Another Day

After taking a jog this afternoon that took me past the Eiffel Tower, I'm enjoying a hot soak with a glass of wine and a good book while the housekeeper cleans my apartment, when it hit me (to steal a phrase from Davy Crockett): You may all go to hell, and as for me, I will go to Paris. Despite another cold, rainy day that left me soaked...another day that the Christmas gifts my sister mailed more than two weeks ago still have not arrived...it was another day that found me amazed to be living where and how I am.

By the way, for those who were wondering, the castrated cock was delicious. I still can't resist referring to the "chapon" or capon that way. He gave well and long: I made a hearty chicken soup that I finished up today. God bless Anthony Bourdain, and my neighborhood boucherie.

Bonne Annee!

Cass

A Christmas Capon

A colleague from a training seminar in British Columbia, Canada, last September is visiting friends and family in Europe for the holidays. We basked in the sparkling splendor of the Eiffel Tower before dinner on Wednesday night. Earlier in the day, Sid and I bought the main course for our first Christmas dinner in Paris. After asking some friends and colleagues here about the traditional Christmas meal, I decided to make Poulet Roti, or roast chicken, using a "chapon" or capon, and following Anthony Bourdain's recipe. We got it from our neighborhood boucherie (butcher). It was in the front window -- feet, feathers, face and all. The butcher doesn't speak any English, but he understood when I dragged a finger across my neck and asked "s'il vous plait." He chopped off the clawed feet, torched off the feathers, and hacked off the head -- the scrawny neck hanging. (And Nora Ephron feels bad about HER neck!) At least he won't be looking at us while we're eating him. Although I've certainly heard of capons, I've never known what they are. Turns out I'll be spending Christmas day cooking a castrated cock. After a few glasses, I'm sure I'll stop giggling about that.

What beautiful Christmassy weather we've been enjoying. Picturesque snow dustings almost everyday. It's made daily shopping excursions that much more festive. Not so festive for travelers, unfortunately. Europe's airports have struggled with the early snowfalls, so much so that de Gaulle airport here in Paris has canceled half its flights because they've run out of de-icing fluid. It's nice not to be visiting here on business and be desperately trying to get home in time. My only rush is to get out of the cold & wet and back to Rue Nic to settle in with a good book and full glass. We may go out and see the lights on the Champs Elysees tonight...or we may not. ;~)

Winter Wonderland In Paris

It's snowing again here this morning and although it's beautiful after living here in Paris for close to year now there are certain things about how things work or don't work here that have really manifested themselves. The foremost recently is the completely lack of any street or sidewalk maintenance during snow events. In the past 3 weeks it's snowed almost every other day with a couple of days generating what they called here the biggest snow event since 1985 which amounted to around 3 inches. The entire city shut down completely and NOTHING was done to clear the streets or most of the sidewalks. I'll never complain about the services in Lynchburg ever again. Cassie did hear from a French colleague last week who told her with a smirk that during the last major snow event the government got so many calls from angry residents of various cities that they were now deploying military troops on the highways to rescue stranded motorists and others waylaid by the storms. For the most part though, France is a lot like other states in the US where no state tax is collected such as South Dakota which just closes the interstate highways when a big storm hits and actually has barricades that come down on all entrance ramps and stiff fines for anyone that is found on the interstates after that happens.

We're in the home stretch here heading towards our very first Christmas in Paris. It's been very pleasant and far less stressful than at home as things for us are just simpler. Even the tree which is reminiscent of Charlie Brown's is actually quite lovely and plans are being made to obtain our own turkey for Christmas this year from a local boucherie. Rest assured we're thinking of all our loved ones, friends and family back in the US.

We miss all of you and wish you could be here to share this with us. We'll post some new photos on Shutterfly today and I'll repost later on with a link for you all.

Joyeux Noel!

Sid

Vernon

An old (literally) friend passed away this week. His name was Vernon and he loved to tell stories, mow the lawn, eat good food, hold his great grand babies, drink good coffee, watch the Atlanta Braves, and everything else a retired fella would love. The cabinet under his bathroom sink was his liquor stash and I never heard him say anything negative about anyone in the too short time that I knew him. He's on the cover of our first CD dressed in a grass skirt while stationed in Pearl Harbor in 1943. We told him we were gonna make him famous.

As Vernon grew older he moved in with his daughter Sharon and her husband Dana who added an addition onto the house they lived in specially for him. His beloved wife Jessie Lou passed a number of years ago and as Vernon got older and older his health issues mounted but he hung in there. A little over a year ago Vernon had to go into an assisted living facility as he'd become weak and couldn't stand without falling a lot. His eye sight and hearing were pretty much gone and his life couldn't have been very much fun but still he hung in there.

This week he ran out of time and entered hospice in a Hampton Roads hospital and peacefully passed away early the other morning. I'm going to miss sitting with him and watching baseball. I'll also miss his stories and his kindness. I learned a lot from him in the time I knew him and I won't ever forget him.

Hopefully he's with Jessie Lou and still trying to keep her away from his liquor under the bathroom sink..........and back mowing the lawn again and working in his shop. Lastly, wherever he is they're gonna be treated to some mighty fine fish fries..........*

Miss ya buddy.........* Fair winds and following seas...........*

Love always,

Sid

Fred And Claudia's New House And Party

What a whirlwind last weekend was. Laura Prisc arrived Friday evening at around 8 PM and we were off to have dinner at Cafe Muette which was lovely and then Cassie and Laura walked up to Trocadero to get pictures of Laura in front of the Tour Eiffel. Then they walked back and stayed up until around 2 AM talking. Laura had to catch an 8 am cab downstairs so I got up at 6:30 to cook her some breakfast and make coffee and Cassie got up to see her out. Then we went back to bed for about an hour or so and Cassie had to get up again to go meet Denise Woernle for lunch and shopping which was in the middle of another beautiful snow storm (see picture included) and she didn't come back until around 5 PM when we all loaded up with back packs and one of my guitars and headed out on the Metro for the suburbs in super packed trains of all kinds for the ride to Fred and Claudia's hood where there was a party planned for around 8 PM.

We were a bit tired but perked right up in the below freezing weather with snow falling as Fred picked us up at the Chatiou Croissey station and we were on the way to their new house.
WOW, what a great space and of course a huge room reminiscent of our pal John Ward's big downstairs man cave/party room with heaps of music gear and lots of space. Kian and Niall disappeared upstairs with Claudia's son David and we got comfortable with Fred and Claudia as they awaited the arrival of 30 plus guests many of who were Brazilian (Claudia is from Brazil) and the rest were old school friends of Fred's. I can't tell you how cool the whole evening was particularly to be surrounded by people speaking Portuguese which is a very very musical language. Then Fred fired up a bunch of Brazilian dance music and that tore the roof off the sucker! Everyone was dancing and drinking champagne. Let's just say that everyone was in a real good mood by then and the party got crazier when Cassie and I and Fred and his friend "Chutt" jammed for about an hour which was followed by more dancing and champagne consumption. Cassie disappeared at around midnight but I hung in until around 3 AM. I don't think we got up until around 11 AM and then helped Claudia clean the house until Fred got up later.

We headed back to the 16th on the Metro and RER and stopped at La Defense for McDonalds and did Xmas the rest of the day and fell into bed early last night and got a great nights sleep.
Today is grocery store and trying to get Xmas lights for our little tree. Pictures of that will be in here as it comes together.

Much love to all everywhere!

