So long from Paris...

It is almost 8 here and I am winding down from a great day-lots of stories, but here is one that tells you how great this place is...

I was wandering around the Latin Quarter and ended up at Notre Dame one more time. I knew that they were putting up an exhibition tent in the square in front of the cathedral but I had no idea what it was for-it turns out there were two things going on. To my delight and enjoyment, there was a bakery contest and people got to eat the leftovers. Can you say warm bagguette with Nutella? Wonderful.

No one will believe the other thing that was going on, but I swear it was true. There was a beach volleyball tourney going on. Mens and Womens. Really-less than 50 yards (oops, meters) from the front door of Notre Dame they were playing beach volleyball. Whqt would the Pope say? Maybe they played that in his youth "sports club" so its ok... Does it ever get any better than this? It was so hard not to just assume my normal persona as a six four beach volleyball player, but I realized that I would get sand in my Nutella and it was raining...

Tomorrow is a travel day, but more (and pictures) when I get back.

End of the day...

It is the end of the day, and I am calling it. I finished the day with a meal of crusty bread and what my friend keeps calling stinky cheese. It really wasnt THAT stinky but it was perfect for eating with wine from a barrel that was pourd into a jug of sorts. If nothing else, this trip has reminded me of one word: Simplify. That is my word for the day.

More soon...

hey, again

Let's see how this works--a real US keyboard! I still can't type all that well but it does make things go faster...

I was up early today to wander around, and was lost, so I took a break and will write for a few moments. I am tired--last night I rolled in about midnight, and it was after 1AM by the time that I found my bed. I was a tourist last night, and went to see the Eifel Tower and other sites that you need to see at night. After a rainy wet day, it cleared off and it turned into a perfectly clear (and very cold) night. A great sunset to frame the tower...at least one more picture that might be worth printing. Just as good, though, was the group of back-lit folks waiting for the sun to go down and sharing a bottle of wine. Fun. Wish I had a bottle of wine and people with me to share it with.

While waiting for the sun to set and the light show to begin, I chatted for about an hour with a very nice man from Sweden. He was a lorry driver, and travels all over Europe. He was in Paris for a few days waiting for his load, so he drove his lorry/semi to the tower for pictures. You have to admire anyone who would drive an 18 wheeler in Paris at all, but to take it to a tourist spot just for pictures makes him a hero. It was fun to hear about Stockholm and the places he has been and will be going to. One funny thing was incredible number of people who asked me to take their photos in front of the tower. I was in a good spot, but I think that I assumed that I knew what I was doing because my camera was big and on a tripod. I bet I took 25 pictures. And some of them might even turn out! I should have charged them a few euros each.

I will write more about the state of the economy later but it is interesting. As I mentioned, there are lots of empty tables at prime times and prime places. That is odd, I think, even for this time of the year. I have also noticed lots of empty storefronts, in distant neighborhoods that I have explored but also next to Notre Dame and places like that. That indicates some kind of a problem or at least an effect of the economic downturn. But last night, since I missed dinner, I stopped at McDonalds (OK, I am sorry--it was late, I was tired, I was hungry, etc) and got some fries. I looked hard at the menu, and was amazed to see some super-sized meals that sell for more than 8 Euros. That is almost $11.00 US, and a normal diner, from my unscientific survey of waiting in line and watching, was still spending about 7 Euros on their late night snack. I wonder how long the line would be at McDonalds if every meal cost almost $10.00? Just for the record, McDonald's fries are the same everywhere--except here you can get mayoinaisse for them!

