carnet de correspondance

Summer 2010 part trios

2011-09-29T16:30:00.000-04:00

Finally, we treated the whole of the Belle-famille to lunch at la Maison de la Lozere. One thing you may not know about Jube is that he was born and grew up in Lozere, one of the least-populated departements in France. The cuisine of Lozere is not necessarily considered the most refined food in France. Generally it is seen as hearty peasant's fair, with the most famous dish being l'aligot, mashed potatoes mixed with tomme, a special kind of cheese. Through some kind of Lozerian magic, the potatoes and the tomme mix together to become one seul et unique creation. Jube tells me of his memories eating aligot, watching the gruff farmers make it by mixing and mixing with a big wooden spoon, lifting the aligot out of the dish to reveal a long string. It really does look like someone pulling a spoon out of a dish of fondue. It is wonderful.

La Maison de la Lozere basically serves haute cuisine, but they also bring you aligot on the side. Jube and the Belle-famille always complain that gourmet restaurants give you a tiny dish of something - but they all like la Maison de la Lozere because if you don't fill up on your entree, you can always get more aligot! Here are some pictures of our wonderful meal:

This was one of the first courses - I think an amuse-bouche - made with fish.

Unfortunately I didn't take any other pictures of our meal until dessert:

And, one of my favorite things about those expensive restaurants - they always give you a surprise dessert with your cafe:

Summer 2010 part deux

2011-09-27T16:22:00.000-04:00

We also did some traditionally French things last summer. They included:

Seeing a manifestation on the streets of Nimes;

Visiting my favorite market (aux Arceaux de Montpellier) and picking up some tasty French food;

And checking out the social commentary graffiti'd around the city. (It says:
Vous pouvez me filmer (priorité!), mais, vous n'aurez jamais ma liberté de pensée. 1984! Fuck you!
You can film me (top priority!), but, you'll never have my liberty of thought. 1984!)

Summer 2010

2011-09-23T16:16:00.000-04:00

Looking back at my blog, I see it's been severely neglected! I completely forgot to post about our time in the south of France last June! Well, we met the newest member of the Belle-famille:

Erine! Yes, this little bouledogue francais has conquered the hearts and minds of the Belle-famille. She goes everywhere with them. Luckily, she really is a sweet little dog. Even Jube ended up liking her (although he is not quite as obsessed as le Pacha, who really got upset with us when we yelled at her for chewing on our shoes).

Our Condo/Notre Appart

2011-09-20T16:10:00.000-04:00

As you may remember, last summer we bought a condo. We figured that interest rates probably wouldn't drop lower (they haven't dropped by much!) and that home prices would probably go up soon (untrue - but they haven't dropped, so almost as good!). We decided on a condo because there are only two of us and we don't need too much space. We also both hate doing yard work, so the condo ended up being an obvious choice. Finally, it's located right next to a metro stop. Although neither of us use the metro to get to work, we both can, and it's great for going into the city for after-work happy hour, etc.

We both really like the location and the layout... but when we visited, we knew we had to do something about the paint. It looked like this:

Do not adjust your screen - you really do see four colors in that last photo (blue, cream, red, and green). We repainted nearly all of the walls in the apartment, and although you could say it's less unique, it suits us a bit more. Here's a photo of the living room:

(Yes, the green was one of the few colors we kept intact.)

Something we didn't have to change much of was the kitchen:

Although when Beau-papa was here this summer, he helped us install a backsplash (well, actually, he pretty much did it on his own).

Rehoboth

2011-09-16T22:14:00.000-04:00

Jube and I went to Rehoboth Beach last weekend. We biked, body surfed, ate ice cream and frozen bananas, and in general enjoyed a 3-day weekend. Nice.

An arty Jube photo.

I wore this hat the whole time.

Body surfing!

Bye-bye, Rehoboth! We will miss you!

Father & Son: A Meme + My Comments

2011-09-12T11:52:00.000-04:00

Here are the rules:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Tag 20 friends.
5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.
6. No classical or Christmas music, or music in other languages.
7. Have Fun!

1. What do your friends say about you? Oh Very Young

I hope this refers to my looks and not my maturity level...

2. How would your coworkers describe you? Just

Yes, I am a very fair person!

3. How would you describe yourself? Beautiful Way

If I were to describe myself, I would do it in a beautiful way...

4. What do you like in a romantic partner? Stoppin' the Love

Is it opposite day?

5. How do you feel today? Street Spirit (Fade Out)

I guess I feel tired of hittin' the streets.

6. What is your life’s purpose? Unnatural Selection

Heheh.

7. What is your motto? Feelin Good

I like it.

8. What do you think about the most? The Small Print

It does consume me, I admit it...

9. What are you going to do on your next vacation? Escape

We are leaving for Rehoboth on Saturday. I can't wait!

10. What do you think of your first love/date? Separator

We did have a LDR for awhile.

11. What is your life story? A Punch Up at a Wedding (No No No No No No No No)

Yeah, that's all my life is, man... just some punch up at a wedding...

12. What did you do yesterday? Cymbal Rush

It sounds like a cool day.

13. What do you think of when you see the person you like/love? Everything in Its Right Place

14. What describes your wedding? The Icicle Melts

-_- I don't get it?

15. What will they play at your funeral? Sober

It will be a sobering situation for me, for sure!

16. What is your obsession? Space Dementia

I think that this is what happens when you play Mass Effect for too long. I didn't talk to Jube for a whole weekend.

17. What is your biggest fear? Ruled by Secrecy

It does sound super scary!

18. What is your biggest secret? New Born

Shhh. Ne le dis a personne...

19. What is your biggest turn-on? Moonshadow

It is sexy.

20. How do you describe your friends? Dollars & Cents

Yeah, suckers just out for what they can get.

21. What would you do with a million dollars? Annie

Anne, did you see this? It's true. I'm saving up for it right now.

22. What is your opinion of sex? Lucky

I don't think I'm the only one with that opinion!

23. What is your biggest regret? Airbag

Yeah. Buying a car without them would be pretty bad, eh?

24. What would you rather be doing right now? Feral

It sounds kinky...

25. What will you post this list as?

Father & Son

Cultural Misunderstandings

2011-09-08T20:33:00.002-04:00

Jube works with immigrant youth, helping them integrate to life in the US. Part of his job is helping them find internships and jobs, which includes talking to their supervisors and things like that. The other day, one of his students' supervisors contacted him with a concern.

"It's kind of embarrassing, and I don't know how to bring it up with him..." she said.

"What's wrong? I can talk to him about it," said Jube.

"Well... you see... he doesn't wear deodorant. And in the summer, well... you understand."

"Oh, yes," he answered. "In some cultures, deodorant just isn't as important as it is in the US."

"What, do you think he's from France?" she said.

...She was serious. Poor Jube.

Jubisms

2010-12-05T07:26:00.000-05:00

On Incubus:

They're a pretty good band. They did this album with a lot of different styles, even some jazzy stuff. But it wasn't actually jazz, so it wasn't like . . . [insert retching sounds here].

On his sartorial choices in the evening:

Why . . . am I not wearing pants?

On Facebook:

Jube: I really should de-friend this guy.

Gem: Why, who is he?

Jube: Oh, my oldest friend.

Gem: What?

Jube: Well, he's really stupid! The only reason we were friends is because we met when we were two, and I couldn't tell how stupid he was.

On Glee:

Jube: [While I am watching Glee, during a musical number]: Is this Glee?

Gem: Uhh, yes. Isn't it kind of obvious?

Jube: No! It's in a school! That's all there is on TV - schools and hospitals. How am I supposed to tell the difference?

Synchronicity

2010-12-01T17:33:00.000-05:00

I am taking a French linguistics course this semester and I am learning all sort of phonological words and descriptions. It doesn't seem like this is very practical or even applicable to my daily routine, but as I was writing a work e-mail this morning, I made a typo and wrote, "convusing." The little red spell-check underline popped up, and I looked more closely at the word. But wait a minute, I thought, that's not a spelling error - that's a natural linguistic evolution: la sonorisation!

So I was right on one count: the class is NOT practical. But I was wrong on the other: apparently it is quite applicable to my daily routine.

Guilt

2010-10-13T22:30:00.000-04:00

It's been months since I've posted here. I've got all of the same excuses: I've been busy - went to Las Vegas and le parisien's wedding, bought an apartment, started a new master's program... But that won't cut it, and I know it. I mean, I could have been updating about these changes as they happened and I wouldn't write a stupid "catch up" post.

I also feel guilty because of something that happened just a few minutes ago. You see, I have this set of cheese plates that I absolutely love. They came in a box that looks like a huge camembert cheese, and there are vintage cheese labels on each of the plates. (They look kind of like this.) And during the move, Jube broke my favorite plate.

I didn't even get upset - I've broken plenty of things in my time, and one clearance cheese plate isn't worth the trouble. But I did regret it.

Tonight I served myself a brownie on one of the remaining cheese plates, and I thought back nostalgically on my favorite plate. I found myself looking down at the cheese plate I had, thinking, "If only it had been you who had been broken!"

Poor little cheese plate.

Guatemala

2010-07-02T10:01:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, my mom and I went to Guatemala. I have to admit that I've never really been tempted to go to Central or South America - I've always dreamed of Europe and Asia. But when one of my old friends went to Peru and my good friend Catherine sent me information about an extremely reasonably priced package to Guatemala, I called my mom and we booked the trip.

I am so glad that I did! Guatemala exceeded all of my expectations (though I admit I wasn't expecting much). First of all, I left hot and muggy Washington, DC for the "land of eternal spring" - the weather was in the 70s the whole time. Wonderful. Second, the food was great and cheap! I ate tasty steak, black beans, fresh cheese, guacamole, smooth coffee, and more. Finally, I visited cities, villages, and Mayan ruins: the perfect combination. I was able to take my mind off of everything else that was stressing me out for an entire 4 days!

We started of in Guatemala City, but the next morning we were off to Antigua Guatemala.

Here, you can see a stone fountain used for laundry. It is free. There are several of them throughout the city in front of different churches. They attracted Mayan women, and then the missionaries took the chance to try to convert them. (It didn't work very well, although the fountains are still in use today.)

After Antigua, we went to Chichicastenango.

This is the cemetery. It was painted in bright, beautiful colors, and was on a hill across from the main town.

These children dressed up and did the dance of the conquista for us. They weren't especially good, but they were cute!

The day after Chichicastenango, we went to Copan in Honduras. Although Tikal is the largest and most impressive Mayan city in Guatemala, we didn't want to take a flight (and we didn't want to spend the money, either!). Instead, we took a 10-hour round-trip bus ride to Honduras. Copan was amazing!

We saw wild macaws and all sorts of other birds in the jungle. This was the hottest we'd been on the trip, since we weren't in the mountains any longer. It was truly awe inspiring to see such old, beautiful, and well-preserved ruins!

This is Gallo beer. We all fell head over heels for the light, crisp taste of "the best beer of Guatemala." We liked it so much, in fact, that our Copan driver called us "the Gallo girls" on the way home.

We had such a great time that we were already planning our next trip! Maybe Cancun and Tikal? Maybe Peru and Machu Picchu? Who knows?!

Roland Garros

2010-06-30T22:00:00.000-04:00

About a month ago, Jube and I visited his family in France. We took the opportunity to do one of the things I've wanted to do since spending the last week of May with his father in 2003: attend Roland Garros in person!

We saw lots of doubles - women's, men's, and mixed. The most fun was watching men's doubles with a French team against a Spanish team. Unfortunately the French men were quite outclassed - one of the Spanish members was Nicolas Almagro, who ended up in the quarter final against Rafael Nadal, this year's (and most other years') winner.

We also watched a team with this Polish player, Agnieska Radwanska. She missed a shot and shouted at the sky at one point. Beau-papa, whose mother was Polish, told us that she was saying "oh la raquette!" Later we found out that he had absolutely no idea what she was saying.

I loved our short visit, and we all decided we wanted to go back again.

To Buy Or Not To Buy . . .

2010-04-18T20:15:00.004-04:00

Jube and I have recently visited some houses in our area. We are currently renting a house for a very reasonable rate (from a family member), so we've been able to save up some money. (You might remember we bought a car in November; we've also bought tickets for France, Guatemala, and Las Vegas this summer, and we've still been able to put money in our savings account, if that tells you how little we've been paying in rent.) Then recently, I noticed a nice house for sale in our neighborhood. The real estate market has been very bad in the US for home owners... but that makes it a "buyer's market," right? And interest rates are super low, right?

So, yes, we've visited houses and gotten pre-qualified for mortgages. And then when we consider the monthly charges and a 30-year loan, we both get scared. Neither of us are sure about buying a house, but we almost feel obligated to look. We both wish we knew more about the whole process!

2009 Mememe

2010-01-03T16:30:00.007-05:00

Since I did such a bad job of keeping this updated throughout 2009, I figure I'll answer all those burning questions you have. Here's a meme to cut down on the work. If you leave a question in the comments, I'll get to it. I'm sure you've got a desire to know something about me...

Anyway, to business:

1. What did you do in 2009 that you've never done before?
Completed a full 12-month year at a job.

2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.

3. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope.

4. What countries did you visit?
I didn't visit any foreign countries, but I have some trips planned for 2010!

5. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I can't think of anything I want right now - everything is great chez Gem et Jube! Maybe a pair of boots? A new stamp in the passport?

6. What were the highlights of 2009?
Jube's family came to visit during the summer and we went to New York City. Also I bought tickets to see Muse. Also my friend Lorene got engaged!

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Planning some major events at work and having them come off pretty perfectly!

8. What was your biggest failure?
I don't feel like I failed at anything unless you count messing up a new recipe or something...

9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Only a cold or two. Some bruises.

10. What was the best thing you bought?
A new car! I love my little Hyundai!

11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I'm not sure what to say. Le Pacha's? He got a great new job. Hooray! And Jube got a new job, too. Yippee!

12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I was only depressed while reading books that made me think about people dying. So I guess some authors' behavior... Thanks a lot Connie Willis and Ken Follet! Appalled? Basically every decision made by US Customs and Immigration Services officials appalled me.

13. Where did most of your money go?
On boring stuff mostly - I guess on food, rent, gas. Normal things, right?

14. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
To Say Nothing of the Dog and a possible visit to Spain in 2010!

15. What song(s) will always remind you of 2009?
No song comes to mind. I guess "Bad Romance"?

16. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?
No difference. Still basically happy with my life!

ii. thinner or fatter?
About the same, even though I started going to the pool twice a week! (Now that I write it out, it doesn't sound like that much. Maybe I should add another night?)

iii. richer or poorer?
Personally: the same. The household: richer. Yay!

17. What do you wish you'd done more of?
More of the pool! Also housecleaning more consistently.

18. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Reading trashy novels (heh, not really!).

19. What was the hardest thing you did this year?
Remember those two big events I planned for work? That. Really hard. Also hard: keeping the house clean. It didn't work very well.

20. What was the best thing you did this year?
Not freaking out about anything (at least not too much!).

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
I stayed in love!

22. How many one night stands?
Oh man, who's reading this site? OK, I'll tell you: about 15. But you have to keep it a secret!

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Jube and I both enjoy The Office, but the Fall 2009 season of Survivor was really great! We love you, Russell!

24. What was the best book you read?
I liked Lavinia, Doomsday Book, To Say Nothing of the Dog, and The Pillars of the Earth. The best was probably Lavinia. I'm warning you: three of the four made me cry.

25. What were your greatest musical discoveries?
Lady GaGa. Haha, no, probably Frou Frou and Universal Hall Pass.

26. What did you want and get?
A new car! If you will it, it is no dream.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
I liked District 9 and Good Hair.

28. What did you do on your birthday and how old did you turn?
I turned 27! I went out to an Indian restaurant with my mom, brother + girlfriend, and Jube. Then we ate a humongous Whole Foods cake. Jube bought me a laptop!

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A shorter commute. Until I got my car in November, I took an hour/hour and a half bus ride. It really eats into your day!

30. What kept you sane?
Mon Jube! Also instant Indian food and frozen pierogies. I can't say enough about good, easy-to-make food. Oh, and did I mention my officemate Em? She's the greatest!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept for 2009?
Always remember to put on your jewelry before you leave the house. No Chanel crap about taking a piece off!

32. What political issue stirred you the most?
Healthcare. I find myself yelling at the radio on the way home. Probably raises my blood pressure.

33. Who did you miss?
BB! For the first time in years he didn't come to visit! I guess he has better things to do, that sucker.

34. Who was the best new person you met?
My friend Lorene's fiance Jay. Thank you, Jay, for bringing her to Washington!

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Oh lord I think I'm going to vomit. Life lesson? Oh wait, I've got one! Always remember to check that you're in your own Amazon account before you buy .mp3 albums! This is an important one for a long and successful marriage.

Ho Ho Ho!

2009-12-24T09:36:00.003-05:00

We're off to my parents' house for Christmas. We're taking all of these gifts with us to open there. I couldn't help putting them under our own little Christmas tree to make it just that much more festive!

