Cowtown, Where the West Begins

Yesterday, I took a trip to visit my really good friend in Ft. Worth, Texas. If you're not from Texas, you might think that Texas is full of tumbleweed, horses, cows, and cowboys. Unfortunately, if you visit any of the big cities in Texas such as Austin, Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio, you're going to be grossly disappointed. Don't give up hope, though, because there is always Ft. Worth. It is the last bastion of Texas that Texas has. Most of us city folk have never touched a horse, much less ridden one to school. Yesterday, I ate in a saloon, saw cowboys and girls walking their horses, visited the old stockyards, and even drove past Billy Bob's Texas (the world's largest honky tonk). The highlight of my day was my visit to the wonderful Ft. Worth Zoo. I am a big fan of zoos, except when it comes to the Dallas Zoo. They had a little incident a few years back where Coco the gorilla got out of her cage and started terrorizing the patrons! Unfortunately, they had to put her down. Needless to say Mr. French will not be spending any money there anytime soon. Overheard at the Ft. Worth Zoo: Mother and children are standing at the ape exhibit. Child, 6 years: Mommy! It looks like Daddy!!

Goooooooooaaaaaal!!

As you probably know, France won against Spain today 3-1, in what I believe was the most spirited team effort since 1998, when they beat the Kings of Soccer, Brazil. I was in my North Dallas Suburb cheering them on! Zinedine Zidane, known as "Zizou" in France, scored in stoppage time. He is the captain, and probably (along with Thierry Henry) the best known French soccer player. Zidane had previously announced that he would be retiring after this year's World Cup. In 1998, he became the heart of a team that brought together France, in spite of all of its well-documented racial problems. The dancing in the streets, however, was merely a Band-Aid. I love watching sports, and can get excited from time to time, but I normally find it difficult to get too emotional unless there was some type of monetary investment involved. For example, I bought football season tickets each year I was at the University of Texas, and I attended every single home game. I even went to the odd away game. After losses, it became emotionally taxing, so I had to separate myself a bit. I think I would even get a little depressed for a few days afterward. Losing to your rival by 50+ twice in a span of 5 years will do that to you. I still watch with intent, but it doesn't hurt that we haven't lost on the football field since early in the 2004 season.

...Ever in Life.

Since 2001, I've been calling various events the "Worst ... ever in life". It totally depends on the situation, what I'm doing, and my frustration level. I'm not sure where it came from, but it's something I've been spouting the last 5 years or so. I'm not going to go in order, but I wanted to start with this one, and add them as they present themselves. I was in Redlands, CA, on my way to the 2001 Holiday Bowl in San Diego (in which the Texas Longhorns would eventually beat the Huskies of the University of Washington). My friends and I had driven the whole night from Austin, and I for one was ready to get out of the car. 2000 miles is quite the trip to only have gone through 4 states. We needed gas, and Redlands was the place we decided to stop. Now usually, I don't have problems at gas stations; i'm a careful driver, and I'm not usually one to submit to road rage. Driving into this wonderful 76, one thing hit me...gas is almost $3/gallon (back in 2001, gas in Austin, Tx was much closer to $1.50, if I remember correctly)! Secondly, there were no pumps available. Each time I tried to move in on one, someone would swing in front of me, or would start backing up without even looking in my direction. I counted no less than 5 averted collisions. People were driving into the station without using brakes,and it was just a party to be had by everyone. For these reasons, I dubbed the 76 in Redlands, CA, the worst gas station ever in life.

A History Lesson...

I've been trying to get into the World Cup. Soccer is something that I watched pretty often in France, and now that I understand the game, it pretty fun. I've been following France, the US (who didn't show up for the first match, and is now fighting for it's life), and England. I stumbled across a news story that is explains the rise in use of the traditional English flag (known as St. George's Cross). Years ago, it was used only by the far-right, but now it's becoming more mainstream. Before I moved to France, and took vacations in England and Scotland, I had no idea how the Union Jack was formed, but it turns out it's mixture of Scotland, England, Wales and N. Ireland's traditional flags (I've put the images in order--the English is above).

