Wake Up Sonata

I'm feeling a lot better, but there's very little else going on in our lives at the moment. We are wondering if the Iceland volcano is going to interfere with our trip to Europe this year. That does bring up a point about which we're also concerned. We very much wanted to spend some time in Germany this year, but it seems that German accomodations are even more expensive than Paris. The available sites for apartments are extremely limited and those that are presented, are very expensive. We're thinking about cutting out the German portion of the trip, even though we've already made our travel arrangements and it will probably end up costing us to make the changes we propose. I don't really see why it should be a problem, we're not even thinking about leaving until August. That should be more than enough time to re-sell our seats. They've probably over sold the flight anyway. They usually do.

Will Americans EVER wake up to how badly they're being ripped off? "In the last couple of years an Internet connection through a land line has become very reasonable in cost. We now use Neuf Telecom for our phone and Internet connection. For 29.90 euros ($40.34) a month, we have a ADSL line, 70 TV channels, and free phone calls to French fixed lines and to many other countries including the US. We call to the US, to both fixed and cell phones, for free. They do charge for calls to US 800 numbers. Several other companies offer the same type of service." For that exact service, I'm paying almost $200 per month, and I don't have any premium TV channels. My ISP is Comcast and they're getting worse and worse with each passing month. I won't even discuss the telephone ripoff.

And Speaking of Americans waking up: Health Buzz: Health Insurers Invest in Fast Food.

Could I be any more surprised? Secret US memo urges war on Iran!

Cassini Captures First Video of Extraterrestrial Lightning

Video: Get a Closer Look at GM’s Electric Pod Car

The pill: secret of immortality Several readers noticed two inspiring sentences in the London free newspaper Metro last month. An article on the contraceptive pill assured: "Taking the pill cuts the long-term risk of dying from any serious illness including cancers and heart disease, new research suggests. Women who take the contraceptive are 12 per cent less likely to die compared with those who never have." Sarah Fellows asks: "If the entire female population began taking the pill, would a lucky 12 per cent of us become immortal? We think this kind of side effect would surely be worth investigating further and can't understand why pharmaceutical companies have not caught on to it."

This has to be one of the funniest ideas I've ever encountered: Shoes for people who want to run barefoot but don't want to do it without wearing shoes. I wonder how many millions they've sold? Barefoot Running Without Freaky Footwear

Confucius Says: War does not determine who is right, war determine who is left.

ATTORNEY: The youngest son , the 20-year-old , how old is he?

WITNESS: He's 20 , much like your IQ.

À la prochaine, mes amis

Abbreviated

After Robb's stomach problems, he contracted some kind of bug which I managed to fight off for a week or so, before it finally got me. I stupidly figured I could overcome it without going to the doctor. Obviously, I was wrong.....again. So this is going to be a very abbreviated post.

Is anyone paying attention? An American metropolis where eyes are everywhere.

Confucius Says: Crowded elevator smell different to midget.

TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's.. Did you copy his?

CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.

IDIOT SIGHTING #4: My daughter went to a local Kentucky Fried and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimum lettuce.' He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg lettuce.

À la prochaine, mes amis

Ricky Crisis

Okay, gossip time. You've seen the name Geoff on here several times, and you know we consider him a friend. What you didn't know is that Geoff is a bit of a loose wire. He frequently gets pissed at us for reasons that no other person in the world would find annoying, and will not speak to us for sometimes a couple of weeks to a few months. Then, one day, he'll show up at our door as though nothing ever happened, which in our opinion is true. We have come to another of those incidents. At his urging, I purchased an antenna to pick up HD signals on my TV. But the antenna only picks up local stations. Robb and I don't watch much TV, but when we do, it's usually CNN, MSNBC or the Comedy Channel. About the only regular watching we do is during football season. Needless to say, even though the picture is really great with the HD antenna, it isn't practical for us because, except for football season, we don't watch the local channels. For reasons that still don't make sense to me, Geoff became incensed at that. He shouted at us and walked out, slamming the door behind him. A few minutes later, we got the usual "I hate you. You're typical Americans and I want nothing to do with either of you" email. We're not so sure we want anything more to do with him, either, but we'll see how it works out this time. We have a new friend named Pascal, who was born and raised in Paris but now lives here. He also has suffered the Geoff tirade and was profoundly shocked at such behavior. Of course, they are once again best friends because the cooling period has passed.

Is this not the coolest shower curtain?

10 water powered cars.

I thought this picture of Obama editing his speech was very interesting. It just keeps getting better, doesn't it? Obama to allow gas and oil drilling off Virginia coast. The conspiracy people are already talking about Obama as being hand-picked for the job. I'm beginning to believe them.

"Health premiums could rise 17 pct for young adults" The insurance industry has only four years to line their pockets, surely you didn't think they were just going to sit by and let this opportunity pass them by?

Catholics find ties to the church tested by crisis. I don't understand all the fuss. You mean, just because a "man of God" stands in front of you, extolling the virtues of morality and then goes back to his office where he fondles the altar boy du jour, you're going to doubt him? Next thing you know, someone will say you have to be really stupid to be Catholic.

Auto industry group spent $1.4M on lobbying in 4Q. Excuse me, isn't this the same industry we bailed out with about 15 BILLION dollars?

Ricky Martin Comes Out. Is anyone else shocked?

PINOCCHIO had a human girlfriend who would sometimes complain about splinters when they were having sex. Pinocchio, therefore, went to visit Gepetto to see if he could help. Gepetto suggested he try a little sandpaper wherever indicated and Pinocchio skipped away enlightened.

A couple weeks later, Gepetto saw Pinocchio bouncing happily through town and asked him, "How's the girlfriend?"

Pinocchio replied, "Who needs a girlfriend?"

