The world from my windows

Diverse News

2012-02-25T20:40:00.005+01:00

(My daughter is on the left...)

I haven't taken to this space for so long that it is intimidating.

It's not for a lack of anything to blog about; there is plenty of news.

I have been accepted to do the Cambridge DELTA program -- or perhaps I should write "programme" since it is a Cambridge thing and all.

Our elder daughter is finishing her "Licence" and will be going to a musical comedy academy in Paris next year.

My younger daughter just got back from a study trip to Mumbai. As a friend of mine pointed out, she remembers when study trips were no more than 100km from home. For that matter, when I was in school, they were called "field trips" and were usually in our town.

My husband is planning some office/garage expansion, although the house isn't really finished. And yes, we have been living here for 12 years. Such is life.

Times are beyond busy. My main objective for tomorrow?

To take the Christmas tree down.

The world from my window today

2012-01-14T19:39:00.005+01:00

The world from my home office window, today at 8:30 am

The world from my home office window, today at 10:30 am

A certain fascination with train travel

2012-01-10T20:22:00.003+01:00

I dropped someone off at the Rodez train station today.

Despite its modest proportions, I think the Gare de Rodez has quite a bit of charm to it.

But then again, I admit to a certain fascination with train travel.

I wish I did more of it.

A favorite building in Rodez

2012-01-08T19:32:00.002+01:00

This is one of my favorite buildings in Rodez. I like to call it our little Pyramide du Louvre.

I'm not sure if it is still being lit up in the evening like it was at the time I took this photo, though.

Rodez view and grey cars

2012-01-07T20:20:00.003+01:00

Today, I spent hours at the Conservatoire de Musique de l'Aveyron, Antenne de Rodez rehearsing for an upcoming orchestra concert.

I didn't take any pictures, but this evening went back through my photo archives and looked for some views taken from this building.

I think I have some better shots, but this one shows the well-known Café de la Paix, where one of my daughters has spent many hours.

It also demonstrates something I have noticed the past few years: there used to be a preponderance of white cars in France, but lately the trend seems to be to grey.

Happy New (York) Year!

2012-01-06T20:15:00.003+01:00

In 2011, every member of my immediate family went to New York City -- except me.

Boo-hoo-hoo.

In 2012, I have found myself admitting on a regular basis that I, as one of Aveyron's few American residents, have NEVER EVER been there...whereas both of my daughters, as well as my husband have. Did in 2011. Whatever.

The 2011 NYC frenzy spread through my family like a virus.

First my eldest daughter started to plan a trip there with her boyfriend for August 2011.

Then they invited my husband to join them for a week.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I was NOT invited. But I would have had to give up precious time with my family in Olympia to go...so I didn't go. Haven't been. Whatever.

As a result, through a connection my eldest daughter made, my youngest daughter found a great internship there, which she carried out in December. So now she's been there too. Went in 2011. Whatever.

All of this explains our family New Year's greeting...which, despite the oh-so-American theme, has very little to do with me.

Boo-hoo-hoo.

Budapest 2: The food! The wine!

2011-12-22T10:12:00.007+01:00

It's a pity I'm not in the food blogging mode anymore, because Budapest would have given great inspiration for some culinary posts.

I didn't even take many notes about the wonderful dishes I tasted and the excellent wine I sipped, but in my short time in the city, I can definitely say that dining out at incredibly reasonable prices is one of Budapest's major attractions.

On the second evening of my stay, the Erasmus conference organizers treated us to a top-class meal at Speiz, a lovely restaurant in the historic Castle Hill district.

The event was billed as a "Wine Dinner," and this restaurant was sure the right place for that:

I wasn't aware that Hungary offers a rich variety of wines, and I may have to consider mail-ordering some because I definitely left the country wanting to learn more about them.

In general, savoring Hungarian cuisine was one of the highlights of my stay.

Budapest 1

2011-12-17T20:39:00.003+01:00

So, with no further ado, a little update on some of the excitement in my life.

I went to an Erasmus contact seminar in Budapest from November 30-December 4th. Actually, the conference ended on the 2nd, but I worked things out to get a bit of time in the city on my own over the weekend. I figure I won't be in Budapest every day.

First impressions? To me, Budapest was more sprawling and grandiose than I had expected.

(I hate to say that I didn't do much research before I left, or else I would have known that Budapest was sprawling and grandiose.)

There may be more to come on this subject.

Bad blogger...

2011-11-11T09:45:00.005+01:00

No, not the blogging service -- me.

I came home exhausted yesterday evening after my long work day Wednesday and a fairly busy day Thursday, and just couldn't think of anything to post or write. So I blew it off.

In other words, I failed at NaBloPoMo on day 10.

But not to give up. Despite the very modest nature of my posts this month, I have enjoyed going back to this space, and catching up with a few friends from the past, like this other Betty, who have dropped in to comment.

So I will peck away at it. And maybe inspiration will come.

Long day

2011-11-09T05:23:00.001+01:00

Due to the length of my work day, there will be no scheduled post today.

Stay tuned for the next edition.

On the road again

2011-11-08T19:43:00.003+01:00

Talk about a big day tomorrow!

Rendez-vous in front of my school at 6:45 am to pick up three students and drive off to the Infosup educational fair in Toulouse...a full day of communicating about our business school...however, I must leave by 4pm because at 6pm my 3rd year students are doing their video/buffet evening about their foreign internships...

I congratulate myself for getting a post in this evening! Now off to bed...

No-blog night

2011-11-07T20:19:00.004+01:00

I am keeping up with NaBloPoMo -- if only for myself -- but I have decided that, as a rule, if I write a professional blog post in the evening, I won't write a " real" post to this blog.

This is where I have been blogging professionally for over 6 years now...and I can tell you that once I have worked all day and then, in the evening, written a blog post that I am getting paid for, the energy for personal blogging wavers.

Talking shop

2011-11-06T20:00:00.003+01:00

My head is spinning today.

