Emily in France

I voted because Leo told me to. You should too.

2008-11-04T13:40:00.004+01:00

Blog pause.

2008-08-22T08:03:00.002+02:00

Dear Reader,

As you may have noticed, my posts are becoming less and less. The motivation to update this blog has recently faded. As a result, I'm going to be taking a break from my blog. For how long? I'm not sure. Indefinitely at the moment. But a post might pop up from time to time.

To find out what's new with TH and I, one can also use the old fashioned method of internet communication: email.

Take care,
Emily in France

Dear...

2008-08-16T12:08:00.004+02:00

Dear Michael Phelps,

Wow. Wow. Wow. I just watched you win your seventh gold medal. TH and I both had our mouths drop to the floor as you beat your opponent by 0.01 second. In the same words of the French announcer who spoke about your win: "Incroyable."

Sincerely,
Emily

Dear China,

Thanks to your one-child policy, don't certain families prefer male babies over female babies? Don't some families do terrible things to get rid of their female babies so they can have a son? Look at which sex has won the most gold medals in your country thus far. Women.

Sincerely,
Emily

Dear French Olympic Announcers,

Yes, we too get emotional when someone wins/loses a gold medal or a medal at all. When you cry, it's cute. When you scream into your microphone, it's sorta loud. When you repeat the same phrase over and over and over due to certain emotions be it stress, excitement, sadness, disappointment, whatever, we got it the first time.

Keep up the good work. Thanks for being so human and genuine.

Sincerely,
Emily

Dear certain male American track and fielders,

Please help me understand something...what's with wearing sunglasses during your evening races? It's already dark outside. And what's with those shiny light blue armbands? Help me understand the significance. Is it a fashion statement that just hasn't hit France yet?

Sincerely,
Emily

Coming home to his "science experiments".

2008-08-11T11:06:00.004+02:00

If some of you readers remember, the last time I went back to the US at the end of last year, I came home to discover some pretty disgusting things growing in our fridge and in our fruit and vegetable bowl. Guess what I found this time?! A banana so old that not a drop of liquid existed in it anymore. And it was the only thing in the fruit/veg bowl that now I wonder if he ate any fruits or veggies while I was gone or just put the fresh items on top of the dried banana. I. don't. get. it. And then the first thing I spotted after opening the refrigerator door was a container of creme fraiche that, I think, we opened before I left 4 weeks ago. I'll let your imaginations run wild with what color the creme fraiche had turned. Plus the cover to the container was clear so the insides were displayed as clear as day. I. don't. get. it. What does he eat while I'm away? How does he not see these things rotting away? Maybe he leaves them there on purpose so that I have something to nag him about when I get home.

The Olympics.

2008-08-09T20:21:00.005+02:00

I swore to myself and to anyone who'd listen that I wasn't going to watch the summer Olympics in China. I was going to protest in my own miniscule way. I was going to do it for political reasons...

It's been 4 weeks since I've been surrounded by the French language and today, while I was passed out on the couch from travel, TH had it on. And I became hooked. Especially when men's swimming was on. I mean, who wouldn't, right? And since the broadcast is in French, I've decided that having it on is okay because it's for educational purposes only.

Ending a wonderful vacation.

2008-08-06T18:57:00.004+02:00

Tomorrow, I start my journey back to France. I'm excited to see TH after almost being away for almost 4 weeks, but I'm also very sad to leave the USA. If only I could move back into my parents home and let them take care of me forever. Wouldn't that be nice?

A few things I'll miss:
1. a garbage disposal
2. a dryer (for clothes)
3. the diversity of cuisine
4. how cheap things are over here thanks to the strong Euro
5. my parents taking care of me
6. driving an automatic
7. English movies at my disposal
8. Hawaii
9. having a dog around
10. home cooking

Sigh.

Greetings from Hawaii!

2008-07-31T18:38:00.002+02:00

Once I'm away from my normal routine, I become quite the blogging slacker. And the knitting slacker. And the reading slacker. Let's blame it on summer.

I'm still in the USA. Currently on the other side of the world (literally) from my husband. My family and I are very busy soaking in the sun and admiring the gorgeous fish in Hawaii. What could be better? Well, my husband being here, of course. But that's not an option at the moment. Once one sets foot in Hawaii, I think all worries and cares just float away. Those words don't exist here. I love it.

More USA observations.

2008-07-21T18:48:00.003+02:00

Having a wonderful time in the US. Wishing TH was here with me. I've been in France for 2 and a half years and have come home 4 times without TH. He came home once without me. It's time we come home together.

Here are some more of my observations from this trip:

1. I've never seen so many Toyota Prius cars on the road ever.
2. Hummer owners are still driving those things with gas prices being so high.
3. I put too much gas in my rental car before returning it and actually asked for a refund. Never done that before but with the price of gas...I'm not that generous. And don't like Enterprise that much.
4. Bagels are darn good. I miss them.
5. Cupcakes are darn good. I miss those too.
6. Smart cars exist in the US. But I have yet to see one. For some reason, I thought there was a law that all cars in the US had to be of a certain size and Smart cars didn't cut it.
7. Pierce Brosnan can't sing worth a can of beans. See: "Mamma Mia" movie.
8. I get a discount for bringing in my own grocery bags to our local supermarket. Now what shall I do with those 5 cents...
9. I'm still surprised to hear everyone speaking English with American accents. This always gets me.

How am I dealing with the US recession?

2008-07-17T02:51:00.001+02:00

I've been driving the actual speed limit on the highways. A first in a long time.

Back in the USA observations.

2008-07-13T15:31:00.005+02:00

It's great to be home. In total, I traveled 14 hours by plane plus 2 hours by bus plus 2 hours by car plus 45 minutes by SuperShuttle. California is far.

My first flight from Geneva to Newark was with Qatar Airlines. They call themselves the 5-star airline and I would definitely back that little piece of data up. I don't know how their flight attendants can do these long haul flights having flawless make-up the entire time. I also don't know how they deal with idiots who like to squirt their newly purchased from Duty Free perfume. On. The. Plane. It made me nauseous. I wanted to strangle the passenger, but the flight attendant told me that she would try to find the passenger and say something. I don't think she did because the passenger squirted the crap again soon after. Being in a confined space for many hours plus knowing that they recycle that air, I wasn't in the mood to share in that passenger's joy with his/her new purchase. BTW Americans, the plane was full so I like to think they're coming over to the US to spends lots of money.

Here are some of my initial observations since landing back on American soil:
1. They all speak English here!
2. We really are loud people.
3. Yogurt shops are taking over Manhattan. Are they taking over the country?
4. Pinkberry is awesome.
5. McDonald's makes a killing at JFK airport.
6. I can use my credit/debit card for purchases that equal less than 16 Euros!
7. Sadly, the air in my parent's neighborhood smells like smoke and has been like this for days and days. :(
8. Lactaid milk. Oh, how I missed thee.

USA or bust.

2008-07-10T20:24:00.003+02:00

I'm off to the US tomorrow. To a 100 degree F weather. Lovely.

My plan is to try and save the US economy as best I can. One Euro at a time.

My friend, Leigh.

2008-07-09T09:53:00.004+02:00

My friend, Leigh, accomplished something amazing on Sunday. Her first triathlon. She did it in pouring rain. With thunder and lightening. We were there cheering her on with her kids in tow. And it was fun. And wet. And I am SO very proud of her because she kicked butt. And I remember her glancing at me during her second lap of the 10K run and seeing the pain in her eyes, but she finished! I am totally and completely impressed. And a proud moment for me is that she swam with the top 30% of the swimmers. Our training these past 9 months really paid off. Leigh, you are my hero.

My to-do list before I take off for the USA this Friday:

2008-07-08T13:06:00.004+02:00

1. Finish laundry that piled up with Alicia and Craig were visiting.
2. Go grocery shopping for TH so that I will get to discover more of his refrigerator "experiments" when I get back in 3.5 weeks.
3. Finish up a translation.
4. Get to do my last minute shopping.
5. Make restaurant reservations for our 3 year anniversary once I get back in August.
6. Finish my dad's birthday gift.
7. Enjoy this sunny weather in between translating.
8. Make SuperShuttle reservations for NYC.
9. Nap.
10. Eat chocolate.

