Our Explorer Returns

It’s taken a week, but finally I am back. After having journaled for a good portion of my life I have realized that its always the times that you have the least time to write that are the best and most important times to be doing so. This last week is no exception. I probably should have been blogging, as much has happened. So much has happened that blogging has been the last thing on my mind.

Let’s just hit some highlights. Last Thursday, Kyle left his USB stick in the internet café. Suckalo, yes, but no big deal, right? Not so much. First, it was not returned. Second, my entire life for the last seven years is on that stick. Third, a great deal of very, very vital info is on that stick, so vital that I wound up having to cancel every single one of my credit cards and change every single one of my passwords online. It was all encrypted, but who wants to take a chance. I do apologize to everyone who was at the wedding. The entire mailing list was on that stick. I’m sure if whoever has the stick wanted to they could fetch a nifty sum selling that info.

Next up, Kyle battled with France Telecom and finally won. I have myself a landline FINALLY!! Now it should only be about three weeks before I can get highspeed. The French Telecommunications industry rivals the dumbest industries in the world for idiotic bureaucracy junk. No really. Really really. But I’m past that now. I prevailed, and I even did so in broken French. That’s right, I managed to accomplish an entire task, other than ordering food, working solely in French. Woot! For those of you wondering why I needed a landline, basically it is mandatory to get highspeed. Backwards? Yes, but that’s just the way things are. That should be the French national motto. The one advantage is that calling me is MUCH cheaper. A calling card from the States that only provided 100 minutes of calling time to my cell now provides over 1000. Not so bad.

Also during this period Kyle got sick. Staying up to the wee hours in the morning at the internet café changing all your passwords will do that to you. I was already teetering on the edge of sickness, but that did me in. Thankfully, the next day after having slept for thirteen straight hours – yes, thirteen, I basically went into hibernation – I came out kicking and headed out for my first truly successful night on the town. While the nighttime transit options in Paris are embarrassingly awful they certainly know how to do live music clubs. I danced to funk, soul, blues, pop, Edith Piaf covers, lots of random French stuff, and much much more performed by a band clothed only in bathrobes all night long with a German classmate. It was truly wonderful. Biggest difference was that most of the music was partner dance kind of stuff, not much mindless solo bumping and grinding like the States. It actually challenged me a bit. I am going to have to diversify my moves. Apparently, I fared well enough though as I was invited by another classmate to tango lessons the next day. Although I did not manage to make it, I consider it a pretty good sign.

Classes continue to inspire and challenge. We have moved on and begun working with the infamous neutral mask in improv class. That thing is wild. My first two experiences in it had to be among the most intimidating of my life. I have never felt so vacant or insufficient in my life. I have now found at least some sort of momentary balance with it, an avenue into its world, but each day it teaches me more and more. Our movement classes have taken on a new and extremely strenuous tempo. Gone are the days of just dealing with one or two elements each class. We now work furiously and fluidly reviewing, building, and introducing new avenues of exploration. I’m naturally a person who sweats anyway, but I probably lose my body weight each class in perspiration – and this in a room that’s probably only like 65 or 70 degrees. An interesting piece of knowledge I picked up yesterday; I now finally know the 17 steps of miming the climbing of a wall. Bet you are all jealous now. Suckaz! Yep I know how to walk through water, the 7 levels of tension, the 6 stages of discovery, how to run and move as one with a group of others, how to push and pull like the best of them, and that walking is truly the most complicated thing to do on stage. No really. Really really.

Ok, I’m signing off. Last week I took some pics for a little guided tour of my building that hopefully I will be able to post shortly. Until then, hang in there. The days of long typed out monologues will come to an end shortly. 3 weeks till I am wired!!