Jube and I have been having an epic "guess the gift" battle. I got him something I know he won't be able to guess, and it's been hilarious to tease him and hear his suggestions. He's convinced I got him a guitar or a Metallica DVD or some new headphones or even a video game. He's got no idea.

Of course, I don't know what I've got waiting for me, either. And he upped the ante - apparently at first he got me something (ugh) practical, but then he heard me complain about getting something for the house and he returned it. So I really want to know what the first - returned! - gift was. A food processor? Kitchen knives?

We'll find out tomorrow! Happy holidays to you all. I hope you find out what all of your gifts are, too!

Winter Storm '09!

2009-12-19T15:19:00.004-05:00

Last night it started snowing in Washington. We woke up to 7 inches of snow, and by the afternoon we were up to 13. We went on a little excursion to a nearby bakery (I'd bought lots of cold weather food - fondue, raclette - but no baguette to go with it!) and took some photos.
Not surprisingly, no one here knows how to drive in the snow, although Jube says it shouldn't be so difficult for them to figure out that they need to drive slowly!

Convergence of Interests

2009-12-11T17:45:00.003-05:00

My newest news: I just bought tickets to see Muse in March! I'm so excited!

I've liked Muse for awhile - since my first trip to France, when le Parisien took Jube and me to fnac, where I listened to "Origin of Symmetry" on the headphones, which was in 2001. When I got back to the US, I looked for the album, but could only find their debut CD. I only recently discovered that it wasn't released until 2005, explaining my confusion in being sure there was a new album!

Anyway, I only discovered that I really liked Muse when I listened to their 2006 album, "Black Holes and Revelations" and listened to the 9th track. Although it's called "City of Delusion," I like to pretend that it's really called "City of Illusions" after Ursula K. LeGuin's book. It's not very likely, I know, but don't you think that a band that I like so much would also like LeGuin?

And that's how I realized that I liked Muse. A lot.

Happy 3rd!

2009-11-08T14:30:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday Jube and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary - or as they say in French, our "three years of marriage." We went to the Manor House at Poplar Springs where we celebrated our wedding reception in 2006. My little brother now works in the kitchen there, and he had them create a little dessert surprise for us. Yum!

O-BA-MA!

2009-09-17T21:52:00.011-04:00

As you may know, I have a job. I like it a lot, so I don't talk about it on my blog. This is one of the reasons why I haven't posted very much during the past year. Although it's reduced my blog posting frequency, today's episode should make up for all that. For you see, today my job allowed me to attend an Obama healthcare rally! Let's just say that I work at U to the M to the D. And guess where the president came to drum up support for his policies?

Here! And I was there to document it for you (and also to hear the president).

The information about the rally mentioned that it would start at 11:00am; that doors would open at 9:00am; and that people could start lining up at 5:00am. I figured I'd just arrive at my usual time and if I missed it, I'd head over to the office. As I approached the basketball arena, I saw that the line didn't seem too long. But then, a security guard stopped me. "Are you looking for the VIP line, or the regular line?" he asked.

"The regular line...?"

"It starts over there." He pointed across the parking lot. "Cross the footbridge, turn west, and you'll see all the people waiting."

So I set off.
I found this line. I was a bit surprised, considering that the rally venue was now almost directly behind me and over a footbridge, but... well... I didn't have much choice, did I? Besides, this was my chance to visit some of the campus I'd heard about but had never seen.
Oh! Here's a familiar landmark! I'd seen this stadium before, but never from this side.
Or from this close...
We continued on past the recreation center, and then finally got to the arena. I don't have any pictures of it because the security was really intense. As you might be able to tell from the pictures, it was a gray and rainy morning, so many attendees had brought umbrellas. We weren't allowed to bring them in with us, so there were hundreds of umbrellas decorating the low walls of the parking garage. I'd been warned about the "airport-like" security, so I had come prepared, bringing no purse and stuffing my pockets with my wallet, keys, phone, and camera. I also brought a library book because I figured I'd need it during my hours of waiting. Little did I know that it would cause a stir! Several women were turned away because of their purses, and the trashcans were full of lighters and bottle openers. The policeman almost confiscated my book, but I managed to convince him that I wasn't going to use it as a projectile (it was a library book, for goodness sake! I wouldn't risk my credit there).

Once in the arena, we waited in line for another half an hour before being allowed to take our seats. For about two hours after that, the marching band entertained us while we waited for Obama to arrive. I felt bad for the student who introduced him - we had been waiting so long for the president that when the announcer said, "Ladies and gentlemen, Rachel S*!" the crowd actually let out a disappointed groan before beginning to applaud. And then... the band played "Hail to the Chief" and out came Barack!

It really was almost like being at a rock concert. Cameras were flashing, people were screaming... I'm surprised no one threw underpants! Here is my video documentation of the whole thing:

There was one protester who screamed something about babies being killed (I couldn't really hear his exact terminology), but he soon left. When I got back to work, my colleagues had all watched his speech from the whitehouse.gov streaming video site, but they still wanted to know how it felt to be there. Later I found out that there were about 15,000 people in attendance. All in all, a good way to spend my personal leave!

*I'm sorry, I forget her name. It sounded like "See."

Last Weekend

2009-09-05T17:53:00.006-04:00

Last weekend the weather was wonderful. Jube and I biked to Bethesda, where we ate dinner and French pastries. There is an amazing patisserie in Bethesda called Cacao. I have to admit that while I was in France, I never understood why macarons were so beloved... I've read countless blog posts about macarons; about where to get the best ones, which flavors are the tastiest; but mostly just raving about their existence. Cacao has made me reconsider my indifference. The macarons there are amazing! After dinner, we went straight for the macarons, and it started pouring rain. The picture above was taken while I tried to sip my espresso without getting too wet.

The next day we went to Baltimore. Jube was happy to see the humongous guitar topping the Hard Rock Cafe in the Inner Harbor:

And then on our way to Fell's Point we saw a monument dedicated to Polish soldiers:

Sexy Texty Monday

2009-06-09T21:31:00.002-04:00

A quick followup from Sunday's SMS exchange:

Gem to Jube (06/09/09, 4:52pm, just getting out of work and heading to her bus in the sweltering heat): omg fing hot!

Jube to Gem (06/09/09, 4:54pm): what is hot?

Gem to Jube (06/09/09, 4:56pm): the weather. what, u thought i saw federer?

Probably wisely, Jube only addressed the weather in his return text.

Texty Tennis Sunday

2009-06-07T11:42:00.004-04:00

Jube is in Norfolk this weekend for a short visit, while I stayed back in Maryland. He wasn't able to watch Roland Garros, but I was!

Gem to Jube (06/07/2009, 10:29am): Federer winning 2 to 0. 6 to 1, 7 to 6. great tiebreak. a streaker* on the court scared fed. . . flashback to seles?

Jube to Gem (06/07/2009, 10:44am): Awesome.

Gem to Jube (06/07/2009, 10:45am): 3rd set now 3 jeux a 1 fed mene**

Gem to Jube (06/07/2009, 11:10am): Fed wins! crying on court. crowd screaming, kids dancing. 3rd set 6.4

Jube to Gem (06/07/2009, 11:11am): Champagne

Gem to Jube (06/07/2009, 11:41am): What a nice guy! he said he wasnt /happy/ that nadal lost #thats mean# but he was def relieved. agassi gave the coupe.

I love the French Open! I love Roger Federer! I love tennis! What a great morning!

*Update on the "streaker"

**3 games to 1: Federer leads

Weather

2009-05-25T08:51:00.001-04:00

The weather has been warm, almost summery lately. We haven't wanted to turn on the air conditioning, so we've done one of my favorite things: slept with the windows open. It feels great until the neighbors next to you start pulling fence posts out of the ground at 8:00 in the morning and the guy across the street decides that mowing the lawn is best done at 8:45. And to think that I was looking forward to sleeping in on Memorial Day...

Morning Surprise

2009-05-09T11:47:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, my morning seemed to be a normal morning. I got up, dressed, and out the door on time; I was listening to one of my normal walking songs as I headed to the bus stop. Since Daylight Saving Time started, my mornings have been much nicer, since I don't have to scramble in the dark. However, as I neared the main road, I saw a very strange sight... a red car was in someone's front yard!

Now, at first I thought it might have been deliberate. This house has, in the past few days, lost its shutters, its lawn furniture, and a lot of its vegetation. So someone parking their car there didn't seem so strange. Then I realized that the car had knocked down a couple of panels of chain link and sported a crushed side and front. I saw the driver sitting on the front steps of the house, looking forlornly at the cell phone in his hand. I almost walked by, but then I reminded myself that we have to help when we find ourselves in these situations.

"Sir? Are you all right?" I called. "Do you need me to call anyone?"

He looked up at me, surprised. "No, no, I just called someone. But thank you so much for asking." I thought he was probably still in shock.

Then I did something bad: I waited for him to turn his back and sneaked my camera out of my purse to snap a photo. Unfortunately I was so nervous that he would catch me that this is all I managed to catch:

It's tough to see, but there's the car, just behind and to the left of the tree in the foreground. You can also see the missing spots for shutters on the house...

Red-Handed

2009-05-07T21:34:00.005-04:00

As we were watching TV, a commercial for the new Star Trek came on. Glancing at Jube from the corners of my eyes, I said, "I think we should go see Star Trek."

Without looking at me, he said, "Okay, sure. When?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe this weekend?"

Surprised that I was following through, he turned to face me. "You really want to see it?" Poor Jube. He hates Star Trek and tries to convince himself that I don't like it as much as I do. Not only that: he thinks that the movie looks terrible, and has told me so every time we catch a trailer. Come to think of it, maybe he was trying out some preemptive strikes to keep me from broaching the topic...

"Well, yeah!" I said, "I like Star Trek!"

"I bet I know why you suddenly want to see it: You read a review on Salon.com and now you want to see it."

"No, no! I just want to see it! I like science fiction!"

Grumbling, he said, "All right, maybe we'll go." He grabbed the laptop and opened it up to surf the net while I watched TV. Too late, I realized what was on the screen: a review of Star Trek.

"I knew it! I know you too well!"

"No, no, it's not what you think. It's not salon.com!"

Lottery

2009-04-11T12:03:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day, with warm weather and cloudy skies. Jube and I took a walk through the park near our house. On our way home, Jube turned to me with a fait divers from that morning's newscast.

"You know someone around here won $150 million in the lottery! They're just waiting for him - or her, I guess - to come pick it up. On the news they interviewed some guy who said he was so happy for whoever won, like painting a picture of him - 'He's probably in debt, and this money will help him get out of this poor area' or whatever."

"That's interesting. You know, I've heard that winning the lottery can really mess up your life, like you lose all of your close relationships because of money."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that too. It can definitely mess up your life for some people. But that wouldn't happen to me."

Economic Hardship

2009-04-10T15:55:00.003-04:00

Everyone I know is talking about the economy. It's hard to find jobs, hard to keep jobs, money's not worth what it used to be, we can't buy what we want, more people are laid off, we're finding ways to save, etc. Luckily for Jube and me, we're doing okay. My job is pretty secure and we're not worried.

But all the advice about saving and not spending must have gotten to me, because when it came time for a trim of my bangs, I didn't want to shell out the $12 for a professional. Instead, I cut them myself. This was a few months ago, and I ended up with Amelie-style shortshortshort bangs. I also have a small forehead, so to have those Amelie-style bangs, I had to practically shear my bangs. They were only about an inch and a half long. Oops.

So for the next few months, I didn't have to cut my bangs at all! In fact, when I did go the salon for a trim I couldn't do myself (the back is still out of my range), the hairdresser scolded me. "These are much to short! Who cut them?" When I admitted that I had, she said, "Never do that again. Never!"

Just this past week, I realized that my bangs were curling at the ends and getting into my eyes. The rest of my hair looks good, though - just a trim of the bangs was needed. I still couldn't justify the price, but I remembered my promise never to do it myself again. So I called on my trusty sidekick, Jube. I prepped him: "Can you cut my hair for me?"

He let out a shocked laugh. "What? Cut your hair? What put that into your head?"

"Well, I don't want to pay for it."

"But I've never done it before!"

"That's okay. It can't be worse than what I did myself."

After a few more minutes of resistance, he reluctantly agreed to do it.

The next evening, after my shower, I pulled out the scissors. "Let's get it over with!" I cried. It was almost an adventure! I told him to cut it at about the level of my eyes, straight across. After making the first few cuts on the left, he followed the length along to the right.

"Done," he told me, looking pleased - until he stepped back and looked at the final product. "Oh no! How did that side end up so much longer than the other?" He cut some more, finally finishing a reasonably straight line.

"I don't know how they do it," he told me. "Cutting hair is hard!" But at least we did our part for our savings account.

It's Just Not Right

2009-03-21T00:05:00.003-04:00

Hello again! I feel really bad that I haven't updated this space in a long time. I have no excuse for myself. All I've been doing is working, reading, and watching my digital TV. I suppose that this could seem like life has been boring, but really I've been very contented! Jube has said some really hilarious things, but he has refused to let me publish them here on my blog, so you'll just have to imagine what outrageous comments have come out of his mouth. Or I suppose you could e-mail me and ask - I'd definitely answer. I promise I would!

Now, this is only the second time that I'm posting one, but I've decided to put up a quick meme. If you like it, then copy me! If you think this is totally lame, dude, then you don't have to read it. (It is kind of lame since no one tagged me and it's also been on the internet for like 10 years, but still. Enjoy with me if you can.)

So here's the deal: there are those "25 things" and also the "random 10," and I'm letting my iPod (on shuffle) answer the questions for me. And then I add my little commentary about it. So enjoy - or "surf away" (as Jube says. I think this is kind of funny and cute, except that now I say it when I'm on the internet too. I.e. "I'd better surf away from this porn before my boss comes in the room." Hypothetically.). (Oh, and also? Try not to judge my taste in music. I gave up a long time ago.)

1. What do your friends say about you?
Dancer in a Daydream. This is kind of nice, isn't it? The problem is, I doubt they say that about me. If they do, then I'm really living in some kind of alternate reality...

2. How would your coworkers describe you?
Daffodil Lament. Hmm... I hope this doesn't mean I'll be fired in the spring...

3. How would you describe yourself?
Apocalypticodramatic. Actually this is sort of authentic. I mean, how can you describe the indescribable without making up new words?

4. What do you like in a romantic partner?
If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out. Yeah, I like it when my romantic partners tell me what they want. I also like that this seems to say, "Sure you can tell me what you want, but you're not going to get it. Go ahead and say it. I don't care." I also love that I associate this song with Harold and Maude, and I hope you do too, because it says so much about any romantic relationship I might have...

5. How do you feel today?
Sin Tu Carino [Without Your Love]. Yes, exactly! That's why I decided to post this meme without being tagged! I need your love, Internet! Love me, please love me!

6. What is your life’s purpose?
Living in Danger. Heh. I was always embarrassed by that Ace of Base album on my iPod, but now I see why I kept it...

7. What is your motto?
Light In Your Eyes. Yeah, it's a great motto - never wear sunglasses! Or actually, maybe it's the technique for someone to torture a motto out of someone else... really bright lights in their eyes...

8. What do you think about the most?
Videotape. But do you know which one?

9. What are you going to do on your next vacation?
Think for Yourself. Yeah, cause I'm not gonna tell you!

10. What do you think of your first love/date?
The National Anthem. But of what country?

11. What is your life story?
Knights of Cydonia. Okay, now this one is really dumb. Why would that be my life's story? Think, Gem, think... lyrics: No one's gonna take me alive... Nah. Still makes no sense.

12. What did you do yesterday?
Que Paso Que Paso [What happened what happened]. Yeah, dude, I can't remember...

13. What do you think of when you see the person you like/love?
The Eternal Vow. You might think that this refers to our marriage vows, but I think it must be the pact we made the night of the new moon on Friday the 13th...

14. What describes your wedding?
Zombie. Eek. I thought it was rather tasteful and chic! Although maybe that's some new kind of fashion - zombie-chic...

15. What will they play at your funeral?
The Last Unicorn, Pt. 2. Actually, I just had a memory of watching The Last Unicorn for the first time with a friend (when I was young... very young...). As you probably recall, the film opens with America's fabled song, "The Last Unicorn," accompanied by what is basically an animated music video illustrating the lyrics. (Oh gosh, do you not remember? You can look here if you really want to see it instead of relying on the inferior vision in your mind.) In the tradition of Hollywood's Golden Age, the credits are also displayed at this time. Since my friend and I were wee tots, we were not familiar with this convention. She turned to me and asked, "Is this the end?" I thought about it for a little while, but I finally figured out an answer: "Maybe it's just the beginning of the end." My father and his friend burst out laughing (we were watching in a rec room/basement - my memories just keep getting more and more detailed!). I think that playing "The Last Unicorn, Pt. 2" at my funeral would simply close the circle: It would be the end of the end. Voila!

16. What is your obsession?
Unintended. Yeah, I just couldn't help myself...

17. What is your biggest fear?
Exit Music (For a Film). After finding out that "The Last Unicorn, Pt. 2" will be played at my funeral, this has definitely become my biggest fear.

