the maladroit misadventures of callista

new blog

2008-09-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

My Madagascar travel blog can be found at: http://azafady.wordpress.com

Give me a break!!!

2008-06-26T05:17:00.000-07:00

So, Hillary Clinton lent herself money as it became clear that her race to secure the nomination needed a boost. Now, she's boo hooing and getting Obama to ask donors to pay this off for her. Seriously??? When the unemployment rate in America is higher than it's been in years, (8% in MI?) and is completely loaded even taking into account the loss of her 10 million??? She has the audacity to ask other people to pay her debt off for her??? I have 22 grand in education loans that I'm not excited about...but I'm not effing expecting somebody to pay it off for me!
Donors who pay off Clinton's 'debt' should be giving their money to help poor people, fight hunger, or at least help the guy who's actually running for president if they must spend it politically. In my humble opinion, "Hillary, quit your whining, you rich bitch!"

i do not heart children

2008-06-22T08:37:00.001-07:00

why is it that children are no longer reprimanded for being noisy and disruptive in public? at the coffee shop this morning there have been 2 different sets of unruly children. apparently, when people become parents they are either so enamored with their offspring or so tired of dealing with them, that they assume that the shrieks coming from said rugrats are cute to the whole world. guess what? they are not. people often say that they derive unending joy from the presence of children - i think that those who say this are just making excuses, trying to make their newfound miserable child-centered existence seem tolerable. i really do not understand. i can only hope that if i ever have the misfortune of becoming a parent, that i will not become infected with this blindness to the real world, who doesn't want to hear and see children wreaking havoc everywhere they go.

ha!

2008-05-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

the new recommended chancellor of UW looks oddly like Delores Umbridge from Harry Potter...

what to do!?!?

2008-02-22T10:37:00.000-08:00

so, my internship in madagascar will happen. it will start at the beginning of august, and it will cost between 2000 and 2500 to get there. i'll be doing various interesting things, (including fieldwork) and on the 'contract' of sorts that's been written up, i must bring: a laptop computer, a digital camera, and a tent and sleeping bag! it will be great. but, the duration will be either 4 or 6 months. so:

Pros to 6 month internship:
* I get back February 1st, having missed most of winter.
* I can't defend my thesis till the end of that semester anyway, so what's the rush?
* I get experience in 2 or 3 cities (as well with staff in those cities) instead of 1
* The more contacts I make, the more likely it is that one of them will be a networking connection for me to find a real job upon my return.
* Once I get there, it's cheap, so might as well stay another 2 months to get my money's worth.
* The longer I'm there, the more I can see and learn.

Cons to 6 month internship:
* missing Patrick another 2 months
* possibly missing out on money I could earn if I'd be able to get a job in the kzoo area.
* missing Christmas
* spending another 500-700 dollars
* not having enough time to finish theis? (doubtful)
* 2 months less of hardcore Ironman training

So
comments?

2008-02-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel sort of weirdly alone, like there are certain things about me that people just don't 'get'. I suppose it's just been a longish week of too much winter...

election fun

2008-01-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

86% Dennis Kucinich
85% Mike Gravel
83% John Edwards
82% Joe Biden
79% Barack Obama
77% Chris Dodd
75% Hillary Clinton
68% Bill Richardson
38% Rudy Giuliani
29% Ron Paul
29% John McCain
23% Mitt Romney
20% Tom Tancredo
18% Mike Huckabee
10% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

project ironman

2008-01-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

so now that break is over, i'm focusing on exercise and good health. no alcohol until at least the end of april (maybe a fruity cocktail in hawaii though...) lots of veggies, less carbs and sugar. as part of my plan to do Madison Ironman 2009, i have registered for the Nashville Marathon at the end of April. Also in the plan for spring/early summer is a century bike ride with my dad. we're looking at one in early june that is called the "horribly hilly hundred". my dad described it as having just as much climbing as most of the bike rides out west. it's in WI, and there's a 100k or a 200k. I'm aiming for the 200k, which is 12 miles longer than the bike portion of the ironman. swimming will be my cross training, so i'll hopefully just gradually get better at that. i'm motivated, and excited. hopefully school will allow for all this!

omg, make it end!