At my "advanced age," I am thinking about doing some sort of degree or certificate program that would formalize and solidify my skills and knowledge in my career and my passion: teaching English as a Foreign Language.

Yes, I have a Bachelor's Degree, in English for that matter, from a prestigious American university. But finding creative ways to teach verb tenses doesn't have much to do with Chaucer or Dickens.

And yes, I did a 5th year of university studies that led to my becoming a certified teacher in Washington State. Indeed, I still use some of what I learned during that program in my teaching.

But that was, um, how long ago? And how much of that year do I really remember? And how relevant is what I learned then -- on a non-subject specific course, to boot -- to today's language classrooms?

I have a lot to think about.

International Relations

2011-11-05T08:29:00.006+01:00

The campus of KHK Kempen, Geel, Belgium

My school year started out with an unforgettable experience: making an official visit to a college in the Antwerp area to set up an Erasmus partnership with the business school where I teach.

I am happy to announce that a student from my school will be attending the last semester of his third and final year at this friendly and professional establishment.

It was exciting and inspiring to see how another college system worked, and to meet enthusiastic and friendly professors and teachers.

I am truly lucky that my teaching job has expanded to include an element of international project coordination.

As for the non-professional details, I spent one night in the charming little village of Kasterlee...

...and a day and night in the friendly and lively city of Antwerp.

The past year has been a Belgium year for me: I went to a conference in Brussels in October 2010, back to Brussels with my family for Christmas 2010, and then on this trip.

I quite like the country: there's something cool about such a small place where, nonetheless, there is such diversity between the two main regions.

Of course, this diversity has caused the country some major political difficulties -- but I guess I can say this is not my problem when I'm travelling there!

Fiddling around with Blogger

2011-11-04T20:26:00.003+01:00

My ambitions for this NaBloPoMo are modest; I'm not planning many major manifestos.

In fact, one of my goals is to fiddle around a little every day with my blog layout and color scheme.

I haven't touched any of Blogger's design features in ages.

Today my plan is to change my "hover color."

As I said: modest ambitions.

Roller coaster life

2011-11-03T20:29:00.002+01:00

Since the summer, life has been a roller coaster, and there are still a few dips and dives left before 2012...

In September, we sent our youngest daughter off to go to university at the Faculté de Toulouse Mirail.

Within two weeks it was clear that she absolutely hated it, so she managed to bounce back and get into a 3-year Bachelor's in Business degree program in Blagnac.

Just when we thought things had calmed down, she's now changing apartments because her studio in the rue Pargaminières has so much outside (read partying) noise that she can never get a decent night's sleep...

Actually, I think it could take all of NaBloPoMo to really catch up on what's been going on in our lives!

Wordless Wednesday Number Who Knows?

2011-11-02T20:26:00.003+01:00

Going for NaBloPoMo

2011-11-01T09:27:00.004+01:00

Has it only been 2 months and 10 days since I last posted?

This is not a joke. If you are a Facebook friend -- and if you read this, you probably are -- you will know that the last few months have been, as the French put it (at least around here) "un peu rock 'n' roll."

Speaking of rock music, in this first post of what I hope will be a NaBloPoMo month, I can only quote my beloved Elvis Costello:

"Oh I just don't know where to begin..."

Home again, home again?

2011-08-20T12:38:00.006+02:00

View of Mt. Rainier as I waited in SeaTac for my flight to Frankfurt

The mountain "was out," as Pacific Northwesterners put it, for my departure from Olympia last Tuesday.

I was homeward bound again...or was I leaving home?

I have spent every summer in Olympia for 11 years now, and somehow those 5 to 6 week stays always seem like about half of my year.

This year, I'm experiencing something new: coming home alone. My husband and eldest daughter are travelling in New York City; my youngest daughter is enjoying the Côte d'Azur and Barcelona with friends.

I was not so happy about this state of affairs when I had to drag my tired self and lug two suitcases from Toulouse-Blagnac to Rodez, but settling in with no particular demands on my time has been nice.

It has, at least, given me time to toy with the idea of getting back to writing on this blog.

On defining this space and taking (another) break

2011-06-04T19:25:00.003+02:00

After a blast of NaBloPoMo at the beginning of the month, I have once again grown weary of blogging.

Part of my problem is that I haven't really defined this new blogging space. I wanted to get away from La France Profonde because all of the underlying "an American in rural France" imagery just wasn't me.

I thought opening up possible vistas in a new blog would fling the windows of inspiration wide open.

It hasn't happened yet, and I suspect it won't now until my summer holiday comes and I have the time to get the architecture of this blog set up a little better.

I also think I need some sort of underlying concept, because blogging without boundaries just leaves me with too many decisions to make at the end of what are already long, busy days.

Until then, I'll no doubt see you on another nearby social network.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-18T20:50:00.000+02:00

Dropping out...

2011-05-16T20:44:00.002+02:00

I'm sorry tut-tut.

This month's NaBloPoMo was always a "maybe" kind of thing, and now I'm thinking "maybe not."

Rodez by (museum) night

2011-05-15T18:31:00.023+02:00

Musée Denys-Puech

(All photos courtesy of Thierry Jouanneteau)

My husband and I went to quite the lovely event last night: La Nuit Européenne des Musées.

It's an annual do, but we hadn't attended it for a few years.

We ran into some old friends

We used to go to the Musée Denys-Puech often with the girls when they were little ones. It was a suitable outing for rainy Sundays, and at the time, was Rodez's only functioning museum. (Musée Fenaille was closed for remodeling for years.)

"Post rock" among the menhirs

The principle of La Nuit des Musées is not only to open for free on a Saturday night, but also to provide various types of entertainment inside the establishments. We got in on the tail end of a concert in the Musée Fenaille's stunning inner courtyard.

It was a great evening: we started it out with a light dinner at one of our favorite Rodez eateries, the wine and tapas bar La Gargouille.

We ran into some old friends.

And we finished up with a photo-taking stroll through centre ville.

