French for a While

A COUPLE MONTHS back I wrote about getting two speeding tickets during our stay in Strasbourg last summer. The complicating part is that we didn't receive them until we returned to our 'regular' house and by that time we had already incurred a late fee which nearly doubled the fee. Kerri wrote a letter trying to explain the situation and offering to pay the original amount of the ticket but we failed to realize that the letter needed to be sent as a Registered piece of mail – which prompted a letter from the police that they would not and could not accept the letter. That letter was followed closely by a third warning about the tickets letting us know that we were now past due AGAIN and now owed 375 Euros per ticket.

We checked with some friends and asked what to do -- our friend Candide even called the number for us to inquire and/or explain our situation. She was told that we should send two checks for 375 Euros to the police along with our letter explaining the situation; the police would then make a decision on our appeal and if they accepted it, would reimburse us the money.

Yeah, I don't think so. I wasn't about to send 700 Euros to the French police with the hope that they might find it in their hearts to give us some of the money back.

Some other friends and colleagues suggested we just resend our letter of explanation (this time with the Registered stamp) and two checks for 90 Euros, the original fine for the tickets. The theory was that the police would either accept the checks or write us back and officially explain why they were not accepting the checks. If they took the money, great. If they didn't, at least we would extend the process by several weeks or months. So Kerri re-wrote the letter and sent it with two checks.

Yesterday as I was looking at our bank account on line I noticed the two checks have been cashed. Seems to me this means the ordeal is over.

Of course, I'm not betting on that.
CJS

I MEASURE MY relative health in some unique ways. For example, one measure is 'Do I Feel Like a Cup of Coffee This Morning.' If my desire for coffee is even remotely reduced, I know I'm not at 100%. (Note: Another test I used a lot in the States was 'Am I Too Sick To Play Hockey?' However, that became a flawed method for determining health because the answer was always no. And the result was that I usually got sicker because of playing. Kerri used to love that.)

This morning Kerri made coffee (normally my job, but I've been slacking during this sickness) and when I walked into the kitchen I craved it for the first time in 8 days. That's a good sign. It may have helped that it was Dunkin Donuts coffee.
CJS

FEELING MUCH BETTER after what I will refer to as a big-time flu. The doctor isn't sure if it was H1N1 and I don't really care. I'm still recovering and have actually developed a slight case of bronchitis, but the fevers are over. As usual, I was taken care of very well by my able staff family. We tried not to have too much contact in case it was H1N1 and that seems to have worked because no one else is showing any similar signs.
CJS

STILL SICK. OUT all week.

I WOKE UP this morning to read that John Allan Muhammad was executed by the state of Virgina last night. Here's how the Washington Post opened their story today:

JARRATT, Va. -- John Allen Muhammad, the sniper who kept the Washington region paralyzed by fear for three weeks as he and a young accomplice gunned down people at random, was executed Tuesday night by lethal injection.

Muhammad, a man who directed what many law enforcement officials consider one of the worst outbursts of crime in the nation's history, died in Virginia's death chamber while relatives of his victims looked on.

Unlike his victims, Muhammad knew when and how he was going to die. He and Jamaican immigrant Lee Boyd Malvo, then 17, killed 10 people in the Washington area during a terrifying rampage in October 2002; they also have been linked to shootings in several other states.

We were living in Silver Spring, Maryland at the time and four of the shootings took place in Silver Spring -- the first ended the life of a member of our church, a cab driver who was gunned down while putting gas into his taxicab. What made the rampage so frightening to DC area residents was that Muhammad and Malvo struck when people were doing their mundane, ordinary activities: mowing their lawn, shopping, filling their cars with gas, walking to school, or going to a restaurant. To give you an idea of how fearful we were, when Kerri or I would get gas we would put the pump into the tank then get into the car an lean the seat back as far as possible and wait there until the fueling was complete. Some gas stations even erected massive canvass tarps to shield their stations from view. Crazy. Read more about the storyhere.

