The Money Pit (our version)

DO YOU REMEMBER the scene from 'The Money Pit' where Tom Hanks' character has just about everything imaginable go wrong with his 'fixer-upper' house -- then, as he is preparing for a bath, the entire tub falls through the floor and crashes into 10,000 pieces on the level below? Do you remember the laugh that comes next? Well, Kerri and I sort of feel like laughing like that right now. Before I explain why, take a look at the clip I just referenced:



For us the situation isn't the house, but our vehicles. When we moved to France we purchased relatively inexpensive cars with the hope that they would survive for the few years we planned to be here. Last spring our Renault Scenic had a major problem (distributor belt) that ended up costing us a couple thousand Euros. This spring -- last Friday to be exact -- the gearbox (boite de vitesse) blew out. The initial quote we got today is several (as opposed to 'a couple') thousand Euros. While we try to figure out what do with that car we're counting on our other car to 'hold the fort' for a few weeks. The other car is a bit smaller and is the one I normally drive. To be fair, it's been quite reliable in the two years we've had it, but it needs a few upgrades in areas like brake pads, exhaust, and some other tweaks here and there.

But as of this evening it needs a slightly more major tweak -- like a new back door. A slight accident backing out of our longish driveway had resulted in a bent door that no longer closes appropriately. [Note: To be fair I won't say who was driving, but I'll give you a clue: it wasn't me!] The car is now sitting in our driveway with the door partially closed and a couple of trash bags taped along the edges to keep out any rain. It really is quite a sight.

Cue the laughter!

Anyone have a spare left rear door for a 1992 VW Golf GTI? Black? Just shoot me an email if you do!

Southern France v. The Alps

TWO PHOTOS TAKEN on the same flight -- but only about 30 minutes apart.

Odd Yardwork

I DID SOMETHING today that I have never done in the States: I weeded our pétanque area. Tomorrow I'm going to smoke the kids once again in a family tournament.

Side note: I love the sound that les boules de pétanque (is that how you say it?) make when they crack into each other.

The Kids Picks the Activities

THAT WAS OUR plan for how to spend a few days of our Spring Break. Each of the three kids made their choice and planned an entire day's worth of activities. It went a little something like this:

Day 1 (Patrick): Patrick wanted to wash the cars to start his day (which I thought was a great idea). After a bit of playtime outside we prepared a picnic lunch to take to the beach. Spend the afternoon at the beach in Cannes playing soccer, football, paddle-ball then returned home for dinner: steak-hache, salad, frites. The evening entertainment: Shrek (the original)!

Day 2 (Julia): with bad weather in store, Julia chose to go to Fun City (thanks to a suggestion from a friend of ours). Fun City is kind of like Pump-it-Up in the US -- a huge area with loads of moon-bounce-type apparatus-equipment. On the way home we stopped off at some stores for a little shopping (daddy even got a pair of shoes) Then home for dinner (baked ziti, salad, cassis to drink), and a movie (can't even remember what it was called!)

Day 3 (Henry): Henry's day was today and he only had one thing in mind: riding his bike! So we went to the little village of Chateauneuf just up the road where they have a huge sports area and intended to stay for a while. But when the rains came about 20 minutes later we had to improvise. After a little lunch the weather cleared up and Patrick and I rode up to the old Roman Camp above our house and toured around the area. Henry and Kerri took the car part of the way and met us for...lots of bike riding. Henry was incredible -- riding up the hills and over the rocks. After a dinner of homemade pizza the kids watched 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' while enjoying chocolate-covered strawberries.

Some fun days. Kerri and I are still waiting for our 'days' -- which may still come. We have the rest of the week to fill.

Spring Break

IT'S ONE OF the greatest things about the French school calendar: two week vacations sporadically sprinkled throughout the year. Spring break started yesterday and if the weather cooperates (and it looks like it will)we'll have a nice relaxing time here at home. It's been a long time since we spend an entire break at home and we're kind of looking forward to this one. I, for one, am going to get back on the bike and put in a bunch of kilometers.

