Category: Uncategorized

So we’re finally getting into the Monday groove around here, more than halfway through January. Romain came for lunch and his usual Monday English lesson. This has really evolved into a conversational English session. Today’s involved Melinda, Romain and me, per usual. But Chloe doesn’t start back up at school until next week so she sat in, and then Ella was home for lunch, per usual, and we had her sit in, too. Today’s topic was more of me trying to explain to Romain why many Americans are so fond of guns. He wanted to talk about this in light of the shootings in Arizona, something that he explained is very confusing to him and his friends. By the time I was through, we not only discussed the Bill of Rights, we were considering the American political spectrum, including the Tea Party movement, and 20th century history. It was quite the conversation.

Melinda had her first French lesson with Nathalie, mother of Guillaume who is getting English lessons from us on Friday afternoons. Nathalie offered to trade some French practice for our English lessons and Melinda took her up on it. They chatted for two hours.

Manon is in Spain on a short student exchange so we didn’t see her today. But we did have our first lesson with Alice, the 13 year-old daughter of good friends of the Boudeaus. Chloe joined in on this lesson, too, which evolved into a game of Pictionary and identifying vocabulary words. Ella got to play a little once she got home from school.

The final lesson of the day is today’s featured photo, Ella’s math homework. As you may be able to tell, she’s learning how to reduce fractions with exponents. She needed some help with this one, the last of her problems for the day.

We were invited next door, along with Christine’s & Bernard’s family, for a Galette des Rois at the home of Philippe & Cécile. If you are keeping score at home, Philippe and Cécile have four children, three boys and a girl, Laura, who has been mentioned here before. We just returned, Melinda having received one of the fèves and then being presented with two others. So not only does Melinda have to host the next party, I think she’s planning on hosting at least one in Seattle. She seems to be collecting fèves.

At one point, most of the kids went upstairs to play some games. The conversation among the adults, in French, turned to how much computer and video game time parents allow. See, some things are no different, no matter where you are. Through my limited understanding, I was piecing together that Clément and Nicolas, Laura’s younger brothers, are much more interested in video games than she is. She is more interested in sending text messages. I also learned that the kids had all gone upstairs to play a new X-Box game. Having heard them playing, I went up to take a look and snapped this picture. That’s Théo on the right and Nicolas on the left engaged in a foot race involving hurdles (I knew the word for hurdles or jumps, haies, because of my serious studying at the racetrack). Although you can’t see them, Celeste, Claire, Max, Laura, Clément and Ella are all watching, as are Bernard and me. It was quite fun.

Meanwhile, back downstairs the conversation continued. I walked back in and got to talk about gun issues and PSCS, and I spoke in English. Topics that significant don’t need my abbreviated French getting in the way.

This may very well be my all-time favorite sign. Not only is it funny, it’s to the point. I also think it treats you as if you already know how human beings use toilets and that seeing such a representation isn’t going to shock you. I spotted it while looking for, of all things, a bathroom while out in public. Needless to say, I had no trouble making sense of this sign. So, after fulfilling the reason of why I was interested in finding such a sign in the first place, I came back to it and took this picture. Not only that, I showed it to Melinda. She thought it was pretty cool, too, and she has a pretty discerning eye for all things design-related. Not that my approval of this sign needed her approval, mind you. But it felt validating to get it.

An acquaintance of mine is bestselling author Dan Pink. Dan is a fan of what he calls “emotionally intelligent signage” and posts regularly about the topic on his blog, providing examples. Here are a couple: Parking Lot ** Airport

Dan says that such signs appeal to people because they invoke the power and language of empathy. I certainly think we all share the feeling of knowing the discomfort of needing to find a bathroom now.

The dinner dishes are done, school doesn’t resume until Monday (Ella went back today, btw), and it’s that great time on a Friday night when your whole weekend is before you. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve got a craving for The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family. Either that or some high school football.