2007-12-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

so, the last week or so i haven't done much schoolwork after working so hard on my french stuff. i'm currently working on the last thing i have to do for my first semester of grad school: a lit review on ecotourism. i'm reading like 10 articles and writing on them. most of the articles were published in the same book. the articles are interesting, but i just hate writing. i've got 7.5 pages done, and i'm aiming for 12, but i'm only on source 5 of 10. i am tired and cranky. also, the "holiday party" at work tomorrow evening is really just a meeting, so i'm not bringing lasagna like i was planning. i'll probably have to spend the afternoon finishing my paper tomorrow anyway. i also need to pack for being gone for 2.5 weeks, buy kitty litter, clean my apt, and do 2 loads of laundry. did i mention i've been at the library since 10 AM and am probably not leaving till 10 PM? (except for my lunch break around 2)

i just really want someone to give me a backrub, make me some tea, and finish this paper for me.

winter studs and other non sequitors

2007-12-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

i got my studded tires in the mail today, thanks to tone! they are now on, and for the short while that i rode on them they seem to make a huge difference. bring on the "winterey mix", biaches!

a regular at work noticed my bike outside and asked if it was mine. when i replied in the affirmative, he said i must be quite the "hearty gal" to ride in the winter.

now that oprah's out there for obama he's bound to get the nomination. hell, maybe she should be his running mate.

i think scherzo is growing an extra claw.

pics of the day

2007-12-06T19:13:00.001-08:00

looking on the bright side

2007-12-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

so, there are two things (well, more than that...but two i often think of these days) that make me sad/mad: only seeing patrick every two weeks or so, and winter. i've always hated winter.

this year i'm trying to embrace winter (and maybe even appreciate it). i find that riding my bike on treacherous snow and ice actually seems to help. it's just kind of hilarious. i have a picture to come of this ridiculousness. somehow, knowing that i can still get around despite the weather, that i'm most often way too hot by the time i get places, and the fact that it makes me seem tough is helping so far.

the bright side of seeing one's boyfriend only once every fortnight: 2 things:
* it doesn't matter how frumpy i dress to stay warm and how ridiculous i look
* i haven't shaved my legs or armpits since before thanksgiving :)

whose idea was this grad school stuff, anyway?!?

2007-11-17T06:11:00.000-08:00

i have about 60 pages worth of papers to write in the next month. about 30 of that is in french. i have 5 done. today i will get at least another 5 done. and tomorrow another 5. such is the hope. i'm not quite sure how i'll get everything done. (perhaps by not updating my blog...) but, everyone always feels this way, and everone winds up getting it done. christmas break will be sweet, indeed!

right now i am playing fetch with scherzo. he is weird.

beth, a girl in my program is a marathon runner! she went out with us for the beaujolais nouveau (see photo below), and i was asking her about training etc. she said we should run a race together, i mentioned the nashville marathon, and she's totally in! hey tony, any chance you'll be around the last weekend of april? anyway, i'm super excited to have somebody to do long runs with this winter! :)

i can't wait till tuesday. kirsten and i are leaving in the morning to go back to MI, and she'll drop me off at patrick's place. i can't wait to see him. :) then, wednesday after a brief stop in EL, we're going to DC! i've never been there, so i'm looking forward to it.

ok, that is all for now. i must run and then get a shit ton done.

2007-11-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

i am supremely sick of the fact that i will never be skinny. despite half marathons and good eating habits. fuck that!

grown up type thoughts

2007-10-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

so, patrick and i had a really good talk last night. he was asking me what i thought of his grad school plans, where i might be likely to find a job, and all manner of questions that i don't really yet have an answer to. he asked me where i want to live and where i'd want to work. of course, at this point i don't know. he mentioned that he could probably do a doctorate at MSU and get paid for it. he knows that i abhor east lansing. i also recognize that it'd be amazing for us if i were the only one in debt from grad school. i really do hate east lansing. and after having lived in madison, i really don't want to go back to MI at all. what would there be for me there? it's hard enough for people with business and computer degrees to get jobs in MI right now...i can't imagine that i would find one. at the same time though, i want to be with patrick. i love him, and would actually make that sacrifice. it could be good...we could pay off my school debt while he's going to grad school, we could take some great trips (like australia), and live together, maybe get a dog...
but.....
east lansing. MI. a most likely irrelevant job.
i guess the bottom line is that i'd go willingly to be with him. but i'm pretty deathly afraid of getting stuck there, becoming my dad. (granted, i don't have depressive tendancies the same way my dad does...he's never really been happy anywhere.) first it's living in east lansing till he's done with his stuff...then he gets a job at MSU that's too good to pass up, and we're stuck there. the thing to remember here is that patrick is not my mom. he won't make me stay somewhere i hate (hell, maybe i'll like EL!), and he's not that enthused about staying in MI either.
he's going to apply to many places, some on the coasts. part of what makes this so complicated is my own carreer uncertainty. at this point, for me, anything could happen.
despite all of this sounding a little scared, depressing, and negative, i'm really thinking more about the positive part: patrick and i are good together, and i want to stay with him. i know that if i make sacrifices for him now (well, in 1.5 years), he will do the same for me when he can. it's really good to feel so secure and happy with someone. (and let me tell you, i must be awfully happy with him if i'd even consider moving to EL...) :)

pics of the day

2007-10-29T20:19:00.001-07:00

a few pics from madison freakfest - the lovely gypsy is basma, my french tutor.

poison sumac, tailgating, and halloween! oh my!

