Journey of a Thousand Suns

...or at least that's what it felt like. I'm not sure what I did last time I came to France, but it either didn't involve as much luggage (which I know isn't true) and the 3 years I've aged since then has turned me into a tottering old man, or my mind has simply blocked out the more harrowing bits of the journey so I'll be more inclined to travel later (which is very possible actually).

I'm in very high spirits today: It's almost 6 PM on this side of the ocean and I've just emerged from one of those dead-to-the-world naps where you wake up and feel that you haven't moved in approximately 3 years. What a gift from God. Even though I slept for about 12 hours last night, I was in a zombie-like state again about an hour after I woke up, haha. So, now that i have all that sleep energy pulsing through my body, hopefully I'll be able to go to bed at an appropriate French hour and not wind up staying up too late. Here goes nothing.

But you probably don't want to hear more about my sleep-scapades. So my flight from the US of A to Dublin (we flew Aer Lingus) was delightful. I'm totally going to give Aer Lingus a shout out. It was a great to flight. They had lots of movies and tv episodes you could watch, so the flight went pretty quickly considering it was like 6 hours. Then we had our 3 hour layover in Dublin, which was a fun people watching place. I felt like that time went pretty quickly too.

So we get onto our connecting flight to France and manage to get all our luggage from the airline (huge sigh of relief). Then we got onto the RER train from the airport with our four huge pieces of luggage and two carry on bags. We were the equivalent of a 700 pound person trying to fit on public transportation created for little Europeans. It was not the easiest thing I've ever done. Then we switched over to the regular metro which was even smaller. But luckily we didn't have to change metro lines, so we just got off the metro at our stop and walked a few blocks to the apartment. Then there were the five flights of stairs. Without an elevator of course. So with the very last of our gumption, we managed to somehow (literally...it's almost inexplicable) to get all our 700 pounds up the flights of stairs and then collapsed for a good 2 hours and just sat and did almost nothing until we got hungry. Then we made spaghetti and ate it in front of the window. The same view, incidentally, that I have right now.

Not the most beautiful, but it's charming in a way. Not much street noise. The open window to the right has a Colorado flag hung on the wall. We're not sure why, because as we did our best to overhear one of his conversations, he sounded like he was speaking French. But this is very intrigu-

ing none the less. He also has a cat who likes to run around the roof chasing bugs and things. It's rather entertaining. We haven't thought of a name for him yet, but I'm sure it'll be something awesome.

Welp, I guess that's it for now! I think I'm going to put up a picture a day (or so) even if not a post, just so you can see a bit of what I see.

And I'll leave you with one of the first pictures I took on our first walking adventure. See you next time!

2 Days.

I'm sitting in my room. My bags are packed. I've said my goodbyes. All my last-minute items have been bought. I even bought and downloaded a map of the Parisian metro system onto my iPod touch (it was only $0.99, don't worry). Now I just have to wait for my flight. All in all, not a bad place to be. I've also managed to keep both my big black bags under 50 lbs. That's quite an accomplishment considering my bigger one started out at 67 lbs. I'm pretty proud; I'll be honest.

I love Samantha Brown. There's currently some sort of marathon of one of her many shows on the Travel channel. She was just camping in Minnesota with a dogsled team. Now she's in Memphis for the weekend. I looked her up on Wikipedia and then on this site about people from New Hampshire (where she grew up). I've always had this impression that people who host things on the Travel Channel are these very accomplished journalists who have spent hours and hours researching all the places they go. Samantha, however, was a major in Musical Theater and was discovered by the Travel Channel as she worked with an off-Broadway sketch-comedy group in Manhattan. Excuse me? I guess you shouldn't underestimate how far having a winning personality and a megawatt smile can take you in life.

Something very exciting and unexpected happened over the weekend. My family got reconnected with some long lost friends that we haven't talked to in about seven years. First some background: My parents have been, for as long as I've been alive, self employed. They've had a lot of different people work with them over the years, several of whom, have become very close family friends. This is especially true of this family. Aunt Marianna and Uncle Chuck are about the same age as my parents, and their kids, Blake and Amanda, are my age. We grew up together. They were the closest thing I ever had to siblings. The one day, around the time I was in 8th or 9th grade. There was a misunderstanding between Marianna and my father and feelings were hurt and the relationship between the two families was severed. Blake and I, being the same year in school, graduated high school and went and graduated from college. Either me or Amanda contacted one another through Facebook and decided that we wanted to get together and just have lunch or something last summer. Then I went to their house and had dinner and then with jobs and school starting and what not we just lost contact again until last Sunday. I was near their house with my mom and decided I wanted to just say goodbye as I was leaving for France. I went to their house and only Chuck was there (Marianna was at work) so I just went in and talked to him for a while. My mom waited in the car because she didn't want to create an awkward situation for anyone. So I talked to Chuck for a bit just catching up and then mentioned I should go because my mom was in the car and I had stuff to do back at the house anyway. He decided to come out to the car and he and my mom had a long talk and just caught up. So we went home and then two hours later, Marianna, for the first time in seven years, bravely showed up at the house and she and my mom had this really emotional reunion and they hugged and then went upstairs and talked for about an hour. They both told each other that during the seven year absence they had continued to write birthday cards, Christmas cards (though they were seldom actually sent) and had been continually praying for one another's families. My mom said that it was like nothing had ever happened between them and everything was just back as it had always been. What a great story. They're already back to emailing one another and letting each other know what's happening.

