Story Time, France Trip (long!)
m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu
all, for the thrilling [ok, not so thrilling] tale of my recent
trip to Aix-en-Provence, France.
Comfortable? Pillows, feeted PJs?
Well supplied with drinks?
Ok.
To begin. I live in California. I flew to Marseilles, in
the south of France. It was, roughly, 20 or so hours of
travel time, including assorted taxis and airport lounges.
I was definitely not at my brilliant best when I arrived.
More like, "France, big whoopee. Just so long as it doesn't
_move_."
The view of the Mediterranean as the plane circled out to
line up for the approach to the airport was spectacular,
however. (As spectacular as a view through one of those
anemic airplane portholes gets.) It looked
just like it does in James Bond movies - turquoise,
shining, little bitty white boats on the surface. Pity
that was the only sight of it I got on my trip. :(
If possible, I recommend to all and sundry non-French-speakers
to attempt to travel to France in the company of a Canadian
or two. I ran into a couple at the Aix-en-Provence bus stop,
one of whom was headed for the same conference I was. Meeting
them eased the difficulties of actually finding the student
dorms I had reserved accomodations at immensely; they
were able to ask a taxi driver to drive us there with none
of the pantomiming I would have needed.
I don't necessarily recommend staying in student dorms,
however. The price was hard to beat - 10 euros a night.
Geeennooooo-whine college dorm experience added gratis.
Shared showers, shared toilets, dubiously cleaned room,
yet more dubiously cleaned toilets, noisy traffic outside.
By the end of the week-long conference, geeennnoooo-whine
college students had arrived to provide late night noise,
too.
The, in my opinion, highly underrated invention of the
fabulous toilet seat does not appear to have entirely caught
on in Aix-en-Provence.
In the dorms, not even toilet paper is available. One must
bring one's own supply from one's room, every time.
Unhappy me.
That was, however, one of the few weeks in my life wherein
I did not speak to a single person with a USAian accent.
Not once. I didn't even speak to anyone who lives in the USA.
(Unless talking to myself counts.)
I spoke with Canadians, Brits, Australians, Japanese
(born in Albania), Austrians (born in Vietnam, Germany,
Austria), Germans, Belgians, Spanish, Italians... And
that's the people I spoke with. Many, many other countries
represented at the conference. My ears were twisting
themselves into loops, parsing all the accents. (Any
of you non-Aussies ever heard someone speak English with
an Australian accent layered over a strong Chinese accent?
How about with a German accent layered over Vietnamese?)
I'll skip over any commentary on the conference itself.
The food, in old Aix (the tourist center of town, mostly
built in the middle ages) was fabulous. I became
particularly fond of 'chaud chocolat'; that particularly
rich, dense, yet not-too-sweet form of hot chocolate is
simply not available in the USA. :(
Aix features one of the niftiest old cathedrals I've seen.
Originally built on the site of a Roman forum, rebuilt
a time or two, and the current building was started in the
12th century... and added on to by every century since,
to produce a hodge-podge of ages and decorations, in
widely varying states of preservation. The Cathedral is
still in use today; the altar looks terrifyingly like
items I've seen in Hollywood comedies about TV evangelists.
Yes, that bad. The stained glass windows above, the
arched ceilings, the age and dignity of the building
around that awful altar go far towards redeeming it.
Or, at least, overwhelming it.
The doors of the cathedral were carved in the 14th century
and, very shortly after they were completed, people started
breaking bits of the detailed carving off. So they
have been covered ever since. Student volunteers have
the old key, and will open up the plain wood cover when
requested, to reveal the astonishing doors themselves.
The carving is 3-4 inches deep, every panel unique,
every detail executed with care. Saints under arched
roofs, one roof with a carved snail crawling across. Pears
and apples and leaves border the whole door (where they
haven't been broken away). Hands that, while lacking the
sort of vein by vein detail Michaelangelo's David is famous
for, nonetheless have the look of life to them.
I am an idiot; I didn't take my camera.
One of my Canadian friends helped the student put the
protective panel back on the door. Its age and size
make it hard for a slender woman wearing thin sandals to
shove and kick it back on; it took the two of them to
get the old wood aligned so the old key could fit into
the lock. [I'd have helped, but since I don't speak
French I was still trying to figure out what they were
doing when they finished.] Much to be praised, that
paneling; it protected the doors when the fervor of the
French Revolution led the revolutionaries to smash the
original Gothic saints carved into the stone arches
surrounding the door, and the stone saints and dead
archbishops whose battered statues remain inside the
cathedral. The detailed saints now set into the stone
around the doors are copies of the destroyed originals.
I visited a museum featuring some works by the impressionist
painter Cezanne. Very... impressionist. He's famous.
Very famous. Aix was his home; they have streets and hotels
and restaurants named after him. They have his last workshop
preserved (by USAian fans) and open for visitors. They're
very proud of him. He's famous.
I liked the Renaissance-era portraits in the next room better.
I liked the food at the cafe where Cezanne used to dine
regularly with his also-famous pal, Emile Zola, even better.
Yummy. I especially enjoyed the melted goat cheese on small
slices of toast that were arrayed around my salad. The
fame of French cheese is justly earned.
Aix calls itself the city of 100 fountains. One of my
personal favorites is La Rotunde, the huge fountain topped
with statues of graceful women representing Art, Agriculture
and Justice. Well kept flowers surround the fountain, and
lights illuminate it at night. [Well-kept plants are not
the norm in Aix; their gardeners take a more relaxed
approach to pruning than is the urban USA norm. The plants
don't seem to suffer.] The fountain is at the center of an
automobile roundabout, with 4-5 roads intersecting at that
point, so it is surrounded by activity early and late.
Dwarfing even the largest buses that circle it, it beautifully
dominates the area around it.
A few blocks up Cours Mirabeau from La Rotunde is one
of my other favorites, the Mossy Fountain. Fed by a local
hot spring (originally; it may be on city plumbing now),
it fits its name. The original shape of the small fountain
is lost under layer after layer of moss and small ferns.