I haven't thought about those three weeks in 2002 in quite a while, but I sure was reminded when I read the news this morning. I'm a fairly strong opponent of the death penalty so I wasn't happy to read that Muhammad had been executed -- seems to me his death does little more than provide a sense of retribution or revenge.

But maybe I'm wrong.
CJS

I DIDN'T HAVE a camera on the quick trip back to DC, so I couldn't document all the 'stuff' I managed to sqeeze' in while I was there. I mentioned a few of these things earlier, but here's the details -- details which will make sense to very few people:

Deep breath...

Chipotle, Sportscenter, World Series, grapes with no seeds, Today Show, Old Navy, Marshall's, Border's, Taco Bell, Best Buy, Target, Capitals games on TV, Capitals game in person, church, Life cereal, Ledo's, Moby Dick, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, more Sportscenter, Trick or Treating, X-box, Sierra's, In-laws, mom, brother, Kevin, Lynn, Eliot, Sophia, my brother's new (first!) house, excavators, Monday Night Football, more World Series, Baja Fresh, lots of banks, Root Beer, cable news, talking to some French guys at Fuddrucker's, Christmas shopping for the kids, packing, phone calls to Kerri, Wal-Mart (for children's medicine), driving on big and straight roads, The Office, The Washington Post, Uncle Mik in the hospital, middle-eastern food, more middle eastern food, chats with friends and family, and two really nice flights on British Airways.

All this plus a little hint of missing France.

Interesting.

CJS

I MAY HAVE posted this before, but it's adorable (and not a bad short French lesson).

THIS SHORT CLIP is being played all over France right now -- thousands of internet hits, all over the news. The guy kind of looks like an idiot, but what he does with this bottle of wine is pretty amazing.



Ouuaaaaay!
CJS

I KNOW WHAT expect by now: when I return from a trip the only thing that matters to the kids is what I brought back for them. I'll get to that.

It's great to be back with Kerri and the kids. Sure, I'd love to be watching game 6 of the World Series tonight, but I'll have to settle for Champion's League action. (Liverpool/Lyon). The quick trip was successful in the sense that I got done what I needed to get done. It was also great because I got to spend time with family and friends and take care of some of my All Things American withdrawals.

But the kids were mainly interested in what I had in my suitcases. I can't show them everything since half of the stuff is for their upcoming birthdays and/or Christmas (and a lot of it is from grandparents). But there were some choice items that I pulled out for them: Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, Graham Crackers, regular Cheerios, Captain Crunch, Peanut Butter, Fruit Roll-Ups, Cinnamon-Raisin bagels, and a few other treats. I had a few things for Kerri as well -- mainly coffees from Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts.

CJS

DOING A BIT of 'housekeeping' back in Washington for a few days. Kerri and the kids will enjoy their break from school with pumpkin carving, crafts, trips around the area, and lots of movie nights.

CJS

WE HAD TO make a semi-emergency trip to Marseilles today to visit the American Consulate. We decided to make a full day of it and explore the city a bit. I'm not sure why we haven't yet visited France's second city, especially since it's only two hours away (we've been to Bologna, Italy twice -- and it's 5 hours away). I think in many ways Marseilles gets -- or at least has had -- a bad rap for a variety of reasons. It's dirty; or it's too crowded; or it's kind of rough; or it's not charming; or there's too many immigrants (let's be honest).

But for me it is precisely these kinds of 'imperfections' that give cities their identity, their feel. I want cities to have texture and flavor, and want there to be more to it than what the glossy postcards show at the souvenir stands. It's one of the reason why I prefer Nice to Cannes. Maybe I have these feelings because I hail from Washington, DC -- one's of America's most flawed cities in many ways.

So you might guess that we really like Marseilles, and we did. Sure, the drive into town is pretty dumpy (what big city has beautiful suburbs?), but the old port and village were beautiful. We were only there for 5 or 6 hours and it's hard to really get to know a city in that amount of time, but we liked what we saw. Here are some of those things:

THIS IS AN incredible video out of Sweden.It's been around for a while, but give it a look. Behavior can be changed. It just takes a little effort and creativity.



