I think I'm still on track for being "all settled" here by 1st April!
As for the title of this post : it's because I've started watching Alias again and am caught up in all the jargon.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Random observations (animals)
--Ok, Amy, Gwen, Joe & I went to the first of 3 appointments Thursday to get our Carte de Sejours (residency permit). Amy and Gwen finished and left, I waited around for Joe. Joe was all set, so we thought we'd stop at a cafe and then call it a day (it was about 4:00). Fine.
We are in a cafe in Place de Clichy (17th / 18th arr.) and hear birds chirping. Yes, we are IN the cafe. We look up and in one of the vents (picture your a/c-heat vent that is usually on the floor) there are lots of tufts of feathers sticking out of it and the chirping is obviously from there.
I figure if the economy gets bad in Paris, they could hire a few health inspectors because they're obviously low on them right now. Or, hire trainers for them!
--After leaving the cafe, I go "home" and drop off my stuff, have dinner and then start walking to bell choir. As I'm waiting to cross the street, a guy holding a rope that is attached to 4 donkeys/ponies comes strolling along down the street behind a car. Huh? All I can figure is these poor animals are used in some way at the Eiffel Tower for children to sit on or tourists to take pictures or some undignified thing. Of course, didn't have my camera.
We are in a cafe in Place de Clichy (17th / 18th arr.) and hear birds chirping. Yes, we are IN the cafe. We look up and in one of the vents (picture your a/c-heat vent that is usually on the floor) there are lots of tufts of feathers sticking out of it and the chirping is obviously from there.
I figure if the economy gets bad in Paris, they could hire a few health inspectors because they're obviously low on them right now. Or, hire trainers for them!
--After leaving the cafe, I go "home" and drop off my stuff, have dinner and then start walking to bell choir. As I'm waiting to cross the street, a guy holding a rope that is attached to 4 donkeys/ponies comes strolling along down the street behind a car. Huh? All I can figure is these poor animals are used in some way at the Eiffel Tower for children to sit on or tourists to take pictures or some undignified thing. Of course, didn't have my camera.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Random Observations
Just some observations from the week so far...
Random : In Europe, paper notebooks do not contained lined paper. Rather, the paper is some sort of graph paper. Either the usual tiny squares, or some even more miniscule rectangles. Really, what are they expecting of me besides sitting in boring meetings and coloring in the squares?
Random : Hardware stores in Paris (e.g. Castorama) are not nearly as fun as in the U.S. (Home Depot) or UK (Home Base). In the particular location I visited Monday, the aisles were narrow, some were mazes (i.e. you couldn’t go up one and down another and end up where you started), they were playing techno music on the loud speakers, and it was grungy. But not grungy in the way a good hardware store is (like the one up in Canada my family always used before it closed). A good grungy makes you think of progress, of people building things, tools being used, power and machinery… This place just gave the feeling of being grungy in terms of dirty, disorganized, and old. Oh well. I got my drill (although not the one I have seen on countless Metro advertisement billboards). Now I just have to wait for my drill bits to arrive w/ the rest of my goods and then it is the oh so fun times of putting furniture together, hanging curtain rods, hanging pictures and other such things that are more fun with two or three people, but which I have become accustomed to doing on my own.
Random : Just this week it has gotten lighter in the evenings, so when I leave the office at 18:00 or 18:30 it doesn’t feel like it’s 22:00! Spring might actually be here soon!!
Random : The US Embassy in France website has lots of good information for people living in France. In their list is a link for “Websites of interest” ; at the bottom of this is “Other sites of interest”. The list? Current Avian flu information ; Democrats Abroad ; and, Republicans Abroad. Really – Avian flu, Dems and Reps? What? Certainly Avian flu would fall under the “Health Care” title. Or, as Marissa said, is that the Independents?
Random : In Europe, paper notebooks do not contained lined paper. Rather, the paper is some sort of graph paper. Either the usual tiny squares, or some even more miniscule rectangles. Really, what are they expecting of me besides sitting in boring meetings and coloring in the squares?
Random : Hardware stores in Paris (e.g. Castorama) are not nearly as fun as in the U.S. (Home Depot) or UK (Home Base). In the particular location I visited Monday, the aisles were narrow, some were mazes (i.e. you couldn’t go up one and down another and end up where you started), they were playing techno music on the loud speakers, and it was grungy. But not grungy in the way a good hardware store is (like the one up in Canada my family always used before it closed). A good grungy makes you think of progress, of people building things, tools being used, power and machinery… This place just gave the feeling of being grungy in terms of dirty, disorganized, and old. Oh well. I got my drill (although not the one I have seen on countless Metro advertisement billboards). Now I just have to wait for my drill bits to arrive w/ the rest of my goods and then it is the oh so fun times of putting furniture together, hanging curtain rods, hanging pictures and other such things that are more fun with two or three people, but which I have become accustomed to doing on my own.
Random : Just this week it has gotten lighter in the evenings, so when I leave the office at 18:00 or 18:30 it doesn’t feel like it’s 22:00! Spring might actually be here soon!!
Random : The US Embassy in France website has lots of good information for people living in France. In their list is a link for “Websites of interest” ; at the bottom of this is “Other sites of interest”. The list? Current Avian flu information ; Democrats Abroad ; and, Republicans Abroad. Really – Avian flu, Dems and Reps? What? Certainly Avian flu would fall under the “Health Care” title. Or, as Marissa said, is that the Independents?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
"Bucket List"
I just posted this to Facebook, so thought I'd repeat here in case you are not on the dreaded thing :
Gone on a blind date – yes
Donated blood – yes (but not anymore, I always pass out, and the US won’t take my blood after living in Europe)
Skipped school - no
Watched someone die - no
Been to Canada - yes
Been to Mexico - yes
Been to Florida - yes
Been to Hawaii - no
Been on a plane - yes
Been on a helicopter - no
Been lost – yes (but never for long as I have a great sense of direction, and am fantastic at reading maps)
Gone to Washington, DC - yes
Swum in the ocean - yesS
wum with stingrays - no
Been sailing in the ocean - yes
Cried myself to sleep - yes
Played cops and robbers - yes
Recently colored with crayons - no
Run a marathon - no
Sung karaoke – yes, but only in a group, and I just mumble along
Volunteered at a soup kitchen - yes
Paid for a meal with coins only - yes
Seen the Northern Lights – not yet (10 more days! Hopefully not cloudy!!!)
Been parasailing - no
Been on TV - yes
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't – I’m sure, although I cannot remember what
Made prank phone calls – not personally, but in the room when others did
Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans - yes
Laughed until some kind of beverage came out my nose - yes
Fired a gun - no
Danced in the rain naked – no, but yes in a bathing suit
Been to the opera - yes
Written a letter to Santa Claus - probably
Skinny dipped - no
Serenaded someone – no, although that would be a good way to torture someone
Had someone serenade me – not that I recall
Seen a U.S. president in person – G HW Bush, in 2006 I believe, on Valentine’s Day, at Fuzzy’s Pizza in Houston
Been kissed under the mistletoe - no
Watched the sunrise with someone – no, but have watched it by myself
Driven a race car - no, unless you count those mini-racetrack things
Been to a national museum - yes
Been to a wax museum – no, and no desire to
Eaten caviar - yes
Gone ice-skating - yes
Been deep sea fishing - no
Driven across the United States – yes , 5 round trips
Been in a hot air balloon - no
Been skydiving – no ; once had a dream I did, ‘chute didn’t open, was at my own funeral
Gone snowmobiling - no
Lived in another country – yes, 4 of them
Lie down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets – yes, although listening to mosquitos is more accurate
Seen a falling star and made a wish – yes, and have also mistakenly wished on satellites
Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful geyser – no (stupid wildfires blocking the southern entrance to the park!)
Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch - yes
Seen the Grand Canyon - yes
Seen the Statue of Liberty - yes
Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle – no, but have been to the top of the CN Tower in Toronto
Been on a cruise – no, and absolutely no desire to
Traveled by train - yes
Traveled by motorcycle - no
Been horseback riding – yes
Ridden on a San Francisco cable car – yes, and actually drove one
Been to Disneyland or Disney World – yes to former (and was a kid and disappointed there weren’t more roller coasters and spin-you-around rides), no to latter
Been in a rainforest - no
Seen whales in the ocean - no
Been to Niagara Falls - yes
Ridden on an elephant – yes (at the zoo)
Swum with dolphins - no
Been to the Olympics – no, although have seen several Olympics parks after the fact. I actually don’t like the Olympics
Walked on the Great Wall of China - yes
Seen and heard a glacier calf – no, but I have seen glaciers
Been spinnaker flying - no
Been water skiing – yes!
Been snow skiing - yes
Been to Westminster Abbey - yes
Been to the Louvre - yes
Swum in the Mediterranean – no, but I did wade in
Been to a Major League Baseball game - yes
Been to a National Football League game – not yet (October, Pats v/s Bucs at Wembley!)
Been to an NBA game - yes
Been to an NFL game - yes
Been to an major league soccer (football) game – yes, 2 in Europe ; none in US
Been whitewater rafting - yes
Gone on a blind date – yes
Donated blood – yes (but not anymore, I always pass out, and the US won’t take my blood after living in Europe)
Skipped school - no
Watched someone die - no
Been to Canada - yes
Been to Mexico - yes
Been to Florida - yes
Been to Hawaii - no
Been on a plane - yes
Been on a helicopter - no
Been lost – yes (but never for long as I have a great sense of direction, and am fantastic at reading maps)
Gone to Washington, DC - yes
Swum in the ocean - yesS
wum with stingrays - no
Been sailing in the ocean - yes
Cried myself to sleep - yes
Played cops and robbers - yes
Recently colored with crayons - no
Run a marathon - no
Sung karaoke – yes, but only in a group, and I just mumble along
Volunteered at a soup kitchen - yes
Paid for a meal with coins only - yes
Seen the Northern Lights – not yet (10 more days! Hopefully not cloudy!!!)
Been parasailing - no
Been on TV - yes
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't – I’m sure, although I cannot remember what
Made prank phone calls – not personally, but in the room when others did
Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans - yes
Laughed until some kind of beverage came out my nose - yes
Fired a gun - no
Danced in the rain naked – no, but yes in a bathing suit
Been to the opera - yes
Written a letter to Santa Claus - probably
Skinny dipped - no
Serenaded someone – no, although that would be a good way to torture someone
Had someone serenade me – not that I recall
Seen a U.S. president in person – G HW Bush, in 2006 I believe, on Valentine’s Day, at Fuzzy’s Pizza in Houston
Been kissed under the mistletoe - no
Watched the sunrise with someone – no, but have watched it by myself
Driven a race car - no, unless you count those mini-racetrack things
Been to a national museum - yes
Been to a wax museum – no, and no desire to
Eaten caviar - yes
Gone ice-skating - yes
Been deep sea fishing - no
Driven across the United States – yes , 5 round trips
Been in a hot air balloon - no
Been skydiving – no ; once had a dream I did, ‘chute didn’t open, was at my own funeral
Gone snowmobiling - no
Lived in another country – yes, 4 of them
Lie down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets – yes, although listening to mosquitos is more accurate
Seen a falling star and made a wish – yes, and have also mistakenly wished on satellites
Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful geyser – no (stupid wildfires blocking the southern entrance to the park!)
Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch - yes
Seen the Grand Canyon - yes
Seen the Statue of Liberty - yes
Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle – no, but have been to the top of the CN Tower in Toronto
Been on a cruise – no, and absolutely no desire to
Traveled by train - yes
Traveled by motorcycle - no
Been horseback riding – yes
Ridden on a San Francisco cable car – yes, and actually drove one
Been to Disneyland or Disney World – yes to former (and was a kid and disappointed there weren’t more roller coasters and spin-you-around rides), no to latter
Been in a rainforest - no
Seen whales in the ocean - no
Been to Niagara Falls - yes
Ridden on an elephant – yes (at the zoo)
Swum with dolphins - no
Been to the Olympics – no, although have seen several Olympics parks after the fact. I actually don’t like the Olympics
Walked on the Great Wall of China - yes
Seen and heard a glacier calf – no, but I have seen glaciers
Been spinnaker flying - no
Been water skiing – yes!
Been snow skiing - yes
Been to Westminster Abbey - yes
Been to the Louvre - yes
Swum in the Mediterranean – no, but I did wade in
Been to a Major League Baseball game - yes
Been to a National Football League game – not yet (October, Pats v/s Bucs at Wembley!)
Been to an NBA game - yes
Been to an NFL game - yes
Been to an major league soccer (football) game – yes, 2 in Europe ; none in US
Been whitewater rafting - yes
Progressive weekend
I call it a "progressive weekend" because it has been getting progressively slower - thank goodness! 5 o'clock Friday couldn't have come soon enough and Kevin, Marissa and I took the bus from work to begin yet another trip down Kevin's memory lane. (Every one of these starts off like a bad joke : an Irishman, a Trini and I were walking through the streets of Paris when...)
Kevin lived in Paris a few summers during university and either worked at or spent a lot of time at many Irish Pubs, so we've been checking up on all these places. We started out in the Chatelet area at McBride's Pub on rue St Denis - a great pedestrian zone full of food stalls, bars, restaurants, etc. We then walked south across Pont au Change, past the entrance to Sainte-Chapelle, hooked a left onto Quai du Marche Neuf and came right upon Notre Dame which looks stunning now that it is fully cleaned, in the nighttime, lights shining, and not full of tourists. We crossed Petit Pont to the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) and continued on rue Saint-Jacques (which has a long history as a major thoroughfare from Roman times to present ; it even was the start of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage walk). Kevin filled us in on all the history, symbolism, legends, etc. - it was great!!!
