france*

Suck Mountain

2006-10-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

That's its name, but its really a fantastic farm in the mountains of Virginia, oat en gud ol.. Beedfeerd Canty, and the house is in a delightful spot that is just amazing.

I went with Rex and his family to Wendy's for the Apple Festival. Which is really just a little county get together, but really great because it gives off real Amurican flava. Among the booths were the and ..Aunt Pat..s Homemade Apple Butter.. and my favorite ....Say Yes to Marriage!.. where if you wore their bright yellow sticker and said yeehaw for the straight people and damned the rest, you got a piece of coconut cake. FUN! Next, lots o.. apples!

And there were scary clowns, but I don..t care to discuss that much. I was easily distracted with the rockin' banjo music and the scenery was beautiful in its perfect autumnal glory.

Back at the ranch, Rex Jr. and Rex Sr. schooled me in the art of big machinary, and I went four wheeling around the farm and on the mountain side. I was looooovin.. it!

There was this giant rock thing on the mountain that Tour Guide Rex Sr. showed us to.

I met some cows.

For dinner, we roasted Cornish hens, sweet corn, veggies from Wendy..s garden, Rex made some kind of crazy salsa dip (almost like fireside fondue), and s..mores, oh, and lots of wine.

I love bonfires.

I saw shooting stars. Freakin.. tons of ..em falling from the sky all night long. Apparently, it was my Indian brothers that guided my eyes, because no one else saw as many as me. But we all saw the chickens, and ate their yummy eggs for breakfast.

Good times, it was really a fantastic relaxing weekend in the country. And it was definitly worth my twenty hours spent getting there and back, but that's another story.

the Show-Me state

2006-09-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

Oops, I just deleted the blog I wrote. Argggg. Shiz. Poopoo. This one won't be nearly as entertainingly or clever, I'm just warning you if you decide to continue reading.

***
Last night I went to go see my favorite band ever, the Mountain Goats, with Shyla, her Eric, and D Blouse. This marked the third time that I've seen tMG perform, and I gotta say, fun show, but I was definitly a little disappointed because...
1.)As many of you may know, I am a hopeless fan of the hairy. The bassist, Peter Hughes long sported an awful moustache, one that was unsuited for his face, and I'm sure on its own looked a little funny. Nonetheless, seeing such public displays of hair is always a highlight for me, and well, it's no longer with us. Yeah, Peter shaved that puppy right off with no remorse and with the applause of many family, friends, and fans. I do not support this; I told him so. Peter informed me that I was only the second to sincerely express my disappointed at his naked face. Now, after careful calulation, I think it takes approximatly four people to pressure someone into facial hair, once I gather supporters, I'm starting the revolution.
2.) Screaming No Children along with a crowd of other people while flipping off the whole audience wasn't quite as remarkable and liberating as I thought it would be. After two shows at the Black Cat, John D has never played No Children, which was definitly everyone's favorite from Tallahassee, about three albums back. After hearing stories, seeing YouTube performance clips, and listening to bootlegs of concerts, obvisously, this was a performance tradition that i had been, rather bitterly, missing out on. Maybe it was everyone screaming the request for the song as soon as tMG took stage, but well, it just wasn't as awesome as I felt promised to me. Blah.

Now for the good ones, because those happen too.
1.) I had coffee icecream and browies a la mode, which is always delightful, especially in good company.
2.) I saw/re-met the little brother of one of my high school chums rather randomly. I always enjoyig running into people that I really don't think about much, but always happy to see if I happen to see them.
3.) There was a disgustinly drunk couple in front us who offered us their garbled voices and pantomine expressions for all things the Sunset Tree. It was really hilarious, if not annoying. I appreciated their oblivion.
4.) Shyla was so good as to share some really kick ass tracks of tMG which I had never heard before. Plus her Eric does a superb impression of John D's voice and facial styling. It is dramatic and entertaining. Then the music choice of the evening led to German regagaetone and pirate songs, both hilarious and frighteningly catchy. I'm diggin' it so more after having ripped the jams.