CJS

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, it was a pretty successful day. Sure, I was awake at 5:30. Sure, I was at the prefecture before the car park even opened. Sure, I stood in a line outside the door for two hours. Sure, I watched a woman yell at a man for nearly 5 minutes because she thought he cut in line. Sure, I didn't have the proper number of photocopies of every document we needed. But in the end we got our new cards and are now legal for another year.

We timed things pretty well this time. I know that I'd be in line for several hours so I called Kerri when it became clear about how long a wait we would have and she and the kids simply came down and met me. The arrived at about 9:30 and we were out of there by 11:15. Last year we walked out at 4:45pm.

Like I said -- all things considered, that's a pretty successful day.

CJS

WHILE PATRICK SPENT two hours making architectural plans for a house on graph paper (left), Julia and I made a very nice lunch. Since I don't get to cook very often during the week I try to make a nice lunch each Sunday afternoon -- and Julia and/or Patrick often help.

Today we did quite well with Ginger and Garlic Chicken Kebabs with Roasted Red Peppers; a tomato-chick pea salad, and a very nice Basmati Rice with Dates and Fresh Mint.

On the whole, very good indeed.

But because we had a nice, hearty lunch we went light for dinner. Really light. We chowed down on Ramen Noodles and Saltine Crackers. Total cost for dinner: just a bit under 3 Euros. For 5 people. Reminds me of my college days.

This afternoon we ate on our small table on the porch. Julia prepared the settings.
CJS

IT IS THAT time of year for us again -- time to renew the 'ol Carte de Séjour. I have a question that I hope somebody knows the answer to: As an American (non-EU) can I renew a Carte de Séjour at a Sous -Préfecture or do I have to go to a full Préfecture?

For our purposes, I'm basically asking if we have to go to Nice or can we go to the Sous Préfecture in Grasse?

If you know, let us know.
CJS

This is 'us' for the next year -- at least in terms of our identification card. Every year we have to go through this. We're preparing for a full day at either the adult prefecture or the kiddie prefecture; haven't decided yet. And the most important thing we will have with us are these sepia-toned photographs (and a stack of paperwork about 2 inches thick!)

IN ADDITION TO teaching history and economics at the CIV, I also spend 5 hours a week teaching literature to 2nde students. You can only imagine the joy!

Today is the last day of class before the Toussaints break -- a (nearly) two week break that comes every October. I have 2nde English for one hour today, from 3-4pm. They are not going to be in the mood for much. That's why I'm just going to read them a story today. Just like your parents may have read to you when you were young. I'm going to turn the lights down, invite them to put their heads on their desks if the wish, bring a cup of coffee to class (for me), and just read to them.

And because Halloween is nearly here I'm choosing The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe. I'll read it in English (of course), but the famous opening lines are also quite good in French (sorry, no accent marks today as I'm on my American laptop):

Vrai! -- je suis tres nerveux, epouvantablement nerveux, -- je l'ai toujours ete; mais pourquoi pretendez-vous que je suis fou?

It's my favorite Poe short story.
CJS

ONE OF THE most famous restaurants in Paris is getting ready to do a little house cleaning -- and they're putting some of the items up for sale.

La Tour d'Argent, an establishment that dates back to the mid 1500s, is putting nearly 20,000 bottles of wine and spirits from it's cellar up for auction in an effort to clean out a bit of space and raise about a million euros. La Tour d'Argent has the one of the most extensive wine cellar in Europe, boasting nearly 500,000 bottles -- some that date before the French Revolution (inset photo).

So if you've ever wanted a 1983 Chateau Petrus, a '49 Chateau La Tour, or a 1788 Clos du Griffier cognac (yes, 1788!), this is your chance. Bring your checkbook though -- these vintages will cost you a pretty penny. But the restaurant wants people to know that not all bottles cost a lot of money: thousands of bottles will sell for between 10 and 15 euros.