Cuss card of the week.

2008-07-04T12:56:00.003+02:00

Learn it. Love it. Use it the next time you really need to use the bathroom.
Happy 4th of July to all you Americans out there. Tonight, we're going to a picnic on the beach with a group of friends. What are your plans for the holiday?

St. Tropez. Oh la la.

2008-07-03T08:42:00.004+02:00

St. Trop was wonderful. It's a world unto it's own. Beautiful weather, beautiful beaches, beautiful people, beautiful cars, and ginormous (yet beautiful) yachts. We spent so much time in the hotel pool and Med sea that I think I started growing gills. I went with my friend/French tutor and her 2 adolescent boys. I've never spent so much time staring at girls, and butts, and boobs, and cars, and yachts in all my life. It was entertaining.

The 4 of us.

One day, we went on a 30 minute hike to a secluded beach. The water was incredibly clear so I was able to enjoy a little snorkeling. I've become used to the topless bathing here in France. That's no longer a big deal for me. But I saw a lot of full on nude bathing during this hike and after we parked ourselves on the beach. Initially, I had a hard time with it, but my tutor tried conditioning me to the idea that it was just natural. Fine, but I didn't like seeing penis walk by while I was eating my lunch.

On the hike.

If you look closely to the yacht in the far distance, you can spot a helicopter parked on top.

One of the many gorgeous cars we spotted during the trip.

Oh Med Sea. How I love thee.

We took a boat cruise that took us out of the port and into the St. Tropez Gulf. Here's a photo of St. Trop as we're pulling farther away. A gorgeous Med sea town.

While on the tour, we went around an area where the super wealthy live. Here's a photo of Brigitte Bardot's house. She still lives there. And she's the one that made this town what it is today.

We also saw 2 mansions that L'Oreal owns. Also Dodi Fayed's father's house. Boris Yeltsin's daughter's house was my favorite. The owners of Carrefour have a mansion over there. Go Annecy. The CEO of Louis Vutton, Kenzo, and another designer that I can't remember who's supposedly the richest man in France and, surprise, surprise, has a house in St. Trop too. The owners of Opal cars has a home over there. And we saw a house that can only be rented for an obscene amount of money and that Jack Nicholson rented it at one time. Also on the tour, we learned that the population of St. Trop is only around 5,000 habitants from October through June and then jumps to 100,000 during July, August, and September.

During our last day, I walked to the beach to check out the restaurant in St. Trop. The hot spot where the rich and famous rub elbows. We met a couple the night before at dinner who stayed at a 5 star 900 Euro+ per night hotel with Hugh Jackman. They couldn't stop talking about him and told us that he lunched at this restaurant everyday. Well, I was interested in checking it out. I knew Hugh had already left so I wasn't going there to stalk him or anything. Oh no.

This last photo shows all the yachts that were parked in front of the shee-shee restaurant. You can see a grey military looking "yacht" in the background with yet another helicopter on top.

All in all, a fabulous vacation. I hope to return again someday.

Cuss card of the week.

2008-06-24T13:37:00.003+02:00

Learn it. Love it. Use it the next time you eat too much.
Also, I'll be away from the blog for about a week. I'm off to St. Tropez. Yes, I suppose you could say that life is good. My goal is to come back more tan than my husband who can get a nice tan after being outside for like a second.

It's finally summer and I'm wearing wool socks.

2008-06-21T16:51:00.007+02:00

I'm really only wearing them in the photo...and as I type this blog post. OK, I really need to take them off as my feet are sweating...

I love striped socks and I really love using up leftover sock yarn. Because it makes more room for the new sock yarn I just received in the mail. :)

Project: Stashbuster Socks II
Mods: CO 64 sts. Short row toe and heel.
Yarn: Leftover yarn from these socks, and these socks, and these.
Needles: US 1.5 and 2 DPNs
Ravelry link

An informational video for all American voters.

2008-06-20T10:56:00.009+02:00

This video could sway your vote. Hopefully to the good side?

Cuss card of the week.

2008-06-18T13:11:00.001+02:00

Learn it. Love it. Use it the next time you're in dire need of a restroom.

June 14th: World Wide Knit in Public Day

2008-06-16T09:24:00.004+02:00

This past Saturday was WWKIP. Knitter and crocheters all over the world gathered together somewhere in their local cities and towns and knit or crocheted. Here in Annecy, we had a little picnic while enjoying the sun and despising the clouds.

Jette and Sylvie trying to stay warm.

Sylvie, Jette, and Penny.

Anais trying to finish a sleeve for her boyfriend's sweater.

Double rainbow.

2008-06-12T11:37:00.003+02:00

Not the ice cream store, but the real deal. The second one is very faint and on the right side of the brighter one. I spotted this yesterday afternoon from our balcony. The sun came over for a visit for like a second. This rain is killing me.

Cuss card of the week.

2008-06-10T08:30:00.003+02:00

Learn it. Love it. Practice using it on your next vacation.

I ♥ laser tag.

2008-06-09T10:34:00.005+02:00

Last night, TH's company celebrated its 10 year anniversary. We were supposed to go water skiing and then have a nice dinner, but with the crappy weather that just won't go away, we played laser tag instead. I've only ever played laser tag once before when I was working for a camp in California and it was a blast. A sweaty, smoky blast. I loved it. When the plans changed, I wasn't disappointed. Last night, there were 24 of us in total who played. The youngest player was 4 y.o. and adorable. The vest and gun were bigger than he. I felt bad each time I hit him, but he got me too. So there. At the beginning, I was a little laser gun crazy because I hit 6 of my own teammates and none of them hit me. Oops. One of my teammates, I think he's 8, was not at all happy with me when I hit him. And we got quite a laugh about Darin who somehow shot himself.

Gotta rub it in now...

My team won and I placed 7th. I'm not going to name any names (of course, you can blow up the photo to see), but I kicked a certain person's tush and was the player that hit that person the most out of all the other players. Out of kindness to this certain person, it was not fair that I'd stop to talk to him or ask him a question and then pull the trigger at his vest while we were standing there talking. Oops again.

More sock knitting.

2008-06-08T12:28:00.006+02:00

I recently joined a sock club where a part of the profits go to Ravelry. Each month, the skein is themed around something Ravelry related. The first month's installment was titled, "Mascot", and was dyed in honor of Bob, the site owner's dog. Black and white and pink for the tongue.

Project: Bob socks
Pattern: Toe-up. CO 64 sts. Short row toe and heel. Stockinette st foot and 4x4 ribbed leg. 1x1 ribbed cuff. EZ sewn BO.
Yarn: Blue Hand Fibers
Colorway: Mascot
Needles: US 1.5 and 2 DPNs
Ravelry link

Wii-less babysitting.

2008-06-07T11:24:00.006+02:00

We babysat the kid last night. It was a lot of fun even though our privileges of enjoying a Wii for the night was taken away from us. Poo on them.

The kid was a little crazed when we arrived. Her parents told us that she gets like that when there are a lot of people around. I knew the kid had good taste the moment I laid eyes on her Hello Kitty play table and chair. Unfortunately, it was way too small for an adult like me so I didn't get to enjoy it. Just stare at it.

Before mom and dad took off for dinner, the kid picked her nose and accidentally left it on her cheek. I was mortified and started gagging and asking Darin to find a tissue ASAP or I would soon be puking in their apartment. Darin is still wondering how we're going to handle situations like that when we have kids of our own. I'm considering hiring someone to pick the nose and deal with the boogers of my offspring or just beg Darin to do it.

