Just a couple of quick things:
Paris photos are finally up on flickr. The whole set is here. I’ve labeled all the photos but they don’t have descriptions yet, sorry. Have I mentioned I still haven’t finished my travel journal from the trip itself? I’ll get around to it, really.
Bob and I made a video. Check it out on YouTube here (it might not be up yet)
2 comments March 25th, 2007
J and I finally made it to Peter Pan for some mini-golf action last Saturday. I’ve wanted to go ever since we moved to Austin, but I’m not sure what kept us away. The place is charming, in an old, falling apart way. Most of the obstacles need new coats of paint or repairs, and the green is more than a little scuffed. I can’t help but wonder how the place must have looked with everything shiny and new.
The other great thing is that it is cheap. 36 holes are $7, or you can play 18 for $5. The holes are divided into an east and west course, but the east course is much more fun, as there are more obstacles. For some reason, putting a ball through a hole makes the whole game more fun.
We enjoyed ourselves so much that I think we’ll be heading there for one of my birthday outings. This year, I intend to make a weekend of it.
Also: On the recommendation of one of my writing group members, we’ll be going on a 4-hour bike tour of Paris. If we can make it in time, we’ll take the tour on Saturday - right after we arrive. Is there a better way of combating jet lag than this?
Add comment February 3rd, 2007
With the impending voyage à France, I’ve been sucking up as much information on Paris as possible. Because this is me, it involves making lists.
Blogs
Stores
Restaurants/Food
Places
Virtual Tourist is helpful as well, but only so much, because the “tips” are either very out-of-date, repetative, or very lacking in actual information. It’s good for ideas, though. Aside from me now being overly concerned about pickpockets.
I’ve also been added French movies to our Netflix and listening to French music. Anyone know of a good podcast en français? All the radio stations I’m finding play ’80s pop. I suppose that fits with what is being posted on Face Hunter. At least I’m not going to feel weird about wearing my new red Converse.
By the way, when we’re in Paris I’ll attempt to keep a travelogue on paper. When we return, I will write up the trip in diary format, hopefully with some good photos to go with. We’ll see if I have enough nerve to take photos of food in Paris restaurants.
Add comment January 14th, 2007
It’s beginning to feel like there is something out there trying to keep us from going to Paris. First off was the problem with buying tickets on Expedia, and my spending limit Wells Fargo supposedly can’t raise high enough for us to buy two international plane tickets. Nevermind that I should be able to spend my money …
Tickets were purchased with Bob’s money instead, and then yesterday we hied to the post office to turn in our passport applications. And it was packed full of other applicants, which meant they had actually “closed” the passport office early in order to service all those people already waiting. And of course, they don’t process passports on the weekend. And the hours during the week, depending on the location, are insane. For instance, the place nearest my work only processes passports from 11 to 1 and then from 1:30 to 2:45. Um… OK. We’re going to try on Monday morning, but I’m not feeling too optimistic. And none too happy about having to use some of my time off so early in the year.
Also: If we leave Austin, it almost seems like the reason will be something to do with really large bugs. In the past month we’ve had three roaches in our apartment. This might not seem like a big deal, but we only had one in the entire year we lived at the old place, and I never even saw one the entire time I lived in Minnesota (although there was one really gross wiggly thing that inhabited my NordEast apartment). I know the bugs don’t actually do much to people, but it’s still too freaky to have one on your bedside lamp while you’re in bed reading.
And: Good news for a lot of my friends - according to the latest issue of Cooking Light, “Research has shown that people with multifaceted interests actually feel less stress than people whose lives are more narrowly focused.” Now, where is that book I started two years ago?
Add comment January 6th, 2007
December is always a weird month when you’ve done NaNoWriMo. Sure, you’ve got the hectic-ness of the holidays, but after you’ve gotten all your gift shopping done and pulled the cookies from the oven, there’s an unsettling feeling. What next? What the heck am I supposed to be doing with my time now that there isn’t a novel to write?
Granted, I could be working on that other novel I started. Or there are those projects I had been thinking about before November. Or figuring out how we’re going to juggle the family visitations when we arrive in the Cities. Which will be next week already. Where has this year gone?
Hopefully next year will move a little bit slower, at least for one week in March, when we’ll be in Paris. To get me back in the Travel!Squee mood, I picked up two books this past weekend at BookPeople. The first, You Can’t Get There from Here, sounds very cool so far. The author and her husband take a year off to go exploring the far reaches of the world. And of course, I left the darn thing at work, so I can’t read it tonight. I could start on the other book, We’ll Always Have Paris. Not that I want to drown myself in all things Paris before we go, but I love travel essays anyway. They’re one way to see the places you can’t get to.
Speaking of Paris, this trip is starting to gather people like … whatever that guy from Katamari Damancy is called. First I joined Brandie and her family, then Bob joined, and then we heard from our friend in Israel who might come. And another friend in San Francisco was looking for something to do for his 30th. Why not a trip to Paris? I do love these guys, but I’m hoping my original intent for the trip doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. One of the reasons we’re spending the entire trip in Paris instead of flitting around the country is to be able to experience the city properly, at a slower pace. I want to be able to wander around without the need for making appointments for meetings or what have you. If I get lost in the 7ème then so be it! (Although the 15ème might be better, just so I can go to Pierre Herme, which apparently has the best croissant in the city. I mean, look at this thing!) But either way, this trip will have plenty of meandering, and perhaps a saunter or two.
Sadly, in three months we’ll already be back at home. And probably planning the next trip. Not sure where, considering there are so many on the list. And I still haven’t seen quite a bit of the States. Of course, there was that whole plan about buying a house. Aw, man…
1 comment December 13th, 2006
After a month of waiting, the film for my Kodak Brownie Reflex finally arrived today from b&h photo. Not that it’s their fault - who the heck uses 127 film anymore? But now I can finally experiment with the darn thing.
One reason why I haven’t done as much with photography as I’d like is because it’s such an expensive hobby that for most people, doesn’t pay out. Most people don’t get paid for writing, either, but at least a notebook and pencil will run you less than $2. Just to get this 127 film processed will be $8 per roll. I haven’t been able to find any other place that does process it, let alone a place that does it cheaper.
So I have to take tiny baby steps with my hobby. I don’t mind so much - it would be a shame if I spent $1000 on lenses and accessories only to discard photography for something else. I’m not sure that I would discard it, after all I keep coming back to it. But I don’t need to be a starving artist. Just an artist, in some sense of the word.
Also: I’m finally headed to Paris in March. I’ve wanted to go ever since I began taking French lessons - in 1993. Better late than never, right? Bob wants to travel with me, of course, but a) we can’t afford the trip for both of us and b) this trip is kind of something I need to do on my own. Of course, I won’t be alone (young blonde American alone in Paris for a week probably doesn’t end well), as I’ll be traveling with a friend and her family. But a good portion of the trip will be me inside my head, wandering the Latin Quarter and sipping coffee while staring out into the world. If there was ever a cure for writer’s block, I’m sure it’s Paris.
Speaking of: National Novel Writing Month starts in less than two weeks! I’ve known some people who scoff at the idea of writing 50k in one month - mostly of the “Pish, I can do that over the weekend” variety - but they’re also the ones who should really try it. It’s hard to explain, but if you get involved with your area and into your story (and don’t take it too seriously) it’s an amazing experience. There’s a reason this is my fourth straight year of doing it. And hey, if you live in Austin, we can share a table at Flightpath or Epoch and ignore each other while we write.
Add comment October 20th, 2006