18. What is your biggest secret?
Map of the Problematique. It's such a big secret that I can't even figure out what it means!

19. What is your biggest turn-on?
2+2=5 (The Lukewarm). Yeah, I love reading Nineteen Eighty-Four in a tepid bath... mmmmm!

20. How do you describe your friends?
Minha Galera [according to some website, "minha galera" means "my people"]. Yep, it's definitely how I describe my friends. Or at least, that's how I'd describe them if I spoke Portuguese.

21. What would you do with a million dollars?
Dernier Lit [Last Bed]. I guess that this means I'd buy one of those awesome memory foam mattresses and I'd never have to buy another bed again in my whole life! Or else it means I'd spring for a crazy cool coffin!

22. What is your opinion of sex?
Plug In Baby. No comment.

23. What is your biggest regret?
Serre-Moi [Hold Me]. Yes, my biggest regret is that I was never held as a child. Oh please hold me now!

24. What would you rather be doing right now?
Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In). I guess I'd rather be on drugs?

25. What will you post this list as?
Morning Bell. Actually I'm posting it as "It's Just Not Right".

Well, I do hope you enjoyed. And don't forget to e-mail me if you want to hear a funny story about Jube! (Wow, I think that's even lamer than this stupid meme...)

I'm a Convert!*

2009-01-31T12:35:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Jube and I went out with this guy who works for the Federal Communications Commission (suddenly, I realize how living in DC affects the people we meet...). His big project right now revolves around the "DTV Transition," which will take place in about two weeks (don't know what I'm talking about? You must not have suffered through snowy reception for two years like Jube and I have).

I've been complaining for about a year about the DTV transition. I didn't want to spend the money to get a converter box for my TV; I didn't think it was fair that we should be penalized for not buying cable; I was happy enough with my fuzzy reception. But two weeks ago Jube and I bought our DTV converter, and I saw the light! It's wonderful! When my father came to visit, he thought we'd signed up for cable.

I even feel more informed about the world since we receive four PBS channels. I now understand what stock options, hedge funds, and the financial crisis are all about - and The Bachelor has never looked as good! (Actually, Jube and I think he looks sort of like a young George W. Bush.) So if you've got basic cable right now, I'm telling you: quit it and buy a converter box! You'll thank me later!

*Pun absolutely intended. Every time I say this to someone, I have to restrain myself from saying, "Get it? Get it???"

Who?

2009-01-09T21:18:00.001-05:00

9:18 p.m. Watching TV.

Gem: Tu la trouves jolie?

Jube: Who?

Gem: Her. There - with the pretty dark hair.

Jube: Her? No way!

Gem: Really? I think she's pretty.

Jube: She looks like Michael Jackson.

Advent Surprise!

2008-12-01T18:15:00.003-05:00

I got home from work today to find a wonderful surprise awaiting me! I saw some packing supplies laid out on the bed, but couldn't remember having ordered anything from an online shopping site.

"Jube? Do you know what this is for? Is it ours?" I asked.

"Yes, it is for us," he answered. "Come see!"

When I went into the kitchen, I saw a box on the counter. When I checked out what was inside, I was very pleasantly surprised: foie gras, champagne, tea, cookies, calissons d'Aix, and (less happily) brandade de morue. The special surprise was the champagne, which was the same kind served at our wedding. I dislike brandade, which is a kind of white fish paste, but Jube loves it, so I suppose I can't grudge him his favorites - especially when his family sent me some green tea, which he doesn't drink.

Un grand merci a ma famille formidable!

It smells a bit strange...

2008-11-24T20:11:00.003-05:00

This evening I had a cramp in my big toe.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" I cried. "I hate it when I have toe cramps!"

"Let me see," said Jube. He pulled off my sock and massaged my foot for a bit. "What's this?" he asked, smoothing his thumb over the bone nearest to my toe. The skin was dry. "Are you developing an onion?"

Norfolk Redux

2008-11-17T20:04:00.005-05:00

We recently went back to Norfolk to get our furniture out of storage. We are almost totally moved in now! While we were there, we spent some time as tourists - we ate lots of good food, went shopping, and walked around the downtown. And then, on my way out of town, I voted for our new President-elect! Here is a mini photo essay of the trip:

Chinatown

2008-11-14T16:07:00.003-05:00

The other day Jube and I decided to be tourists. Of course we have seen most of the monuments and a good number of museums in DC, but we certainly haven't seen all of them. We wanted to go to the International Spy Museum, but it turns out that it costs something like $14 to go in. We nixed that idea and instead chose to wander around Chinatown, where the museum is located.

Now, DC's Chinatown is not exactly authentic. I've been to New York's Chinatown, and was impressed by the atmosphere. In DC, the "atmosphere" comes from a local ordinance which requires all of the shops to have their names written in Chinese as well as English. That means that Anne Taylor Loft, Starbucks, and Urban Outfitters (all very typical Chinese corporations, as I'm sure you'll agree) have an extra sign.

While there is a distinct lack of Chinese culture, DC's Chinatown is still fun to visit. There is streetside shopping, a movie theater, the National Portrait Gallery and the International Spy Museum.

And a really cool looking Chinese arch.

And on the day we went, a group of people learning how to ride Segways.

Next time we go, we're eating at one of the restaurants. Yee haw!

Oh, and yes... pardon the 2 month absence... oops!

WWJD?

2008-09-27T16:00:00.001-04:00

The other day at the mall, I was trying on some clothes when I heard the girl in the next dressing room open the door and call to her friend, "What do you think?"

Her friend called back, "Is it too small?"

I reflexively looked at the wall separating my dressing room from the girl's. I could almost feel the heat emanating from her angry body. Quiz: What was the proper response in this situation? I probably would have gone for something like, "It's okay," expressing some ambiguity with the ensemble without implying that my friend was (gasp) not a dainty little fairy!

"No!" she hissed back. "It's my size! Why?"

At least her friend knew the correct answer to this one: "Oh, it just looks a bit tight on the bust." Good comeback!

Metaphor

2008-09-25T11:26:00.001-04:00

My Japanese coworker just bought a mini cassette recorder for her classes. Encased in one of those plastic boxes with no visible means of entry, it has forced her to pull out her scissors and poke viciously, then snag the blade and rip carefully.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, "This is harder than opening a fish!"

I looked over at her, laughing. "A fish?"

She laughed too, adding, "Yes, and you know, opening fishes is really an art."

Dans la nature...

2008-09-21T11:32:00.002-04:00

During my old commute, I would drive a short way down Beach Drive. Beach is a winding road that traverses Rock Creek Park, 10 miles or so of lush forest that goes from Washington, DC to a street very close to my house. In the early mornings I sometimes see deer lurking in the brush on the side of the road, and in the afternoons bicyclists seem to think that they have the right of way (they travel in packs). I also see the same Metro commuters walking from Grosvenor Station back to their houses.

On one of my last days, I was driving through the morning mist when I saw a Metro commuter cross the road in front of me. I thought it was a bit strange that I'd never seen him before, but I figured that he might have left earlier than usual. Before my car drew level with him, he disappeared into the woods on the other side of the road. Bemused, I tried to find him in the woods as I drove past, but all I saw was a small path leading through the underbrush.

I enjoyed imagining deer and commuters sharing the same paths every morning, and then I turned off of Beach and entered the Beltway, where no one shares the same path happily.

Pas Prudent!

2008-09-19T08:46:00.001-04:00

When Jube and I were still living in Montpellier, we used our bikes to travel everywhere. We used the bus lanes instead of the sidewalks, and once an old lady yelled at us as we were crossing her path, "Pas prudent! Pas prudent!"* We now say this whenever someone tells us that we should be more careful, or that something we did was stupid... for example, one of my new colleagues told me that she had never used the public bus in her entire life. "You just couldn't use the bus in Hampton Roads," she said, "it was too dangerous!" Jube and I used the HR Public Transit system often before we bought our car, and I'm sure we would have looked at each other and hissed, "Pas prudent!" at this announcement.

Anyway, we had a pas prudent moment in July, when I'd picked him up at the airport and was driving him back to Norfolk. We took Route 17 to 95 to 64, and it took about an hour on each of these roads. As we were entering 95 from 17, we noticed a blond surfer-looking dude at the side of the road with a sign that said "Virginia Beach." We chuckled for a moment that he would never find a ride down there, and then we both said, "Why don't we give him a ride?"

I've never hitchhiked or picked up a hitchhiker, but Jube has done both in France. So we pulled over and two blondies crammed themselves into the back of our little car. It turned out that they were Russians, in the US on summer J-1 (working holiday) visas, and had traveled all around the US by Greyhound. They were finally out of money and had resorted to hitchhiking.

They were very well mannered young men from Siberia, and my only problem with them was that they kept talking. I had been ready for a nap, but unfortunately I let slip that I knew quite a bit about immigration processes, and they kept asking me for information about their visas.

By the time we arrived in Norfolk, we didn't want to drive all the way to Virginia Beach, so we dropped them off downtown outside of the library. They gave us a nu-metal CD (I had unwisely told them that Jube liked heavy metal) and their gratitude.

Whenever I tell anyone about our hitchhiking adventure, they all say the same thing. "I can't believe you picked up hitchhikers! That's so dangerous!"

Jube and I catch each other's eye, and we both think the same thing. "Pas prudent!"

*Not careful!

Labor Day

2008-09-17T08:35:00.000-04:00

On Labor Day Weekend, Jube and I had set up a busy schedule: Planet Arlington World Music Festival on Saturday, Picnic on the Mall on Sunday, family barbecue on Monday. Only Saturday and Monday succeeded, and all because I am a big idiot.

We were on the Metro, heading to Capitol South, when Jube realized that we were going the wrong way. We got out and started heading toward the escalators that connect the two directions. As we started up the moving stairs, Jube heard the train arriving on the other side.

"Hurry!" he told me, "We can still catch it!"

I had my doubts, but I still ran up the escalator. Or at least, I tried to run up. My flip flop caught one of the steps and I fell heavily on my left leg, bruising my knee and scraping my ankle. Because I am a cruel person and I wanted Jube to hurt as much as I did, I snapped, "Why did you make me run?" Tears had sprung to my eyes and I limped off of the escalator. It really really hurt! I've never felt as much pain in my life (well, maybe I have, but I certainly don't remember it feeling that bad!).

As I rode the other side's escalator down, I felt moisture on my leg. I looked at it and saw blood trickling past the bottom of my cropped pants. Strangely, I hadn't noticed any cuts, just a feeling of bruising around my knee. When I pulled up my pants leg, I almost fainted. Blood caked my knee and continued down my leg. In my bag, I had nothing to staunch the flow; no napkins, not even any receipts.

I started feeling nauseated and faint, so I sent Jube back up the killer escalator to find a station manager while I sat on the floor next to one of the concrete barriers, whimpering to myself and swabbing at the blood with my now-stained pants. Jube couldn't find any help, so we decided to head home. (For some reason, I'd thought that I could still make it to the picnic if only the station manager had been there with a first aid kit!) Of course, by this time we were about half an hour away from home and I would have to limp through the Labor Day Weekend crowds with a bloody pair of pants, but we couldn't help that.

I managed to keep from puking or fainting until we got home, where I cleaned up my wound and gently placed myself on the sofa. And then, since we had managed to miss our vegan picnic gathering, I turned to my husband and moaned, "Jube... could you get me a big hamburger from Wendy's please?"

I think I deserved it.

Style

2008-09-14T08:30:00.000-04:00

Now that I'm a Real Professional, I have money to buy things! Now, I really like clothes, but I don't usually buy really expensive items. I love Zara and Mango, but mostly during the sales; once in a while I'll check out Macy's, but I'm more likely to buy something from a thrift store. My wedding dress cost $120; its matching shoes cost $65.

One exception to my preferences occurred this summer, during the 4th of July holiday. It was right before job interview season (while I'd had a couple before, they were all phone interviews), and I wanted a nice outfit. Well, my mom and I headed to the mall, where we found huge sales. I bought a Calvin Klein interview suit, and I like to think that it helped me get my job(s). At the same store, I saw a bag I really wanted. I desperately wanted it - I needed something to go with my black suit, something nice, and this fit the bill: red leather, big enough for my portfolio, professional looking, and more! But... it cost $70. (Interestingly enough, when I expressed my feelings that $70 was too much for a bag, my friends were divided: some told me to just buy it, because it really wasn't very much money; others agreed with me and pushed me to turn it down. "Expensive" and "bargain" are highly subjective terms.) I just couldn't spend that much! And I didn't. A few days later I bought a cheaper version of my bag, made from synthetic material, still good looking enough...

Back to the present (2 months later...). I still wanted that bag. I really really wanted it. Even though I didn't have the excuse of "I need it!", I did have the excuse of a new paycheck. So during my lunch break, I drove to the mall and searched for it. I found it, but hesitated again, because now I had a red bag already! I went over to the bags on sale, and I saw my dreams come true: the same bag, on sale, in a khaki color. Perfect! I snapped it up.

That night I showed Jube my new bag. "Isn't it great?" I enthused.

"How much did it cost?" he asked.

I get very offended when he asks me how much my clothes cost, because for some reason I hear criticism of my spending habits. I really don't think he means any, but my gut reaction is always to snap back something like, "It cost less than your GT-10!"

Which is what I said.

"Gem, I don't care how much it cost!" he told me. "You're the one who always likes to tell me about your good deals!" Which is true. "I just think it's funny that all your bags are kind of... preppy looking."

I'd never thought of it that way before. "Preppy looking? And the rest of my clothes aren't?"

He gave me the once-over. "Well, no. Not at all."

"I guess I just like preppy bags." And I've been using it ever since!

The Geeks Unite!

2008-09-12T10:09:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, Jube and I went to the Maryland Renaissance* Festival. I've been to the Ren Fest in Ohio, and I always had a good time. Jube has been to Medieval Festivals in France, as well as a Breton Celtic music festival, so he's (sort of) been exposed to the Ren Fest mentality. However, I don't think he realized that most of the Ren Festers were also D&Ders, WoWers, Trekkies, Goths, etc. There was even someone dressed up as Farm Boy/the Dread Pirate Roberts (complete with ROUS)... but I don't think Jube recognized him.

Throughout the day, Festival-goers were making strange hand signs at Jube, saying strange things to him, or otherwise winking at him. He didn't get it until someone walking by said, "Wow!" in an admiring voice. He looked around, confused, and then he looked down at his shirt. It said "WOW! Week of Welcome 2007, Old Dominion University." Of course, the "Week of Welcome 2007, ODU" was in much much smaller print, leading everyone to believe that Jube actually knows what the acronym MMORPG stands for... or something. He should just have worn a Metallica shirt - at least then they would know what kind of geek he really is.

*I love speaking French. Before living in France and learning the language, I could never spell Renaissance correctly! It also helped with the word medieval. But not annihilate...

Ketchup and Weekend Hair

2008-09-08T18:08:00.001-04:00

Wow, it's been a long time, huh? I'll bet everyone's been depressed because they haven't had one of my posts to read. Well, let me give you the short version of what I've been up to since Montpellier:

I got back to the US on July 2. Between July 9th and August 15, I had 7 job interviews in 3 states (Virginia, Maryland, and California) and the District of Columbia. I was offered one of the jobs, which I accepted. But after a week in, when I e-mailed the last "still under consideration" employer, they told me they really wanted me and managed to convince me to leave my new job. So, on September 22, I will start my latest (and hopefully steadiest!) job! Jube and I will be living in Silver Spring, Maryland, and I'll be taking the Metro to work. I'm very excited about ditching my car, for many reasons: gas prices; "green" concerns; Beltway traffic; and, of course, the opportunity to fall asleep while traveling to work and not dying.

So, with that out of the way, here's a little story about Jube and me:

The vestiges of Hurricane Hanna blew through the DC area last Friday night and Saturday. With all of the humidity, I knew I would have to take good care of my hair to keep it in line... but, it was a weekend! On Saturdays I don't want to waste my time blow-drying my hair when I could be doing other things, like watching "The 15 Greatest Political Sex Scandals" on E! or eating leftover coconut shrimp from Red Lobster. So I finger combed my hair and let it be.

That night, Jube and I went to see a movie (Tropic Thunder. Ask me about it later). We drove to the new Rockville Town Center and walked around for about 20 minutes before the start of the show. We were dressed like "sporty bobos" (ODU cropped sweats and tightish sporty looking top for me; Adidas shorts and Atomic shirt for Jube), which we aren't (sports? Do you really think I have time to exercise when I can't be bothered to blow-dry my hair? Playing sports would require more showers, which would require more blow-drying, which makes me sweat, so it's really all counterproductive in the end, isn't it?). So anyway, we went to some Mexican chain restaurant that isn't Taco Bell, and while we were waiting for our food, Jube smiled at me.

"I see you've got Weekend Hair today."

What?? I was amazed that he noticed... but I guess I shouldn't have been. Jube notices lots of things that men "aren't supposed to notice," like my clothes, my hair, my makeup (if I'm wearing any).

"Yeah, I guess it is my Weekend Hair. Do you like it?"

"It's okay. Your Weekday Hair looks nicer though. But you're still cute."