The whole time on rue Saint Jacques we were walking up a steady incline. When we got to rue Soufflot it was breath-taking! To our left was the Pantheon (which I had never seen before) and to the right was a perfect direct view of the Eiffel Tower. (Since I live close to it, it always seems so big ; from just the other side of town it is smaller, yet stands out wonderfully.)
We walked around the Pantheon and continued down to rue Mouffetard and Place de la Contrescarpe, entering the Latin Quarter. We stopped for rehydration and then meandered down rue Mouffetard and found a fondue restaurant (Assiette aux Fromages) and after a great wine bar just up the street (au Doux Raisin). By this point it was 1 a.m. so we all found our ways home.
Saturday morning had a later start (it had to have been the fondue and bread that made me lethargic, it couldn't have been the apertif, 3 bottles of wine, and digestif that the three of us had!). I met Marissa and we ventured into what no person should have to put up with - running errands and shopping in Paris on a Saturday. Since everything closes by about 8 p.m. (and people work late, so no shopping then) and is closed on Sundays, it leaves Saturday.
We went examining appliances for me (I'll have to buy all for the kitchen in my new flat), then to Decathlon sports to get winter stuff for our Norway vacation in 10 days, then to BHV which is a ginormous store that has everything. By this point, 6 hours after starting our day, I was ready to go home. I was sick of shopping and I was really sick of people. I relished my quiet night at "home" Saturday, especially since the last time I was home before 10 p.m. was Monday night.
Today (Sunday) I am staying in my pj's all day. I've spent several hours online shopping for furniture for my new place and soon will tackle the piles of paper on the floor, and will relax by reading more Duma Key (Stephen King).
Of course, through all the walking this weekend, I didn't have my camera. Figures!
Kevin lived in Paris a few summers during university and either worked at or spent a lot of time at many Irish Pubs, so we've been checking up on all these places. We started out in the Chatelet area at McBride's Pub on rue St Denis - a great pedestrian zone full of food stalls, bars, restaurants, etc. We then walked south across Pont au Change, past the entrance to Sainte-Chapelle, hooked a left onto Quai du Marche Neuf and came right upon Notre Dame which looks stunning now that it is fully cleaned, in the nighttime, lights shining, and not full of tourists. We crossed Petit Pont to the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) and continued on rue Saint-Jacques (which has a long history as a major thoroughfare from Roman times to present ; it even was the start of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage walk). Kevin filled us in on all the history, symbolism, legends, etc. - it was great!!!
The whole time on rue Saint Jacques we were walking up a steady incline. When we got to rue Soufflot it was breath-taking! To our left was the Pantheon (which I had never seen before) and to the right was a perfect direct view of the Eiffel Tower. (Since I live close to it, it always seems so big ; from just the other side of town it is smaller, yet stands out wonderfully.)
We walked around the Pantheon and continued down to rue Mouffetard and Place de la Contrescarpe, entering the Latin Quarter. We stopped for rehydration and then meandered down rue Mouffetard and found a fondue restaurant (Assiette aux Fromages) and after a great wine bar just up the street (au Doux Raisin). By this point it was 1 a.m. so we all found our ways home.
Saturday morning had a later start (it had to have been the fondue and bread that made me lethargic, it couldn't have been the apertif, 3 bottles of wine, and digestif that the three of us had!). I met Marissa and we ventured into what no person should have to put up with - running errands and shopping in Paris on a Saturday. Since everything closes by about 8 p.m. (and people work late, so no shopping then) and is closed on Sundays, it leaves Saturday.
We went examining appliances for me (I'll have to buy all for the kitchen in my new flat), then to Decathlon sports to get winter stuff for our Norway vacation in 10 days, then to BHV which is a ginormous store that has everything. By this point, 6 hours after starting our day, I was ready to go home. I was sick of shopping and I was really sick of people. I relished my quiet night at "home" Saturday, especially since the last time I was home before 10 p.m. was Monday night.
Today (Sunday) I am staying in my pj's all day. I've spent several hours online shopping for furniture for my new place and soon will tackle the piles of paper on the floor, and will relax by reading more Duma Key (Stephen King).
Of course, through all the walking this weekend, I didn't have my camera. Figures!
Monday, February 9, 2009
USPS
First of all, let me say I am a HUGE fan of the USPS ; in fact, I think the best speaker I heard in my two years at T-bird was from a USPS man. As a business - logistics, finance, etc. - it is fascinating. I mean, every year more and more addresses are added, and the USPS delivers to them. There is the whole fleet issue - maintenance, fuel, drive times, etc. Health care costs. And all of this with declining usage.
Second of all, for those of you who sent me birthday cards last week - THANK YOU. I got them in office in Paris today - what a great pick-me-up on a Monday afternoon.
My point - how come when the rate is $0.94 to mail a letter, a letter made it through with only $0.84 in postage? And why did some envelopes make it with "U.K." as the country, but one was crossed out by the USPS and "United Kingdom" written in its place. To my knowledge, no other country goes by UK, right?
Yes, things like this are what I think about and what perplex me.
Second of all, for those of you who sent me birthday cards last week - THANK YOU. I got them in office in Paris today - what a great pick-me-up on a Monday afternoon.
My point - how come when the rate is $0.94 to mail a letter, a letter made it through with only $0.84 in postage? And why did some envelopes make it with "U.K." as the country, but one was crossed out by the USPS and "United Kingdom" written in its place. To my knowledge, no other country goes by UK, right?
Yes, things like this are what I think about and what perplex me.
Friday, February 6, 2009
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere
I don't know what it is today, but I'm really missing my "5'o'clock somewhere" time at Cornwall's (well, for me it was my like 4 or 4:30 somewhere). Perhaps it's just the stress of work this week, of finding a flat, a few late nights, and the fact that I'm finally able to articulate more what is bothering me culture-shock wise, I don't know. (As for the latter, it's a somewhat good thing because now I know what to fix!)
I just wish today I could've gone to Cornwall's at 4, sat at the bar reading one of my magazines (Rolling Stone, National Geographic, or Games World of Puzzles), talking with the great people there, and enjoying the food, drink and friendship. Sigh.
So, to all of you who are reading this today and heading to Kenmore, have one for me. And, if you're reading this after the fact, have two for me next week!
I just wish today I could've gone to Cornwall's at 4, sat at the bar reading one of my magazines (Rolling Stone, National Geographic, or Games World of Puzzles), talking with the great people there, and enjoying the food, drink and friendship. Sigh.
So, to all of you who are reading this today and heading to Kenmore, have one for me. And, if you're reading this after the fact, have two for me next week!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Laundry success
Woo Hoo - my first Parisian laundry adventure here in temporary housing was a success. All clothes came out the same size, colour and shape that they were going in!!! Thank goodness it wasn't a repeat of the London fiasco.
Choosing a flat
Today was a very good day flat hunting. I saw 6 places and liked all of them. While the last 2 weren't my favorite, I wouldn't be miserable in them. This is a huge improvement over my search 2 weeks ago where I wasn't crazy about all 7 the relo agent and I saw.
Anyway, I am now trying to choose between two - ave de Suffren and rue Edmond Valentin (photos of all posted on Flickr).
Suffren is classic French with its floor-to-ceiling window/doors in the living and dining room - which are connected but separated by wood/glass doors (ok I have ZERO knowledge of architecture terms). Great crown molding on top of walls/ceiling. Fireplaces in each room. Juliette balcony off both, I think I could squeeze my camping chair there. Good closet space in the hallway (typical). Nice kitchen (I'd have to supply all appliances except cook top). 1 bedroom decent size. Other bedroom would be good for a twin bed. 1 bathroom w/ an EU tub (i.e. shower head isn't up above, but just is handheld) and the other bathroom has a square shower. All stuff in bathroom and kitchen new. There is a courtyard area in the entry where you can store bicycles (unusal to have such space in Paris evidently). I would have to buy all indow hardware and drapes, and there are just lightbulbs hanging from ceiling so it'd be Ikea time for me. It's 5th floor and south facing, so daylight. It's on a pretty major street, but quiet up that high.
Valentin is super modern. It is 6th floor "loft" - super high ceilings with skylights (that actually can open via remote control). It has a "US kitchen" which means it is open to the joint living/dining area. (All other kitchens here are separate rooms w/ doors that close it off.) Off and open to the living/dining area is a tiny area that could have a chair and TV, or a desk. More like a nook, w/o much light. There is a walk-in closet, but more shelf than hanging space. I have zero fashion sense and I still find this appealing. The bedroom is decent sized, but not a rectangle so it was difficult to envision my bed in there. 1 bathroom, off master bed (another toilet is off living area) that has a tub and a shower and is all new. This whole flat is new and no one has ever lived there. If you stand at the living/dining windows are look right, you can see the Eiffel Tower (not my favorite Paris thing). I'd have to get all kitchen appliances, and I'm not crazy about the cabinet layout. It's on a quiet side street between 2 major streets. Very quiet up that high.
I like Suffren because it is more classic French. Valentin's location is closer to church, and to the Seine / Rive Droit. Suffren is just 10m2 larger. I wouldn't have to buy more funiture for Valentin ; but then I wonder if it isn't time I owned more living room furniture than an Ikea chair and footstool and a side table. Suffren is more open in terms of access to air ; while Valentin is super bright, it is due to skylights and windows that are about chest height - i.e. if you're sitting down you don't see out much. And, can you really see me living on a street that has a name close to Valentine? i.e. hearts, love and sentimentality?
Comments / thoughts / suggestions welcome!!! (Remember to check out the photos on Flickr)
Anyway, I am now trying to choose between two - ave de Suffren and rue Edmond Valentin (photos of all posted on Flickr).
Suffren is classic French with its floor-to-ceiling window/doors in the living and dining room - which are connected but separated by wood/glass doors (ok I have ZERO knowledge of architecture terms). Great crown molding on top of walls/ceiling. Fireplaces in each room. Juliette balcony off both, I think I could squeeze my camping chair there. Good closet space in the hallway (typical). Nice kitchen (I'd have to supply all appliances except cook top). 1 bedroom decent size. Other bedroom would be good for a twin bed. 1 bathroom w/ an EU tub (i.e. shower head isn't up above, but just is handheld) and the other bathroom has a square shower. All stuff in bathroom and kitchen new. There is a courtyard area in the entry where you can store bicycles (unusal to have such space in Paris evidently). I would have to buy all indow hardware and drapes, and there are just lightbulbs hanging from ceiling so it'd be Ikea time for me. It's 5th floor and south facing, so daylight. It's on a pretty major street, but quiet up that high.
Valentin is super modern. It is 6th floor "loft" - super high ceilings with skylights (that actually can open via remote control). It has a "US kitchen" which means it is open to the joint living/dining area. (All other kitchens here are separate rooms w/ doors that close it off.) Off and open to the living/dining area is a tiny area that could have a chair and TV, or a desk. More like a nook, w/o much light. There is a walk-in closet, but more shelf than hanging space. I have zero fashion sense and I still find this appealing. The bedroom is decent sized, but not a rectangle so it was difficult to envision my bed in there. 1 bathroom, off master bed (another toilet is off living area) that has a tub and a shower and is all new. This whole flat is new and no one has ever lived there. If you stand at the living/dining windows are look right, you can see the Eiffel Tower (not my favorite Paris thing). I'd have to get all kitchen appliances, and I'm not crazy about the cabinet layout. It's on a quiet side street between 2 major streets. Very quiet up that high.
I like Suffren because it is more classic French. Valentin's location is closer to church, and to the Seine / Rive Droit. Suffren is just 10m2 larger. I wouldn't have to buy more funiture for Valentin ; but then I wonder if it isn't time I owned more living room furniture than an Ikea chair and footstool and a side table. Suffren is more open in terms of access to air ; while Valentin is super bright, it is due to skylights and windows that are about chest height - i.e. if you're sitting down you don't see out much. And, can you really see me living on a street that has a name close to Valentine? i.e. hearts, love and sentimentality?
Comments / thoughts / suggestions welcome!!! (Remember to check out the photos on Flickr)
Here's hoping
Here's hoping that the two loads of laundry I just put in the automatic washers here in temporary housing all come out the same size and shape as they were when I put them in. I had some issues w/ the "darks" - there might quite possibly be 2x or 3x the normal amount of soap in there! I just don't understand the autmatic machines where soap is included somehow, dials, electronic displays, and instructions in "5 words or less French". Deep breaths!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Where the weather suits my clothes
I woke up to snow in Paris today. And I was very very very happy. I know, all of you in the US Midwest and New England are sick of it, but for me, this was my first snow of the season!
I had to pick up my new bank card at HSBC on the Champs Elysee this morning so I thought I'd walk it (about 30 minutes) (more because I'm cheap and didn't want to use another metro ticket). It was quite nice to walk in the snow, enjoy the relative quiet. Not many people were out on bikes, and certainly no one on Velibs - the rent-a-bike option in Paris. (Think Zip Car, but bicycles.)