2007-10-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in awhile. So, let's see. the weekend after the wedding was the "fall colors" camping/canoe trip with the outing club. despite a fair bit of rain, it was quite fun. i do, however, have one bit of advice for the ladies. when peeing in the woods, if you get a little on the back of your leg, do not, i repeat, DO NOT, grab a leaf to wipe it off. even if you can correctly identify poison ivy, and are positive that said leave is not that, the leaf could be some other crazy poisonous bitch of a plant. the wednesday after the trip i developed a big rash on the back of my leg and hip. it is now much improved, but still not totally gone. stupid plant!

in other news, halloween is kind of a big deal in madison. so is football. so is homecoming. yesterday was all 3. well, not halloween, but "freakfest" the multi-block party where everyone gets dressed up and gets wasted. i had bravest intentions of partying like a rock star. i met mary in the morning to walk to the stadium area. i had a 6-pack of corona in my bag, and was wearing my bottle-opening flip-flops. mary was with chad, so the three of us made our way to the "tailgating area", that being a whole bunch of yard parties and bars. when we were almost to the stadium bar where we were going to meet joseph and kelly, we were invited to play beer pong in someone's yard. chad and i kicked mary and some guy's ass. during the game of beer pong, mary and i each drank 2 beers on the side. crossing the street almost at the stadium bar, mary apparantly threw up in the street (not because she was wasted, as she can hold her liquor, but because she had a lot of foam in her stomach and then burped). i missed it because i was on the phone. at the bar, it was fun to catch up with joseph. had a few more beers, and became pretty drunk. joseph and i decided to drunk-dial patrick from his phone. when it took awhile for joesph to start talking, i assumed he had hit patrick's voicemail. so, we left him a funny drunk "voicemail" only to later discover that he had actually answered the phone, and heard the whole thing as it happened. after the game, 8 of us took a cab to angelic brewing for some idaho nachos (waffle fries w/ cheese, guac, and salsa). naps were had by most during the afternoon after that to prepare for freakfest.

my costume was a bit of a catchall. fishnets with spider web patterns, a tiara, vampire teeth, fake eyelashes, and a silver cape. i wasn't that in the mood to go out by the time we got to joseph's, but off to state street we went. the frenchies and some other people from our program were at the state bar, so we went there. there was dancing, which i did for about 10 minutes, and then i got overwhlemed by the people and way too loud music. i left early (after not even having a drink), and wound up walking all the way home because all the cab services were busy. the spectacle was fun though, and i saw some great costumes. today is schoolwork day. and it's beautiful and sunny. :) pics from freakfest later. :)

a "magical" weekend

2007-10-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

so, this weekend, patrick's brother got married. in florida. at disneyworld. i flew out on thursday evening. on friday there was a welcome dinner, and saturday was the wedding. it alternated between being hot and humid and raining. sometimes all 3 of those at once. in some ways it was sort of a stressful weekend. even though it wasn't my stress, there was stress in the air, and there were lots of people i didn't know. there were also a fair amount of people i did know, which helped. between changing rooms and doing various organization related things, not much time was spent reading or at the pool. to be honest, i felt fairly uncomfortable on quite some number of occasions. i think disneyworld is just overwhelming. being in such an artificial environment does NOT put me at ease.

the wedding itself was quite nice (and had good weather), and the reception was really fun. during the whole weekend it was really nice to spend time with patrick and his parents. his grandma is adorable (and always notices when i wear pretty shoes), and his aunt carol is a real sweetheart too. some family friends, dave and kathy were there, and it was good to see them again, and i finally got to meet a lot of people i've heard a lot about (which was only stressful for about 5 minutes).

even though the wedding was great, it definately solidified my feelings that i don't want a "fairy tale" elaborate, expensive wedding. i want it to be a backyard event with close family and friends and no gift registry.

on a more serious/positive side though, I really can see (and even hope to) spending my life with patrick. the love we share is so much deeper and more serious than anything i've experienced. i can see him as a husband and father, and i can actually see running a household together. it's not that the wedding made me realize this (as i've thought it for awhile), but there is one thing different after this wedding...usually after weddings i have some sort of urge to run screaming in the other direction. this one made me thing, "this'll be me someday...and i look forward to that!" (just not at disney world) i think patrick summed it up while we were falling asleep by saying "I wish you lived with me.". i do too. saying goodbye at the airport was tough, even though i'll see him in 2 weeks. airport goodbyes somehow feel more terminal, even when they're not at all.

i hate football...except that i don't!