À la prochaine, mes amis

Reese's Universe

While perusing the aisles at K-Mart the other day while waiting for Robb to get the medicine he needed for his stomach problems, I came across this lip balm. Reese's Pieces Lip Balm? I don't ordinarily use lip balm, but you know I had to try it. So I did. It really does taste like Reese's Pieces. And there were even more like it. Sodas, candies, cookies, cakes; you name it and it was represented.

By the way, if you were wondering about the taste of the crémant we brought back from France, it was almost as good as Veuve Clicquot. We've also tried, since we've been back, La Grande Dame. It's a much more expensive champagne by Veuve Clicquot. We didn't like it as much as the regular champagne at a quarter of the price. Crémant costs about a third as much as Veuve Clicquot, at least the stuff we get locally. In France, of course, it's even less expensive because they don't have to pay to import it.

It’s True: Hot Water Really Can Freeze Faster Than Cold Water

US Lawmakers Eyeing National ID Card. You should be very scared.

New Proof Unknown "Structures" Tug at Our Universe

Dawn of the Anthropocene Epoch?

By 2005, information was doubling every 36 months.

By 2008, information was doubling every 11 months.

By 2010, information was doubling every 11 hours.

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?

WITNESS: No , I just lie there.

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?

GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.

À la prochaine, mes amis

New Computers

NOTE TO MONITOR MANUFACTURERS: If I wanted a mirror, I would buy one.

Robb and I both bought new computers. His is this desktop Asus. Mine is this Acer laptop. He now has to get used to the differences between XP and Vista, his new OS. I now have Windows 7 on both computers, my HP desktop and the new Acer laptop. My old laptop was an Acer also, and I really liked it. so when I had the chance to upgrade, I took it. The old one (which I gave to Robb) has a 17" screen, the new one has a 17.3" screen.

We got a new laundry company. We should have bought our own equipment, but the board decided to go with another company instead. The laundry equipment is new (although they are the same make and model as the old equipment) and so is the new,higher cost. The new machines work with a card (like a credit card) to which you must add money via a machine. Sort of like an ATM but you put money in instead of getting money out.

New Doctor Who !!!

Scary stuff: U.S. history textbooks could soon be flavored heavily with Texas conservatism.

Osama bin Laden will never face trial in the United States. One wonders when these people are going to admit that Bin Laden is already dead and has been for several years.

A group of 40 year old buddies discuss where they should meet for dinner.

> Finally it is agreed they should meet at the Gausthof zum Löwen restaurant because the waitress's there have low cut blouses and nice breasts.

> 10 years later, at 50 years of age, the group again discusses where they should meet. Finally it is agreed they should meet at the Gausthof zum Löwen because the food there is very good and they have a fine wine selection.

> 10 years later at 60 years of age, the group again discusses where they should meet. Finally it is agreed they should meet at the Gausthof zum Löwen because they can eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant is smoke free.

> 10 years later, at 70 years of age, the group again discusses where they should meet. Finally it is agreed they should meet at the Gausthof zum Löwen because the restaurant is wheel chair accessible and they even have an elevator.

> 10 years later, at 80 years of age, the group again discusses where they should meet. Finally it is agreed they should meet at the Gausthof zum Löwen because they have never been there before.

À la prochaine, mes amis

Big News

WOW!!! BIG NEWS!!! I just won a FREE round-trip flight to Paris on OpenSkies, a business-class-only airline. OpenSkies started operation as L'Avion. We flew with them to Paris the summer of 2008. The problem is that it's only one ticket, so Robb would have to buy one. Then, we would have to fly to New York, because they only offer service between New York and Paris (or Amsterdam), though I've seen they are planning to fly from DC also one of these days. I was very excited to win something for the first time in my life, and fired off all the information they wanted. Then, it occurred to me that it was very possibly a phishing scam, so I spent the rest of the night worrying about that. Finally, the next day (Thursday), I got up and forwarded the email to OpenSkies and asked if it was real or a scam. Hallelujah, they replied that it was indeed a legitmate email and I had really won a round-trip ticket to Paris.

Monday, Robb and I drove down to Miami Beach because his cousins were in town visiting their mother. Okay, their mother is really Robb's cousin, the others are her daughters and I don't know what to call them. Elandra lives in Texas. Claudia lives in New Jersey. They're usually really nice ladies, but Monday evening, they did nothing but rant and rave about their other sister (who of course was not present). After the first hour, I wanted to tell them to shut the f--k up. I didn't, but it was not an enjoyable evening and when we finally left around 11 PM, I had a raging headache. I told Robb I hope I don't have to go through anything like that for a long, long time.

Singalong-a sulcus: How brains hear music and lyrics.

If, like me, you hate to sit through all those trailers on your DVD, here's a trick from CNET.

ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact? WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

Church Bulletins

Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

À la prochaine, mes amis

Positive Two-fer

I really LOVE two-fers. We went to the market today needing bleach. The first thing we spotted was a two-fer on Doritos. Actually, Robb spotted it after I had grabbed just one bag. Then, we went to get the bleach and son-of-a-gun, another two-fer.


There is a guy in our building, on the second floor, who we've recently discovered is a genuine nutcase. He seems like an affable guy, and in person, he is. But everytime something annoys him, no matter how trivial, he will post a note about it. For awhile, notes were appearing all over the place and no one knew from whence they were coming. Then, one day, he was caught in the act. He was never told, so he has no idea that we know it's him, which makes the whole thing even funnier....to me anyway.


Speaking of loonies in our complex.....there was a couple living down the hall who were evicted yesterday. I didn't know the husband, but the wife seemed like a really nice person. Turns out, neither were very nice and they were about the closest thing to trailer trash I've ever met. For months, things had been disappearing from the lobby and no one could figure out where it was going. Upon checking the apartment after they were evicted, most of the stuff was found to be there.