When I first met this child a month ago, she was wearing a dress and had a band-aid on each knee and each elbow. Unfortunate accidents while playing outside. She liked pointing our her band-aids to us and especially the one of Doris from "Finding Nemo". So last night, her dad asked what movie she wanted to watch while we enjoyed a drink together. Nemo, Nemo, Nemo. "Do you want to watch 'Ratatouille'"?, one of us asked. No, Nemo. Once Nemo was playing on the TV, nothing else in the room, actually in the world, existed for this child. When her parents were leaving, she had one eye on her parents and one eye still on the movie. No joke. I was watching her. From time to time, we had to wave our hands in front of her face to get her attention. This is an example of how corporate America (= Disney) can control the minds of children around the world.

Tissues are required.

2008-06-06T13:38:00.004+02:00

Does anyone else listen to the NPR: Storycorps podcast or catch the stories while listening to NPR? If you don't, I believe you're missing out. I download the weekly story and listen to them on my iTunes with a box of tissues nearby. They're required. These stories are amazing. Take some time out of your day and listen to this one, and then this one, and this one, and then this one (my favorite), and then this unbelievable one. Oh yea, and then get pissed off with this one. OK, just listen to them all. You won't regret it.

Babysitting.

2008-06-04T20:15:00.003+02:00

A colleague of THs lives in the building behind ours and has the cutest 2 1/2 year old. She was born merely days after I arrived in France. I recently met her and fell in love as soon as I saw her run. It was like a hopping/running sort of movement and it. was. adorable. We offered up our services to babysit the cutie-patootie. Not just because she's so damn adorable, but also because they own a Wii. What's not more attractive than watching a little munchkin that understands my terrible French (she's like the only person here in France that does) while kicking my husband's tush in Wii Tennis?!

TH came home tonight with good and bad news. The good news: we're babysitting l'enfant on Friday. The bad news: his colleague loaned the Wii to his brother.

Curses!

Cuss card of the week.

2008-06-03T14:19:00.003+02:00

Learn it. Love it. Use it the next time you're traveling.
This one's for you, Jen.

Slacker.

2008-06-02T09:18:00.002+02:00

I haven't been writing too much on the blog lately because there just hasn't been a lot to say. I blame it on the crappy weather. Rain, downpour, rain, thunder, lightening, and more rain. Enough already.

Life in France is going well. This past weekend, Darin ran 18K while I biked along him. He's training for the ultra-trail tour of Mont Blanc. We were planning on staying 2 nights in Chamonix and didn't think to make hotel reservations until this past weekend. After about the 10th call to a hotel, we soon learned that we should have made reservations last year. Most of everything was full, but we were finally able to book a room with a shared bath. At one point, I was willing to sleep in our car while TH was out on the trail. I also started running again after a 2 year hiatus. I don't plan on joining my husband on this trail run, I just hope to finish each jog sans shinsplints.

Warning: this post contains explicit language.

2008-05-26T11:57:00.005+02:00

I received a great gift in the mail today. It's a set of cuss cards.

On each card, is a cuss word translated into 7 different languages: English, German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish. Ya never know when you'll be traveling in one of these European countries and might need to use one of these words, right? As I've learned while living in France, it's always well regarded when one immerses themselves in the language. And I'm in dire need of learning more French cuss words.

Today's word:

I love it. I love it not.

2008-05-24T11:19:00.007+02:00

I love it: I have a new student who I tutored for the first time yesterday. We were discussing her trip to the US west coast which she took with her family and friends about 15 years ago. She told me a story about them getting lost in "ookla" in Los Angeles. "Ookla? Where's that?" I sat there reflecting in my head for a minute or so about what "ookla" could possibly be. Ah ha! My response: "Actually, we call it U.C.L.A." :)

I love it not: Darin and I ventured across the border into Geneva last night for a yummy Mexican dinner and a movie: Indiana Jones 4. My review: save your money, really. Wait and rent it.

I love it: Our gas company constantly overestimates our monthly gas usage so we pay a decent amount every 3 months. Our recent bill was as an actual reading since someone came by to read the meter this past week. The bill for the past 3 months was only 13 Euros.

I love it not: Assholes who won't let you merge into their lane when you're trying to cross the French/Swiss border. It's not my fault they closed my lane and I have to merge into yours. Is civility dead?

These could be summer socks, right?!

2008-05-22T17:52:00.004+02:00

Project: Fawkes by Monkey Toes (pattern only available on Ravelry)
Yarn: 1 skein of Lisa Souza Sock!
Colorway: Hubble Bubble
Needles: US 1.5 and 2 DPNs
Ravelry link

I knit these as part of a knit-a-long and am quite proud to have finished them before the end of May because KALs tend to stress me out and cause me to slack. And, of course, I'm signed up to participate in an all summer long sock knitting KAL. But I set a small goal: one pair of socks per month. I'm preparing my feet for the winter. At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

Forgive me, Al Gore.

2008-05-17T09:18:00.004+02:00

Dear Al,

Please don't hate me. It's my friend's birthday tomorrow and she's having a BBQ. I thought it'd be fun to bring along a 6-pack of Corona beer and a lime. A little piece of Mexico, you could say. Here's the thing...I live in France. Nowhere near Mexico. And, yes, they do sell Corona at one of our local supermarkets. You can get it almost anywhere! Well, obviously, it was imported from Mexico. Not sure if it came by plane or boat. And today, I went to the market across the street from my building in order to buy a lime. It was slim pickings over there for limes and the only ones they were selling had a big 'ol sticker on them that said "by air". Yikes. What could I do, Al? One must drink Corona with a lime. It's refreshing! You know what I'm taking about. ;)

I'm figuring that my carbon footprint has grown immensely with these 2 purchases. I hope you will forgive me someday.

BTW, I'm still hoping you'll still consider hopping your sweet self into the running for the race to the US presidency. Am I wasting my time even thinking about that?! Be honest.

Sincerely,
Someone who did vote for you back in the day

Paying for the carte de sejour in stamps.

2008-05-16T08:48:00.004+02:00

My new carte de sejour (French resident card) was ready for pick-up this week. This means that I'm legal for the next year. So I have to pay the yearly carte de sejour fee in stamps. Not postal stamps, but these special government stamps. I suppose they prefer you pay in stamps vs. having to deal with cash. Who knows. Anyway, as I'm waiting for my card, I immediately learn that there are different types of government stamps. And I bought the wrong ones. "Crap" was all that could come out of my mouth. I'm not sure if the prefecture lady understood what that meant but she probably understood that I was not happy. I had to figure out if a friendly Tabac would let me exchange my unused stamps for the correct ones or if I threw a good amount of money down the drain. I run over to the closest Tabac and struggle, in French, to tell the lady that I screwed up. She exchanged the stamps, no problem. Yippee.

A l'année prochaine, Préfecture!

Fuzzy Wuzzy slippers.

2008-05-13T11:43:00.006+02:00

Don't ask me why I'm knitting so many items that won't be worn during these warm months. I need to knit something and I prefer wool. These slippers were my first attempt at knitting humongous socks from the cuff down and at felting. They're like Shrinky Dinks. I knit up some huge socks and then threw them in the wash and they stiffen and shrink up.

Project: Fuzzy Feet by Theresa Vinson (knitty.com)
Yarn: 2 skeins of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky that I won in a contest
Colorway: Grey Heather
Needles: US 13
Ravelry link

Lyon, Coke, and Keith Haring.

2008-05-12T21:56:00.007+02:00

This past Friday, my tutor and I spent the day in Lyon in order to enjoy a temporary art exhibition of Keith Haring's work. It was also a day for me to practice my French. It was a great day and I was exhausted by the end.

We lunched at a bouchon that I've been to a few times and knew that the main dude who works there is not the friendliest of the bunch. We sit down and order drinks. I ask for a Coca Light (also known as Diet Coke to Americans). The dude tells me that the place is not a pharmacy and that they don't have Coca Light and only Coke. "Really?", I asked. "Yes.", he responded. I didn't understand why a restaurant/bar would serve one but not the other. I told him that I don't like regular Coke very much because it's too sweet for me. Than he tells me how disgusting Coke/Coca Light is. Wonderful. And also throws in that Americans are great at telling the difference between Coke and Coca Light but not at telling the difference between French wines. Now, I knew he was joking around with me and I was going along with it, but what if he was bantering with someone who didn't understand him and couldn't read his "humor" very well? Would one see him as being rude? My tutor and I discussed this for a bit because I said that if I didn't understand French, I would think he was being rude for making fun of Americans.