So I have more concerts to go to! There could be more, for there are a many a good shows coming through DC. But I am allowing myself just a few treats, otherwise my closet will be fat with graphic tees.

1.) Up next is Ratatat, whom I really had a friggin blast watching and dancing to a couple years ago, and nowI will enjoy in the company of D Blouse.
2.) Then a whole Virginian possie is coming up for the Decemberists, which I'm sure is gonna terrific and I'm getting excited for company and seeing people I haven't seen for a long while.
3.) After that is Grizzly Bear with TV on the Radio, that's my solo stunt for now. I'm really excited about Grizzly Bear, they have these very endearing DIY "Concert Emporter" videoes on YouTube. Their music isn't only fun, but they are adorable, and the settings take place in Parisian streets and tiny apartments that make me say, "God yes! I was there! I want to be there again! AAAAh, I'm in America!!!! So I'm slightly invested.
4.) Finally, the big highlight for me will be Joanna Newsom in November just before my t-giving break; Rex is coming up--hopefully without Everclear--we'll have good times. Jojo Nunu is an elf, and I think she is magic, I'm hoping she'll turn into a pumpkin or a mouse while on stage. I'm fully expecting this.

So! Come on over to DC and have more fun with me. I need excuses to procastinate on my work, and anyone/thing is a good 'nough reason for me.

G-mere

2006-06-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Last night, after an amazing home cooked Italian dinner, Grand-mere has something to share with her family...

"I'm sure you all have been wondering what I have in my big ol' tote bag here, and I won't keep you in suspense any longer."

Although we all might have been wondering what was indeed there, none of really needed to know. Last time she pulled out refridgerator magnets from Pizza Hut and expected a big reception, this is typical Grand-mere.

"Well, here I have a baaaaaby blue bathrobe to match my beautiful blue eyes!" She squeals with delight at her own compliment, and bats her non-existant eyelashes to show off her sapphire irises. "My darling daughter Cecile bought it for me for Christmas!" Aunt Cis nods and smiles to receive her credit.

"Now, here I have a fanel night gown with a BLUE floral print, which just so happens to match my beautiful BLooooou eyes, which was a gift from my wonderful first born daughter Stella." Although Aunt Stella is not there, she is granted a raising of glasses as to bestow credit while Grandmere picks up the cuff of the gown to show off its lace trim.

"Now, finally I have a pair of little booties, which are also blue, tat TAT tat! These were part of a gift from my ninth little kiddy, Vickie Doodle!" She swings the esemble around her body so we can admire how nicely she paired everything together and my mother smiles receiving her credit. We smile and wait for the rest of the story, because with Granmere, there is ALWAYS more.

"So, since I'm going back to my house tonight, ya'll know I'm not sleeping here in this. Non, non! Can you guess what this is for?!" She points a little crooked pinkie finger at my Aunt Cis, who was looking quite amused, "Cissy, you look like you guessed! What is it!?!"

"It's your funeral outfit, Ma."

Grandmere squeals with delight that someone deduced her scheme. "Yes, when my time comes I want to laid out in this. Nothing fancy. Just stick me in a pine box and shut the lid, thank you!" She hands the outfit over to Aunt Cecile, who displays in on the door jam. "You may wash if you like before my burial."

"Hey, Grand-mere," I ask, "Do you want to wear a bra in your box?"

"Oh Goooooooood no, honey, do you think I'm crazy?"

The answer would be yes, but this is G-mere, and she has a walking cane with a red cardinal on the handle, she steals my cousin's boxer briefs for herself, she keeps a thousand bucks in a gold-toe sock in her pantry, and she speaks Quebecquois. I don't mess with that.

This morning my Aunt Cis discovered a bottle of champagne that SHOULD have been opened last night, but Grandmere needed to be cut off, so it remained chilling. Not wanting to waste another second, my mother suggested mimosas, which we all promptly started and finished by seven thirty before it was time for coffee and wished Grandmere a long life.