I have taken lots of photos, in the hope, as always, that even a blind robin gets a worm once in a while. I have not wowed myself, but I suspect that my photos at this point are a bit better than the average tourist. As a friend of mine would say, that is because I have a good camera. True, but I hope that there is a tiny bit more than that. I think that I can remember about a dozen shots that make the trip worth it. Photography has changes so much since I was here last, and it is very different than Praha. For sure, there are fewer Kodak/Fuji/Agfa picture spots in Prague than there are in Paris. And the prevalance of digital cameras has changed it so much. I see people shooting and then chimping (looking at their digital monitors to see if they got the shot) all the time. I wonder how many of these photos will actually be printed or if they will remain on the memory card with their Christmas and Easter pictures from 2008. I am sure that in some homes across the world, when people ask to see Paris pictures, a digital camera will passed around and the viewer gets to see Notre Dame on a 2.5 inch screen. Seeing, 0r being forced to see Paris that way has to be worse than the old slide shows.

I am foot sore, and a bit tired, but this has been a pretty smooth trip. You know what is the sorest part of me? My tummy, where my camera bangs against it. The camera I carry in front of me with the lens weighs about 4.5 lbs, and it is heavy as it bangs...I know, people are openly laughing--that should be the softest spot on me. Not true, mon ami. Abs of steel, remember? As Sancho says in Man of la Mancha, it doesn't matter if the stone hits the pitcher or the pitcher hits the stone, the result is the same. The steal of the camera against the steel of my abs is bound to cause some pain. I hope I don't hurt my camera! (-:

Bonjour! It is a rainy day and I will catch up a bit while I dry out a bit. I wonder how waterproof these cameras are?

It has been a whirlwind few days and a lot of fun. Spent the day near Notre Dame which whle I qdit is touristy, it is also beautiful. Rainy, misty day, perfect or at least pretty good for photos. The historian in me comes out in a medieval cathedral. How can something feel so solid? The flying buttresses refute its solidity, yet I swear you can feel the weight of the building. Purhaps that is the purpose of such a creation, to provide that solid-ness. I even climbed all 422 steps-that trek seemed easier 10 years ago. The building belies its age-it is what, 6-700 years old? Its wired for everthing and Bose Speakers belt out those chants. Some object to the commercial nature of the place, and it is unsettling to be able to buy a t-shirt or bumper sticker-you know, my friend went to Notre Dame and all I got was this lousy t-shirt... OK, it is not that bad but commerce is evident. But it was always like that, since it was a market site. At least they keep the animals out of square.

I ate at a cute (of course it was-they all are) place last night and had fondue-what a treat after subsisting on crossaints and tiny cups of espresso-those pesky flakes-they get all over my cameras! I would tell you the name but I had no idea where I was. I have to say that a tourist could pick their seat in almost any place. I knoz that this is not high season, but it sure seems slow. Monday is a day off after a holiday weekend here but honestly there were empty tables everywhere.

That is all for now-it is clearing out and, as I said, that Tower thingy awaits!

Hey...

I wonder how many messages I have started like that...

Hello from Paris!!! All is well, and had a good day.

First things first. It seems that I will be far less connected than I thought, which isnt always bad, but unusual for me. Unless I stumble onto a Mac store, I am computer-less and it appeqrs the promised internet is not going to work in my apt. So? Well, I promised blogs but they will be shorter-not because I dont care, but because it takes so darn long to type. Imagine typing when the W,A,M, Z, Q, and most of the punctuation marks are all in different places. I never knew that I was a touch type-er, but I guess I am. So, please, excuse the shorter posts, and excuse the typos!

No photos, either--suffice it to say that I could use Paris for fashion sense but not for computer support. I swear I am on a dial up connection. Remember as per usual-Man plans, etc etc.

But I am taking photos, some 450 already. At least 3 are probably good enough to print! Maybe a few more...Was at the Musee de Orsay today for 4 hours. Nice place, some nice pictures on the wall...it is amazing and beyond belief. I basically wandered for 13 hours-tired but a "good" tired! Different world-imagine having to find a different angle for a photo because the Eifel Tower was in the way. That hardly ever happens in Bellingham. Or Ohio. Not even in Wisconsin.

Lets see...the highlights so far, all of which will be fleshed out in the future. I was strip searched in Amsterdam, down to my skivvies-note to self: Dont leave 7 white pills in your shirt pocket so that they can fall out when you take your shirt/jacket off for the security guys. All my Zirtek rolled out of my pocket onto the table-oops. Unmarked white pills.