It looks like a small hill of green and dripping water,
cheerful and friendly in the center of the wide Cours
Mirabeau, a street built by the the nobles who also built
the old mansions that line it, and who made Cours Mirabeau
wide enough to allow room for both carriages and
promenading. The mansions remind me, vaguely, of the
townhouses San Francisco is famous for, in that they share
walls on either side, and gain their size from height.
3-4 stories tall, the old mansions on Cours Mirabeau now
house banks and insurance agencies, but they still have
their old facades, the carved columns around the windows,
the wrought iron balconies, and some even retain the 200
year old doors with the seals of the original noble
families carved on them.
Surrounded by such grandeur, the Mossy Fountain is human
in scale, reassuring.
My last evening, I dined at the Cafe Deux Gastons, founded
in 1793, the cafe I mentioned before as being favored by
Cezanne. I walked back to the dorms, stopping to buy cookies
for breakfast the next morning [I _wanted_ croissants, but
not much was open at 5pm on a Sunday evening]. I was up
at 4am the next morning and, about 27 hours later, I was
back in CA. I didn't sleep much on the plane, and considered
it dangerous to do so in the various airport lounges [I
might miss my flight]. I'm very sorry for anyone who has
to pull off a trip like that with children along.
So, that's it. I went to France. I'm back now.
--
Megan
Keeper of the FAQ: http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~mct/abml/
Acolyte to the God of Grilled-SPAM
Rhino 7
>--
>Megan
Well put. Nice trip report. <applause>
Now, get some rest!
The Bookwurm
--
Goddess of Libraries ™,
Pedant in Chief
Keeper of the BotRoM
<spam trapped - remove the fish from address>
m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu
>>So, that's it. I went to France. I'm back now.
>>--
>>Megan
> Well put. Nice trip report. <applause>
> Now, get some rest!
The problem is not (not since last night, anyway) rest.
It's retraining my stomach to get hungry at the right times.
And the rest of me to get tired at the right times.
--
Megan, slightly time-confused
kem_tek
> >>--
> >>Megan
>
> > Well put. Nice trip report. <applause>
>
> > Now, get some rest!
>
> The problem is not (not since last night, anyway) rest.
>
> It's retraining my stomach to get hungry at the right times.
> And the rest of me to get tired at the right times.
Aaah, Jet Lag. Too bad you can't just turn a dial and reset the
circadian clock back to PDT.
> --
> Megan, slightly time-confused
As opposed to the usual 'generally confused' ??
> Keeper of the FAQ: http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~mct/abml/
> Acolyte to the God of Grilled-SPAM
Welcome home.
--
I'm glad my Mom named me Aaron,
That's what everybody calls me.
Hemidemisemideity of Anonymous Eponymity
Holder of a provisional pedant licens/ce
(limited to the area of physical science)
"This isn't your average everyday darkness.
This is ... advanced darkness."
Spongebob Scaredypants
m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu
>> >>So, that's it. I went to France. I'm back now.
>>
>> > Well put. Nice trip report. <applause>
>> > Now, get some rest!
>>
>> The problem is not (not since last night, anyway) rest.
>> It's retraining my stomach to get hungry at the right times.
>> And the rest of me to get tired at the right times.
> Aaah, Jet Lag. Too bad you can't just turn a dial and reset the
> circadian clock back to PDT.
>> Megan, slightly time-confused
> As opposed to the usual 'generally confused' ??
Regrettably, that, too.
> Welcome home.
Merci.
--
Megan
Rhino 7
>
>It's retraining my stomach to get hungry at the right times.
>And the rest of me to get tired at the right times.
>--
>Megan, slightly time-confused
Oddly enough, I almost never have a problem going West. (My theory
has to do with nesting instinct overcoming circadian rhythms.)
East? Well it just SUCKS.
Dawn-Earth M. Maloney
"Rhino 7" <patl...@silverfishlink.net> wrote in message
news:3d829676...@news.silverlink.net...
> >The problem is not (not since last night, anyway) rest.
> >
> >It's retraining my stomach to get hungry at the right times.
> >And the rest of me to get tired at the right times.
> >--
> >Megan, slightly time-confused
>
> Oddly enough, I almost never have a problem going West. (My theory
> has to do with nesting instinct overcoming circadian rhythms.)
>
> East? Well it just SUCKS.
>
> The Bookwurm
But there isn't really a difference ;) going one hour west is the same as
going 23 hours east right? and vice versa? <zoots off chortling evully>
--
Dawn-Earth M. Maloney
aka "Mad Madame Mel "
Devotee of the Punmaster
Queen of Smurfiness
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~"Ride the wild paramecium!" - George Carlin - "Brain Droppings"~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
__________Various Thingys I'm associated with and promote. :)_____________
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/ - Elfwood
http://www.xercix.com/woodworks/ -Woodworks an ezine associated with Elfwood
http://www.soulofapoet.com/ - Soul of a Poet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rhino 7
>>
>> The Bookwurm
>
>But there isn't really a difference ;) going one hour west is the same as
>going 23 hours east right? and vice versa? <zoots off chortling evully>
>--
>Dawn-Earth M. Maloney
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Don't tease the Pedant-in-Chief. Horrible things may happen.
Or not.
m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu
<snip>
>>Megan, slightly time-confused
> Oddly enough, I almost never have a problem going West. (My theory
> has to do with nesting instinct overcoming circadian rhythms.)
> East? Well it just SUCKS.
Huh. Interestingly, I seem to have reacted exactly the opposite
way, this time out.
<humming>"People are strange..."</humming>
--
Megan
Grygon
<m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu> wrote in message
news:am0up0$1477$1...@agate.berkeley.edu...
> Huh. Interestingly, I seem to have reacted exactly the opposite
> way, this time out.
>
> <humming>"People are strange..."</humming>
>
Doors? Megan? Doors?
Grygon
> has to do with nesting instinct overcoming circadian rhythms.)
>
> East? Well it just SUCKS.
>
>
I never thought of that.
But it could be cause I am a bit further west than east (NM) and the
circumstances of each trip differing. Go west and it's only with my family,
we make sure to get rested at least 6 to 7 hours, plus naps. Went east once
and had the tour group from hell. Would get us up at 5 to 6 am and have us
back at the hotel by 12 to 1 am after a VERY VERY busy day of walk walk
walking. Well... no, usually running.