2007-10-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

So, Patrick and I went to the UW MSU game last weekend. Let's start by saying that I hate football. It's stupid and slow. A bunch of guys run a little if you're lucky, fall in a pile, a whistle blows, and it starts over. I wanted to go to one game here though, since I've never been to a BigTen game. I had SO much fun!!!

Even though it was just Patrick and me, after going to the farmer's market for the morning, we bought a 6-pack of Labatt's and decided to look for a good tailgating spot. After not finding much, we sat on some rocks outside the stadium and proceeded to drink our beer and eat some apples. The drum line as well as the tubas marched through the bar across the street, and the beer started to take effect.

the game itself it was like a new culture (although, arguably not a very cultured one...)...every time wisc was 1st and 10, everybody in the student section goes "1st and ten wisconsin!" and moves their arms in a little chop motion. also, if the students get bored, a section of them will point at another section and chorus "eat shit!, to which responds the other section "fuck you!" and they go back and forth pointing at each other as they do it. they also call all fans of the other team sitting in their section "asshole" periodically just to keep them in their place. whenever "P.J. Hill" does something good and gets announced, everybody puts their hands above their heads in a sort of hill (more of a circle really) shape. whenever the other team screws up, everybody shouts, "you fucked up!" repeatedly while pointing, yet if the other team does something brilliant, we all shout, "you still suck!" also, when the cheerleaders hold up signs that say "we" "want" "more", everybody says "beer!" after the 3 signs get held up. Also, before every kickoff and punt everybody holds up their keys and jingles them. it was like learning a new language!!! (which is what made it fun i think, along with the 3 beers i slammed right before it started...) anyway, i proudly wore my red, and had a lovely time.

in FL (which is a post of its own) I even watched the 3rd quarter of the game this past weekend at ESPN zone and sort of cared!

courtesy of tondar...

2007-09-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/colb/20070910.html

I think this editorial says a lot about the vick controversy that most peope aren't willing to admit. We are certainly all hypocritical in certain feelings. It can't be avoided, as there's an exception to every rule. It's great to see so many people condemming canine torture, and eating meat doesn't take away from that. However, it's true that if you really want to be consistent in your beliefs, how can you say that dogfighting/killing is wrong at the same time that you eat meat? I'd argue that it greatly matters where your meat comes from. This author seems to generalize all animal killing for meat as torture. While most of it is, and most animals used for meat live in disgusting conditions, aren't allowed to graze, are fed rendered animal fat, pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, and generally mistreated, I don't think that animals who are allowed to live naturally and who are well treated until their death should be considered "tortured" (provided their death is quick and 'humane'). I think this article goes a little far, but it's something people should look at: Is supporting the big-business unethical meat industry really any better than supporting dogfighting?

i hit a car today!

2007-09-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

because it came out of a parking garage without looking. i was irate, the girl felt really bad, my bike is ok, and other than this bruise, i'm none the worse for wear and tear. but still, holy shit!

i wanna be an ironman!

2007-09-09T22:53:00.000-07:00

So Mary and I decided to go cheer on the finishers during the last 2 hours of the race (that being up to hour 17). The winner finished in just under 9 hours! I have to say, that watching people coming in was SO inspiring! It was just so emotional...I was tearing up a little here and there seeing how happy and proud everyone was. The last one to finish (in the allotted time anyway) was a 78 yr old guy, and pretty much everybody during those hours was a normal person. Some even had beer guts. I came home and looked into registering for '08, but it's already full. Mad City Marathon, here I come!

I just think it's so awesome to see so many people who are pushing their bodies and having healthy habits. You could see their sense of accomplishment in their faces, and to me, competing against yourself, against the pain, and perhaps against all reason is so much more noble than competing against other people. (Obviously, the one's finishing within the first 10 hours were competing against each other...) I guess that these individual fitnessy sports are the ones I can get super enthusiastic about... :) Let's see your average baseball player or offensive lineman swim 2.4, bike 112, and run 26.2!

pic of the day

2007-09-09T16:02:00.001-07:00

hobbes does not like moving...

pic of the day

2007-08-22T13:06:00.001-07:00

I finally got one...had to do something reckless and irresponsible before starting grad school... :)

yum!

2007-08-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

today at work we went to Little Mexico for a little going away lunch for me. it was a nice time, with good food, and they even got me a dairy queen ice cream cake! the $100 i got will probably be blown at IKEA on the way to madison. :) i can't believe i'm leaving in 2 days!!! i'm getting uber excited...and i got the coffee shop job, which i've decided to take. *side note* said coffee shop serves only organic milk from a local dairy farm that bottles their milk in actual glass and lets their cows eat grass. it is also above a knitting store! *end of side note* i also have an interview for an office during the week only position at wisconsin public tv. so if that doesn't work out, i've always got the coffee shop.
tonight is my last yoga class. i hope that i can afford to come to desiree's workshop in GR in october...it sounds awesome. that is all. i just can't compose my thoughts into relativity at the moment...

