Of A Personal Nature

I am loathe to publish personal things on this blog, but I haven’t been writing as often as I’d like, and I’d like to explain why.  Also, I think it’s important to show that the jet-setting life of an expat is not always a glamour parade.  Sometimes, it sucks just as much as everyone else’s [...]

Mistral Sunday: Pictures

I had to do some thinking before I quoted an Italian translation job today, so I grabbed the camera and took some pictures around the house. The sky color has not been adjusted, by the way. Anyway, here’s a look at what I see every day:

I love the way the light hits [...]

Sunday In The Garden With Expats

**This is an entry from way back, summer of 2006, I believe. I’m on a deadline with a client, so you’re getting archive treats!
Brunch at Auntie Lu’s English Restaurant - most of their tables were outside, accommodating a group of 12 women celebrating their friend’s impending trip around the world by taking her out [...]

The Price of Love: A Cheap Flight to Madrid

Cal and I have had quite a year. Actually, for everyone I know - with almost no exception - 2007 has been a year of what I’ve taken to calling “life-altering shitstorms.” QUITE a year.
For me, I went through an ugly legal battle after being laid off from my job. Man, was [...]

The Cost of Things in (My) Europe

This article proposes the unthinkable - skipping a trip to Venice because of the decline of the U.S. dollar.
My advice, in a word? DON’T. Venice is just too amazing to pass up.
But, this article got me thinking about the cost of being in Europe, whether on vacation or living here. As I [...]

Thanksgiving Dinner in France

This evening, Cal and I went to Brasserie du Theatre (with 900 accents on that last word, but I can’t be arsed) for a non-Thanksgiving dinner.
(That last link is just because I like the phrase, “Cooking without pants.” Cal started off with a gin and tonic, which in France means they give you a lowball [...]

Giving Thanks Where Thanks Is Due

Cal and I are lazy and the only two Americans we know here, so we’re going to go out for a swank dinner in a couple of hours and eat copious amounts of exquisitely prepared French food.
On this day, a day of giving thanks, I am going to give myself some time to really appreciate [...]

Island Fantasies - Or, Ideas for That Year-End Bonus

Cal and I work at opposite ends of the house, although if we sit just the right way and squint, we can see each other. Our cat, Ladybird “Squirt” Johnson, like a child of divorced parents, shuttles herself back and forth all day between the sofa next to Cal’s desk and the chair next [...]

Time Magazine Talks About Expats

I never thought I’d say this, but Time Magazine has a fascinating article about The New Expats - those in India and China.
This description reminds me of a certain someone (*cough*Cal*cough*):
“Somewhere, perhaps in Tokyo or Paris, that old-timey expatriate still sips his midday martini at the foreigners’ club.”
Hee hee.
The article is worth a read, [...]

Hotels, And My Love Of Them

Hotels are my passion. From Motel 6’s to five-star luxury resorts, I love everything about them.
I love maid service. I love room service. I love turndown service. I love having a drink in hotel lobby lounges, even if I am not staying there. I love hotel restaurants, with their overpriced [...]