tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63826702024-02-07T19:26:01.677+00:00Paris MusingsSo hopefully not cliche American in Paris stuff because hey, if you're not Adam Gopnik, then why try?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-8904508507905685042018-02-23T14:29:00.001+00:002018-02-23T14:29:48.087+00:00Well Alrighty ThenIt might seem strange that this story I am about to share is what has prompted me to dust off this blog, but trust me, it's worth it.<br /><br />I work for a company that was founded in 1665 by Louis XIV. We celebrated our 350th anniversary in 2015, and my boss was in charge of the celebrations and related events. Being an archivist-paleographer and library curator, she created an online exhibit of historical archives, in addition to writing a book about the group and its history.<br />
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Today I received a phone call from a descendant of one of our former CEOs from the early 20th century. He was doing some research on his family and wanted access to some of our archives, so I offered to send him a copy of the book with the link to the virtual exhibition. <br />
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I asked for his mailing address and he spelled out:<br />
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C-H-A-T-E-A-U V-A-U-X-L-E-V-I-C-O-M-T-E.<br />
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He is the owner of the Château Vaux-le-Vicomte.<br />
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Holy shit.<br />
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I love my job.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-65559929227355675692016-10-12T10:53:00.002+01:002016-10-12T12:00:43.969+01:00Words of the DayIn reading an article on the Clinton syncophant Doug Band, I came across a word I didn't know, and one I was pretty sure about. So exciting, because I love words.<br />
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Do you know the meaning of "uxorial"?<br />
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I sure didn't.<br />
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And how about "dyspeptic"?<br />
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I love it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-16454221679683085222016-08-30T15:04:00.003+01:002016-08-30T15:04:40.478+01:00This is CourageI wouldn't normally pay much attention to what a sports star did or said, and I have never heard of this brave young before, but I applaud Colin Kaepernick<span style="background-color: white; color: #494949; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.672px;"> </span> for his courage in sitting out the national anthem in the NFL preseason game. (I remember sitting out the anthem in the bleachers in high school, and kudos to Grady High in Atlanta, GA no one gave me trouble about it).<br />
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Oh, and don't be fooled by the MSM narrative. He said <a href="http://ninerswire.usatoday.com/2016/08/28/transcript-colin-kaepernick-addresses-sitting-during-national-anthem/">A LOT</a> more than they're reporting. I'll just quote some of the juicier bits that'll make you want to click on that link above :<br />
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<i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 26px;">Does the election year have anything to do with timing?</span></i><br />
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<i>CK: It wasn’t a timing thing, it wasn’t something that was planned. But I think the two presidential candidates that we currently have also represent the issues that we have in this country right now.</i></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Do you want to expand on that?</i></span></div>
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<i>CK: You have Hillary who has called black teens or black kids super predators, you have Donald Trump who’s openly racist. We have a presidential candidate who has deleted emails and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate. That doesn’t make sense to me because if that was any other person you’d be in prison. So, what is this country really standing for?"</i></div>
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Bravo, young man, bravo.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-61818396923052299432016-08-26T10:17:00.001+01:002016-08-26T10:17:05.994+01:00Finally Some Media Speaking Out<span style="font-size: large;">I feel compelled to share the first and last paragraph of yesterday's incredibly damning WSJ article on the recent pay-for-play revelations surrounding Former Secretary of State Clinton and the Clinton Foundation:</span><br />
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<i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #4f4f4f; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">This is the week that the steady drip, drip, drip of details about Hillary Clinton’s server turned into a waterfall. This is the week that we finally learned why Mrs. Clinton used a private communications setup, and what it hid. This is the week, in short, that we found out that the infamous server was designed to hide that Mrs. Clinton for three years served as the U.S. Secretary of the Clinton Foundation."</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4f4f4f; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">and the last paragraph:</span><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f4f4f; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f4f4f; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">What we discovered this week is that one of the nation’s top officials created a private server that housed proof that she continued a secret, ongoing entwinement with her family foundation—despite ethics agreements—and that she destroyed public records. If that alone doesn’t disqualify her for the presidency, it’s hard to know what would."