A measure for the multiverse - the first hint that parallel worlds reallly exist.

How Black Holes Overcome Centrifugal Force to Suck in Gas.


Robot learns to crawl using artificial muscles. It won't be much longer before the Cylons are here.


Microsoft CEO: Google merits regulatory scrutiny. I agree but, can we say "Pot calling the kettle black"?


Stimulus money goes overseas.


Two atoms are walking down the street together. The first atom turns and says, "Hey, you just stole an electron from me!"


"Are you sure?" asks the second atom.


To which the first atom replies, "Yeah, I'm positive!"


À la prochaine, mes amis

Squash Education

Squash update. We ate the other half of the acorn squash, but this time I nuked it. It was perfectly done and took only ten minutes. Robb is having health problems (he has no insurance since he retired) so we have been eating a lot of soft vegetables and very little spice. Our doctor gave him ten days worth of antibiotics, which was finished on Friday, but he doesn't feel that much better. He had to have a CAT scan which cost quite a bit, but luckily, he discovered that Florida has some kind of medical payback plan for former government employees, which includes county employees, so he should get most of it back. He also discovered that our doctor charges only half as much if you don't have insurance. That's all very good for those without insurance, but the rest of us are paying for it with higher and higher insurance premiums. As you know, I have Medicare which is basically free. But Medicare only pays 80% of the bill. You must have Medicare Part B to pay the other 20%. Part B is supplied through a private insurance company (I have AvMed) and is NOT free and they just raised the payment for that. I really don't know how much it is, though I think it's a little over a hundred a month now. If you have Social Security, it is taken out of your monthly allowance. I have never received an SS payment without that deduction, so I don't really miss it. But the point is, my Part B deduction is rising because of doctors who charge more for patients with insurance coverage, and if you only have private insurance, your premiums are rising even higher.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Surviving five heart attacks makes former Vice President Dick Cheney pretty unusual - showing that he has good medical care as well as a particularly aggressive form of heart disease. The really important thing to consider here is that this is the exact same health care the government provides for everyone. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Speaking of health care, I think I have a solution. Of course, it will never happen for several reasons, not the least of which is the inability of Americans to get off their collective asses and do something. But, if we were to revolt and tell Congress that they can only have the same health coverage as the rest of us, I guarantee you would see a comprehensive plan passed unanimously within an hour.

The big news today is that Obama wants to pour $900 million into the public school system. He might as well pour it down a toilet or burn it. Florida claims it has poured over $20 billion into the Florida schools and they're just about the worst in the country. Money is NOT the answer to fixing the educational system. You can build the best schools, hire the best teachers, serve the most healthy lunches, but if the kids don't want to learn, you will ultimately fail. The solution doesn't start with money, it starts with motivating the kids to want to learn. This may seem racist, and maybe it is, but the whole educational mess began with the integration of the schools. Because the minority kids were so far behind, some genius came up with the idea of watering down the requirements to get passing grades. It has been a downhill journey since.

And the news just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?

Here's something that should scare the hell out of you: Newborns' blood used to build secret DNA database.

Can you give examples of how the President and Democrats have not been fierce advocates for the civil rights of gay and lesbian Americans?

Deleting his gay civil rights promise from the White House Web site.

Changing his commitment to “repeal” Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, to “changing DADT in a sensible manner.”

Repeatedly defending DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) in court, including just a few weeks ago, even though he didn’t have to.

Making jokes about marriage equality, which President Obama claims he doesn't support, even though he once did.

Comparing gay relationships to incest and pedophilia in a Justice Department brief.

Joking about gay protesters upset about the DOMA brief.

Refusing to provide health care benefits to the partners of gay employees, and then claiming hat DOMA precludes it, when it does not.

Refusing to meet with gay legal groups to discuss how to provide such health benefits within the confines of DOMA.

Claiming that health benefits for partners of federal employees were new, then being caught in a lie.

Much, much more.

Here's another chance for Obama to prove he'll implement change: Lawmakers Punt Patriot Act to Obama. Wanna bet on whether or not he signs it? Well, by now you should know that he did indeed sign it. More change we can believe in?

Big Brother is closing in: Leaked ACTA draft reveals plans for internet clampdown. ISPs must snoop on subscribers or face being sued by content owners

Tracy Residents Now Have To Pay For 911 Calls

A Virginia man and his wife were driving home one very cold night when the wife asked her husband to stop the car. There was a baby skunk lying at the side of the road, and she got out to see if it was still alive. It was, and she said to her husband, "It's nearly frozen to death. Can we take it with us, to get it warm, and let it go in the morning?" He says, "O.K. Get in the car with it." "Where shall I put it to get it warm?" He says, "Put it in between your legs. It's nice and warm there." "But what about the smell?" "Just hold its little nose."

Three old ladies and their dogs were sitting on a park bench having a quiet conversation when a flasher approached from across the park. The flasher came up to the ladies, stood right in front of them and opened his trench coat. Gertrude immediately had a stroke. Then Maude also had a stroke. But Tillie, being older and more feeble, couldn't reach that far.

What do you call a psychic midget who has escaped from prison? A small medium at large.

À la prochaine, mes amis

Restos du Coeur

On the initiative of Peter, I, too, will participate in this chain of solidarity.

This is to help the “Restos du Coeur” (“Restaurants of the Heart”) - founded by the comedian Coluche in 1985 - of which the main activity is to distribute food packages and hot meals, a place to sleep... to the needy (some 800.000 people assisted each year). Sponsored by Carrefour and Danone, and by writing a few words like this, 10 meals will be offered. (You must send a link to: hub@lanetscouade.com).

By suggesting other bloggers to do the same thing, 10 multiplied by... additional meals will be offered. I ask all of you who would like to help, to continue the chain. I suggest also that you all visit this page and this page (in French).