This is my family, good times.

Crazy, horse! Paris, France!

2006-05-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so even if only me and Eric know that song, it's okay, because that's what I sing to myself when I'm walking around this city.

I only have good news to share about the rest of my spring vk--as my fam likes to call "vacation", not to be mistaken for a common English expression, which I thought it was until about a month ago.

Rex and I got to enjoy the wonderful company of Albert, who was pretty fantastic. I really appreciate that even though I've had pretty spotty communication with him and haven't seen him for two years, we still get to be friends and just pick up wherever it was we left off. Abi gets credit for being a perfect host and knowledgeable tour guide, plus! he gives great hugs and has blue eyes, both of these things I'd forgotten... Ah, nostalgia. sniff sniff...

We also made an unexpected stop in Brussels. The waffles were wonderful, it was like hot, pressed cake. Mmm. And we had Belgium fries with American Sauce. There is a reward for anyone that can tell me what American sauce is. I've had it twice, and it doesn't taste like anything American I know.

So, now I'm back in Paris for the month of June. Eric and I tried to escape to Dublin for a long romantic weekend of beer and James Joyce, but we missed buses, trains, and planes in our efforts to make it out of Paris, so we stayed. And really, Paris isn't that bad of a concession...

Other bits:

MY PARENTS ARE GRADUATING COLLEGE! Yes, after years of school work, begging grades, and poking patients the Hineys will be kalwedge grads. I'm extremely delighted and proud of them. I'm real sad I'm gonna miss the party. If you know my family, we celebrate the right way: good food, desserts and wine.

I meet the adopted son of the family that Grandmere stayed with in Nantes twelve years ago. I spoke my worst French, and in return Maximilian bought lunch; merci pour un bon rendez-vous that was only minorly awkward.

I bought my return ticket back to Norfolk. I'm arriving with Rex on the 19th of June, right about mid-night. I expect the party truck to be awaiting our arrival, or at least a comfy bed to crash in after the 12 hours of travel from Greece.

Right, Greece! I'm going! After my courses end on the last of May, I'm headed out to the south of France where I'll hopefully find lavender fields and nude beaches, probably not together. Then I'll make my way through Italy, I'm going for the food and the greasy men, which accounts for .25 of my heritage! Then I'll ferry across into Greece, where I'll stay with a delightful host and find strappy sandals with Rex. Hej hej, we all have our reasons for travel.

I have lots of touristy and candid pictures up on my photobucket.com site. Search my username: continuetojam or continuetojam2

So as we can all see, it's been a real rough semester, so I need a break: I'm taking my baguette and wine down to the Seine for an afternoon of cliche Paris springtime. Ciao!

Spring VaCa

2006-04-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Things to know about Poland and its people
They like their Jesus.
They are not very friendly nor happy.
It's Eastern Europe dirt cheap class all the way.

ie:
Warsaw on Easter Monday is closed. Nothing is open. All I wanted to do was go to the Russian Market, stroll around in the Vodka distillery, and eat perogies from the monks. Instead, Rex and I saw bears. Which was really cool, but we were really just thrilled to see something manifest off our to-do list rather than another locked door. Whatever Europe.

In better news, some equivalent of a redneck Pollock thought it would great to share her dirty wash water with the people on the street. I received a hefty portion on my head. When Rex and I stopped to look up at the apartment building to see who had sloshed us, the couple just yelled something in Polish, and if you didn´t know, I do not speak a word of Polish, so I couldnt even honor them with an onslaught creative cursing. But I am dry now, so its okay, and now it´s just kinda funny.

In better better news, the euro is worth four times as much as Polish currency, so Warsaw is cheap, even after Berlin it is still real cheap. Rex and I are going to take avantage of the circumstances and head back to the Russian Market tomorrow, and try a few Humana store or two--which is the same second hand shop chain we scored a lot of good stuff in Berlin. It´s a good thing we are going too, today my hostel locker tried to eat my shirt, but only got away with snagging and ripping my sleeve, so I need a new one.