So... eh, I can't compare the two or theorize, never mind.
Grygon
<m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu> wrote in message
news:alqu14$2bco$1...@agate.berkeley.edu...
> Comfortable? Pillows, feeted PJs?
>
And a lap warmer. :)
> Well supplied with drinks?
>
Water.
> I don't necessarily recommend staying in student dorms,
> however. The price was hard to beat - 10 euros a night.
> Geeennooooo-whine college dorm experience added gratis.
> Shared showers, shared toilets, dubiously cleaned room,
> yet more dubiously cleaned toilets, noisy traffic outside.
> By the end of the week-long conference, geeennnoooo-whine
> college students had arrived to provide late night noise,
> too.
>
Well I hope you didn't try to drive any where. *grin*
> The doors of the cathedral were carved in the 14th century
> and, very shortly after they were completed, people started
> breaking bits of the detailed carving off. So they
> have been covered ever since. Student volunteers have
> the old key, and will open up the plain wood cover when
> requested, to reveal the astonishing doors themselves.
> The carving is 3-4 inches deep, every panel unique,
> every detail executed with care. Saints under arched
> roofs, one roof with a carved snail crawling across. Pears
> and apples and leaves border the whole door (where they
> haven't been broken away). Hands that, while lacking the
> sort of vein by vein detail Michaelangelo's David is famous
> for, nonetheless have the look of life to them.
>
Hmm, we prolly looked at these in one of the many (seems like many) art
history courses I have had.
Michelangelo's (no 'a', pronounced like 'mee-kel') David has more than just
excruciating detail. Did you know he's squinting? :)
http://graphics.stanford.edu/projects/mich/publicity/reuters-07jun00/reuters
-07jun00.html
> I visited a museum featuring some works by the impressionist
> painter Cezanne. Very... impressionist. He's famous.
> Very famous. Aix was his home; they have streets and hotels
> and restaurants named after him. They have his last workshop
> preserved (by USAian fans) and open for visitors. They're
> very proud of him. He's famous.
>
Many a famous artist over in Europe with their studios, hang outs, etc. kept
alive for them. I recall him from last semester's art history and he has
been mentioned a few times in Modern Art history this semester. Very...
European, keeping old things around for respect. While here where I live we
can't even keep a basketball stadium for a year before deciding to rebuild
it AGAIN in the SAME location.
kem_tek
> >>
> >> The Bookwurm
> >
> >But there isn't really a difference ;) going one hour west is the same as
> >going 23 hours east right? and vice versa? <zoots off chortling evully>
Except you may cross the International Date Line, and if done (in)correctly
you could lose your birthday.
>
> >--
> >Dawn-Earth M. Maloney
>
> grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
>
> Don't tease the Pedant-in-Chief. Horrible things may happen.
>
> Or not.
>
> The Bookwurm
> --
> Goddess of Libraries ™,
> Pedant in Chief
> Keeper of the BotRoM
> <spam trapped - remove the fish from address>
--
kem_tek
> > way, this time out.
> >
> > <humming>"People are strange..."</humming>
> >
>
> Doors? Megan? Doors?
Maybe she does not like Windows!
m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu
> <m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu> wrote in message
>> Huh. Interestingly, I seem to have reacted exactly the opposite
>> way, this time out.
>>
>> <humming>"People are strange..."</humming>
> Doors? Megan? Doors?
Oui. That, or the newer version on the Lost Boys soundtrack...
uh... 'Echo and the Bunnymen'?
m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu
> Well I hope you didn't try to drive any where. *grin*
I wouldn't dare!
French drivers are _scary_. Frightening enough just
being a pedestrian.
Besides, I couldn't read the road signs.
>> The doors of the cathedral were carved in the 14th century
>> and, very shortly after they were completed, people started
>> breaking bits of the detailed carving off. So they
<snip>
> Hmm, we prolly looked at these in one of the many (seems like many) art
> history courses I have had.
Unlikely. The Aix cathedral isn't that famous, relatively
speaking.
> Michelangelo's (no 'a', pronounced like 'mee-kel') David has more than just
> excruciating detail. Did you know he's squinting? :)
> http://graphics.stanford.edu/projects/mich/publicity/reuters-07jun00/reuters
> -07jun00.html
Nope. I thought he was made to be viewed from below?
So some of the details, viewed straight-on, look funky?
>> I visited a museum featuring some works by the impressionist
>> painter Cezanne. Very... impressionist. He's famous.
>> Very famous. Aix was his home; they have streets and hotels
>> and restaurants named after him. They have his last workshop
>> preserved (by USAian fans) and open for visitors. They're
>> very proud of him. He's famous.
> Many a famous artist over in Europe with their studios, hang outs, etc. kept
> alive for them. I recall him from last semester's art history and he has
> been mentioned a few times in Modern Art history this semester. Very...
> European, keeping old things around for respect. While here where I live we
> can't even keep a basketball stadium for a year before deciding to rebuild
> it AGAIN in the SAME location.
Oddly enough, Cezanne's atelier is preserved by USA fans.
Aix has so many old this & that's they can't afford to preserve
it all themselves. I think Europeans tend to be more casual
about their old stuff, not less; they have so much (relatively
speaking) they can't afford to preserve or be too careful
with it all.
(I hear you on the new sports stadiums issue. They built a
new baseball stadium relatively recently, and I couldn't
figure out what was wrong with the old one. Aren't there
better ways to spend money?)
Dave Joll
> Grygon scribbled:
> > <m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu> wrote in message
> >> <humming>"People are strange..."</humming>
> > Doors? Megan? Doors?
> Oui. That, or the newer version on the Lost Boys soundtrack...
> uh... 'Echo and the Bunnymen'?
I think the Stranglers did a version, too. I'm probably wrong though...
- Dave (currently listening to Space Waltz...)
--
Lowering the tone of Usenet since 1997...
Please send replies to New Zealand instead of Zanzibar.
Sorry, but the spam is just getting a little too much...
