Gladiateurs de la petanque

Overall I have been very busy, but not too much to write about.  I'm just trying to find enough hours in the day to attend my French classes and go to the lab.  As a result there isn't much time for anything else, other than a quick trip to the Monoprix down the rue to pick up some groceries.  I haven't even been able to make time to get back to that cool climbing gym that I saw on the weekend.  I'm afraid all extracurricular activities will have to wait until my classes finish at the end of the month.  I do hope to get out to see a sight or two this weekend; le tour Eiffel, at least, as I promised the kids that I post some pictures of it this weekend.  Until then here is a picture taken from my chair looking out my office window toward Les Jardin des Plantes.

This was taken on the one rainy day of the week, so no blue skies.  Other than that day the weather's been really nice.

It wasn't all work and confusion (i.e., struggling through French classes), however.  I did manage to get out yesterday when I was invited to play petanque, better known as bowles or bocce to anyone likely to read this.  I hadn't actually played in 25 years and had forgotten how much fun it is, and a bit surprised at how it can be so fun for such a simple game.  But what's not to like about standing out in a beautiful setting, drink of choice in one hand and ball in the other all while surrounded by 50+ other people doing the same thing and obviously having as a good a time at it as you.  The best part is it doesn't even matter if you're any good; in fact it might even be more fun if you're not.  It certainly is more funny.

Last night's petanque battles were held in the Lutece Arena, an ancient Roman arena in the center of Paris, which also just happens to be a stone's throw from my lab/office.  Amazingly, in all the times I've been in Paris I had never been here.  It's easy to miss, but a nice place to check out if you're interested in history.  It's quite humbling to stand in the center of a place like that and see the pieces of history that surround you from ancient times to the present.  Makes you realize just how short a time you are here.  Here are a few photos to give you an idea.

The entry to the arena. 

Walking in I'll admit to being a bit nervous; no, not for the battles that were about to take place, but for putting myself in a situation where I would actually have to use some of my pitiful French.  For better or worse that was minimized, as the Frenchies that I was with - from the medical imaging lab where I worked several years ago - are all English speakers.  Some aren't even French, so most conversations came back to English in the end, if they didn't start there to begin with.

This is the inside of the arena where we were gathering.  I was a bit early, so it looks emptier than it actually was.  Above it looks like maybe 3 games going on, in the end there was probably at least 10 - 12.  Below is an "action" shot .... ooo, now doesn't it look exciting?

I survived my first battles of the wild game of petanque, winning 3 of 4 matches (or at least being on the winning team) with the 4th being called due to the park closing (though to be fair we were losing).

On one of the other nights of the week I passed the Paris Plage (i.e., the artificial beach they put on the banks of the Seine in the summer).  I took a couple pictures there too.  Here is one looking from one of the ponts (bridges).

As part of Paris Plage, they also put beach volley ball in front of the Hotel de Ville (city hall).

And yes, hordes of people really do come to sit out on the "beach" at these places, dressed as if they really were at a beach and no one looks at them strange for it ... except maybe me.  It all seems a tad contrived, but they seem to enjoy it so who am I to judge.

One more pic, mainly for Kay.  On my way past the beaches I went by Notre Dame and saw the hideous monstrosity they have put up there for the 850th (yeah, 850th) anniversary of the cathedral.  It's pretty appalling, but I guess it serves a purpose (other than obstructing the view).  It is a grand stand so they can seat people in front for concerts and other performances.  Still ugly though.

That's it for now.  A+

Sand and Starfish

On Sunday we took the short windy drive to the west coast, from Hamilton, about 50 minutes.

We went to the Raglan Surf club to get sand between our toes.  It is winter here, but very mild temperatures compared to what we are used to, ( in winter that is, we had just come from summer).

Mt Karioi

Tide is out.  This is the Tasman sea.  On a clear day you can see Australia.  Well, no you can't, but that is the general direction.

This Starfish is about the size of a dinner plate!  Now I need to look up what the difference between a starfish and a sea star is!

 Coscinasterias calamaria, 11 Armed Sea Star

We saw half a dozen of them.

Video Upload Test: Saturday's Cross Country

At Minogue Park, Hamilton, New Zealand.  August 3, 2013.

Charlotte up the last hill before the finish

Delaney almost to halfway. 

 I told her to try to bend her elbows next time she is running, to see how she likes it ;)

Jacques in the box

Had a lazy weekend, especially today. 

I did manage to return to gare de Lyon to get my pass navigo which was an important accomplishment as it is the key to me being mobile beyond my immediate neighborhood.  For just 65€ I can now ride the metro and RER (commuter trains) anywhere inside the peripherique (zone 1) and the nearest areas outside (zone 2) for an entire month.  On the weekends I can go out all the way to zone 5 which encompasses Versaille and maybe even Fontainebleu (I have to check on that last one), which is pretty much anywhere you'd want to go for a daily excursion out of Paris.  I can also ride all of the buses and the velibs.  Velibs are communal bikes that are stationed all around Paris - velib stands for velo libre in French or bike free (as in freedom or liberty, not free as in beer) in English.  I'm interested to try those but wasn't feeling up to it today.