The Stars Have Aligned

2007-08-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

I'm moving in less than a week! Everything has been pretty much packed since I came back to my parents', the truck is rented, the apt is reserved, the cats will be a pain in the ass, and the loft bed is nearly complete. Tonight, I'm having a get together at Cambridge House to say goodbye to all those who can show. In a crazy twist of fate (or something like that), Tondar will be here from TN, Aaron will be here from NYC, and Matt will be here from Salt Lake City! I'm really excited to see everyone.

I'm also feeling a little...I dunno, weird? I've left GR before, but this time it's permenant. Granted, when I went to France I bought a one way ticket. I was quite open to the idea of not coming home. But I think I knew deep down that I would. Even though I'm moving accross a Great Lake instead of an ocean this time, it somehow seems more complicated, even more unknown. Good thing I like the unknown! I can't wait to be in a new city, figuring out my way around, discovering my favorite coffee shop, my favorite park, the great restaurants that only a non-tourist can find. I've always liked exploring things on my own. Next week, all of the streets, houses, and businesses will look foreign and out of place. Soon they'll be my own, as natural seeming as the trees lining the newly discovered streets. It's so interesting how new places morph and develop in one's own mind as they become accustomed. I can still picture the train station in Paimpol as I first saw it when I arrived. It's a totally different image than the memory I have of it the last time I left.

I think that this year is going to be illuminating, interesting, different, scary, wonderful, independant, full of surprises, and hopefully full of joy. Details to come, but in the meantime, fun and drinks will be had tonight. :)

Namaste

2007-08-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

This week (actually today) is the 10th aniversary of Anusara Yoga. http://www.anusara.com/?pagerequested=about_philosophy It's the same Hatha yoga that dates back so far, but with a new system of learning and expressing the poses। In Anusara yoga, there is an emphasis on remembering where things come from, and honoring past teachers. In this spirit, I'd like to honor some teachers, yoga and otherwise, who have helped me in my journey thus far:

Dr. Copenhaver. The first time I met him, in 6th grade or so (he knew my violin teacher, and thus was chosen to accompany one of my recitals), he showed me the frogs and tadpoles in his backyard pond. When I didn't think I was good enough for GVSU's orchestra in 8th grade, he sent me an audio tape on which he talked me through the music, gave me fingerings, and played passages on the piano for my practicing use. When I started college, unsure which path to choose, he set me up with a voice teacher to help me prepare for a music school audition. He's been a part of most of my education related decisions, and his knowledge and teaching philosophy will always be something I respect and cherish.
Ellen Pool. My GVSU choral director from whom I've learned so much more than music. In watching her go through the death of her daughter, I have never seen such strength. In watching her lose 80+ pounds, continue to advance the GVSU choral department, and interact with students on a not only academic level, I have never seen such willpower, determination and commitment, and joy. Her passion for life and music will always inspire me.
Behnje Mason. My yoga teacher who introduced me to Anusara. Always emphasizing integrity above all, joy and light. May I be able to continue to learn from her during times that I revisit GR.
Miss Clement and Mr. Bretz. The two people in high school who helped me develop the two talents I've now chosen as my life academic focuses. Miss Clement, who put up with my Franglais while always making French class fun. Mr. Bretz, who gave me chances to develop my vocal skills despite my bad acting, and who was so always encouraging and positive.

नमस्ते

Greves

2005-12-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, there was a big greve. Greve is a word I have come to know well. It means strike. It doesn't function as a verb like strike does though. A strike is un greve, and to be on strike is to be en greve. You can't greve though like you can strike. This time, the teachers (not all of them) were on greve to protest a new proposition concerning substitute teachers. Now, in middle and high school a teacher can't have a substitute unless they're going to be gone for at least 2 weeks. If a teacher is gone, class is cancelled. The government wants to make it mandantory for a teacher's collegues to take their classes instead of hiring a sub. Often other teachers would be happy to take over for another, but they don't want it to be obligatory. Since half the teachers were gone, three of my seven classes were canceled. My four morning classes on Thursdays are fantastic - nice kids, who are smart, attentive and enthusiastic. Since I only take half a class at a time, the half of Gearldine's class that I was supposed to have did in fact show up, along with one from the other half who asked me if he could sit in on my class since Gearldine wasn't there! Two of the four fantastic classes didn't show. In the afternoon my last class of the day (from 430-530) was horrifying. They're fifteen, and although they don't have mean spirits, they're out of control with the disclipine, or rather lack thereof. There's only fifteen of them and a few boys in back were putting gum in each others hair, consequently cutting it out of their hair, and one of them threw a book out the window. It was really great. I needed a cocktail afterwards...

