16 September 2009

biarritz

i love it here. must i go home?! just yesterday morning, i was surfing alone for 45 minutes...the entire beach to myself. the sky was pink, and in between sets the water became so calm it looked like a psychadelic shampoo, a viscous purple and pink mixture flowing past my arms as i paddled. it was amazing, like a dream come true. that would never happen in the states.

i have been here for the week, with another couple days to go. my studio is very cute. it already feels like home, tucked away in the middle of town and very convenient to everything. yesterday i rode bikes with jen and randy to bayonne, a larger town with a heavy basque influence. very, very french. biarritz is more regal and elegant, having been designed to impress the queen and napoleon.

the internet cafe is shutting down, so i must go!

10 September 2009

bonjour!!!

ok...i do not have much time to write (and this keyboard is JACKED)...so quickly:

france rules. i am having a blast. it has been a whirlwind, as this is the first chance i have had to get online in a week. but the wedding and all the festivities leading up to the celebration have been absolutely amazing. a bachelorette party, i.e., pole-dancing, in cannes and bungee jumping in the alps!!! .yes, i jumped!!! magnificent, yet horrifying experience. the wedding itself was unreal.

off to aix-en-provence today, so must motor. a bientot!!!

01 September 2009

maybe this one will go a little more...smoothly???

i am all packed and ready for france. woohoo!!! my flight leaves tomorrow morning. finally. vacation.

but of course, there were glitches. there are ALWAYS glitches in my travels, as many of you know.

#1: the cold. i went for a (rather messy) ride saturday morning. i missed the "window" and ended up with heat exhaustion, e.g., chills, clammy body parts, dehydration, nausea. i made it back to my car. wiped. then i watched my nephew play football for a couple hours in a mere 105 F. then i hung out in the sister's backyard. by 5pm, i was WAY wiped. i took a shower, got ready to chill on the sofa and eat a meal...and then i felt that weird, constricting feeling in my throat. that twitch. damn it! i got nailed. within 24 hours, i had the chills, hot flashes, sore muscles, a stuffy head...had to leave work early on monday and sleep all afternoon. however, today i have felt much better. i think i nailed it. (i am all over the neti pot.) the true test will come when i wake up in the morning.

#2: the burn. Mini's tailpipe burned the crap out of my leg! it's a nasty burn. i bought neosporin for it. i hope i don't end up in a french hospital.

#3: i have to pay my water bill within two weeks or i go to collections. the catch: i have no clue what my account number is because i never got the first bill for the condo...and all my mail is being flown all over the world, as far as i know. so i cannot pay online. and of course, the customer service phone line was busy for two days straight, which has never happened. fortunately, i called the emergency number and the dude got me through in the knick of time. check one.

#4: i found my DREAM JOB at the epa...right before i take off. the closing date is tonight at 11:59 pm. they could call at any time beginning tomorrow. i rented a global phone, just in case. but what if they want me to go to denver for an interview? that could be one expensive flight.

also, heads up! check the nanosolar.com website on 9/9. they are redesigning the thing with "significant news." i wonder?