Striking in France

I have a love/hate relationship with la grève.



She's a new and old friend; she's new in that I don't know her very well -- and old that I know her all too well.
She gives by taking.
She gives me time by taking away work.

During the gracious moments when she is around,
I find myself walking along the corniche.

Watching fisherman as they are unaffected by her presence.



Or mothers watching their toddler's steps closely.



And gypsies as they sell their resonant souls on the street.

I'm very bad at this

I have long neglected this blog much like I neglected those delicious looking $7 blackberry pints at the farmer's market last week. Except times that by 30 or something. And minus the 'delicious looking' part (although I do really like the green squares on top!)

I've recently accepted a teaching assistant position in Nice, France. It's going to be super rough living on the French Riviera, between the sea and the Alps, but I plan to document all of the hardships on this blog.

So, don't touch that dial!

An Open Letter

Dear [□ Sir / □ Madam / □ Representative / □ Journalist / □ Idiot],

I know you believe you know a great deal about

[□ linguistics / □ children's literature / □ law / □ psychology / □ other (please specify)]

simply because you

[□ use language / □ read Harry Potter and Goodnight Moon / □ watch Law & Order / □ have a mind],

or because you've read a newspaper article about

[□ the lack of numbers in Pirahã / □ Dumbledore being gay / □ some Supreme Court decision / □ Prozac].

But please understand that the issues in this field are far more complicated than you realize. For instance, the field isn't all about

[□ proper grammar / □ writing children's books / □ litigation / □ schizophrenia];

those of us practicing in the field spend much of our time reading articles, synthesizing facts, and seeking a deeper understanding of [□ language / □ literature / □ law / □ the mind]. I'm not saying that you can't have an opinion until you've

[□ understood an article by Chomsky / □ read every Caldecott and Newbery Medal winner / □ argued a case before the Supreme Court / □ spent three years running rodents through mazes]

—in fact, most of the people in our field have never done that. But we'd appreciate it if you either consult an expert, or educate yourself a little more by

[□ taking a course or two / □ taking a course or two / □ taking a course or two / □ taking a course or two]

so that you have a basic understanding of what's going on in the field, before you confidently proclaim

[□ English should be the official language of the United States / □ some word or phrase that's been around for hundreds of years is a clear sign that English has changed for the worse in the last five years / □ English is at all special / □ Dumbledore is gay / □ J.K. Rowling is daring and innovative / □ children's books are simplistic / □ someone on trial is clearly innocent or guilty / □ some law would clearly heal or harm the country / □ the candidate's plan is unworkable / □ the mind works in a certain way / □ Prozac is the answer / □ Prozac is not the answer / □ anything else, really].

Thank you for your time. See you in [□ class / □ the library / □ court / □ therapy / □ Hell].

Yours,
[□ __________(your name here)__________]

http://cqs.livejournal.com/40687.html

I’m going to preface this blog with, “I am not a very good writer,” but this might translate into self-loathing.

So far, my life (made up of twenty-two years) has been a not-too-complex variety of sojourns trying to find myself through different forms of identity. I seem to find more and more about myself seven years ago. So this blog might get interesting in seven years, but I'm not promising anything.

I used to describe blogging as selfish, but keeping to oneself and not sharing is also selfish. In a way, this blog is an experiment to see how selfish / not-selfish this can get. Its also a way for me to write. And have readers (Thanks in advance!).

Welcome, please share your thoughts and brioche recipes.