Sid

Thanksgiving 2010 And Crow To Eat

This year Thanksgiving as always turned into something that was unlooked for but still welcome in ways that are still manifesting themselves. Doing Thanksgiving in Paris is an interesting proposition even on a good day and getting a large turkey was also quite an adventure but worth the chase. We had a multi-national crowd this Thanksgiving and they were all wonderful to be with and share food with. There was something for literally everyone and our final guests who are French neighbors from 2 floors up didn't arrive until everyone else had left as they're in a local choral ensemble and were at rehearsal. We still had plenty of food left and made them each a plate and then Cassie and I played a couple of songs for them which from the looks of it they enjoyed. We didn't get to bed until 1 AM Friday and Cassie had a meeting at 8 AM that she ended up being late for but overall the holiday was wonderful.

There were of course significant folks missing from either the table or Thanksgiving Day conversation this year which was a loss but still overall it was a great day.

There are occasions for all of us as humans when we either say or do things that shouldn't have ever been said or done and if anyone who's reading this knows anyone who's never done something like that I'd sure like to meet them and hear how they were able to find their through life without blowing it. I had the misfortune of doing something like that about a month ago in a moment of flash anger I should have been able to control but that got the best of me. The ensuing firestorm was necessary and I was rightfully chastened and "re-calibrated". I won't ever do that again.

As it is usually in things like this one will almost always find out what others truly think about them which is always a revelation but sometimes can be far more painful than the event that caused the revelations might have been or at least that come back at either the same intensity or higher. Those revelations have tempered me further but also brought me to a realization of who my real friends are and of and for all of them, I'm am triply blessed and humbled. I am the same imperfect person I always have been and continue to work towards a better me for all concerned.

None of us have an unlimited time on the planet and I'm most thankful for my family and friends who I most certainly would fail miserably without.

I wish everyone I know love and mercy and a joyous holiday season.

Thanksgiving is most appropriate indeed.......*

Sid

Catching Up Again

Busy times here as always with schedule changes, working on 2 different mastering projects, hiring a new cleaning lady, getting my teeth fixed, and preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas here. The twins continue on with Strayer University and are both doing real well. My brother in law Bob Tucker finished his chemo and radiation therapies (I think using therapy here is a bit of a stretch personally.......) and is now working to regain his life again after months of grueling treatments. If anyone was ever a true hero it's Bob who's always been so upbeat. It tested all of us who love him so to see him go through this.

I'm working on 2 mastering projects both of which are very close to me. Hopefully before the end of the year or early in the new year the very first Too Smooth release will happen which has been 35 years and counting www.myspace.com/toosmoothaustin for one of the greatest rock bands ever that never got to be famous. This project has been a labor of love for the last 4 years and it's very close to coming true. I'm so humbled and proud to be a part of it to help this music reach everyone like it should have so long ago.

The other project is for another influence of mine who I met briefly in the late 80s who at the time was in a band called Mose Jones who's other members I'd met and hung out with in the late 60s and early 70s in Atlanta when they were called Stonehenge. His name is Marvin Taylor and he's doing a project with a singer from the Atlanta area named Judy Browne. Sometime after this project is finished, Marvin has consented to do a project with me which will take me back into rock and roll again which is something I haven't revisited since 1981 when I sang with the Roger Wilson Band.

We now have a new cleaning lady after all that was written about our travails in that arena this past summer. She's from the Philippines and her name is Cathy and she kicks ass plus she speaks English! She came to us through an agency here called DIP which is run by an amazing African lady from Ghana named Gifty who's as beautiful as she is cool.

Cassie continues to be slammed at work but is enjoying it immensely and is really settling in to her new job. We're all so proud of her and happy that she's fulfilled in her career.

Over the last couple of months I accidentally bit the inside of my mouth perhaps as far back as August. Usually when that happens there's a knot for a while and then it goes away. This time the knot didn't go away and recently grew into something that shouldn't be there which I can honestly say scared me a lot. Last Monday I called the American Hospital here to inquire about getting an appointment with an oral surgeon and they saw me the same day. Again, so much for the screaming TEA Party folks who think that everyone here has to wait for care. I was seen by a Dr Davarpanah who immediately told me that my growth wasn't cancer (whew..........*) but that I had problems in my mouth and I naturally had to eat cold crow as I hadn't been to the Dentist in many years. There's a story to that but it doesn't bear telling in here. Suffice to say, Dr Davarpanah is going to fix everything in my mouth and no visit there can ever go higher than 300 euros which of course we're going to have to submit to our insurance back home who will remain un-named as I have a very low opinion of them. Cassie assured me as did the doctor that all of my fears of dentists will be taken away chemically while they have their way with me. There will be more on this as things happen.
Any way you slice it, it should be a party.......*

What can I say about the twins and Strayer University? That they're both thriving in this online environment and the decision to enroll them there was one of the best I ever made. By the time we get back to the US they'll be far more prepared to go back to a brick and mortar school as their confidence levels are so much higher now and their grade averages reflect that.

So all is well with us. Over the next week, we start on Christmas and Thanksgiving. There will be a Thanksgiving entry that will feature photos of food and friends. Unfortunately, I won't get to go kill extra possums for this one. I guess that will have to wait till we get back.

Have a great Thanksgiving.........

Love to all everywhere.........

A bientot,

Sid

Algerian Folk/Rock But Not Rockin The Casbah

Last night was another musical first for me in Europe. I am familiar with some Algerian music particularly some of the "Rai" Singers like Cheb Mami. The show we saw here in a small music hall in Pigalle was female Algerian singer/songwriter named Souad Massi with her band at "La Cigale" which is about the size of the National in Richmond but perhaps a little smaller. I never did catch who the opening act was but they obviously had just thrown their band together or they had a fill in drummer. They weren't tight although there were obviously a lot of Algerians in the audience who were very forgiving and clapped their asses off none the less.

It should also be noted here that almost no place we've been like movie theaters and now concert venues have seating for anyone over 5'5" which means that someone who's 6'2" is left feeling like I'm sitting in the back seat of a Mazda Miata which get's pretty crampy later on in the evening. One other thing that was notable was the almost total lack of stage planning as far as Souad's set progressed that manifested itself in some pretty blatant incidents telegraphing confusion on stage that included one of her guitars brought to her totally out of tune that she had to walk off stage with to try that song later. The stage crew kept hooking mics up for one song and then unhooking them immediately only to have to do it again 3 songs later. Through it all Souad Massi and her understated but powerful band started slowly but built up into a full out rock and roll jammin show. Personally, I would have mixed it differently but she may have been stuck with the house mixer.

As the music got more intense the Algerian women in the audience started "ululating" which is the high pitched keening that Arabic Women do when they're excited or mourning or for who knows what. It made for quite the sound-scape at times during the show and of course Souad sang primarily in Algerian which is for the most part Arabic which neither Cassie or I speak. I had to reprogram my DNA to get used to hearing Arab sounding guitar riffs which was not too hard to do but still took some real getting used to and honestly this music isn't something I would have ever purchased on my own.

We ate dinner in an "Indiana Grill" which is part of an American tinged franchise in Paris that served of all things Tex/Mex food of which I was never aware that Indiana was famous for. The food was fair and delivered quickly which worked great. I guess the next time I'm in Indiana I'll need to look for Tex/Mex.

All in all it was a great night.

Paradoxes And The Return Of The All And Powerful OZ

The trip to the Prefecture de Police this last week was a success but not due to anything I or the twins did but because of the lawyer assigned to us was with us last Tuesday when we arrived there to collect Kian and Niall's "temporary Recippises" (I'm sure I just spelled that wrong). Those are essentially an extension of their current passport extended visas to enable them to obtain their student "Carte de Sejours" which again is the French version of the American
"Green Card". The lady that greeted us (and I use this term very lightly) was the soul sister of the original all and powerful OZ Cassie and I met at the French Consulate in Georgetown last February except this one wasn't behind a window and we were viewed with a disdain I'd almost forgotten about until last Tuesday. Our attorney Christelle took one look at her and basically took over speaking rapidly and forcefully in French to an apparently not so all and powerful oz and really earned her money that morning (I hear her firm charges a very premium fee for her services) and all forms were duly signed, stamped, and handed over to us and low and behold, the all powerful oz smiled as we all told her "merci" and bon journee which I think surprised her. Go figure, the Americans actually spoke a little French.