Unfortunately, I was too tired after our long Sunday at the Renaissance Festival (expect a post soon) to do anything about my Weekend Hair, so today (a WEEKDAY, I might point out), I still have fluffy, sort of curly/wavy hair. I tried to dress it up with a headband, but it's still not Weekday Hair.

Five minutes into my workday, my supervisor asked me if I'd gotten a haircut.

Sorties in Montpellier

2008-06-28T05:52:00.008-04:00

Although I would love to write day-by-day posts of our outings to Montpellier, I figured I should really just put them all in one post. That way I won't forget anything! I love visiting my Beaux-Parents, and they are very kind to have us, saving us all kinds of money by making us our favorite foods, giving us free unlimited internet access, a bed to sleep in, and almost-daily laundry service. The only thing I don't like is how far away from Montpellier their town, Gallargues le Montueux, is! We have to drive for about twenty minutes on the highway (which costs something like 1€20) or take the "Route de la Mer," which (while following alongside the picturesque étangs) takes more like 45 minutes. Hey, I guess I should be happy they don't still live in Mende!

Trip 1: Okay, okay. Back to business. As you might imagine, I take any and every excuse to visit Montpellier. Two weeks ago on Monday, my excuse was: we'll check all of the video game stores in the Polygone and in Montpellier centre ville for the right version of the Xbox 360; afterwards we'll walk around the écusson, have kebabs, and then watch the France-Italy Euro 2008 game on the giant screen set up on the Place de la Comédie. We did all of this, and I took my traditional "pilgrimage" (as Belle-Maman calls it) to my favorite places in the city. Actually I was only able to do about half of the visiting I wanted, because les frangins (Jube and Le Pacha) were too tired to walk all the way to le Peyrou. So I visited St. Roch, Ste. Anne, la Rue de l'Ancien Courrier, and, between St. Guilhem and Ste. Anne, a tiny little dead-end street called Impasse Brun. This is where Jube and I had our first apartment, which we only lived in for a month while I attended French classes at the university. We borrowed it from one of his friends who was spending the summer in Ireland.

Afterwards, the food: kebabs, fries, sodas; then McFlurrys from MacDo. And then we sat down near the giant screen to watch the match. This was actually pretty fun to begin with; there were some Italian supporters who stood up and sang their national anthem to much heckling and throwing of non-lethal objects (like cigarette butts). Afterwards the rest of the crowd stood and roared out the Marseillaise (with much emphasis on Aux armes, citoyens!). Sadly, the World Cup Final rematch was not as exciting, with France losing 2-0. The crowd moped away dejectedly after it was over, and we went with them.

Trip 2: Jube and I visited the newly-reopened Musée Fabre, which at the moment has a special exhibit of Courbet. I was unfamiliar with the artist before going, but I really enjoyed the exhibition. He even painted the Roman bridge on the Vidourle that is about 10 minutes away from Gallargues, which I have visited many times (check out his route through Hérault here). That was really cool!

Trip 3: Jube and I were planning on spending all afternoon in Montpellier, but at the last second we decided just to go for a little visit and take le Pacha along with us. I decided that I wanted to see le Peyrou and the Cathedral, but fate was against us: as we moved uphill, we started hearing popping noises and shouting. We had run into a protest from the local wine producers! At first I was really annoyed, because I had wanted to see les Arceaux... but soon I realized that a protest was just as fun.
We were very close, but just as we started moving closer, the CRS (riot police) shot some tear gas canisters into the air, and all of the onlookers turned and ran. Funnily enough, it looks like blogger Joy Suzanne and I just missed each other!

Trip 4 (aka sortie en amoureux): Jube and I get to spend a long, lazy afternoon in Montpellier. After visiting the gift shop of the Musée Fabre, we had a little drink at one of my favorite squares in the city, la Place St. Ravy. I had a pamplemousse pressé and Jube had a menthe à l'eau.
Afterwards we finally made it to le Peyrou, and then headed down to the Jardin des Plantes for a little relaxation. We met a cute little cat there:
And then we went up to the Place de la Canourgue for dinner. We had a great time, and I ended with a "café gourmand" that looked like this:
That's a little tart, a cup of panacotta, and a "mint chocolate bomb." Yum!

Nîmes Encore

2008-06-26T06:30:00.003-04:00

A couple of days after the concert, Jube and I headed back to Nîmes, this time during the day. We stopped by Carrefour to see if they had an Xbox 360 for Le Pacha, but they didn't have the right one. Afterwards, we headed into town to walk around for a bit.

We saw les Arènes, as usual, and then went to the mall (fnac for Jube and Zara for me). We visited the Maison Carrée, but half of it is covered in scaffolding. It is being cleaned, and when that's finished, it's going to be really beautiful... but for the moment, it just looks sad. I had hopes of having a drink at the terrace restaurant of the Carré d'Art next to the Maison Carrée... We've never been inside, but the Carré d'Art is a museum of modern art. It was inspired by the Roman temple of the Maison Carrée, but is very modern architecture - think lots of glass, metal, and decorative pipes. Belle-Maman hates it, but I think it's kind of neat!

Anyway, since we couldn't go in there (because the whole point was sitting where there is a good view of the Maison Carrée which is now covered in scaffolding and advertisements), I had the idea of going to les Jardins de la Fontaine for a drink! I really like the walk there. It goes by a calm canal lined with sycamores, which are reflected very green. Les Jardins include an old Roman library (called the Temple of Diana, for some reason!) and lots of 19th Century landscaping... pretty canals, little pleasure gardens, lots of staircases. This time, Jube and I climbed up the hill that usually serves as a background for les Jardins. It reminded me a bit of Barcelona's Park Güell in the way it just kept going! We climbed for awhile, and I started getting tired - remember, all I wanted was a drink at an outdoor café so we could relax for a bit! I was wearing a skirt and sandals, and we kept passing people dressed for hiking - or rather, they kept passing us.

But then we made it to the top, where we found la Tour Magne. I was surprised to have found a part of Nîmes I didn't know! We paid €5 to get inside, and then started the grueling process of climbing about a thousand tiny stairs to get to the lookout at the top. I almost passed out on the way, but we finally made it! The view was gorgeous - we could practically see all the way back to Gallargues! We saw all of Nîmes from above. I was amazed! I'd never even heard of the Tour Magne!

Then we made our way back down to sealevel where I finally got to have my drink! Jube chose an apple juice and I had a diabolo fraise (which is just a fancy way of saying a Shirley Temple). We relaxed in the cool of the shade, watching little kids play in the puddles. And then we went back to Gallargues, where that evening I had a horrible headache (probably from climbing a million feet in the sun without drinking any water).

It was a wonderful day, and I only regret not bringing my camera - I thought that I'd seen everything there was to see in Nîmes, and I was wrong!

Concert!

2008-06-24T06:22:00.003-04:00

Okay, enough suspense: Jube and I did make it to the Radiohead concert! Before going, Belle-maman gave us the latest edition of the local paper, the Midi Libre, which talked about the band and gave a quick review of their show. It sounded really dull, actually, with fluorescent lights and "energy-saving" measures. That didn't really bug me, but since Jube isn't a fan (heresy, I know, but what can I do about it?) he was worried it would be boring.

It wasn't! He even admitted that the band was "tight" and "sounded professional," that Thom sang "in tune" and that he was "glad to have gone." Those are high words of praise from my husband, I tell you what! Here's a YouTube video of the concert taken from about the same vantage point as where we were standing.

Of course, I couldn't see as well as this camera, which is being held somewhere above our heads... I don't think I'm super short, and I don't have any complex about my height or anything, but I did find myself wishing I were taller...

Here is a shot from before the concert... this is actually from the night before, but it gives a good idea of how it feels to be in the Arènes de Nîmes, waiting for the show to start.

(Jube and I were down on the ground.)

My favorite songs of the night were: Just, Paranoid Android, Reckoner, 15 Steps, and, of course, Idiotheque, which was the big closer.

I don't think there can ever be a perfect night. At the concert at Shepherds Bush, when I saw Radiohead in London, one fan who'd slept all night on the pavement outside turned around with a nasty "Shhht!" while I was singing along with the music... In Nîmes, I didn't get close enough to the stage and probably bugged the hell out of the people around me by dancing to most of the songs. I also whacked someone's camera while dancing to the end of Paranoid Android... I haven't seen it on YouTube, but if you happen to see a video where the camera is nearly bashed to pieces during the last instrumental bit, I'm probably the cause.

Anyway, we had a great time, found a free parking space, and got home safely, so all in all I'd say it was a good night.

Ouf!

2008-06-21T06:58:00.004-04:00

I'm sure that everyone has been wondering what's happened to me in the past two weeks. No? No one? Well, I'll tell you anyway!

Jube and I bought tickets to come to France! We bought them about a week before we arrived and decided not to post about it on the blog so as not to alert Belle-maman. She was very surprised to see us, and very happy too! Of course, there were some hics to our trip... I guess it's impossible to fly trans-Atlantic without having something go wrong. So here's the story:

I am returning to the US about 10 days before Jube for various reasons. Weirdly, my plane ticket was much more expensive than his, so we decided to fly on different airlines to save some money. He flew with Iberia, switching in Madrid, and I flew British Airways, changing airports and planes in London. We normally fly British Air, because for some reason, the tickets to the south of France are usually cheaper. I know that a lot of people have had problems with them, but they've never lost my bags or anything, so I like them.

No problems, that is, until this time. My flight from Washington was nearly two hours late. I rushed as fast as I could to Gatwick, and arrived 20 minutes before my plane was supposed to take off for Marseille. The gate was closed, but I still had a tiny hope that I could make it... up until the moment that they told me to go to customer service instead of security. I was so upset and jet lagged that tears started rolling down my cheeks in the airport. While explaining my situation to the representative, I could hardly catch my breath through my sobs. It was the first time that I'd ever missed a connecting flight in the 7 years that I've been traveling to Europe.

The woman who helped me was very nice, and pretended to ignore my tears, although she did say, "Oh, you must be so tired!" She booked me on the next flight to Marseille - leaving the next day, at 6:00 am. I almost started crying again when she told me I'd have to spend the night in a hotel. Luckily I had Beau-papa's phone number, and I called him to let him know my troubles. Then, after I deposited my checked bag and collected my boarding pass, I headed off to the Premier Travel Inn, with strict directions to be at the airport by 5:15 the next morning.

After I finally checked in to my room (and thanking my lucky stars that I had £2 in coins leftover from my last layover in London to pay the shuttle bus driver), I took a bath and cried. I ate my free dinner at 6:30 and was in bed by 8:00 pm, my alarm set for 4:30 the next morning.

Of course, the alarm didn't go off. I woke up at 5:15 and checked the time, immediately cursing and pulling on the clothes I'd set out the night before. I couldn't believe that I might miss my flight again, and this time with no backup plan. I ran through security and to the gate, relaxing only when I found that there were people behind me just starting to amble in the direction of the plane. Finally, by 9:00 French time, I was in Beau-papa's Renault Scénic heading toward Montpellier.

Next installment: did we make the Radiohead concert? Or were my tickets counterfeit?

Harbor Fest 2008

2008-06-08T13:17:00.003-04:00

Jube and I went to Harbor Fest last year, and we had a great time! This year we went just for the fireworks, because they were really awesome. They were just as good this time around.

We made one change over last year, though - this time, we brought our own food instead of buying the deep-fried goodness of fair food. This is what we had (we felt super healthy!):

Steamed shrimp with homemade aioli (Jube made the aioli without using our mixer, which I thought was pretty amazing!);
Fresh salad with homemade vinaigrette, sundried tomatoes and bleu cheese;
One avocado each;
Water.

But we did get some good dessert after the fireworks were over.

As I ate the shrimp and ailoi, I though that our neighbors must be annoyed that we were eating so much garlic. I could barely stand to smell my own breath! But then I realized that the woman sitting to our right was screaming at every blast of the fireworks, "Pink! I want to see pink fireworks!" Then she called her friend during the grand finale and yelled over the noise, "Are you going to Bar Norfolk tonight? Are you going to Bar Norfolk tonight? 'Cause we're downtown and we could meet you there. We're downtown!" I figured that if she had been bothered by our smelly breath, she would have told us.

An Offer You Can't Refuse

2008-05-31T21:24:00.006-04:00

The other day, I received these in the mail:

I bought them some time ago. Even then, I knew I shouldn't give in... I wasn't sure I could go to France in the summer, and they weren't the cheapest concert tickets I'd ever seen. But I knew they would sell out fast (they were gone by the next day), and how could I resist seeing this:

in this venue?

So if anyone wants to finance my ticket to France in the next 2 weeks, I can promise to provide you with a ticket to the show.

J'ai tout compris!

2008-05-24T21:26:00.002-04:00

The other day Jube asked me if my blog was dead. "Of course not!" I said, but then I realized that I really haven't been doing a good job of updating. So here's a try to get back into the swing of things:

I graduated on May 10! Now I just have to find a job.

BB visited, and we had a great time. He now knows that Norfolk, Virginia is really awesome.

Since finishing classes, I've been reading lots of books and updating lots of resumes.

Now, for something completely different (and vastly more amusing):

The other day, Jube, Lorene and I went to the president's house for dinner. Yes, that's right, I'm in tight with President Runte of Old Dominion University! (Actually we went for a different reason, but it sounds good to say that I know her really well, right? Except that now she's going to be president of a Canadian university, so bye bye reference...) Jube's real last name is the same as a relatively famous French author. Let's say his name is Jube Rousseau (as the French say, why not?) President Runte has her PhD in French Literature, and as she gave us our nametags she said, "Did you know that Rousseau was a famous French author?"

"Oh yes," said Jube.

"Ah! Et vous parlez francais?" she asked.

"Oui, oui, bien sur," he answered.

She turned towards the nametags again, and mistakenly addressed me: "Et d'ou est-ce que vous venez, alors?"

I thought about answering, "De l'Ohio," but instead Jube told her he was from Montpellier.

"Wonderful, wonderful," she said, abstractedly. "Well, bon appetit!"

As we were leaving, she again spoke to Jube, asking about his future plans. I jumped in, to prove that I could speak French too, and we chatted a bit about where we would find jobs. She mentioned moving to Canada, as she was doing, and I made a stupid joke about writing down her phone number to call her later. (She didn't laugh very hard.) Poor Lorene, who speaks German very well but not much French, pretended like she was listening to the conversation.

"Bon, bien, au revoir!" she said.

"Au revoir!" Jube and I answered.

"Au revoir!" put in Lorene, as we were leaving. On our way back to the car, we all burst out laughing. "I had no idea what she said, but I think that it looked good to say that, right?"

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-05-01T14:53:00.001-04:00

Comps: Passed.
Graduation: Next week.
Job Search: In full swing.
Jube: Already bought my gift.

Tonight? Happy Hour!

Senioritis

2008-04-26T13:13:00.003-04:00

Now that I am almost a graduate degree holder, I'm finding it much more difficult to do the things I have to do. Senior year of high school wasn't this hard! Just getting out of bed to walk five minutes to work can be really difficult. I wake up on time, but then bed just seems so comfortable and warm...

But I have some great news - BB is coming to visit for graduation! Yay! And after visiting Norfolk, he's visiting Wales. He's becoming quite the world traveler!

Besides his visit, I don't have any firm plans for the summer, which is part of the reason le carnet hasn't been updated. I don't like not knowing my future plans. Hopefully soon I'll at least know what city I'll be living in after July 5.

Are We There Yet?

2008-04-13T16:34:00.002-04:00

I've been totally stressed out for the past month (when I wasn't blogging). First I went abroad (the same trip as last year, part deux, with Paris thrown in to the mix); then when I got back, I had work; Jube's spring break; my mom's visit; and, of course, worrying about jobs. I'm almost finished with my Master's, so I've been applying for jobs since January. Just before I left and just after I got home I stepped up my efforts, and so far I've had 3 interviews. I'm still waiting to find out about one... I thought I'd hear back last week sometime, but no luck. I hope that it's good news. (Jube has learned his English too well - he keeps repeating "no news is good news!")

And to cap off the stress, this weekend is my comprehensive exam. My master's program decided to change its traditional "three hours and write everything you can remember!" to a take-home exam. Ugh! I don't know about you, but I hate take-home exams! I absolutely despise them, for many reasons. Which I will enumerate for you, since the only alternative is the exam.

1. An in-class exam ruins three hours. A take-home exam ruins an entire weekend (or even entire week, in some cases!).
2. Professors expect more out of you for a take-home exam than an in-class exam. I've had to do so much research for this stupid exam - I much prefer studying in advance.
3. I'm better at in-class exams! (So yeah, this one only refers to me, but so what?)

All weekend I've had this horrible stomachache because I should have been working on my exam. And even when I am working on it, I feel sick, because I'm worried. I really don't want to take it again!

So I guess I'll get back to it.

Nothing Very Profound...

2008-04-09T22:47:00.002-04:00

While watching America's Next Top Model...

Gem [during a commercial break]: I think that this is the new song by Madonna and what's-his-name, Timberlake.

Kilmer [after listening for 5 seconds]: It sucks.