Most of my weekend was spent just ambling about in my neighborhood with a few excursions on the metro to get a bit further.  I've posted some pictures of things that I saw.  I'm pretty terrible with a camera as I usually forget that I even have one (it's just my phone, btw) so there are just a few pics.  In order below they are: 1) the monument at Bastille, 2) the statue at Place de la Republique, 3) looking down Blvd. Voltaire from Republique back toward my apt., and 4) a climbing gym that I visited in Pantin.

The gym was awesome and I expect I will be getting a membership there soon.  Being alone here in Paris can be pretty - well, lonely - so I'm gonna need to keep myself busy.  With work, learning French (classes begin Monday) and joining a climbing gym again (for the first time in 10 years) I might be able to stave off the worst effects of the lonliness.  Plus a gym might provide a good means of practicing my French that I'll be learning.

Well, since I didn't do much this weekend there isn't much more ro say.  Looking forward ro skypeing the family tomorrow.

A+ (btw, that is short for A plus, which is essentially "see you later" in French

Oh, I almost forgot about the title of my post "Jacques in the box."  This is undoubtedly pretty stupid to most of you, and it was to me too, but srill entertaining to see.  While I was strolling around Bastille today I happened upon a box.  Thankfully I was on the other side of the street, but a couple near me was not so lucky.  Just as they approached the box in front of me a boy jumped out and  said "boo" (apparently "boo" is a universal thing to yell when trying to scare someone.)  The woman promptly let a short high pitched scream escape her lips as she crawled up the arm of her companion.   Her partner (boyfriend I presume) was obviously taken a back as well and practically jumped through the door of the shop that they were passing.  Perhaps that was the point, i.e., to scare business into the shop. I'm not sure what the point was, or if there even was a point, but it was funny enough for me to hang out to watch a few more couples jump.  I wish I would've remeber that I had a camera in my pocket.  I'll probably never get that opportunity again.  Oh well, it was funny to have seen it regardless.

A+ (for real this time)

One long day

No real point to this post other than documentation.  Continue reading at high risk of boredom.

I had a long day yesterday.  Technically it was two days, I suppose.  It all started shortly after midnight in the earliest of hours of Aug. 1st.  I had gone to bed early the night before (8:30pm) in an attempt to prepare for the 8 hour time shift I was about to undergo.  When I was wide awake 4 hours later, staring at the ceiling of my hotel room, I decided that it was already getting to be late morning in Paris and that I might as well get up.  So I did, not that there was anything to do other than watch a bit of news and check facebook, but at least I'd be adjusting to my new timezone (albeit that I hadn't actually left my old one). -- hours awake, 2

A few hours later I found myself seated on the plane looking out at the approaching storm (see picture below) and questioning my decision to have gotten up 6 hours earlier.  I was tired and hadn't even left ABQ yet.  It was shaping up to be a long day. -- hours awake, 6

A few hours and a movie later had me in Atlanta.  The ATL airport is a mixed bag.  Depending upon which terminal you are in you may love it or hate it.  If you're hating it hop on the "plane train" (their name not mine) and skip on over to terminal F or E.  The food options are better and it's much less chaotic than some of the others.  A friend of mine keeps telling me to go for a basil julep, but everytime I walk by "One Flew South" I just can't get myself to go in and end up at the burrito place instead.  A few hours and another movie later I was leaving the frosty terminal E and enroute to Paris, finally.  -- hours awake, 13.

At this point I did my jetlag minimizing trick of taking a sleeping pill and hoping that I'd end this day and start the next waking up in Paris.  I don't think this trick has ever worked 100%, but I did get 4 hours "sleep" (if you can call it that when crammed into an economy plane seat) before being awoken by repeated and vigorous tapping on the back of my seat.  A stern look at the french teenage girl who was the culprit did absolutely nothing to lessen either the frequency or vigor with which she was apparently trying to penetrate the seat back until she could actually tap my head directly.  She was completely engrossed in her task, and as I looked around the plane I saw that she wasn't alone.  Several others around me were doing the same thing which I then realized was part of playing a video game on these large new touch screens embedded into each head rest.  The question immediately came into my mind as to who the complete moron was who decided to provide their customers with games, which require insessant tapping, that are effectively attached to the heads of their other customers.  The answer, of course, is some "brilliant" airline manager who makes far more money than I do and never has to fly coach to experience the wonderful situation he (or she, let's be fair) has subjected others to.  If I believed in hell I would have to think that there would be a special place in it for people who makes these types of thoughtless decisions. -- hours awake 13, asleep 4.