The next step for the twins will be a physical at OFII near Bastille where aferward they'll get their Student Carte de Sejours after approximately 700 euros changes hands which Christelle explained to us was a "tax". Then, like me, the twins will have to renew these every year by presenting ourselves at the Prefecture de Police yearly and paying more money until we leave.

Naturally while all of this was happening the elections back home were also happening and although I've followed them with online news sources this year all of us completely missed the screaming and yelling and lying advertisements that cater to the absolute lowest common denominators in our society which also included the so called robo calls which I guess someone of questionable intelligence thinks will somehow sway people to change their votes at the last second.

The paradox for me and others in this election is that a large group of voters decided to vote a bunch of people into office who's stated goal is almost exclusively to run interference on Barak Obama. Absolutely none of them have any new ideas to help the country out of the mess it's in that was almost exclusively the fault of the previous administration's fostering fewer safeguards regarding the financial health of the country through less oversight and basically letting the market take care of itself which resulted in the near meltdown of our entire financial infrastructure. Much has been made by these folks as a need to "take the country back" but they're never specific about who or what they're taking it back from but I'm reasonably sure that it has everything to do with the president being black and almost nothing to do with either the deficit, health care, or Nancy Pelosi. As a rule I will never use this blog as a platform for any kind of political statement but I can only call it as I see it. The thinking amongst the French and others in the EU is that the USA still yearns for the time when anyone there could own slaves and the fact that Barak Obama is president makes all of those people completely insane to the point they'd do just about anything to make sure he's not elected again in fact the incoming house majority leader has already emphatically stated just that.

Pretty sad stuff in a time when everyone needs to pull together to get the country back on track again. Although we weren't even remotely fans of George W. Bush, we never regarded him in the way the current crop of crazies are reacting to the current president.

Let's just say that the perspective from here is clearer and not too favorable as far as the rest of the civilized world regards the American political process these days.

Have a great day wherever you are and make sure that whoever you voted for actually DOES something in congress.

Love to all even if you voted to take us back to the 1700s.

Sid

Busy Times

Hello folks. Been pretty bus around here but have been productive. We've also entered into the final phases of getting the twins their Carte de Sejours (residency cards) which begins next Tuesday. The last month seemed such a whirlwind with guests galore and a lot of partying, dining out, running all over the place and being with old friends which was marvelous. Of course after all of that slowed down everyone was tired and at times hung over (me..........). I don't think the next wave of visitors comes until after the new year.

While out last night we noticed Xmas lights on an apartment balcony and came to the realization that the holiday season is upon us. This will definitely be a new experience for us and in that past few weeks the heat had to be turned on with temps going below freezing in the early morning hours.

Cassie spent an inordinate amount of money (not for publication in here......*) on her new glasses here but was wowed by how much better they fit and how light they are. We received many many emails from friends back home and in other places wanting to know if we were safe in all of the strikes, demonstrations, and riots here but none of us ever really saw anything and thankfully never got a whiff of tear gas either. It's pretty amazing how the 24 hour news cycle views those things although one of the gas stations we walked past about a week ago was shut down due to no gas from the refineries and was being guarded by police.

Speaking of guarded by the police, Cassie and I had to go the American Embassy here again yesterday to get bank documents notarized and the security there had changed completely from what it was this past summer when we were there with Kian and Niall to get their criminal background check paperwork notarized. This time the credit card machine worked but I had a pocketful of Euros just in case. Let's just say that the entire embassy grounds on all sides were surrounded by a cordon of French Gendarmes and inside it was a maze of checkpoints where our cell phones and anything else the guards wanted were left for us to pick up on our way out. Everyone there was very courteous but also very business like. Of course Osama Bin Laden has specifically threatened the French now in lieu of the Bourka Ban and so the security threat level here has been very high. There are troops in the streets and I guess someone threatened to destroy the Eiffel Tower a while back too.

I finally got a cell phone the day the twins accidentally locked us out of the apartment as we only have 2 keys and getting extra's here is sort of like get an extra car key (most are now computerized) that would cost a fortune and that we'd have to go through the apartment management company here which is essentially the same thing as talking with people who either can't or won't respond.

Cassie and our pal Susan Hess are hosting a Halloween Party for their respective teams here with costumes and 4 dozen cupcakes that were baked here last night. It seems the French don't do Halloween at least not like Susan does so today they're in for a real treat.

That's the news for today. I promise to be back sooner next time. Make sure you have plenty of treats for the kids. I won't be able to meet them this year like I usually do with our hose.
Shucks!

A bientot!

Sid

Important Performance Today

Our friend Sabine has a good friend here who is dying of breast cancer that spread throughout the rest of her body. She's a doctor and for those of you who know doctors, they are absolutely the worst patients and also take being seriously ill far worse than the average person simply because they know too much....... I promised Sabine a couple of weeks ago that I'd play for her friend and today is the day..... I worked in health care for well over 20 years both in and out of the military and in those years I worked with and watched many people die from things like cancer, aids, spinal cord injuries and other things and even today I'm certain later on that I'll cry after meeting this person.

I will endeavor to project my humanity onto her as much as I can today. And....it is an honor to do this for her....*

Make sure to tell everyone that you love that you love them today.....* I will most certainly with mine.....

Love to all everywhere.

sid

Catching Up

Our dear friends Jan and Gary Turbes arrived last Friday morning in the middle of the biggest strikes Paris and France in general have seen in decades over the government's efforts to raise the retirement age here from 60 to 62. If you follow this blog you'll remember Jan had been in fight with breast cancer earlier this summer and we decided to bring her here for short vacation in Paris to boost her spirits and of course to show our love for her and her family who have been so very important to us in the past 15 years.

To say it's been a blast with them here is an understatement and Jan has been joyous in her exploration of Paris, the food and wine, and overall feeling of the place. She'd been here before with her daughter Emily on a short tour years ago but to come and just hang out with people who actually live here with no real schedule was relaxing for her and her husband Gary and they got to do things that they wanted to do. It made all of us very very happy to do this for her and to see her so happy. They're currently in Rome exploring there and are back this Friday evening for another 2 evenings and then back to Sioux City.

I'll expound on the whole adventure after this coming weekend and will include pictures too.

Tuesday this week Teresa Weinmeister came from Lynchburg to stay for 3 days while attending a conference with Cassie this week so it really feels like "The Inn" has been open......but a large time has been had by all.

Will write again soon.

Love to all everywhere.....

Sid

My Birthday Festival Weekend

It was a wonderful birthday festival weekend for me. My 3 guys took me out to our neighborhood brasserie Friday night for dinner, and gave me a gift card to one of my fave clothing stores here. Check it out at http://www.unjourailleurs.com/en/Home.aspx

I had a leisurely Saturday morning reading...took a stroll and a late lunch with Sid in the afternoon...we met my dear friend Sabine for dinner at the historic La Coupole brasserie...gathering place for the artists, writers and other Illuminati. Check it out at

http://www.lacoupoleparis.com/endroit/en/ An epic meal and very memorable evening.