Signs of Aveyron in Paris

2011-05-13T20:27:00.003+02:00

Whenever I go to Paris for work, I go to at least one café or restaurant.

And not always, but often, I see a sign of Aveyron there.

People say that there are more Aveyronnais living in Paris than in Aveyron, and I suspect that this is true.

Many of them work in the catering industry now, and some are major players.

Poverty forced their ancestors to leave their homeland, al pais.

They started as bougnats and worked their way up through the ranks of deliverymen for drink companies, then café workers, then managers, then owners...

I always feel a little at home when I see posters like this on the wall of a restaurant in la capitale.

Wordless Wednesday, one day late due to technical difficulties

2011-05-12T20:18:00.000+02:00

Internet, teaching and guilt

2011-05-10T20:16:00.006+02:00

(A random image that I have projected for discussion in English class)

In my dream blogging world, I not only keep up this personal space, but also blog about education in general, and teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in particular.

Wait! That's not only a dream! I actually do have a teaching blog.

But as you can see, I haven't been there for a long, long time.

Early this year, in fact, I got somewhat involved in the Twitterverse of English Language Teachers.

The talents, creativity, devotion, and sheer online output of this community are astounding...and inspiring.

But as the school year moved on and intensified, the inspiration I was getting from these teaching gods (who must be online 24/7) started to weigh me down more than pump me up.

I've distanced myself from that scene for the time being, but I may get back into it...maybe...

A quick appearance

2011-05-09T20:23:00.003+02:00

I've been hanging in here for NaBloPoMo.

But, after writing a corporate blog post this evening, I don't have the energy to say much more here.

Oh well. A post is a post is a post...

A rare "wonders of nature" shot

2011-05-08T19:42:00.005+02:00

(Somewhere near Espalion, Aveyron, June 2006)

This is one of my rare "wonders of nature" shots.

Enjoy it while you can.I'm not one for taking lengthy promenades, soaking up outdoorsy solitude, or closely examining flora and fauna.

This is one reason I needed to get away from my former blog, La France Profonde.

I was feeling like a bit of a fake. Sure, I live and work in Aveyron -- and I love the place. But not for the reasons that many do.

When I tell people exactly where our house is, they often wax eloquently about how easy it must be to take great hikes right from my own front door...or to go mountain biking! Right, mountain biking!

Honestly, I just prefer to geek away while enjoying the view...

Windows in various states

2011-05-07T19:04:00.005+02:00

I took this photo nearly four years ago in Millau.

It was a quick shot on the way to a choral concert that one of my daughters was participating in, and when I took it, I certainly wasn't analyzing the great variety in the windows of this one building.

I remember being disappointed by the light -- I had hoped to get some sunny shots, but the city was dominated by particular pale grey-white tones that we often get in Southwest France.

Shuttered, draped, open, closed, remodeled, in their original state...it's a fascinating display.

Somewhere in time...

2011-05-06T20:25:00.000+02:00

A new blogging concept

2011-05-05T20:34:00.005+02:00

(Photo courtesy of Thierry Jouanneteau)

A concept. To get through NaBloPoMo, and possibly even to continue this blog, I need a concept.

As I randomly posted one of the few photos floating around on my new laptop yesterday, a new blogging concept started to take form.

I have a huge backlog of photos, and a huge backlog of things to say. But where to begin?

I decided to start here.

Generating numbers randomly, I whittled my 60-odd photo folders down to this shot from Capital Playhouse's Kids at Play performance of...?

This is going to be fun. Very fun. And that's what blogging should be about.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T20:09:00.006+02:00

Actually, not so wordless, because with this post, I think I have fallen upon a whole new blogging concept...

To be continued!

Before Wordless Wednesday...

2011-05-03T21:02:00.002+02:00

...how about Tired Tuesday?

Back to Barcelona

2011-05-02T20:04:00.005+02:00

View from inside the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

April was such a fun and exciting month for me that I thought I would be blogging constantly.

So many little trips! So many photos! So much to write about!

But also -- so much to do.

I'll have to spend May catching up.

My busy month of April all started with a one-night school trip to Barcelona with my second-year business school students.

Even though the trip was short, I (finally) actually got a feel for this city that so many of my friends love, as I mentioned in a previous post.

So many little trips...so many photos...so much to write about...it's a good thing I'm doing NaBloPoMo for May.

I may be blogging more this month

2011-05-01T10:45:00.002+02:00

I haven't been too inspired to blog lately, and just a few days ago realized the end of the month was near, and that a new NaBloPoMo theme would be coming up soon.

What a better theme than "maybe" for a blogger who is sitting on a fence?

Maybe I'll be able to keep up, maybe I won't!

Maybe this was happening when I took this picture, but maybe not!

I'm in.

Alive, well, and not blogging at the moment

2011-04-25T12:27:00.004+02:00

I just wanted to leave a quick update here. I have had three extremely busy weekends: a school trip to Barcelona, a one-night hop down to see Jennifer (Chez Loulou) the following weekend, and visitors from the US here for Easter weekend...lots of bloggable material, but no time to get it up and blogged!

Anyway, all is well and all is busy.

I hope you had a great Easter weekend!

Barcelona Magic 1

2011-04-10T20:42:00.005+02:00

At this precise moment, I started to love Barcelona

There is nothing noteworthy about this photo. It's just a building in Barcelona, attractive but not particularly charming.

As I took it, I was sitting on a café patio below. With a colleague, we had just finished visiting the International Tourism Show with a group of 36 business school students, and we were free for the rest of the afternoon. As we left, said colleague invited me to join her for lunch with a few people she was meeting up with who live in the city.

I had had grand plans to "see stuff" during the afternoon. But my feet hurt. I had gotten up at 1:45 am, ridden a bus for 7 hours, and then tromped around a trade fair for 5 more.

Of course I said yes.

We ended up at a tiny, somewhat greasy-looking neighborhood tapas bar. "Authentic" would be the word.