Instead, the house has been taken over by a group of women and girls. Okay, so “taken over” is a bit over the top. Melinda, Chloe, Ella, Christine, Celeste and Claire (not a Marcia, Jan or Cindy in sight) are all sitting around the dining room table. Melinda and Chloe are giving knitting lessons. I took this picture less than 5 minutes ago of Melinda telling Celeste just how much fun a ball of yarn can be. Just ask a cat. And Melinda’s last name is Shaw which sounds like chat, the French word for cat. So it all makes sense.

No, I haven’t been drinking.

Well, I did make smoothies. You can see Celeste’s empty glass in front of her.

Speaking of Celeste, doesn’t she look older? I mean take a look at this blog posting from last summer to see a younger-looking version by the pool.

Okay, so someone comes knocking on your door. A little nervous, you don’t answer and instead say, “Who is it?” From the other side of the door a mumbling response comes, “Plumber.” You say, “I didn’t call for a plumber,” to which you get a reply of, “Pizza.” But you didn’t order a pizza and say so. In response and from the other side of the door you hear, “Flowers.” Flowers!? No one ever sends you flowers so you excitedly open the door, only to be devoured by a land shark. A land shark is, of course, nothing more than a person standing upright wearing the top of a shark costume. It’s a classic “Saturday Night Live” skit from the 1970’s, a fabulous spoof of the movie “Jaws.” You can see it here.

As you may have gathered, many things make me think of 1970’s American TV so when I walked into our neighborhood grocery store and saw this particular display being created, I thought of the old Land Shark sketch. I almost laughed out loud, right there in the grocery store. I think it was odd enough for folks to see me taking a picture of it. But laughing, too? That may have been too much.

Speaking of people knocking on the door, neighbor John came by this morning to check on me. He didn’t devour me, nor scare me in any way. We chatted for about 30 minutes and he gave me a couple of wrapped presents for Chloe and Ella, the kind man that he is.

First, some housecleaning duties. Melinda and Chloe are back from Bordeaux, having returned to the land of the zombies this afternoon. Zombie-Ella was pajama-clad and under a blanket watching a TV show on my laptop when they returned. Zombie-Andy had showered, shaved and was fully dressed when they arrived, just too exhausted from the effort to greet them at the door. So, yes, the family is reunited but Ella and I aren’t fully ourselves yet. Ella will spend another day home tomorrow. It somehow seems unfair to send her in for an 8 hour school day in another language when she’s not feeling 100%.

Regarding the blog title and photo today, I’m referencing a king’s cake, part of fun French ritual in January we are learning about. If the concept is new to you, as it was to me, take a minute to review this very informative Wikipedia entry. It’s all pretty fun and the entry seems to have it spot-on, or it was written by an American like me who is trying to figure it all out. My favorite part about the whole ritual is having the youngest person sit under the table and tell who gets each slice of cake when its sliced. Perhaps that’s because growing up I was the youngest in my family and wish I could have had such a power.

Melinda picked up a king’s cake from our favorite bakery tonight and was surprised to find it came with a crown and a bottle of hard cider. She and I each had a small slice of cake but the fève remains hidden. We should have had Ella under the table dictating how the cut slices were to be distributed, but she was in her room not wanting dessert (THAT’S how sick she is). And Chloe missed dinner for babysitting.

Well, it was either Bleak House or Hard Times, you take your pick. I thought calling it Oliver Twist would be too graphic, as the only twisting we’ve been experiencing around here is in our stomachs. And no one really wants to hear about that, I’m sure.

Truthfully, it’s not all that bleak. Ella’s appetite is starting to come back. Her request for food today came twice. She wanted a panini, twice. In other words, she wanted a crushed grilled cheese sandwich, once for lunch and another for dinner. I ventured up the strength to make a trip to the pharmacy (by the way, Imodium is the same in French as it is in English – just make the “I’s” sound like “E’s” when you pronounce it), and stopped in the grocery store next door to pick up some cheese and the loaf of bread featured in today’s photo. I got a kick out of it being called American. True, so true. Back home, I made her the first of her two sandwiches before taking a nap. That LONG walk to and from the store, you know, to the end of the block and back, did me in. I was awakened by the buzzing of my phone, a text message from Melinda checking in on us. She and Chloe get back tomorrow, an occasion I plan to celebrate by dropping the Charles Dickens references.