Then my friend Susan Hess from the US landed 7:30 a.m. Sunday and came straight to our apartment. We sipped juice and nibbled on pastries all morning...shopped at the market in our neighborhood for dinner with the fam...then she and I lolled the afternoon away with a bottle of our favorite champagne (Veuve Clicquot) at a bistro we found in the local shopping district. We returned to the apartment for aperitifs with Sid, then put her in a cab back to her hotel. Finally, I made one of my French meals: crevettes à l'ail avec une salade verte et du pain frais (garlic prawns w/green salade and fresh baguette). NOT a light food weekend!

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Indian summer wherever you are.

Cass

Nobody In Charge

Just short note to reinforce the rest of the world's impression that in France other than food, and wine and some culture, there isn't now, nor has there ever been anyone in charge who could actually make any decision about anything of importance and when they, do, they're invariably wrong....

Soooooo......The rest of the world.......you're RIGHT!

Sid

Paris Underground

By Cassie
I had a new French experience last week: getting stuck in the Metro. I was supposed to meet Sid for dinner at our neighborhood brasserie after work on Thursday night. OK, so I left a teensy bit later than I meant to, but I made great time, keeping a death-march pace and hitting the trains precisely as the doors were about to close, so I was on track to post my best commute time yet. Then, at 7:25, the train stopped -- about 30 seconds before we would have reached my station. Aaarrgh! So close, and yet... The conductor made the usual plea for patience over the loudspeaker (I recognized "patientez, sil vous plait"). No problem, I thought, I'd be only a couple of minutes late, until the lights and engines went dead five minutes later. Five minutes after that, another announcement said something about a "grande accident" on the line. For 25 minutes we sweltered in the dark tunnel. Standing there in my business suit, I was sweating like a farm hand. Many of us found something to fan ourselves with, peeled off jackets and shook our heads and rolled eyes at each other in the universal language of helpless frustration. After 15 minutes, I called Niall and asked him to go tell Sid that I didn't know how late I would be, since we still haven't gotten Sid a mobile phone. Finally, some passengers started prying open the doors of the car and jumping the 3-4 feet onto the cinders beside the tracks. Others of us began making our way from car to car, where we finally were able to precariously climb down an emergency ladder to the ground and up the steps normally blocked with an ominous sign: "PASSAGE INTERDIT." This was no small feat for the older ladies, bags in one hand, skirt in the other as they attempted modesty during their steep descent. But each of us helped the one ahead down the ladder, holding briefcases, shopping bags and even strollers so two hands could grip the child-sized ladder. All told, people had to walk about 100 yards from where we stopped to the platform -- where we saw no sign of trouble whatsoever! As if they couldn't let the train go just a bit further to let us off at the platform. When I emerged from the escalator onto the sidewalk, I deeply inhaled the dark, rainy night air. Except for the unusually crowded cue at the nearby bus stop, there was no sign of the travails below. I hurried to the brasserie where a smiling Sid and two cocktails awaited. Never was a Kir Royale more deserved.

Takin Our Time Here....Or, They're Takin Their Time Here........*

There's no telling sometimes who's in charge of anything here. Things are promised and then don't happen. Things are ordered and never appear (IE the twins' books for the upcoming college quarter) and disappear into a black hole somewhere between there and here. Unlike the grocery stores back home, the shelves in our local grocery store are in a constant state of flux so that it's almost like being a rat in a maze trying to shop there most days. Stores open and close at funny hours or sometimes just don't open at all.

All of this leads to an air of resignation that for many Americans, me included isn't easy to cultivate but I'm getting used to it now. Cassie will do a really interesting blog entry later this weekend about her adventure hiking in Metro tunnels last Friday for you later. Of course we're doing fine but I feel compelled to write about these things just so I'll remember them when we've returned in a couple of years and I lose my temper about something that should have happened and that didn't.

My new friend Matt Black who's lived here with his family for over 6 years is far more circumspect about this than I am so I hope his attitudes will rub off on my as we get deeper into this adventure.

Although some folks complain about the weather here, Fall arriving in August was very welcome to us. It cooled off here while our friends back home were still being par boiled in Virginia. The change in seasons and getting into the Fall and Winter here will be a real adventure for us all.

Life is good in Paris.........even if things that are ordered don't come.......*

Love to all.....

Sid

Mama's Home And The Dangers Of Grocery Shopping Here

Bonjour everyone. Just a short note that Cassie came home this morning after a week in Victoria, BC, at a communications course which is as always welcome here. I made a quick run to the Franprix Marche in our neighborhood that's open on Sundays for around 4 hours to pick up a few necessaries for the rest of the day. What's dangerous in these French grocery stores usually involves things that are sweet IE "Baiocchi" cookies or at least that's what they're called on the package. It was an impulse buy as I'd never seen them before and frankly after breaking them open this afternoon, I rapidly came to the conclusion that whoever makes these should be shot immediately and all existing stores of these cookies need to be destroyed.

They're so good it's just stupid and now I'm hooked on them. Sooooooooo.......sometimes grocery shopping here is dangerous at least for helpless old guys like me.

Love to all! Except the folks who make Baiocchi cookies............ The bombers will be overhead before the end of the day.......

A bientot,

Sid

My Eighth Blog

It has been a few more weeks since my last blog and things have gone smoothly, in other words, things are still never boring. As of now I have completely finished my math course in Strayer Online, meaning I am now completely done with math. It has been a long road with that painful and annoying subject, but has finally been taken care of. My GPA in this is a high %90.18, even higher than my last quarter score for math. The next classes I have will be humanity studies (something Niall took and will help me with) along with business class, something Niall and I both did back in high school which we will be taking together like before, making this the first Strayer Course that we'll have done together. Things have been going well for us this far and I hope they continue to do so in the days to come.

Kian Hagan

Stevo And Home For Better Or Worse

Bonjour friends. Our friend Steve Baker (Stevo.....*) underwent a triple bypass heart surgery Monday and is starting to be up and around a bit now. Cassie went to high school with Stevo way back in the day and I met him after we moved to Lynchburg after getting out of the Navy.
He's always been a kind and gentle soul and a hell of a drummer. I just wanted to mention him here because at our age these things usually don't happen and we wish him continued good health and full recovery from this.

I mentioned in the last post that we will after all be returning to Lynchburg which is something I didn't think we would but with our house not selling and the thought of having to purchase a home in the Bethesda area where property values even in a down market are enough to make strong men shake with fear, Cassie and I already decided to keep the house and she'll commute like she did before we moved to Paris. The politics in Lynchburg are ugly and when there is a lot of snow the city has a penchant for not scraping the streets but overall, it's good place to live and we do love our house there. So we'll be back in 2012. Perhaps we'll be able to put a band together that has a drummer. Hopefully Stevo will be available when we get back.

Love to all everywhere especially Stevo today and the rest of this month.......*

A bientot,

Sid

PS
That's our neighbor Betty taken in February after the 3rd big snowstorm.

The End Of The Short Angela Era And Our House Back Home

I guess it took a good long vacation to make our Guardian (French equivalent of a building "Super") Angela who was suggested to us as our "housekeeper" to realize that she didn't like cleaning up cat hair and this even after I had purchased a new vacuum cleaner (aspirateur) that works real well on cat hair. Angela had phoned our good friend Veronique and told her that she would be bringing her cousin up to take her place of course not telegraphing that to me but through Veronique. We'd never had a housekeeper before although occasionally would hire one to do "deep" cleaning sometimes perhaps once a year in the states and our house there was 3 times as big as this apartment. I think initially it was good politics to hire Angela although I had misgivings about the building manager being in our apartment so much. She was dynamite at cleaning and always did a good job. In any event, Angela now claims she's allergic to cat hair and also some kinds of fruit too. What Angela doesn't know is that I worked in health care for over 20 years and know a lot about allergies. Usually folks who allergic to cat hair will react to it almost immediately, not months after the fact. When she came up to see me the next day with her cousin, I had a Google translated note for her thanking her for her good work for us but let her know that me and twins would be handling it from here on out as that's what we used to do in Virginia with a WAY bigger place. I don't think she was very happy but another thing she couldn't know is that cleaning is one of my core competencies being in the military for as long as I was.

