Day Before .... It Begins

Well! It has finally arrived, my family is taking the jump across the pond and arriving in a few short hours for Christmas, which is less than a week away!

I can't believe three months has gone by this quickly. It makes me sad but at the same time excited for the next 5. 2009 is going to be a great year.

Let me catch you up from before Thanksgiving-

I made it back from the Ukraine unscathed and interested more in visiting eastern europe. Definitely wondering if a small business investment in a water heater company in the Ukraine would be lucrative. I think yes. Overall Kiev was beautiful and really is a eastern version of Paris.  Kiev is chock full of museums, monuments and cobblestone streets, obviously, easy to fall in love with it. There's just something about big lights and bright cities that are always intoxicating. The country of Ukraine has so much land and opportunity to change from it's past, there's a sense of renewal and urbanization, Chevy's driving along side russian state cars (that still run somehow). So after a week stay and the longest day of traveling ever, I returned to France and Paris.

Thanksgiving was celebrated with two festivals, one at the American Church in Paris where I was a pseudo-USC alumni and the second here at my apartment in Montataire. The second had pumpkin pie, the first had cranberry sauce. I had it all. Except the family. Just some americans all missing home spending time around little stoves and even smaller tables. Ah, France.

After Thanksgiving the weather turned for the worst, rain, sleet, snow and there was 3 weeks of cloud cover. The skin on my hands and face is now translucent. I have never seen so many veins, I have stopped looking at my hands. During those weeks of no-sun, which I will now refer to as the dark ages, Paris was just the ticket. The city of light, visiting the Centre Pompidou Marmottan Museum, the second floor of the eiffel tower and eating lots of escargot. May be turning into a snail... The beaujoulais nouveau, the first offering of the newest wine vintage just happened last month as well. Everywhere you go there are signs still reminding you to try some. The locals say it isn't as good as last years but of course to an american with such a fine palate,  whatever people turn a nose upwards to.... there's always someone else who'll drink it. Me. The last few weekends I have visited Beauvais, Amien, Chantilly and Lille. Next to see is Calais.  After reading and watching movies about France and England all of my life Calais has this mystical appeal. It's where spies left for England and returned with invasions and wars, plus it was so contested that it's interesting to see a city that has changed hands so many times. So, the dark ages have treated me well in France. Just paying the rent, going to the market and trying to teach my kids to pronounce th sounds and proper s' at the end of words. On the sly I have taught dammit and informed them that certain slang from rap songs doesn't work as a greeting to their english assistant. ie. suck my dick, which you really can't get mad at a girl saying it but the little boys have this awful twinkle in their eye like they know what it means. I hope not. Glad to know that's what america exports so well to international youth.

The economic fallout isn't a huge topic here anymore. People are starting to wan off the Obama fever and Christmas lights are out in full force along with the huge white ferris wheels in every town.
It's really cold outside and these things are open cabin. I want to know how this tradition started. Is the french government investing in cold medicine?

Speaking of traditions, its going to be very strange not being home for Christmas, but thankfully my family is going to fix that. Home is wherever my family is and this year it's Paris. I am so thankful to have them with me and even more thankful that everyone I know is safe and sound.