Edna
<GrygonL...@redeyeSPAMmail.com> wrote:
: "Rhino 7" <patl...@silverfishlink.net> wrote in message
East is harder than west, because it's easier to convince your body to
lengthen its day, rather than shorten it.
Edna
---|)---------------------------------------------------------
---|---- Edna Huelsenbeck ------------------------------------
--/|---- ehuelsen@earthlinkDOTnet -------------------------
-| |')-- http://brahms.biology.rochester.edu/edna/ -----------
--\|/---------------------------------------------------------
|
'
Grygon
<m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu> wrote in message
news:am3a9t$1nth$1...@agate.berkeley.edu...
> >> <humming>"People are strange..."</humming>
>
> > Doors? Megan? Doors?
>
> Oui. That, or the newer version on the Lost Boys soundtrack...
> uh... 'Echo and the Bunnymen'?
>
I just don't see you as a Doors person... that was jolting.
Grygon
"kem_tek" <kem_te...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3D852C38...@hotmail.com...
> > > Huh. Interestingly, I seem to have reacted exactly the opposite
> > > way, this time out.
> > >
> > > <humming>"People are strange..."</humming>
> > >
> >
> > Doors? Megan? Doors?
>
> Maybe she does not like Windows!
>
You mean Backseat Windows or Power Windows? Or perhaps Stained Glass? ;)
(hmph, for those musically challenged: www.google.com)
Grygon
<m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu> wrote in message
news:am3aod$1nth$2...@agate.berkeley.edu...
> > Well I hope you didn't try to drive any where. *grin*
>
> I wouldn't dare!
>
> French drivers are _scary_. Frightening enough just
> being a pedestrian.
>
That is what I have heard. But I'd rather be admidst a road rage incident
there than here. My French professor came from there (why she came to live
in the Land of Entrapment is beyond me), told us horror stories about the
road rage... but unlike here, it enver involved guns or knives or death.
Just lots and lots of cussing and screaming.
> > Hmm, we prolly looked at these in one of the many (seems like many) art
> > history courses I have had.
>
> Unlikely. The Aix cathedral isn't that famous, relatively
> speaking.
>
I took the liberty to look it up. While I don't know for sure if it's the
same one, I know we definetly looked at that sort of architecture last year
in Art History. Specifically the ornamentations and etc etc key words I
could not recall now to save the universes. And as I've heard professors
say in the past, the famousity doesn't usually matter. Though when a piece
is mentioned that "is just recently finally being observed for such-and-such
feature" it's likely that piece isn't famous but is slowly having it's 15
minutes of fame.
And if the piece itself wasn't famous the artist(s), or Patron(s), or
audience(s)... etc. may have been.
> > Michelangelo's (no 'a', pronounced like 'mee-kel') David has more than
just
> > excruciating detail. Did you know he's squinting? :)
> >
http://graphics.stanford.edu/projects/mich/publicity/reuters-07jun00/reuters
> > -07jun00.html
>
> Nope. I thought he was made to be viewed from below?
He's in the round, he's meant to be viewed however the audience wishes.
Used to be out doors until acid rain began destroying all the marble so
people may have had views of him from high in other buildings at one time.
> So some of the details, viewed straight-on, look funky?
>
The article says each eye was meant to be seen from the side (it would
appear) and not head-on.
> Oddly enough, Cezanne's atelier is preserved by USA fans.
> Aix has so many old this & that's they can't afford to preserve
> it all themselves. I think Europeans tend to be more casual
> about their old stuff, not less; they have so much (relatively
> speaking) they can't afford to preserve or be too careful
> with it all.
>
I disagree but eh well. I'm no art history major, just an admirer and I
think they put way more effort into keeping their heritages alive than
America ever will.
> (I hear you on the new sports stadiums issue. They built a
> new baseball stadium relatively recently, and I couldn't
> figure out what was wrong with the old one. Aren't there
> better ways to spend money?)
>
Exactly. Not only that, we're getting some new big-shot coach here. We're
paying him a few thousand just to pay off his OLD (as in, with that other
team) contract so he will come here. Then another few thousand to start his
new contract and then another few... you get the picture.
Why? I will never understand this, why sports are so important. All that
money... what about education and all it's needs?
kem_tek
> > > > way, this time out.
> > > >
> > > > <humming>"People are strange..."</humming>
> > > >
> > >
> > > Doors? Megan? Doors?
> >
> > Maybe she does not like Windows!
> >
>
> You mean Backseat Windows or Power Windows? Or perhaps Stained Glass? ;)
>
> (hmph, for those musically challenged: www.google.com)
With drought conditions, maybe even green-stained grass.
kem_tek
> >
> > > Doors? Megan? Doors?
> >
> > Oui. That, or the newer version on the Lost Boys soundtrack...
> > uh... 'Echo and the Bunnymen'?
> >
>
> I just don't see you as a Doors person... that was jolting.
One of the first 8-track tapes I had was a Doors tape, Weird Scenes
Inside the Gold Mine.
m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu
>> > > way, this time out.
>> > >
>> > > <humming>"People are strange..."</humming>
>> >
>> > Doors? Megan? Doors?
>>
>> Maybe she does not like Windows!
> You mean Backseat Windows or Power Windows? Or perhaps Stained Glass? ;)
<blink>
I like stained glass windows...
> (hmph, for those musically challenged: www.google.com)
I would, but I'm on Microbloat and afraid my browser will crash.
m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu
>>
>> > Doors? Megan? Doors?
>>
>> Oui. That, or the newer version on the Lost Boys soundtrack...
>> uh... 'Echo and the Bunnymen'?
> I just don't see you as a Doors person... that was jolting.
I like the Doors, more or less. Not enough to purchase a
CD, but I don't switch radio stations when they come on, and
I'm one of those irritating people who switches radio stations
at the least hint that something irritating is on.
m...@no.more.spam.cs.berkeley.edu
>>
>> I wouldn't dare!
>>
>> French drivers are _scary_. Frightening enough just
>> being a pedestrian.
> That is what I have heard. But I'd rather be admidst a road rage incident
> there than here. My French professor came from there (why she came to live
> in the Land of Entrapment is beyond me), told us horror stories about the
> road rage... but unlike here, it enver involved guns or knives or death.