Brest

2005-12-02T04:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, get the boob jokes out of the way now...Brest is the furthest West city in France. I decided that I wanted to go somewhere by myself, so I chose Brest. There's a good aquarium there called the Oceanopolis, I was assured that there were penguins, so I figured I couldn't go wrong. It's cheap to go to Brest on the train from St Brieuc (only 15 Euros) so I left on Friday, and got into Brest around 5. Although had made reservation at the youth hostel, didn't have it's address, phone number, or specific location. Consequently decided to walk into town and explore first. Walked down Rue de Siam, the main commercial street, but everything was closed because it was a bank holiday (Armistice Day). Was starting to get tired and cold, so stopped at a hotel to ask directions. Concierge did a 'mappy' (french mapquest) search, and printed walking directions. It would take over an hour on foot. Decided that I needed the exercise anyway and set off. Like Mapquest, Mappy doesn't account for changing street names etc. By about the 2nd direction of 17, it was already not matching up. Wind up back near the train station (which was in fact in the right direction). En route towards train station, rain commences. Near train station, ask for directions again, and am given useful and accurate infomation about which bus to take, as am already drenched. Wait 20 minutes for bus 15, get on, and realize that youth hostel is actually REALLY far, and am thankful that I decided to dispense the euro ten to take the bus. From bustop, walk another quarter mile in rain and find alleged hostel. Walk in, sign in, and am showed my room. For only thirteen euros, got room with 2 sets of bunk beds, table, and sinks with mirror. Put on dry clothes, and decide to take myself out for dinner. The only restaurant nearby is amazing. Eat best scallops EVER with cajun spiced vegetables and grilled artichokes. No longer discouraged by rain, as am now warm and full. Proceed back to hostel for quiet evening of knitting, writing, and going to sleep early. Hopes of meeting other young people shot down by serious lack of guests at hostel.
Day 2
Get up early. Have far too much bread and coffee for breakfast in spirit of trying to get my money's worth. Aquarium doesn't open till 10, so check out Porte de Plaisance (recreational port). Despite complete lack of wind, people who have rented Hobie Cats and wind surfing boards for the day are paddling out into the bay in hopes of not being becalmed. Aquarium is fun. Favorite exhibits are seals and penguins. While not as cool as Monterray Bay or the Shedd, worth the ten euros. Then proceed en bus to center of town to see what's going on there. Go to the chateau (which is also the naval museum) and explore in general a bit. Around 5, decide that due to lack of anything better to do, and lack of anyone with whom to do it, will head back to hostel to shower before dinner and have another early night. En rounte to bustop, eye caught by Irish pub. Due to being cold and having time to kill, stop for a Beamish. Bartender is Irish, and about my dad's age. He's very friendly, and gets me into a conversation with the locals. They ask me about Bush, are relieved to hear that I hate him too (a sane American), and seem to have a morbid fascination with Texas. Another Irish guy, Peter, owns another Irish pub in town. Proceed to next Irish pub, and meet Declin (Irish bartender) and 3 nice Irish girls, as well as Blanca from the Czech Republic. Have nice time and good conversation. Am invited by Peter and Declin to a noontime dinner party the next day with them and some friends.
Day 3
Around noon, am met by Declin who will walk with me to aforementioned dinner party. Seems that we are in charge of collecting participants of said party from tabacs in the area where everyone's having a Sunday morning cocktail. Find out that 2 of the friends, who are hosting the dinner, are professional chefs! Finally arrive at party location, and meet the rest of the group. Declin and Peter are the only Irish lads, the rest are French. Learn much French slang and figure out that Les Brestois end every sentance with 'quoi', which means 'what' (a little bit like the way we use the word 'like') while waiting for first course. First course exquisite - smoked salmon wrapped in leeks, shaped like little gift boxes with an onion based sauce. Second course beautifully presented as well, but not eated by me, as is veal. At 5, bid them all adieu to catch train, and am offered open invitation to return whenever I'd like. Get on train to Rennes.

Oh sudoku!

