: whew :

Has it only been five days since I got here?

Wow.

It already feels like it's been two weeks.

The trip over was quite exhausting. Thursday after I taught I went up with my brother and mother to pick up my father in Jacksonville. We went out to dinner that night at The Landing, drove home, frantically did some last minute packing, and went to bed around 2am. We woke up at 7am, I got to Orlando just fine, flew up to Newark and here the fun began.

It was a five-hour layover anyway, I was expecting it, but I had some books to read and Drew's iPod (a.k.a. 2nd Saviour). I was starving (a chicken biscuit at 7am was not doing it for me by 1pm) and so I grab some WAY overly expensive food while watching France get the tar beaten out of them by the Dutch in soccer...er...football (Seriously? The DUTCH? oi).

After that I went to my assigned gate. Then I found out my gate changed...and then it changed again...then it was delayed....then changed gate again...then delayed again...then delayed...then gate change...then delay. FINALLY, we get on board (9 hours after I had arrived in the beautiful city of Newark) and we are 41st in line to leave. Yes, forty-one. There were, somehow, on a beautiful bluebird sky without clouds, forty-one other planes in line to leave the airport. Something tells me there is a management problem....but whatever, I got a free 5$ alcoholic beverage on the plane for my troubles. That makes up for it, right?

So, we get into London at the exact time that my train leaves. Perfect timing! Except now I have to take the 30 minute train ride into downtown London, switch at Paddington onto the Circle line and take it two stations down to St. Pancras/Kings Cross. I navigated the tube fine (even though it was experiencing technical difficulties, of course) and made my way to the station. I had missed my train, the next train, and the one after that. Luckily, the lady I told my story to at the Eurostar office let me not have to buy a full ticket, instead just one for 50£ (100$). The downside? It's a full train so I have to sit in a tip-up seat in the hallway between the traincars...for two and a half hours. I eventually get to Paris, take the two subway rides to my stop, and find the guy who owns my flat. He and his wife are very very nice, invited me in, gave me something to drink, and we had a little chat in their place before he showed me around the area and how to get to my studio. I put my stuff away, said goodbye to the guy and went in search of some food. Found something cheap and crashed. I had to get up early the next morning for orientation though.

The people at the Paris Research Centre (PRC) are very nice and it's a really nice place, too. They have, however, kept us quite busy. There are about 20ish students taking various classes. We've travelled around with them to Montmartre, the Quartier Latin, Montparnasse, the Tour Eiffel, and various other places. We've done quite a bit of walking, lol. Teaching is going well and I haven't had much time to myself until last night when I finally got to go grocery shopping.

I'm just finally settling in here though, the dust of new arrivals has settled and we're getting into a nice rhythm. Friday we are going out to Giverny (where Monet did most of his work) and Saturday out to Versailles with the whole group. It should be interesting. I haven't had any time to go on photo adventures, but I've taken some here and there. Hopefully I'll be able to upload some of them soon.

Anyway, that's my life at the moment. How's yours?

Celebrate Departure!

So I only have 12 days left until I am gone for two months.

In honour of my departure, I would like to invite you all to participate in (thus far) three events of awesomeness:

1. This Friday evening. Party at my place. It's just an excuse to hang out. Come.

2. This Saturday morning. Tubing down the Ichetucknee. Who's up for it?

3. Sometime during the (next) week. (Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday) My mother and brother will be down and we could all possibly have dinner one day. Who's up for that?

It's weird to think I am even leaving. I wonder when this will start feeling real?

Updates

It's the third week of Summer semester. I am enjoying the lack of major responsibilities, but I feel like I have way too much free time on my hands.

There are less than three weeks left before I leave for Paris. WOAH. Crazy. It doesn't seem so close.

I have had two weeks and I have done pretty much nothing research-wise. I guess I should start sometime.

I will have occasional computer access in Paris, but not my own computer...so I will be available quite rarely.

I have a new chair for my room. It is wonderful. Totally worth the money. Thanks to those who helped make this possible.

I had a good time in Orlando with some awesome friends. A couple of frustrations came out...but it's all good now.

I have a feeling this week will be good. :)

Bullet lists are how my mind works.

It has been a pretty good week thus far.

Highlights:

• Working one hour and fifteen minutes a week. Well, there is more work than that, but that's all that I have to do that is scheduled
• Finally figuring out how I'm getting paid for Paris
• Made smoothies with Mary
• Had lunch with Stauffer at a new place I'd never been to before
• Had lunch with Leah for super-cheap (thanks raffle tickets!)
• Today's rainy gloom...even though it's still quite warm and feels like Florida, it was a nice relief.
• Lunch with Stauffer's mom (and THE WORLD) on Sunday
• Mike Patz's sermon on stewardship (and the thoughts it provoked in my mind I may one day get to on here.)
• Opening a savings account.
• My students all making As and Bs on their exams
• New beginnings.
• Better understanding of myself.
• A sense of change and peace simultaneously. Not sure how that works but it is good.

It's interesting the things people say that stick with us...

Sometimes I think I would like to have more comments on this blog. Not for the sake of going, "Oh, look how many comments I have! Look how many people love me!" (Love is not measureable in blog comments...nor should one try to do so.) I think mainly I just want to get some feedback.

This blog is sometimes used for an outlet of expression, but it's also a place to put forth my ideas and my thoughts. In college, I often got feedback from people either through comments in an online blog or being able to just hang out while throwing out ideas or thoughts about whatever crossed our minds. Sometimes it'd even turn into an argument or a debate. I got a call from a college friend yesterday and, over the course of our conversation, she lamented on the fact that sometimes people just don't want to throw these thoughts and ideas around and debate and argue over them. We all argued and debated constantly throughout college. It was hardly ever in anger, it was just a way we figured things out. Put forth ideas, hash through them, figure stuff out.

Sometimes it was typical collegiate subjects in academia: How many dimensions are there? Is Cartesian philosophy really flawed? Are we more controlled by nature or nurture?

Sometimes it was typical subjects of people in their late-teens and early-twenties: Why are women so confusing? What is love exactly? What am I going to do for the rest of my life?

But it was always in good fun and never caused a rupture in our friendships. In fact, we were probably stronger for it.

I'm not sure I get the same vibe in Gainesville.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not down on Gainesville (I love the people that are here), but a lot of times I see an avoidance of conflict of any kind from people and some placation instead of any debate or figuring out things. It's not like people never argue or have debates over things...but it's a different vibe. It's not a bad thing, just...different people, I guess.

But perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps it's not Gainesville. Perhaps it's just because we all lived within close quarters of each other and therefore the opportunities to just chill and chat were far more numerous. And because we were so used to acting that way around each other, when we hang out now post-college, we tend to revert to that type of talking....so I tend to only relate it to these people and that time of my life.

I dunno, I think I got off topic (most assuredly). At any rate, this wasn't a plea for more comments; it's not a complaint about anything, either--just a release of my thoughts.

I definitely talk a lot.