La Poesie

Yesterday and today I have been attending an Advanced Placement Institute, put on by the College Board. Basically, it is teaching teachers how to teach an Advanced Placement class, so that their students are prepared for the exam come May. Today we did a section on poetry, which I haven't really gotten into before. As an hommage to my new found respect for it, I have reprinted an exerpt of my favorite poem, Liberté. It is a poem written as salute to liberty during WWII. It moves (how poetic!) from images of childhood, to violence. Liberté Paul Eluard Sur mes cahiers d'écolier Sur mon pupitre et les arbres Sur le sable sur la neige J'écris ton nom On my school notebooks On my desk and the trees On the sand on the snow I write your name Sur toutes les pages lues Sur toutes les pages blanches Pierre sang papier ou cendre J'écris ton nom On all the pages read On all the blank pages Rock blood paper or ash I write your name Sur les images dorées Sur les armes des guerriers Sur la couronne des rois J'écris ton nom On the gilded images On the weapons of warriors On the crown of kings I write your name Sur la jungle et le désert Sur les nids sur les genêts Sur l'écho de mon enfance J'écris ton nom... On the jungle and the desert On the nests on the genista (a plant) On the echo of my childhood I write your name...

Changes

So I changed a few things...what do you think? I wasn't really that happy with the previous design, so this is what I came up with! It just my be better that I don't have all the free time to mess around with my blog. Thanks to "Thur" for the template and layout help! Happy Father's Day to any Pops that may be reading this!

To Tell The Truth...

I've been working really hard the last 2 weeks on writing the district curriculum for the French Program. We are just about finished with French I-III. After that, we're left with IV and V. Doing this is probably the best decision I've made in a long time, since in the fall I would have to be coming up with assignments anyway (at least now I'm paid for it!). The closing of curriculum writing has brought another problem: summer employment. I know I've talked before about looking for work, and my interview at UPS. I'm such an idiot! My interview was at 11:45pm, and I drove the 20 or so minutes to get to the UPS site. I get there, and there was a nice little lady at the desk. I tell her my name, and she asks if I am legally allowed to work in the US, and I of course reply, "yes". Keep in mind that all of this is preliminary, and the videos/facility tour is to come. I answer the rest of the questions she has, and finally, she asks about my start availability. I've had this problem before...I am a little too honest when I should just keep my mouth shut. I tell her that I am working some freelance right now, but will be available after the 23rd. I continue on whatever truth serum I took that day, and let her know that I am a teacher. She looks at me with this blank stare and tells me that she's sorry, but UPS does not hire temporary workers, only permanent part-time workers. I stand there dumbfounded, with my mouth open a little too long, and she sweetly says, "Thank you". I pick up my keys and am escorted to the door... I'm still waiting for Banana Republic to call me back. I'm a good worker, I promise! My birthday is Sunday, which is also Father's Day. I think that I forgot to plan something, because as of now, I don't really have any plans. I would really rather not make a big deal of it, and have to worry about inviting people, making sure everyone gets whereever, etc. I wouldn't care if someone else planned it, but since I have to think about it, I really can't be bothered! (thanks, croquette for the advice!)

Google Maps

So today, I decided I wanted to drive and see some areas of the Metroplex (as Dallas-Ft. Worth is known locally). I was interested in seeing some of the Mid-cities. I was interested in knowing if they provided anything distinct from my own North Dallas Suburb. If you are unfamiliar with the DFW area, it is comprised of 2 major cities (Dallas and Ft. Worth), plus about 25 suburbs, some totaling OVER 200,000 people. In between the 2 major cities, you have the "mid-cities", which is where the airport is located. It's pretty confusing, because the same road can have a different name for each suburb it passes through, and you can pass through the same suburb more than once on the same road. But back to what I was doing today: I had heard that Southlake had some pretty cool areas to visit, but I had never been there, and was pretty unsure of how to get there. I consulted my trusty Google Map not having time these days for a real map. I followed it along, and found the semi-precise route I need to take. So, I hopped in my car, curiously awaiting another city I had yet to visit. About 25 minutes into the trip, I kinda realized that things weren't going correctly...my route had turned into a dirt route. So there I was, 25 minutes from home, with no idea how to get to where I was going, and really confused as to how to get back home (why I never drive with maps, I'll never know). I debated rolling my window down and asking a fellow driver at an intersection, but was afraid they might think I was crazy. So I hit another highway, and saw the water tower for Southlake in the far distance. I happily exited at what I thought was the city, and took a chance. Luckily I was right! Unluckily, it looked just like MY North Dallas Suburb. What a waste of life...