Perhaps we'll being someone else in that we vet first but until that time me and the guys have got it.

Our house didn't sell in the over 6 months that we've been gone even after we reduced it in price significantly (knocked 30 k off and still no takers) so we're back to working with Norma Stein who we'd started with in the first place to manage renting our house for us until we return in 2012 so it looks like we'll be going back to Lynchburg which is fine with the twins and me. Cassie can negotiate with Areva for an executive apartment to stay in while working in Bethesda when we get back. We're not willing to pay a fortune for a small place there when we'll almost finished paying for our home in Lynchburg. I guess we'll chalk it up to the continuing economic downturn. Our neighbor Betty was overjoyed as was her son Paul who lives up the street. Should be interesting to find out how the place looks after we return. Norma will do a kick ass job I'm sure.

More to come later on this week. Stay tuned......

Love to all!

A bientot,

Sid

Long time, no blog...

This is my first blog post in a long while. I have passed my 2nd quarter with Strayer University and I left with a 94.15% for my total grade (my final exam was finished on last Saturday) and I know my brother got a grade in a similar range. Needless to say, we are all quite satisfied.

I had some issues with this class (Introduction to Physical Science) in the first couple weeks, mainly in communication and study preparation (for quizzes and tests), but I worked to get through these obstacles, with a little help from my parents. This will serve as a learning experience for future reference should I run into similar issues in future Strayer classes. I have learned to compose my own study guides, and some ideas for confronting communication problems with my instructor(s).

I am also pleased to say that Kian and I have a nice good break until the next quarter begins on the 4th of October. My brother and I have been enjoying our selves with it so far.

Best regards to all,

Niall

My Guys And Strayer University

There was a watershed event here this week. Kian is finally past the college math course required on his way to a Liberal Arts Degree somewhere in the future. Niall also did very well in a difficult Physical Science course and they are both ending this quarter (Strayer is on the quarter schedule as opposed to semester) with averages over 90%. This of course is most worthy of mention in that both guys attended Central Virginia Community College starting Fall 2008 which is a "brick and mortar" school; where Kian's first year English Composition professor who happened to be the Department Chair couldn't pronounce his name correctly at the end of the semester and who completely ignored his ADA mandated accommodations. Where both the ADA Coordinator and senior administrators including the college president told me in no uncertain terms that they didn't have to help either of my sons. That's right, Darrell Staat was the president of CVCC told my exactly that on the phone at this time last Fall when Niall's Business Technology Course instructor panicked after she met him and almost ushered him out of the room because he was "so handicapped". Let's just say that CVCC in Lynchburg is managed like so many other state agencies in Virginia; by career bureaucrats who are interested only in keeping their positions until they're able to retire. We found out when we moved to Virginia that the entire state education system is decades behind almost every other state and for children like ours and for our entire family, it's every man for himself. For the first time since 2001 we're not in struggle any more worrying whether our sons are getting the assistance they need to succeed in higher education. We can only wonder at how other peoples' special needs children are faring in the wasteland that comprises the so called Commonwealth of Virginia VDOE and State College and Community College systems. Needless to say, our sons will continue and finish their educations either with Straye or another private college. Perhaps Dr. Staat is already practicing his golf swing in his office as he certainly doesn't have the time of day for just about anything else.

You can imagine my trepidation doing research on where our sons could continue their educations while we live here in Paris. The French school systems make no accommodations for anyone and have a very strict methodology regarding who goes to school where and at what level that will probably never change so sending them to school here particularly with neither of them being fluent in French was out of the question. After doing some pretty exhaustive research I arrived at Strayer University which is a private for profit college located in Virginia but who has campuses all over the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states and also one of the best "online synchronous and asynchronous" classes that span their entire catalog and in which students can attain their degrees without ever having entered a brick and mortar classroom. I took a deep breath and signed the twins up in January of this year to begin Spring Quarter shortly after we arrived here in March. There were some bumps and false starts but overall, the experience with Strayer has been a smashing success. Their online course methodology is perfect for Autistic Students and although pricey it's worth every penny.

After the last couple of school years, to see Kian's self confidence back is priceless. Niall is thriving too and I'm looking pretty good having made this decision on something this huge that's worked great. It's been a great thing for Cassie too as that's one less thing she has to worry about.

Strayer University has proven to be responsive to problem areas and the student support has been second to none. If anyone who reads this knows anyone else in a similar situation to ours, I would highly recommend Strayer University to them at least as a starting point or as in our sons' case a transfer transition to something a bit less ambiguous than a regular classroom setting. The entire Virginia Public School Systems including the State Colleges and Community Colleges could learn a lot from how Strayer conducts their University but as I mentioned earlier, it's doubtful if anything like that will ever happen.

It is indeed an auspicious beginning to this week and the twins have the next week and half off so we're going to do some exploring on the bus system.

Love to all and thanks for reading.

Bon journee,

Sid

Meeting The Neighbors

The beginning of this week ushered in another neighbor who showed up Monday morning.
She lives 2 floors up and I'd actually met her over a month ago. We've been listening to her play piano for months and had marveled at how good whoever it was played and how lucky we were to be able to hear music like that free. She's a lovely, vivacious, and kind woman, who's fortunes of late have not been kind to her in fact her story broke my heart Monday morning. She'd come by to ask what our rent was as she was planning on selling her apartment. For a French person to be that forthright with almost a total stranger told me volumes about her and her situation.

I'll be sorry to see her go particularly right after really getting to know her a bit better. I suspect some of my own stories may have frightened her as our French friend Gilles Asselin always liked referring to me as an "optimistic American" and way to forward for the French.

I plan whenever possible to do nice things for her and try to make her smile. She has a daughter who sings opera and who is amazing. What a gift it is to interact with the French who have such different perspectives. They change all of us in little ways every day here. Our new friend Gerard from Lyon had never heard of the Allman Brothers or ever heard any of ZZ Top's music but had heard of the band. He laughed for 10 minutes when I told him ZZ Top's guitarist Billy Gibbons (The Right Reverend Willie G) had once described their music as sounding like "4 flat tires on a muddy road". I got an email from him today asking when I would add ZZ Top to my weekly music email group. I'm hooking him up for sure.

That's what we must sound like to the French when we attempt speaking their language.

In closing all of this reminds me of how living in Paris is slowly weaving it's way into my fiber and becoming a part of me that's been missing for a long time.

It's great to be back..........*

Love to all everywhere,

A bientot,

Sid

Christine and Melodie

Just a short post to express my happiness and amazement that I get to see my old friend Christine Holzbauer and meet her daughter Melodie later this afternoon. They're joining us for dinner with other friends and for a change I'm extending our my hospitality to her. I met her here in 1975 when she and my friend Chris Madison lived here while they were both in school at the Science Po and Sorbonne. They lived in a tiny tiny apartment in the 10th arrondissement and we were all very very poor but had a ton of fun none the less.

She's one of the smartest people I ever met save for Cassie and has been living the last 5 or so years in Dakar, Senegal, as the West African Correspondent for La Express here in Paris. She and Melodie (Christine and Chris' daughter) are back now so Melodie can attend conservatory here in Paris. The last time I saw Christine was Fall of 1977 so it's been 33 years.

Again, my circle closes making contact with people from my past who had profound effect on me.

As always, it seems I continue to live under a rainbow and again will be blessed with the presence of a dear friend and have the honor of meeting her daughter for the first time.