While Buffett sings that he needs to go to where the weather suits his clothes, I realised that winter climates are where I belong. I was all set in my winter coat, hat, scarf, boots, etc. Function (and comfort) over fashion I say. Well, Parisiens are all-fashion all-the-time. What was this woman thinking out in her non-rubber-soled boots? And not only that, she wasn't using a shovel, but it was more like a push broom / or a giant squeegy thing like you'd use on your car windshield. I saw more fur coats today than I have in the last 5 years. And more women delicately stepping through the snow in high heels (with a cigarette in hand of course). (It is a wonder the French population hasn't died away from lung cancer.) I just have to question the common sense of a population that wears high heels in snow. Sure, I understand you don't have Bean Boots, but at least wear something a bit more practical!
I also saw street workers spreading sand on the sidewalks from a wheelbarrow. Great. But is it really practical to scoop some up in a dust pan and then spread it with your bare hands? Again, I have to question the common sense of a population...
Oh, and one more thing...Why is a grande chai tea latte at Starbucks 4.70 euros? That’s $6.02 and 4.14 GBP! In London, it was only 3.05 and in the US it’s about $3.7. Fastest way to rid me of my addiction.
I had to pick up my new bank card at HSBC on the Champs Elysee this morning so I thought I'd walk it (about 30 minutes) (more because I'm cheap and didn't want to use another metro ticket). It was quite nice to walk in the snow, enjoy the relative quiet. Not many people were out on bikes, and certainly no one on Velibs - the rent-a-bike option in Paris. (Think Zip Car, but bicycles.)
While Buffett sings that he needs to go to where the weather suits his clothes, I realised that winter climates are where I belong. I was all set in my winter coat, hat, scarf, boots, etc. Function (and comfort) over fashion I say. Well, Parisiens are all-fashion all-the-time. What was this woman thinking out in her non-rubber-soled boots? And not only that, she wasn't using a shovel, but it was more like a push broom / or a giant squeegy thing like you'd use on your car windshield. I saw more fur coats today than I have in the last 5 years. And more women delicately stepping through the snow in high heels (with a cigarette in hand of course). (It is a wonder the French population hasn't died away from lung cancer.) I just have to question the common sense of a population that wears high heels in snow. Sure, I understand you don't have Bean Boots, but at least wear something a bit more practical!
I also saw street workers spreading sand on the sidewalks from a wheelbarrow. Great. But is it really practical to scoop some up in a dust pan and then spread it with your bare hands? Again, I have to question the common sense of a population...
Oh, and one more thing...Why is a grande chai tea latte at Starbucks 4.70 euros? That’s $6.02 and 4.14 GBP! In London, it was only 3.05 and in the US it’s about $3.7. Fastest way to rid me of my addiction.
Eiffel Tower as seen from L'Ecole Militaire about 8 a.m. this morning.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Baby we were born to run
Woo hoo!!!!! I'm getting my beret and baguettes because I'm seeing Bruce in Brest!
I got tickets for Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band at this summer's Festival des Vieilles Charrues, in Brest, France (NW). It looks to be like Glastonbury or Lollapalooza and such. 6 of us from work are going so the camping out part should be interesting.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
"Snow Day"
Today is what I'm calling my first official French "snow day". But there's no snow (just the same drab, grey skies). Instead, there are strikes (protests) all over France today, which means public transportation is affected. What I find fascinating is that these protests, and potential disruptions, were announced a week in advance, and everyone is ok with it. You just plan ahead for getting to work (book a taxi, work from home, walk, etc.) I'm calling it my "snow day" because it's like when I first moved to Boston - the first big snow, I stayed home - partly because I had never really driven in that much snow before and partly because I just wanted to experience it, watching the news, walking outside, etc. The next big snow, I was ready to go to work and comiserate about my commute with my coworkers (the other aspect of a 'snow day' - the 'survivor' mentality in the office environment, everyone patting themselves on their backs for braving it out and making it in). So, my first French strike - I'm staying home. The next one, maybe I'll walk to work.
You can read about it in English on the BBC or Intl Herald Tribune. (Although their coverage is buried on their websites and minmal.)
If you are adventurous, or want to see more news, or see photos, you can read in French on Le Monde and Le Figaro. For more leftist, go to La Liberation.
What have I learned from this strike, and it's only 8 a.m.? (1) Always have travel insurance (Air France flights are cancelled) ; (2) working from home is much more pleasant and productive for me these days ; (3) I know just enough French to be dangerous (in trying to understand the news on the radio) ; and, (4) This entire strike thing (manifestation) is just so beyond my comprehension. I think "strike" is the wrong translation - it's more like a protest. But, a protest in which many unions take part. I mean, imagine if people in the States went on strike for a day to protest that the government do more to protect their wages and jobs? The rest of the country would likely call them greedy and look upon them unfavorably. Here, it's just another day.
You can read about it in English on the BBC or Intl Herald Tribune. (Although their coverage is buried on their websites and minmal.)
If you are adventurous, or want to see more news, or see photos, you can read in French on Le Monde and Le Figaro. For more leftist, go to La Liberation.
What have I learned from this strike, and it's only 8 a.m.? (1) Always have travel insurance (Air France flights are cancelled) ; (2) working from home is much more pleasant and productive for me these days ; (3) I know just enough French to be dangerous (in trying to understand the news on the radio) ; and, (4) This entire strike thing (manifestation) is just so beyond my comprehension. I think "strike" is the wrong translation - it's more like a protest. But, a protest in which many unions take part. I mean, imagine if people in the States went on strike for a day to protest that the government do more to protect their wages and jobs? The rest of the country would likely call them greedy and look upon them unfavorably. Here, it's just another day.
French Megativity
You know me, glass-is-half-full, so it’s time for some “megativity”. Where to begin….I’ll just do this in random fashion…
--I am sick of eating in the “canteen” for lunch (aka cafeteria). It reminds me of high school all over again. Remember : when it was nearly impossible to find a table to sit with your friends, or if you didn’t get to the table with them, there was never room for you (which, btw, just prompted me to then eat lunch nearly every day in the student newspaper office by myself)? Remember : the choices of food, while mildly palatable, lost their allure after one week? Remember : you could predict the menu choices for the rest of the week on Monday because (a) the menu was always the same every day of the week (i.e. chicken Tuesday, fish Wednesday…) or (b) you knew the meat on Monday would merge with the pasta on Tuesday to become some combined dish on Wednesday…
--My heel caught on the hem of my pants Monday (the hem is like a cuff, on the outside) and ripped – not bad, only ripped on the seam. But, now I have to try to find a seamstress or tailor or whatever they have here to get it fixed. And since nothing is open by the time I get home (7 p.m.) and there is NOTHING by the office, this means it has to wait until a Saturday when I’m sure the rest of the world is waiting in line.
--I got my Paris office BlackBerry, so now I have two of them, and until I’ve merged everything to my French computer/email, I get to carry both of them around – my guess is that I won’t be fully merged and converted for about 6 months. The added bonus? The French BlackBerry is an azerty keyboard, not a qwerty one.
--Why is it in hotels, or now in my temporary housing, when the cleaning person comes in, does this person find it necessary to move, thus touch, my toothbrush. Gross. And if I move the trashcan from one location to another every day, why do you move it back? And if I always leave the same light on, why do you turn it off and turn another on? I obviously have things set up how I like them, so don’t move them!
--And speaking of hotels, does anyone else also check to see if the Gideons have placed a Bible in the bedside drawer? I’m beginning to think I should donate money to them because I’d say 85% of the time I take it out and read it. I have noticed however that the French boutique hotels have not been visited by the Gideons.
--Also in hotels, why are the light switches always so screwy? I mean, is it the main switch by the door you have to flip for everything else to work ; or in some fun cases, you have to insert your door key card in this switch and then everything works. Or the switch in the entryway turns on two lamps, but then if you want to turn one of them off good luck. And using the switches by the bedside is inevitably its own version of “who’s on first” when you’re trying to get the lights off, or just one on.
--Lastly, what do you know about Paris in winter? Nothing, I’m guessing. No wonder people don’t talk about it, and no wonder why Paris comes “alive” in the spring with people outside, at cafes, at parks, etc. It’s because winter is depressingly grey, drab, cold and windy, and overall annoying. It is just not pretty here now.
Ok, a lot of complaints, I know. So I take the advice of a colleague (friend) who is also glass-is-half-full-feeling right now, and ask myself “What do I have the power to change?”. That will take a few days to contemplate.
--I am sick of eating in the “canteen” for lunch (aka cafeteria). It reminds me of high school all over again. Remember : when it was nearly impossible to find a table to sit with your friends, or if you didn’t get to the table with them, there was never room for you (which, btw, just prompted me to then eat lunch nearly every day in the student newspaper office by myself)? Remember : the choices of food, while mildly palatable, lost their allure after one week? Remember : you could predict the menu choices for the rest of the week on Monday because (a) the menu was always the same every day of the week (i.e. chicken Tuesday, fish Wednesday…) or (b) you knew the meat on Monday would merge with the pasta on Tuesday to become some combined dish on Wednesday…
--My heel caught on the hem of my pants Monday (the hem is like a cuff, on the outside) and ripped – not bad, only ripped on the seam. But, now I have to try to find a seamstress or tailor or whatever they have here to get it fixed. And since nothing is open by the time I get home (7 p.m.) and there is NOTHING by the office, this means it has to wait until a Saturday when I’m sure the rest of the world is waiting in line.
--I got my Paris office BlackBerry, so now I have two of them, and until I’ve merged everything to my French computer/email, I get to carry both of them around – my guess is that I won’t be fully merged and converted for about 6 months. The added bonus? The French BlackBerry is an azerty keyboard, not a qwerty one.
--Why is it in hotels, or now in my temporary housing, when the cleaning person comes in, does this person find it necessary to move, thus touch, my toothbrush. Gross. And if I move the trashcan from one location to another every day, why do you move it back? And if I always leave the same light on, why do you turn it off and turn another on? I obviously have things set up how I like them, so don’t move them!
--And speaking of hotels, does anyone else also check to see if the Gideons have placed a Bible in the bedside drawer? I’m beginning to think I should donate money to them because I’d say 85% of the time I take it out and read it. I have noticed however that the French boutique hotels have not been visited by the Gideons.
--Also in hotels, why are the light switches always so screwy? I mean, is it the main switch by the door you have to flip for everything else to work ; or in some fun cases, you have to insert your door key card in this switch and then everything works. Or the switch in the entryway turns on two lamps, but then if you want to turn one of them off good luck. And using the switches by the bedside is inevitably its own version of “who’s on first” when you’re trying to get the lights off, or just one on.
--Lastly, what do you know about Paris in winter? Nothing, I’m guessing. No wonder people don’t talk about it, and no wonder why Paris comes “alive” in the spring with people outside, at cafes, at parks, etc. It’s because winter is depressingly grey, drab, cold and windy, and overall annoying. It is just not pretty here now.
Ok, a lot of complaints, I know. So I take the advice of a colleague (friend) who is also glass-is-half-full-feeling right now, and ask myself “What do I have the power to change?”. That will take a few days to contemplate.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Crazy church coincidence
Monday night I went to the new member meeting at the American Church in Paris. It was it good to learn more about the "inner workings" of ACP, and it was interesting to hear the journeys everyone has taken to arrive at ACP's doorstep. While I like what I've seen, heard and felt at ACP, at this point, I'm only ready to be an "associate member" - basically, I am not ready nor willing to "cancel" my membership at Old South!!
(Note: being a "member" basically gives you the right to vote on the budget, the church council and such. You can still be involved in the church without being a member).
When I got home after the meeting and checked my email, I had the daily devotional update from the UCC. I just couldn't believe the connection between the devotional, titled "Not another moving day", and the new member meeting :
"The Bible is full of stories of people who move. Usually, they are not choosing to move. They are compelled to move, to flee for their lives, or to follow a divine calling. This is still why most people move. They flee political oppression, or they long to improve their lives. Immigrants are daring people. They do not play it safe. In my own life, all that chaos had within it one steady stream, and that was the church. While we couldn't always attend the same church, wherever we moved, we found a spiritual home. Church was my one constant in a changing world. ... I never doubted that God was with me in my latest home and that together, we were on a great adventure." (by Lillian Daniel, First Congregational Church, UCC, Glen Ellyn, IL)
Wow - Church was my one constant in a changing world - how true! God is good. All the time!
(Note: being a "member" basically gives you the right to vote on the budget, the church council and such. You can still be involved in the church without being a member).
When I got home after the meeting and checked my email, I had the daily devotional update from the UCC. I just couldn't believe the connection between the devotional, titled "Not another moving day", and the new member meeting :
"The Bible is full of stories of people who move. Usually, they are not choosing to move. They are compelled to move, to flee for their lives, or to follow a divine calling. This is still why most people move. They flee political oppression, or they long to improve their lives. Immigrants are daring people. They do not play it safe. In my own life, all that chaos had within it one steady stream, and that was the church. While we couldn't always attend the same church, wherever we moved, we found a spiritual home. Church was my one constant in a changing world. ... I never doubted that God was with me in my latest home and that together, we were on a great adventure." (by Lillian Daniel, First Congregational Church, UCC, Glen Ellyn, IL)
Wow - Church was my one constant in a changing world - how true! God is good. All the time!