Just thought I would share something completely unexpected with you, whoever you are.

And so it begins. Also, Memory's Lane.

I've officially started packing. I have one suitcase totally packed (so much so that I wouldn't be able to fit another sock into it).

You probably can't really see, but I have three 500 packs of Q-Tips in there. France has the crappiest Q-Tips ever. I also have six packs of Glide dental floss. They have the crappiest floss too.

So I'm pretty much ready to go, lol. Other than having enough clothes and some books and what not.

Should I bring my flask? It's little. And chances I'll use it more in Europe because I'll be living on my own. It's light. Sold.

So I was in Border's this weekend. I was there with three friends, two of whom are teachers, one of whom teaches 4th grade. So, naturally we swung by the children's section. It's so much fun to visit the past versions of ourselves. I remember so vividly things like The Chronicles of Narnia, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Little Red Caboose, etc., etc., ad infinitum.

The whole kids' section is innocent and fun. I actually bought "The World of Pooh," a collection of stories by A. A. Milne.

I loved The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh when I was little.

It has two books combined. I've breezed through the first one and it's absolutely delightful.

"Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometime he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it. And then he feels that perhaps there isn't. Anyway, here he is at the bottom, and ready to be introduced to you. Winnie-the-Pooh."

I've been struggling with a lot of weighty things lately. Mostly politics and family stuff and the move and what not. I feel very helpless with things happening as they are in the world. I spent last weekend with my mom's sister's family and my uncle basically insulted my intelligence and told me that my political opinion is the result of unscrutinized media consumption. I wasn't really offended at first but the more I think about it the more angry I get. It's just annoying that because I disagree with someone I'm not thought of as "wrong" but "unintelligent and ignorant."

So I've been dealing with this by reading Winnie the Pooh! It's incredibly comforting. It helps take my mind off of the "heavy things." Thank you A. A. Milne. Thank you for easing my mind.

Saying Au Revoir

So today is my last day at work.

I'm honestly not very sad. I've made some really good friends, and of course I'll miss them, but there isn't much else about it I'll miss.

I've been working in a luxury hotel in downtown Washington, two blocks from the White House. I've had great experiences, like being able to use my French all the time with a lot of our European clientele, seeing lots of famous people like the Frey, Ted Danson, David Cook, various presidents and governmental officials from around the world. But the management I've had to work under has been miserable (for the most part). My primary manager, Krystoff, can't control his stress levels and passes it directly onto his department. So that wasn't fun. And there are all sorts of other people that are difficult to get along with. But that's pretty much how life is in any circumstance.

But today is my last day and eventually the negative feelings will fade and I'll remember the people I've really enjoyed and the good memories.

Au Revoir

Falling off the wagon.

Welp, it's been a few days since I've last written. This is usually when I start to lose interest and focus with a project like this. But I'm going to push through!

My life has been in a slight whirlwind lately. This is my last week of work. I'm pretty glad to be leaving, but it's sad. I've made some really good friends at this job, and that's going to be hard. But, like I always say, being sad to leave a place just means that you've made connections with people. So it's sad, but it's also a good thing.

I had a friend in town last weekend, Carly. She was one of my best friends I made from studying abroad. She was just here for two nights, so me and Kate, my other good from study abroad who lives in DC, got to spend all day Sunday together, as well as the afternoon and have a wonderful dinner together on Saturday night at the best restaurant in Washington: Siroc. I've eaten there a few times and every time I go back the food is better and better.

After dinner on Saturday, I went to meet up with some friends from work for a goodbye party for someone else who is leaving (she actually just left today I think). It was so fun to see a bunch of people outside of work (including my manager) and just kick back and relax around each other. It was so much fun. Special thanks to Lisa and her brother for hooking us up in Dupont!

So that was over the weekend. Then Monday I stayed with my friend Cay-Cay (that's Catherine to you) and we watched The Queen about the death of Princess Diana and the reaction of the royal family. It was so interesting. I was a little confused because I wasn't sure about how everyone was related and what not, but it was a very interesting film.

And then finally, last night I went to the Orioles' v. Yankees game in Baltimore. We left after the 7th and the O's lost, lol. Womp womp. But it was a good game. Luke Scott hit a three run homer to pull the O's ahead in the 5th, but then the Yanks came back soon after to pull ahead and finish the game 9-6. We had great seats though. We were right by the O's dugout about five or six rows from the front. And we got the tickets from my aunt's law firm, so it was free!

Good times. So anyway, that's why I haven't written in a while. But I'm going to be better about it! Now off to work! 3 days left!