So as you can see, my absence from the blogging world could possibly be attributed to meager blogging material. We'll see what I can scrounge up soon--exam time = procrastination.

V. I. freakin' P.!

2008-02-17T17:43:00.002-05:00

Last Wednesday I got an e-mail from my friend Kilmer saying she'd gotten free tickets to see Margaret Cho at the NORVA (a small concert venue in downtown Norfolk). Did I want to go?

Heck yeah! Jube and I had seen Margaret Cho last year for free at ODU, but I had a feeling she'd softened her act a little bit. Plus I'd never been in the NORVA before, and I've wanted to check it out for awhile (ever since my boss told me it was awesome).

After I said "yes," Kilmer told me that she'd received her free tickets from her old internship coordinator, and that we were going to be VIPs for the night. Awesome!

The show started at 10:15, and at 9:45 there was a line stretching down Monticello Avenue for about 50 feet. Kilmer and I bypassed the plebeians, heading straight for the Members Only stand. We were carded and given 2 wristbands: one to say that we were over 21, the other to show that we were "Members," and allowed to go in the Members Only Bar. Oh yeah, we were rockin'. We walked upstairs where we thought we'd found the Members Only Bar. But really, that was just the upstairs bar. The Members Only Bar is through some double doors with handles shaped like guitars. Once inside, we found a bar with a barmaid who seemed to know everyone (but us), a small lounge area, and a closed-circuit TV where we could watch the show on sofas if we wanted. Instead we just got some drinks and then headed back outside when we could hear amplified voices.

The Members Only section is made up of a balcony that gives a much better view of the acts. We sat about 10 feet away from the comics. Most of the audience was made up of die-hard fans. They screamed, laughed, shouted, and contributed to the performance. Directly across from us, on the Members Only balcony, was a group of three or four gay men who squealed every time Margaret said "queer."

The show was hilarious, and even though Kilmer and I weren't able to get backstage passes like we thought (we are unfamiliar with the term VIP as it relates to ourselves), we were lucky enough to have a place to keep our coats safe while we watched.

Vas-y, Francky, c'est bon!

2008-01-30T15:42:00.000-05:00

Oh my oh my... I still haven't finished talking about our vacation in France, but what can I do? I'll promise a post about St. Saturnin and La Fontaine de la Vaucluse, is that all right? In the meantime, be content with this:

Once upon a time, during assistantship days...

At my going-away party, all of the English teachers and some other colleagues gathered to celebrate. We had a really fun time, eating, drinking... and someone had brought a karaoke machine! I was able to sing a lot of the English songs (one of the teachers even played "Wild World" on his guitar for me to sing), but I was unfamiliar with the old French karaoke chestnuts like "Cette annee-la." By the end of the night, we were all pretty happy and silly. It wasn't just a goodbye party for me, but one of the other English teachers had recently been promoted and was leaving the school. He was one of the best teachers and I had really enjoyed working with him.

All of a sudden, I realized that nearly everyone was in the living room listening to that same teacher boogie down with the karaoke machine, laughing like crazy. I couldn't understand many of the words of the song (which is okay, because half of them are in Creole), but he was singing the girls' part: "Vas-y, Francky, c'est bon! Vas-y, Francky, c'est bon bon bon!"* It was probably the funniest thing I'd ever heard: an older man, with stylish clothes and graying hair, simpering about how sexy Francky was in bed... He was really hamming it up, too!

He ended up sounding (and acting) like this girl I just saw on YouTube:

If you'd like to hear "Fruit de la passion" in its entirety, feel free to watch Francky Vincent get it on. My favorite line? "Il n'y a pas que la fesse dans la vie... il y a le sexe, aussi!"**

*Go for it, Francky, it's good! Keep going, Francky, it's good good good!
**I'm not translating that for you ;)

The Zoo and the Aquarium

2008-01-20T11:24:00.000-05:00

You may remember that on Christmas day, when le Parisien was in town, we tried to go to the new aquarium in Montpellier, "Mare Nostrum." Unfortunately they hadn't published the right holiday schedule and it was closed. Finally we all headed back one day to check it out.

When we got there, the line stretched across the parking lot. Parents yelled at kids who ran away, heading toward the streetcar tracks or the movie theater. Le Pacha wanted to brave it out, but the rest of us decided that it would be too annoying to wait for over an hour to get in. Instead, we went to the Zoo, with its new greenhouse/Amazonian rainforest exhibit.

This was a great choice, since there were about two people ahead of us in line and it was a lot cheaper than the aquarium. It was warm in the greenhouse and there were plenty of interesting animals. Afterwards we watched the lemurs fight over their food before going back to the car.

We decided to check the aquarium one more time before going home. Since we arrived around lunchtime, the line was cut in half. We waited for half an hour or so, our stomachs grumbling, and then explored the aquarium. It was very nice, complete with penguins, sharks, and a little girl who wiped her nose on Belle-Maman's hand.

Afterwards we went to the nearby China buffet, making le Pacha's day complete.

La Maison de la Lozère

2008-01-07T09:21:00.000-05:00

One of the most amazing gifts that Jube and I received was lunch for two at la Maison de la Lozere. Jube and I have been to some nice restaurants, but we aren't usually able to afford the really really nice ones. (One exception, of course, was the Manor House Restaurant where we had our wedding!) I was getting over my cold and Jube had just caught a watered-down version, but we were both able to smell, taste, and see. We were in for a treat!

We both ordered kir royal for our aperitif, which came with two plates of mises-en-bouche. The first plate was a savory trio shaped like desserts. They were: one cream puff with a vodka cream filling (chou a la creme a la vodka), a dark chocolate bonbon with leek filling, and a little hard-candy shaped mozzarella treat with poppy seeds and herbs. The three were served on an inch-thick rectangle of Plexiglas. The second plate of mises-en-bouche was a bit more substantial, including one salmon sushi and one carrot gelee. They were both very tasty!

By this time, though, Jube had begun to worry that we were only going to be getting tiny portions for lunch. Our first course proved him wrong. It was a marinated tuna steak served on top of a citrus gelee, with a small salad on the side, a candy-like rectangle of seaweed, and an "emulsion d'eau de mer" (a small amount of what looked and tasted like sea foam). The food was wonderful, and I was getting excited about our main course.

Jube chose hare, which was served wrapped in ham. His sides included a "croustillant de tete de veau" (a 3-d rectangle of fried meaty goodness) and a poached egg. I chose the fish, which was served with a sweet corn mousse and tempura-fried leeks.

At la Maison de la Lozere, every main dish is served with aligot. Aligot is a mixture of cheese (tomme de Lozere) and mashed potatoes. It is the regional dish of Lozere. (We actually made it once, and you can see the picture here.) Jube happened to grow up in the region, and he was used to eating aligot made by the peasants of Lozere: in a big pot with a huge wooden spoon. When the aligot would stick to the spoon, the peasant (probably smoking a cigarette with dirt under his nails) would push the aligot back down into the main mixture. It would be served by slapping the aligot into the bowl or plate that was offered.

It is served a bit differently at la Maison de la Lozere. The waiter or waitress picks up a serving of aligot held between two spoons. He or she then twists the aligot into pretty patterns while placing it into our single-serving bowls. Jube and I were both reminded of a Japanese steakhouse where preparing the food is as much fun as eating it. The aligot filled up any holes we might have had from small portions, and we were offered more (and we both declined).

For dessert, Jube had a plum crumble (mirabelles) and I chose a small turnover filled with bananas and mangoes. Both were served with sorbet, and mine was served with a sweet avocado puree. (In fact, the avocado puree was part of the reason I chose my dessert. In Nice I fell in love with the avocado ice cream sold at several of the artisanal ice cream stands. I have to say that the avocado puree was almost better!

Afterwards our waiter offered us coffee, but neither of us took it. Mistake! I thought that our lunch was over, but how could I forget that sweets often come with the after-dinner coffee in France? Luckily, we were still able to eat the after-dessert dessert. It included a small glass of chocolate ganache, one coffee-flavored macaron, and one white-chocolate truffle. The macaron and the truffle were served impaled on sticks that protruded from another inch-thick slab of Plexiglas.

The food was wonderful, and I only wish that someday I can go back - and get coffee!

(Yes, I know there are no pictures! Jube and I were too embarrassed to get out our big digital camera. Rest assured: the food was beautiful, as was the restaurant. It is located in one of the medieval buildings in Montpellier, with vaulting stone ceilings and a view on a private terrace.)

Christmas (the 24th and the 25th)

2008-01-03T20:18:00.000-05:00

The next day, after waking up late, we headed to Montpellier for some last-minute Christmas shopping. We had already gotten gifts for everyone, but we wanted to add an iTunes gift card to le Parisien's bounty and pick up some wrapping paper. And of course, I wanted to visit my favorite town, get a crepe from my favorite crepe stand, and take some pictures.

Les Trois Graces, looking as beautiful as ever.
L'Opera.

After we got home, Belle-Maman made us put on nice clothes for Christmas Eve dinner. Although Jube grumbled a bit, we dressed up and waited around for his relatives to arrive. They are always late, and everyone teased Belle-Maman for having told them to arrive between 8:30 and 9:00 - we knew they wouldn't get there before 9:15.

We had a wonderful Christmas feast, which included homemade foie gras (gorgeous and tasty); oysters (ick); little "oriental" (middle-eastern) meaty appetizers with salad; and fish wrapped in crispy ham with an orange cream sauce. Everything was wonderful except for the oysters, but everyone else seemed to enjoy them!

After dinner we opened up our presents. Le Pacha was initially quite disappointed... For some reason, he was convinced that "le Papa Noel americain" was going to bring him an iPod, when in reality the American Santa Claus brought him a polar fleece from Old Navy. He was further disillusioned when he unwrapped the package my mother had sent from the US to find an Xbox 360 - a box that turned out to be filled with food and candles. Happily, le Parisien had given him a brand new cell phone that triples as a camera and an mp3 player, so he ended up with at least a little bit of the electronics of his dreams.

The next day we woke up late again. As I stumbled downstairs, I noticed that the table was set with the nice china and silverware. That was when I remembered that Memee was coming for Christmas lunch, and we would have more gifts to open. I quickly dressed and was presentable in time for the aperitif - Beau-Papa's delectable pate en croute:
(How delicately he cuts it!)

For this meal, we had turkey with chestnuts and the Belle-Famille's favorite mushrooms, cepes.
As our first course, we had more of Belle-Maman's foie gras - you can see the only remains, the yellow fat, on our plates.

We ended the meal with a homemade buche de noel.
After lunch, le Parisien decided to take us to Montpellier's new aquarium, le Mare Nostrum. We checked online to make sure it was open, and then headed out. When we arrived, we discovered that there had been an error on the website, and it was actually closed. Many families stood around the door, complaining about the misinformation. We headed back to Gallargues, a bit disappointed but with the knowledge that leftovers awaited us at the house...

London (are we there yet?)

2007-12-30T11:40:00.000-05:00

Jube and I are still in France, but I finally have time to start writing about our trip! It has been full of activities, so that Sunday morning is the only time I have had to sit down in front of the computer to catch up.

On Saturday evening we caught our flight to Marseille. As I'm sure you remember, we had a long layover in London which required us to switch airports and amuse ourselves for 8 hours or so. To pass the time, we decided to spend the day at the Tower of London.

As you can see, the London fog really gave us the impression that we had gone back in time. It was impossible to see any modern buildings while touring the Tower of London. While the weather wasn't the best for my recovering cold or photos of the city, we had a good time taking the tube and touring a bit of the city.

The fog didn't lift all day; the closest we came to seeing the sun was when we emerged from the left luggage counter at King's Cross Station. We did not capture photographic evidence of this amazing moment.

Funnily enough, it seemed to us that most of the tourists we encountered were French. They must have taken advantage of the beginning of the school holiday to spend a long weekend in London. Every time we heard another French-speaking group of vacationers we were reminded of our final destination.

After all of that, it was time for us to take the train to Gatwick. British Air has a new option of printing out your boarding pass in advance; all you have to do is drop off your checked luggage and you can go on in. We used this option in Washington, which was great! We used the "preferred passenger" check-in line and were out in at least half the time of the normal people. However, we ran into two problems at Gatwick: everyone there seemed to have printed out their tickets in advance; and I threw away our boarding passes before getting to the check-in station.

Luckily I knew which trash can they were in, so I ran downstairs and pulled them out (in front of a couple of disgusted passengers). The line for the checked baggage was a quite a bit longer than in Washington, but we made it through. At least half of the flights leaving from Gatwick that day had been cancelled due to the fog. Luckily our plane was only delayed by an hour, which we used to try to stay awake.

We finally arrived in Marseille at midnight. My left ear was completely clogged and I was ready for bed, so when we walked out of customs to find le Parisien and Jube's Marseillais cousin with cameras flashing in our faces, I was less than thrilled. Jube was very happy to see everyone, and was in a much better mood. We finally fell asleep at around 2am French time, with Jube assuring everyone that he would be up and about by 9am. We woke around noon the next day...

Soupir

2007-12-20T08:16:00.000-05:00

You may be wondering where I've been for the past month or so. You may not have been wondering. But if you were, wonder no longer! For I will tell you exactly where I have been and what I've been doing!

First, I had to live through exam week. I had reading, papers, exams, work... But now it's done. I have my final grades and I'm ready for vacation.

My mom came down to Norfolk last Friday to pick me up. I have more vacation than Jube does, so I decided that she could take me to spend this week in Northern Virginia with my family. Jube is still in Norfolk.

On Friday we took Mom to the Pagoda restaurant for dinner. When it came time to pay, she realized she had forgotten her purse. No problem, I can pay, right? Well, since I had recently made a purchase in the UK with my credit card (remember those 12 hours in London? I have to buy things like tube passes), my card company blocked it. I usually only carry around one credit card, in case my wallet is stolen. It didn't work out for me that night!

Jube pulled out his credit card to pay, but unfortunately it is the same account. Which was blocked, remember? So I figured I would walk a couple of blocks to an ATM where I would withdraw the money. However, since I was so frazzled from the credit card fiasco, I couldn't remember the correct PIN for my card! I entered the PIN from the card I used throughout college, Spain, and France. I lost my new ATM card in the machine. So we had no way to pay for dinner!

Let me recommend the Pagoda Teahouse. The ambiance is amazing, the food is inexpensive, and the waiters let you leave without paying if you promise to come back the next day with your *working* credit card.

I was expecting a relaxing week at home, but I caught a cold, so I've been spending my "extra" week of vacation sticking q-tips up my nose (it's supposed to get you over your cold faster... I'm waiting!), popping pills, and reading. I really hope to be over my cold by the time I get on the plane Saturday.

Vacation, I'm still waiting!

First Lesson: Gender!

2007-11-28T16:13:00.000-05:00

Jube recently volunteered to teach a community education course at a nearby school: Introduction to French Culture and Language. He was in for a bit of a shock when he read the course description...

"If you want to learn about France and its language, what better person to learn from than Jube? She is a native of France, educated at Universite Montpellier III in the south of France, and she has worked at several middle and high schools in France as an English teacher. Her informative course will cover beginning French for travelers/tourists, a discussion of contemporary French culture, and analysis of French stereotypes."

"One of my coworkers pointed it out to me," he said. "I guess the first thing I do will be to make sure they know I'm the teacher! Actually, maybe I could get you to teach the class... they'll never know the difference!"

Over the river and through the woods...

2007-11-21T11:37:00.000-05:00

We're off! It's more like "over the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and North on 17," but we're going to my parents' house for Thanksgiving. The past few weeks have been pretty intense, so a little holiday will be great.

Have a wonderful week!

Détrompez-vous!

2007-11-18T13:38:00.000-05:00

Le Pacha just called to talk to me about visiting the US next summer.

Le Pacha: "I'll be on vacation, and I'll bring my friend Manou! I told him that he could see some hot girls in the States."

Me: "Oh really!"

Le Pacha: "Yeah, that's right! Everyone thinks that the girls in the US are fat because they eat at MacDonald's all the time. But there are skinny girls, for sure!"

Me: "And you tell your friends?"

Le Pacha: "Yeah, I tell all of them, 'Open your eyes, guys! [Détrompez-vous!] I went to America and there are definitely skinny girls there!' I show them pictures, and they all say, 'Well, they must not eat at MacDo.' I even tell them about your brother's girlfriend, that she's vegan or vegetarian, I don't know which, but that she definitely doesn't eat there."

Me: "You know she isn't vegan anymore, she eats cheese and eggs."

Le Pacha: "That must be because she visited France and tried all the good cheese!"

Me: "Yeah, that must be it. And what do you say about your belle-soeur, do you say she's fat because she eats at MacDo?"

Le Pacha: "No, you're skinny! But I can't tell my friends that you're hot, you're my sister now!"

Me: "Okay. You can come visit us in the US."

Happy Anniversary!

2007-11-06T18:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was our first anniversary. We weren't planning on celebrating on the real day, because I had to prepare a big presentation for class. But when I got home, Jube needed to go out and get some supplies for work that he'd forgotten before, so we made a night of it and went to the Indian restaurant. Our waiter was very nice, although I think he was embarrassed to talk to women, so he addressed all of his conversation to Jube. Unfortunately Jube finds it quite difficult to understand Indian accents, and he kept trying to direct our waiter's attention toward me.