> Just lots and lots of cussing and screaming.
Perhaps so.
On the other hand, they probably have _many_ more incidents of
people going to the doctor because their foot was run over.
>> > Hmm, we prolly looked at these in one of the many (seems like many) art
>> > history courses I have had.
>>
>> Unlikely. The Aix cathedral isn't that famous, relatively
>> speaking.
> I took the liberty to look it up. While I don't know for sure if it's the
> same one, I know we definetly looked at that sort of architecture last year
> in Art History. Specifically the ornamentations and etc etc key words I
> could not recall now to save the universes. And as I've heard professors
> say in the past, the famousity doesn't usually matter. Though when a piece
> is mentioned that "is just recently finally being observed for such-and-such
> feature" it's likely that piece isn't famous but is slowly having it's 15
> minutes of fame.
Gothic, I think. The doors, anyway. That cathedral kinda had
examples of all sorts of different kinds of architecture, all in
the same building.
<snip>
>> Oddly enough, Cezanne's atelier is preserved by USA fans.
>> Aix has so many old this & that's they can't afford to preserve
>> it all themselves. I think Europeans tend to be more casual
>> about their old stuff, not less; they have so much (relatively
>> speaking) they can't afford to preserve or be too careful
>> with it all.
> I disagree but eh well. I'm no art history major, just an admirer and I
> think they put way more effort into keeping their heritages alive than
> America ever will.
Oh, sure - but they have so MUCH. The USA only acquired written
history and all it's trappings a few hundred years ago; we haven't
had time for the sort of accumulation and layering of it that
Europe has.
>> (I hear you on the new sports stadiums issue. They built a
>> new baseball stadium relatively recently, and I couldn't
>> figure out what was wrong with the old one. Aren't there
>> better ways to spend money?)
> Exactly. Not only that, we're getting some new big-shot coach here. We're
> paying him a few thousand just to pay off his OLD (as in, with that other
> team) contract so he will come here. Then another few thousand to start his
> new contract and then another few... you get the picture.
> Why? I will never understand this, why sports are so important. All that
> money... what about education and all it's needs?
Don't look at me. Ask a sports fan.
It's the same logic that persuades people to spend millions making
movies - another entertainment industry.
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
news:alqu14$2bco$1...@agate.berkeley.edu...
<BIG SNIP>
> That was, however, one of the few weeks in my life wherein
> I did not speak to a single person with a USAian accent.
> Not once. I didn't even speak to anyone who lives in the USA.
> (Unless talking to myself counts.)
>
> I spoke with Canadians, Brits, Australians, Japanese
> (born in Albania), Austrians (born in Vietnam, Germany,
> Austria), Germans, Belgians, Spanish, Italians... And
> that's the people I spoke with. Many, many other countries
> represented at the conference. My ears were twisting
> themselves into loops, parsing all the accents. (Any
> of you non-Aussies ever heard someone speak English with
> an Australian accent layered over a strong Chinese accent?
> How about with a German accent layered over Vietnamese?)
Well, I think I might have heard very thick Australian-over-Vietnamese
on a TV show once, and Hong Kong students always come with a
Chinese-British accent, but usually I notice one accent at a time....
....with one notable exception. He was a friend of the family, and a
college professor. (Since Dad's a retired professor himself, that happens
a lot. <smile>) When I took a class from him, he explained his accent:
He was born and raised in India.
Then he was schooled in Oxford.
And in Toronto.
And in New York.
Then he came to teach in Hawai'i.
I thought he should also have mentioned that he married a woman who
never did lose her German accent. I'm sure she influenced his speech, too.
He claimed you'd never hear exactly the same accent anywhere else.
Personally, I believed him. <chuckle, smile>
<BIG SNIP>
> So, that's it. I went to France. I'm back now.
Welcome back. <BIG SMILE>
Anne
Elizabeth
Baldwin
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
> >
> >It's retraining my stomach to get hungry at the right times.
> >And the rest of me to get tired at the right times.
> >--
> >Megan, slightly time-confused
>
> Oddly enough, I almost never have a problem going West. (My theory
> has to do with nesting instinct overcoming circadian rhythms.)
>
> East? Well it just SUCKS.
Interesting. I'm just the opposite. I click into east very easily, but
going back west is rough. <thoughtful pause>
Tell me, are you a morning person, or a night person? <pause> Actually,
I don't know how to answer that myself. I guess I'm closer to a night
person, but the truth is that evenings are great, and mornings are fine
after a glass of juice followed by breakfast. It's those afternoons that
get me every time. <wry look>
> The Bookwurm
Anne
Elizabeth
Baldwin
Rhino 7
>
> Interesting. I'm just the opposite. I click into east very easily, but
>going back west is rough. <thoughtful pause>
>
> Tell me, are you a morning person, or a night person? <pause> Actually,
>I don't know how to answer that myself. I guess I'm closer to a night
>person, but the truth is that evenings are great, and mornings are fine
>after a glass of juice followed by breakfast. It's those afternoons that
>get me every time. <wry look>
>
> Elizabeth
> Baldwin
I *used* to be a morning person. Then I worked Swingshift for a
grunge of years. Now i'm more of a mid-morning person. <G>
As far as jet lag goes? YMMV.
The Bookwurm
--
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
> >"Rhino 7" <patl...@silverfishlink.net> wrote in message
> >news:3d829676...@news.silverlink.net...
> >> East? Well it just SUCKS.
> >
> > Interesting. I'm just the opposite. I click into east very easily,
> >but going back west is rough. <thoughtful pause>
> >
> > Tell me, are you a morning person, or a night person? <pause>
> >Actually, I don't know how to answer that myself. I guess I'm closer to
> >a night person, but the truth is that evenings are great, and mornings
> >are fine after a glass of juice followed by breakfast. It's those
> >afternoons that get me every time. <wry look>
> >
> > Anne
> > Elizabeth
> > Baldwin
>
> I *used* to be a morning person. Then I worked Swingshift for a
> grunge of years. Now i'm more of a mid-morning person. <G>
<SMILE>
> As far as jet lag goes? YMMV.