Room is smaller than small! I was hoping for cute small, but got uncomfortable small, Hobbitt small. Some great stories about that. I am clean and safe and warm so its ok, but small. Im in a great neighborhood, fun and pretty. Met some nice people and listened to some funny conversations which will make good posts when I get home.

Tomorrow Notre Dame, I think.

Well, this took an hour to type, so thqt is it for tonight. More soon...

Paris, One week and counting...

I should, of course, be writing grants, but why do constructive work when I can take a few minutes and write here? Someone said that in my circumstances, I should be working about 30% of the time--I promise my employers that I am working far far more than that, but I also know the following is true. Today it is sunny and it is supposed to reach 70+ degrees, so it will be by far the nicest day so far this year. My assistant is out sick today, and of course everyone believes her. I also know that I am going to be writing most if not all the weekend to get the grants done before I leave. So, to end my (endless) rationalization, I think I can take 20 minutes to do this.

One week from today I will be on a plane to Paris, which may be my adventure of the year, if you don't count every single day of my exciting life an adventure. I am having no problem separating the two. Of course, everyone has been to Paris, and I am swamped with things I should do, see, eat, etc. Some of which I will (and have) do/done. For example, where I am staying was suggested to me by a Facebook high school classmate, and it worked out great. It is in the 10th district, and in a great spot. Of course those French people call it something else, a French word for district, but trust me, it is the 10th district. Besides, I can't say much less spell the French word. Geez, the Ugly American goes to Paris. I will try not to set back Franco-American relations too much while I am there!

The apartment is pretty cool--here is the link: http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_184.htm

The key to European hotels and apparently apartments is that you have to accept and embrace their smallness--it's almost a Zen type thing. If you read the site, you will see that it has about 140 sq feet of living space and splendor. I just measured my office and it is 110 square feet. But it (my office) is poorly laid out--I never know where to put the shower and the second bed. This is laid out with the precision of a ship's cabin, so it seems pretty roomy. Well, roomy might not be the word, but perhaps efficient might be a better word. It is more like a dorm room, but it is perfect for me. It says it sleeps three, but that might be a stretch. I suspect that it will only have to sleep one, and I will be fine. If someone follows me home, they can have the loft bed. It is in a neighborhood that I would not have been in had I not rented there, it is pretty convenient, and more secure than some of the less expensive places that I looked. Hey, and free WiFi--I might even post a note and a picture or two...

Ultimately, I don't plan to be there all that much. I hope to be out and about with cameras in hand taking lots of pictures and seeing parts of Paris that most tourists would not see. Yes, I will go to a museum or six, but only on really rainy days! One person told me, and I quote as best as I can, that I needed to go to the "Looov-ray" but the only really good things to see were the Mona Lisa and the statue of that guy...Which guy, I wondered? Steve? Brian? That Dave guy? He never said. He mentioned that they spent the whole afternoon, almost three hours but they could have done it (the Looov-ray) in less time had they known that all there was to see were those two things. Sigh.

I am looking forward to the trip. I want good bread, and if it results in what one of my friends once called "the dreaded bread butt" so be it. I want a real "cro-sant" (see above if you wonder where that came from) and I am guessing that I might sample French wine, but not the kind in a fancy place. I want to find a local market that sells it by the jug, and I want to go sit by the "Sane" (see above--it was a great conversation) and eat a hunk of bread, drink a bit of wine, and, of course, at least think of thee.

"Orv-wore" (see above...sigh)

more tulips...

So apparently Skagit County, just to the south of where I live, grows either the second or third most tulips and bulb flowers in the world. Photographically, it is not dissimilar to shooting fish in a barrel. Almost anywhere you point a camera, you see blocks of color, and sometimes acres and acres of tulips, fields of mind-blowing color intensity.