Speaking of Ella, I’m tracking how she is doing as I think she got sick about 12 hours before me. If that is true, then at about midnight tonight I’m going to have a hunger craving, perhaps in the form of the ghost of the Christmas panini.

More apologies to Master Dickens…. If I had it in me I’d try to make some kind of Pip reference. I’m just not feeling that pippy, I guess.

Regarding my great expectations, I had such fine plans of things to do, what with Melinda and Chloe gone for a few days and with Ella at school. But then Ella and I get knocked out of commission with a nasty flu (or something), and my best laid plans were put to rest. Instead, I’ve been alternating between dozing, watching some TV, reading, and otherwise being distracted from those three things by the more unpleasant effects of having the flu. Ella is feeling a little better but is still not well.

Meanwhile, from what we can tell, Melinda and Chloe are having a fine time in Bordeaux. From the looks of this picture, it was sunny there today. Nice. And they are reporting that they feel fine. It’s far better that they are away right now. No need to be living in a sick ward when you can be traveling in France.

Last word is one of thanks to Christine who dropped by a baguette an hour ago and is bringing some soup later. I am so touched by the realization that we have such good friends in France.

Today was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

City #1: Bordeaux
Melinda and Chloe left this morning by train for 4 days in the city of Bordeaux. Chloe doesn’t start back up at school for another couple of weeks, thus presenting the opportunity to do a little traveling. Melinda did some serious online research, one of her specialties, to find the best deal, both in the cost of the train travel and in accommodations in Bordeaux. I just received via email today’s photo. From the look of things, they seem to be managing just fine.

City #2: Nantes
Ella and I are both here at home in Nantes and, as it turns out, are both quite sick. I’ve been feeling so crummy today that I wasn’t sure I’d have it in me to post. In fact, I’m writing from bed, propped up on several pillows, having just awakened from an evening nap. Ella has also been under various covers herself all day, dozing and watching television. We’ve already determined that she won’t be going to school tomorrow and that I won’t be providing Monday’s English lessons. From the feeling of things here, we are doing our best to manage (dinner tonight was a couple of fruit smoothies, for instance).

My apologies to Charles Dickens….

Melinda even said there should be a third H for me, Heaven. Yup, that was what tonight was like for me. Heaven. For quite some time I’ve talked to Laurent about taking him to a hockey game. He suggested that we combine the hockey game with another of my desired plans for him, going to the Burger House (remember Ella’s and my first visit in September?). So that’s what we did, a night of hockey and hamburgers. Indeed, heaven for me.

But get this. Frédérique came along, which means Melinda came along. So it was a double date! I was with my date, Laurent. And Melinda was with her date, Frédérique. It started in what I think is very French fashion, with a glass of wine. But that’s where the French side of things ended (well, other than we are in FRANCE!). After our glass of wine, we zipped over to the rink for the game, only to find the place was filled. There were not 4 decent seats to be found together. Nantes was playing Cholet, a city about 30 miles away and the top team in the league, so lots of Cholet fans came. In order to be together, we sat on the steps in an aisle way. It was a great game, back and forth, until the 3rd period when Cholet scored 3 quick goals to win 5-3.

Afterwards we drove into town to the Burger House. It was difficult to find a place to park and the tiny restaurant was overflowing with customers. But our desire for hamburgers and our patience won. Besides, Rick and Sidonie, the owners, took good care of us. I know I still have some work to do with Frédérique and Laurent. They ate their Route 66 cheeseburgers with knives and forks (other than this first bite photo I got of Laurent). But I did get Frédérique to practice saying, “I’d like a classic cheeseburger, hold the mayo.”