We sat down, and time just stopped. I snapped this photo, and let Barcelona take over. The next 24 hours were sheer magic...

Window to window

2011-04-03T10:20:00.005+02:00

Stuck in some of the endless road work that is going on in Rodez these days, I was able to catch this kitty from my car window. I suppose all of those vehicles below gave him/her/it something to contemplate...

My secret garden

2011-03-27T10:23:00.007+02:00

For over a year and a half now, I have had a new love in my life: an ornate harpsichord that lives in room 310 of the Conservatoire de musique in Rodez.

The first time I saw it, it took my breath away. Sometimes it still does.

I love unlocking the door and sitting down at this flowery creature. For the moment I'm producing relatively simple music, but it transports me far away from my workaday world.

I have been plunking away on it for nearly two school years now, and apparently I am making progress.

That progress unfortunately didn't show up too well at my first recital, where I was stricken with panic mid-sonata and somehow lost most use of my left hand - not a good thing for playing keyboards. But I got through it.

Stagefright is a strange thing. I can play the violin in recital situations or speak in front of hundreds of people and stay cool as a cucumber. But performing on keyboards (I used to study piano) has always been my bête noire.

Next step is a non-exam called un bilan de premier cycle on April 7. I will be playing two pieces in front of a jury, which is supposed to give constructive criticism and suggestions for the continuation of my musical efforts.

Stress, stress, go away! I would so like to be able to approach this bilan with the same calm and joy I feel when I practice...

Is soggy weather bloggy weather?

2011-03-19T09:36:00.007+01:00

The world from my window, March 19 2011

Have you found a direct connection between the weather and the desire to write blog posts and accessorize them with lovely photos?

I figure for many of us, there is a link between what's going on outside and what goes up on our blog.

The link could go both ways. On the one hand, blogging is a highly suitable winter activity. And when the weather brightens up, we should naturally be distracted by other possibilities besides sitting in front of our computers.

I feel the opposite effect. When the sun is beaming, I want to run out, take photos, and share them here. It seems like there's plenty to tell and plenty to show.

But on days like today...or during weeks like this one...I feel like there isn't that much to say.

So I may not be saying much this weekend.

Or then again, tomorrow the sun may burst out, and I could have a whole new set of photos and thoughts to share.

Pézenas discoveries: Door museum and La Dordîne

2011-03-12T19:42:00.010+01:00

Daughter descending into the Pézenas door museum
March 4 2011

After spending just one night in Pézenas, I can hardly position myself to make a lot of recommendations about the place. But I can make a few, based on the few but wonderful things we did there.

Don't miss the funky Musée de la Porte. It's really more of a depot for old doors collected by a local association than a "museum" in the true sense. Information about the doors is relatively sparse, but the place has a mysteriously chaotic feel to it and is perfect for poking around.

Entry is free, but of course donations are gladly accepted to help the association keep up its work.

Anyway, I could show you plenty of other "Portes de Pézenas," both inside and outside the museum, but if you're curious you can take a look at my Pézenas set on Flickr.

Chambres d'hôte "La Dordîne"

When I think about it, our decision to stay in Pézenas was partly based on finding the website for La Dordîne. It's a guest house, or Chambres d'hôte, right in the old town on a quiet, pedestrian street.

We stayed in the Syrah room

The rooms are adorable and amazingly reasonable in price; and the breakfast, nearly 100% homemade by the charming hosts Véronique and Aurélien, is a real treat.

My photos are downloaded and uploaded, and I have devoted two blog posts to a single one-night trip.

It's now time to leave Pézenas behind, but getting this little impromptu getaway together definitely gave me impetus to plan some similar outings during the spring.

Perking up in Pézenas

2011-03-06T19:35:00.013+01:00

Une porte de Pézenas, March 4, 2011

It's amazing what even one night away can do to boost my spirits -- especially at this time of year.

Friday I took the afternoon off, and with my youngest daughter we hit the open road to the enchanting medieval town of Pézenas in the Hérault department.

Unfortunately, the weather there was a bit cloudy and chilly, but the colors of the Languedoc still shone through.

Blues in Pézenas chased my blues away

Our original plan had been to spend Friday night in Montpellier, but while surfing the Internet for hotels last weekend, the idea hit me to spend the night somewhere smaller and quieter.

I didn't really even know how truly lovely Pézenas is...nor how full of tourists it must be in the late spring and summer.

Grey skies; blue shutters

There's something special about roaming around top French tourist spots off-season.

Virtually every building gave us a photo opp -- but we were the only ones taking pictures.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-02T20:24:00.003+01:00

I've gotta get out of this place...

2011-02-26T19:38:00.003+01:00

You know it's February when Rodez looks like this

My daughters just started two weeks of school holiday.

My students have one week of school holiday.

I have half a day off on Friday afternoon, and I am sure as hell going to make the best of it.

Mind you, this is not a complaint. Although my particular education job doesn't give me "les vacances scolaires," I have a generous vacation plus R.T.T. plan that will allow me to take much of the summer off and still have a few days left over here and there.

In other words, the amount of time off from work is not my point here.

The point is, when Rodez starts looking as it does above...I've got to get away! I've got to run away!

So this morning, I planned out a little one-night escapade with my youngest daughter to a nearby, yet sunnier clime.

I'm already looking forward to posting next week, when I should have much more of interest to say!

Wordless Window Wednesday

2011-02-23T20:21:00.001+01:00

Deadlines looming, weather glooming

2011-02-20T10:35:00.006+01:00

I'm learning to play one of these

For the past two years, I have been enrolled in the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Départemental de l'Aveyron -- what used to be known as l'Ecole de Musique; but, as the French say, "pourquoi faire simple quand on peut faire compliqué?"

I take harpsichord lessons with a wonderful teacher, and have been relishing the challenge of learning how to play a new instrument.

I grew up playing the piano, so keyboard instruments aren't totally unknown to me. However, the harpichord has a totally different sound and feel, as you can imagine if you know anything about musical instruments.