Love to all everywhere......*

A bientot,

Sid

Shopping Therapy

When the disgruntled masses protest government policies, the decidedly less gruntled go shopping. While I was charging the single most expensive shoe purchase of my life, throngs were swarming the historic Republique and Bastille today to protest President Nicolas Sarkozy's anti-crime proposals. According to the news here, demonstrators hung a stained French flag and hailed the French President as "Sarkozy, son of Petain," referring to Marshal Philippe Petain, who led the pro-Nazi Vichy regime in World War II.
While thousands were protesting proposed laws that would take away French citizenship from immigrants guilty of crimes like attacks on police, polygamy or female circumcision, I wandered into the Francois Pinot boutique, official storefront for Salvatore Ferragamo shoes. Being a rube from Central Virginia, I stumbled into this particular store after failing to find satisfactory shoes in four other stores to go with the gray suit I’ve purchased for a French reception to be held at the World Energy Congress conference in Montreal this month. I asked the very helpful salesclerk for shoes to go with a gray pair of slacks, or “un pantalon gris.” After trying on a pair of shoes that felt as though they’d been custom tailored for my feet in a miraculous color that will go with anything, I was, of course, sold. Then she showed me the matching travel handbag, which was incredible, but at 890 euros, it was a bit beyond my price range. Now, you might think the handbag would have been a clue, but I had not realized my largesse until she gestured for me to enter my PIN code, and I saw the price of my shoe lust: 310 euros, or almost 400 U.S. smackers. Gasp. The shoes were almost two months of rent at the first apartment Sid and I lived in when we first got married. The handbag, almost 6 months.
So, upon acquiring my first designer shoes, I’ve also acquired a higher power of rationale: a good pair of classically stylish shoes will last a lifetime, and it’s not like I dropped a thousand in a favored dress shop. So really, I’ve come out ahead, right? But who am I kidding? The fact is that I’ve finally understood Carrie Bradshaw’s compulsion for designer shoes on” Sex and the City”: nothing feels sexier than haute couture. Except maybe zero credit debt. The jury’s still out on that one.

The Return Of Everyone, Waiting Daddies, Uncle Bob's Fight

At the end of our first vacation season here in Paris I think we'd gotten so used to seeing fewer people on the streets and shops shuttered with signs saying they were on holiday that this week we were somewhat shocked to see EVERYONE magically back!  Tuesday we went to our usual watering hold Brasserie 16, and our favorite waiter Pascal was back from his vacation all tanned and looking like a rock star.  Of course we kidded him about it and he was delighted.  We're determined next year to go away completely for at least 2 weeks maybe 3 one of which will be spent in Chevagny.  More on that later.

The longer we live here the more the rhythm of the neighborhood resonates with us and we've come to immerse ourselves in it and just go with the flow.  People recognize us and wave which makes us feel like we're actually a part of the crew around here.  One of the most notable occurrences involve small crowds of waiting people outside the clinic (Clinique Muette) right next door who smoke and wait for their wives to have babies.  There's also a constant stream of folks coming out of there with eye patches probably due to eye surgeries and a parade of VERY pregnant women some huffing and puffing but always in style coming and going.  We also get to see happy parents with baby carriers leaving with babies wearing the traditional knit caps loading into cars.  It's a never ending thing and again, we've never lived so close to a medical facility which has been another thing we'll add to our Parisian experience.  I sometimes wonder if the mommies next door who are trying to rest want to kill the ersatz trumpet players outside in the street when they're around........*

Lastly today, a little over a week ago we found out that the twins' Uncle Bob, Cassie and my brother in law who we adore has a treatable form of throat cancer which will require over 30 radiation treatments and at least 4 maybe more chemo therapy treatments.  We are naturally saddened by this and will do everything in our power to support him and his wife Vivian during his fight with this despicable disease.  For those of you who've been following our blog, our dear friend Jan Turbes who was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of months ago and then underwent surgery is coming to Paris with her husband Gary October 15th.  We helped out using Cassie's frequent flyer miles to help them make the trip affordable and our desire to do something nice for the person who literally introduced us to our sons and who helped craft the program educationally the brought them from being lost in school to being Honor Students and the amazing men they are today.

We truly lead amazing lives and have to many people we love and cherish.  And.......we continue to be the sum of them all as they shine out through us every day.

Make sure to let the folks you love know it daily whenever you can........*

Come see us if you're able to........*

Best always....

A bientot,

Sid 

Chevagny And The Illegal Alien Twins

Last Saturday morning very early we left the apartment and headed to Gare de Lyon to board the TGV Train for our trip to the village of Chevagny (pop: approximately 71) to play for our friends Fred and Claudia's wedding which was a French Civil Ceremony.  I suspect most of the village turned out for it and we sang "When I Say I Do" which is a Clint Black song that we thought fit the occasion.  After being pretty much in the city for well over 5 months arriving in Chevagny was sort of like having an epiphany of sorts.  We rode the TGV Train from Paris' Gare de Lyon to Le Creusot where Fred and Claudia picked us up.  Chevagny is around 400 kilometers from Paris and it was a 25 minute drive from Le Creusot to get there so Le Creusot is about 25 km from Chevagny.  The TGV got to Le Creusot in about an hour and 15 minutes so let's just say that we were MOVIN.  I'm guessing it was around 250 mph.  We've never been anywhere on the ground going that fast and of course Kian slept pretty much the whole way.  The train was real quiet too as it's electric.  SNCF has TVG trains that go all over France and other parts of Europe.  Hmmmmmmm........why isn't this happening in the USA????????????

Let's just say that after a long weekend of playing music, wine, food, and the warmth of the people from the village we're pretty inclined to want to live there one day in the future.  It was a wondrous weekend for us all.  We have over 400 megs of photos taken and I'm attaching a link to this post so whoever is reading this can see where we've been.

Sorry it took so long to get this posted.  Cassie and and the rest of us have been laboring to get all of the forms, documents, photos, attestations and everything else ready for her trip back to the French Consulate and another audience with the Great And Powerful Oz there to get Kian and Niall's residency status locked in here as they still just have their passports which after 90 days here make them not legally here without what is called a "Carte de Sejour" AKA "Legal Residency Card" which is essentially a French Green Card.

Of course this involves more forms and paperwork than either me or Cassie went through to join the military way back when and even with everything in order there's a strong possibility that the Great And Powerful Oz might think of something else we need that we never knew we needed so it's been busy times around here.

Cassie has been on vacation and we've been "tourists" ourselves in Paris the last week or so but have learned that trying to do that here in August when EVERYONE ELSE who's a tourist is also here has convinced us that we'll see the rest of the sights and museums after Fall is in full swing here and the Summer crowds are gone.

I do have a list of other blog entries I need to make about a host of topics and will do so with much more regularity in the future.

Love to all everywhere and thanks as always for caring enough about us to read these posts.

A bientot!

Sid

PS
Here's the link to our Chevagny photos:
Close to Heaven

My Seventh Blog

It has now been six months since our coming to Paris and things just keep coming to us. Because of all the work we've had as of late, it was difficult to find a time to place the next blog, but I got it here now. I'm already halfway through my second quarter in Strayer Online, and my current score is 91.91, and I hope to keep getting better. We once went over to a our friend Erik's house sleep over on a Saturday and got back home on the following Sunday earlier in the summer. Niall and I both got a part-time job at the American Library around two months ago and we help by sorting out books, DVDs, and CDs. Last week we even attended a village wedding to two new friends of ours (the parents of our friend David since his mother and step-father weren't married, and since it was a village it wasn't very big, but no less exciting) and we stayed their for three days before returning home by train. Today my brother and I got to help the sort out and prepare letters for the American Library, a job that I very much enjoyed (especially since I did something like it in high school back home). A lot of interesting things have happened to us over the course of these months and I think more will follow and I look forward to it all. Things have been fairly good for the majority and I know they will continue to go well for us as long as we continue working as hard as we can to maintain it.