I will again recommend the book Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure. Among other things, the book talks about how restaurants like La Tour d'Argent hid their most precious wines from the occupying Germans during WWII.

Of course, I'm not in the market -- I just like the idea of a cellar that is big enough to hold nearly 1/2 million bottles of win.
CJS

IF YOU WERE like most kids you went through a period where you collected something . For me it was baseball cards and backpack patches. Kerri collected Smurfs and stuffed animals.

[Quick note on the backpack patches. I lived in Cambridge, England for a short time when I was 10 years old and whenever we would travel around the country my parents would buy me the little patches that you can sew onto a backpack or canvas bag. So somewhere in my collection of things I have patches from Bath, Ely, London, York, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Oxford, and St. Ives, etc. I have literally just remembered this as I am writing. I need to find those the next time I visit home.]

Our kids are into this phase now and Patrick has quite a collection of football (American) cards that he arranges constantly. Julia has made herself a collection of potholders that rivals any kitchen's stock. Henry collects snails (a long story for another time). But since we have come to France the kids have also chosen something to 'collect' when we visit cities around Europe. Patrick has chosen key chains; Julia has tea spoons; and Henry...well, he's still deciding.

But what is fun is that our family has a sort of collection that we are working on as well. Each time we visit a (fairly major) city we buy a refrigerator magnet. We tend to choose the three-dimensional ones but we have a wide variety. Many of the magnets now adorn our frigo, and many sit in a small bowl because they're broken. I took a picture of the side of our fridge this evening. Can you identify all the magnets (despite the bad photo)?

Here are some close-ups of a few:



Several are missing and I'm not sure where they are (Bordeaux? Strasbourg? Como? Basel?). We'll have to find them.

Here's the answer key from the first photo (from top-left): Maryland (our home state), Lyon, Carcassonne, Venice, Paris, Colmar, Luxembourg, Baden-Baden, Avignon, Milan, Bologna, Frankfurt, Washington, DC, Amsterdam, Annecy, Andorra, Monaco, Pont du Gare, Torino, Geneva, Chamonix, Barcelona, and Ireland.

What did you used to collect?
CJS

ACTUALLY, THE TITLE should read No Planes, Trains, and $10 Pepsi. For the first time since we have lived in France, my plans were directly affected by la grève -- this one involving the baggage handlers at Orly Airport in Paris. I was supposed to take an afternoon flight on Easy Jet Thursday afternoon, but after learning of the strike and confirming my flight was indeed canceled, I rushed to Antibes to catch the train. Kerri dropped me off at the station just in time to catch the 2:46pm train. 6 hours later I was at my hotel and 15 minutes after that I was sitting at Akash (my 'standard' Indian restaurant) ordering tikka masala.

So I got to Paris despite the strike and we actually had a fairly productive day of meetings on Friday. That evening a group of us decided to go for a quick drink at a local cafe near the Sorbonne (our meetings were at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand if you happen to know the area). Most of my colleagues ordered beer or wine, but I opted for a large Pepsi (needed some sugar). A couple friends joked that the Pepsi would be the most expensive thing on the bill. They were almost right. Take a good look at the glass on the right -- you can't see it but there is mark near the top that reads: 50cl. Well, those 50cl's cost me €7.90. The only thing that made me feel better was that the beer my colleagues ordered was a €8.50. Suckers!

Later that evening after a very good meal I checked my email to find that the strike at Orly was still on and that my flight for the next day was canceled as well. So I was stuck catching the train once again. I know that the train is a very civilized way to travel, but I'm the kind of person who only enjoys the train if I'm psychologically prepared for it. If I've planned for a 1 hour flight I'm not going to get excited about a 6 hours train ride. Luckily, I had the following two things in hand to make the trip a little easier.

Now all I have to do is find out how to get my money back from EasyJet.
CJS