À la prochaine, mes amis

RIP Little Mouse

I am sad to report that our little mouse is dead. Apparently, he never got out of the car. We entered the car a few days ago and it smelled really terrible. We immediately assumed it was the poor little mouse, and upon searching between the seats, found his body. I'm not the sentimental type, but I'm really sorry he died.

We were shopping at our local market the other day, when I saw some acorn squash. I've been curious about it for some time, and finally decided to buy one (one could easily feed four). I've never had it before and wasn't sure what to expect, but thought it would be different than the regular yellow squash we usually get. It takes over and hour to bake it and it tastes very similar to the regular squash. I'm not sure it's really worth the effort. It's easy enough to prepare, once you manage to cut it in half, but an hour to bake is a bit much.

Food Stamps Create Jobs… in India!

I've never seen a branch curl up like this one.

Priceless

How long till we wipe out HIV for good?

It’s Official: Google Can Sell Power Like a Utility. Read More.

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

À la prochaine, mes amis

Mouse Emergency

David Hallyday (Johnny's Son) - Tu Ne M'as Pas Laissé Le Temps

The Mouse Saga continues. I walked into the kitchen one day and found him (I hope it's a 'him') on the counter, so I'm now certain it is a mouse and not a rat. We bought a mouse trap; the kind that captures them but doesn't kill them. I followed the instructions and put some peanut butter in it and set it out where I figured he'd be running. After a couple of days, he was still running free, so I assumed he didn't like peanut butter. I cleaned out the trap and put in a small piece of cheese and a piece of a raisin cookie. Still, he would not enter the trap. Robb suggested I put it on the counter since there was all kind of evidence that was where he roamed. I did, and within hours he was trapped. This is where you'll probably roll on the floor laughing. I carried the trap down to the car to take him to his new home near a barbeque place. Well, I though at least he'd have a lot of stuff to eat there. As I was getting into the car, I dropped the trap and he came flying out. I have no idea if he is still in the car, or if he ran out the open door. I came back to the apartment. A few minutes later, one of the other residents knocked and told me that my car alarm was going off. I went down and tried to shut it off. Half an hour or so later, the same guy knocked and told me it was still going off. I went back down and found what I thought was the "off" button. Then I tried to find the manual. It was not in the car, so I had to trudge up to the apartment, where I found it in one of the bookcases. According to the manual, I pushed the correct button to turn off the alarm, and apparently it worked because no one came to complain about it after that. But I noticed in the manual that the alarm can be triggered by movement in the car. You don't think.....

This is so unique, so fantastic, so ingenious, you may not believe it's real!

Emergency: The Emergency Number worldwide for cell phones is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked.

Hey, look people, more change we can believe in: FBI wants records kept of Web sites visited.

Isn't it great to live in a country where "doing the right thing" is a valued virtue? Nurse to Stand Trial for Reporting Doctor

**********************

Bill worked in a pickle factory.. He had been employed there for a number of years when he came home one day to confess to his wife that he had a terrible compulsion. He had an urge to stick his penis into the pickle slicer.

His wife suggested that he should see a sex therapist to talk about it, but Bill said he would be too embarrassed. He vowed to overcome the compulsion on his own.

One day a few weeks later, Bill came home and his wife could see at once that something was seriously wrong. 'What's wrong, Bill?' she asked.

'Do you remember that I told you how I had this tremendous urge to put my penis into the pickle slicer?'

'Oh, Bill, you didn't' she exclaimed.

'Yes, I did.' he replied.

'My God, Bill, what happened?'

'I got fired.'

'No, Bill. I mean, what happened with the pickle slicer?'

'Oh...she got fired too.'

The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer. So did the first 'Marlboro Man'.

À la prochaine, mes amis

Feel Good Plan B

Another feel good moment that might not have happened according to Geoff. At the time he owned a club in Antwerp, the city government tried to have the station torn down. Geoff, and several thousand others, signed a petition in opposition to the government. They won, thankfully, and we get to enjoy this.

More than 200 dancers were performing their version of "Do Re Mi", in the Central Station of Antwerp. with just 2 rehearsals they created this amazing stunt! Those 4 fantastic minutes were performed 23 March, 2009, at 08:00 AM. It was a promotional stunt for a Belgian television program, where they were looking for someone to play the leading role in the musical "The Sound of Music".

Our market had a sale so we bought a dozen bottles of Pinot Grigio, our favorite white wine. Well, that and Sancerre.

The other day, while I was preparing dinner, I thought I saw, out of the corner of my eye, something run along the baseboards, but I convinced myself that I was just seeing shadows. It now turns out that we have a mouse or mice. It/they, have left conclusive evidence. We actually saw a mouse running about before we left for our aborted journey last September. but when we returned, there was no sign of it and we thought it had moved on to greener pastures. Evidently not. Now we have to devise a scheme to get rid of it/them. I don't like to kill them, so we'll get one of those traps that captures them alive and then find it a new home somewhere else.

Time for Plan B. I saw it for real this time and it's much too large to be a mouse. Hmmm, maybe it's time for Rent-A-Pussy.

This is rather cool, though I have to admit, I was over it by the 1:30 mark. Science: Auto-tuned.

12 Reasons Why Gay Marriage Should Be Illegal

Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control.

Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people can’t legally get married because the world needs more children.

Obviously, gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

If gay marriage is allowed, straight marriage will be less meaningful (for instance, Britney Spears’ 55-hour just-for-fun marriage).

Heterosexual marriage has been around a long time and hasn’t changed at all; women are property, blacks can’t marry whites, and divorce is illegal.

Gay marriage should be decided by people, not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of the minorities.

Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That’s why we have only one religion in America.

Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That’s why single parents are forbidden to raise children.

Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven’t adapted to things like women being allowed to vote or integrated schools.

Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a “separate but equal” institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages for gays and lesbians will.