So I gather. <smile> Still, I can't help wondering if the direction
people adjust to more easily isn't correlated to whether they prefer to
stay up late or get up early. <smile>
Anne
Elizabeth
Baldwin
Rhino 7
>news:3d939dae...@news.silverlink.net...
>> As far as jet lag goes? YMMV.
>
> So I gather. <smile> Still, I can't help wondering if the direction
>people adjust to more easily isn't correlated to whether they prefer to
>stay up late or get up early. <smile>
>
>
> Anne
> Elizabeth
> Baldwin
Maybe. And maybe going west, for me, means "HOME" and therefore
comfort level rises.
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
> >"Rhino 7" <patl...@silverfishlink.net> wrote in message
> >news:3d939dae...@news.silverlink.net...
>
> >> As far as jet lag goes? YMMV.
> >
> > So I gather. <smile> Still, I can't help wondering if the direction
> >people adjust to more easily isn't correlated to whether they prefer to
> >stay up late or get up early. <smile>
> >
> >
> > Anne
> > Elizabeth
> > Baldwin
>
> Maybe. And maybe going west, for me, means "HOME" and therefore
> comfort level rises.
West is always home for me, too. However, the only time it was fairly
easy to back up bedtime was when I came back from Georgia, over twice as
many time zones away as the west coast. <spread hands> It makes no sense
to me, but that's how it was. <chuckle>
Anne
Elizabeth
Baldwin
Rhino 7
<an...@aloha.net> wrote:
>"Rhino 7" <patl...@silverfishlink.net> wrote in message
>news:3da7839b...@news.silverlink.net...
>> Maybe. And maybe going west, for me, means "HOME" and therefore
>> comfort level rises.
>
> West is always home for me, too. However, the only time it was fairly
>easy to back up bedtime was when I came back from Georgia, over twice as
>many time zones away as the west coast. <spread hands> It makes no sense
>to me, but that's how it was. <chuckle>
>
>
> Anne
> Elizabeth
> Baldwin
OK, i'm fresh out of theories.
Shall we dig into the pumpkin-spice goodies and apple cider instead?
The Bookwurm (ready for fall)
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
> On Mon, 21 Oct 2002 23:59:30 -1000, "Anne Elizabeth Baldwin"
> <an...@aloha.net> wrote:
>
> >"Rhino 7" <patl...@silverfishlink.net> wrote in message
> >news:3da7839b...@news.silverlink.net...
> >> Maybe. And maybe going west, for me, means "HOME" and therefore
> >> comfort level rises.
> >
> > West is always home for me, too. However, the only time it was
> >fairly easy to back up bedtime was when I came back from Georgia, over
> >twice as many time zones away as the west coast. <spread hands> It
> >makes no sense to me, but that's how it was. <chuckle>
> >
> >
> > Anne
> > Elizabeth
> > Baldwin
>
> OK, i'm fresh out of theories.
So am I. <GRIN>
> Shall we dig into the pumpkin-spice goodies and apple cider instead?
That sounds good. <SMILE>
Mmmm... I do love hot spiced cider - I hope I may borrow some of that
cooler weather it goes so well with? Hilo hasn't quite gotten around to
"feeling like winter" yet. <smile>
Hmmm... better take a plate for the goodies. Muffins, check. Cookies,
check. <pause> Is there any pumpkin-spice mochi? I had one piece at the
library's Halloween feed-with-costume-contest, and we haven't gotten
around to making more at home. <wistful smile>
> The Bookwurm (ready for fall)
<GRIN, REALLY BIG GRIN>
Anne
Elizabeth
Baldwin
Rhino 7
>cooler weather it goes so well with? Hilo hasn't quite gotten around to
>"feeling like winter" yet. <smile>
I'm afraid to ask <munch munch> just what "feeling like winter"
involves <munch> in Hilo.
But I will change the subject (of course) and mention that I purchased
some very nice "genuine Hawaiian" music while on vacation that I am
enjoying quite a bit.
> Hmmm... better take a plate for the goodies. Muffins, check. Cookies,
>check. <pause> Is there any pumpkin-spice mochi? I had one piece at the
>library's Halloween feed-with-costume-contest, and we haven't gotten
>around to making more at home. <wistful smile>
'Darlin, if you want it ... it's there. I have good staff. <g> Even
though they tend to shed all over everything.
>> The Bookwurm (ready for fall)
>
> <GRIN, REALLY BIG GRIN>
>
>
> Anne
> Elizabeth
> Baldwin
<joining in the Grinning as she reaches for another munchie>
The Bookwurm
--
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
> > Mmmm... I do love hot spiced cider - I hope I may borrow some of
> >that cooler weather it goes so well with? Hilo hasn't quite gotten
> >around to "feeling like winter" yet. <smile>
>
> I'm afraid to ask <munch munch> just what "feeling like winter"
> involves <munch> in Hilo.
Well, according to the usual measures, the highs are maybe 5 degrees
cooler, the lows maybe 15 degrees cooler.
However, I'd say the difference which makes a difference is that while
in summer, temperatures hang around the high most of the time, dipping
briefly to the low at night, in winter they hang near the low most of the
time, spiking briefly to the high during the day.
<pause, smile> All in all, I tend to think of our winters as more like
a mild Indian Summer than anything else. <SMILE>
> But I will change the subject (of course) and mention that I purchased
> some very nice "genuine Hawaiian" music while on vacation that I am
> enjoying quite a bit.
Oh? What group/performers? And what's its name? <curious look>
I'm very fond of Hawaiian music, myself. I've even gotten a couple of
my friends interested in it. <BIG SMILE, REALLY BIG GRIN>
> > Hmmm... better take a plate for the goodies. Muffins, check.
> >Cookies, check. <pause> Is there any pumpkin-spice mochi? I had one
> >piece at the library's Halloween feed-with-costume-contest, and we
> >haven't gotten around to making more at home. <wistful smile>
>
> 'Darlin, if you want it ... it's there.
Thanks. <SMILE, take mochi, munch munch>
I realized a bit after I sent this that maybe I should have explained
that mochi are sort of rice-flour pastries. They're Japanese, or were
originally. The pumpkin-spice mochi are an example of baked mochi which I
suspect might be a Hawaiian bar-cookie-like adaptation of the round,
steamed traditional ones. But I digress, probably to no one's surprise.