Le Cinema Francais

My interview for UPS is tonight at 11:45 pm. I just finished applying to Border's Books, as well. I think that this opportunity will be a much better fit for me than picking up boxes and such. Not that I'm a pansy or anything... The last two nights, I re-watched two of my favorite French movies, A Bout de Souffle and L'Auberge Espagnole. I saw both during college, and thought they were the awesome. L'Auberge I saw in Paris the first few days after I moved there, and didn't understand a word. It's the story of a French college student that moves to Spain for ayear abroad. Hilarity ensues because he moves into an apartment with people from all over the European Union. It has some wonderful views of Barcelona, as well! I think it is the poster child for the new EU that is being created. A Bout, I saw after a good friend of mine (a Radio-TV-Film major) suggested that we see it. It tells the story of a petty thief running away from the French police with his American (sometimes) girlfriend. It is probably one of the best examples of the French New Wave Cinema that became popular in the 1960s. Both are wonderful, though VERY different examples of French cinema.

What Can Brown Do For You?

I'm tired of doing nothing all day but looking at French textbooks, so I've decided to be proactive about the situation. I have an interview tomorrow night at 11:45 (pm) at one of the local UPS facilities here in Dallas. I am interviewing for the illustrious position of "Package Handler", whereby I would be responsible for loading those big brown trucks with boxes that are up to 70 pounds. I am not sure which shift I said I was available, but I'm a bit worried that I may have accidentally chosen 3-8 (those are both a.m.). We'll have to nip that in the bud tomorrow. How I Feel When I Get a Paycheck: Now that it's the end of the TV season, there isn't much to watch. On June 11th, my favorite cable show is back on the air for a few weeks...Entourage starts back up on HBO, and I am pretty dang hyped about it. I just hope that I'm not passed out from my job. There is a link for the TV show on my sidebar (that cool thing on your right with all the cool links and pictures).

Liberal arts revises one-time Q-drop policy - Top Stories

Liberal arts revises one-time Q-drop policy - Top Stories Ok, so this doesn't really affect anyone, but I was reading my old college newspaper, and saw that they got rid of Q-drop. Basically, if you are having a hard time with a class, you can go in at any point after the official drop period and drop the course. It doesn't affect your GPA, it just shows up as a "Q" on your transcript. It could also be only used once throughout your ENTIRE college career, so you couldn't use it every semester if you were failing a class. I just have to say that this Q-drop saved my GPA my second semester. I had 17 hours, a part-time job, and I was also pledging a fraternity...French wasn't high on my priority list at the time, and it definitely showed! I dropped the class, and nothing more was said...it was wonderful! They should keep this policy...too bad for the kids in school now.

Ahh...Vacation

As most people know, one of the great things about being a teacher is the summer vacation. During June, July, and through mid-August, you don't have to work. In effect, you can sit at home, watch Jenny Jones, and get your full salary. Many people don't think this is deserved. We only have to work from August to May and we get all of these extra holidays thrown in. Yeah, but working all day with students whose hormones are out of control, standing, walking, talking, stooping, correcting, etc. gets old REALLY fast. In addition the 50-60 hours a week I work in giving lessons, writing lessons, writing assignments, and test more than qualify me for a month or so of restful Mr. French time. So why I am I writing units and powerpoints for next year...