Video shows fighter jets shooting down US missionaries

One night, as a couple lays down for bed, the husband starts rubbing his wife's arm.

The wife turns over and says 'I'm sorry honey, I've got a gynecologist appointment tomorrow and I want to stay fresh.'

The husband, rejected, turns over.

A few minutes later, he rolls back over and taps his wife again. 'Do you have a dentist appointment tomorrow too?'

À la prochaine, mes amis

Stupid Wish

One of the surprises about the apartment we rented in Paris, was that there was nothing in the kitchen. That was surprising, because in every apartment we've ever rented, there was something in the cabinets; at the very least, salt and pepper. Usually, we would find coffee, tea, sugar and sometimes dry food items that had been left behind by previous renters. But this time...nothing. So, Robb bought some salt and pepper. Why is that even a topic of discussion one might ask? Well, the other night I made what I call Oriental Beef and Noodles (even though I don't use beef) and I used the pepper bought in Paris. I thought it was just regular black pepper and I didn't use very much of it. That's a good thing because this stuff is powerful hot. I had thought I might use diced tomatoes with green chilis, good thing I changed my mind about that. I like spicey food, but I detest foods that are so hot you can't taste anything and your only experience is that of burning your mouth.
I know it's difficult to tell from this picture taken from our balcon, but this is a neon martini glass. The thing is, if you're having a party and you want to invite everyone in the complex, you place this in your window and everyone knows to show up for drink, and fun. Okay, not really. I just made that up, but it's a cool idea don't you think?
The World Health Organisation and the pharmaceutical industry have been criticised for their handling of last year's swine flu pandemic. At a hearing of the Council of Europe - the European Union's human rights body - the WHO faced accusations that it exaggerated the danger of the virus under pressure from drug companies. When a pandemic was declared last June, most European countries changed their health priorities to accommodate thousands of expected patients. A number of European governments had signed contracts with the drug companies to buy back vaccines, believing a flu pandemic long predicted by health experts would be a virus-like bird flu with a very high death rate. But swine flu, it is now clear, is a mild flu with a lower mortality than seasonal influenza. The organisation denies any conflict of interest. - BBC
Obama: Stop Filling Administration with RIAA Insiders. Nearly two dozen public interest groups, trade pacts and library groups urged President Barack Obama on Thursday to quit filling his administration with insiders plucked from the Recording Industry Association of America. Read More.
Why I'd rather be punched in the testicles than call customer service.
On my Wish List:

À la prochaine, mes amis

International Idiots

I LOVE this song (please note that I DID NOT use the word 'heart'!)

I went for my semi-decade eye examination a few days ago, the last time was about ten years ago. They have a new female eye doctor at the place we usually have that done. She is very thorough. She discovered that I have a hole in my eye which could be the beginning of glaucoma, or something I've had forever. She's not sure because no one has ever examined my eyes as closely as she did. I don't know whether to be happy or devastated. As you know, glaucoma can lead to blindness if not treated soon enough. I would not like to be deaf, but I could cope with that a lot more easily than blindness. Oh, and I got new glasses since I somehow managed to lose my others.

A year, or more ago, I signed up for Comcast's paperless statements and billing. Since then, every month like clockwork, I get.....yep, you guessed it, by USPS mail each and every month, a paper bill and a notice that I've signed up for paperless billing. Can we say STUPID?
Hmm, now we understand why the US is interested in Haiti and why there are over 20,000 troops stationed there; they're certainly not there to distribute food. If they are, they're doing a really poor job, because the people that need it aren't getting it.. No, I think this is more likely: Haiti is full of oil say Daniel and Ginette Mathurin
IDIOT SIGHTING - Just in case you think Americans have it locked up - I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbour call the Highways Department to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: 'Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.' Story from Potters Bar, Herts , UK
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said , 'Where am I , Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
Church Bulletins:
Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
À la prochaine, mes amis

Wireless Pickup

We had dinner tonight at Tropics on Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors, Florida. If you like piano bars/restaurants, this is the place for you. Monday night is not karaoke night, but if you want to get up and sing, the pianist and the crowd welcomes and encourages you. Dinner was great; deep fried grouper (a southern fish) with a very good salad.


Waiting patiently for Povarello to pick up our old TV set. I tried to sell it, but I guess no one is interested in anything less than a 42-inch LCD TV. I just want to get it out of my computer room, although if I had the space I would like a TV in there.


I'm once again thinking about going wireless. I bought this Netgear router, but there were two problems. The first was that it's not compatible with a 64-bit system and I'm running the 64-bit Windows 7 OPS. The second problem was that I suddenly realized it was a Wireless G router. I really want a Wireless N router, so I'm considering these two choices. I'm leaning toward the more expensive one simply because I like the look of it better, and it isn't that much more.


The war on terror has been about scaring people, not protecting them. The ease with which the plane bomber could operate exposes the vacuity and recklessness at the heart of the US response to 9/11.


David is right, this guy is just sick.


À la prochaine, mes amis

Florida Snow

Okay, it's not really snowing in South Florida, although it has been known to happen in the past, and it is cold enough to happen now.

In CDG, because we were on a flight to the US, we had to go through two security checks. The first one was the normal one where you take anything that might set off the buzzer and put it in a tray which is sent through the scanner. The second one was an actual "hands on" pat down. I had my inhaler in my jacket pocket and had to take it out to show the "patter". Then I had to take out my wallet. Can you guess what he was patting?

When we got back home, I was delighted to see that the two bottles of wine (there's only one left), and the three bags of coffee I had packed in my luggage had made it with no mishaps.

After returning from the coldest winter they've had in France for many, many years, we were confronted with the coldest winter we've had in Florida for many, many years. Tell me again about how the earth is getting hotter because of "global warming".