The most exciting news of it all, I uploaded a nice chunk of photos for everyone to admire. Go to photobucket.com and search my sn continuetojam2 for the the most recent.
ººº
Tomorrow afternoon will hopefully see us off to Munich were we will enjoy oversized (Rex size) liters of beer and the hospitality of a German family (thanks Juliette, you get credit!) I say hopefully because this trip has only been snaffu after snaffoo as far as leaving and getting to places. Eurolines Mid-Season Bus Passes need a good talking too, and probably a spanking.

We left a day late from Paris because there were no places left on the bus. So we got to Berlin after a fourteen hour bus ride and we were so excited to see Ben that we didn´t purchase paper tickets, but we did remember later and made a call and got two reserved seats. However the bus driver who spoke no language but his own, did not let us on the bus. I had my saddest cute face on, and he still did not let us on. We just wanted to go to Prague, but we were PROBLEM TICKET as he said, sorta. So our generous hosts, Ben und Jasmine, welcomed us back their fantastic fourth and a half story apartment, and two days and one great dinner later, we made it on the bus to Warsaw. Upon arrival here, we try to buy tickets to depart tomorrow afternoon but everything is closed. On verra!

I love my parents

2006-02-28T03:26:00.000-08:00

My mother sent this note in an email to me today.

"Dad wrote me a love note on a post-it sticker and signed it from Stripes."

NB: Stripes is my cat.

These are my parents, you needn't wonder further why I'm so crazy.

Recipe for Cleansing alternativly Saturday Morning in Sweden

2006-02-15T05:50:00.000-08:00

Ingredients and materials:

naked women
steam sauna
little towels
hole in frozen lake
Sweden

Bake naked ladies and girls in sauna for approximatly 22 minutes. Set aside and allow to steam outside in the snow for two minutes. Then gingerly dunk into the lake opening, quickly return iced body sauna. Repeat. Shower. Feel your pores dancing in happiness.

I am an exclusive Swed

2006-02-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

This last weekend was absolutly fantastic, I'll tell you about Friday.

STOCKHOLM!! After many hours of travel by train, bus, plane, and foot, travel companion Rex and I made it to the Backpackers Hostel in Sweden. Part of the reason why we chose this particular hostel was for its "Free interent! Free sauna! Free Pasta!" It was pretty great, until the sauna shut down due to "sabatoge" (a plastic bottle on the stove), and the interest shut down because it was Sweden. But there was no end of free pasta, the 10 gallon bucket was repeatedly refilled each day. So it made good on some of its promises.

Day One: Adventures with Fins and Royalty Abounds

So these are the Fins, and there is one more snapping the flick. They offered us beer, thanks! Blue Cap with Frozen Boogers invited me to return to Helesinki as his guest. The Buff Blonde used to run in Moskow, now he weight lifts.

After enjoying their drunken conversation, Rex and I stormed the Royal Palace from 12:15-17:37. I've never seen so much luxury. Never ever. Pictures were not allowed, but just imagine if all the bling from the Wu Tang Clan and P Diddy was bigger diamonds with more gold, you'd have one case of the Royal Treasury, okay, like half.

Then we went back to the hostel and had pasta soup. I added pepper to mine. Old pepper. It tasted like barnyard. Never again. Ever.

Night One: Free Drinks etc.

Working on a 25 euro/day bugdet can be tough, especially when it's time to party, ahem, hit the clubs. Rex and I decided that we would just have to shameless flirt and tease to score free drinks, work it!

I had the most fantastic drink of my life at the Roxy, where none of the leisbians would hit on me, and all the dudes thought Rex and I were together. No free drinks there, BUT! we did get the skinny on Cloudberries (more to come) from a very happy Swed.

We moved on to another place we passed on the way, Garlic and Shots. Excuse me, but with a name like this, it is meant for our traveling duo--if you've cooked/eaten with us once, you know it's true. So when this bar was closing at mid-night! it was time to find another one. But where?! I asked this one guy who looked like he had been having a good time. He note only told us he knew a place, but that he would take us.

GREAT!

"Is it nearby? We like to walk."
"Nah, we vill toke eh cob."
"Oh, well we don't have money for a cab."
"It's sokay, I vill pay fur et."

"Is there a cover charge for this place?"
"No, I have a promise. We vill get in, I am an exclusive Swed."

"The drinks are too expensive here."
"It's okay, I will pay for it."

"I have two dreams. I vill tell you the last one...first. I want to have orange trees on the west coast."

Rex and I couldn't remember his name, I don't think he ever told us. Probably because he thought Rex didn't speak English.

So we leave club East, and we're hungry. Convinently enough, a sausage stand is across the street. We have money left for a big one and a little one. We ask the Sweds in line in front of us for a recommandation. They tell us to get two big ones.

"We have money to get one of these and one of these, not two of those."
"It does not matter, I vill pay for it."

I had mine with dried onions, ketchup and mustard dispensed from one of these:

Then we walked home revelling in our adventures. Thanks Sweden!

chez Fronsh

2006-02-07T04:07:00.000-08:00

I moved in with my host family this last week and it's been pretty close to perfect.

Basically, Madame Sonya and her daughter Kristel love me. In part because my crappy French is better than other exchange students living in the house, two Japanese girls with French/English speech. Also, the American girl who lived chez elle last semester was "cold". So compared to everyone else, I'm a friendly genius who massages and crochets for the family. I WIN!

Madame Sonya is pretty hilarious. She is a painter and returns home in paint spattered clothing and complains that her backs hurts because her boobs are too big. Ocassionally she try out her English with me. She is ridicous and delightful, phrases like, "I were pregnant and my teeth hurt very much" or "I am you France mama" are frequent occurences each evening.

Plus, she is feeding me more than she has too, which means I save money on foooooood. She has allowed me to invite guests over, and if anybody wants to stay for a few nights, it's perfectly fine.

Kristel is super awesome. We chat a bunch and it's okay that my French is bad. She came out last Friday to a few bars with 12 other Americans. She's a trooper and plays guitar in a garage band. How French.

The only this missing is gorment food for dinner every night. But for now I'll settle for pizza with eggs on top and a view of the Effiel Tower from the dining room table. Cliche? Of course, but I'm diggin' it.

Attempted Blogocide

2006-01-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

I just want you to know that I was looking for the link to delete this blog forever. I had decided it was a short lived venture, and it decide to say goodbye. é, MO, you saved the blog. Maybe I'll pay more attention to it now and say "thank you" every now and again since I know other people are.

¤¤¤

My keyboard makes these things, I don't know their purpose. Decorative boarders anyone?

¤¤¤

France hasn't been shocking, just different, and that's okay.

¤¤¤

More will come. Promise.

Offically in country,

France*

Letter of Departure I

2005-12-21T05:07:00.000-08:00

Dear AU,

Dude, you have no idea how happy you've made me, it took two freakin' years to find you. Wesleyan was good for the people, Catholic was good for a library, but really, AU you do it all baby. So you could imagine why I feel bad about leaving in the spring. It feels like I'm just letting go of my wonderful new friends, delightfully challenging professors, a fawk yeah! art history program, and D*C.

But Paris will be good, and as others have reminded me, whenelse in my life will I be able to live in another country for the price of (almost) free?!

I'll be sure to write and send bisous.

-still plain ol' Frances

Frances doesn't need an S in France

2005-12-18T08:04:00.000-08:00

Eventually, this will chronicle my (mis)adventures abroad.

I'm hoping to flood this with photos documenting my expected/egregious cultural faux pas-es, unguided museum tours, over consumption of delicious foods, and happy/awkward reunions with friends. I gotta say, I'm looking forward to it.

Oh, late December, allons-y!

-Fances for now