Clearly no amount of glaring was going to remedy my situation so I took the opportunity to get up and stretch my legs.  After the screen thumper was sufficiently satisfied that the screen surface would continue to resist her attempts fo penetrate it, either that or her finger was finally too sore to continue the repeated drumming, I returned to my seat.  Unfortunately I was wide awake again and so turned to the entertainment system my rearward young friend was so entranced by.  I avoided the desire to pass my displeasure forward to the man in front of me and instead chose a movie and then another, before finally touching down at CDG. -- hours awake 18, asleep 4

I was surpisingly alert for my sleep to awake ratio and enthusiastically sought out the opera bus to take me into town.  Having been to Paris many times I can say that this is the best means of getting to the center.  Far cheaper than a taxi and less crowded than the train, plus you get to see the city as you're riding.   After my bus ride and a short trip on the metro, I grabbed une petite noissette from a local brasserie and waited (and waited and waited) for my landlords to let me in to my new apt. -- hours awake 25, asleep 4

A few hours later I was checked in and seated in front of my tablet skypeing the family in NZ.  It was pretty hard to stay focused and I didn't have much energy to talk but I was very happy to see them.  Made me lonely, though, and aware of just how long this is going to be.  Rather than sulk, I immediately headed out the door to explore the neighborhood (see pictures), take care of a little business and get a bite to eat.  After succesfully activating my phone on a French SIM, visiting the lab, eating a shawarma, and being turned away on my attempt to buy a pass navigo, I was starting to wain and headed back to my apt. -- hours awake 32, asleep 4.

The rest of the day was spent trying to stay awake (it was only 4pm local time) in order to go to bed at a reasonable french hour.  I failed immediately, I realized, as I awoke to my lab blackberry ringing as Carene and Jim called to check in on me.  It was 5 pm and I was slumped on the couch, tablet in hand in the same position I had been in an hour before with no recollection of the last hour.  I realized I couldn't stay seated and headed out the door again.  I could go through the rest of my day but suffice it to say I had one more 30 min nap (equally unintentional as the previous one) and eventually met my friend Sylvain for drinks shortly after 9pm.  Five hours later I was home and 30 min. after that (2:30 am) I was asleep - at last. -- hours awake 41, asleep 5.5

Like I said, one long day (technically almost 2).  Got up at 9:30 am today and am still feeling a bit sluggish at noon.  I should probably get out of the house soon, and if you read this entire post you should get out too.  Perhaps I'll have more success getting my pass navigo today.  What will you do?

Fun Run at New Zealand Cross Country Champs

On Friday I helped out my former Harriers club, the Hamilton City Hawks, set up the course for the New Zealand Cross Country Champs at Minougue Park.  It is a grassy 2k loop, first 1k flat, 2nd K rolling with 3 good hills.  It has the potential to be a muddy bog if there is any rain, which was forecast for all day Saturday.

However we woke up to clear blue skies! So I asked Charlotte  if she would like to do the kids 2k fun run? 2k is approximately 1and1/4 miles.  Of course she always wants to jump in a race opportunity these days, and Delaney wanted to do it too.  I was hesitant to let Delaney do it, she didn't do daily run-and-walk all year at school like Charlotte's grade did, it could end up being a long walk by herself.  But there was a 45 minute limit, so I thought she could manage that, and really, there is no arguing with Delaney once she has her mind set on doing something.

The fun run had a very small field, a mix of the under 12 kids doing one lap and older kids and adults doing 2 laps (4k/2.5 miles) or 3 laps (6k/3.75miles).  Perhaps 30 or 40 people altogether on the start line.  I think the kids got a kick out of running on a loop fully roped and flagged on both sides, it looks very official, and the finish line is set up for Nationals, it definitely looks like a important race!

They had a blast!  It appears they took off too fast in the first 200m straight, but even I am still learning not to do this, lol.  But they both managed to run strong for the entire 2k.  So I was happy and surprised for Delaney, and Charlotte seems to be learning her own pace well.

Results aren't posted until Tuesday

I went back in the afternoon to watch are very exciting race in the Women's New Zealand National Championship 8k.

1st Nicki Hamblin

2nd Annika Pfitzinger. (Daughter of Pete and Chrissy Pfitzinger, both Olympians. Pete used to have a monthly column in Running Times)

3rd Holly vanDalen. (Stony Brook U, NY, All-American)

Journeys Through the Centre of the Earth

The title for the blog, that TJ came up with, reminded me of something I recall 'learning' in High School Physics.

I think it is somewhat common trivial-knowledge in New Zealand, that  if you drill through the center of the Earth, you would come out - half a world away - in Spain.  

For whatever reason, we were discussing this form of subterrainian transportation in our Physics class, and our teacher pretty much said it was not possible!  According to him, just as you would be ready to grab the edge of the crust in Spain, you would lose all momentum and start accelerating back toward the Earth's core once more, and there you would remain in perpetual motion.  And that is the extent of what I remember from this Physics lesson, approximately 24 or 25 years ago.

And that was also toward the end of any Physics courses I was required to do for the rest of my life.

And now I am married to a Physicist, who can probably clear the whole thing up!  

So what is the Physics?  IMPORTANT:  You will be graded on you brevity.