Secretly, I am not exactly a tulip kind of guy, but this tulip scene has to be in any NW Washington's photographer's portfolio. At least one of these probably could hang on someone's wall, though anyone with a camera could replicate these, just by being there. I guess it was worth getting up at 5:30, and taking all of these photos by 9:30.

There are two photos of fields of yellow daffodils. One with an absolutely great tree and the other is of a farmer working in the field. I have probably punished (I mean published--I rarely punished photos--thanks to an alert reader for catching this) 30-40 photos over the years of farmers working in the fields. But never a shot of a nice red tractor in a field of yellow flowers. Usually I took photos of green tractors with corn, beans, alfalfa, etc. Somehow I can't imagine this scene in NW Ohio or NW Wisconsin.

It is tulip time...

In the face of adversity...

As the three people who read this know, I am or rather will be out of a job in less than five months. Five months is, I am finding, both seemingly an eternity and but a heart beat away. It is too long to immediately panic and stop drinking mocha's and start recycling paper cups and or stealing the condiments, but it can seem like it is so far away where I don't worry as much as I should about all that it means.

Such is life, and such is my mini-crisis over time or probably over timing. I am looking for work, but it should be no surprise to millions that jobs are hard to find. Do I want to work in Dubai? Tyler, Texas? Florida? Not so sure about those moves. Do I keep looking for administrative jobs right til the bitter end, and only focus on those because "I am a dean" and need to be a dean? I don't think that, either.

There are a series of questions that I need to answer, I think, before I leap into any particular job. First, what am I looking for? Do I want to be a leader or a follower, or is it that important to be in charge? Wow, I have had so much fun in my last two jobs, Sisyphean jobs, being in charge...besides, you are never really in charge in the monkey house of higher ed. Unless you are faculty, and they lead from the bottom, and often by not leading--anyone who has worked in higher ed will know what I mean by that. And honestly, while there is some ego wrapped up in this, after true and honest reflection, I can say that it doesn't define me. Hey, I have been a dean, and frankly, much of being one, well, sucked.

The next question is where do I want to do whatever is I want to do? I do love it here. I find myself comfortable here--this is a great place to basically be on your own. If you have to find a place without people, your people, to just be, this is a great safe place. There is incredible comfort to wander in such beauty--I am not saying that it replaces the people who you want or might need, now or in the past, but in their stead, it is a balm. I find myself doing two things that probably indicate to me that I want to stay out here. First, incredibly, I find myself able to take in stride, if not even a bit for granted, how incredible it is out here. It's like, yes, there are the mountains, there is the ocean, so? I don't gasp every time I see these things--occasionally, but not every time. The place is becoming like that old comfortable pair of Levi's that you love (and that you know makes your butt look good). This place looks and feels good on me. The second thing that encourages me to stay out here is that I know that I want to see more and do more out here. As I am sure some explorer and a poet has said, there are mountains to climb, and paths and directions to decide upon. Some are even less travelled, at least by me. That part of here reminds me, as we often need reminding, that there is more to life than work.

The last question is simply, if I decide to stay, can I afford to stay? Tough question. There is no doubt that I, like millions of others, are going to have to or have already taken already a financial hit. How much less can I live on? 50% less? 75% less? Those are the percents that I am tossing about and thinking about--can I survive on 75% percent less? Well, the answer is that I probably wouldn't have to go that deep. I need to work enough so that I can earn benefits. And I think that like millions of others, I will become multiply employed. If I stay here, I will probably have to teach at 2-3 schools. And probably have to take a few weddings or, heaven forbid, kid or pet photos. (hey, any picture that has been on my blog is for sale...) But honest work is good work, no matter the job.

Two final thoughts on this. The first is that despite the relative uselessness of a Ph.D in history in this world, I would rather be looking for a job with one than with or without a high school diploma. I am much better prepared than many to fight for jobs in this market, and for that I am very grateful to the people who have helped me prepare for this difficult time. I didn't get here alone. I can do almost any job, but I don't want to wear a hairnet and have anything to do with french fries. Hopefully my life and education and experiences will keep me out of a kitchen to all of our benefit. Would you eat a Big Mac "cooked" by me? I don't think so.