2005-11-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

The day after I saw the scary movie, I saw the Brothers Grimm...much better. Anyway, for the rest of my vacation, I did much more interesting things. On a Tuesday-Wednesday, I went to St Brieuc to hang out with Chris for a few days. We made Mexican food, drank Corona, watched a movie, and watched about half a season's worth of the OC. It was really fantastic to just vege. I hadn't sat down to watch a movie since leaving the states, as I have a TV at my apartment,but there are no channels available - just snow. That Thursday, I took the bus to St. Quai/Portriuex to go to the beach, since it's a sandy one instead of rocks. I really lucked out with the weather, and actually laid out in my bathing suit despite the fact that it was the end of October!! On the 2nd Friday of vacation (I really have no concept of time here), I took the train to Nantes (BIG city a few hours away) to meet up with Chris, Elsa, and Kirstin. My train went to Rennes, and from Rennes, I was herded onto a bus to continue to Nantes. The bus was very crowded, and I was really hoping not to have to sit next to someone that would either: A - hit on me and in general not leave me alone B - have a baby sharing their seat C - smell. I took a seat next to a guy close to my age and hoped for the best...there weren't many options anyway. Once the bus left, I got out my book of Sudoku puzzles to pass the time. I looked at a new one for a second, and put a 1 in a box that already had a 1 as my first move. For anyone who does sudoku, that is a very stupid thing to do. As it turns out, this guy was looking over my shoulder, and as soon as I wrote it, he started laughing! I made some lame excuse about having something in my eye, and proceeded on. However, it's really hard to concentrate on a sudoku if you have someone watching your every move, and presumable thinking to himself how slow you are at it, and how you have no stratedy whatsoever, and how he could've finished the whole thing a long time ago. Consequently, I was even worse at the puzzle than usual. After a little while, I got stuck, so I asked him if he had any suggestions. He said yes, and proceeded to help me with the remaining numbers. As it turned out, he was actually really genuinely nice, and we did sudokus together until our eyes started screwing up, and then just talked awhile. Olivier was in the marines, and worked in Brest, but lived near La Rochelle, so he had a long train ride every weekend to get home. We had a very pleasant conversation, that never did deteriorate into him asking for my number and assuring me that he wants to marry an American as so many conversations with French men do. It was certainly a bit nerdy, but I guess it goes to show that people who do sudoku aren't sleezeballs.

Any takers?

2005-11-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

This boat is for sale. If anyone is willing to sell their possesions, quit their job/school, move to France, and buy it, I would be more than willing to be your full time translator/cook. Send inquires to comments section.

Seems a little self explanatory...

2005-11-05T07:11:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite road sign. Ever.

I can move to a foreign country alone, but heaven help me if I see a scary movie

2005-11-05T06:56:00.000-08:00

Well, after all of the hard work I've had to do teaching, I was really ready for the the vaccances de Toussaint. We had 2 weeks off at the end of October through the first few days of November. Anita left straight away on a trip to Lyon with some of her friends, so I had the place to myself for awhile. During my first week of vacation, I went on a few bike rides (magnificent pics on my yahoo page), and spent an evening with Geraldine watching Monty Python sketches and drinking tea (she's an English geek the way I'm a French geek), knit a scarf, became addicted to Sudoku, and took myself on a few dates. One evening, I decided to go out to dinner and a movie toute seule. I sometimes frequent movies alone back home too, so this wasn't too out of the ordinary. The movie that was playing was Entre ses Mains, which means Between his Hands. The summary I read of it made it seem like a bit of a dark comedy. Well, it turns out, it was definately a horror film. The main character falls in love with a veterinarian who seems a little eccentric. Gradually she connects that this same veterinarian is the serial killer that has been in the news as of late. He kills women by slitting their throats with a scalpal after going home with them after going to a nightclub. This was not what I had in mind. When the film was over, I had to walk 15 or 20 minutes home by myself, and it was dark, and misting, and nobody goes anywhere at night in Paimpol, so all I could hear was my own boots clicking on the sidewalk, and I had to walk past a cemetary, as well as many bushes which were probably hiding homicidal veterinarians. When I got back to the apt, I turned on all the lights, locked the doors, and called my mom. Dinner was good.

Brehat encore

2005-11-05T06:47:00.000-08:00

A week and a half after my orientation, Chris, Elsa, and Kirstin came to Paimpol for the weekend to visit. Anita ( my roomate) and I have a mansion of an apartment compared to most assistants, as we have an extra bedroom as well as a pull out couch. The first evening, we ate at my favorite creperie, Creperie Morel, and didn't stay up too late in order to facilitate getting up early the next day to go to l'Ile de Brehat again. We brought a picnic of bread, butter, cheese, wine, chocolate, and hummous, and it was sunny again, as well as unseasonably warm. Chris and I climbed one of the big rock formations, and were a good 100 feet in the air hanging our feet off the side. It was truly magnificent. That evening, I had my most successful dinner party to date. I made lasagna and garlic bread, with guacamole as an appetizer, as well as numerous aperitifs from our continuously growing bar. After dinner, we went into town to see if there was anybody at the few bars. We went to one called the Pub, and it was not terribly exciting, but there was an old man who wanted to waltz with all of us girls. I faked a sprained ankle and limped out of the bar to show Chris to an ATM and let the girls get rid of him. Elsa told him we were all lawyers working for the European union, and by the time I got back, the aforementioned old man was terribly confused, and we decided to leave. We spent Sunday lazing around and doing lesson plans.