We've also told the kids that each week they will get one day where they plan the activities -- the entire day. They can pick the food we eat, where we go, what movie we watch (if we do that), etc. Tomorrow we will 'plan' the first week. Could be a lot of trips for gelato in our immediate future.

A Nice Visit from Some DC Friends

THAT'S THE BEST way to describe a two week period when your great friends come to visit you in France for the first time. I won't try to explain it all now, but we had a great two weeks with Kevin, Lynn, Eliot, and little Sophie. Thanks, guys. Come back soon. More photos later when my Picasa program stops acting up.

Happy St. Patrick's Day From our Patrick

HERE'S HOW OUR Patrick celebrates St. Patrick's Day. With a little dance:

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Paris-Nice Final Stage

I SWEAR, IF you stop this video at exactly the 4:19 mark you will see a handsome family of five watching Alberto Contador and Alejandro Valverde go flying by. We were about 200 meters above the incredible village of Eze for the final stage of the 2010 Paris-Nice. It was a great vantage point because the peleton passes by twice because of a little curcuit the race does near the end in Nice.

The past two days have been gorgeous and we've had fun watching the race at four different locations over the two days.

Here's the clip with Flemish commentary. If you hit the 4:20 mark you'll miss it. 4:18? That won't work either. The riders are going so fast we are kind of a blur. But we're there for almost a full second...right on the left of the road. :)

Race to the Sun III

BY 'III" I mean it's our third Paris-Nice race this weekend. Whether my family likes it or not (and they say they do!) we go to at least one, usually two stages of the Paris-Nice race every year. With no hockey/baseball/basketball/football I am left with cycling as one of the sports I really enjoy watching and 'doing'. The second to last stage will roll by about 3 km from our house on its way to a Tourettes-sur-Loup finish and we're going to meet a few friends to watch the category two climb up to Chateauneuf. The climb is one I've done loads of times and I can't wait to see how much faster the pros go than I do. I'm going to guess they are going to go at least 3 times faster than me, probably 4. It was at last year's Paris-Nice that we were at the right spot to see Alberto Contador crack -- something you don't see everyday.

That's Going to Put Me Over the Edge

I'M UP TO my neck in work at the moment. With my teaching obligations and my new student obligations I'm juggling the grading of bac blanc papers, the writing of 4 research papers, preparation for classes, weekly trips to Geneva, and being a hockey goalie in the evenings while my kids try to score on me.

But I can deal with all of that; the late, late nights and the early, early mornings. What I'm not sure if I can deal with is the zit that has developed in my nose. Not on my nose, mind you. In my nose. What am I, 15? It's killing me.

The Problem With Cable News...

...THEY HAVE TO fill hours and hours of air-time. Watch this (Not Safe for Work!)

Here's a Question...

WHY ARE AIRPORT security screening machines not calibrated the same way? Is Nice safer than Geneva? I ask this because when I walk through the airport screening machine each week in Nice I can wear my watch without getting 'buzzed," but when I go through the machine on my way home in Geneva my watch sets of the alarm.

What's the deal with that?

Another tid-bit I'd like to mention about my air travel is that Easy Jet is now serving Starbuck's coffee on some of their flights. That may be the best thing that has happened in in-flight comfort since smoking was banned on all flights. If the cup of coffee didn't cost 2.50 EUR it would be even better.

30 Years of Presidents in One Video

WOW, THIS VIDEO sketch is my life compressed into 5 minutes. If you aren't from the US you may not know Saturday Night Live -- the weekly comedy sketch that has aired just about every Saturday night at 11:30pm for the past 30 years or so. Of course, like in many countries, the 'it' character is the political leader of the country. No different for SNL. Whoever played the current U.S. president got a lot of publicity and air-time.