During the meal, he ended up bringing me that Coca Light even though I finally said (while we were ordering) that I'll just have water. After all that, he charged me for it too. I suppose that surprised me because he was such a pain in the arse about it all and then ends up bringing it to me and expecting me to pay. Should I expect differently in France?

:(

2008-05-09T08:06:00.001+02:00

I found my first gray hair the other day. I dreaded the day when I'd spot a gray hair on my own head. How did I deal with it, you ask? I pulled it out, of course. Looking forward to seeing two more gray hairs growing in that very same spot. Sigh.

Not sock nor summer related knitted objects.

2008-05-08T16:57:00.017+02:00

Pattern: Gloria Cowl by Orinda5
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM - 2 skeins
Colorway: P608D
Needles: US 9 circs
Ravelry link

Pattern: An Unoriginal Hat by Yarn Harlot
Yarn: Colinette One Zero - 1 skein
Colorway: Popsicle
Needles: US 8 circs and DPNs
Ravelry link
(My first attempt at cabling!)

P.S. I spent today at the pool soaking in the sun and swimming laps while my husband spent it skiing the mountains. On snow. What's that about?

Conversation at the pool.

2008-05-07T08:22:00.003+02:00

The outdoor swimming pool recently opened for the spring/summer/warm weather. My friend and I went there for the first time the other day. I arrived early and decided to do a few laps. While stopped at one of the ends, I asked a fellow swimmer...

Me: "Excuse me, how long is this pool?"
Him: "50 meters."
Me: "Oh. OK. It's bigger than the pool at Les Fins."
Him: "Yep. The other pool's 25 meters (you idiot)."
Me: "Ah! OK. This is an Olympic-sized pool."
Him: "Yes."
Me: "Thanks."

Duh. I knew that already. The allergy meds are causing me to lose IQ points!

And the outdoor pool gave me a little sunburn. Oops.

What's brightly colored, warm, and never going to be worn in the summer?

2008-05-06T13:32:00.005+02:00

These socks. This pattern was a good challenge for me. I'm not thrilled with the bright colors of the yarn, but what the heck. They'll definitely be worn.

Pattern: Los Monos Locos by Knitting Sutra
Mods: Used DPNs, short row toe and heel.
Yarn: The Painted Tiger Superwash Merino Wool - 1 skein
Colorway: Tropical Rainbow
Needles: US 1 and 1.5
Ravelry link

Let's go to the movies.

2008-05-01T11:45:00.007+02:00

We've been on a movie kick recently. Here is a list of what we've seen in the past several weeks:

1. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead with Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman - very captivating movie. We really enjoyed it. EH finally gained some weight and made it more bearable to look at him. PSH was awesome as usual.
2. Horton Hears a Who! - so cute. A lot of fun to watch. I saw this in French and the "Whos" were called "Zoos".
3. The Savages with PSH and Laura Linney - incredibly good and incredibly depressing. I was having a great day until I saw this and then the rest of my day was ruined. You have to be in the right frame of mind.
4. 27 dresses - cliché city. A complete waste of time and money, imo. Let me save you the time and money. Don't. See. It. I think TH is still peeved at me for making him watch it.
5. Riding Giants - a documentary about the history of surfing in North America. Very interesting. Beautiful cinematography.
6. Steep - my husband's new favorite movie. A documentary about the history of steep skiing in North America and France, bien sûr. More great cinematography.
7. & 8. Half Nelson - after seeing Lars and the Real Girl, we've become fans of Ryan Gosling. Had to rent this movie and he was amazing in it. BTW, if you haven't yet seen "Lars and the Real Girl", see it!

Have you seen any of these flicks? If so, thoughts?

I'm starting to think that THIS is the best allergy medicine...

2008-04-30T10:27:00.008+02:00

So count on me drinking a bottle 3x/day. Stupid blooming flowers and trees. And, people of Annecy. Please. Stop. Mowing. Your. Lawns.

Love...

2008-04-24T14:56:00.004+02:00

...that the bus right outside our front door now goes almost right to the front door of TH's office. Now he can take the bus more often and the car is mine!
...belated birthday gifts filled with my fav yarn, American candy, Hello Kitty, etc.
...when my local pharmacist asks me who I'll be voting for in the US elections while ringing up my allergy meds.
...a super duper good night's sleep after a swim with my friend.
...seeing the sun again. Spring, are you finally here?

You know it's a good day when...

2008-04-22T12:36:00.003+02:00

The lady at the local neighborhood market hands you two ripe avocados for free and says it's a gift just because you're nice. And they're not the bruised/incredibly mushy ones either. They're perfect. But realistically, she probably gave them to me because she was in the process of organizing today's produce and recently sifted through the avocado crate, found these two babies, and I was the lucky one to walk through the door at just the right time. Score.

A sad day for a Nalgene water bottle lover.

2008-04-20T16:02:00.005+02:00

TH recently forwarded this article to me. It states that most Nalgene bottles are possibly harmful to our health. I've heard about this before, but was having a hard time believing it. What a sad day for someone who owns more than 10 of their bottles. I'll start weaning myself off of my dependence for drinking water out of my Nalgenes when I get over this sadness. Soon they'll be sitting on our kitchen shelf collecting dust/as decoration. I'm thinking about selling them on eBay, but isn't that like selling possible sickness to someone?

Have no fear blog readers, I've already found a replacement for my love for drinking water out of a container. With this:

There's nothing wrong with a 35 y.o. drinking out of a Hello Kitty water bottle, is there?!

The needles won't stop knitting socks.

2008-04-17T11:21:00.005+02:00

Pattern: Stashbuster Spirals by Hipknitism.com
Mods: Short row toe and heel
Yarn: Extra yarn left over from these socks, and these, and this scarf
Needles: US 1.5 and 1 DPNs
Ravelry link

Tour guide. Translator. Tourist.

2008-04-15T17:17:00.004+02:00

Been busy hosting my mom and aunt for the past week. Will be back soon with more. For now, here are some photos of our trip thus far.

Paris

Perouges

Lyon

More Lyon

What puts a smile on your face?

2008-04-07T19:52:00.003+02:00

I'm talking about the little things. Like today, I bought a baguette that was fresh out of the oven. Like literally minutes out of the oven before it was in my hands. It was dee-licious and halfway gone by the time I walked in my apartment.

And for you?

11/24 squares.

2008-04-06T09:45:00.009+02:00

I'm sorry that this blog has recently been about nothing but knitting. So in a nutshell, life's good and busy. My mom and aunt are visiting next week and I'm very excited about that. This is my aunt's first time in France and I always enjoy seeing the country through a newbie's eyes. Today, TH is skiing with some US friends who are spending most of their time in Chamonix to ski the crap out of it. We're also busy planning our summer, savoring a 6 Euro tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and mourning the loss of this airline, and this airline, and this airline.

Here's the latest and greatest square. I call it the "Becca-lecca square". My sister gifted me this pretty skein thus I name it after her.

Project: Lizard Ridge Blanket from Knitty.com

Yarn: Noro Kureyon
Color: 215
Needles: US 5 and 6
Ravelry link

10/24 squares.

2008-04-03T14:36:00.005+02:00

I deem this square the "Costa Rica square". It reminds me of our wonderful trip to CR several years ago. The greens and browns are from the many primary forests we toured through and the blues and teals remind me of the ocean we swam/surfed in.

Project: Lizard Ridge Blanket from Knitty.com

Yarn: Noro Kureyon
Color: 163
Needles: US 5 and 6
Ravelry link

The birthday celebration.