Also, I don't have one at home, so I practice at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement...etc... on a lovely, flowered harpsichord (not the Wikipedia Commons Image one above.)

Last year, everything was "just for fun," but this year I have somehow ended up in the bilan du premier cycle, where I am going to have to play in front of a jury on April 7.

Yikes.

As my wonderful teacher keeps telling a panicked me, this is not an examen, just a bilan to "see where I'm at."

Relax, girl. Oh yes, in the meantime I'll be playing my pieces in a "little recital" in late March, which is suddenly more or less tomorrow.

Double yikes.

Deadlines, deadlines. I also have a huge one coming up at work that I really have to get on this week.

For all of these projects that need energy and élan, the weather is not cooperating:

The world from my window, February 20 2011

I've done very well chasing off the February blues this year until, shall we say, today?

Cheery comments are welcome!

Honest light

2011-02-15T20:40:00.008+01:00

(The road taken, Sunday morning, February 13, 2011)

Even as I have promised myself to get away from the "French countryside" image that was a part of La France Profonde, I have also decided to explore a few back roads that are not that far off my usual paths.

Thus my Sunday morning grocery shopping trip to Bozouls turned into a mini-adventure. I took a detour that leads to the tiny village of Gillorgues, and motored my way up this steeper-than-it-looks dirt road.

I found myself in a quiet place with a lovely view of the town of Bozouls in the hazy distance.

There was one slight problem, though: I knew the light wasn't very good.

Yet why do we so often prefer to take our photos with stunning blue skies and stark contrasts?

These shots certainly aren't as striking as they would have been on a gloriously sunny day, but they sum up what I saw.

Call it honest light.

Why I tweet

2011-02-12T18:22:00.006+01:00

I'm pushing towards 4,500 tweets, which I find a little hard to believe.

I signed up for Twitter relatively early in the game -- July 31, 2008. That seemed to be the year that a lot of the people I tweet the most with got chirping.

But I had a slow start. I didn't really see the point...or maybe the point wasn't the same in 2008 as in 2011 -- or even in 2009, when I reactivated my tweeting life.

I love Twitter now for browsing the news, exchanging teaching information, and keeping up on some favorite sites like The Oatmeal, Brain Pickings, and Chez Loulou.

I can also indulge in fun mini-conversations with the lucky members of my "friendsandfam" list...whenever I want.

Also, for some reason Twitter is not guilt-inducing to me.

I feel bad when I don't come up with good blog post ideas (in fact, I'm feeling that way right now.)

I feel guilty when I don't keep up with my real Facebook friends; even though I've ruthlessly eliminated hundreds of peripheral "friends" and stupid games from my newsfeed, I still have trouble keeping up.

And let's not even talk about Google Reader, or "keeping up with stuff on the Internet" hell.

Twitter seems easy come, easy go...and full of fascinating information.

How do you feel about it?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-09T20:43:00.001+01:00

(Photo courtesy of Thierry Jouanneteau)

Old meets new in Rodez, or who was Désiré Malzac?

2011-02-05T18:12:00.000+01:00

What's really strange about this photo is that I had never noticed the "D. MALZAC" on this building in Rodez's rue Neuve.

I have unfortunately noticed the Pimkie and Promod signs more times than I care to mention, daughters obligent.

This got me wondering what the D. MALZAC establishment used to be, and none of my books about the history of Rodez were able to enlighten me.

I was convinced that this search for knowledge would be un-Googleable, but I was mistaken.

Désiré Malzac was clearly a printer/editor of some sort; at any rate, his establishment turned out postcards that are now for sale on eBay, or on display on the cool site Europeana.

There was definitely a little "thrill of the knowledge chase" involved in writing today's post.

Les voeux, or late again...

2011-02-01T19:36:00.000+01:00

If you read any France/expat blogs, or if you live in France yourself, you know that the French don't send Christmas cards.

Between buying gifts, decorating the house, and preparing (elaborate) Christmas meals, who has time for it? Indeed, this is one French concept I really like.

The tradition here is to send New Year's greetings, and, in typically leisurely fashion, the French allow themselves the whole, long month of January to get it done.

Of course, les voeux du Nouvel An used to be cards sent by the post. Personally, after a lull the past few years, for 2011 I have noticed a huge increase in electronic cards/photos created by families and companies.

Betwixt and between, I have managed not to do any type of holiday greeting the past few years. No -- make that for the past decade.

But this year, we got organized. My husband and I created three versions of the above e-greeting, and one of my daughters even made up photos to send out by snail mail.

I've managed to send a few of the photo/cards, but hardly any e-greetings. Oh well.

Happy New Year...or Bonne Année 2011...anyway.

Fresh photos: Friday in Rodez

2011-01-30T12:20:00.000+01:00

rue Aristide Briand, Rodez, January 28 2011

I've been carrying my camera around lately again, and it's been a good time to do so.

I have seen the deepest blue skies, and the most striking contrasts between shadow and light.

Sometimes passers-by look at me a bit strangely when I photograph scenes like this:

They probably can't really place me; I'm not decked out like a tourist -- there aren't many in Rodez in late January, at any rate. But I certainly don't quite look like a Ruthénoise either.

And why would I want to photograph a building like this?

They may not know, but I'm sure you do.

rue Aristide Briand, Rodez, January 28 2011

NaBloPoMoSho

2011-01-27T20:27:00.000+01:00

I have decided to cut short on NaBloPoMo.

27 posts in a row is pretty darn good, and January is starting to look pretty darn long.

I know "I'm almost there," but I don't like to post just to post, and that is what I have been doing some days...

Keep checking in! I am not dropping this blog by any means!

Paris report

2011-01-26T19:34:00.000+01:00

Good flight...very rainy and depressing weather in the morning upon arrival...spent 6 hours in an interesting and productive meeting...had un verre with a colleague afterwards...am staying in a halfway decent hotel in la rue des Acacias...am now going to find a decent bite to eat, and then will go to bed early...have to leave the hotel at 6-ish tomorrow morning to catch my plane home, and then to go straight to work....