Frustrated (part 2)
I should have added to my previous post that while holding a dictionary in one hand and the food packaging in the other to translate, where does one put one's glass of wine?
I don't know how the French cook their food, seriously. In the 7 flats I saw last week, they either had ovens 1/2 the size of a US one or a microwave that somehow also can double as an oven. How do they do roasts and stuff?
And another thing, I haven't really seen "French cuisine" at a lot of places unless you count chicken-and-french fries ; croque monsieurs ; or just random duck things. Just go to Pierrot Bistro or Petite Robert in Boston and you've seen the extent of French cuisine.
On a semi-related food note...I had meetings scheduled for 11:00 and 13:00 today, giving me an hour for lunch. But, in what I've disocovered is typical here, the 11:00 started at 11:30, thus giving me only 20 minutes for lunch. As the 13:00 meeting included my boss (American), I knew we would at least start on time. So I skipped lunch and just a little madeleine cake (smaller than my palm). Of course, the meeting didn't start until 13:20...gggrrrrrr.......... the completely amazing part (to me at least) was that I still don't have a hunger headache, grumbling stomach, or the overall "mean Megan mood" I usually have after skipping a meal. And it's 20:11 right now! Bizarre.
I don't know how the French cook their food, seriously. In the 7 flats I saw last week, they either had ovens 1/2 the size of a US one or a microwave that somehow also can double as an oven. How do they do roasts and stuff?
And another thing, I haven't really seen "French cuisine" at a lot of places unless you count chicken-and-french fries ; croque monsieurs ; or just random duck things. Just go to Pierrot Bistro or Petite Robert in Boston and you've seen the extent of French cuisine.
On a semi-related food note...I had meetings scheduled for 11:00 and 13:00 today, giving me an hour for lunch. But, in what I've disocovered is typical here, the 11:00 started at 11:30, thus giving me only 20 minutes for lunch. As the 13:00 meeting included my boss (American), I knew we would at least start on time. So I skipped lunch and just a little madeleine cake (smaller than my palm). Of course, the meeting didn't start until 13:20...gggrrrrrr.......... the completely amazing part (to me at least) was that I still don't have a hunger headache, grumbling stomach, or the overall "mean Megan mood" I usually have after skipping a meal. And it's 20:11 right now! Bizarre.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Frustrating
It's really annoying to have to cook dinner holding the instructions from the food packaging in one hand and a French dictionary in the other. And it doesn't help that I really don't know how to use microwave ovens, how to gauge cooking temps, what types of containers can/cannot go in, etc. I think I should just stick to cheese, bread, and fresh veggies!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Flat hunting in Paris
Well, today I spent about 8 hours looking at 7 different apartments and setting up a bank account and I really have nothing to show for it.
The bank account is being processed, but I won't have the card or anything until next week; and besides, I don't have any money in the account so it doesn't help me out much now. I just have to figure out how to transfer money from London to Paris without being in London and without having set up any transfer papers with my London bank. Ugh. And of course, the US Government knows everything about me and it was required to sign a W9 form or something so the bank in Paris must report this account of mine to the IRS. Joys.
As for the flats...the first 2 were ok, but both have +/-. I'm not crazy about either of them. Sure, I could choose one of them if I had to, but I think I might exercise my right to go out a 2nd day and look at more flats. I really hate doing that though because I don't like being troublesome or picky or come across as another 'ugly American' expat/tourist.
But, I think I just need to deal with it, too. I don't think I'm going to like apartment in Paris in general for several reasons. (1) the kitchens are all separate rooms, very removed from the rest of the flat - what is it? some holdover from when people had servants or when the woman was in the kitchen and that was it? (2) closets - why are they all in the hallways and why are they all ginormously tall? I will need to have about 8 step stools in whatever flat I choose! (3) Paris is just compact so everything is near some busy place and lots of people, which I really don't like.
It was difficult to get a good feel for anything today really since almost all of them were being renovated and completely redone - so there were dropcloths, torn out bathrooms, etc. It was hard to tell what would be put in and what would be left out (i.e. some included a dishwasher, but no fridge).
Anyway, it's late. I should sleep on it and figure it out tomorrow.
The bank account is being processed, but I won't have the card or anything until next week; and besides, I don't have any money in the account so it doesn't help me out much now. I just have to figure out how to transfer money from London to Paris without being in London and without having set up any transfer papers with my London bank. Ugh. And of course, the US Government knows everything about me and it was required to sign a W9 form or something so the bank in Paris must report this account of mine to the IRS. Joys.
As for the flats...the first 2 were ok, but both have +/-. I'm not crazy about either of them. Sure, I could choose one of them if I had to, but I think I might exercise my right to go out a 2nd day and look at more flats. I really hate doing that though because I don't like being troublesome or picky or come across as another 'ugly American' expat/tourist.
But, I think I just need to deal with it, too. I don't think I'm going to like apartment in Paris in general for several reasons. (1) the kitchens are all separate rooms, very removed from the rest of the flat - what is it? some holdover from when people had servants or when the woman was in the kitchen and that was it? (2) closets - why are they all in the hallways and why are they all ginormously tall? I will need to have about 8 step stools in whatever flat I choose! (3) Paris is just compact so everything is near some busy place and lots of people, which I really don't like.
It was difficult to get a good feel for anything today really since almost all of them were being renovated and completely redone - so there were dropcloths, torn out bathrooms, etc. It was hard to tell what would be put in and what would be left out (i.e. some included a dishwasher, but no fridge).
Anyway, it's late. I should sleep on it and figure it out tomorrow.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
She went to Paris
My first day in Paris...I'm sitting in my temporary accommodations, waiting for the movers to delivery my temporary things... A friend/colleague sent me this link from the NYT for the article In the Lap of Luxury, Paris Squirms.
It's a great read - some interesting points raised, and insight into French/Paris culture (culture in which, I can assure you, I never have nor never will take part!). From the article, this really says it all - "Only in France is the recession lauded for posing a crisis in value."
It's a great read - some interesting points raised, and insight into French/Paris culture (culture in which, I can assure you, I never have nor never will take part!). From the article, this really says it all - "Only in France is the recession lauded for posing a crisis in value."
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
London Recap
Sitting here waiting for the movers, I have a little bit of time to reflect on my past 9-1/2 months in London. I heard a great line, I think from a radio advertisement yesterday, “When does a place become a part of you ? … When you walk in the steps of history? …”
I think that is true for me for any city. Once I’ve seen some of the history, I feel like I understand everything better – the conditions people had to live in, how far things were, how the city expanded, the class struggles, etc. I can do without the shopping in any city, and when I go to a place, I don’t hunt out “the” restaurants or night clubs (unless it’s Cincinnati and it’s Greater’s for ice cream ; Price Hill Chili for goetta ; etc.). I want to see the museums, the historic sites and such. I want to know what the city used to be like and how it got to be in its current state.
So, as I say goodbye to London (so sad!), below is my recap, for what it’s worth :
Megan’s Top 5 Things to do in London
0) Whitechapel Bell Foundry
I put this as “zero”, above the top 5, because for me it was the absolute best thing I saw/did here, but for those of you who have only a passing appreciation for handbells as music or works of art (i.e. you only like them at Christmas) this doesn’t apply to you. Plus, you have to book months in advance for a spot in a tour, so it’s not likely to be on most tourist’s agendas.
1) Westminster Abbey
2) Tower of London
Get here when it opens and take your time – see everything, read everything. You learn about London / England from the beginning. What “The City” was, the early royalty, really the birth of the nation.
3) Buckingham Palace Tour (summer months)
Just because it is what it is! And, it’s summer, so you can tack on a walk through one of the nearby parks.
4) National Portrait Gallery
If you take the time to read the descriptive plaques next to each photo, you really learn a lot about British history.
5) British Library
Magna Carta. Handwritten drafts by Handel, Mozart, Austen, Beatles, and the like (musicians and writers). And just a heck of a lot more great historic stuff. Plus, the King’s library.
--If you have 2 extra days – Greenwich is a MUST for GMT, Maritime Museum, and more. And for a day trip outside the city – I thoroughly enjoyed Bath.
--If I had done the Parliament Tour (summer months) I am sure that would’ve made the list!
Parks
1) Regent’s Park
And the Open Air Theatre in summer months.
2) Kew Gardens
Winter obviously not the most beautiful time (when I went), but quieter. I imagine spring and summer are just breathtaking. You could make this a day trip and either explore Richmond and the pubs that overlook the quieter, more serene, parts of the Thames. Or take the Tube back toward the city and stop in Chiswick or somewhere to see a neighborhood.
3) The rest of the parks are all fabulously wonderful, but didn’t strike me as those two did
Walks
1) South side : Get off Tube at London Bridge (Jubilee Line) and walk through Borough Market (Thurs-Sat) and then wind up to the Globe Theatre, admire the views across the Thames, go to the Tate Modern ; take the footbridge across the Thames and go to St. Paul’s
2) Royal Albert Hall : Start at Trafalgar Square and then walk down the Mall to Buckingham, through St. James’s Park. Then you can either walk through Knightsbridge (Harrod’s and more shopping) or continue up to Hyde Park and the Serpentine and the wonderful café on the edge of it (stopping between St. James and Hyde Park to go to Hard Rock for merchandise if you must ; also Apsley House is there and supposedly nice to visit). Then, you can go to a show at Royal Albert Hall ; or, tours are available.
-Note, RAH could be the end destination for a walk starting east over in Notting Hill
3) Not a walk, but take a regular bus and see what you want to see – 15 goes east/west past everything cool.
Honorable Mention
1) London Transport Museum
You have to pay for this, but a great place for kids. If you’re not interested in transportation or how London grew/expanded, this wouldn’t be for you. But since it is in the old Flower Market in Covent Garden, when you are visiting the latter, at least check out the gift shop.
2) Sir John Soane
Just because it is kooky how much stuff this guy collected! Centrally located and free.
3) Tate Britain
Although “out of the way”, in the SE area (Belgravia), it is smaller so manageable and not overwhelming. I really enjoyed the art here. Because of the smaller size, you could spend your time and appreciate the progression of artistic styles. And M16 is across the river for a good photo op.
4) Cabinet War Rooms / Churchill Museum
You have to pay for this, but worth it if you are interested in WW2 history. The War Rooms are a bit kitschy, but the Churchill Museum part gives you a ton of detail about him, and you can really learn more about the war.
5) Canary Wharf
It’s “new” and has a US-style shopping mall, green space, a tons of restaurants/bars on the Thames and the waterways that flow in. Plus, you can get a good view of the O2 Arena (aka Millennium Dome)
What I could do without – i.e. see it once and that’s it
1) Covent Garden – too many people
2) Piccadilly – too many people, nothing to do but stare at the lights and shop at chain stores
3) Borough Market – too many people
4) Kensington Palace (unless they do something more with the royal dress exhibit)
To Do
1) Tour of Parliament (summer months)
2) More time in The City – tour Bank of England ; Barbican ; City of London museum ; Royal Courts of Justice ; etc.
Now I ask you …
If you found out you had to move away from your current city, not to return, what would you want to see or do? And, of course I know you’ll say “spend times with friends and family”, I get that, everyone does. But if you had to name your top 5 favorite ‘hang outs’ (restaurants, bars, coffee shops, parks, etc.) or your top 5 cultural places to visit (even if you’ve never been but have always said ‘I’ll go next year’) or your top 5 places just to walk and meander in your city, what would they be? (Basically, this could also be the “must do/see” list you would give to someone visiting your city for five days.)
So, what would you do?
I think that is true for me for any city. Once I’ve seen some of the history, I feel like I understand everything better – the conditions people had to live in, how far things were, how the city expanded, the class struggles, etc. I can do without the shopping in any city, and when I go to a place, I don’t hunt out “the” restaurants or night clubs (unless it’s Cincinnati and it’s Greater’s for ice cream ; Price Hill Chili for goetta ; etc.). I want to see the museums, the historic sites and such. I want to know what the city used to be like and how it got to be in its current state.
So, as I say goodbye to London (so sad!), below is my recap, for what it’s worth :
Megan’s Top 5 Things to do in London
0) Whitechapel Bell Foundry
I put this as “zero”, above the top 5, because for me it was the absolute best thing I saw/did here, but for those of you who have only a passing appreciation for handbells as music or works of art (i.e. you only like them at Christmas) this doesn’t apply to you. Plus, you have to book months in advance for a spot in a tour, so it’s not likely to be on most tourist’s agendas.
1) Westminster Abbey
2) Tower of London
Get here when it opens and take your time – see everything, read everything. You learn about London / England from the beginning. What “The City” was, the early royalty, really the birth of the nation.
3) Buckingham Palace Tour (summer months)
Just because it is what it is! And, it’s summer, so you can tack on a walk through one of the nearby parks.
4) National Portrait Gallery
If you take the time to read the descriptive plaques next to each photo, you really learn a lot about British history.
5) British Library
Magna Carta. Handwritten drafts by Handel, Mozart, Austen, Beatles, and the like (musicians and writers). And just a heck of a lot more great historic stuff. Plus, the King’s library.
--If you have 2 extra days – Greenwich is a MUST for GMT, Maritime Museum, and more. And for a day trip outside the city – I thoroughly enjoyed Bath.
--If I had done the Parliament Tour (summer months) I am sure that would’ve made the list!
Parks
1) Regent’s Park
And the Open Air Theatre in summer months.