In this sketch, President Obama is visited by all the presidents going back to Reagan -- and all the president are played by the people who originally played them (with the exception of Reagan, who is played by Jim Carrey). I used to watch SNL every Saturday night. The show is a huge part of my life. In fact, my parents always knew they didn't have to give me a curfew on Saturday's because I'd always be home by 11:30. Many of the great comedic actors of the last quarter century got their start on SNL. (Note: this video was not actually part of the show -- but the actors and characters are all from the show). Give it a watch.

Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion from Will Ferrell

Cast:

Obama: Fred Armisen
George W. Bush: Will Farrell
Bill Clinton: Darrell Hammond (man he's good!)
George H.W. Bush: Dana Carvey
Ronald Reagan: Jim Carrey
Jimmy Carter: Dan Aykroyd
Gerald Ford: Chevy Chase
Directed by: Ron Howard (yes, that Ron Howard)

Wow. Like I said, my entire life in one short sketch.

'Xynthia'

THIS NAME MAY not mean much to you unless you life in western Europe. Xinthia was a huge storm that swept across France last weekend and has so far killed more than 50 people. Others have died in Spain and Germany due to massive flooding and hurricane-force winds. Because of the earthquake in Chile and the Tsunami threats all across the pacific, this storm received relatively little attention. Here's a link with video to a story from France 24.

It sure has been an unusual winter in terms of weather -- and not just because we got nearly 30 centimeters of snow here on the Cote d'Azur. With the snow in Washington, and the wind storms throughout Europe, the rain in parts of central Europe, and record heat places in Australia, the meteorologists have been busy.

(But I won't dare say it might be related to climate change).

Our Own Olympics

WE HAVE THIS silly tradition where our family competes in our own Olympic once every two years -- during the real ones. It started when our twins were 3 1/2 during the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. Kerri gets the credit for this -- as she almost always does when it comes to doing fun creative stuff -- and she usually comes up with the events. I remember one of the first events we ever held in the Family Olympics was the Ice Cube Hold. Very simply: who can clutch a large ice cube for the longest without letting go. Other events over the years have included:

• Marshmallow Biathlon (a sort of race, but with a marshmallow throwing contest mixed in)
• Bare Arm Outside the Car (did this a couple weeks ago in Switzerland -- when the temps are really cold, who can hold their bare arm outside the window while we are traveling at 120km/h?)
• various food eating contests - including 'Who Can Make the Best Ice Cream Sundae (I was the judge!)
• Stand-Up Sledding (real sleds, not no sitting allowed)
• Rubber-Band Archery
• Wood Floor Figure Skating

We have a bit of fun every time the Olympics roll around. I'm not sure of the medal count for this year, but the kids inform me I was dead last in the standings.

Re-Rolling a Fruit Roll-Up

FOR THE PAST ten minutes I've been trying to get our 5 year-old to understand that fruit roll-ups taste the same whether they are rolled-out or scrunched-up in a ball. When he opened the roll-up (gift from the US) it immediately began sticking to itself and lost it's -- shall we say -- flatness.

Then I got the idea. We headed to the kitchen where I pulled out a heavy rolling pin. I took the 'ruined' fruit roll-up and put it between two pieces of plastic film and rolled it like crazy. Now it has been 'fixed' and is once again edible. And, I might add, bigger than before.

Relatively boring story, I know. But it's all I got right now.

USA! USA!

I LOVE THE Olympics. All of them. Always.

Like most Americans, I only watch a lot of the Olympic sports once every four years. It doesn't matter how glued to the television I might be during the women's figure skatng long program tonight, I can guarantee that I will not watch one minute of figure skating until 2014. And the same goes for most of the winter sports. (Although I'm starting to get in to women's biathlon -- mainly because I like the idea of good looking Scandinavian women in tight suits skiing around the woods with guns strapped to their backs -- but that's another story.)

But here's the main reason why I love the Olympics. I get to root for the United States.