Off to Paris for work

2011-01-25T20:08:00.000+01:00

One of "my" corners of Paris, January, 2010

Three or four times a year, I fly from Rodez to Paris for work-related meetings.

This professional approach to going to "la capitale" has given me a very different vision of the City of Light.

Usually, I don't even spend the night.

My typical day "meeting in Paris day" moves seamlessly from my car to the airport to a plane to a bus to a quick walk to a windowless building to the RER to the airport to a plane and back to my car.

This week I am lucky; the grand business expense total made it actually cheaper for me to spend the night in a hotel and fly back the next day than to do the whole trip in one day.

So tomorrow evening I will get a tiny taste of Paris.

This is not really a post...

2011-01-24T20:52:00.000+01:00

...it is simply an obligation to NaBloPoMo.

Tangled up in blue

2011-01-23T19:17:00.000+01:00

The church in Anglars, Aveyron, January 23, 2011

Blue is without a doubt my favorite color, and since putting up my nifty header with those nice blue shutters, I have felt like posting as many photos as possible that highlight this hue.

It's helped that we have had some of the greatest blue sky lately. It may have been -12° centigrade this morning where I live -- just over 10° Fahrenheit -- but it was also fabulously sunny.

After shopping a bit in my village and then the nearby village of Bertholène, the sun inspired me to take a drive off the Nationale 88 and onto some back roads. I ended up in a tiny place called Anglars, which happens to have a lovely little church.

I set off to photograph the church, but the star of the show turned out to be the sky.

This is what I did today...

2011-01-22T20:53:00.000+01:00

...and this is where I did it.

I am not much of a shopper, but my foray into the French winter sales was quite pleasant.

More on the subject to come!

Dusky blue sky over Rodez

2011-01-21T20:20:00.000+01:00

This photo really didn't turn out the way I had hoped; I am aware it is not that clear, and Notre Dame de Rodez hardly looks as stunning as she actually did when I took the shot.

But it is a nice example of the gorgeous, dusky blue skies I have been noticing this week.

The weather has been cold and clear, and blue skies help remind me that the days are, finally, getting longer.

NaBloPoMo, or the triumph of quantity over quality

2011-01-20T06:33:00.000+01:00

Today, after scraping the ice off my car, I will be leaving for Rodez at 7:10 am. I won't be back until quite late in the evening because we're having an open house at work.

So basically I'm just checking in here to fulfill my NaBloPoMo duties.

It's definitely an example of quantity winning out over quality, but I will be proud (and relieved) when the month is over and I can say I have posted 31 days in a row.

I wish I had a favorite café...

2011-01-19T20:32:00.000+01:00

I've already revealed here that I am, unfortunately, not much of a market person.

Neither am I much of a café person, although in my imaginary life here in France, I would show up every day at my favorite Rodez café to sip a coffee or a glass of wine...

However, I have to admit I don't have a favorite café in Rodez.

But I like the looks of this one.

Teacher Tuesday

2011-01-18T20:30:00.000+01:00

If you're a blogger, you probably know about Music Monday...and Wordless Wednesday...and Theme Thursday...and perhaps even other little or not-so-little "blogging events" that make the blog world go round.

But do you know about Teacher Tuesday?

As far as I know, it's a Twitter invention.

I became somewhat involved in it at the beginning of the school year, when my teaching intentions were flying and my professional inspiration juices were flowing.

Not that this isn't the case anymore; I just don't have the time or energy to tweet about every minute detail involving my career.

I do wish I did.

Rodez weirdness 1

2011-01-17T20:30:00.000+01:00

While I love to photograph scenic shots of Rodez, I also enjoy capturing some of its weird places.

About three years ago -- already! -- I ended up, for some reason, out and about on la rue Béteille.

This is not a frequent activity for Ruthénois.

The mere mention of this decrepit yet strangely fascinating street will often bring on gasps and knowing looks from locals.

I'm not sure if this old Midi Libre façade had been visible all along, or if it sort of reappeared from behind another wall when the street was being "redone"... but personally in 13 years of driving up the street, I had never noticed it.

People kill, but guns help...a lot

2011-01-16T13:00:00.001+01:00

It's been a long time since I've posted about another blog post.

Today, however, I read a post by one of my blogging contacts that is so powerful that I want to share it by every means possible.

I think many of us have been struggling with the implications of the Tucson shooting last week. I know I have.

And I have wanted to say more; but here is a post that says it all.

Please read "Reading the Bullet Holes in the Wall" by The Pliers.

Fresh photos: Views of my village

2011-01-15T17:58:00.001+01:00

The door to the primary school my daughters went to

I have never really blogged much about the small town where I live.

Somehow the term "village" doesn't quite seem to apply, although some do use it. In fact, I just did.

Others call it a village dortoir, or bedroom community, which to me describes the place more aptly.

A road to somewhere that I take sometimes

The place is not without its charms, but it doesn't have an old town center as such, so it's difficult to capture its feel.

It's a great place for sporty mountain bikers, or hikers who spend hours marvelling about the wonders of the scrubby causse. But of course I'm not one of those.

Sheep safely grazing between old farms and housing developments

These photos were taken on my weekly trip to the recyling bins -- not a lot of village charm in that, is there?

Night out...

2011-01-14T23:03:00.000+01:00

...night off.

Zzzzzzzz...

Theme Thursday: Jump

2011-01-13T20:28:00.000+01:00

Jumping through teen life in Rodez

This evening, I was a woman with a mission.

I am doing NaBloPoMo.

I had decided to get by with a little help from a friend: Theme Thursday, the site that has been "Preventing Blogger Burnout Since 2008."

Today's theme was "jump."

I was sure that somewhere in my youngest daughter's thousand-plus Facebook photos, there was a photo imitating this one.