2) Kew Gardens
Winter obviously not the most beautiful time (when I went), but quieter. I imagine spring and summer are just breathtaking. You could make this a day trip and either explore Richmond and the pubs that overlook the quieter, more serene, parts of the Thames. Or take the Tube back toward the city and stop in Chiswick or somewhere to see a neighborhood.
3) The rest of the parks are all fabulously wonderful, but didn’t strike me as those two did
Walks
1) South side : Get off Tube at London Bridge (Jubilee Line) and walk through Borough Market (Thurs-Sat) and then wind up to the Globe Theatre, admire the views across the Thames, go to the Tate Modern ; take the footbridge across the Thames and go to St. Paul’s
2) Royal Albert Hall : Start at Trafalgar Square and then walk down the Mall to Buckingham, through St. James’s Park. Then you can either walk through Knightsbridge (Harrod’s and more shopping) or continue up to Hyde Park and the Serpentine and the wonderful café on the edge of it (stopping between St. James and Hyde Park to go to Hard Rock for merchandise if you must ; also Apsley House is there and supposedly nice to visit). Then, you can go to a show at Royal Albert Hall ; or, tours are available.
-Note, RAH could be the end destination for a walk starting east over in Notting Hill
3) Not a walk, but take a regular bus and see what you want to see – 15 goes east/west past everything cool.
Honorable Mention
1) London Transport Museum
You have to pay for this, but a great place for kids. If you’re not interested in transportation or how London grew/expanded, this wouldn’t be for you. But since it is in the old Flower Market in Covent Garden, when you are visiting the latter, at least check out the gift shop.
2) Sir John Soane
Just because it is kooky how much stuff this guy collected! Centrally located and free.
3) Tate Britain
Although “out of the way”, in the SE area (Belgravia), it is smaller so manageable and not overwhelming. I really enjoyed the art here. Because of the smaller size, you could spend your time and appreciate the progression of artistic styles. And M16 is across the river for a good photo op.
4) Cabinet War Rooms / Churchill Museum
You have to pay for this, but worth it if you are interested in WW2 history. The War Rooms are a bit kitschy, but the Churchill Museum part gives you a ton of detail about him, and you can really learn more about the war.
5) Canary Wharf
It’s “new” and has a US-style shopping mall, green space, a tons of restaurants/bars on the Thames and the waterways that flow in. Plus, you can get a good view of the O2 Arena (aka Millennium Dome)
What I could do without – i.e. see it once and that’s it
1) Covent Garden – too many people
2) Piccadilly – too many people, nothing to do but stare at the lights and shop at chain stores
3) Borough Market – too many people
4) Kensington Palace (unless they do something more with the royal dress exhibit)
To Do
1) Tour of Parliament (summer months)
2) More time in The City – tour Bank of England ; Barbican ; City of London museum ; Royal Courts of Justice ; etc.
Now I ask you …
If you found out you had to move away from your current city, not to return, what would you want to see or do? And, of course I know you’ll say “spend times with friends and family”, I get that, everyone does. But if you had to name your top 5 favorite ‘hang outs’ (restaurants, bars, coffee shops, parks, etc.) or your top 5 cultural places to visit (even if you’ve never been but have always said ‘I’ll go next year’) or your top 5 places just to walk and meander in your city, what would they be? (Basically, this could also be the “must do/see” list you would give to someone visiting your city for five days.)
So, what would you do?
Image vs Reality
Why is it that Piccadilly always looks one thousand times better in photographs than it does in person but Big Ben looks one thousand times better in person than it does in photographs?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Photos are posted to Flickr of the tour I took of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry Saturday.
I uploaded quite a bit of photos, but I see this as my own little revenge to all those people out there who post waaaaayyyy too many pictures of their children or vacations (you know, you can edit them out – I don’t need to see 8 versions of the same thing). But, tit-for-tat, now you get to look at my 50+ pictures of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. I think each one is uniquely interesting ; and, if you're a bell geek like me, you'll love them!
I uploaded quite a bit of photos, but I see this as my own little revenge to all those people out there who post waaaaayyyy too many pictures of their children or vacations (you know, you can edit them out – I don’t need to see 8 versions of the same thing). But, tit-for-tat, now you get to look at my 50+ pictures of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. I think each one is uniquely interesting ; and, if you're a bell geek like me, you'll love them!
Friday, January 9, 2009
NFL UK
Woooooo Hoooooooo!!!!
I got tickets today for the Oct 25th Buccs vs Pats game at Wembley Stadium. 11 of us from work will be going - what a blast!
I got tickets today for the Oct 25th Buccs vs Pats game at Wembley Stadium. 11 of us from work will be going - what a blast!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Science Quiz
I was listening a recent podcast of BBC Radio 4's "Now" show (hilarious recap of the week's event) and they were commenting on the story that UK students aren't that good at science. They asked three questions and gave funny answers, so if you didn't know the answers (as I didn't to 2 of them), you have to look them up.
1) What are the five characteristics shared by all animals?
2) What is a benzene ring?
3) What is Brownian motion?
Answers :
1) http://www.coolschool.ca/lor/BI11/unit10/U10L01.htm
2) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/benzene+ring
3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownian_motion
1) What are the five characteristics shared by all animals?
2) What is a benzene ring?
3) What is Brownian motion?
Answers :
1) http://www.coolschool.ca/lor/BI11/unit10/U10L01.htm
2) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/benzene+ring
3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownian_motion
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Kensington Palace
Today, I went to tour Kensington Palace. (but no photos allowed, so none uploaded to Flickr)
What I learned....
1) This isn't a "must see" - Buckingham (in the summer months when it is open for tours) and Windsor are, but this is not.
2) It has rotating special exhibits, currently on display is about Debutantes, and the year of the last Debs 1958. It was pretty interesting, especially the 30 minute video interviewing some of the women. I couldn't believe that in current dollars, a "shoestring budget" Deb would spend about 11,000 GBP and a "all out" budget would be about 122,000 GBP!!! "The Season" was several months long and was basically all parties; as one woman said, obviously they weren't studying for their A-level exams, focusing on studies, etc.
3) The first part of the tour is about Royal Dress and what was entailed in the garments. It was itneresting and I think more could be done with it. Also on display were about eight dresses of Diana's.
4) The palace rooms are very nice and oddly tastefully done, yet somewhat sparse in terms of decorations.
5) The tour only took me two hours I think, and I watched the 30 minute video and listened to every minute of the audio commentary and read all the things on the walls.
What I learned....
1) This isn't a "must see" - Buckingham (in the summer months when it is open for tours) and Windsor are, but this is not.
2) It has rotating special exhibits, currently on display is about Debutantes, and the year of the last Debs 1958. It was pretty interesting, especially the 30 minute video interviewing some of the women. I couldn't believe that in current dollars, a "shoestring budget" Deb would spend about 11,000 GBP and a "all out" budget would be about 122,000 GBP!!! "The Season" was several months long and was basically all parties; as one woman said, obviously they weren't studying for their A-level exams, focusing on studies, etc.
3) The first part of the tour is about Royal Dress and what was entailed in the garments. It was itneresting and I think more could be done with it. Also on display were about eight dresses of Diana's.
4) The palace rooms are very nice and oddly tastefully done, yet somewhat sparse in terms of decorations.
5) The tour only took me two hours I think, and I watched the 30 minute video and listened to every minute of the audio commentary and read all the things on the walls.
Tower of London
Yesterday I went to tour the Tower of London. Thank goodness I decided to go when it opened (9 a.m.) as by the time I left just after 1 p.m., it was packed with lines everywhere!
Things I learned ....
1) This is a "weather permitting" event as it involves a lot of walking outside on the grounds and along the walls, and most of the inner rooms aren't heated (they didn't build in central heating back in the 1060s!)
2) Go early. Lines become crazy long later on.
3) Take one of the 45 min tours given by a Yeoman Warder.
4) The crown jewel exhibit is more "touristy" than I remember it being (when I saw it 11 years ago). The cases with the 10 or so crowns and orbs and rings and such are actually flanked by two moving walkways (front and back side). You cannot stop and look, it is difficult to go back for a second look, etc. This isn't Disney World!
5) You had better be in good shape and able to do stairs. You have to climb the spiral staircases up to each tower if you want to see all the information on exhibit.
6) You had better have four hours to be here - especially if you want to go up into the towers. There is one stretch that once you start, you cannot exit until you follow the path which includes 4+ towers.
7) Just because this is part of the "Historical Royal Palaces" group, the items in the gift shop here are different from the other HRP shops - so if you see something you like, you'd better buy it.
8) And probably most importantly, the Tower of London was NOT built as a prison. Rather it was THE royal palace, the center of London, the storehouse for arms and gunpowder, the site of the Royal Mint, etc...
Things I learned ....
1) This is a "weather permitting" event as it involves a lot of walking outside on the grounds and along the walls, and most of the inner rooms aren't heated (they didn't build in central heating back in the 1060s!)
2) Go early. Lines become crazy long later on.
3) Take one of the 45 min tours given by a Yeoman Warder.
4) The crown jewel exhibit is more "touristy" than I remember it being (when I saw it 11 years ago). The cases with the 10 or so crowns and orbs and rings and such are actually flanked by two moving walkways (front and back side). You cannot stop and look, it is difficult to go back for a second look, etc. This isn't Disney World!
5) You had better be in good shape and able to do stairs. You have to climb the spiral staircases up to each tower if you want to see all the information on exhibit.
6) You had better have four hours to be here - especially if you want to go up into the towers. There is one stretch that once you start, you cannot exit until you follow the path which includes 4+ towers.
7) Just because this is part of the "Historical Royal Palaces" group, the items in the gift shop here are different from the other HRP shops - so if you see something you like, you'd better buy it.
8) And probably most importantly, the Tower of London was NOT built as a prison. Rather it was THE royal palace, the center of London, the storehouse for arms and gunpowder, the site of the Royal Mint, etc...
Probably only interesting to me...
In church today, the pastor started off the sermon with some story about his friends in Southern California and the weather and the temperature. He then said the weather there was around 20 degrees Centigrade. I cocked my head, puzzled. Centigrade? I'd always heard it called Celsius. So then I wondered - what's the difference?
Dan Berger, MadSci Adminstrator, writes :
The difference between degrees Celsius and degrees centigrade is that one is the name of the person who invented the scale (in which water freezes at 0° and boils at 100°), and the other describes the scale ("centigrade" means "100 divisions"). ... Because we call the Fahrenheit scale after its inventor, to be consistent we should refer to the Celsius scale after its inventor.
Dan Berger, MadSci Adminstrator, writes :
The difference between degrees Celsius and degrees centigrade is that one is the name of the person who invented the scale (in which water freezes at 0° and boils at 100°), and the other describes the scale ("centigrade" means "100 divisions"). ... Because we call the Fahrenheit scale after its inventor, to be consistent we should refer to the Celsius scale after its inventor.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Back Where I Come From
No joke, this is a real advertisement. It is from a bench at a bus stop on the way from my parents’ house to the highway. Whenever we drove past it, I couldn’t help but laugh. This has to be the best, most unbelievable, yet sadly believable, ad I’ve seen in a long time.
Besides this, my 12 days in Ohio were pretty standard and uneventful. Lunches and dinners with friends and family, jigsaw puzzles (almost 5000 pieces worth), etc.
We all went to the Cincinnati Zoo Festival of Lights and my 19-month old niece was enthralled by the lights. (I’ll get all the pictures posted soon.) I hadn’t been to the zoo since I don’t remember when. I remember everything being bigger and better and more exotic – but I guess that is how every child sees things. Now, I just see poor animals penned up, the lines, the fussy kids, etc. Still, despite all my cynicism, it was nice to see so many families and young children at the zoo and interested in the animals.
Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On
What would you do if you lost everything on your computer – downloaded emails, photos, music, documents – everything ? Would it matter to you, or is everything on your computer “not essential” to your everyday life and mental well-being? Well, if anything on your computer is worth anything to you – BACK UP NOW.
I am speaking from experience as I “lost” everything on my laptop last week.
Background – My laptop is from 2002 and I haven't really used it the last 2-3 years except for watching DVDs because I had no internet in Allston. Therefore, I hadn't done any tech updates for 2-3 years. So, this summer, I thought I would get upgraded with all the Microsoft software updates, etc. When I did, I got the "blue screen of death." Couldn't get past it, even in 'safe mode.'
My last backup was probably in 2004 or 2005, so everything since then is gone forever. However, since I didn't use my laptop for much, rather saving everything on my work computer, and since I didn't have a digital camera, and since I didn't buy music online, etc... it's not much of a headache. Sure, I know I lost some things - I just cannot think of what besides a handful of documents - nothing major that I can remember now (I don't know if that's good or bad!).
The biggest pain will be restoring everything from the backup CDs and uploading all my music (provided, that is, that my laptop works - I haven't restarted it since I got it back).
For only $100 you can buy 320 GB of memory on an external hard drive. So answer me this : You go to the dentist annually, you take your car in for regular check-ups, you call friends and family to check-in, you pay your insurance premiums and update your policy and safe-deposit box, you have alarm systems on your cars and homes, you might even go to church on “C&E” to save your soul – so why don’t you take your computer in for a check-up and why don’t you back up your data?
Back up your data now. Make it a 2009 resolution. Back up now, back up in July (or after you’ve uploaded your summer vacation photos) and back up at the end of the year. Do it now.