When we got into the airport, after picking up our bags, Robb went to the Air France check-in counter to see if anyone had turned in his man-bag. He was told that anything they find at the check-in counters is taken to the airport Lost and Found. Geoff was already there waiting for us, so we'll come back down to check out the Lost and Found. We were surprised to find that Miami Airport has stopped charging for the use of luggage carts, so we no longer use them for free in Europe and pay to use them here. Kudos to Miami International Airport for opening their eyes.

I've changed my mind about the make-up of Tartiflette. It's more like potatoes au gratin with sausage, then cassoulet. Whatever one calls it, it is delicious.

Also, during this visit, I discovered two things I like that I thought I didn't; yogurt and chestnuts. At least, the yogurt with fruit. My previous objection to yogurt was the consistency; or what I perceived to be the consistency. When I actually tried it, at Robb's coaxing, I found it was not what I was expecting.

We drove down to the Miami Airport, which turned out to be an adventure in itself, since we got totally lost because we missed our turn off. But it was really fun. We made it to the Lost and Found department but they didn't have Robb's bag, or my glasses which I managed to lose after putting them in my jacket pocket on the plane. Luckily, I still have the old ones.

Here is the video I took at Hôtel de Ville. The only skaters are the guys cleaning the ice, but there's a good look at the Zamboni.

Climate change: the true price of the warmists' folly is becoming clear

À la prochaine, mes amis

Paris Snow 07-08 Janvier 2010

07 Janvier (Juedi) - Saw one of these on the street the other day. They're about the same size as a Smart and almost as cute.

So here it is...our last day in frozen Paris. It's time to partir, just as we were starting to get used to the cold. Almost everyone has said that it hasn't been this cold in a long, long time. It must be that damned global warming.

Madame Perez called to say she would be about an hour early for the final inspection and the returning of the deposit.

We walked down to Saint Paul and got a taxi to Place d'Italie and Italie2. Of course, as we are wont to do, we struck up a conversation with our driver. We mentioned that we were going home tomorrow, and he gave us his number and said if we called him, he would be happy to take us to the airport. We're glad that happened because otherwise, Robb would have to walk up to Saint Paul, engage a taxi and bring him back to the apartment to pick up me and our baggage. This arrangement is much better. Beside, the driver was a very cute Chinese guy born and raised in Paris.

In Italie2, we covered almost the entire place. I thought I might buy a pair of shoes, but couldn't find any I really liked, including the ones made by a company with my name. I bought a nice scarf at Jules for half off because of the soldes. Robb bought another stocking hat. It's really nice. I saw a fantastic leather jacket that I would have bought in a heartbeat if I had seen it first. It was three times as much as the one I bought, but it was so much better. Ah well, I've already got three leather jackets, well two jackets and a coat, I don't need another one.

We returned to the apartment, just in time to greet Madame Perez. She is Irish and very nice. She didn't even bother to check the place, just gave back the security check and, after a brief chat, left.

Our last dinner was, of course, at Fontaine Sully. I had a great veal stew, and ate every last morsel. Robb had steak and fries. For the first time in a long time, I finished my entire meal. We said our farewells to the staff, took a last look around and returned to the apartment to finish packing.

Because of the latest "terrorist attack", Air France emailed us and suggested we get to the airport several hours early. We will leave the apartment around 07h00. That should get us there in plenty of time.

Of course, as a final slap-in-the-face, the internet was down when I tried to get on one last time.

08 Janvier (Vendredi) - Up at 06h00. Did all the morning stuff and made one final sweep to be sure we had everything. Just started taking the bags out, when Win (the taxi driver) pulled up. With all the baggage loaded in the back, we climbed in and took off for Charles de Gaulle.

We got to the airport in what must have been record time, easily found a luggage cart, and set out to find the Air France check-in counter. Naturally, it was at the other end of the building. Because we were so early, check-in was quick and easy and we headed for the departure gate. If you've been to CDG on the way to the US, you know you have to take a train to the terminal. It was fairly crowded. Once in the terminal, we passed a lot of stores, but only one place that sold food; it wasn't even a bistrot. We passed on that. Checked out a place where the geeks among us could rent time on a computer. All the stations were empty at that early hour. I didn't look closely, but I think the prices weren't too out of line for an airport. One hour was €2, I think.

We got to the gate where we sat freezing with over an hour to go before boarding.

Boarding began several minutes late. They started, but then stopped, but didn't tell anyone why they had done that. Once on the plane, it was freezing again because they had the heat off while they were refueling. Now, the plane had been sitting there for several hours, why wasn't that already done? We left over an hour late, so a lot of people with connecting flights, didn't make them. I wonder, do they compensate those people?

We were in the middle section of the 747-400. Seated next to me was an English girl who was going to Miami to work on a cruise ship. She was cute and very nice. She invited us to come over and tour the ship before it leaves port in Fort Lauderdale, but I can't remember her name, so I guess that's not going to happen.

It was quite cool in Miami and even cooler in Fort Lauderdale. It was about 19C in our apartment. The heat was turned on immediately.

À la prochaine, mes amis

Paris Snow 05-06 Janvier 2010

05 Janvier (Mardi) - Mon Dieu, it's -3C and the guy across the courtyard has his windows open.

This was another special day. We met and spent several enjoyable hours with Peter of Peter's Paris, a fantastic website on which he features various areas of Paris. There are great pictures and a lot of good information. Peter is from Sweden, but has been living in Paris for twenty-five years. We all bundled up and walked over to Fontaine Sully, where Peter treated us to lunch and a glass of champagne. Afterward, we came back to the apartment and opened a bottle of Bordeaux Supérieur, with a very dried out cork. But the wine was good. Peter, as you would expect if you've read his blog, is a virtual font of information. Thank you, Peter, for the good champagne and the great conversation.

It was also special because I finally managed to get the picture of the heater that I've been trying to get for a couple of days. I mentioned that most of the restaurants/bars in Paris have heaters for those who want to sit outside to drink and smoke. I also mentioned that you have to be warmly bundled to do that. There are apparently, only two kinds of heaters; electric or gas. Some may look a little different than these two, but basically, one of these is what you will see. They work quite well, but when it's windy, no heater is going to keep you warm. On our walks since we've been here, I usually must stop for a breather every now and then, and I always try to choose a place with a heater. More to the point, with a heater that's turned on, becuse they aren't always on. Sometimes the waiter will wait for someone to sit down before they turn them on. Of course, that tends to lose them some customers, because if the heater isn't on, they will get up and walk to a place where they are on.

06 Janvier (Mercredi) - It is 11h00 and it is snowing in Paris.....again.

We went out today to investigate Saint-Antoine, which is only two blocks down the street toward La Bastille. We stopped long enough to take this picture of me and one of Robb. Believe or not, I'm actually smiling in that picture. Then I shot this little fountain in the courtyard. On the way to Saint-Antoine, we came across a shop that previously had been closed everytime we passed. It's a shop that sells all the wonderful goodies one thinks about when one thinks about the foods of France. And, as you can see in the picture of Au Sanglier, it was crowded. We had to pass this fine example of old architecture, Hôtel de Mayenne. If you can read French, this plaque de histoire will give you some information about the Hôtel de Mayenne. There is more information here, and here. When we arrived at Saint-Antoine, we discovered it was closed, so I turned and took this picture of the Colonne de Juillet.

We started walking back toward the apartment when I suggested we could get a taxi to Italie2, because I wanted to check out Darty and FNAC to see if they had the earphones I was looking for, and Robb suggested I could go to rue des Archives and get my jacket. Then I thought, well, we're not sure the place is open, but we can take a taxi and, if when we arrive, it's closed, we can just tell the driver to take us to Italie2. As luck would have it, the place was not only open but, because this was the first day of the winter sales, I got my jacket and paid €30 less than the regular price. I'll bet you can see the big smile on my face right through the internet.

We wanted to stop at Caffé Vito for a café, but it was standing room only inside, and we were not about to sit outside. We next tried Chez Tsou, a Thai restaurant we had enjoyed last time we were here, but it was closed. So we settled for Les Marrionners again. Robb, as usual, was hungry but couldn't decide what to order. I suggested the Croquita he had had before and he agreed. I ordered a pomme tarte and champagne for both of us. Well, I thought I was ordering a pomme tarte, but the waiter brought something that looked like sliced ham and a side of potatoes. It looked quite good, but it wasn't what I wanted. Turns out, one doesn't say "pomme tarte", one says "tarte pomme". Don't ask, I have no idea what the difference is. But I got my apple tart and apologized profusely to the waiter for the mix-up.

Afterward, I thought we could walk down and get the bus, but suddenly remembered I had left my tickets at the apartment. As many times as we've been to that area of the city, we still didn't have a clue where the taxi station might be. We stopped into the Pharmacie de la Mairie where one of the clerks was kind enough to point us in the right direction. Merci, madame.

Tomorrow, will be our last full day in Paris and we still have a full bottle of Crémant, champagne that can't be called champagne because it's not from the Champagne region, but is just as good, and sometimes better, than champagne. We also have a full bottle and two half-full bottles of wine. What to do, what to do. After speaking to Geoff in Fort Lauderdale, it was decided we would pack the wine in our check-in cases and take it back with us.

After dinner at Fontaine Sully, we walked back to the apartment in the falling snow.

À la prochaine, mes amis

Paris Snow 03-04 Janvier 2010

03 Janvier (Dimanche) - Today was another "meet-up" day. We met Rhino75 at Les Marrioners. We rode the bus over to the Hôtel de Ville stop and walked up to the bar/restaurant. I checked my watch and noticed it was already past the time we had agreed to meet. I called Rhino to let him know we were on our way and just a couple blocks from the place. He evidently was waiting for us to call and tell him we were there before he left his apartment. The place was packed. We barely found two seats. There was an empty table next to us, but when I tried to pull it over, the people sitting on the other side told us they were expecting another to join them, and since they had been there first, we conceded it to them. Rhino showed up a few minutes later, and a few minutes after that, a table opened in the corner by the door, so we sat there. Rhino was good enough to let us have the "inside" seats. They weren't too bad and we were fairly comfortable. We chatted for a couple of hours and he was on his way to wherever. Since it was dark, we headed down to l'Hôtel de Ville so I could get the videos I wanted. Sadly, they didn't turn out any better than the ones I had already taken. Luckily, I had thought to bring my camcorder and I used that, so they should be okay, but I can't download them until I get home. If you want to see the sucky videos, you can look at these: Hôtel de Ville, Skaters, BHV.

Tonight, instead of walking all the way over to Pont Neuf, we grabbed the 76 bus at the Hôtel de Ville stop and rode it to the end of the line. When the driver told us the line was "terminé", we told him we wanted to go to the Birague stop and he very graciously let us stay on. I love the bus drivers in Paris.

Dinner was, of course, at Fontaine Sully. They make a dish they call "Tartiflette Maison", which is, in my humble opinion, cassoulet made with potatoes. It is super delicious.

04 Janvier (Lundi) - I decided I wanted to buy the leather jacket after all, so we bundled up and went out to catch the bus over to rue des Archives. Lordy, it was cold...below freezing. We got off at the Hôtel de Ville stop (everything seems to be right there, doesn't it?) and walked up to the jacket store. It was closed, but the sign on their door stated that they open at 14h00 on Lundi. We walked back to the Open Café and nursed a cup of coffee for forty-five minutes. There was an interesting looking guy seated next to us who kept texting someone, or, at least, constantly checking his phone for messages. A few minutes later, a very cute guy joined him. We learned through listening to their conversation that the cute guy was Italian and was in Paris to complete his studies in pursuit of a PhD. The other guy was an American. The witching hour (14h00) finally arrived and we walked back to Roganel, the jacket store. It was still closed. I remarked to Robb that it was so typically French for them to be closed at the time they were supposed to be open. In better weather I would have waited for them to open, but it was just too cold to do that today, so we took off to get the bus back to the apartment.