I found it -- do you have any idea how long it takes to open a Facebook photo page with over a thousand pics?

But oops -- they were vaguely trying to imitate this one, albeit in a slightly jumpier way.

Whatever. My post is done for today.

Just saying...

2011-01-12T20:10:00.000+01:00

I almost wonder if all the political finger-pointing at Sarah Palin and co. (which I haven't hesitated to participate in) may be masking the real issue.

For the moment, we can't really know if the deranged criminal responsible for the Tucson shootings was directly -- or even indirectly -- influenced by right-wing rhetoric.

We DO know, however, that he was able, apparently legally, to buy the now-infamous gun that contained so many bullets.

Instead of so much debate about whether this tragedy was caused by the vitriolic political climate, it might be nice to see a little more discussion of gun control out there.

Just saying...

Another year, another NaBloPoMo

2011-01-11T19:50:00.000+01:00

I've been cruising along pretty well with getting this new blog started, I must say.

NaBloPoMo (a platform for those who want to blog every day for a month) has been a big help.

The theme for January is "friends," but when I do a one-post-a-day month, I don't always stick to the official NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) theme.

It's interesting to see how NBPM, to make it really short, has developed over the years.

If my memory serves me right, it used to take place only in the month of November, and the base site was, well, pretty much just another blog.

I don't think there were themes at the beginning, either.

Now NaBloPoMo has become a full-blown social media site, with friends, profiles, an email function, and all the other accoutrements of our online era.

The possibilities the site now offers make my head spin.

Do you have any memories about what NaBloPoMo used to be? And have you ever participated in it?

Music Top Tens 1: Songs by the Kinks

2011-01-10T20:01:00.000+01:00

When I was keeping up a blog called And So Forth, which annoyingly doesn't seem to show my photos anymore, I posted from time to time about music.

I plan to eventually scratch And So Forth from my personal Web places, but not before mining a few significant posts.

One is a list of my Top Ten Favorite Kinks songs.

Of course, it has evolved a bit since then, as top ten song lists tend to do.

Here it is in its current version, without extraneous linkage or commentary.

Be warned: someday I may come back to this and write a post about each and every song...

1. Days

2. Shangri-la

3. There's Too Much on my Mind

4. Waterloo Sunset

5. Oklahoma USA

6. Strangers

7. 'Til the End of the Day

8. Lola

9. This is Where I Belong

10. Victoria

Shaken

2011-01-09T17:47:00.000+01:00

Yesterday's shootings in Tucson, Arizona have shaken me to the bone.

I wanted to spend my online time today commenting on blogs, but decided to dedicate all my online activity to the victims, gun control, and restoring sanity to the US.

As I write, much is being made of Sarah Palin's now-infamous crosshair chart, and some are blaming the Tea Party and Palin, either directly or indirectly, for the tragic incident.

It may be a little early to make such a clear-cut connection; however I find the remarks from the sheriff overseeing the case telling.

It has been an emotionally exhausting day, as I found myself getting obsessed with the issue, and wanting to be able to do something about it. But what?

I may be joining a pro-gun control advocacy group, for starters.

Any suggestions?

Fresh photos: Today in Rodez

2011-01-08T19:06:00.000+01:00

Rodez, late morning; January 8, 2010

Call it serendipity.

I was planning a post about photos today, and it's funny how one of my best online and real-life friends blogged on the same subject.

Unlike myself, Loulou has not experienced a drought of photography inspiration. More power to her.

Speaking of "power," I stumbled upon the joys of photography when my husband gave me a Canon PowerShot S45...a long time ago.

The model has apparently been around since 2002; I must have gotten mine shortly thereafter.

One of the many "weird places" in Rodez; January 8, 2010

When I was blogging at La France Profonde, I got into cropping my photos. For example, I would have cut out the mailbox and the whatever-it-is door-on-the-right from the above. But they're part of what I see; I think I'll be doing photo vérité from now on.

L'Hôtel du Cheval Blanc, Rodez; January 8, 2010

This is one of the places that has fascinated me for years in Rodez, although I've never stepped through its door. On the ground floor there is some sort of strange café -- I think it used to be a restaurant too.

A long-standing American friend of mine has sipped various drinks there, and recently told me that if I wanted to go, he "should probably go with me."

Would anyplace in Rodez really be that daunting for me in broad daylight? I mean, it does have a Facebook page, after all.

At any rate, I hope I will make it before it closes down or is remodeled.

And I will try to take some photos.

My Five Year Diary Days

2011-01-07T20:27:00.000+01:00

As you can probably tell from the few posts already written here, I've been thinking a lot lately about means of communication, past and present.

I grew up in a family of diary-keepers. I had diaries starting in double-digit childhood; at first, they were one-year diaries. But I quickly followed my parents' footsteps in keeping 5-year diaries.

I hate to think that I don't know whatever happened to these early diaries; they're probably still somewhere in my parents' closets, which is a rather scary concept.

2010 was the last year of my latest one, and I haven't replaced it. I stopped writing my four lines a day somewhere back over the summer, and never got back into the habit.

The principle is a fun one, though. I often noticed how similar events would happen on the same day, or how weather would repeat itself, and was interesting to be able to go back over how past years had unfolded.

This summer I tried to find a 5-year diary online for my mother, and had the darndest time. I finally ran into one, by chance, at Village Books in the Fairhaven district of Bellingham, WA, and scooped it up.

However, when looking for images for this post, I found plenty of UK sites that seem to still be selling 5-year diaries.

I'm vaguely tempted.

Good old-fashioned emails

2011-01-06T20:46:00.000+01:00

Along with my desire to get back to blogging, I have also felt like writing good old-fashioned emails.

So instead of working up a nice post for tonight, I spent quality computer time writing some details to my parents about our recent Christmas trip to Brussels.

These details will have been shared with them before they were shared with you.

And isn't that the way it should be?

In the social media frenzy, have we lost our sense of communication priorities?

Sometimes I wonder.