By Kian Hagan

Musical Hostages In The Metro And Finger Prints

Sometimes here in Paris one can be held hostage on a moving Metro Train by guerrilla musicians of questionable intent or talent pulling mini karaoke rigs and singing off key ditties (if one can even call them that) in foreign languages over the train noise while you're just trying to get to where you're going. 

Cassie keeps telling me that I can't have a taser here and I'm also not supposed to throw things from our 4th floor windows at the sucky trumpet players that occasionally torment us right outside our aparment.  Of course they all have the temerity to try to make anyone near them think they deserve money and I just glare at them when they do.

Today however me and the twins came across a most unique duo in the correspondence between the 1 line and 7 line while going to the 18th arrondissement to get their finger prints done for their FBI Criminal Background Check for their French Residency Permits (Carte de Sejour).  It was a tuba and accordion duo and they were GREAT!  I threw money willingly and will throw money again if given the opportunity to hear them again.

The guys will write about their finger printing experience themselves so I won't steal their thunder.  We got to explore a new neighborhood and meet a lady who represents USA Aide here which is an old organization that dates back to 1920 and is what she called an "NGO" or non-governmental agency that helps Americans in Paris.

We start vacation tomorrow! 

Love to all everywhere!

Bon journee!

Sid

Enrico Pieranuzi Last Night

What can I say that will truly describe what Cassie and I saw up close and personal last night at Sunside Jazz Club in Chatelet?  Seeing Italian Jazz Pianist Enrico Pieranunzi http://www.enricopieranunzi.com/english/ with a bassist and drummer in a small listening room in Paris was sublime.

The space wasn't air conditioned and it was quite warm but a capacity crowd was awed by the brilliance of the performances and the entire trio.  He played primarily standards and nothing from his latest CD of Scarlatti improvisations but the crowd was his from the first notes he struck.  The last time Cassie and I saw him was at a music festival held at Randolph Macon Women's College back in the late 80s with Marc Johnson and Peter Erskine which was also a memorable show. 

I just had to write a bit about the show so we'll have this to remember it by later on.  Suffice to say that mere words just don't do it for how amazing his virtuosity is and how the various improvisations, key changes, and tempo changes sometimes happened so fast that both of us were almost unable to keep up with them.

Long story short, if any of you ever get the chance to see this musical titan play live DO IT.

Love to all everywhere!

Sid

Mark Patrick And Susie

I'm finally getting around to writing this entry.  2 weekends ago my old friend Mark Patrick arrived here with his girlfriend Susie on the ICE Train from Frankfurt.  It was the first time I'd seen him in person since Fall 1977.  Of course we'd never met Susie before either and they arrived at around 11:45 PM Friday night.  Cassie and I were a bit sleepy but wine flowed and after 30 minutes of conversation Susie who speaks some English mentioned she'd like to hear Cassie and I sing so I grabbed a guitar and Mark grabbed a guitar and before we knew it 3:00 am was close at hand.  For me it was like a circle closing and Cassie lit up after hearing Mark play and sing.  Of course the stories flowed about how Mark and I had played in the Metro here back in the 70s and Cassie got to meet still another old friend of mine from way back then.

Mark never left Europe and has lived in Germany since I left.  He makes his living playing and teaching much like our dear friend Robbie Wells back in Lynchburg.  The only difference though is that Mark is covered by a national health plan in a country that prides itself for the atmosphere it engenders for everyone who lives there be they artists, or CEOs of major corporations.  Having Mark and Susie here for 3 nights was easy and we'll be looking for an excuse down the line to travel to Frankfurt and let them show us around.  As always, for me being around Mark was and still is an inspiration.  He's even more musical now of course than he was back in the day and he left me with a pile of his music to listen to.  From the time I first heard "You And I In Heaven" I couldn't get it out of my head and still can't.  He's written a concept piece about the life of Saint Patrick and it's beautiful stuff.  I'm (we're) so lucky to count him and Susie as friends and the sheer wonder and awe of actually being here again is still very present in our every day lives here. www.markpatrick.de

Mark told both me and Cassie that we are a "blessed" family.........  Amen to that.............*

We're very thankful that they both came to see us and share our hospitality......

Have a great day wherever you are.

Love to all everywhere.....

Sid

Ft. Knox Doors

Before moving into our apartment here on “Rue Nic” in January, I lived in a series of short-term rental apartments throughout the second half of last year.  In the words of a fellow expat, I couldn't help but notice the vault-like construction of apartment doors.  “Steel construction with multi-point deadbolt locks, with steel plates and channels to prevent a crowbar from getting a hold. And if you want to get a key duplicated for an apartment you don't own, you need almost as much documentation as you do for your carte de séjour!” (French residency card)

But, as my colleague pointed out, one realizes that most Parisians aren't here in the summer. It’s as if Moses parted the Seine and a mass exodus ensued.  He forwarded an e-mail from the U.S. Embassy that provided a friendly reminder to all of us Americans who were left behind, and are used to telling the neighbor to keep an eye on the house if we leave for a whole week. In Paris, all your neighbors are gone too, making August National Burglary Month in France. The irony is that most apartment buildings aren’t air conditioned, so you have to keep the windows open to capture enough breezes to combat the stifling city heat.  It must have been the burglary rings that coined the saying, when God closes a door, he opens a window.  (July 23, 2010)

Ft. Knox Doors: Postscript

Three days later, I let a stranger in the house. Someone knocked on our back door (old service entrance in the kitchen) at midnight saying they couldn't get in the building's front door. He said he was Mr. Dev-(something) from the 5th floor, saying the front door system was not functioning and he couldn’t get in.  Pause: I looked to our weekend houseguest, who nodded, and decided we could take him if there was a problem (Sid was in bed.).  It was an older gentleman, blue jacket with brass buttons, profusely apologetic and briskly making his way to our front door to get out. Sid was furious that I'd let a stranger in the house at that time of night, at the outset of vacation / burglary season. I didn’t sleep very well, thinking maybe I’d put my family at risk.

Next morning, it turns out that the front entry door really was broken and the guy really is our neighbor. He got in through the basement door and had to hustle back (as much as a 70-year-old can) to let his family – who was waiting down on the sidewalk – in through the basement door and up the dangerously narrow back stairs. He came by mid-morning to thank us (OK, me!) for helping, and suggesting we get together for an aperitif when he and the fam return from holiday.  I’m glad I was able to break the ice with a neighbor by helping him out…even if I still didn’t catch his last name.  (July 29, 2010)

Cass

Perfect Storm At 44 Rue Nic

Bonjour Everyone,

Very early this morning (at around 0045) our "back" doorbell buzzed which had never happened before.
I was already in bed but Cassie, Mark and Susie were still awake.  The buzzer kept buzzing so Mark and Cassie went to the kitchen back door and spoke with a French man outside they couldn't see who told them in broken English that the downstairs front door was broken (It's electrically operated with a code pad that opens the latch when the proper code is inputted) and that he needed to come through our kitchen to get upstairs.  They let him in which I was unhappy about not knowing who he was and after receiving a notice from the U.S. Embassy this last week about vacation time here when organized gangs of thieves roam neighborhoods looking for apartments to rob.

He was in fact one of our neighbors who knew who we were but who had never deigned to actually have anything to do with us.  He came downstairs this morning to thank us again and to tell us he wanted to have drinks with us when he returned from vacation later in August.  We actually introduced ourselves and he introduced himself and it was a pleasant exchange.