<BIG SMILE, REALLY BIG GRIN>
> I have good staff. <g> Even
> though they tend to shed all over everything.
<CHUCKLE> They're trying to work on that. <gesture towards the
Ooktique>
> >> The Bookwurm (ready for fall)
> >
> > <GRIN, REALLY BIG GRIN>
> >
> >
> > Anne
> > Elizabeth
> > Baldwin
>
> <joining in the Grinning as she reaches for another munchie>
I wonder what to try next... any suggetions? <SMILE>
> The Bookwurm
Anne
Elizabeth
Baldwin
> Goddess of Libraries ™,
Rhino 7
>a mild Indian Summer than anything else. <SMILE>
Our winters are similar, but the temperature hovers around 40-45F.
Might have something to do with the fact that Puget Sound is 42F year
round. <g>
> Oh? What group/performers? And what's its name? <curious look>
<trudge trudge trudge> OK the first one is a collection that has some
good stuff and some awful (Don Ho, need I say more?). The second is
Lie Ana by Teresa Bright (including the Cockeyed Mayor of Daunakakai).
The third is Makaha Sons of Niihau - some good stuff, some excellent
(their Yellow Ginger Lei is wonderful), but the drug/political stuff
is a little pushy. The last one is from one of the Sons from the
previous album: Israel Kamakawiwoole: gorgeous voice.
> I'm very fond of Hawaiian music, myself. I've even gotten a couple of
>my friends interested in it. <BIG SMILE, REALLY BIG GRIN>
I grew up on 40's and 50's stuff 'cause my Mom was seriously into it.
She was a professional instructor at one point (disregard the neon
skin and red hair, OK?). I'd love to get my hands on some of that in
CD format. <drool>
> I wonder what to try next... any suggetions? <SMILE>
> Anne
> Elizabeth
> Baldwin
What else??? Fresh baked gingerbread pooh, eeyore, piglet and tiggr.
The Bookwurm
--
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
> > <pause, smile> All in all, I tend to think of our winters as more
> >like a mild Indian Summer than anything else. <SMILE>
>
> Our winters are similar, but the temperature hovers around 40-45F.
> Might have something to do with the fact that Puget Sound is 42F year
> round. <g>
I think a different part of the pacific is keeping us from getting
hotter. May it continue to do so for a long time. <BIG SMILE>
> > Oh? What group/performers? And what's its name? <curious look>
>
> <trudge trudge trudge> OK the first one is a collection that has some
> good stuff and some awful (Don Ho, need I say more?).
He can get a bit syrupy at times.
> The second is
> Lie Ana by Teresa Bright (including the Cockeyed Mayor of Daunakakai).
Kaunakakai - that's the biggest townlet on Molokai, the fifth largest
island. <smile> That's an old standby, and a funny one. Oh, and the
panini? That's prickly pear cactus. <chuckle, not-too-nice SMILE>
> The third is Makaha Sons of Niihau
They are good. We only have one record at the moment, which Dad happily
transferred to CD, but I suspect we'll get some more. <Smile>
> - some good stuff, some excellent
> (their Yellow Ginger Lei is wonderful), but the drug/political stuff
> is a little pushy. The last one is from one of the Sons from the
> previous album: Israel Kamakawiwoole: gorgeous voice.
Yeah, his voice is nice. I'm not as fond of all of his songs either.
Still, it is too bad he couldn't keep his weight under control at least a
little.
> > I'm very fond of Hawaiian music, myself. I've even gotten a couple
> >of my friends interested in it. <BIG SMILE, REALLY BIG GRIN>
>
> I grew up on 40's and 50's stuff 'cause my Mom was seriously into it.
> She was a professional instructor at one point (disregard the neon
> skin and red hair, OK?).
<GRIN>
> I'd love to get my hands on some of that in
> CD format. <drool>
<PAUSE>
Don Ho, Makaha Sons, and Iz are on CD, in part. I have no idea how easy
they are to find out-of-state, but they're on in-print CD's that are not
hard to find in Hawai'i.
Beyond that, I'll take this to email. <smile>
> > I wonder what to try next... any suggetions? <SMILE>
> > Anne
> > Elizabeth
> > Baldwin
>
> What else??? Fresh baked gingerbread pooh, eeyore, piglet and tiggr.
Those sound great. <BIG SMILE, take a Pooh, nibble, REALLY BIG GRIN>
> The Bookwurm
Anne
Elizabeth
Baldwin
Rhino 7
>> Lie Ana by Teresa Bright (including the Cockeyed Mayor of Daunakakai).
>
> Kaunakakai -
... yeah, fat fingered that one...
>that's the biggest townlet on Molokai, the fifth largest
>island. <smile> That's an old standby, and a funny one. Oh, and the
>panini? That's prickly pear cactus. <chuckle, not-too-nice SMILE>
Mom said, when performing the hula that went with that one, that there
was a G-rated and an R-rated version. Something about the "plenty
papaya" remark. <G>
> Yeah, his voice is nice. I'm not as fond of all of his songs either.
>Still, it is too bad he couldn't keep his weight under control at least a
>little.
... he is a trifle HUGE isn't he?
>> I'd love to get my hands on some of that in
>> CD format. <drool>
>
> <PAUSE>
>
> Don Ho, Makaha Sons, and Iz are on CD, in part. I have no idea how easy
>they are to find out-of-state, but they're on in-print CD's that are not
>hard to find in Hawai'i.
I'm thinking about Mahi Beamer and George Kainapau (sp?) vintage. <g>
>> > Anne
>> > Elizabeth
>> > Baldwin
The Bookwurm
--
Bookwyrm
>
>>> I'd love to get my hands on some of that in
>>>CD format. <drool>
>>
>> <PAUSE>
>>
>> Don Ho, Makaha Sons, and Iz are on CD, in part. I have no idea how easy
>>they are to find out-of-state, but they're on in-print CD's that are not
>>hard to find in Hawai'i.