The last thought is this. Don't worry, be happy! There is a large part of me that says and believes this. So, I bought a ticket for Paris and will leave in three weeks. Only for a week, but hey, spring time in Paris and all that. How will I pay for it? Hmmm, haven't quite thought that one all the way through, but I am able to travel cheaply. Paris prizes for friends might be stories and pictures rather than chocolate or crystal, but we all have to play our part in this economic downturn/recession/depression.

So I am not worrying too much and I am trying to be happy. It is kind of freeing and it does open up new and exciting possibilities. I think I am up for an adventure, maybe one outside the hundred-acre woods that I am currently comfortable in.

happiness, right in front of your...

I think it is kind of funny to have a theme of happiness—how can you really write on that?  Especially since it is not necessarily a happy time.  The budget is dismal, the job cuts are painful and both will be worse.  My life, all in all, has had happier moments.  This job thing is starting to weigh heavily on my mind, and lets just say that I have easier times with communicating with a friend or two…

            So why write on this?  I was told to, sort of.  Today I ran an errand or two at lunch and after the post office, I ate at the gourmet Hawaiian Bar-b-que and Noodle Shop.  Really.  Hey, it is by the post office!  How bad could it be?  Aren’t all the best restaurants near post offices?   Don’t they almost garner legal status just by being that close?  After eating what was called but didn’t pass for Katsu Chicken, I opened my fortune cookie (do Hawaiian’s end their meals with fortune cookies?  Who knew?)  to read the following:  Look for happiness in front of your. Not so sure about why it said your rather than you, but the sentiment remains the same.  Look for happiness in front of you.

            I am not saying it is easy.  The world outside can sometimes overwhelm a soul—managing the constant crisis mode can wear and erode one’s hope and happiness, not to write too passive of a sentence.  But then I think of all that is pretty good.  The last two days have been spectacular spring days, with 70 degree plus weather and great skies.  Yes, I might be sneezing and wheezing a bit because of the pollen, but I will take it—how much did it snow in Wisconsin and Ohio?  I know, it is supposed to rain for the next few days, but it does make me happy today, and it is right in front of me. 

            It is also the start of the semester, and the campus is filled with happy optimistic faces starting the term.  No one seems that mad, yet, and though it is a hectic with lots of people, it is always fun.  That, and of course, those attractive young men in short shorts…Just Kidding!  Let’s see if you really do read this.  But it is great to see any college campus in the spring—I think that anyone who has spent as much time on college campuses as I have would have to agree.

            Even the things that challenge me are not real barriers to finding happiness right in front of me.  Yes, I am worried about the job thing, but I am employed for 5 more months, and I received three decent leads on jobs today.   And while I might be challenged in my communication with a friend, I am pretty sure that things will settle down and hopefully work out.

            A friend told me today that in her life, she is tired of adventure dating, and that she was looking for something or only for something longer term.  This is a very understandable and perhaps admirable sentiment—I think that it says more about life than dating. I have to say that this kind of reminds me of the saying that perfection is the enemy of progress.  If we wait for perfection, or hold out only for that, then we miss the happiness right in front of your.  Or right in front of you.  There is enough out there to see.  

A new SO...

I admit it.  I have been unfaithful to my blog.  I have a new SO, one equally beguiling and one that can and does consume my days.  It makes me want to wander, hand in hand as we discover old and shared memories.  Yes, I wait for notice, and hope that my devotion to the whole process is rewarded with an email, or a buzz on my Blackberry.  Yes, I have fallen for Facebook, and I am the proud "owner" of my own page with more than 40 friends

As a college administrator, I have been well aware of the many social networking sites.  I was once on the site, but was too cautious to keep it--it does require constant monitoring so photos of yourself skinny dipping at Half Moon Beach in Eau Claire with Denise...wait, that didn't happen, or if it did, it was too dark for photos.  I should know.  Besides, I am aware that Facebook did start as a "college-age" only social networking site.  I felt old--more about that in a minute.