2008-04-01T11:41:00.004+02:00

Thank you to everyone for the kind birthday wishes. I had a great birthday. The celebration started this past weekend with TH and I spending 2 days in Champagny en Vanoise. A night in a quaint B&B and a day and a half of cross-country skiing. And we lucked out on the weather. If you look really hard, you can spot me in these photos:

I don't have the best clothing for cross-country skiing so I was overheating after reaching the top of each hill. I was wearing TH's downhill skiing bibs. All black and thick. But it was fun and the location was gorgeous.

Yesterday, my actual birthday, was spent with TH and friends. Cupcakes and sushi. I was in heaven.

It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to.

2008-03-31T08:11:00.001+02:00

Taken 35 years ago

Care packages from home always put a smile on my face.

2008-03-27T08:57:00.004+01:00

I'm going to eat them while wearing these. And of course, they made the journey across the Atlantic. Peeps can sustain anything. They probably have the same ingredients as Twinkies or something.

Thanks Dorene!

Hi, my name is Emily and I'm a sock knittingaholic.

2008-03-26T10:45:00.004+01:00

Pattern: toe-up, CO 28, short row toe, St st, short row heel, 6x1 rib in leg, 1x1 rib at top for 1 in., EZ sewn BO
Yarn: Handspun yarn purchased on Etsy
Needles: US 1.5, 2
Ravelry link

My feet will never be cold again.

2008-03-21T15:47:00.004+01:00

Project: Marshmallow Peeps socks
Mods: Toe-up, short row toe and heel, 4x1 rib, 1x1 cuff, EZ sewn BO
Yarn: Regia Nordic Color
Colorway: 5514
Needles: US 1.5 and 1
Ravelry link

Holy moly.

2008-03-18T09:11:00.000+01:00

1 EUR = $1.57 USD

Think I can drag my husband along to this movie?

2008-03-17T11:44:00.001+01:00

Think it'll come to France?!

9/24 squares.

2008-03-14T14:28:00.003+01:00

This one's my "Pacific Ocean" square. Why the Pacific? Because it's the ocean that rocks the most. Dude.

Project: Lizard Ridge Blanket from Knitty.com
Yarn: Noro Kureyon
Color: 40T
Needles: US 5 and 6
Ravelry link

French initiation.

2008-03-13T14:34:00.004+01:00

Yesterday, TH, our visitor, and I spent the day in Lyon. Hiking to the cathedral, having a delicious lunch at a bouchon (no tripe this time), strolling along the streets, and preventing myself from entering a Starbucks filled our day. We missed the bus that would take us back in time for me to make my Wednesday evening tutoring session. We then bought tickets for the next train to Annecy but that train never shows up on the screen to let us know which platform to go to and Darin soon found out that all direct trains to Annecy were canceled due to a strike. Lovely. We, along with 4 others who are trying to get back to Annecy, make an unsuccessful stink at the reception area. Our only option was to take a local train to Chambery which stopped at, what seemed like, 50 towns in between Lyon and Chambery. Then we waited an hour in Chambery and before hopping onto the next train to Annecy. We made it 3 hours later than planned and on our walk back home John successfully steps in dog shit. All in all, it was a noteworthy day for John...a warm welcome to this wonderful country we call, France.

My life without Barbie.

2008-03-10T15:16:00.005+01:00

This post is in honor of Barbie's 49th birthday which was just a few days ago. Think they'll start making a Barbie doll that actually looks her age? Sagging boobs, stretch marks, some grey hair, lines around her eyes, etc?

I didn't grow up with Barbie dolls. If I wanted one, I had to pay for it out of my allowance. If you're wondering, yes, I grew up in a feminist home. I do remember having a Bionic Woman doll but can't remember if I got it as a gift from my parents or bought it with my allowance. And I so badly wanted the Donnie and Marie dolls but would only get those when I stopped sucking my thumb. I did eventually stop sucking my thumb, but never got the dolls. I suppose I got over wanting them at that point in my young life. Man, if I had them, I wonder how much they'd go for on Ebay.

During grad school not so long ago, I was a counseling intern at an elementary school. While I was doing my internship, someone donated a doll house to the counseling center. Along with furniture and...Barbie dolls. One time, I gave one of my students the choice to play with whatever she wanted during our 30 minutes together. She chose the house. She made me play Barbie. I hated it. I didn't get into it at all. I couldn't wait for those 30 minutes to be over with.

In honor of big B's birthday, NPR did an audio piece on her. It's very interesting. Click here to hear the audio piece and read an article.

Bits and pieces.

2008-03-05T12:25:00.007+01:00

1. It's been snowing lately. I love seeing snow on the rooftops and cars. Too bad it's not sticking for too long in Annecy. These past couple days, I've come across some folks who aren't too thrilled with the snow and cold weather. Possibly because we had spring weather over the weekend? I, on the other hand, love it. I'm especially happy about it because our friend, Juba(!!!), is coming to visit for 2 weeks starting this weekend. And he and TH are planning on backcountry skiing the crap out of the French Alps.

2. With the dollar being so weak lately, our Euro can now buy me a lot of sock yarn. :)

3. These US elections are giving me an ulcer. Can't November be here already?!

4. I finished TH's socks. Man, are they comfortable. We might have to share these babies.

5. School's back in session = no more kids crossing the pool lanes right in front of me while I'm doing my laps. Where did all the respectful kids go?!

6. My next knitting project is a pair of socks that I've titled "Marshmallow Peeps socks" due to the bright colors. I hope to have these finished by the holiday when we all like to devour those florescent Peeps...Passover.

One down. One to go.

2008-02-29T12:34:00.004+01:00

TH's first sock is done. One can learn so much from each sock they knit. This time I made some modifications from the original pattern...

1) I’m doing these toe-up following Wendy's Generic Toe-Up detailed sock pattern.
2) I CO 60 sts with US 1.5 DPNs and did a short row toe.
3) Then followed the Thuja patten: K the entire 1st row. For the 2nd row, K4, P1 over 30 sts and K the other 30. Rotate.
4) Did a short row heel so that the pattern on the 30 sts is on the front/top of the sock.
5) Did the pattern around the leg.
6) I switched to a smaller size needle for the cuff (US 1).
7) Finished with the EZ sewn BO.

Luckily, TH and I have similar sized feet so I can model them for ya'll. Off to start sock #2.

I couldn't have said it any better.

2008-02-26T14:15:00.000+01:00

My first pair of knitted socks.

2008-02-24T09:53:00.003+01:00

Pattern: Wendy's Generic Toe-up Sock Pattern
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM (I can't find the ballband to find out the colorway)
Needles: US 2/2.75 mm
Ravelry link

My first pair of socks are done. I thoroughly enjoyed knitting them. I think I might be addicted to sock knitting because as soon as I finished these babies (which I knit along with the Wicked sweater), I started swatching for a pair of socks for TH. Here's a photo of what his socks look like so far:

Pattern: Thuja from Knitty.com
Yarn: STR mediumweight
Colorway: In the Navy
Needles: TBD
Ravelry link

Very brief post.

2008-02-23T10:47:00.002+01:00

I just needed to scream this to the world. Or at the very least, to my petite group of blog readers...

The TV show, "30 Rock", is the best show ever!!!

That's all.

Aquagym class.

2008-02-21T14:25:00.005+01:00

Last night, I went to an aquaerobics class with my French tutor. She goes each week so I decided to join her and to check it out. First of all, unisex bathrooms like they had in "Ally McBeal" exist in France. We were taking off our clothes (swimsuits were already on) in front of men who were coming out of the shower or jacuzzi or steam room in their suits. Luckily, there was a changing room...with a door...and a lock. One of the pools I go to has the same unisex bathroom situation. I find this odd. But that's not the best word to use. It's different. I'm still not used to it and I don't think I like it. But I must get used to it, right?

I was a bit nervous about going to the class and not being able to understand a thing the teacher said. So my tutor asks her if she speaks any English and could possibly translate things for me if I look lost. She said that she knows, "up, down, right, left". I said, "perfect". She told us that she learned these English words from watching "Dora the Explorer". In France, she speaks French and then some English words. Doesn't she speak English with Spanish words in the US? In the end, the class was fun. It was hard. And for the most part, I understood what the teacher said to us. And sometimes she said things in English for my benefit. And if she couldn't think of the words in English, the class would help her. That's what I call teamwork.

My first sweater.

2008-02-20T09:23:00.006+01:00

Pattern: Zephyr Style Wicked
Size: M
Yarn: Cascade 220 (4.5 skeins)
Color: 7821
Needles: Denise/bamboo DPNs US 9/5.5 mm
Ravelry link

It's finished. For a first sweater attempt, I'm happy. I don't know if I love it. It'll need to grow on me. It appears to be a little bulkier than I thought, but it's comfortable. Now I know what to expect for the next sweater attempt.

Hearts and chocolates and flowers. Oh my.

2008-02-15T10:26:00.004+01:00

TH and I had a nice Valentine's Day yesterday. How about you? We dined over fondue, shrimp, good wine, and yummy bread. And didn't leave the restaurant reeking of smoke + cheese. It was fabulous.

A few weeks ago, my parents sent us a red heart garland that I hung up in our apartment. And then immediately received a heavy sigh from my husband. I don't think he liked it. Anyway, one of my tutoring students, thought my parents were funny for sending the garland. I then explained to her what the American traditions for V-Day were. The country is full of red and pink and chocolates. And Hallmark makes a killing.

A few years ago, a friend sent me a box of Strawberry Shortcake valentine cards so I gave one to my French tutor yesterday. First, to be nice and second, to show her what the kids in the USA do on V-Day. She asked me: "You even give these to girls?" In France, V-Day (if celebrated) is more of a "couples" holiday. But Darin did tell me that there were a lot of men and women in line to buy flowers yesterday and we did spot a lady in the restaurant wearing a scarf with hearts.

Snowshoeing.

2008-02-12T09:33:00.000+01:00

This past weekend, Darin and I went snowshoeing at Le plateau de Glieres. It was a lot of fun. I'm realizing that I'm no longer a fan of winter sports that require skis. Though I will give cross-country skiing a second try and my husband would really like me to go downhill skiing with him at least once this winter. Gimme a helmet and let me go down the green runs and I'm all good.

At one point we stopped for a little snack, some hot tea, and a little rock climbing. For him, of course. And, yes, he took off his snowshoes before climbing.

He had me at "hello".

2008-02-10T10:00:00.001+01:00

I tutor a 14 y.o. boy who has a 4 1/2 y.o. little brother. Several months ago while I was talking to their mother, the 4 1/2 y.o. blurts out that he can't understand a word I'm saying. Yea dude, I know my accent sucks.

Several weeks ago as I'm leaving, he slowly walks down the stairs and spots me, but says nothing. His mom reminds him to say "good-bye" to me so he raises his hand in a "talk to the hand" sort of gesture, but says nothing . I laughed because it was too adorable and just did the same thing back to him. The next week, I barely had entered the house and hear him greet me with a very enthusiastic "Bonjour Emily!!!". I was shocked. He spoke to me. That very same day, while I'm getting ready to leave, I hear him say "Au revoir Emily!!!". I melted. And this week? He greeted me with a very energetic "Hello Emily!!!". His mom obviously influenced this behavior, but I just don't care. Swoon.

Warming my neck with color.

2008-02-08T08:15:00.001+01:00

I just finished this little neckwarmer. J'adore the colors of the yarn. Definitely a fun, quick knit. Must...stop...making...scarfs.

Pattern: Plucky Knitter Neckwarmer

Yarn: Colinette One Zero
Colorway: Jamboree
Needles: Denise US 13/9 mm
Button: purchased in Munich

Um, what's my motivation?

2008-02-07T13:44:00.000+01:00

How cool is this?

And scene.

Sock progress.

2008-02-06T09:55:00.001+01:00

Knitting socks is fun! I chose a fairly basic sock pattern. Probably what the sock experts would consider easy-peasy. I am lovin' the yarn. But then again I love variegated yarn. Not loving the fact that I'll have to wash these by hand.

Pattern: Wendy's Generic Toe-up Sock Pattern
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM (I can't find the ballband to find out the colorway)
Needles: US 2/2.75 mm

I voted. Did you?

2008-02-05T13:33:00.001+01:00

Hooray for being able to vote from France. Please get out there an vote (if you live in a state that can today) for who you believe will be the most competent one to clean up this mess.

Today, I lead the English conversation class with the group of retirees. They asked me how the voting system works in the US. My answer was: "It's too complicated to explain." Believe me, I tried to explain it in English, but it didn't seem to be getting through. And there was no way for me to be able to explain it in French. How do you say "electoral"? OK. Forget that. I just looked it up and it's the same word.

Dachau.

2008-02-04T14:03:00.000+01:00

Since I posted photos of my recent visit to the Dachau concentration camp, I soon after received an email from a reader telling me about her father who was a part of the liberation of Dachau. She allowed me to share her emails with you. Here is her first email:

I felt I had to write to you to tell you that my dad, who died last year, was a Screaming Eagle paratrooper with 101st Airborne (along with the Band of Brothers though he was in an anti-tank unit that attached to different companies).

He was with his division when they liberated Dachau. He wrote about it in his personal war recollections and said that they rounded up a large group of German citizens (men), including local officials, and forced them to bury the great numbers of dead because they all pretended they knew nothing about the camp.

He could never talk about liberating the camp without being still deeply shocked at what he saw -- the condition of the living in Dachau bothered him as much as the dead -- and we could never listen without tears. When I read about those who say the Holocaust never happened, all I can think is: Of course. Because evil doesn't see itself.

(second email message was removed)

I asked her if her father published his experiences because I have a new interest in reading the stories from those that were a part of liberating the concentration camps.

I also heard from another woman whose father was the first unit (42nd Rainbow division) to enter and liberate Dachau. I can't even imagine what this experience was like. But would like to learn more. If you know of any books about the experiences from the liberators of the concentration camps, please let me know.

Surrounded by knitting WIPs.

2008-02-03T08:46:00.000+01:00

I've started a few more knitting projects this week. At the moment, I'm working on 4 WIPs (works in progress). While working away at my Wicked sweater (see below), I got a bit antsy to start my first pair of socks (ever!). The distraction was not good because I spaced on where I was in the pattern (doing some increases) and ended up doing only one out of the requested six increases. So right now the sweater looks shorter than it does in this photo since I've ripped out several inches yesterday.

Friday, I started my first pair of socks and so far, I'm really enjoying them. I love the yarn. It took me about three tries to get started but the pattern is explained in excruciating detail which is perfect for me. It's like the designer is holding my hand while I knit the socks. With five double pointed needles flying around my face, I'm thankful for wearing glasses.

Then, I bought a few skeins Colinette bulky yarn on sale thanks to my friend, Sylvie, for passing on the information. I received my yarn on Thursday and immediately fell in love with this ball of yarn. With this yummy goodness, I decided to knit up a neckwarmer for myself.

International roaming.

2008-02-02T09:20:00.000+01:00

Until last week, I didn't know that we could roam internationally on our cell phones. For 2 years, we haven't been and it would've been nice while I was stuck in London City airport in June to let my husband know when I would arrive in Geneva because Aer Lingus sucks. Anyway, someone who has the same cell phone carrier, told me that we do have international roaming capabilities and need to call the carrier. Enter TH. The cell phone contracts are under my name therefore when we call the company and they hear a man's voice, they're a little thrown off. Darin already had a speech prepared for why he's calling for his wife who's too chicken to talk to them. So they ask for passwords and personal information and they must get them from me. He hands the phone to me and I have no idea what my password is. She gives me a hint. So I start naming words. Then Darin blurts it out. Hooray! It only took 5 minutes for us to remember our password. Now we have international roaming.

During our drive to Munich, you'd hear me say, "Oh, we're in Austria. What's the cell phone company?", and we'd pull out our phones to look.

Yep, we're late to the game.

Munich: the city of carbs.

2008-01-31T11:47:00.000+01:00

TH and I just got back from another trip to Munich. He had to go for work so I tagged along. Overall, it was a really nice trip. Since Darin was working, I was on my own during the 3 days. Sunday, I did a walking tour of the city, visited an art museum, and then joined the Munich English-speaking knitting group. Someone had passed along a website that has reviews of Munich restaurants and through that, I found the group. It was comprised of expats who were working or studying in Munich. That night, Darin and I dined over plates and glasses full of carbohydrates (Munich's specialty): beer, pretzels, and potatoes. Oh, and some yummy creamed herring.

Monday, I spent the day doing a little shopping. In NYC, you can find bagel and cream cheese sandwiches, but in Munich, you find pretzel and cream cheese sandwiches. They were deelish. That night, again, we ate and drank many carbs for dinner.

Tuesday, I went on a tour of the Dachau concentration camp. What an unforgettable experience. There's only so much you can learn from movies, documentaries, and in your history classes, but being there is quite a different experience. It's really hard to explain my feelings about it in words. I recommend that everyone visit a concentration camp once in their lifetime. Next time I visit one, I'm bringing along Mel Gibson's father or anyone else that believes the Holocaust never happened. Anyone know his number?

Here's a slideshow of some photos from the trip. I recommend you read the captions from the Dachau photos.

8/24 squares.

2008-01-30T09:52:00.000+01:00

I call this one the "chocolate chip cookie square".

2m1.

2008-01-26T09:01:00.000+01:00

I learned this text message abbreviation last night after someone, we were dining with, had received a text on her cell phone with the word included in the message. It's like LOL or BTW or IMO. Can anyone guess what it is? Hint: it's a French word. Or if you already know it, share some other French abbreviations you use in text messages.

My attempt at cross-country skiing.

2008-01-25T08:47:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday, TH and I decided to try out cross-country skiing and skating at a nearby ski resort. It was a gorgeous day so every resident of the Haute-Savoie and their dog was there as well. Downhill skiing isn't as attractive to me as it once was. Why? Because some punk kid on a snowboard is bound to crash into you. Yes, that's all I think about when I'm try to get myself down a run. It's a neuroticism that I don't think I'll be able to get rid of. Cross-country skiing looked appealing because you're mainly on flat terrain. But, I didn't know that the skis were so slippery. Going uphill was no problem. I actually didn't mind climbing the hills. It was going downhill that was the problem. I had no idea what I was doing. And I had no idea how to slow myself down or get control or be able to stay on my skis. Is it possible to snowplow in cross-country skis and not lose so much control that you end up going down the hill on your tush? I think I was doing something wrong. Il faut apprendre ski de fond. Sylvie, let's make a date.

Ode to Fondue.

2008-01-23T10:24:00.000+01:00

A little fondue related pleasure reading to share. I've recently learned that when you get to the unappetizing remains of the melted cheese and wine at the bottom of the pot, crack in an egg and mix. Voila....scrambled eggs a la fondue.

I need to keep my mouth shut.

2008-01-22T11:28:00.001+01:00

Every other Tuesday morning, I lead an English conversation class to a group of about 10 retirees. Boy, do they like to talk...and not in English, of course. They're a close knit group. They're very nice and a lot of fun to be with. I've been having a hard time keeping them on track to speaking only English during the hour and a half that we spend together. The other day, a friend recommended that I write a list of everyone's names on the board. Each time I catch them speaking French, give them a mark next to their name. The person with the most marks at the end of the class, must buy coffee for everyone. We actually did that during my French lessons back in the day so I decided to try it. I added my name to the list too. The class was incredibly quiet today. Too quiet, in fact. I didn't like it. Who's buying coffee for everyone for the next class? Me. I broke down from time to time when they didn't understand a simple word that was impossible to describe to them in English so that they'd understand. I was weak.

"Scrubs" addicts.

2008-01-21T13:01:00.000+01:00

Premise: my husband and I watch our DVDs of "Scrubs" all...the...time. What do we watch/listen to in the mornings as we're getting ready for work or whatnot? "Scrubs". While I knit? I like to watch "Scrubs". After dinner and nothing good on the boob tube? Let's watch some "Scrubs".

So last night, we're about to watch a DVD of our beloved American TV show when Darin finds an episode on TV dubbed in French. Even though we've seen it a billion and one times, we watch it, but I must of spaced out and was completely unaware that we were watching it in French and not English. After about 5 minutes, I realized that we were, in fact, watching it in French and I understood everything that was going on. It's either due to the fact that I knew that episode like the back of my hand or because I know French so darn well.

Answer: I watch too much "Scrubs".

My husband is kRaZy!

2008-01-19T11:09:00.000+01:00

TH recently signed himself up for a race. And not just some piddly running race around the lake or anything. A race that takes him through 3 countries. That must be completed under 25 hours. That is about 96 km (59.7 miles) in length. And with more than 5,600 m (18,372.7 feet) of altitude change. What is this craziness that I'm talking about? It's The North Face Ultra-Trail Tour du Mont Blanc. Or what I call the Tour de Testosterone. And mind you, this is only the half tour that I'm talking about. Much crazier people do an entire circuit around Mont Blanc that must be completed in under 46 hours. Uh huh. No problem.

I'll be cheering for him starting at noon on August 29th and waiting for him to finish on August 30th. Who's joining me? Someone's gotta help keep me awake throughout the night. Or maybe I'll just sleep in our car.

Has my husband lost it? I think so. But I envy him for challenging himself like this.

Sweater progress.

2008-01-18T09:53:00.000+01:00

Knitting my first sweater ever (!!!) has been fun. I'm knitting from the top of the sweater on down. Let's hope it'll fit so I don't have to unravel it and start all over. Fingers crossed, people.

Like they say at McDonalds: "I'm lovin' it."

Um, huh?

2008-01-17T13:13:00.000+01:00

The other day, one of my students asked me what the difference is between past simple and present perfect. I had no idea. Luckily, it was at the end of our hour together so I said that we'd continue this next week...giving me time to research what the heck present perfect is. Is it all English speaking nations or the US or just me that doesn't remember tenses quite like the French do? I just don't think our English classes hammered the tenses into our head like they did in France. Or maybe this is just another class I slept through (History was the other one). Of course, I use present perfect when speaking, but I could not have told you that what I just said was, in fact, present perfect. I am amazed when one of my students can quickly tell me what tense we're talking about when I clearly could not. After meeting with the student, Darin and I tried to figure it out so that I could easily explain the difference to the student...in French. Who was able to clearly explain the difference to me? My French tutor.

Waiting for Darin to come home.

2008-01-15T09:22:00.000+01:00

7/24 squares.

2008-01-14T13:20:00.000+01:00

It's snowing!

2008-01-12T09:58:00.000+01:00

As such, I sit here enjoying my coffee out of a ginormous mug and staring at the view of the snow hitting the rooftops and blanketing the hills and mountains surrounding Annecy. TH is skiing today. What am I doing? Laundry, dishes, knitting, running errands for tonight's sleepover in Megeve with friends (fondue dinner!!!), and packing. Lucky me.

Been working on my resolutions. I swam three times this week. I love how I rinse off at the pool and then come home and take a proper shower, but still smell like chlorine after using soap. That stuff is lethal.

Today, I'll start to knit my first sweater ever. Through Ravelry, I'll be knitting it along with a group of knitters from around the world. It'll be nice to have some support (other than from TH and my knitting group) as I attempt to knit a sweater. What am I getting myself into?!

Last night, TH and I went over to a co-worker's new apartment for some drinks and conversation. His co-worker and her partner re-did everything and it was super nice. I was drooling a little at how big and clean and modern their place is. But I have no desire to do any of the work myself, if and when we buy a place, wherever it happens to be. My eyes are definitely bigger than my pocketbook. So TH was talking about some movie we recently saw and one of the ladies responds a bit harshly to him. I picked that up right away. "What's up her butt?", I whispered to TH. On the car ride home, we were discussing how sensitive I am towards people's nonverbal communication. Is it because I don't understand the language 100% so I rely on something else to help me in understanding the conversation? I don't know, but I do remember coming to France for the very first time many years ago, knowing absolutely no French. We were having lunch with friends and two people in the group started talking loudly to each other. I turned to Darin and asked him if they were fighting. He responded that they weren't. A second later the female threw a glass of water into the male's face. I love it when I'm right. :)

Neverending scarf.