I am speaking from experience as I “lost” everything on my laptop last week.
Background – My laptop is from 2002 and I haven't really used it the last 2-3 years except for watching DVDs because I had no internet in Allston. Therefore, I hadn't done any tech updates for 2-3 years. So, this summer, I thought I would get upgraded with all the Microsoft software updates, etc. When I did, I got the "blue screen of death." Couldn't get past it, even in 'safe mode.'
My last backup was probably in 2004 or 2005, so everything since then is gone forever. However, since I didn't use my laptop for much, rather saving everything on my work computer, and since I didn't have a digital camera, and since I didn't buy music online, etc... it's not much of a headache. Sure, I know I lost some things - I just cannot think of what besides a handful of documents - nothing major that I can remember now (I don't know if that's good or bad!).
The biggest pain will be restoring everything from the backup CDs and uploading all my music (provided, that is, that my laptop works - I haven't restarted it since I got it back).
For only $100 you can buy 320 GB of memory on an external hard drive. So answer me this : You go to the dentist annually, you take your car in for regular check-ups, you call friends and family to check-in, you pay your insurance premiums and update your policy and safe-deposit box, you have alarm systems on your cars and homes, you might even go to church on “C&E” to save your soul – so why don’t you take your computer in for a check-up and why don’t you back up your data?
Back up your data now. Make it a 2009 resolution. Back up now, back up in July (or after you’ve uploaded your summer vacation photos) and back up at the end of the year. Do it now.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year - 2009!!!
It's the new year already here in London - this is the view from my flat - cold, foggy and cloudy. There was an Elton John concert at the O2 Dome (aka Millennium Dome), but no fireworks outside that I could see; could certainly hear a lot. And the ones at the London Eye / Parliament looked great on TV.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Back to the Island
I arrived back in London this morning and am now (at 15:36) in my flat and am staying in the rest of the night. Yes, I know it is New Year's Eve but it is cold, cloudy and foggy here and I am NOT going out to battle the crowds and such. I'm looking forward to putting on my PJs, cooking something for dinner, watching a movie, watching CSI episodes on TV (the first 2 episodes with the miniatures! And, actually the first CSI episode I ever saw - a few years ago with Tiggs - it has a minature and a death at a Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas). Anyway.
The flight back was ok but I got only about 2 hours of sleep - which is unusual for me as I am a great plane sleeper. The woman next to me was probably in here early/mid 80s and obviously had arthritis / joing aches. Fine. I completely understand that sitting for 8 hours can be torture, especially when in pain. But, she kept rubbing her leg/knee, sometimes rocking back and forth with the motion, and changing her sitting position, and getting up to walk around. Every time she did this, she inadvertently hit me in the leg or arm or side or whatever. It made sleeping impossible! Somehow, I am still awake and not a zombie. Weird. Staying awake until midnight will be interesting.
I got back and all is well in my flat (although it is cold!). Went to the grocery and dry cleaner. Am doing laundry and unpacking. You know, the usual single-female-in-the-city activities on New Year's Eve. Wait, I must've missed that episode of "Sex and the City"
I want to go see the London New Year's Day Parade tomorrow, work on Friday, then musuems and packing this weekend. Movers come in exactly two weeks!
Anyway, happy new year to all!
The flight back was ok but I got only about 2 hours of sleep - which is unusual for me as I am a great plane sleeper. The woman next to me was probably in here early/mid 80s and obviously had arthritis / joing aches. Fine. I completely understand that sitting for 8 hours can be torture, especially when in pain. But, she kept rubbing her leg/knee, sometimes rocking back and forth with the motion, and changing her sitting position, and getting up to walk around. Every time she did this, she inadvertently hit me in the leg or arm or side or whatever. It made sleeping impossible! Somehow, I am still awake and not a zombie. Weird. Staying awake until midnight will be interesting.
I got back and all is well in my flat (although it is cold!). Went to the grocery and dry cleaner. Am doing laundry and unpacking. You know, the usual single-female-in-the-city activities on New Year's Eve. Wait, I must've missed that episode of "Sex and the City"
I want to go see the London New Year's Day Parade tomorrow, work on Friday, then musuems and packing this weekend. Movers come in exactly two weeks!
Anyway, happy new year to all!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
It figures
Taking the lead from Tiggs' blog, I'll say "U know what this means". I have a cold/flu. And it figures as I generally always seem to get one on vacation.
The flight from London to Cincinnati on Friday was fun. For about 3 hours I was freezing cold to the point of teeth chattering, and the ends of my fingers were feeling tingly. So that was 3 hours of internal panic. Then, that ended and I started getting really warm and achy. When we landed, it was all I could do just to walk through the airport to meet my dad at baggage claim.
We got home and I immediately put on my PJs and laid down on the couch. We took my temperature and it was 104!!! My face was on fire but the rest of me was cold. I just laid there with a cold washcloth on my face, eating cheerios and drinking water. My dad kept bringing me whatever I needed, would hold the cup of water for me so I wouldn't have to sit up - basically being great (he also has the most amazing immune system (knock on wood))! My mom just tried to stay away so she wouldn't get any germs.
My brother and sister-in-law are saints though. Whenever I fly in on a Friday, the whole family goes to Price Hill Chili and I get a goetta grilled cheese sandwich and mac-n-cheese (this is really good mac-n-cheese and the woman who makes it only works on Fridays). Anyway, Adam & Heather got an order of goetta and mac-n-cheese to go and brought it to me for dinner!
I then went to bed and slept for 12 hours. Fever is nearly gone, but still have this chest cough and every time I cough, my head feels like it's being squeezed.
Bah humbug.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Paris police find dynamite at store
Yes, I have seen this news item.
No, I have never shopped there ; but, yes, I know where it is.
Am I concerned? Not really. I mean, I'm as safe in Paris as I am in London as in Boston as in ...
No, I have never shopped there ; but, yes, I know where it is.
Am I concerned? Not really. I mean, I'm as safe in Paris as I am in London as in Boston as in ...
Friday, December 5, 2008
T Work Damages Old South Church
This is truly heartbreaking to me.
From boston.com: Some breaking news, literally: a large crack has developed in Old South Church, one of the grand landmarks of Copley Square.
At a joint news conference today, both the church’s senior minister, the Rev. Nancy S. Taylor (above left), and the MBTA’s assistant general manager, Charles L. O’Reilly (above right), said the crack was caused by work done by a T contractor installing elevator shafts to make the Copley Square T station accessible to the handicapped. O’Reilly said the multi-year, $45 million construction project has been indefinitely halted...
read the full story and see a picture
From boston.com: Some breaking news, literally: a large crack has developed in Old South Church, one of the grand landmarks of Copley Square.
At a joint news conference today, both the church’s senior minister, the Rev. Nancy S. Taylor (above left), and the MBTA’s assistant general manager, Charles L. O’Reilly (above right), said the crack was caused by work done by a T contractor installing elevator shafts to make the Copley Square T station accessible to the handicapped. O’Reilly said the multi-year, $45 million construction project has been indefinitely halted...
read the full story and see a picture
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Don't Chu-Know
The cities: where people take a great deal of time and effort…personality is a full-time job down in the cities.
This is from the November 24th News from Lake Wobegon, from NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion. I really like that assessment. It reminds me of a quotation I had written down, but cannot remember the source (book? TV? Movie?) – the character ‘no longer had the energy to be completely superficial’.
How true is. Really makes me think about in what ways I am superficial, or how tiresome it is keeping up appearances. And, I think I’m fairly low key. I know some people for whom this really is a full-time job. I feel sorry for them.
As the Buffett lyrics go :
You can sing every song that’s been sung
Conquer the moon and the sun
But if you asked me it’s all both been said and been done
It’s true. We’re all in this race full of pretenses, and what does it really prove? Where does it get us?
Personality is a full-time job down in the cities
He/she no longer had the energy to be completely superficial Just interesting to ponder.
This is from the November 24th News from Lake Wobegon, from NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion. I really like that assessment. It reminds me of a quotation I had written down, but cannot remember the source (book? TV? Movie?) – the character ‘no longer had the energy to be completely superficial’.
How true is. Really makes me think about in what ways I am superficial, or how tiresome it is keeping up appearances. And, I think I’m fairly low key. I know some people for whom this really is a full-time job. I feel sorry for them.
As the Buffett lyrics go :
You can sing every song that’s been sung
Conquer the moon and the sun
But if you asked me it’s all both been said and been done
It’s true. We’re all in this race full of pretenses, and what does it really prove? Where does it get us?
Personality is a full-time job down in the cities
He/she no longer had the energy to be completely superficial Just interesting to ponder.
Cultural disappointment
I’ve sat on posting this a few days because I was hoping my view would change, but it really hasn’t. True, I’m not as fired-up-angry as I was, but still disappointed. I know I was tired Saturday night, so that probably played into it; but I feel my “megativity” was also warranted.
I went to an Advent Carols by Candlelight show at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. As soon as I got there and paid 1 £ for the program, I realized I had made a mistake. I should have gone to the 16:00 Family Christmas Carols concert. Yes, you read that correctly, I actually said I should’ve gone to a “family” show.
I know Advent music is more contemplative and Christmas carols are more joyous and bright. And I know that generally the latter aren’t sung until just before Christmas because the Advent season is for more reflection than celebration. But still, I guess I just needed some celebration. I mean, I live alone and have no friends in London, I have plenty of time for contemplation!
Overall, my gripes about the performance :
1) That is was just that – a performance. Or a concert. The choir, nor the organist, came across as there to sing/play holy advent music. Rather, it was just a show, a concert, not carols. At one point, the director said in one of his speeches, it’s “like a college chapel with a hint of a West End show”. If I wanted a West End Show for Christmas, I would’ve found one.
2) After every song, the lights were turned up and the director made some sort of comment about the next song. At no point did one song go into the next. It completely ruined the mood. And, people applauded after every song, even the ones we sang along to; again, ruining the mood. Why call it a “candle light” concert when the lights were turned up just as much?
3) Behind the choir, one of the windows in the upper section was open for air – fine. But, there were two floodlights streaming in, which I assume when the window is closed is somewhat dampened and provides for a nicely illuminated altar area. Instead, I had two bright points of light always in my view.
4) I’ve come to accept that for every show you attend in London, you have to pay for the program. But why have that for a concert where the lyrics to some of the songs are printed and you’re invited to stand and sing-a-long? If you want the audience to sing, don’t charge for the book with the lyrics! Or at least have a double-sided sheet of paper with those specific songs on each seat.
5) Related to that – I didn’t pay 25£ for a sing-a-long. I paid to hear the choir sing. If I wanted to sing-a-long, I’d just go to church and sing the hymns!
5) This isn’t really a complaint about the concert, and it doesn’t bother me now, but it was just one more thing to annoy my Saturday evening – the people sitting around me. The woman behind me was humming along to lots of songs and she was sick (I could just imagine her germs floating forward to me) ; the 2 guys next to me loved their Red Bull and one even was ‘recording’ a song or two on his phone ; two rows in front were two lovey-dovey-beautiful-people couples – blech. I know, I know, this is all petty. I’m glad they were all out attending this concert, getting culture, getting into the Christmas spirit, and all of that. But I just wanted to complain.
6) Overall, the concert didn’t even come close to getting me in the Christmas spirit. Last year I went to the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus concert and that was fantabulous! The London Gay Men’s Chorus shows are sold out / days when I’m not in town. Bummer. At least I went to church Sunday morning and the opening hymn was O Come, O Come Emmanuel and that was all I needed to hear to be ready for Christmas.
At what point in life was I supposed to switch and appreciate Advent Carols (I don’t remember them growing up) and not sing Christmas Carols until just before Christmas? What is so wrong with that?
Family concert (* indicates that audience invited to stand and sing-a-long)
*Once in Royal David’s City
Ding Dong! Merrily on high
*O Little Town of Bethlehem
A Great and Mighty Wonder
*God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
I Saw Three Ships
Torches
*Away in a Manger
Coventry Carol
*O Come, All Ye Faithful
Past three a clock
*Hark! The Hearald Angels Sing
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Advent Carols
The truth from above
*O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Veiled in darkness
E’en so Lord Jesus, quickly come
Remember O thou man (I liked this one, hadn’t heard it before)
*Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Es ist ein Ros’ entrprungen (Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming)
On Jordan’s Bank (I liked this one, had never heard it)
*O Thou Who Camest From Above
Angelus ad Virginem (organ sounded like a calliope, overpowering the vocals)
Magnificat in D
Personent Hodei (didn’t like this one)
*Of the Father’s Heart Begotten
Zion hört die Wächter singen (did not like this one)
*In the Bleak Midwinter
Christmas Day
*Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending
What Sweeter Music (liked this and it was new to me)
Tomorrow Shall be my Dancing Day (I like this, but I think the Old South Church choir sings it better)
I went to an Advent Carols by Candlelight show at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. As soon as I got there and paid 1 £ for the program, I realized I had made a mistake. I should have gone to the 16:00 Family Christmas Carols concert. Yes, you read that correctly, I actually said I should’ve gone to a “family” show.
I know Advent music is more contemplative and Christmas carols are more joyous and bright. And I know that generally the latter aren’t sung until just before Christmas because the Advent season is for more reflection than celebration. But still, I guess I just needed some celebration. I mean, I live alone and have no friends in London, I have plenty of time for contemplation!