We had already gone out to eat for our anniversary on Friday night. We headed to The Monastery restaurant in downtown Norfolk. It is a very nice place with an Eastern European theme. I had duck with sauerkraut while Jube had the entrecot de boeuf grille aux champignons - the waitress said that he was the first person to pronounce it correctly.

The part of the meal that I was most excited about was our appetizer - raclette! It wasn't real raclette, since the cheese was pre-melted for us and came out as a puddle on the plate, but it tasted very authentic.

And that was how we celebrated our first year of marriage!

Lunch Party!

2007-11-02T19:57:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, while watching The Office, I was surprised by one of the jokes. The officemates had created a banner that was supposed to read, "Launch Party!" Instead, Phyllis messed it up and printed out a banner that said, "Lunch Party!"

It was a cute joke, but it reminded me of my junior year in high school when my friends and I would put together our own Lunch Party! every Friday. It operated on basic potluck principles, with everyone bringing a dish and sharing. I usually brought the drinks, 2-liter plastic bottles of pop. I even bought plastic champagne glasses from a party supply store. I'd bring them to the Lunch Party! and rinse them out afterwards, keeping them in my locker for the next Friday.

One of my friends was the editor of the school paper and wrote an article about Lunch Party! (forever immortalizing the silly exclamation point). Another one of my friends painted a posterboard that said "Lunch Party!" and hid it behind the pop machine in the cafeteria. I think it lasted for a couple of weeks before one of the custodians threw it away.

I hadn't thought about Lunch Party! in years. High school might not have been the best four years of my life (as promised in my class's valedictorian speech), but I had a good time with good friends.

12 Hours in London

2007-11-01T20:02:00.000-04:00

This Christmas Jube and I will be heading back to France to visit with la belle-famille. It took us the better part of a month to find an acceptably-priced plane ticket. Unfortunately it leaves us with a 12 hour layover in London and some of the worst ever arrival and departure times. And we have to switch airports during the layover. Added to that - we're flying into Marseille instead of Montpellier, so Beau-Papa will have to drive about an hour and a half to the airport to pick us up. I wonder if it was worth saving $400...

The only good thing about having such a long layover is that it will give Jube and me the chance to visit London together. I've been there twice before, and he has been there once, so we'll be able to take touristy pictures in front of the Houses of Parliament, ride the London Eye, have tea at the Orangery and be able to say, "We visited London!" Of course, the $400 we saved on our tickets will probably all be spent during our time in England.

I've been having a good time planning our "trip." I learned the importance of planning these things out during our trip to Vienna in 2005. We were visiting one of my friends who was teaching in Austria, and that was about all the planning I'd done. We managed to do lots of fun stuff - touring the Hapsburg palace, the cathedral catacombs, checking out Schonbrunn, and even watching the Lipizzaner stallions practice. We also had a huge fight that almost ruined our trip when my friend and I lost Jube; we didn't eat at any nice restaurants because neither of us had any idea where to find one; and we didn't even visit the art gallery that I discovered later was full of Klimt.

Our 12 hours in London will be really great with all the planning I've put into them. Now we just have to hope that we won't be too jetlagged to enjoy them...

Refurry

2007-10-31T09:52:00.000-04:00

After writing about my mp3 player-less state a couple of posts ago, I decided to treat myself and bought an iPod nano (2nd generation). It only cost about $80 because it was refurbished! What a wonderful idea it was to refurbish old models and sell them for cheaper! And with warranties and everything!

So after I ordered it, Jube teased me for awhile. You see, Jube has some kind of resentment for Apple... He says it's because everyone thinks they are SO COOL but really it's just overpriced and we should all buy the "normal" stuff because it's better. But when my refurbished iPod came in the mail, he realized that this made it affordable.

Of course, it hasn't softened him toward Apple.

But it has made him scour the internet for refurbished deals. I've had to deal with him saying, "One of these days we'll get one of those flatscreen TVs so I can play video games on it." But he knows we can't afford one right now. The problem is, now I'm hearing things like, "We can get this Philips TV for only $300! Isn't that a great deal?"

Oh well. At least the new Radiohead album is pretty rad on my new iPod!

Aw Man!

2007-10-29T21:38:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's been more than 2 weeks since I last posted! I am becoming a bad bad blogger! I've got all the same excuses: I've been busy, nothing has been going on, etc etc, but of course I have some stories. Here's tonight's:

Jube has been super nice lately. Today, while I was checking out some stuff on the internet, Jube gave me a nice back massage and gave me a little cuddle. And then he said, "You know I must really love you, right?"

"I guess so," I said, jokingly.

"No really, look! See that?" he said, pointing at my MagLite, Sleek*.

"Yeah," I said.

"Well, I use that in the morning instead of the light so I won't wake you up when it's dark outside!"

"Gosh, that's really nice!"

"Yeah, and yesterday, I went all the way down to the car when I realized that I hadn't reset the alarm for you. And I came all the way back up so you could make it to work."

I really have a nice husband, it's true!

*My brother JW and I used to go camping every summer with my dad. We had bought this humongous MagLite that used about 6 D batteries. It was named Big Ben. Then one year we lost Big Ben, probably at MidOhio. The following summer Dad bought us both our very own normal-sized MagLites that we promptly named. Sadly I forget what JW named his, but mine was named Sleek. And then at my wedding Dad gave it back to me. We also bought an even bigger MagLite that we named (of course) Bigger Ben. Now Jube just thinks it's funny that I have one of those flashlights they use on Cops...

Done anything fun lately?

2007-10-14T20:51:00.000-04:00

Well, not really! One of my coworkers is sick right now and so I've taken over all of her duties. Good for my resume, bad for my blog! Besides work, lately I have:

-Gotten a haircut! Yes, my hair is newly styled. I like it a lot. I have to admit that I'm still having the urge to cut it all off to where it was a year ago when Belle-maman cut it for my wedding...
-Eaten sashimi and sake. We tried a new restaurant--Domo in downtown Norfolk. It was really good and we ended up eating tons of food.
-Finally read the last Harry Potter book. Better than I expected.
-Helped Jube pick out some new suits.
-Bought this really neat lamp/aroma-spreading-thingy at Disabled Army Veterans Thrift Store.

What I haven't done... well... let me start at the beginning. I really like Radiohead. I have since high school, but I was too embarrassed to tell my friend Robyn. That's kind of weird, because she's the one who first played me a Radiohead song or showed me one of their albums. But basically I was too embarrassed to tell her that I really liked the same band she did. And I still haven't told her. So, hey Robyn! I like Radiohead! I actually went to see them in London in 2003! And it was awesome!

And I haven't yet bought their new album. My dilemma is this: they have made it available online--a download--but they make you pick the price. That's right, the consumer decides how much to pay. And every time I go to the webpage to buy it (I've been there at least 3 times), I get choked up on how much I should pay. Should I support my favorite band and pay more than I would if I were buying a normal CD at the store? Should I go for the wimpy way out and pay exactly the same as another CD? Or should I go with my base miserly instincts and pay nothing?

Plus I don't have an mp3 player, so it makes for a very tough decision...

Summers in Mende

2007-10-06T08:15:00.000-04:00

Jube and I were talking about French songs the other day. I have to admit that I enjoy quite a bit of French popular music, mostly on the pop-rock continuum. I really like Anais and Emilie Simon (she's from Montpellier, you know!), plus some other groups. One of my first posts was about Francis Cabrel singing Cat Stevens. That was the first day I heard him sing, and I think I forgot about him for two years. Then Jube, talking about popular French personalities with Southern (French) accents, pulled up his song L'Encre de tes yeux. Wow! I'm not sure if I was feeling sad that day or what, but the song really touched me. It brought tears to my eyes (seriously--and also kind of embarrassingly).

Jube told me how funny it seemed that I was just hearing the song for the first time. "It reminds me of summers in Mende spent at my aunt's house. I was young..." he broke off, reminiscing. Then, as Francis sang "quand meme" in the song, he turned to me, excited, saying, "Hear his Southern accent?" It reminded me of how he played me a song when we first started dating, a song whose singer lingered over the word moquette to show that he was really from the South. Today I can hear the difference, but at the time I heard nothing.

Anyway, whether you can hear a southern French accent or not, here is the song:

Uhh..

2007-10-03T08:11:00.000-04:00

Today while browsing an online newspaper, I saw the following headline:

Chirac opens among cheers and protests

What is this? What is Chirac doing in the news? Who was cheering? Who was protesting? What the heck was he opening? The one-line summary was obscure as well, something about fetuses and boos. I clicked on the link. I then realized that I had misread the title. Instead of Chirac, it was "Clinic opens among cheers and protests". It makes more sense, except... am I really that obsessed with France? I didn't use to think so...

Bruises, 1

2007-09-26T11:45:00.000-04:00

This week has been full and busy. Some bad things happened and some good things happened. I'm going to split it up into two posts, with mixed good/bad elements. Let's review:

I started working out three weeks ago. I didn't want to talk about it on here too much because, well, I'd just started. I've never worked out before... I used to play racquetball and swim two or three times a week, but ODU is undergoing some really annoying construction which has closed the pool and the racquetball courts. Actually, I don't know if there ever were racquetball courts, but the new Rec Center will have some. It's due to open next spring, about a month before I finish my master's program. Very convenient timing for me, isn't it?

There are two weight rooms open on campus, as well as basketball courts and soccer/field hockey/lacrosse fields, but I don't play any of those sports. My boss encouraged me to sign up for the Monarch Quick Fit Program. It basically gives you a commitment to work out three times a week, half an hour for weight training and half an hour for cardio each of those days. When I went in for the initial explanation, I was shown 8 different weight machines. On the first one, my personal trainer (for 10 minutes!) asked me what weight I normally used. "Uhh, I've never used any of these machines before," I answered. I didn't realize that I looked so muscular and strong! Even a seasoned professional couldn't tell that I don't normally work out! Why did I sign up for the Quick Fit program again?

But it's been good, I've been keeping to the workout schedule and have already lost 3 pounds. It's very exciting! So that's something GOOD that has been happening lately.

What's something BAD? Well, our toilet has been acting up lately. The water just keeps running and running without collecting in the tank or the bowl. I figured out that it has to do with the black rubber stopper that regulates the flow of water in the tank. But, since we live in an apartment building (where they just raised the rent by $30!), I was not about to buy a new rubber stopper and install it myself! I informed the apartment manager on Friday. We lived this weekend by turning the water on and off and manually adjusting the rubber stopper so that we could flush the toilet. It's super annoying, too! I was tempted to follow the "yellow is mellow, brown goes down" rule, but Jube thinks that it's pretty disgusting to do that. I have to admit, though, that at 4:00 in the morning I wasn't about to turn the water on just to flush.

Today, after having complained again to management yesterday, someone came by to fix the toilet. She worked on it for awhile and then told me, "It should be fine." She left, and the water kept running... and running... and running... Obviously she hadn't fixed the toilet at all! So I ran downstairs to the management office (which, by the way, is only open from 10am-1pm, so it's hard to catch them when you work!) to try to get her before she left. The apartment owner was very unhappy that we had had to wait nearly a week to have the toilet fixed and came up to fix my toilet himself. Now it's working again, and I'm very happy to know that I can flush the toilet whenever I want.

"Date Night"

2007-09-20T13:42:00.000-04:00

I've always been kind of annoyed when reading magazine articles about "making time for your significant other," full of suggestions about "date night," "talk time," or even "flirty Friday." But it seems that Jube and I have instituted a kind of date night in our household since he started his new job. He works hard during the week, which gives me plenty of time to study. When the weekend rolls around, though, we're both ready to get out of the house.

So far we've tried two different restaurants in Ghent. One was wonderful, but a bit expensive (for us, of course!). The Green Onion serves "large entrees" and "small entrees," has an extensive wine list, and also offers artisanal cheeses for appetizer or dessert. Jube enjoyed a "large" pork tenderloin served with vegetables and spaetzle, while I had an amazing "small entree" of baby artichokes served with crab meat. Wonderful! We finished the night with a five-cheese plate. As is common in America, the cheese was served with crackers. Jube refused to eat any of the cheese until he had ordered bread with it. It may be the best meal I've had since moving to Norfolk (and it was certainly the most expensive!). The other was an okay Italian restaurant--nothing amazing, but nothing bad either. The prices were definitely more reasonable than the Green Onion.

This Friday, after our meal, we went to see 2 Days in Paris (careful, there is noise). (For those of you who haven't heard of it, the plot involves a French woman and her American boyfriend visiting her parents in Paris before heading home to New York.) Before it started, Jube told me he was worried that it would just be a big mess of French and American stereotypes. Instead it turned out to be an over-the-top farce about a couple in crisis that didn't rely on culture clash to make its point. Of course, there were some hilarious scenes involving our American at home with his French "in-laws"--these scenes reminded me of my first trip to France, in fact! It was like Meet the Parents in Paris--because what is meeting your significant other's family if it isn't culture shock? (Actually I thought it was much better than Meet the Parents; though just as farcical there weren't as many pratfalls--plus there was full-frontal male nudity, so that's always a plus.) Anyway, I do recommend the movie. Most everyone in the theater seemed to love it as much as I did, so maybe you will, too.

And that has been Date Night in Norfolk with Gem and Jube. Let's see what happens next week when they consider seeing Mon Meilleur Ami (My Best Friend).

Surprise!

2007-09-17T14:19:00.000-04:00

The other day, Jube and I were watching TV around 9pm, relaxing after a day of work. We had even finished our household chores, taking out the trash, checking our mailbox, folding our laundry...

Suddenly our door burst open. Jube looked up, surprised. I shrieked a little bit, startled at the intruder. And a young Indian man, looking even more shocked than we felt, started stammering out an apology.

"I am so sorry!" he said, in his lilting accent. "I thought this was 514, not 513!"

He was so uncomfortable and embarrassed that I had to stand up to shut the door for him--he had thrown it open so that it was resting at 90 degrees from the exterior wall, and he didn't want to take the step in to our apartment that closing the door would require.

"That's okay," I said, "No harm done!"

When he left, I burst out laughing. Jube winked at me, saying, "At least you were wearing decent clothes!"

I had almost forgotten about this, but on Sunday my mother asked me over the phone if we had met any of our new neighbors yet...

Bay Days

2007-09-09T21:16:00.000-04:00

This Saturday Jube and I went to Hampton for the annual Hampton Bay Days festival. The weather was beautiful and the festival was packed. It also gave us the opportunity to check out Hampton for future rendez-vous at cute cafes or bars.
This was the main festival street, King's Way. It was paved with stone and brick, lined with vendors and full of people!
This was a cool optical illusion we saw. The Bay Days has a "Bay Education" section for children, with ideas on how to conserve water, protect the native Chesapeake species, and have a good time doing it. The kids loved this spigot sans pipe, and were very confused about how it worked.
There were also three or four different stages with music at the Bay Days festival. Here we listened to Slapwater, a band that covered funk and pop tunes and featured a guitar player who looked like Santa Claus! I love this picture--I call it "Funnelcake Love," and it features a native American couple sharing a plate of sweet fried goodness. Although I usually enjoy fried foods, like any good American, I am not a big fan of funnelcake. This disappointed Jube, since he preferes his friture sweet. He couldn't bring himself to buy a $5 funnelcake all for himself, though. Instead we ate burgers and chips in a churchyard and then headed home for a relaxing evening.

Coincidence or Destiny?

2007-09-06T19:40:00.000-04:00

I bought some nice tasty chocolate today in my favorite flavor: Dark Cherry Almond. In France I could find the Lindt version of this flavor at certain times of the year, but I hadn't seen it at all in the US until I went to our local "Natural Market." It is so expensive that I buy it very rarely, but I went for it today. On the outside of the wrapper, it said, "Love Poetry Inside!!" I thought it was kind of weird, but also kind of neat.

When I got home, I unwrapped the chocolate and took a look at the love poetry. I was very surprised to find that the poem was Shelley's "Love's Philosophy"--the same poem that my cousin read during Jube's and my wedding! It's been about 10 months since we were married and the wedding is not often in my thoughts. What a nice reminder to receive (and even better, it came with chocolate).

Of course my memory was tainted when Jube said, "That's what she read? Who picked that?" Which, of course, prompted me to vigorously defend myself by pointing out that he had had final veto power over all of the points of the wedding, and then he had to defend himself by saying, "No, no, I'm not saying I don't like it. I do like it! I just don't remember it..." which then... but you don't care, do you? Just enjoy today's chocolatey love poetry:

Love's Philosophy, by Percy Bysshe Shelley

The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever,
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle--
Why not I with thine?

See! the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven,
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea--
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?

I Love Labor Day

2007-09-03T16:12:00.000-04:00

This weekend has been really great. I've been eagerly awaiting a vacation and I was able to ignore school and work for awhile.

On Saturday, Jube and I biked from our apartment to downtown Norfolk, where we caught the ferry to Portsmouth.

It only costs a dollar each way. In Portsmouth, there was a Labor Day Sidewalk Sale, but it wasn't very interesting. I bought some stationery and we enjoyed walking around Old Towne Portsmouth a little bit.
After our return trip, we visited the Pagoda Tea House and Restaurant for a drink before biking back home. The inside was as nice as the outside. We had our drinks on the second floor of the Pagoda and were able to take some pictures outside on the balcony.
In the Pagoda, we were seated next to a table with a couple at it. They were really amazing, drinking 3 bottles of sake, two strawberry daiquiris and two beers between them in the time it took Jube and I to finish our tea and Diet Coke (though Jube did get a refill). By the time they got up and went outside to take their own photos, we were surprised they could even walk straight.

After we biked back to our apartment, Jube said, "I've had a great day, really relaxing." I was surprised--biking 7 miles isn't exactly relaxing in my book. It was definitely fun, though!

On Sunday we went to the Zoo again, where we were treated to a prairie dog fight, a spider monkey fight, and a Pavlovian chorus of pigs squealing to be fed. Le Pacha happened to call as we were walking by the pigs, and to prove that we were at the Zoo, Jube put the phone up to their noses.

"Tu vois, c'est un cochon!" Jube said. (See, it's a pig!)

"Non, je crois pas. C'est Gem qui fait le bruit," le Pacha answered. (I don't believe it. It's Gem making the noise.)

beginagain

2007-08-23T19:22:00.000-04:00

Last May, Jube and I were surprised at how empty campus felt when most of the students left for the summer. After a few days we didn't even notice it, and we'd totally forgotten about it until yesterday, when the new students moved in. (You can't call them "freshmen" anymore, but most of us still do.) The parking lot across from us, empty all summer, is full again. Our apartment management put big signs near the entrances to our parking lot, saying, "NOT for Dorm Students!!" (You can't call them "dorms" either--"residence hall" is much preferred--but no one parked in our lot!)

While riding my bike to work on campus, I found it much more difficult to navigate with students clogging the sidewalks and crosswalks. Classes start on Monday. The year has cycled back around and we're ready to begin again.

Conclusive Evidence

2007-08-18T19:31:00.000-04:00

We never ordered you. We went through at least three strongly worded e-mails canceling you. We cashed the check that we received in the mail for finally getting you out of our mailbox. But somehow... you keep coming back!

Definitive proof that Maxim is the Devil's Work arrived in our letter carrier's pouch today...

In other news, le Pacha called us today to tell us he is feeling sick, and even threw up! Because of this, he wasn't able to go to the free concerts on the beach in Palavas les Flots. Belle-maman, who called on his behalf and wanted to tell me that he had a little upset stomach, managed to get past her own squeamishness and tell me le Pacha a gerbe! Then she laughed and laughed, providing definitive proof that she reads my blog.

Finally, as if we needed more proof that Jube has a bad memory, we received a Netflix movie in the mail yesterday that neither of us had heard of. The Host is a Korean horror flick in the tradition of Shaun of the Dead (in that it doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, although it was not meant to be as funny). A nasty mutant monster that looks like a three-way cross between a squid, a newt, and an ugly fish begins terrorizing Seoul and kidnaps a 13-year-old girl. Her messed-up family goes after her, hindered by misinformation spread by the US government (who also, by the way, created the pollution that gave birth to the monster). He denied that he had ever heard of the movie and hadn't put it on our queue--and as proof that I was the one who had chosen it, he said, "You're the one who always wants to watch Japanese movies." But then he recanted when he found out it was Korean.

Next on the list? A Year in the Life of Metallica: Part 1. Seriously.

Pattern?

2007-08-16T21:08:00.001-04:00

Have you noticed a pattern? Whenever I start a new job, I stop posting for awhile. I've been super busy at my new boulot, and I've taken it out on my blog, I know, I know! I was planning on having another BB guest post, but he has decided to postpone his trip because of my busy-ness at work. And Jube starts his new job next week, so we're off to a new year!

So what's new besides work? Nothing much. I've been doing a lot of reading... Since Digging to America I've read The Telling, The Road, and Le Petit Prince. Fun.

Oh! And followup to my battles with the magazine company... We finally received a refund for our Maxim mixup! I was very happy to get a check in the mail.

I'm sure interesting things have been happening to me, but I can't think of any at the moment. Umm...

We saw Rush Hour III last weekend. I love Jackie Chan, but Jube was a little bit annoyed at the "anti-French propaganda." It was not the best movie in the world, but I found it entertaining. We went on opening night, to a sold-out theater, and everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves.

Then on Sunday we saw Sicko. Wow, what a movie to make you nostalgic for France! I was just thinking about calling the Student Health Center to renew my prescription, and seeing Sicko made me long for the days when I could go to the pharmacy and get it for free (6 Euro up front which was reimbursed to my account later).

Okay, that is enough for tonight. Hopefully I'll have a real post for you soon.

Recommendation

2007-08-08T19:10:00.000-04:00

A few years ago (5? 7?) during a road trip from Ohio to Virginia, my mom picked out Saint Maybe on tape to entertain all of us. Since I was younger at the time, Anne Tyler's work didn't really strike me as the most amazing prose I'd ever heard. However, since we couldn't finish the end of the book during our trip, I picked up the book to finish it. The ending--wistful, unresolved, gentle--hit me as perfect. I didn't read any Tyler again for a few years, not until my mother bought me The Accidental Tourist for a plane ride to France. In Nice, the English Library had a good selection of her books, and I read them all.

The other day I was browsing the leisure section of the ODU library and came across Digging to America, her latest book. I picked it up because it was by Anne Tyler, and I was amazed to find that it mirrored a lot of my current interests. It centers around two families--an Iranian-American family and a "typical" American family--that are adopting girls from Korea. It focuses on what it means to be American, what it means to be foreign, and ultimately how we are all strangers to each other.

In France I felt American, and it is strange to be just a part of the crowd here in the US. Not surprisingly my best friend here, Lorene, just got back from spending 6 years in Germany, and we've been able to talk about Europe without feeling snobby. Because that's how it feels to us: like everyone is judging you for bragging about your experiences abroad (that are not Navy-related, of course!). Another of my friends, Willy, is from Ohio like me. He's never been out of the country, and sometimes it feels like he is blaming us for taking the opportunities we've had, like we're talking about living abroad in order to make others feel less fortunate.

I'm not sure how Jube feels. I don't think that he is blamed for being foreign, but there is still an aspect of bragging. Just because he's French he must be more cosmopolitan than we down-home cultureless Americans. When I first met him, he told me about how excited he had been to catch the French news on TV one night (France 2). After a few minutes he was disappointed to see that half of the broadcast was about the death of Charles Trenet. Still, it must have been strange to realize that the bulk of the French news wasn't even a talking point on the nightly American newscast.

Maybe we have to go abroad to see how our culture defines us. Maybe all you need is a critical eye, facing inward. In any case, Digging to America made me think about all of that, while making me care about its characters and making me wish we had moved to Baltimore...

Mystery Science Theater 2007

2007-08-05T20:41:00.000-04:00

I don't usually yell at the TV. If something is funny, I'll make a joke about it with Jube; maybe I'll make fun of the way the commercials sound, or we'll laugh about the stupid answers on "Family Feud." Today, though, I couldn't help shouting back at the television. We were watching the Republican Presidential Primary Debate in Iowa. Why did we watch it? Well, at first I changed the channel, but there wasn't anything else on (no cable for us). Then I figured that since Virginia primaries are open, I could vote for the lesser of 15 evils when the time comes around. So I watched it. I soon discovered quite a few things:

-One candidate actually proposed bombing Mecca as a hypothetical reaction to Islamic terrorist action in the US. Jube said, "Not even Le Pen would say that--even if he dreams about it!"

-Rudy Giuliani can't get over being mayor of New York. We get it--you were mayor! You were even mayor during 9/11! WE KNOW. You don't have to mention it every time you answer a question.

-Fundamentalism is alive and well: when asked his greatest mistake, one candidate answered, "I waited 30 years before accepting Jesus Christ as my personal savior." That's great, but I would have been more interested in a political mistake.

I felt a little bit sick to my stomach and had a headache from yelling at the screen. The French election was more fun for me to follow--all of a sudden, I'm realizing how this will personally affect me. I'm back in the US, baby.

Centre Ville

2007-08-02T10:04:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Jube had to work all day on Saturday, so Sunday I had decided we would get out of the house together. When the day finally arrived, however, I found myself in a little bit of a depressed mood and couldn't think of anything fun to do. I had taken a shower so I didn't want to go to the beach and get sandy; I didn't want to go hiking because then I would get sweaty! After a few minutes (or hours?) of moaning I finally decreed that we would check out "those cool houses we see from Brambleton when we go downtown" and afterwards head to the mall.

It turned out to be a great choice, because we were able to explore Norfolk a little bit more and revise our opinions of the town's aesthetics. The nice houses turned out to be in Norfolk's Ghent Historical District, one of the oldest and nicest parts of the city, just across a canal from downtown.

Many of the houses here have towers, and combined with the old trees, this gave the neighborhood a unique look. We even took a picture of this house for sale to send to Jube's parents telling them that we were going to buy it!

After walking around Ghent we weren't ready to go to the mall, so we went to the Freemason District to look at the townhouses there. The city has kept the original cobblestones on part of Freemason Street and some intersecting streets. The neighborhood is near the harbor and has some really interesting sections, so it was fun to check out. Jube even said that he (finally!) felt like he was in a foreign country!

Here is a picture of a Chinese restaurant. It actually belongs to the city and is in the center of a municipal park. The building was a gift from the government of Taiwan. In the background you can see the stern of the USS Wisconsin.

Then we walked to the mall and took a turn around. When we left, there was quite a lot of thunder and it started to rain heavily. Luckily we made it to the car before it began, and we were treated to an evening show of lightning. All in all it was a great day.

Books!

2007-07-31T11:07:00.000-04:00

Even though I've been pretty busy this summer, I have still been able to indulge in reading books for pleasure. As far back as I can remember, I have always loved reading. As a snobby high schooler I used to think that I could never fall in love with anyone who didn't like reading as much as I did. Then when I met Jube I had to revise my rules, because he really doesn't like reading that much. He does, however, have good taste in books (his favorite authors are Toni Morrison and Guy de Maupassant), so I guess that will have to suffice.

My friend Brooke loves reading even more than I do, I think! When reading her blog the other day, she had posted an interesting meme: turn to page 23 of the closest book and write down the 5th sentence--and of course, you are not allowed to get up to search for the most intellectual book at hand! I thought my results were pretty funny, so I figured I'd post them here. (Two of the books were on Jube's side of the bed, and two were on my side of the bed.)

Le guide conduit son cheval par la guide. --French Grammar, a Complete Review: Pronunciation, Grammar, Verbs, Idioms, Exercises, Francis M. Du Mont

Cela peut etre toutes sortes de choses. --Evidences invisibles: Americains et francais au quotidien, Raymonde Carroll

I pulled a few euros out of my purse and went out, finding a bench at the end of Aunt Mina's street. --Salaam, Paris, Kavita Daswani

On the last night the balconies were full of people, and the heyiya-if filled the whole dancing place, and in the sky the heat lightning danced in the southeast and the northwest, and you could not tell the drums from the thunder, and we danced the Rain down to the sea and up to the clouds again. --Always Coming Home, Ursula K. Le Guin

I know, I know, there are four books here, but I thought it was kind of a funny contrast. Maybe it is just self-infatuated. I do think that it is interesting to see what other people are reading, though! It seems, from the selection I have here, that my reading interests are France and anthropology, which helps to make me sound intellectual. I'm just glad that I went to the library yesterday and returned my guilty pleasure books (and no, I won't admit to what they are!).

On another note, I have always enjoyed the French for "guilty pleasure": peche mignon, literally "cute sin." It sounds much more affectionate than "guilty pleasure"...

Dorm Life

2007-07-27T18:24:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I helped my friend Kilmer move in to her new apartment. It is in the same apartment complex as mine, so I'm happy to know someone I can borrow flour and eggs from now. It's just like living in the dorm except that she doesn't have a dry-erase board on her door and I'm living with Jube...

Things have been very busy for me lately--class, work, and homework, lather rinse repeat. I know that must sound like a pretty lame excuse for not updating in a week or so, but I also had to finish reading the books I'd checked out of the library, because they are due tomorrow! And really I should be catching up on housework right now instead of writing here, but I have an obligation to all of you out there who still come to my blog in the hopes of reading something new.

I guess I can talk about my impressions of the local news. It's really kind of funny how it still strikes me as really different from France, even after nearly a year back in the States. In France, the regional news was full of free advertising for "cultural events," like special markets or parades. Here I learn about the horrors of sending your kid to school on the bus or how illegal immigrants are killing sweet all-American teenagers. (Seriously, there was a week-long special edition of the news focused on a kid who was dropped off at the wrong bus stop and had to ask a stranger for help finding his way home.) The Mexican man was drunk and hit the teenagers' car, killing both girls. This one got a lot more attention than local news stories usually do, because Bill O'Reilly picked up on it.

Now there is a brouhaha about a football player named Vick who has a house in Virginia Beach. The police raided his home and discovered dogs who were being trained for dog fighting and dogs who were recovering from it. This story has gone national as well, so now the local news is covering the national coverage--"See how the Richmond courthouse has been turned into a circus by LOCAL dogfighting charges!"

Every day there is another fire reported. Jube jokes about how they are mentioned: "An evening fire today" or "An afternoon blaze" are how they are introduced. He says, "Soon there will be a teatime conflagration!" Unfortunately the same language is used about car crashes and violent crimes, leading viewers to believe that there are daily shootings and pileups (it's hard not to think so when you hear about the "early morning shooting in Downtown Norfolk").

In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't really watch the regional news in France. It was really boring! I didn't watch the national news either... Well, that's not totally true. I usually caught the "Six' Minutes" on M6. It is really just a "headlines" kind of show, where the news is finished in (you guessed it!) six minutes. I wish that that kind of program existed over here. It made staying informed a lot more painless!

Beurk!

2007-07-19T16:06:00.000-04:00

When I first learned French, I cracked everyone up with my Spanish-influenced gaffes. For example, instead of ca me fait peur*, I said ca me donne peur*. Another "hilarious" (to them, not to me) mistake was Tu me fais vomiter** instead of vomir**. I soon learned the right thing to say and instead started making people laugh at how shocking my language was.

For some reason, Jube and I were talking about all the different ways to say "vomit" in English. We have so many wonderful words, like throw up, puke, up-chuck, hurl, retch, heave... and each one is beautifully descriptive of a specific way we regurgitate our food. Jube then taught me gerber, which is a particularly nasty way of saying vomir (or vomit). Since French is not my native language, I had no qualms about using it in front of others, until one day I expressed myself in front of the wrong problem. Poor Belle-maman! She has to put up with three sons who are generally less than delicate at the dinner table and a daughter-in-law who didn't hesitate to say that she dislikes some foods because ca fait gerber. It didn't take me long to stop bandying the word around for the laughter it produced...

Back in the US, I was walking down the baby aisle in the local grocery store and was surprised to rediscover the best-selling baby food brand:

The baby does kind of look like it has a little gift for you, doesn't he? And of course it looks very similar to the French meaning when you open it up and look inside...

*That gives me scared instead of that makes me scared (loosely translated, of course)
*You make me vomitit instead of you make me vomit (yeah, that's a really loose translation)

Hammam

2007-07-11T18:27:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, after you have been in an air-conditioned building for three hours, stepping outside in the summer sunshine can feel great. Lately it hasn't been like that here. Instead it feels like you step into a very well-lit sauna, fully clothed. Condensation immediately forms on your body, and there is no way to keep your hair from curling. It reminds me of the summers I spent in Washington, D.C., where it would storm at least once a week, which only made it more humid the next day.

It also reminds me of the first summer I spent in France, the notorious heatwave summer of 2003, when thousands of people died in Paris. I don't remember feeling this hot then, maybe because it was less humid. In the South of France, it is certainly hot, but there is really no humidity to speak of (at least not in Montpellier or Nice). Last summer I spent several afternoons sitting in the shade in a courtyard. I didn't sweat unless I moved into the sun or went inside. Here in Norfolk, even sitting in the shade can't protect you from the humidity.

I had to laugh when I saw a public service announcement on the local (Hampton Roads) news the other day: because it is so hot, they are asking people to donate wall air conditioning units for families in need. I remember a French public service announcement I saw last summer, which recommended lots of cold showers and visiting businesses that had air conditioning. The solution I found in 2003 involved getting very comfortable with my own body. Before that summer, I would never walk around my house naked. Like a revelation, I realized how much less hot I felt when I didn't have any clothes on! It was just too hot to wear clothes indoors!

I have to say that this custom has continued for me back in the US. Although we do have central air in our apartment, we don't have a lot of money to run it, and I end up feeling guilty about the environment. Lately, though, my solution has been to turn on the air conditioning for a few hours a day. It's a little easier for any guests we might have...

Round Up!

2007-07-06T15:56:00.000-04:00

I've been a bad blogger this week. First I had to write my papers, then I had to start 30 hours a week at my internship, and finally, instead of sleeping in on the 4th of July, I got up early to volunteer at a school event. I've had a couple of thoughts rolling around in my head to post, so here they come:

One
Jube picked me up at work the other day, surprising me outside of the building. He pulled the car up and said, "Bonjour, Mademoiselle, do you need a ride?"

I laughed and got in. "I have the nicest boyfriend in the world!" I said, catching myself too late. "I mean, I have a great husband!"

Two
I think that I was lucky that I didn't speak any French before I moved to France. I just caught a short video of myself explaining something in French from February of 2005. Wow, I was bad! Thinking back on it I don't remember speaking that poorly. I think that learning in France helped me avoid the embarrassment of the Language Learner that comes from thinking you should be able to speak a language. I felt that way in Spain sometimes, thinking, Come on, you know this! Why is it so hard for you to understand?

Three
Tennis. I'll bet you're bored of me talking about it, aren't you? Well, I'm never bored with watching tennis! I am, however, bored with American announcers. In France, the announcers are certainly biased toward the French players, but they don't try to hide it. They urge them on like real fans--"Allez Grosjean! Allez la France!" In the US it is equally more subtle and more annoying. Instead of enjoying a well-played match, they pepper the commentary with suggestions like this: "She's lucky Venus mishit that return." Or, "Poor little Gasquet! That was a good serve for him! That's Roddick's average!" They say it with straight faces (I'm assuming), without any irony at all, giving the impression that they can't help it if the American players are just better than everyone else. If only there was one announcer who seemed like he enjoyed watching tennis, I would like it more.

Four
Tonight Jube, Lorene, Willy, and I are going to the Bier Garten. I'll tell you how it goes. There are only a few words or phrases I know in German, and das Bier is one of them. I also know Ich kann kein Deutsch, which came in handy in Austria, and "Twenty Minutes!" thanks to Run, Lola, Run. Funnily enough, that also came in handy in Austria. As we were checking into our hotel, Jube tried to communicate in his Bac-level German with the workers. Getting frustrated with us, the woman finally told us, "mumbleblehbleh zwanzig Minuten!"

"Jube, Jube!" I clamored, "I know what that means! She said 'twenty minutes!'"

"I guess we'll come back in twenty minutes, then," he said to me.

If Only I Knew...

2007-07-01T22:16:00.000-04:00

Why is it that on vacation, when I have plenty of free time, I don't get anything done? And when I have a deadline or a paper due, I will do anything to get out of it? That's why I'm blogging tonight: I have a couple of papers I need to finish by Wednesday (yeah, thanks, I love having things due on the 4th of July!), but I need a break.

I don't really have anything to write, so here's a little Jube mixup from last night:

We were checking out the top 100 movies on Rotten Tomatoes. Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb was rated around 50.

Gem: Oh, Dr. Strangelove! I love that movie! It's sooo funny!

Jube: Dr. Strangelove, huh... Is that with Eddie Murphy?

Gem [howling with laughter]: No. You're thinking of Dr. Dolittle.

Jube: Oh yeah. Hey, don't put that on your blog, okay?

All I Ever Needed

2007-06-27T23:57:00.000-04:00

My week of "vacation" has been going really great so far! I haven't had to wake up before 10am on any day and I haven't even been thinking about work.

On the other hand, I started a new class on Monday night, so I've been reading a lot of text books. And working on the papers I still have left over from a few weeks ago hasn't really happened yet, either...

Jube was surprised on Tuesday morning by being offered a week-long job at nights, so I've been free to do whatever I want. And "whatever I want" means watching So You Think You Can Dance, my new favorite show!

I never used to like dance. I thought it was boring, the "stories" were grafted on, and the music was the high point. Then in college one of my closest friends and roommates happened to be a dancer. I was subjected to numerous viewings of Center Stage, which must finally have convinced me that dancing was cool. [I still don't recommend the movie unless you are really into dance. I don't think I'll ever watch it without Catherine...] By my senior year I had watched White Nights without coercion and cried at student recitals. I like dance now. So, without further introduction, enjoy the latest YouTube offering of my favorite dance from the first "competition" episode of SYTYCD (see? I'm already up on the lingo!):

EDIT:

And this is the video I originally wanted to post, but it wasn't up yet on YouTube. I think it is my favorite dance of all...

Europe in a Day

2007-06-24T23:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went to Italy, Germany, France, and the British Isles all in the same day. Ha ha, not really, I just went to Busch Gardens: Europe, which is broken up into little sections that are based on European Countries. Of course, the Europe depicted there more closely corresponds with stereotypes and theme-park kitsch than actual European countries. The roller coasters were pretty cool, but the best part about Busch Gardens is the availability beer! By the end of the night Rosa and I had seen several close calls, with people fighting about cutting in line, not-quite-quiet-enough insults, and father-son disputes. Plus it made my meal in Germany extra good--what goes better with sausage, saurkraut, and potatoes than beer?

We went with a group of mixed nationality, including Korean, Chinese, Turkish, Senegalese, Saudi, and Venezuelan, and made several discoveries by the end of the day:

Dogs do not speak the same language (they say, variously, "mong," "how," "woof," and "wah"), while cats can understand each other the world over (they all say "meow");

Fart jokes make everyone laugh;

Boys are less likely to ride scary roller coasters than girls (if you go according to our group dynamics, that is).

We didn't get back to Norfolk until late at night, so we dropped everyone off in front of their apartment building/ house/ residence hall. Rosa was especially nervous because of reports of a flasher stalking the campus. We escaped that fate and all made it home safely.

End of an Era

2007-06-22T21:20:00.000-04:00

My first job came to an end today. Next week I have a mini vacation (I'm writing papers, starting a new class, and attending 2 meetings), and after that my internship kicks in at 30 hours a week. I can still pretend that things will be calmer around here, right? And instead of sleeping in tomorrow, I'm getting up early and going to Busch Gardens with my friend Rosa! Jube will spend a men's day in with Willy, playing guitar and X-Box 360. In fact, he is brushing up on his video game skills right now by watching an instructional video ("See? The Germans are hiding behind the fence, but I can shoot the fence. That shows you that you shouldn't assume that you can hide behind everything!").

I have a funny post coming up, but I lost the cable that connects my camera to the computer somewhere in our apartment and I'm too lazy to find it right now. Just shiver in anticipation...

Another Day, Another Problem to Resolve...

2007-06-20T20:27:00.001-04:00

The other day Jube received a copy of Maxim in the mail. At first we thought it was a mixup, but then realized that it really had his name on it. Argh!!

Maxim is the stupidest magazine in the world!!! I mean, if it were real pornography, then it would at least have a reason to exist, but its inane articles and almost-sexy photographs add up to a big boring. (I do have to admit that I read it all, but that was because I was out of fiction in the bathroom...)

Whatever, no big deal, right? Well, then we got a letter from Guitar World, a magazine we really do subscribe to, saying that we had to renew the subscription. Suddenly I realized what had happened (and had some bad flashback feelings as well...):

A few months ago some stupid college kids came to our apartment selling magazine subscriptions. I refused them until they said they could renew our subscription to Guitar World on the cheap. I paid for it. This sparked a fight between me and Jube, because he thought that they had taken advantage of me. Well damn and if he wasn't right!

They either lied about having subscriptions to Guitar World or made an honest mistake, but instead I paid for two years of Maxim (the stupidest magazine in the world, please let me reiterate). If I could exchange it for a subscription to Ms. or Guitar World, I would... but of course that is "impossible at this time," according to the company.

Luckily (very luckily!) I managed to save the receipt and they will refund my money. I think the worst part of the whole deal is having to admit to Jube that he was right--and its corollary: I did something dumb...

Sleep In.

2007-06-17T12:50:00.000-04:00

This morning Jube and I had a breakfast of supermarket croissants. Around one o’clock, he started thinking about making lunch and went to the kitchen to consider our options. He called out to me, “What should we eat for lunch?”

“Dunno,” I called back.

“Dunno!” he said. “You like those two syllables, don’t you? You should write a thank-you letter to whoever invented those two syllables. ‘Dun-no.’ And those two syllables mean so much more than just ‘I don’t know!’ They mean ‘I don’t want to cook.’ They mean ‘I know we have to go shopping, but I don’t want to think about it.’ And they also mean ‘I wash my hands of the subject and you have to do everything.’”

I smiled at him from my place at the computer.

He rolled his eyes and said, “You’re a pest!”

“Fine,” I said, “What do you want to eat?”

“Dunno,” he said.

Except it was in French, and went more like this:

Jube calls out to me from the kitchen, « Qu’est-ce qu’on va manger à midi? »

« Chais pas. »

« Eh ben ! Tu aimes ces deux mots ! Tu devrais écrire une lettre de remerciement à celui qui a inventé ces deux mots. « Chais pas. » Et en plus tu peux dire plein de choses avec ces deux mots. Ça veut dire « je ne sais pas. » Ça veut dire aussi « j’ai pas envie de faire de la cuisine. » Et aussi « je sais qu’il faut faire les courses, mais je ne veux pas y penser. » Et finalement ça veut dire « je m'en lave les mains et c’est toi qui vas tout faire. »

I smile.

He shakes his head, looking at me at the computer. « Tu es une peste. »

I ask, « Alors qu’est-ce que tu veux manger ? »

He looks at me and clearly enunciates, « Chais pas. »

Heavy, Man!

2007-06-14T18:35:00.000-04:00

Today Jube was lifting my leg like it was a barbell. "Wow, it's pretty heavy!" he said. "I could really work out this way!" I rolled my eyes at him.

"So you're saying I'm heavy?" I asked.

"No, no, I'm saying that legs are heavy. It reminds me of something my dad used to say. You know he worked in a hospital, right? Well, whenever they had to amputate someone's leg, they would make a new worker carry it to where it had to be. And every time, the new guy would be really surprised at how heavy the leg was!"

"That's gross!"

"Yeah, well... I'm just saying, legs are heavy."

Work Weak

2007-06-13T17:23:00.000-04:00

As you may remember, last week we searched for a cheap wedding ring for Jube's job interview. We finally found one at Wal-Mart, and it must have worked, because he got the job! Yay! He doesn't start until August, but has a lot of things to do before then. He has job training to attend and also lots of guitar riffs and fun stuff to take care of.

This week I am in class. Nothing interesting to report. Two weeks till vacation time!

Election!

2007-06-11T11:26:00.000-04:00

I guess one of the previous inhabitants of our apartment was a gun owner, because I just got a little postcard from a gun dealer addressed to him. It basically said,

"Hello fellow gun-nut. I just wanted to tell you that the Democratic primary is coming up for your district. Now, I'm no Democrat, but the winner of the primary will be running unopposed, so this is basically the final election. Luckily for us, primaries in Virginia are open to everybody who wants to vote in them. Johnny Joannou, one of the best defenders of the Second Amendment is running against Henry Light. Joannou is a longtime resident of this district and will make sure you have no problems keeping that gun you bought from us. Henry Light is some newcomer who wants 'common-sense gun laws' in Virginia. So please, go vote this Tuesday for Joannou and then head to the firing range."

Now, I'd been vaguely aware of the upcoming primary, but I hadn't been planning on voting. Now I think I just might go because of this postcard. Anything to break down that pesky Second Amendment, right?

UPDATE:

Harbor Fest

2007-06-09T20:01:00.001-04:00

Last night Jube and I met Kilmer and her friend at Norfolk's Harbor Fest. There are tall ships from all around the world docked in downtown Norfolk, with plenty of vendors and food to sample. Last night we also got to see Los Lonely Boys perform.

Unfortunately yesterday was the hottest day of the year to date, with temperatures reaching 97 and more humidity than I could handle. Thank goodness we headed down near nightfall--the sun would have been impossible! We're going down again this evening to enjoy the fireworks. Norfolk is turning out more interesting than I first thought...

Work Story

2007-06-08T17:49:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time since I posted a story from work. I just can't mention anything specific about it for a couple of reasons... Although I doubt my boss would fire me, he would be very disappointed to find that I said anything about my job. In addition, since I work for the university, I am bound by certain agreements to confidentiality, so I would be breaking the law to talk about some of it.

That said, I can definitely talk about what colleagues said during the day that has nothing to do with work!

I work with two amazing women who are also hilarious. One is my supervisor, who is a really caring woman. She even took Jube and I out to dinner for my birthday and has provided lots of support for me during my time here (for example, letting me take a week off in the middle of November to get married and attend a conference in Washington, DC).

The other works in our office but is not a direct supervisor. She comes in and tells us outrageous stories about her past, some of which are really amazing. For example, she came from a very strict family and was shy around strangers. When she told us this, we were shocked! Today she has no problem bursting in on our boss, interrupting his work, and making hilarious complaints about everyone else in our department.

"What made you become so open?" asked my supervisor.

"Well, you see, I worked at a rehabilitation center counsling addicts, and the staff were required to take group therapy sessions," our colleague explained. "They would go around in a circle and talk about their feelings, and I would just shrug and say, 'I dunno.' Then one of them turned to me and said," she lowered her voice, "'You bi-i-i...!' And I looked at her and said, 'Eff you!' And you know what? I liked it! I went home that night and cursed out my husband! And you know what? It turned him on!"

My supervisor and I were laughing hysterically, trying to keep our voices down so our boss wouldn't hear us.

"Yeah. And when we divorced, I went out and bought a mink coat and a red suit to wear just to sign the papers. I know that I should get rid of that coat because of animal cruelty, but I just can't. I feel so free when I wear it! And you know, my mother said that ladies should never wear red..."

I noticed that her toenails were painted red that day.

Me, me, ME!

2007-06-04T22:04:00.000-04:00

I was just tagged for my first-ever meme! I am very excited because... well... no one ever liked me enough to tag me before. Thanks JChevais! So here it goes. Let's hope I don't screw it up.

1. Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the city/state and country you’re in.

Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, United States)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
Lulu (Chicago, Illinois, United States)
Chris (Boyne City, Michigan, United States)
AB (Cave Creek, Arizona, United States)
Johnny Yen (Chicago, Illinois, United States)
Bubs (Mt Prospect, Illinois, United States)
Mob (Midland, Texas United States)
Yas (Ahwatukee, Arizona USA)
Alicia(Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA)
Tug (Hell, Colorado, USA)
Bond (Memphis, TN, USA)
TopChamp (Glasgow, UK)
Kailani (Honolulu, HI, USA)
Amber (Henderson, TN, USA)
the weirdgirl (San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA)
JChevais (Paris, France)
Gem (Norfolk, VA, USA)

2. List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.

Disclaimers before you read: Norfolk is not necessarily known for its cuisine, although there are lots of nice restaurants. Those I have listed here are my favorites, so they are modestly priced (shall we say). I mean, I am a student living off of a limited budget...

With that out of the way, I can begin my list:

La Herradura. This is a Mexican restaurant in University Village. It is about 10 minutes away by foot from our apartment and has great lunch specials. I think my favorite part about La Herradura is the margaritas. You can choose between "regular" and "jumbo" at dinner, with a lunch-sized margarita between 11am-3pm. I like them on the rocks with salt. Another good thing about La Herradura is that after 11pm on weekends it turns into a nightclub. I think I eat here more than any other restaurant.

Next on my list is O'Sullivan's Wharf. It might be the most expensive of the restaurants I frequent, but it has a deck on the Lafayette River and is only about 10 minutes away from my apartment on foot. It sells good seafood--my favorite is the catfish with Old Bay crisps.

The Rajput. I love Indian food, and you can get a lot at the Rajput (check out the link for some music with your menu). There are all-you-can-eat buffets at lunch and on the 1st Thursday of every month, but I like to get vegetarian entrees and take home the leftovers.

Kotobuki Restaurant. This place is also a bit pricey (for me), but has the best Japanese food in Norfolk. I love it because it's a family run restaurant. The kids run around and there is always Japanese television on the sets around the bar. We go at lunch because there are better deals (it reminds me of the Japanese restaurant we used to go to in Nice--ONLY at lunch, because otherwise we couldn't afford it at all).

Finally, although not a restaurant, I have to put down Smoothie Mania as my last favorite. I don't know if it's a chain or not, but I love it! The only one I know of is in the MacArthur Shopping Center in downtown Norfolk. Every time we visit I order a green tea smoothie and it tastes so good! We took Jube's friends when they visited from Ohio, and they ordered huge smoothies with "natural" supplements added (for energy or bodybuilding, I'm not sure which). Yum.

3. Tag 5 other people (preferably from other countries/states) and let them know they’ve been tagged.

Okay, now the hard part. I'm going to tag Fraise, because I want to know what restaurants she likes in Nice (I know mine, but they could be different). And Brooke because I want to hear something about O-H-I-O! Then I'll choose Random Guy because I'm sure he'll have something gross to say about Norfolk cuisine... and Aerrin to find out about Bloomington. Finally I'll tag Caroline in Rome to hear some more about Italian food. [Don't worry about doing the meme if it's really annoying you. I'm just excited to tag other people!]

Now I think I'll go eat something. Too bad Smoothie Mania is closed...