>
>
> I'm thinking about Mahi Beamer and George Kainapau (sp?) vintage. <g>
>
>>>> Anne
>>>> Elizabeth
>>>> Baldwin
>>>
>
> The Bookwurm
I've just got Don Ho and Alfred Apaka on vinyl here.
'wyrm
(who'd like to go back and see how the place has changed in 34 years)
Rhino 7
Don Ho and Alfred Apaka both have CDs. (Found 'em on Amazon.)
There are some other members of the Beamer family with CDs, but not
Mahi. (At least not on Amazon.)
>'wyrm
>(who'd like to go back and see how the place has changed in 34 years)
Lesse ... I was last there in '69. Looks like we're about even. <g>
Joe Morris
>>'wyrm
>>(who'd like to go back and see how the place has changed in 34 years)
>Lesse ... I was last there in '69. Looks like we're about even. <g>
Best I can recall I was last there in 1953 or thereabouts. Oahu was
all abuzz with the newfangled concept that had just arrived: the suburban
Aina Hina shopping center at Niu Valley, off Kapiolani Boulevard (all names
with "(sp?)" implied).
I was reminded of how things change many years ago -- in the early
1980s -- when Newsweek or Time (I don't know which) published two
pictures of Waikiki Beach, taken from well offshore. In one, from the
early 1950s, the scene is dominated by the Royal Hawaiian; in the
other, taken shortly before publication from the same location and
of the same scene, you can barely find the now tiny-looking hotel
among all the generic high-rise monstrosities that pollute the landscape
along the beach. I doubt that the quality of the picture has improved
in the past 20 years.
Joe Morris
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
> >> The second is Lie Ana
> >> by Teresa Bright (including the Cockeyed Mayor of Daunakakai).
> >
> > Kaunakakai -
>
> ... yeah, fat fingered that one...
That's easy enough to do. <smile>
> >that's the biggest townlet on Molokai, the fifth largest
> >island. <smile> That's an old standby, and a funny one. Oh, and the
> >panini? That's prickly pear cactus. <chuckle, not-too-nice SMILE>
>
> Mom said, when performing the hula that went with that one, that there
> was a G-rated and an R-rated version. Something about the "plenty
> papaya" remark. <G>
I'm not familiar with that version myself, but I would not be in the
least surprised. <GRIN>
> > Yeah, his voice is nice. I'm not as fond of all of his songs either.
> >Still, it is too bad he couldn't keep his weight under control at least
> >a little.
>
> ... he is a trifle HUGE isn't he?
<pause> That he was. <pause> I'm afraid he died of complications of
obesity close enough to Princess Diana's death for there to be Comparisons
in the local media.
> >> I'd love to get my hands on some of that in
> >> CD format. <drool>
> >
> > <PAUSE>
> >
> > Don Ho, Makaha Sons, and Iz are on CD, in part. I have no idea how
> >easy they are to find out-of-state, but they're on in-print CD's that
> >are not hard to find in Hawai'i.
>
> I'm thinking about Mahi Beamer and George Kainapau (sp?) vintage. <g>
I might be able to find something, easpecially by Mahi Beamer. I'll
need to know George's last name before I can look for him. <smile>
> >> > Anne
> >> > Elizabeth
> >> > Baldwin
>
> The Bookwurm
Anne
Elizabeth
Baldwin
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
"Bookwyrm" <Book...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:3DF6B3E2...@attbi.com...
> Rhino 7 wrote:
>
> >
> >>> I'd love to get my hands on some of that in
> >>>CD format. <drool>
> >>
> >> <PAUSE>
> >>
> >> Don Ho, Makaha Sons, and Iz are on CD, in part. I have no idea how
> >>easy they are to find out-of-state, but they're on in-print CD's that
> >>are not hard to find in Hawai'i.
> >
> >
> > I'm thinking about Mahi Beamer and George Kainapau (sp?) vintage. <g>
> >
> >>>> Anne
> >>>> Elizabeth
> >>>> Baldwin
> >>>
> >
> > The Bookwurm
>
>
> I've just got Don Ho and Alfred Apaka on vinyl here.
Dad has a couple more than that. So do I. <SMILE>
> 'wyrm
> (who'd like to go back and see how the place has changed in 34 years)
Ummm... It's changed - quite a bit. <smile>
And if you actually do, and if you get as far as the Big Island,
epecially the windward side of the Big Island, I _hope_ you'll let me know
in time to arrange a meeting. <BIG SMILE>
Anne
Elizabeth
Baldwin
Rhino 7
>
> <pause> That he was. <pause> I'm afraid he died of complications of
>obesity close enough to Princess Diana's death for there to be Comparisons
>in the local media.
Oops. Funny nothing on the disc said anything... Lovely voice to lose
so young.
>> I'm thinking about Mahi Beamer and George Kainapau (sp?) vintage. <g>
>
> I might be able to find something, easpecially by Mahi Beamer. I'll
>need to know George's last name before I can look for him. <smile>
>
>> >> > Anne
>> >> > Elizabeth
>> >> > Baldwin
Well, how about that!? I spelled it right. Or at least I spelled it
in a way that Google can use to find a *bunch* of albums. Mostly out
of print, but its a start.
Thanks!
The Bookwurm
--
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
news:3e0f606a...@news.comcast.giganews.com...
> >> ... he is a trifle HUGE isn't he?
> >
> > <pause> That he was. <pause> I'm afraid he died of complications of
> >obesity close enough to Princess Diana's death for there to be
> >Comparisons in the local media.
>
> Oops. Funny nothing on the disc said anything... Lovely voice to lose
> so young.
Yes, it was.
> >> I'm thinking about Mahi Beamer and George Kainapau (sp?) vintage. <g>
> >
> > I might be able to find something, easpecially by Mahi Beamer. I'll
> >need to know George's last name before I can look for him. <smile>
> >
> >> >> > Anne
> >> >> > Elizabeth
> >> >> > Baldwin
>
> Well, how about that!? I spelled it right. Or at least I spelled it
> in a way that Google can use to find a *bunch* of albums. Mostly out
> of print, but its a start.
Good luck in hunting. <GRIN>
> Thanks!
Any time. <SMILE>
> The Bookwurm
Anne
Elizabeth
Baldwin