Cassie called the apartment management company to let them know about the door problem and got an evasive answer from them as to the time that the said repairs would actually take place.  Of course, with the electrical door system out that also meant that we couldn't access the basement to take trash down unless we took it down a very rickety back elevator with a thin plywood floor that looks like it was original equipment in this 100 year old building.  I also had to go to the store as we've had more mouths to feed this weekend and we were out of some things so this entry will close with the email I just sent Cassie a while ago that explains the above title for this blog entry.

Of course there will be many many more blog entries but this is the most interesting one in a while.  Here's the email:

Hi,

Before I went to the store, I met the folks downstairs who I think belong to the fella you let in last night.  They were still packing a car with bags for vacation and wanted to know how I was going to get back in.  The lady from Embassy (our apartment management company here in Paris...*) lied to you this morning.  Angela has been gone for at least 2 days and won't be back until the first week in September.  The reason I know this is there was an "exterminator" with grip clamps and a dark green plastic bag in front of our door when I returned from the store with groceries who was trying in vain to get the front door open.  I told him that it was "terminee" and asked if he was the repair person while I yelled up to get Niall to come down to let me in.  He then let himself in to the basement somehow but when I went downstairs with Niall and Kian to watch the door while they tried to get into the basement, both the exterminator guy with the clamps and green bag and another 30 something type young man with an IPhone and helmet were standing outside the front door.  The guy with the helmet lives in the 7th floor and the exterminator was here to meet him and he told me there are rats in his apartment and the exterminator was there to kill them.  They both needed to go through our kitchen to access the back steps as the regular steps don't go all the way to the top floor so we now have another neighbor who wants to bring beers down to share with us.  I gave him our home phone number in case he's locked out again and told him that we'd let him in.

The twins brought all of the garbage bags back upstairs and Niall took them down to the basement in the back elevator which has a plywood floor so only he went with the bags and came right back up.  Mark and Susie took the bottles to the recycle place on their way to some exploring over near Passy and will be back by 3.  I'm calling their cab for them momentarily which will be here by 3:30.

I purchased tickets for Enrico Pierranunzi on Saturday night at Sunside.  I think the show is sometime around 9.

It's been quite a morning here and things just keep getting better.  You might want to let Mr. Tartarin know that there are rats upstairs which most assuredly means that they are in the walls too.  There truly was a reason we brought cats particularly Gracie who's way meaner than Nellie and the two of them together should keep us safe but the folks at Embassy have more than just electrical problems.  The neighbor from the 7th floor also complained bitterly about the pigeons as I guess there are far more places for them to have sex on the roof than even outside our windows.  I look very forward to hearing what Mr. Tartarin is going to do or not do about the rats.

Hope you're having a lovely day.

Love you,

Sid

--
"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."
Hunter S. Thompson

Love to all and sleep light wherever you may be tonight.  You never know what might be in the walls...

Sid

Mark Patrick And Susie

My old friend Mark Patrick and his girlfriend Susie arrived late last night from Frankfurt.  I hadn't seen Mark since Fall 1977 and had never met Susie who doesn't speak English fluently.  Even though it was late we all sat down and talked and talked until Susie mentioned something about "singen" looking at Cassie and I.  Mark said "she'd like you to sing" and so it began and before we knew it 2:30 am arrived as nobody wanted to stop.  Cassie loved Mark and Susie and loved singing with Mark. 

Mark and I essentially picked up where we left off so many years ago and it was magic.  It's Saturday afternoon and they don't leave until Tuesday so much more music will be played. 

It's a gift to me and I'm grateful.  So good to see my old friend and meet his lady.  More follows every day this weekend.

Love to all everywhere......*

Sid

Asperateur Indeed

Hi folks,

Today we're cleaning the apartment as Angela essentially stopped working about 2 weeks ago in preparation for her vacation in Spain.  Perhaps she'll be back by sometime in August.  Me and the guys are used to cleaning as it's what we used to do in Lynchburg.  The vacuum (asperateur)  that came with the apartment was shall we say bit past it's prime so a little over a week ago we ventured to the local Darty (pretty much the same as a Best Buy) and purchased an LG (Korean) bagless vacuum cleaner which I must say KICKS ASS.  It's a little bit of a hassle to clean but it works great and it has wonderful attachments that help with cat fur reduction on the furniture.

Cassie comes home from the U.S. tomorrow morning and we intend on having the house pretty presentable when she walks in the door.  It's quite something to rejoice in a new asperateur. 

So goes it in Paris this morning.  

Bon journee!

Sid

Vuvuzelas And Car Horns Late Last Night

Although we live in Paris evidently there are either a lot of Spaniards in town or folks who were very very glad to see Spain win the World Cup last night.  As for the "beautiful game", most of the match looked like both teams reverted to American football last night sans pads.   Something like over 12 yellow cards and one red card.  In essence, it was an ugly game and although it was at times entertaining, for the most part it was much like a street fracas.

Soon after the Spaniards scored their only goal the car horns started honking outside and I could hear people yelling down the street.  I think that was around 2315 local time (11:15 PM) and the noise continued as I endeavored to fall asleep after midnight.  If I wasn't sure where I was I would have thought I was at Mardi Gras.

Then, this morning I was awakened very early by the sound of thunder and wind.  Rain was falling at about 0545 and I got up to close the windows as lightening and thunder boomed across the faux canyons of the 16th arrondissement.  It was quite a show and the most violent storm I'd witnessed since arriving here.  It's still raining as I write this although now just a steady rain which was needed here.  The high temp today will probably not top 77F which we'll take and enjoy even if it is raining.  I have to make a short store run and start doing interview prep with the twins as they have their big interviews with the American Library here tomorrow at around 1630.  It's another college day too with both Kian and Niall continuing their college studies with Strayer University online which again has proven to be one of the best calls we've ever made for both of them.

Lastly, whoever foisted the vuvuzelas (made in China thank you very much.....) on the world should be shot and his or her family sold into slavery somewhere off planet.  They drove everyone insane at the world cup and they're everywhere here in the streets.  As if there wasn't already enough noise here already........  Cassie told me via Skype yesterday in Poquoson with our friends the Hortons how "quiet" it was there.  Amen to that.........although she told me after we arrived here in March that she'd never noticed all the noise here before but then that was with the windows closed with winter weather still outside.  When summer came and the windows stayed open more it was like having everything in the street right next to us in bed.  Jarring to say the least although we've sort of gotten used to it.  I am certain that when we return to the US we'll seek out a far quieter place.  We DO love the apartment and again love living here.  You'll just see references to the cacophony outside from time to time in these posts.

Love to all everywhere........  The next noise fest will be Wednesday night for Bastille Day here with jets doing flybys and tons of fireworks and drunk people.......can't wait........*

A bientot,

Sid

European Weather Guessers

Just a short post to thank the European Weather Guessers who are almost as good (or bad) as the local Virginia Weatherman back home.  They missed it completely with their forecast for today and we're lovin it.  The last few days have been in the high 80s or low 90s and since we have no air conditioning it's been very warm in the apartment.  It's been a very long time since any of us were without air conditioning so sleeping at night has been sweaty and also being in a city with few green spaces makes it all the more hotter.

Today the forecast weather was sunny and around 93 but right after 10 am the clouds moved in and now the revised forecast is around 83 with thunder showers the rest of the day.  It's cool in the apartment for the first time in a week and me and the guys are all enjoying a respite from the heat.

Cassie however is over the Atlantic headed for Dulles Airport for a week of meetings and some travel in Virginia.  She took new sun dresses as everything there has been melting for weeks.

So bonjour from the "chill" zone today.

Sleeping is gonna be good tonight.

Love to all everywhere.  Remember to never take your a/c for granted.

A bientot,

Sid