Odds and Ends

With the start of the second semester, Virginia and I are finding that our days are suddenly very busy so the blog has taken a bit of a back seat.  Here are a couple little vignettes from the past while.

Entraînement Physique:  Since arriving in August, the combination of cheese, bread and the odd glass of red wine has resulted in me putting on a little extra insulation for the winter.  Not such a crazy amount that I have had to go out and buy a new wardrobe but enough that I realize that the standard new year's resolution: to eat healthier and exercise, was very much in play.  I have taken some solace in the fact that gaining weight in kilograms sounds much nicer than gaining weight in pounds.  My augmentation of 5 kilos has a better ring to it than the massive amount of 11 pounds.  The next step of course is for me to gain another 3 pounds and I will have reduced my bodymass gain to a mere single stone.
For the past month I have been faithfully making my way over to a local gym three times a week and I am beginning to see some improvements.  I have found that there is a different sort of etiquette around working out in France as compared to Canada. In Canada you are generally left to your own devices as there are some serious work to be done.  At my gym, everyone is very friendly and I do enjoy the banter that transpires on the gym floor.  I must admit though that my pitiful excuse for biceps and triceps have resulted in more than one self proclaimed fitness guru approaching me and offering me their secret to an amazing body.  One fellow flexed in front of me, motioning me to touch his arms and pecs and proceeded to tell me that five years ago he had little tiny arms and a big belly like me (my comprehension on this day was unfortunately quite good).  He suggested I just needed to work out for two hours, five times a week for the next five years and I would be buff like him.  I thanked him for the advice and went back to lifting my meagre weights, thinking to myself that his plan sounded a bit harder than all those ads I see on TV.

"On se les pêles":  For me the most difficult aspect about learning a new language is incorporating new words into my vocabulary.  I can use my limited vocabulary quickly and efficiently though I really need to expand it.  In order to do this, I try to learn a new word and then use it 10 or so times a day until it becomes second nature.  A couple weeks ago, the weather turned quite cold and I tired of always saying the same thing to describe the days weather.  I needed to express myself more than just saying "il fait froid".  I overheard a friend say " il fait pas chaud" and voila a new expression for me.  That night, I went over to a buddies house and when I said my new phrase he told me that I could also use "On se les pêles".  I was so happy to have three different ways to say the same thing.  The next day was cold again and to everyone I met out came "on se les pêles".  The lady at the boulangerie, the parent in the school foyer, the coffee shop owner, and finally to Pierre with whom I go to an english conversation group every Tuesday.  Pierre was the first person that paused for a second when I told him I thought it was cold and with a slight chuckle he said that I should probably be careful with this particular phrase.  When I recounted this to Virginia, she did a quick little search on the internet and it turns out I had been telling everyone that it was so cold that a particular part of the male anatomy was freezing.  Yikes!  Fortunately the weather has been quite nice lately and I haven't needed to delve into my colourful vocabulary to describe a chilly day.

This weekend we are headed to the Alps for four days of skiing.  It is another example of people being extremely good to us here.  A friend has invited us up to his sister's ski chalet near Grenoble and he has even tracked down the special equipment that allows me to ski.  The girls start two weeks of holidays on Friday so a trip to the mountains seems like the perfect way for us to kick off their holiday.   Take care and love to all of you.