The American sports culture doesn't allow for this very often. Our major sports teams rarely compete in international competitions like the Champions League, or the European Championships, or the Six Nations, or the Ashes. There is no USA Football team; there is no USA baseball team (come on, I don't count with baseball world cup -- or whatever it is called), and there is no USA basketball team (except during the Olympics, and eve then no one cares). There are relatively few chances to get behind a national team and cheer them to victory.But during the Olympics I can root for the red, white, and blue.

Look, I wouldn't recognize Lindsey Vonn if she walked into the room wearing her ski suit -- but I get to root for her every time she hits the slopes. I couldn't pick out Shani Davis from a line-up of black speed-skaters -- but I can't wait to see him race. And I look forward to US hockey games about as much as I look forward to any sporting event.

I'm not an overtlyRah-Rah-USA-is-Best kind of guy. I don't own shirts with huge American flags on the front; I don't only 'buy American'; heck, I don't even live in the United States, for goodness sake. But when the Olympics come on my patriotism ratchets up a couple of notches and I rooting for ol' US of A.

I suspect this is not a uniquely American phenomenon.

Yes, We Skied

THE ONLY QUESTION I get when returning from winter break is: as-tu aller faire du ski? And if the answer isn't yes than I get one of those 'huh?' looks. The French take their skiing very seriously, especially during the February school break. On the first day back to class last Monday I asked my class to raise their hand if they skiied during the holiday. All but one raised their hand.

Well, we skied. All of us -- even Kerri and Henry. Here are a few photos to prove it. (Wish we had a better camera -- but you get the idea).

Lunch break.

Hard to see the view in the background: Mont Blanc!

Kerri ordered a 'Grand Coffee'. This is what came out.

Up to Here (hand at neck)

I WON'T SPEND much time talking about it (mainly because nobody cares) but I'm getting ready to finish the first trimester of my graduate program and I am starting to feel the -- shall we say -- heat. 4 major papers are due in about three weeks. I've made progress on all of them and one is basically finished, but I have to admit that sitting down to write a research paper is something I haven't done in about 15 years.

Brief look at topics I'm researching and writing about.

International Law: examining the International Court of Justice case Iran v. United States -- a case that goes back to the Iran-Iraq war and a military conflict between Iran and the US in the Persian Gulf. The main issue has to do with a breach of a previous treaty between the two countries (going back to 1955) and the issue of 'appropriate defensive retaliation.'

Religion and International Relations: writing a paper on the current government in Turkey. As an officially secular country, but currently ruled by a pro-Islamic political party, Turkey has some interesting issues it is facing. My paper is focusing on the impact the current political party will have on Turkey's international relations with the other Middle Eastern countries.

The Rise of China: we have been asked to pick an issue and compare China's policy on that issue with another country of our choice. I've chosen to compare Chinese and American policy toward Iran's nuclear program. Very interesting. Just wish I had more time to really research the topic.

The Challenge of Democracy: back to Turkey. In an effort to sort of 'kill two birds with one stone' I'm going to look at Turkey domestic political situation and ask whether it is fair to refer to Turkey as a 'moderate Islamic democracy.' Can such a thing exist? If so, what impact will/should Turkey have on other Arab/Islamic countries in the region.

Those are my four classes. Those are my four papers. If anyone has written a paper on one of these topics -- SEND IT and if it's good I'll submit it as my own!!

:)

Rockin'

ON THE DRIVE home from Geneva today we were listening to The All American Rejects on the iPod. When 'Night Drive' came on Henry perked up because he knows and associates the song with the movie 'Cars'. I turned it up and told everyone in the car to play an instrument. Patrick started pretending to rock-out on the guitar, Henry was jamming on the drums, and I was faking the bass real good. Then I look in the rear-view window to see what Julia was pretending to play.

She was pretending to play...the harp.

This is the same girl who asked me to download White Lion onto our iPod. White Lion! I'm finding her a bit difficult to read sometimes.