2008-01-10T14:16:00.000+01:00

I started this Chevron scarf while on our holiday road trip. It was a great portable project until it started growing. Fun to knit, but I was ready to be done with it towards the last several inches. J'adore the colors. Both skeins are from Socks that Rock. Next knitting project: my first sweater?!

Resolutions, smesolutions.

2008-01-09T10:30:00.000+01:00

I haven't taken the time to write up my 2008 new year resolutions yet. As I type this, I'm looking at the ones I picked for 2007 some have changed and some remain the same. I did learn how to drive our car and actually ran an errand all by myself yesterday. I kinda sorta stopped doing yoga. I did start cooking more thanks to my friend Sylvie. I did start blogging more than I did during my first year in France. I learned to knit and now love it. Of course, I've been improving my French. Actually, I still think I talk horribly, but TH and my tutor would disagree.

Here's what I got so far for this year. Some of them are continuations from last year and some of them will be on my new year resolutions list for the rest of my life...

Continue improving my French.
Spend less time in my head and be able to just let things go.
Swim, swim, swim until I grow gills or possibly get up the guts to try a triathlon.
Continue learning new easy, healthy recipes.
Talk more French at home. Not with myself, but with TH.
Learn how to cross-country ski/skate.
Learn how to crochet.
Stay healthy.
To be continued...

Brrrrrr.

2008-01-05T11:08:00.001+01:00

We had no heat nor hot water for most of yesterday. It sucked. Have I mentioned that I live in the French Alps and it's currently winter?

Keeping my head warm.

2008-01-04T12:37:00.000+01:00

I finally have a knitting project to share. I call it my "Oompa Loompa hat" and it'll be keeping me warm this winter.

This fab hat is a holiday gift from my friend, Sylvie. I love it.

2 years in France.

2008-01-03T13:25:00.000+01:00

Two years ago today, I started my new life in France. It feels like just yesterday that I arrived here, in tears, due to exhaustion, sadness, and happiness. I still feel like that person who only knows three French words: Bonjour, Au revoir, and Merci. Where does the time go?

2007 Reflections.

2007-12-31T11:24:00.000+01:00

Looking back at 2007 and comparing it to 2006, this was a great year. To be honest, this year was much easier and more comfortable for me living here in France. I learned how to knit and found a hobby that helps to keep me relaxed. And through that, I've made some wonderful new friends. I learned how to really drive a stick shift (before I was just faking it). I started working with youth again and I love it. I started leading an English conversation class with a group of retirees who've not only been teaching me a lot, but have been making this opportunity a very memorable experience. I continued improving my French which has made life a lot easier. I started swimming again. I traveled to Munich, Prague, Berlin, Monaco, Serrento, Malta, Palma de Mallorca, Avignon, Montpellier, Cadaques, Carcassonne, and Toulouse for the first time. I've found a community of expats living throughout France and through them have made some friends. I tried tripe and frog legs for the first and last time. I learned how to switch the hard drives in our computer all by myself (obviously, a thrilling accomplishment for me). I learned that going home to California once a year is just not enough. I've also learned that I don't enjoy doing international travel alone. And I've finally come to peace with the notion that my husband will never put the remote controls away after he uses them no matter how many times I remind him.

2007 brought me a lot of smiles and frowns. Many celebrations and some tragedies. This was a year where I learned a lot about myself. Here's looking forward to an even more adventurous and eventful 2008. And I wish you all a wonderful start to the new year.

Exploring France.

2007-12-30T09:57:00.000+01:00

We're back from our 9-day holiday car trip to Avignon, Montpellier, Cadaques, Spain, Carcassonne, and Toulouse. Had a great time. Enjoyed all the space we had in our massive gas-guzzling rental car. It was about time I finally explored more of this country outside of my department/region. And what did I learn on this trip? That this country is old.

First stop was Avignon. We visited the Pope's Palace and the Pont d'Avignon. The French children's song about this bridge was stuck in my head for hours...or maybe it was because my husband wouldn't stop singing it for hours?

Next, we stopped in Montpellier. We failed to do much research on this city before we left, assuming there'd be something in the guidebook we brought. Nothing. So, we just wandered the pretty streets and watched all the people get in their last minute holiday shopping.

On our way to Cadaques, Spain, we stopped in a gorgeous beach town for lunch. Collioure is right by the Spanish border. The buildings in Collioure were painted in bright ice cream colors. I'd love to go back there during the warmer months.

The Spanish/French border was a joke, by the way. We're curious to know when was the last time someone official actually stepped into the customs building.

Cadaques was beautiful as well. I just love Spain. It was cold and wet, but fun sitting on a bench by the water while eating our crossaints for breakfast. This town is famous for Salvador Dali. He grew up not too far away and would travel over to Cadaques to paint. In his adult life, he bought a house in a neighboring port which is now a tourist location. I've never been a fan of Dali's art, but visiting his house gave me more perspective on his life. Strange and bizarre are the first two words that come to mind.

Next stop was Carcassonne. An amazing 13th century Medieval town and castle. My husband was like a kid in a candy store when we strolled through the streets of the Old City. They filmed Kevin Costner's "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" movie here. We came back to the town for Xmas Eve dinner. The place was a ghost town and scared the bajeezus out of me. I couldn't stop thinking about how haunted the town might be.

For Xmas, we went to Toulouse to visit some friends. One half of the couple was an Art History major and took us around the city to see various churches and other interesting sites. Supposedly, we saw the largest Romanesque church in all of Europe. My favorite activity (other than eating homemade foie gras) was the tour of Airbus and seeing the A380s up close, personal, and naked (without a paint job).

I'm looking forward to more "exploration of France outside of the Haute-Savoie" travel in the near future.

Happy holidays!

2007-12-18T12:12:00.001+01:00

I'll be away from the blogging world for a couple weeks and wanted to wish you all a warm and wonderful holiday season and happy new year! See you in 2008.

Can't a girl get a break?

2007-12-15T12:35:00.000+01:00

Just a quick update on more mileage disappointments for me. I flew with Aer Lingus on my way to the US this past trip. BTW, I'm not sure if this is an Irish thing or what, but as soon as the wheels of the plane hit the runway (we were not even close to parking that baby), most of the passengers were up and out of their seat, getting their bags from the overhead compartments, and starting to line up. The flight attendants were not happy about it and had to fight them all to sit back in their seats. I digress...

Aer Lingus is partners with American Airlines and sue me (only in the USA) for looking forward to possibly gaining more miles. I faxed in all my paperwork to American this week because as of today, all of my American miles were going to disappear thanks to their new miles retention policy. I called them to confirm that they received my paperwork. They did, but, unfortunately, due to the class of my ticket (here we go again), I will receive zero miles. Lovely. Have these airlines ever heard of customer satisfaction or even care?

This is just hard for TH and I to digest at the moment because we live thousands of miles away from family and under one salary thus a cheaper international flight or flight bought with miles is what we can do right now and the airlines are just making it more difficult.

Ranting and raving.

2007-12-13T12:52:00.000+01:00

I just saw the amount of miles I gained from flying with SAS this past weekend. I am not happy. Due to the type of class I flew in, I only earned 25% of the total miles flown. I not only find this to be totally ridiculous, but also offensive. They say that the more one spends, the more miles one gains. So really, it's not a perk to gain the miles, I'm buying them instead. What's going on with these airlines??? I do not enjoy how classist they are. Like with United, they have a red carpet for those of a certain status...class...whatever to walk on before boarding the plane. Gimme a break. "Will all the peons please stand next to the red carpet while waiting to board?" I want to spit on that red carpet. Has anyone else dealt with this BS?!

On a happier note, I finished square #6...