Once inside, I swore I was never going out again until the weather warmed up. Of course, that was when we discovered we needed milk.

À la prochaine, mes amis

Paris Snow 01-02 Janvier 2010

01 Janvier (Vendredi) - We celebrated the advent of 2010, by spending the day doing laundry. It took longer than usual because Robb forgot to reset the machine to dry, and washed everything twice. Well, at least, we're sure it's clean. Dinner at Fontaine Sully. We both had Escalope de Veau avec tagliatelle. I can't get used to the number of people who will brave this weather to sit outside and drink cold beer, just because they can smoke. Yes, it's true, most of the restaurants with outside seating have heaters, and they work very good. But, when that wind decides to crank it up a notch, there's no heater in the world that will keep you warm. Just because I felt the need to insert some pictures; here's one of the inside door lock of the apartment. Here are a couple as the bus passed a carnival for kids in Place de la Bastille the other day when we went to Italie2. And just because I have it, a picture of Hôtel de Sully that I took by accident one night while walking back to the apartment. Hôtel de Sully, built in 1625, is the structure for which this section of town is named. It is now the home of the Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques et des Sites, which in 2000 became the Centre des Monuments Nationaux. This public body, under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, is responsible for the management of historic buildings and monuments in state care, of which there are a bunch. 02 Janvier (Samedi) This is my "man" bag. It really becomes quite handy at times. For instance, in mine I carry an umbrella, a couple of scarves, my copy of Paris Practique, a métro map, métro tickets, a pen, a small notepad, my keys and my camera When we were getting our boarding passes in Miami, Robb left his bag at the counter. He didn't realize it until we got to Paris. Unfortunately, along with his umbrella, he also had several items he needs, including his glasses. He tried calling Air France Lost and Found but got no real answer. We plan to stop and check it once we return to Miami on Friday. For those who didn't get to Paris, or didn't get to la Tour Eiffel (like us), you can see what the frozen people saw here: http://31decembreaparis.com/ Robb wanted to buy some more shirts because he didn't bring any with him, so we braved the freezing weather and began the long walk to BHV. One of the first things we encountered was this ad for Vivaldi concerts. If you've ever been in Paris, you must have seen one, they're everywhere. We attended a Vivaldi concert at Saint-Chapelle many years ago, and another at la Madeleine. When we got to rue Bourg Tibourg, we walked up to the Franprix, passing Chocolat Mussy, a confectionnerie, on the way. We had almost rented a place on rue Bourg Tibourg just across the street from the Franprix, but at the last minute, decided we didn't want to stay in a studio-alcove apartment, even though it was very nice and pretty big for a studio, about 35m2 as I recall. After the Franprix, we walked down rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie to check a restaurant, but it appears to be gone, as are several other things we remember from the area. Then, we walked to the store where we had bought our leather jackets a couple years ago. This time, they had a bunch of the kind I like and they had my size. I didn't buy one because they don't have inside pockets, but I'm rethinking that. We walked back down to BHV, noticing that if you can find a place out of the wind and in the sun, it's almost comfortable. Robb bought three shirts and and a beautiful sweater. If they had had it in my size, I would have bought one also. We left BHV and walked back to rue Bourg Tibourg. I wanted to stop and have cup of coffee, so we stopped at a restaurant but every seat was filled. We tried another, and there were a few seats left inside La Feria. Again, instead of just coffee, Robb had a large chicken salad and I had a Croque Monsieur. We both accompanied our lunch with wine. After the restaurant, we went back to Franprix to buy a Bûche de Noël. Yeah, I know, who buys a Christmas cake at Franprix, but it looked so good and was on sale. Unfortunately, Robb cut it before I had a chance to take the picture. I stepped into the traffic on rue de Rivoli, risking my life to get you this picture of la Tour St-Jacques. The tower is all that's left of the church that used to be there, Saint-Jacques la Boucherie. On the walk back to the apartment, we stopped at a mobile phone store, basically just to get warm, but I was interested in how the phone companies work and what they offer. They practically give the phones away; an Apple iPhone 3G would cost only €1. But they sock it to you for the monthly service. We continued to the apartment, passing Saint-Paul, the church for which the area gets its name. Around nine-ish, we started thinking about dinner. I wanted to go to Fontaine Sully, but Robb wanted to go to L'Angela, a restaurant we frequented on rue de la Roquette in the 11éme. He called, made a reservation and we got ourselves ready to leave. Luckily, we only have to walk to the bus stop just down the street, where we can catch the 69, which practically drops us at the door. We were surprised to find that the people we were expecting to see were no longer there, and had left just two months ago. No one was offering any information about the circumstances, so it's left to our imaginations what might have happened. We each ordered the Penne Alla Puttanesca and a 50ml pichet of red wine. For dessert, we both had the Panna Cotta Caramel, finishing with a café. All in all, it was a pretty good meal. We asked the waiter to call a taxi for us, but for whatever the reason, he wouldn't do, I'm not really sure why. We had no choice, we would have to walk to the bus stop or to Place Léon Blum to the taxi stand. When we got to the bus stop, we learned the 69 was no longer in service (you may remember that was a huge complaint when we stayed in that area), so it was off to Place Léon Blum. But we had only walked a block or so when an "available" taxi came down the street. I hailed him, and to our surprise, he actually stopped and picked us up. À la prochaine, mes amis