Overall, my gripes about the performance :
1) That is was just that – a performance. Or a concert. The choir, nor the organist, came across as there to sing/play holy advent music. Rather, it was just a show, a concert, not carols. At one point, the director said in one of his speeches, it’s “like a college chapel with a hint of a West End show”. If I wanted a West End Show for Christmas, I would’ve found one.
2) After every song, the lights were turned up and the director made some sort of comment about the next song. At no point did one song go into the next. It completely ruined the mood. And, people applauded after every song, even the ones we sang along to; again, ruining the mood. Why call it a “candle light” concert when the lights were turned up just as much?
3) Behind the choir, one of the windows in the upper section was open for air – fine. But, there were two floodlights streaming in, which I assume when the window is closed is somewhat dampened and provides for a nicely illuminated altar area. Instead, I had two bright points of light always in my view.
4) I’ve come to accept that for every show you attend in London, you have to pay for the program. But why have that for a concert where the lyrics to some of the songs are printed and you’re invited to stand and sing-a-long? If you want the audience to sing, don’t charge for the book with the lyrics! Or at least have a double-sided sheet of paper with those specific songs on each seat.
5) Related to that – I didn’t pay 25£ for a sing-a-long. I paid to hear the choir sing. If I wanted to sing-a-long, I’d just go to church and sing the hymns!
5) This isn’t really a complaint about the concert, and it doesn’t bother me now, but it was just one more thing to annoy my Saturday evening – the people sitting around me. The woman behind me was humming along to lots of songs and she was sick (I could just imagine her germs floating forward to me) ; the 2 guys next to me loved their Red Bull and one even was ‘recording’ a song or two on his phone ; two rows in front were two lovey-dovey-beautiful-people couples – blech. I know, I know, this is all petty. I’m glad they were all out attending this concert, getting culture, getting into the Christmas spirit, and all of that. But I just wanted to complain.
6) Overall, the concert didn’t even come close to getting me in the Christmas spirit. Last year I went to the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus concert and that was fantabulous! The London Gay Men’s Chorus shows are sold out / days when I’m not in town. Bummer. At least I went to church Sunday morning and the opening hymn was O Come, O Come Emmanuel and that was all I needed to hear to be ready for Christmas.
At what point in life was I supposed to switch and appreciate Advent Carols (I don’t remember them growing up) and not sing Christmas Carols until just before Christmas? What is so wrong with that?
Family concert (* indicates that audience invited to stand and sing-a-long)
*Once in Royal David’s City
Ding Dong! Merrily on high
*O Little Town of Bethlehem
A Great and Mighty Wonder
*God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
I Saw Three Ships
Torches
*Away in a Manger
Coventry Carol
*O Come, All Ye Faithful
Past three a clock
*Hark! The Hearald Angels Sing
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Advent Carols
The truth from above
*O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Veiled in darkness
E’en so Lord Jesus, quickly come
Remember O thou man (I liked this one, hadn’t heard it before)
*Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Es ist ein Ros’ entrprungen (Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming)
On Jordan’s Bank (I liked this one, had never heard it)
*O Thou Who Camest From Above
Angelus ad Virginem (organ sounded like a calliope, overpowering the vocals)
Magnificat in D
Personent Hodei (didn’t like this one)
*Of the Father’s Heart Begotten
Zion hört die Wächter singen (did not like this one)
*In the Bleak Midwinter
Christmas Day
*Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending
What Sweeter Music (liked this and it was new to me)
Tomorrow Shall be my Dancing Day (I like this, but I think the Old South Church choir sings it better)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tissues
Ok, mundane topic, but couldn't pass this one up....
Just got back from the grocery and bought some tissues. They don't seem to have Puffs here, so I buy Kleenex brand. But the "Ultra Soft" is ultra-NOT soft. A reliable brand, good to have around the house, just not when you have a seriously runny nose. I digress.
Back of the box says : Available in pocket pack, cube, regular, and mansize formats. Mansize - I'm not kidding. What? Why not put "Caveman size" and call it a day?
And, if I go to the website listed on the product packaging and I'm asked to do a survey and I oblige, don't make my only choices for where I live be states in America. If I can buy your product overseas, adapt your survey.
Mansize. Seriously.
Just got back from the grocery and bought some tissues. They don't seem to have Puffs here, so I buy Kleenex brand. But the "Ultra Soft" is ultra-NOT soft. A reliable brand, good to have around the house, just not when you have a seriously runny nose. I digress.
Back of the box says : Available in pocket pack, cube, regular, and mansize formats. Mansize - I'm not kidding. What? Why not put "Caveman size" and call it a day?
And, if I go to the website listed on the product packaging and I'm asked to do a survey and I oblige, don't make my only choices for where I live be states in America. If I can buy your product overseas, adapt your survey.
Mansize. Seriously.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Patriots to play in London in 2009
Ok, I don't care if I'll be living in Paris then - I've got to get tickets for this!!!
The NFL announced Monday that the Patriots will play the Buccaneers next season in London.
The game, which will be the Patriots' first regular-season game outside of the U.S., will be held Oct. 25, 2009.
The game, which technically is hosted by the Buccaneers, will be at Wembley Stadium.
"We are proud to be selected by the NFL to be featured in next year's international game," New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said in a press release. "We have had a lot of memorable moments in recent years. I am sure our trip to the United Kingdom next year will prove to be an unforgettable experience for our players and coaches, as well as the many fans that will travel to the game. I think it is fitting that New England's first game to be played outside of North America will be in England. I know that the UK is home to some of our most passionate Patriots fans and we look forward to the experience."
The NFL announced Monday that the Patriots will play the Buccaneers next season in London.
The game, which will be the Patriots' first regular-season game outside of the U.S., will be held Oct. 25, 2009.
The game, which technically is hosted by the Buccaneers, will be at Wembley Stadium.
"We are proud to be selected by the NFL to be featured in next year's international game," New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said in a press release. "We have had a lot of memorable moments in recent years. I am sure our trip to the United Kingdom next year will prove to be an unforgettable experience for our players and coaches, as well as the many fans that will travel to the game. I think it is fitting that New England's first game to be played outside of North America will be in England. I know that the UK is home to some of our most passionate Patriots fans and we look forward to the experience."
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Working Moms - What do you think?
Ok, I fully believe that households can have two working parents and still be good parents - provided that both parents take part in the child-raising and house-running. And that women should have the right to stay home with their children if they want, or work if that is their choice.
But I was surprised by this article by Maggie Jackson on the Boston Globe's website. One part being : "Yet, however politically strategic and privately compelling, Obama's decision to be foremost the "first mom" potentially sends a wrong message: that high-level paid work and motherhood don't mix, or that women need to be the ones to step down to care for family."
I mean, how many women are faced with raising two young children in the White House while being the wife/confident/friend of the President of the United States? How could the standards for being a 'working mom' in Minnesota even begin to compare to being the working mom in the White House? Never mind the ensuing security issues and such that would arise from Mrs. Obama working - if Obama isn't using email, could she?
Ms. Jackson continued, writing "More than ever, we need female role models as we dig out of this horrendous economic mess. The fate of working mothers is a bottom line issue."
WHAT - the fate of working mothers??? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for closing the gender gap, for women working, for equal pay, for strong male rolemodels at home and strong female role models in business - but give me a break! All that Ms. Jackson's viewpoint shows me is that women are held to a higher standard, expected to do it all, and will be criticized no matter what they choose.
Congrats to Michelle Obama for choosing her family - her daughters and husband.
But I was surprised by this article by Maggie Jackson on the Boston Globe's website. One part being : "Yet, however politically strategic and privately compelling, Obama's decision to be foremost the "first mom" potentially sends a wrong message: that high-level paid work and motherhood don't mix, or that women need to be the ones to step down to care for family."
I mean, how many women are faced with raising two young children in the White House while being the wife/confident/friend of the President of the United States? How could the standards for being a 'working mom' in Minnesota even begin to compare to being the working mom in the White House? Never mind the ensuing security issues and such that would arise from Mrs. Obama working - if Obama isn't using email, could she?
Ms. Jackson continued, writing "More than ever, we need female role models as we dig out of this horrendous economic mess. The fate of working mothers is a bottom line issue."
WHAT - the fate of working mothers??? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for closing the gender gap, for women working, for equal pay, for strong male rolemodels at home and strong female role models in business - but give me a break! All that Ms. Jackson's viewpoint shows me is that women are held to a higher standard, expected to do it all, and will be criticized no matter what they choose.
Congrats to Michelle Obama for choosing her family - her daughters and husband.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
My Thanksgiving
Amazing how relaxing Thanksgiving can be when you're by yourself, with no other Americans around, in the U.K.!!! So what did I do?
-- I celebrated by wearing jeans to work today (and no one commented on me being casual - I guess wearing a nice sweater and heels counter-balanced them?).
-- I treated myself to a Starbucks chai latte this afternoon (the only thing I get there since I detest coffee).
-- I called my parents during the morning US time.
-- I called my grandma late afternoon US time.
-- I'm having chicken kievs (but they're ham/cheese filled, which to me is cordon-bleu, but here they make regular kievs and also ones like this).
-- I'm having this wonderful rice medley I discovered at Rossi Pasta in Marietta, Ohio. It's a 'combination of dry roasted wild rice with cranberries, almonds and other rices' and has a 'maple/apple seasoning' too! It's by Rice River Farms.
-- I'm watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (I own it on DVD). (on IMDB ; ABC ; and Wiki)
-- I'll later watch an episode of Bones (actually the latest one!) and CSI (the Las Vegas series, I absolutely despise the Miami one, well actually only David Caruso on it).
One of the best parts? The last five things are all being done in my pajamas. This is how Thanksgiving should be! Quiet, relaxing and comfortable :) Hope yours was the same.
-- I celebrated by wearing jeans to work today (and no one commented on me being casual - I guess wearing a nice sweater and heels counter-balanced them?).
-- I treated myself to a Starbucks chai latte this afternoon (the only thing I get there since I detest coffee).
-- I called my parents during the morning US time.
-- I called my grandma late afternoon US time.
-- I'm having chicken kievs (but they're ham/cheese filled, which to me is cordon-bleu, but here they make regular kievs and also ones like this).
-- I'm having this wonderful rice medley I discovered at Rossi Pasta in Marietta, Ohio. It's a 'combination of dry roasted wild rice with cranberries, almonds and other rices' and has a 'maple/apple seasoning' too! It's by Rice River Farms.
-- I'm watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (I own it on DVD). (on IMDB ; ABC ; and Wiki)
-- I'll later watch an episode of Bones (actually the latest one!) and CSI (the Las Vegas series, I absolutely despise the Miami one, well actually only David Caruso on it).
One of the best parts? The last five things are all being done in my pajamas. This is how Thanksgiving should be! Quiet, relaxing and comfortable :) Hope yours was the same.
Happy Thanksgiving !
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! I’m celebrating by being at work in London and I don’t know what I’m having for dinner yet. I will watch an episode of CSI on TV (big surprise) and the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special, which I have on DVD.
The below is for anyone reading this who is not from America and who is not familiar with the holiday of Thanksgiving. (I was surprised by the number of people in my office in London who thought Thanksgiving was a Christmas-related holiday in the States ; and that no similar holiday exists in the UK – the only holiday they have that is a big family gathering, has as much hoop-la, is Christmas.) And, if you are American and just want a refresh in history, keep reading.
***
Thanksgiving Day is primarily a North American secular holiday and traditionally is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. Most people celebrate by gathering at home with family or friends for a holiday feast. Though the holiday's origins can be traced to harvest festivals which have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday has religious undertones related to the deliverance of the English settlers by Native Americans after the brutal winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Thanksgiving Day commemorates the celebration held in 1621 after the first harvest by the Plymouth Colony. The Pilgrims who traveled from England on the Mayflower landed on December 21, 1620. The harsh winter claimed about half their number. The local Wampanoag Indians, who were friendly to the newcomers, furnished seeds and taught them how to plant corn. The corn and the crops grown from the seeds they had brought with them produced a bountiful harvest. Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day to celebrate the harvest. The celebration brought together the colonists and the Indians, who were led by their chief Massasoit. The colonists provided water fowl, wild turkey and fish; the Indians contributed deer to the feast.
The tradition of observing a day of thanksgiving spread throughout the colonies, but was celebrated on different dates. In 1789 President George Washington proclaimed a National Thanksgiving Day in honor of the new United States Constitution. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. U.S. Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States (not necessarily the last Thursday in November).
The family and friends present at a Thanksgiving table are not expected to give gifts to each other and the point of the meal is to reflect upon and be thankful for the things that have passed over the last year. While most hosts will say a short prayer before the start of the meal, this is not obligatory and there is no overt religious significance to the holiday.
Just as important as the food associated with the day are two other traditions – watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (caution - sound on website!) and watching the Detroit Lions play football (U.S. version). Also, the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year in the U.S. as it ‘starts’ the Christmas shopping season.
Food :
The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States, and Canada is a large meal, generally centered around a large roasted turkey. The majority of the dishes in the traditional American version of Thanksgiving Dinner are made from foods native to the New World.
Because turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called Turkey Day. The average cost of an entire Thanksgiving feast was approximately $41 in 2007. It has been estimated that 16-20 percent of annual turkey consumption in the US is attributed to Thanksgiving and as much as 30 percent of consumption occurs during the combined Thanksgiving to New Year holiday season.