</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4f4f4f; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: large;">How refreshing to not have to read apologist nonsense.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4f4f4f; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: large;">For the full article, go <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Kossacks_for_Sanders/comments/4zmtln/the_us_department_of_clinton_the_latest_emails/">here</a>:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oh, and just for the fun of it, <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/293265-scarborough-calls-clinton-camp-defense-of-foundation-pathetic">here</a> is Joe Scarborough's ruthless putdown of a Clinton spokesperson trying to guilt-defend the supposed good works of the Foundation.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That must have felt so good to say. It was certainly so good to hear.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-71412199048306311162016-07-28T13:42:00.000+01:002016-07-28T13:42:00.933+01:00Portia Boulger - Interview by In The Real News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-78531085261764415992016-07-26T13:59:00.001+01:002016-07-26T13:59:24.174+01:00My New Heroine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Portia Boulger, Sanders delegate and all-around truth-telling badass:</span></b></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-54218330272446763172016-07-26T13:45:00.004+01:002016-07-26T13:45:48.960+01:00On Truth and Reconciliation Verbatim from Kossacks for Sanders user <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Kossacks_for_Sanders/comments/4uo4dv/on_truth_and_reconciliation/">Mass_Southpaw</a> because I have no words of my own right now :<br />
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"The process known as "truth and reconciliation" has two parts to it, because one must proceed the other. Reconciliation requires truth-telling, always.</div>
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Sarah Silverman can stare daggers all she wants, but that will not help defeat Donald Trump. Rachel Maddow can affect bafflement that we are not mollified by a progressive platform, but that will not help defeat Donald Trump.</div>
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Given the real and legitimate anger among voters about the rigging of our election, it will not work to simply tell Sanders supporters to STFU and get in line for Hillary.</div>
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With the DNC email leak, we now know for sure what had already been clear: that the process was rigged. This is no small thing, no politics as usual. It is a heartbreaking and frightening and infuriating thing for Americans who still believe in the idea of fair elections. It is a very real trauma to our national psyche, on top of other traumas we've suffered in recent years. If we fail to see it and acknowledge it, we make ourselves weaker against the fascist on the other side.</div>
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Saying “It’s over, get over it” is dangerous. That is an arrogant, tone-deaf posture, a way of going into deep denial and projecting blame onto the victims of the corruption we’ve witnessed simply for having witnessed and spoken about it.</div>
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Clinton, of course, has not helped by immediately giving Wasserman Schultz another position in her campaign. That is a petty move that indicates her utter lack of respect for the process and the voters. We see it for what it is: another "fuck you" from the establishment, another punch in the face to the progressive movement, another political hack rewarded for loyalty to the party, when what was needed was loyalty to the country and to the democratic process.</div>
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Yes, Donald Trump is dangerous as hell. But so is election fraud by one of the two major parties — the manipulation of debates, the changing of rules to favor one candidate, the laundering of campaign money to evade legal limits, the lies fed to the complicit media about Sanders and his supporters, the miscounting of votes by party officials in Iowa and elsewhere, and the fraudulent removal of hundreds of thousands of registered voters from the rolls.</div>
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This corruption needs to be acknowledged, admitted to, and accounted for before there can be any hope of a united front against Trump. It is equally dangerous to dismiss and mischaracterize the concerns of Sanders supporters as it is to dismiss and mischaracterize the very real concerns of disaffected Americans who are flocking to Trump out of fear and frustration. Either one sets us up for our own version of Brexit — a massive vote of nullification that denounces a system that has been purchased by and for the 1%.</div>
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The progressive wing of the Democratic Party sees right into the corrupt core of the party and is disgusted by what it sees. But even if, despite that, we were all to fall in line for Clinton, even if we were all to acknowledge that Trump is worse, that does nothing to win over the independents who will decide the election in November.</div>
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Sanders polls extraordinarily well among independents. Clinton is largely despised by them.</div>
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The party has known this all along, but insisted on manipulating the outcome to ensure her nomination at all costs. Now progressives are being insulted and intimidated, told to STFU and get in line. Many will, for one reason only: fear of what a Trump presidency might do.</div>
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But millions of independents will not. And rather than allow the more popular candidate, the candidate of change in a year of change, a fair chance to win, the Democrats are recklessly, brazenly playing chicken with our country, propping up an establishment candidate despised and mistrusted by independents and large numbers of Democrats.</div>
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Toward what end? Two things only. The aspirations of a political dynasty. And fear of the change Sanders (and, more importantly, his millions of followers) would force on our system in order to make it accountable to the people.</div>
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In recent days I have had my motives questioned when I’ve called out the Democrats for making this reckless gamble. I’ve been effectively trolled into silence and have now logged off Facebook. My crime is speaking the truth, which is that both parties have abandoned real Americans and that both candidates are deeply dishonest and untrustworthy, and that we are in a position now in which a dangerous demagogue might well become the president.</div>
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My comfortable friends, who will be okay no matter who wins, are angered when I speak the truth. They don’t want to hear it. And that refusal puts us in a very dangerous place. We needed them, needed all Americans, to denounce the corruption and insist that the super delegates do their one job, which is to ensure that we don’t run the only candidate capable of losing to Donald Trump.</div>
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I am frightened by the very real prospect of a Trump presidency, which ought to be unthinkable. But it’s no longer unthinkable, because the party that used to be for and of the people has turned its backs on us and supported the oligarchy.</div>
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When this is over, when the historically unpopular candidate loses, those of us on the left will be blamed, even as the party has effectively shown the door to millions of voters who felt real hope for the first time in years.</div>
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No matter what, we must leave the party behind and create one that will speak the truth."</div>
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<b>Jill Not Hill!</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-8180652497294751962016-07-13T15:38:00.003+01:002016-07-13T15:38:38.621+01:00Q&A from Bernie Delegate Conference Call<span style="font-size: large;">This puts yesterday into better perspective for me. I found it on the addictive Sanders for President Reddit sub.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, 'San Francisco Display', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Segoe UI', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">From a delegate call earlier tonight.</span><br />
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Copied from Laura Weaver, wife of Jeff Weaver Bernie's campaign manager.</div>
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FAQ time:</div>
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Q. Why did Bernie endorse Hillary now?</div>
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A. They threatened to completey shut him out of the convention if he didn't.</div>
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Q. Couldn't he have said screw them and go and fight at the convention anyway?</div>
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A. No. Hillary has more delegates, Superdelegates, and supporters on the DNC rules committee. They would have voted down every one of our platforms, denied Bernie the opportunity to speak, and basically shut him out of the entire process. All the leverage he has gained up to this point would be gone.</div>
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Q. So wait, Bernie DIDN'T quit today?</div>
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A. No. He had to say she won the primary, he endorses her and will help the party defeat Trump, yadda yadda but he DID NOT concede. There is a very big and important difference. Had he conceded, all of his delegates would go to Hillary and he would no longer be an option for nominee.</div>
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Q. So Bernie can actually still win??</div>
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A. YES. And if he wasn't still TRYING to win, he would have conceded. The ONLY option he had to get to the convention with his delegates behind him and have a chance to still win was to do what he did today. He is not a traitor. He didn't sell us out. He did the only possible thing he could have done to keep fighting for the nomination.</div>
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Q. So how can Bernie still win if he's losing the delegate count and he just said he will help Hillary win the election?</div>
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A. By far the most important thing to the DNC, even more important than making sure Hillary beats Bernie, is making sure the Democratic nominee beats the Republicans in November. They scrutinize every poll, every opinion of the public, every event to judge whether a candidate is strong enough to win in November. There are A LOT of things going on right now that show how weak of a general election candidate Hillary Clinton is:</div>
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-66% of the country sees her as untrustworthy</div>
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-60% thinks she should have been indicted for the email scandal</div>
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-A lot of Bernie supporters won't vote for her</div>
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-Congress has requested the Department of Justice investigate her for lying under oath about the email scandal</div>
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-There's a possibility more emails will be leaked by wikileaks or hackers further proving her guilt</div>
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-Many believe the FBI is secretly investigating the Clinton Foundation</div>
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-Her "wins" during the primary havr been tainted with accusations of fraud, suppression, lawsuits, and investigations</div>
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And then there's Bernie. An honest candidate people trust and whose approval rating and trustworthy rating crushes Clinton's. This is the argument Bernie will make at the convention. With all his 1,900 delegates inside arguing this case and 100,000 supporters outside arguing this case, we hope the DNC realizes he's the only choice. He CAN win the convention, but he has to get there first. That's why he endorsed her today.</div>
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Q. So it's still important that all of his delegates go to the convention and we all still March on it like we planned?</div>
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A. It's more important now than it ever was before.</div>
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Q. What if the DNC still refuses to nominate him at the convention? Can he still run third party now that he endorsed her?</div>
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A. Yes. In fact, running third party has never been an option until AFTER the convention. We need to stick with Bernie and see this through to the convention. He's led us this far. Do not abandon him now</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-31139874311147904502016-07-13T10:12:00.002+01:002016-07-13T10:12:33.525+01:00I Couldn't Agree More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6NRMJ76MPXvQ-ePYT8FbPqdrzf5l1_NdkHLS3SqTog6bMMM6dg14FvynAAyfFxe6Tu9oq6tEFavDrbA3R5Kkd2d26CTBYGEPuuFTPWK4Fl8D-1Llgc3unFf2StzlvBD_cOSPIg/s1600/bernie4jill.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6NRMJ76MPXvQ-ePYT8FbPqdrzf5l1_NdkHLS3SqTog6bMMM6dg14FvynAAyfFxe6Tu9oq6tEFavDrbA3R5Kkd2d26CTBYGEPuuFTPWK4Fl8D-1Llgc3unFf2StzlvBD_cOSPIg/s640/bernie4jill.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
From Caucus99percent's recent caption contest. Hee!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">First time I've been able to laugh about the whole thing since yesterday's begrudging endorsement.<br /><br />Bernie has NOT conceded. But he has managed to radically shift the Democratic platform.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">On to Philly!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">And hey, Comey, wanna step on it with that Clinton Foundation investigation, please? And the one about perjury before Congress would be great,too. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks.</span><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-69277891365139860002016-07-06T10:56:00.004+01:002016-07-06T10:56:48.436+01:00Comey's Statements vs. The Crook's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wbkS26PX4rc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wbkS26PX4rc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
July 5th, 2016 : the day Justice officially died in America.<br />
<br />
Never Hillary. <br />
<br />
Never in a million years.<br />
<br />
I'm either writing in Bernie or voting Jill Stein.<br /><br />Because fuck this shit.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-43086214423184158262016-07-04T15:55:00.001+01:002016-07-04T15:55:31.340+01:00Toast - Comey style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVWnGbfRRWhtozdxGNDTpmFAA_BvQGAh3RTEnMJjjpBtVv2W58bbQCgjHdqEZrRAyaeIKqF_PUmp47dwZeNG1GUXBNaBMCYE7JAuWAAHVO2Pg_6Vo9n6F2K2-3DwKtCjN0_3qUg/s1600/Clinton+toast+cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVWnGbfRRWhtozdxGNDTpmFAA_BvQGAh3RTEnMJjjpBtVv2W58bbQCgjHdqEZrRAyaeIKqF_PUmp47dwZeNG1GUXBNaBMCYE7JAuWAAHVO2Pg_6Vo9n6F2K2-3DwKtCjN0_3qUg/s640/Clinton+toast+cartoon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-7591274114876650912016-06-21T15:21:00.000+01:002016-06-21T15:21:04.400+01:00Uncounted - Stolen Democracy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D5ugmNoanx8/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D5ugmNoanx8?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Everybody should see this.<br />
<br />
Holy shit.<br />
<br />
How do we combat this?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-77357742830319468352016-06-08T10:15:00.003+01:002016-06-08T10:15:24.768+01:00Not Over Til It's Over<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiF-osgUGTHDz_n1rKrW9hOUR8XW6BXm5OXJZXUUR_kM-44jEP29vo0ZR-JFR-xpCuiDBDU0Z0TRgKR-notj-EMxnEgtCEpsZYOhc4LGBkoGTsT-W_3-RzRRiDifxqnhaurgHXHw/s1600/Bernie+Tiananmen+cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiF-osgUGTHDz_n1rKrW9hOUR8XW6BXm5OXJZXUUR_kM-44jEP29vo0ZR-JFR-xpCuiDBDU0Z0TRgKR-notj-EMxnEgtCEpsZYOhc4LGBkoGTsT-W_3-RzRRiDifxqnhaurgHXHw/s400/Bernie+Tiananmen+cartoon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-5780933231182810422016-06-07T12:37:00.000+01:002016-06-07T12:37:27.960+01:00No So FastThe corporate media want to call the election before all the voters have voted? Not so fast, my friends.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Shit is gonna hit the fan.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A lawsuit to expose the election fraud in 22 precints is officially filed, and it's going to blow this whole thing up. It will compel the corporate media to report the exit poll data that shows the fraud, and calls them complicit in the crime. Fan? Prepare for shit :</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-33469212879451506232016-05-09T18:01:00.001+01:002016-05-09T18:01:57.394+01:00Now That's MetaI took a day off last week giving me a really lovely 4-day weekend, wherein I applied to at least 7 acting jobs. Rarely are there that many ads that fit my profile, but I certainly was glad to have the time off to fire off the applications.<br /><br />Today, at work, I got a call from one of the casting agents. <br />
<br />
'Hi,' he said, "this is so-and-so and I'm calling you because you applied for the corporate film for X company." <br />
<br />
The name of my company. <br />
<br />
I thought he might have just made a mistake because he had my resumé in his hands and saw that I also lead the acting workshop there.<br />
<br />
We found a date and time for me to do the audition, but I just couldn't shake how clearly he had stated my company's name.<br />
<br />
"So just to be clear, did you in fact say this was for a corporate video for X company?"<br />
<br />
"Yes," he said.<br /><br />"That is so ironic," I replied, "I work for them!"<br />
<br />
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the most méta moment I have ever had. <br />
<br />
I work at X company and act on the side, and I just got called to audition for a corporate film for my day job.<br />
<br />
I love it!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-79663983818654469682016-04-20T14:11:00.003+01:002016-04-20T14:20:03.531+01:00We Will Not Yield<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FhrKPOBNOiun6_BXLvu2DFDIM5vXtnbv5f5ML2-hkpM7bDKBTOrA_zlnDWKuF0NDsAL-Q2PWRnzOjyh3UcheaZFBExtqUyxzAHFWCJoUCN6x0IDhv06yS03BBuXi7auqa5Ynkw/s1600/We+will+not+yield+Stand+with+Sanders.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FhrKPOBNOiun6_BXLvu2DFDIM5vXtnbv5f5ML2-hkpM7bDKBTOrA_zlnDWKuF0NDsAL-Q2PWRnzOjyh3UcheaZFBExtqUyxzAHFWCJoUCN6x0IDhv06yS03BBuXi7auqa5Ynkw/s640/We+will+not+yield+Stand+with+Sanders.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Sanders all the way to the convention!! Power to the people!!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Because this:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I will not stand for.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-88889155786380783402016-04-18T09:49:00.000+01:002016-04-18T15:47:58.571+01:00Exciting (and hilarious) News! HRC is Still a CrookI probably, in a good year, get about 100 page views if I am lucky. The point of this little neglected blog is uniquely personal, to occasionally capture and share thoughts and anecdotes I want to keep a record of. <br />
<br />
I have only extremely rarely heard from anyone I didn't actually know. Once I got some good advice about getting a French driver's license and once I got some addresses for decent bagels in Paris. That is the grand total of comments from strangers I have received.<br />
<br />
Until yesterday.<br />
<br />
People!! In response to my "HRC is a Crook" post from a few days ago, I actually received an email from what I can only conclude is a paid Hillbot. I have learned about their existence and activities from <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/SandersForPresident/new/">Reddit</a> and TOP and <a href="http://caucus99percent.com/">Caucus 99 percent</a> and I find it both hilarious and pitiful that one of them seriously took the time to write me, to essentially order me to "change my tone" in regards to HRC. This person/bot tried to admonish - nay shame - me into stopping my "vitriol" against a candidate who is the epitome of what is wrong with American politics today.<br />
<br />
No way, José. <br />
<br />
You don't like my tone? Too bad. You think I am being hyperbolic? So be it. <br />
<br />
You call out criticism of your candidate from a blog that has maybe 2 page views a day?<br />
<br />
Speaks volumes of your confidence.<br />
<br />
Oh, and just for fun :<br />
<br />
Remember this?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Also, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust awarded HRC with a very special honor : <a href="http://www.usapoliticstoday.com/watchdog-names-clinton-most-corrupt-politician-of-2015/">The Most Corrupt Policitian of 2015</a>. <br />
<br />
Click on that.<br />
<br />
Ouch.<br />
<br />
And here is some more condemnation from an ex-CIA analyst :<br />
<br />
<a href="https://consortiumnews.com/2016/04/17/is-hillary-clinton-above-the-law/">Is Hillary Clinton Above the Law?</a><br />
<br />
She sure seems to think so.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-36982674895033652202016-04-08T11:49:00.000+01:002016-04-08T11:49:14.965+01:00A Crook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
My mom used to jokingly say that she decided to have children just so she could teach them that Nixon was a crook.<br />
<br />
I plan on continuing that tradition. Just substitute Nixon for Kissinger's protégé, Hillary Clinton.<br />
<br />
Please see:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kris-seto/questions-for-hillary-supporters_b_9631302.html">27 Reasons HRC is a Crook (my title)</a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-61485087990693951002016-03-18T11:13:00.001+00:002016-03-18T11:13:44.099+00:00We Can Be<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SMpp0hSkL64" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-51389542075242111662016-03-11T11:36:00.001+00:002016-03-11T11:36:21.634+00:00Expats and All<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ohgEJ94r5Hy3nwilxTQX0NTZDp67XBZm9aM3lfheNNe7dOX9aWRX4w7VlvLXwWbJGp4Jt3gFlYX6t8snyldZaJu6aEm2iu_68H0C4H1pgLP2kb2zkLWrGiiSuD224ILkMWLK_Q/s1600/Not+me+US.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ohgEJ94r5Hy3nwilxTQX0NTZDp67XBZm9aM3lfheNNe7dOX9aWRX4w7VlvLXwWbJGp4Jt3gFlYX6t8snyldZaJu6aEm2iu_68H0C4H1pgLP2kb2zkLWrGiiSuD224ILkMWLK_Q/s640/Not+me+US.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-47493143732519472952016-02-10T09:52:00.000+00:002016-02-16T12:14:51.552+00:00Papa BearSad news : Handsome's father passed away Monday morning after a battle with liver cancer. I called him Papa Bear because he was a larger than life character, gruff like Jean Gabin on the outside but a total softie on the inside. <br />
<div>
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I wrote a eulogy for him yesterday, and maybe I'll translate it into English, but here it is in raw French.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Papa
Bear. C’est comme ça que je l’appelais
en privé car il avait l’extérieur bourru d’un ours et le cœur tendre d’un papa poule
dont la plus grande fierté était sa famille.
Il cachait bien son jeu derrière une façade grognonne. Il aimait bien envoyer des provocations à
table, mais c’était sa façon à lui de nous tester, de voir si on l’aimait
toujours. Malgré ses tentatives de nous
faire croire autrement, sa générosité et tendresse prenaient trop souvent le
dessus pour qu’il soit le dur qu’il voulait qu’on voit. Il était le premier à parler avec des
inconnus, le premier à faire la bonne blague au bon moment, il pouvait être
plus charmant que le prince des contes des fées, toujours parfaitement coiffé
et parfumé. Il se faisait des amis
partout où il allait. Il appelait les animaux et les
enfants ses ‘potes’ et nombreux d’entre eux ont fait la sieste sur son ventre
rond et chaud. Quand il chantait, il
vous transportait, dans le temps, et parfois au plus profond de son âme. Sa
porte était toujours ouverte- les invités étaient nombreux - mais si vous
faisiez un pas à l’intérieur, vous étiez sûr de ne pas repartir tout de
suite. L’heure de l’apéro était réglée
comme une horloge et les repas planifiés avec grand soin – jusqu’à compter le
nombre de frites par personne – le tout noté rigoureusement dans son carnet
noir. Il adorait raconter des blagues –
surtout avec des jeux de mots pour mieux perturber les enfants ou les
étrangères – et il trinquait toujours avec la même phrase, prononcée avec un grand
sourire malin: « moi, je fais le trin… » <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Papy, Papa
Bear, je suis sûre que dans l’au-delà, les frites sont déjà comptées, l’apéro
est déjà prêt, la musique est à fond, et c’est toi qui fais le con.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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I miss him so much already.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-10877051172905383122016-01-13T11:48:00.001+00:002016-01-13T11:48:28.473+00:002016<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've said it before, but that's not going to stop me this time : I have a verrry good feeling about 2016. I think it's really going to be a fantastic year. With ups and downs of course, but I have a feeling the ups are going to be up into outer space territory. I'm hoping that doesn't mean that the downs are going to be hellish, but even if they are, I feel like I've got some pretty good tools in my box o' tricks now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The goals I'm working on feel like they are within reach, and that's a very nice feeling indeed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The soviet-sounding civil solidarity pact that Handsome and I signed in September has made us even happier to be together, so here's to paperwork being romantic sometimes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I got to spend nearly a month with my mom and sister in the US, and that bonding time, that parenthesis of time where I got to give back a tiny portion of the love and support I have received, was priceless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I co-wrote and co-directed (and acted in) a play for my company's theatre workshop, and it was hard and arduous and many times I thought it sucked ass and no one would get it, but it was a huge success and people want us to write our own productions from now on. Not bad, eh?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm meeting new people and making new connections in the English-speaking theatre world and I've finally understood that what makes me different makes me special. (Duh, right?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've made my first forays into film and it is both fun and terrifying.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So 2016, bring it on!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-6740636380843642922015-08-26T18:01:00.001+01:002015-08-26T18:01:49.712+01:00Announcement<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Despite the fact that I haven't written anything here since October of last year, meaning that the few people who have ever read it will most likely never see this, I would like to make an announcement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>HANDSOME AND I ARE GETTING HITCHED!!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well, technically, civil unionized, or if you want it to sound even less romantic and more soviet, we are signing and registering a pact of civil solidarity. Doesn't have the same ring to it, eh?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I am ever so happy to be taking this step (which was enormous for him) and I can't wait to see what other huge steps we will be taking together.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Hint, hint, universe, thank you very much!)</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-2384743637748867142014-10-08T17:14:00.002+01:002014-10-08T17:14:20.146+01:00Like YouWhen I first started talking about buying an apartment in my current little section of the 18th arrondissement, one of the many comments I heard, said with surprise mingled with a bit of distrust, "Oh, that's a <i>colorful</i> neighborhood." Which of course meant that North Africans, Indians and Subharan Africans lived, worked and shopped here. It's true that when I take the bus that stops right in front of my building, I rarely hear any French spoken, but I love being surrounded by so many different cultures. <br />
<br />
One day I was walking by a shop I had never noticed and saw a gorgeous blue dress inside. No one seemed to be in the shop, but the door was open, so I stepped inside. Soon, a good looking African man appeared from the back room. I inquired about the dress and he explained that it was a custom shop and that the dress was an order for a customer. I asked if the shop had been there long and he said yes and then asked if I lived in the neighborhood. I replied we'd moved there in 2008. "Yeah," he said, "that's when a lot of white people started moving in." I laughed and so did he, and we slapped each other's arms and shook hands at the joke. It was an odd flashback to the neighborhood I had moved to in Atlanta when my ex-husband and I bought our first house. We were the only non-African Americans on the block. We threw a housewarming party and invited friends and neighbors. One guy from a few houses down cracked open a beer, sat down with a huff and pronounced, "Damn white people moving into my neighborhood raisin' my property taxes..." That would make us laugh for a long time afterwards.<br />
<br />
Right downstairs from our apartment is a miniscule shop run by Indians (or Bangladeshis or Sri Lankans, I really have no idea). It's so small that if you come inside while someone is at the register and wanting to leave, you have to back out to let them pass. It's stuffed to the ceiling with a mixture of Indian, African and Caribbean items. You can get ghee, peanut butter (Africans use this to make a dish called Chicken Yassa, among others), manioc, hibiscus leaves, plantains, okra and sweet potatoes. And scotch bonnet peppers, which are hard to find elsewhere because French people have an aversion to spicy food. It's also why you have to choose really well when you want "ethnic food" in a restaurant. The first time I went to the shop, the guy behind the counter - who knows me well by now - seemed very surprised when I bought okra, sweet potatoes, plantains and a pepper, but not as surprised as the African lady in her batik dress and head scarf who was just coming in. I wanted to explain that Southern US cuisine is heavily influenced by African cuisine through slavery, but it seemed a bit much for someone who was just trying to buy a telephone card. <br />
<br />
One day this summer I went shopping for the ingredients for a ceviche and guacamole - it was hot day back in August - and when I stopped by one of the new shops that just opened selling items from Turkey, North Africa, and the Balkans (they have unsweetened pomegranate juice! Real feta from Greece! Pistachios from Iran that don't cost a fortune) and when I popped a lowly scotch bonnet pepper on the counter and nothing else, the lady asked, "So what are you going to make with it? A sauce?" She looked like she knew what she was talking about when it came to sauces. I said, "No, a dish called ceviche. Do you know it?" She shook her head no. I described the ingredients and she asked if you had to let it marinate a long time and I said yes, at least two hours. "And this pepper here will give it a nice kick, so it will be very refreshing with this heat!" I was on my way out the door when she called back, "Like you!"<br />
<br />
Then I stopped at another corner store to pick up a few bags of our preferred brand of cat litter for the time we were going to be on vacation. I went to reach for my wallet to pay when I saw some multi-colored leather flower shapes fall on the floor. I realized they came from a decorative piece on my purse, and as I scooped them up and put them on the counter I said, "C'est pas souvent que je peux dire que je me jette des fleurs, mais là, oui!" (This is untranslatable, but here's the idea : the expression "se jeter des fleurs", literally, "to throw flowers at oneself" means to say something flattering about yourself, to boast, really. So basically this only works in French, but it was a good play on words, trust me.) The old North African man behind the counter laughed, touched his hand to his heart and said, "Madame, women like you make a man's heart sing."<br />
<br />
Man, I like my neighborhood.<br />
<br />
And the fact that when I told him the story, Handsome agreed.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6382670.post-46141104156622364142014-07-05T17:45:00.000+01:002014-07-05T17:51:13.744+01:00French Driving School - In Very Bad EnglishI finally bit the bullet. <br />
<br />
After ten years of resistance, I have finally given in, submitted to the system, surrendered. <br />
<br />
I finally enrolled in a French driving school. <br />
<br />
I'll explain. If your US state does not have a bi-lateral agreement with France for driver's license exchange, (as is the case with Geoooorgia, Geooooorrrrgia) you have to start from square one and enroll in a French driving school. No matter if you have been driving since the age of 15. You must go through a licensed school to pass the written and driving exam. (Well, technically, you can go it alone and rent a car with specially equipped double rear-view mirrors for the driving training, and show up to the exam all by yourselfy-poo, but methinks the state inspector would be muuuuuch more inclined to fail your American system-flouting ass. I'll pass. Ha! Get it?)<br />
<br />
So why has it taken me 10 years to finally get my ass in gear? (See what I did there? I kill myself).<br />
<br />
Because the absolute minimum of class hours for both the written and driving tests costs a whopping €1,500 (that's $2,046.37 using today's exchange rate).<br />
<br />
Yeah.<br />
<br />
So I had the money saved up (miraculously) and finally enrolled. Thing is, most driving schools are a little perplexed at the idea that you would want less than 20 hours of driving practice, and I didn't want to face the unpleasant combination of incomprehension and bureaucracy. So I found a school that specializes in helping foreigners pass the French tests. In English. I established beforehand that they had the materials in French and I could both take classes and the exam in French too. But for the first time, it would be in English.<br />
<br />
I went to my first lesson a few weeks ago. At 8:15 in the morning on a Saturday. In the suburbs. I couldn't quite believe it myself. <br />
<br />
After filling out numerous forms and writing 5 checks for an amount that broke my heart, the first class of the morning was ready to start. I was warned not to be surprised if I got a lot of questions wrong at first, and that it would get easier with practice.<br />
<br />
As the students filed in - Bangladeshis, Chinese, Thai, Senegalese, Sri Lankans and a smattering of Americans -I took a seat in the front row. I asked my African neighbor how to use the remote control where you punched in your answers and got your score, which he was all too happy to show me. The "teacher" then walked in. Obviously the owner of the school, he could have been in his 60's and looked very bad for his age, or he could have been in his 70's and looked like all he wanted was a drink. It was 9AM. His boozy eyes swept over us with resignation and with a world-weary gait he made his way over to the orange plastic chair and sat down facing us. He let out an audible sigh. <br />
<br />
The projector was turned on, the DVD loaded, and the adventure began! The slides on the screen were in French, which I thought would be an advantage for me, but oh Lord it was not. The questions are phrased in a way to trip you up. On purpose. Each question has a photo with a situation from the driver's perspective. I already knew that one of the tricks was to hope you wouldn't check out what was going on in the rearview mirror. But I wasn't prepared for just how sneaky they would actually be. Plus, matters were compounded by the absolutely appalling English of the instructor. I have no idea how the others were following along. I don't think I understood a word he said. <br />
<br />
As an example, for the question (with its accompanying photo):<br />
<br />
"La circulation devant moi est ralentie, je:<br />
- m'arrête<br />
- laisse passer le véhicule gris<br />
- passe"<br />
<br />
His English "translation" was something akin to :<br />
<br />
"Zee circulation in front ees slowing, I<br />
-stop<br />
-leave zee gray car to pass<br />
-pass"<br />
<br />
Those poor Chinese/Thai/Bangladeshi/Sri Lankan people. <br />
<br />
But you know what? I, who understood both English and French, had the lowest score out of everybody.<br />
<br />
On the official written exam, you can only get a maximum of 5 answers wrong. The first test I took, I got 18 wrong. Out of 40. The next two, 16 wrong and the last 13. At least there was progress. After each test, the weary instructor would go over the answers.<br />
<br />
That was the best part.<br />
<br />
If you could get his attention, you might be able to get him to explain why your answer was wrong. The African guy next to me held up his hand.<br />
<br />
"Excuse me, can you go back to the last question?" It was a picture of a car on a snowy road. "I don't understand why the answer is not "B: I can use my back fog lights" <u>and </u>"A: I can use my high beams".<br />
<br />
I winced. I had a feeling I knew what was coming.<br />
<br />
A slow and slightly malicious smile crept across the instructor's ruddy face. He fixed his droopy eyes on my neighbor and said,<br />
<br />
"I know zey do not have snow een Africa, but zee answer ees A." He was thrilled with his joke. It was the happiest I had seen him all morning.<br />
<br />
A Chinese student raised his hand for the next question. About passing a truck in front of you if you are in the middle lane and going faster than him, and some other situation I don't remember. But let's just say there were several possibilities and it was really difficult to decide between all the answers. The instructor smiled again.<br />
<br />
"I know you Chinese people are very smart. But don't be smart. Zey don't care you are smart. Just answer zee question. Ni hao?"<br />
<br />
At this point, I was no longer paying much attention to the class, I was riveted by the total character this guy was. I quickly started imagining the skit I could write and who would play whom. When the awkward girl from Chicago with thick glasses raised her hand about a question having to do with making an emergency stop on the side of the road, I knew it would be the pièce de resistance.<br />
<br />
"I got the question wrong because I was thinking, if my car broke down and I stopped at the side of the road, I know to put out the safety triangle and put on the reflector vest, but what if my emergency lights didn't work? Maybe I'm thinking too much?"<br />
<br />
He coughed and slowly stood up. He looked around at his captive audience and said,<br />
<br />
"You know what you do eef your car breaks down by zee side of zee road and your lights don't work?"<br />
<br />
"No," she said, hesitantly.<br />
<br />
Oh god, I thought, here it comes.<br />
<br />
He grinned. <br />
<br />
"You get out of zee car, you take your skirt like zees," he mimed lifting it up to her mid thigh "and you wave it around and go, whoooo hooooo!!!!" He swished his hips, patted his thinning hair and batted his eyelashes, then broke into a croupy cackle.<br />
<br />
It will probably take me at least six months before I get my license. (Nothing is fast here. You have to wait a month between the written and the driving test. There is a shortage of inspectors. La France, quoi.) <br />
<br />
It might be expensive, and it might be long, but at least it will be entertaining.<br />
<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1