But if that slap on the head about age didn't scare me off, another drew me even more towards the site.  I don't know how it happened, but this summer, I will have my 30th high school class reunion.  Yep, the mighty mighty Old Abes, class of 1979, are celebrating the tri-decinial (is that a word?) of our being "let out" into the real, post-high school world.  Again, how did that happen?  Most days, I don't feel a day over, say, 48!  I guess denial, however diligently practiced, cannot change the passage of time.

So back to Facebook.  It is the new Christmas card, the method in which you keep in (marginal) touch with people who you know that in theory that you should keep in touch with...and of course hope that they aren't English teachers who would deconstruct this sentence.  Increasingly, us "old" people are flocking or using our walkers to join Facebook.  More than 38% of users are over 35.  More than 50% are over 25.  Granted, the class of '79 probably pushes those demographics a bit, but we prove that you can teach an Old Abe new tricks.

I have to admit that joining this new media world has caused me twinges, and I am not the only one who faces etiquette questions that come up when sharing your space on Facebook.  One friend is friends with his teenage son.  Yes, another way to communicate, but there is a lot of personal information on a Facebook page.  I bet there is more than one teen who has been busted by an "elder" parent by an untoward note posted on their wall, or a photo posted that shows an underage beer or two.  I asked to be friends with my friend's son, but I did so awkwardly.

I feel the same way about "friending" my students.  Is it kind of creepy friending a 20-year old student?  Do they think that it is creepy for the old professor to be "lurking" on their pages?  Is a shared history or photo class enough to be such public friends?  I am not sure.  And I am not sure that I should or have to worry that much about it.  Most of my students were just glad to flee the class, and any warm feelings for me probably disappeared when they found out they earned a B- and not their desired grade.  A few have risen to the challenge but only a few.

All that said, I have found Facebook a great way to connect to the people that I grew up with, the people who actually saw me in a leisure suit, people who I danced with (yep, I danced, and disco did rock) and drank with at Shenanigans, and people with whom I suffered and shared the angst and awkwardness of those painful teenage years.  Some people, or "friends" mean more than others--my eighth grade girl friend is on there, the first professed love of my life.  My best friend and partner in crime through junior high and part of high school is there--who would have thought we would have driven, without licenses, to see some in-town girls--perhaps alcohol might have been involved?  And there are a few friends who are even closer friends now, even after all these years.  And there are many others who are my friends who have shaped my life during that important time, and some who continue to shape and influence my life in these times.

So I will stay on it for now, and share more of life than I am sometimes want to or am able to do with a diverse group of people who shared a common experience called high school.  Ask to be my friend--I am sure I will say yes, and welcome a chance to say hello to an old friend.

Before the new can come...

Today it was official and public that I am leaving (reluctantly?  unexpectedly?) Whatcom, and beginning a new adventure, though it will be a protracted, six month good-bye.  I have to admit that I was a bit shy at work today.  I would say about 3/4 of the people I saw in the halls avoided mentioning it all, and the other 25% were very kind.  Several people who mentioned it were exceptionally and sometimes unexpectedly kind.  I am touched.

There have been no shortage of suggestions of how to handle all of this.  The best that I have heard so far, and the one that I am trying to follow above all else is this:  How you leave the room is sometimes just as important as how you enter the room.  I have to work at Whatcom for possibly the next six months, and I have to depend on all those who I work for and with for my success during this time.  Probably, for my future job(s), too.  So, I am working hard at learning how to leave a room.

One person, a person who I really respect, shared the following, and I also strongly believe this:

旧的不去，新的不来

 

jiu de bu qu, xin de bu lai

 

"If the old does not go, the new will not come."

There are multiple interpretations and views of this statement.  I have to figure out which one to choose, as it will really affect my attitude as I leave the room.  Interestingly enough, all of the photos that I have taken in the past few days really tell me the same thing...