Most Thanksgiving turkeys are stuffed with a cereal-based stuffing and roasted. Sage is the traditional herb added to the stuffing (also called dressing), along with chopped celery, carrots, and onions. Deep-fried turkey is rising in popularity. One or several of the following may be added to the dressing/stuffing: oysters, apples, chestnuts, raisins, celery and/or other vegetables, sausages or the turkey's giblets.
Many Americans would say the Thanksgiving dinner is "incomplete" without cranberry sauce, stuffing or dressing, and gravy. Other commonly served dishes include sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls or biscuits, and a Waldorf salad. For dessert, various pies are often served, particularly apple pie, mincemeat pie, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie. Other nontraditional dishes reflect the region or cultural background of those who have come together for the meal.
The use of the turkey in the USA for Thanksgiving precedes Lincoln's nationalization of the holiday in 1863. Alexander Hamilton proclaimed that no "Citizen of the United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day", but turkey was uncommon as Thanksgiving fare until after 1800. By 1857 turkey had become part of the traditional dinner in New England.
Fun facts :
-- The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.
-- The state of New York officially made Thanksgiving Day an annual custom in 1817.
-- President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored Thursday before last of November as Thanksgiving Day in the year 1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy of the state.
-- Sarah Josepha Hale, the enormously influential magazine editor and author who waged a tireless campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday in the mid-19th century (from 1827-1863!), was also the author of the classic nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
-- Of those Americans traveling for Thanksgiving in 2007, approximately 80 percent (31.2 million) were expected to go by motor vehicle, 12.1 percent (4.7 million) by airplane and the rest (2.8 million) by train, bus or other mode of transportation.
-- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 49 million in 2008.
-- Just six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Indiana—will probably produce two-thirds of the estimated 271 million birds that will be raised in the U.S. in one year.
-- The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds.
-- The cranberry is one of only three fruits—the others are the blueberry and the Concord grape—that are entirely native to North American soil, according to the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association.
-- According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long. It was baked on October 8, 2005 by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio, and included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 155 dozen eggs, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, 2 pounds of pumpkin spice and 250 pounds of crust. [what is it with people and the Guinness Book or World Records? I mean really, isn’t there a better use of people’s time and resources?]
-- Originally known as Macy's Christmas Parade—to signify the launch of the Christmas shopping season—the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in New York City in 1924. It was launched by Macy's employees and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. Today, some 3 million people attend the annual parade and another 44 million watch it on television.
-- Tony Sarg, a children's book illustrator and puppeteer, designed the first giant hot air balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927. He later created the elaborate mechanically animated window displays that grace the façade of the New York store from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
-- Snoopy has appeared as a giant balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade more times than any other character in history. As the Flying Ace, Snoopy made his sixth appearance in the 2006 parade.
-- The first time the Detroit Lions played football on Thanksgiving Day was in 1934, when they hosted the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit stadium, in front of 26,000 fans. The NBC radio network broadcast the game on 94 stations across the country--the first national Thanksgiving football broadcast. Since that time, the Lions have played a game every Thanksgiving (except between 1939 and 1944); in 1956, fans watched the game on television for the first time.
Above information taken from Wikipedia (twice), The Holiday Spot, American Holiday Calendar, and History.
The below is for anyone reading this who is not from America and who is not familiar with the holiday of Thanksgiving. (I was surprised by the number of people in my office in London who thought Thanksgiving was a Christmas-related holiday in the States ; and that no similar holiday exists in the UK – the only holiday they have that is a big family gathering, has as much hoop-la, is Christmas.) And, if you are American and just want a refresh in history, keep reading.
***
Thanksgiving Day is primarily a North American secular holiday and traditionally is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. Most people celebrate by gathering at home with family or friends for a holiday feast. Though the holiday's origins can be traced to harvest festivals which have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday has religious undertones related to the deliverance of the English settlers by Native Americans after the brutal winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Thanksgiving Day commemorates the celebration held in 1621 after the first harvest by the Plymouth Colony. The Pilgrims who traveled from England on the Mayflower landed on December 21, 1620. The harsh winter claimed about half their number. The local Wampanoag Indians, who were friendly to the newcomers, furnished seeds and taught them how to plant corn. The corn and the crops grown from the seeds they had brought with them produced a bountiful harvest. Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day to celebrate the harvest. The celebration brought together the colonists and the Indians, who were led by their chief Massasoit. The colonists provided water fowl, wild turkey and fish; the Indians contributed deer to the feast.
The tradition of observing a day of thanksgiving spread throughout the colonies, but was celebrated on different dates. In 1789 President George Washington proclaimed a National Thanksgiving Day in honor of the new United States Constitution. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. U.S. Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States (not necessarily the last Thursday in November).
The family and friends present at a Thanksgiving table are not expected to give gifts to each other and the point of the meal is to reflect upon and be thankful for the things that have passed over the last year. While most hosts will say a short prayer before the start of the meal, this is not obligatory and there is no overt religious significance to the holiday.
Just as important as the food associated with the day are two other traditions – watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (caution - sound on website!) and watching the Detroit Lions play football (U.S. version). Also, the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year in the U.S. as it ‘starts’ the Christmas shopping season.
Food :
The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States, and Canada is a large meal, generally centered around a large roasted turkey. The majority of the dishes in the traditional American version of Thanksgiving Dinner are made from foods native to the New World.
Because turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called Turkey Day. The average cost of an entire Thanksgiving feast was approximately $41 in 2007. It has been estimated that 16-20 percent of annual turkey consumption in the US is attributed to Thanksgiving and as much as 30 percent of consumption occurs during the combined Thanksgiving to New Year holiday season.
Most Thanksgiving turkeys are stuffed with a cereal-based stuffing and roasted. Sage is the traditional herb added to the stuffing (also called dressing), along with chopped celery, carrots, and onions. Deep-fried turkey is rising in popularity. One or several of the following may be added to the dressing/stuffing: oysters, apples, chestnuts, raisins, celery and/or other vegetables, sausages or the turkey's giblets.
Many Americans would say the Thanksgiving dinner is "incomplete" without cranberry sauce, stuffing or dressing, and gravy. Other commonly served dishes include sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls or biscuits, and a Waldorf salad. For dessert, various pies are often served, particularly apple pie, mincemeat pie, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie. Other nontraditional dishes reflect the region or cultural background of those who have come together for the meal.
The use of the turkey in the USA for Thanksgiving precedes Lincoln's nationalization of the holiday in 1863. Alexander Hamilton proclaimed that no "Citizen of the United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day", but turkey was uncommon as Thanksgiving fare until after 1800. By 1857 turkey had become part of the traditional dinner in New England.
Fun facts :
-- The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.
-- The state of New York officially made Thanksgiving Day an annual custom in 1817.
-- President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored Thursday before last of November as Thanksgiving Day in the year 1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy of the state.
-- Sarah Josepha Hale, the enormously influential magazine editor and author who waged a tireless campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday in the mid-19th century (from 1827-1863!), was also the author of the classic nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
-- Of those Americans traveling for Thanksgiving in 2007, approximately 80 percent (31.2 million) were expected to go by motor vehicle, 12.1 percent (4.7 million) by airplane and the rest (2.8 million) by train, bus or other mode of transportation.
-- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 49 million in 2008.
-- Just six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Indiana—will probably produce two-thirds of the estimated 271 million birds that will be raised in the U.S. in one year.
-- The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds.
-- The cranberry is one of only three fruits—the others are the blueberry and the Concord grape—that are entirely native to North American soil, according to the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association.
-- According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long. It was baked on October 8, 2005 by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio, and included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 155 dozen eggs, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, 2 pounds of pumpkin spice and 250 pounds of crust. [what is it with people and the Guinness Book or World Records? I mean really, isn’t there a better use of people’s time and resources?]
-- Originally known as Macy's Christmas Parade—to signify the launch of the Christmas shopping season—the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in New York City in 1924. It was launched by Macy's employees and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. Today, some 3 million people attend the annual parade and another 44 million watch it on television.
-- Tony Sarg, a children's book illustrator and puppeteer, designed the first giant hot air balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927. He later created the elaborate mechanically animated window displays that grace the façade of the New York store from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
-- Snoopy has appeared as a giant balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade more times than any other character in history. As the Flying Ace, Snoopy made his sixth appearance in the 2006 parade.
-- The first time the Detroit Lions played football on Thanksgiving Day was in 1934, when they hosted the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit stadium, in front of 26,000 fans. The NBC radio network broadcast the game on 94 stations across the country--the first national Thanksgiving football broadcast. Since that time, the Lions have played a game every Thanksgiving (except between 1939 and 1944); in 1956, fans watched the game on television for the first time.
Above information taken from Wikipedia (twice), The Holiday Spot, American Holiday Calendar, and History.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Castro's Favorite Color: US Officials Flunk Test of American History, Economics, Civics
Castro's Favorite Color: US Officials Flunk Test of American History, Economics, Civics
On Howard's blog he has a link to an overall civics test which I found fun.
I scored 78.79% on this test; good in comparison to the elected officials average score of 44%, but on par with average of 78.1%. However, it pales in comparison to Howard's 97%.
How did you do?
On Howard's blog he has a link to an overall civics test which I found fun.
I scored 78.79% on this test; good in comparison to the elected officials average score of 44%, but on par with average of 78.1%. However, it pales in comparison to Howard's 97%.
How did you do?
Monday, November 24, 2008
Mental Floss
--Advice : If you’re looking for a hotel in Paris and prefer the Hilton chain, don’t google Pairs + Hilton
--Advice : If you buy a coat (or a skirt) that has a pleat in the back and there are two loose stitches forming an X at the end, remove these! The number of people I’ve seen in winter coats who keep this stitch in is amazing! Then, the coat ‘buckles’ in the back where the pleat is. I just want to walk around with scissors and help people.
--It seems to be a universal thing – when a subway car pulls into a station, the people waiting to get on immediately cram in front of the door, making it near impossible for the people to get off. If you’re in such a rush to get on the T car, then let the people off first!
--London is lacking in trashcans. Good luck finding one on the street, or if you do, you’re luck if it’s more than miniscule in size. The amazing thing, there’s virtually no trash littering the streets; but you do not see trash-picker-uppers walking around.
--In one of the hotels I often stay in when in Paris, I can not only touch the ceiling in the elevator, I can put my palm on it. That’s just not right.
--Advice : If you buy a coat (or a skirt) that has a pleat in the back and there are two loose stitches forming an X at the end, remove these! The number of people I’ve seen in winter coats who keep this stitch in is amazing! Then, the coat ‘buckles’ in the back where the pleat is. I just want to walk around with scissors and help people.
--It seems to be a universal thing – when a subway car pulls into a station, the people waiting to get on immediately cram in front of the door, making it near impossible for the people to get off. If you’re in such a rush to get on the T car, then let the people off first!
--London is lacking in trashcans. Good luck finding one on the street, or if you do, you’re luck if it’s more than miniscule in size. The amazing thing, there’s virtually no trash littering the streets; but you do not see trash-picker-uppers walking around.
--In one of the hotels I often stay in when in Paris, I can not only touch the ceiling in the elevator, I can put my palm on it. That’s just not right.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Mercy, not judgment
The sermon series has been on The Lord’s Prayer. Last week’s was on the line ‘give us this day our daily bread’ and was just not good (or rather, it wasn’t good to me). This week’s was on the forgiveness line (whether or not you say it with debts, trespasses, sins, or something else).
I grew up saying trespasses and for the past 8 years have said debts; but I remember a sermon at Old South where an anecdote was given about a church in Connecticut deciding what to say, and ultimately voting on sins – ‘forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.’ I think that was the first time I ever heard it said that way. And it stuck with me – mainly because it’s easier to understand the meaning. But in Sunday's sermon, it was given a new perspective. Pastor D’Elia said that debts and trespasses are both breaches of human interaction, a horizontal action if you will. However, sins are breaches with God, a vertical action. That makes the use of ‘sins’ in the prayer that much more relevant and applicable and understandable to me.
Other things that were said in the sermon and service that stuck with me were :
-- To whom much is given, much is expected
-- Reach out and let the spirit of God touch you
-- If we lose our sense of what sin is, how do we confess?
-- Be a living example of God’s mercy
-- The concept of justice versus mercy.
Mercy, not judgment. I like that.
I grew up saying trespasses and for the past 8 years have said debts; but I remember a sermon at Old South where an anecdote was given about a church in Connecticut deciding what to say, and ultimately voting on sins – ‘forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.’ I think that was the first time I ever heard it said that way. And it stuck with me – mainly because it’s easier to understand the meaning. But in Sunday's sermon, it was given a new perspective. Pastor D’Elia said that debts and trespasses are both breaches of human interaction, a horizontal action if you will. However, sins are breaches with God, a vertical action. That makes the use of ‘sins’ in the prayer that much more relevant and applicable and understandable to me.
Other things that were said in the sermon and service that stuck with me were :
-- To whom much is given, much is expected
-- Reach out and let the spirit of God touch you
-- If we lose our sense of what sin is, how do we confess?
-- Be a living example of God’s mercy
-- The concept of justice versus mercy.
Mercy, not judgment. I like that.
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