Those crazy French - always on strike

2005-11-05T06:28:00.000-08:00

On October 5, I had an orientation meeting in St Brieuc (pronounced sant bree-yuh), which is a bigger town about 45 minutes from here. On October 4, there was a big protest in the same town, and Geraldine, the teacher with whom I work the most often, invited me to go with her, since I seemed like the type who would appreciated a good uprising now and again. The general idea of the demonstration (manifestation) was that the people were asking the government to quit worrying about making money, and worry about the citizens themselves. In other words, they don't want the government to start taking away social services in general. There were quite a few teachers from Lycee Kerraoul there, and they all got a kick out of it that the Americaine wanted to come along. The demonstration itself lasted a few hours. After everybody gathered in the main square, we all marched through the streets of most of the city. Some were holding signs, some were chanting, but all was calm. The general esprit was very calm and organized. I had lunch with a few teachers, and then I stayed in St Brieuc since my orientation was there the next morning anyway. I had already sent an email to one of the English assistants in St Brieuc, Kirstin (also from MI), so I had a place to stay. That night I met Kirstin, Elsa (British), and Chris (also British), and we all became fast friends. I was told that at the Edinburg(where Chris goes to school) zoo, once a day they let the penguins out to walk around!!! Edinburg is now on my travel list!

Ah yes, I will in fact become the crazy cat lady

2005-11-05T06:11:00.000-08:00

Well, at school my blog seems to be blocked. They have all these restrictions to what the students can look at, so anything with blog in the title is filtered out. Consequently, I have to go to an internet cafe in order to work on it all. In the last month, I've really become accustomed to life in Paimpol. For the most part, I feel like a local. If I'm walking through town, and pass a cafe where people are sitting outside, it's nearly inevitable that someone I know sees me and says hello. I've never lived in a town quite as small as this, but in general I like it. One of the first few weekends I was here, my neighbor, Patricia (who also works at the high school) invited me to l'Ile de Brehat with her and her husband and 2 other parent aged couples. L'ile de Brehat is an island about 5 miles from Paimpol that is comparable to Macinac Island. It's not quite as touristy, but there's a little town area, and then you can hike around the island. We hiked out to a lighthouse, where they recounted the following legend: Beneath the lighthouse, there is a giant rock shaped a little bit like a heart. Young unmarried women must throw a small rock down at said big rock, and the number of times it bounces before falling into the sea (or onto another rock) is the number of years before the young women in question gets married. I tried my best to avoid the whole thing, but they all insisted that it would be fun, and talked me into picking out a rock to throw. Much to the dismay of my eager crowd, the rock I threw smashed into a million pieces upon landing on the heart shaped one. Much laughter ensued as to the possible connotations of such a bad omen, and they made me throw another one, which only bounced once. (but probably only the first one counted) Anyway, it was a beautiful day, and we walked for most of the day. All in all, a wonderful day trip. There are pictures on my yahoo photo album.

2005-09-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm now bien-installée in my apartment in Paimpol, and everything seems to be working out fine so far. Yesterday I rode my bike to the small church pictured in the previous blog entry, which is 4 or 5 miles from Paimpol. The weather so far has been very mild, although it can go from sunny to cloudy with possibility of rain in an instant. I have yet to take any pics, but once I do I will develop them onto a CD and post some here. (it might be a few weeks) In the meantime, here are a few pics from my going away party. Ok. Im not exactly sure how to get pics to be posted after what I write, but there you go.
The French is going well also, although if all of the teachers are talking at once, I understand nearly nothing. At lunch the other day, I knew they were all discussing/arguing about organic foods, but I couldn't catch everything. (side note. when talking about organic foods etc, if you want to say something about perservatives, dont use franglais and just say preservaties with a French accent. In French, preservatif means condom, while conservateur means preservative).
In the airport after retrieving my effects, I took a bus instead of the metro to the train station, and all went smoothly, although all of the Parisians were looking at me curiously. None of them scoffed, they just seemend confused and astonished at the sheer magnitude of what I was carrying. (bike box with bag strapped to it plus a backpack). Anyway, thats all for now. Hopefully pics are soon to follow. I should be able to check my email nearly daily, so feel free to comment here or email me directly. A tout a l'heure!

2005-09-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

So, even though I have another blog, my livejournal account seems to be reserved for when I want to rant, so this is going to be my official "look at what callista's up to in france" blog. I leave 2 weeks from tomorrow, but I don't feel like any of it's real yet. I have my paperwork, plane ticket, and a new Timbuck2 bikebag, but it has yet to hit me that I'm moving to a different country. The town I'm going to is called Paimpol, and has about 8000 people. It's right on the Atlantic coast, and is up near Brest. Here are some pics: