Springing Forward, Looking Back

Springing Forward, Looking Back

“Spring is the time of plans and projects.” - Leo Tolstoy"Blah, blah, blah." - Iggy Pop◊It's been a while since I wrote one of those blogs posts that say, "I did this. I'm gonna do some of that. Right now I'm doing blah, blah, blargedy blah." You know, just a blah, blah blog post.It's just hard for me to get into. It's difficult for me yammer on about the boring little details of our life here in our tiny but perfect little corner of France. I like to keep a lot of things private. You may not think so with my nonsense and chatter on the Internet, but it's true. Like, a few months ago, when I ate that bad sandwich and almost pooped myself in the Aldi, I didn't say a word to you about that. Private.However, it's sometimes necessary to say, "I did this. I'm gonna do some of that. Right now I'm doing blah, blah, blargedy blah."Little...
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Cruel Summer

Cruel Summer

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." -John Lennon* * * "This is going to be the best year EVER," Olivier said, holding up his pinky finger."Hell yes," I said. "This is going to be OUR year." I wrapped my little finger around his and we sealed our pact. We had just returned from our turbulent holiday adventure in the U.S. and were only a couple of weeks into the new year.He patted me on the leg. "2010 is going to be awesome.""Fuckin' A right," I said.So it was decided, then. We had endured some stress last year. Nothing that we couldn't handle. Most of it was the usual shit that everyone else gets stressed about. Sure, at the end of the year, there was travel & holiday stress coupled with some family drama, but... no biggie. Next year would be better. It would be OUR year.Much like George Costanza, when he triumphantly declared, "This will be...
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Cold Medicine Inspires Brilliant Ideas

It never fails. If I have nothing to do, no one to see and nowhere to be, I feel great. If I have plenty of things that I have to do, places to go and a busy social calendar, my nose will turn into a snot faucet. My throat will become sore and I will cough up mucous in an endless stream in between violent sneezes.I was sick at my wedding. The last time I went back to Colorado to visit friends and family during Thanksgiving, I had a horribly contagious cold.It never, ever fails.Now that the Hotel Massoud (a.k.a our home) is booked solid from September 7th to September 22nd, I'm all hopped up on cold medicine and have sneezed so much that the cat has made herself scarce, refusing to be in the same room with me.I think Olivier is enjoying this, though. I can barely speak, which means that I cannot effectively piss and moan about anything,...
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…& Now For Something Completely Different

1. I once had a pet spider named Cowboy Otis. He lived in a salsa jar and he ate a moth every Friday. I took him everywhere: to work, to restaurants, to the movies, and anywhere else. He sat in the passenger side of my car when we went places. His favorite band was Nine Inch Nails. 2. I'm a Highlander geek. There can be only one!3. Unless I'm drinking it or showering in it, I hate water. I do not take baths, I do not go swimming or sit in hot tubs. I detest being out in the rain and the ocean scares the shit out of me.4. I went to a BBQ this summer that ended when a neighbor began hurling his own feces at the partygoers.5. I'm a stalker magnet.6. I survived an attempted murder.7. If I had a party and all of the guests were fictional characters, the guest list would include: Duncan MacLeod, Connor MacLeod, Orry...
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