A few words about Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T19:26:00.000+01:00

The uncropped version of my first Wordless Wednesday photo for La France Profonde

On November 7, 2007, I posted what was to become the first in a series of 100 "Wordless Wednesday" photos.

I didn't even know I was participating in a weekly blogosphere event, and in fact I never got into posting my photos to the official "Wordless Wednesday" site.

This photo got 16 comments, however -- probably a record for my Wordless Wednesdays.

In keeping with the January NaBloPoMo theme of "Friends", it's fascinating for me to see who commented on this photo over three years ago.

In fact, I'm still in touch with many of the commenters, whether through blogs, Facebook or Twitter:

Ali

DeeDee

Randal -- it was his first comment.

Walt

If you're reading this blog, you probably know at least one of them.

I'm not planning on doing Wordless Wednesdays any more, but may use Wednesdays as an excuse to excavate through comments past...

Not to market, not to market...

2011-01-04T19:55:00.001+01:00

It's sad to say, but this is my only market-related photo of Rodez

When I lived in Montbazon, near Tours, and in Albi, I used to be a market-goer. What self-respecting shopper who lives in France isn't?

Somehow in Aveyron, this laudatory habit went by the wayside.

First, my toddlers got in the way.

Then, my work schedule got in the way.

After that, ecological compunction about driving back to Rodez (36 km round trip) on a Saturday morning when I had made that commute all week got in the way.

Recently, a commitment to buying produce from my village's grocery has "gotten in the way," although this certainly stems from good intentions.

I do make every effort to buy locally -- it just doesn't happen at the charming Rodez markets.

Back to school, relaxed and refreshed

2011-01-03T20:24:00.000+01:00

I don't work for the French public school system, so I don't benefit from the generous and frequent "vacances scolaires" that regular teachers get.

I worked and indeed had class up to and including the 23rd of December. (Education nationale teachers would gasp in horror at that.)

Some of my colleagues even taught on the 24th. But I lucked out on that score, and was able to take Christmas Eve off, followed by a full week of vacation since my building closes down between Christmas and New Year's Eve.

That break was apparently sufficient for me, as I went back to school/work today relaxed and chipper.

I hope this good cheer can last me through the long, cold, dark months ahead

Found luggage

2011-01-02T18:43:00.001+01:00

Brussels International Airport, Dec. 25 2010

(All photos courtesy of Thierry Jouanneteau)

As some of you may know, the four of us went to Brussels for Christmas.

The departure from Aveyron was an adventure in itself; an extremely chilly surprise snowfall had hit here on Christmas Eve, making us modify our plans for getting to Toulouse's Blagnac airport.

Rather than having a cozy little Christmas celebration at home and leaving for our 6:40 am flight in the middle of what promised to be an icy night, we decided to scrap celebrations and flee to the Blagnac Ibis hotel on Christmas Eve afternoon.

All Toulouse-Brussels flights had been cancelled on the 24th, so we also left not knowing if we would be spending Christmas Day in a cosmopolitan winter wonderland, or sadly driving back to Aveyron to open our presents.

You can imagine our joy when we got to the airport and found out our flight would be taking off with little delay.

We had four suitcases, including Charlotte's -- ironically, a carry-on -- which she didn't hesitate to check in along with ours.

When we got to Brussels, we noticed some rather large groups of suitcases neatly sitting about, but we did not feel concerned by this. After all, what could go wrong on a direct 90-minute flight?

The scene was not so alarming early in the day

To make a long story short -- because this could become a very long story -- two of our suitcases came through right away.

The third popped up, bereft of all labels and ID, an hour and a half later, giving us great hope for the little carry-on that could.

Three hours after that, we gave up on finding Charlotte's suitcase in this mess:

At this point, we figured it was time to move on

Fortunately, she was able to live off our clothing for our short stay.

And we kept things in perspective. During our 5 hours hanging out around the Brussels luggage carousels, we met travellers who had gone through much worse: some were spending their fourth day trying desperately to recuperate baggage in Brussels.

And for us, the good news is that her suitcase made it to Toulouse today and will be delivered to our doorstep tomorrow.

My lesson learned? If travelling in extreme winter weather, limit yourself to a carry-on -- and keep it with you at all times.

Happy New Year; Happy New Blog

2011-01-01T10:52:00.000+01:00

Photo courtesy of Thierry Jouanneteau

I'm most excited to be wishing you all a happy and healthy 2011 from a new blogging space.

A little over a month ago, after letting my "expat" blog La France Profonde lie wordless and photoless for over two months, I realized I missed blogging.

Many of my close blogging buddies have been led down the Facebook/Twitter path, and I have followed. But as I started making an occasional post to La France Profonde in November and December, comments floated in.

And isn't it a lot more satisfying to get a comment on your blog than a Facebook notification, or a Twitter DM, RT, reply, or mention? It certainly is for me.

But I need a clean slate.

Since starting La France Profonde five years ago, I have begun to feel more and more disconnected from the image of myself as "An American in Aveyron," blogging primarily about a little-known, bucolic patch of France:

I am now French AND American.

I don't see much of Aveyron's lovely countryside since I spend all week in a modern school building in Bourran, Rodez's new, modern business area.

I go to Paris more often than I go to Millau.

And I have so many other subjects to write about: travel, music, teaching, books, social media, food...and why not the occasional "this is what's going on in my life" post that blogs were meant to be for?

I could, of course, do all of the above from La France Profonde, but I somehow don't want to denature its original purpose.

That's also why I'm not going to bid it adieu. Someday, if time and inclination allow, I may go back to blogging about Aveyron.

But for now, this is where I belong.

Under Construction

2010-11-28T11:58:00.000+01:00

In case you run into this blog, it is under construction.

Since December 2005, I have been a woman of many blogs. Some are defunct, one is barely hanging on, another is incipient, yet another is a professional corporate blog.

I'm hoping to pull most of my blogging ideas together here into one space. Stay tuned.