Yow. Swamped, as usual. TONS of stuff hitting my plate (rains implies pours) at work, albeit (mostly) in a good way, and then we’re going out of town this weekend… I’m now able to use my Nextel (that’s Telus to you Canadian folk) mobile phone as a modem (how cool is that?) for my laptop, and/or my iPAQ (cooler/geekier still!), but we’ll see how well it actually works in a remote area.
Updates:
My dad is still in Critical Care, but is also still stable. My mom’s holding herself together (surprisingly?) well. We’re basically all waiting on his pancreas to heal up, and you just can’t rush that, so… I’d say more, but I’ll save it for when there’s really more to say.
Also, I finally updated my online photo gallery software (long overdue), and then uploaded choice pics from the recent Toronto trip. Now maybe Arnon can stop his whining. 
Oh, and we went and saw Spearhead at the Bissap Baobab on May 21st - tiny venue, amazing show. But it didn’t start until almost midnight, and we didn’t get to bed until… 3:00 AM? And we’re old, old homebodies now, so that’s not as easy as it used to be. And then, of course, it so happened that our landlady (who lives upstairs) had decided that early the following (Saturday) morning was the ideal time to have the new gate put in, right outside our bedroom window. Talk about harshin’ our mellow, dude. So we said “@#%&*!” (or something to that effect), gave up on sleeping in, and went for our usual weekend-morning stroll for coffee and pastries. Em thinks the stroll is good for us, and although it *is* a brisk walk there and back, on slightly hilly ground, I think the pastry stop in the middle of the walk pretty much negates any health benefits. Still, it’s a really nice way to start the day…
Speaking of coffee and pastry, WE’RE GOING TO FRANCE! We’re flying to Paris July 11th, and then going to Toulouse to visit Em’s friend Marie (rhymes with Maria), who just had a baby a short while back. We’ll be there for a little over a week, and then not long after we get back CATHY OH AND STEVE BARBER ARE COMING TO VISIT! At least that’s what CATHY wrote, so I’m gonna hold ‘em to it. Any tips on must-see stuff in Paris and/or Toulouse? The Louvre is a must this time, since we’ve both been to Paris before (separately), but neither one of us got to visit the Louvre. And I found this sweet place near the Louvre that specializes in pigment, and decided that we have to stop by there, too. [I have no idea why I'm so into pigment-palaces, but I am. There's a very cool little place here in San Francisco, called Sinopia, but it's not *as* cool as Sennelier's shop simply because it's not in Paris (near the Louvre and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, yet), it's not in as cool a building, and it's simply not yet 117 years old.]
Special shouts and good vibes go out to the “J-Crew” (Jay, Judy, and Jessica Gamez) - good luck, you guys! [Judy broke the news on her blog, so the secret is out - they're moving back to Canada!] And for all you people asking us if/when WE plan on moving back to Canada, the answer is “not yet”. But if Kerry loses (let us hope this doesn’t happen), and/or Layton wins (let us hope this happens!), the answer might be different… Then again, it might not. The worse things get here in the US, the more they’ll need Candian “missionaries” living among them, to preach the gospels of liberalism and socialism, and to generally set a good example.
Anyhow, back to workworkwork - I’ve got miles to go before I sleep. Oh, but before I do that, and in honor of France, here’s a cool-link-of-the-day brought to you by the fine and talented folks at Melon Dezign, a French web design firm. It takes a while to load, but it’s worth it: it’s a really sweet Flash-based music video for “Come Together” by The Beatles.
Nice pics…but migods I look like a goon.
And there’s a difference between insisting and whining. *g*
There *is* a difference between insisting and whining, but that doesn’t make them mutually exclusive.
Also, there’s a difference between LOOKING like a goon and actually BEING a goon. But again, it’s possible to do both. Not that you do either. Of course not.
It was good to see you, old friend - if too brief. Come on down to California!
I was dirt poor the summer I spent in Paris, so I all the stuff I can recommend is free:
- Buttes-Chaumont park, made from a quarry by Baron Haussmann when he was remodeling the city. It’s got a beautiful lake, and a big hill in the middle of it, topped by a gorgeous miniature temple that has an incredible view of Sacre-Coeur.
- Sacre-Coeur. Everything else on Montmartre is too cheesy for words. But Sacre-Coeur is a jewel of tranquility and peace.
- Les Puces de Saint-Ouen. The original flea market. Everything and anything, from high-priced antiques to used clothes to cheap plastic doo-dahs imported from Asia. This one takes a good portion of the day, though.
That’s all I can think of off-hand. Except also the Musee d’Orsay, but you were probably already aware of that.
Oh gosh! I almost forget Pere Lachaise cemetery! Ignore Jim Morrison’s grave; find Moliere’s and Oscar Wilde’s and those of all the other great folks buried there.
thanks for the shoutout and good vibes. lots has transpired over the past few days. we’ll bring you up to speed with a phonecall soon.
Thanks, Rowan! D’Orsay was (of course?) already on the short list, but these are all great recommendations. I’ve been to Pere Lachaise, but of course in those days I headed straight to the tomb of The Lizard King. I *did* see a lot of other graves - I just started with that one. But I don’t think Em’s been there, so I’ll have to go back this time anyhow.