Dennis & Aimee's Big Gay Paris Adventure

I've just been lazy.

First question on everyone's mind seems to be about the riots, if my email doesn't lie. And I'll post here what I've told anyone who has asked... If it weren't for Google News and worried emails from our friends and loved ones, we wouldn't even know it was happening. It's not like the rioters are storming the Eiffel Tower. I don't pretend to understand the rationale or the motivation, so I'll leave you to read the same pages I do and figure it out as best you can.

So, to catch up a bit -- we had a marvelous time in Cambridge and Chicago. Sonic stuck around for our visit, and she was with with her sweet dog Chacha. It was fun for me to get to see everyone at once. I love a full house. Sightseeing in Boston was limited to lunch at Faneuil hall with Caleb and Tricia, which was fantastic, and also shopping at Filene's Basement for excellent bargains. (Dennis bought a winter coat!) Hurricane Wilma was exhausting herself in New England, so we stayed indoors and cooked for each other most of the time. Dennis got to watch the longest-ever World Series game on C&T's big TV, and while I know the rest of the household must have been bored, it was great that he got to see it, knowing now that they swept the series.

Dear Simon took the train all the way up from NYC (we drove her back the next day on our way to the airport), and Caleb cooked us all a huge Thanksgiving dinner complete with stuffing and squash. I made maple cookies for dessert. On previous days we prepared and enjoyed shrimp creole, pancake and sausage breakfast, and a nonstop supply of Caleb's superior espresso.

We had chores to do in Cambridge, namely finding a Notary Public to witness the signing of our home refinance. That went relatively smoothly, and the refi is now closed. I don't really recommend refinancing from another country, but if you had to do it, our good friend at Smith Barney, Jim Medved, surely made the process as easy as it could be. Now we have a great rate and only a 15 year loan on the SF house.

After stuffing our faces and lounging around Caleb's family home in Cambridge, we set off for Chicago. I saved a bunch of money on airfare by flying into and out of NYC, and since I thought we'd spend a night there, it seemed like it wouldn't be such a hassle to drive back and forth to Boston. It was a terrible, long, rainy drive on the way up, but the way back, with Simon's company and the gorgeous fall colors, was kinda fun for me. I miss road trips a bit. That said, we didn't visit NY at all, so I still really want to go see my pals there. And next time I'll bite the bullet and pay the extra bux to go straight to Boston.

Dennis' brother Eric met us at ORD and we drove him up to Highland Park. When we got to D's father's house we were greeted with dinner, warm hugs and kisses, and five boxes of *stuff* I'd had sent to the house via an online shopping spree. I had bought a new suitcase, fish supplies, medicines, and a new router for our apartment in Paris. It was fun to unwrap everything, like a precursor to Christmas! The one thing I'd been counting on most was a winter coat I ordered, but when I tried it on it didn't suit me at all, so that got sent back the next day.

Here's D's childhood home in Highland Park:


Here's D and his dad and brother (Dennis is sporting a new rugby shirt from Filene's):


We had a fun time hanging out at home during the day, and driving downtown to see Eric during the evenings. Dennis got to watch Game 4 of the World Series at a fun bar called the Black Beetle (one of my favorite places to drink in Chicago) and that night we drove home through crowds of people who had taken to the streets in the rain, with brooms in their hands, to celebrate the sweep of the Series. It was fun to be there for it, and fortuitous timing for us.

I found a hair salon near the house, and got a great haircut and color, and of course we also found time for more shopping. I needed to replace that winter coat I'd sent back! I ended up spending way too much money on a coat that I absolutely adore. It's made from espresso colored shearling - soft suede on the outside, warm wool on the inside - and it's easily the most luxurious thing I've ever owned. I can't wait until it's cold enough in Paris to wear it. I'm going to be both warm AND stylish this year. And sweet Dennis didn't object, which he had every right to do given the cost, but instead splurged a bit on himself by buying footsome new boots, which pleases me to no end. So handsome in his new duds!


The autumn colors in Chicago were outstanding:


And Dennis had a fun photo session featuring his father's lawn gnome:


So, we're home now, and recuperated. Our internet is better than ever with both the new wireless hub, a new (to us) router donated by our good friend Shadok, AND new cable-modem "10 MEGA" service from NOOS. Our year-long obligation with France Telecom (Wanadoo) is up in a month, and good riddance to them! Shadok also helped me write the official letter that one has to send in order to end service with a French service provider (I'm told this practice will be the same when we cancel our cellphones, utilities, etc.) which has to be mailed via registered mail. So convenient! There are even websites set up where you just enter your address and account numbers, and they charge you a fee to generate and mail the letters for you. Í have a feeling we'll be using that when it comes time to wrap up operations in Paris. In fact, I'll put the URL here so I can find it when the time comes: http://www.resilier.com/

Lastly, our friend Davel is visiting, and he's brought a really nice pal named Stella. We're all headed to Barcelona on the night train this Friday night (Davel's family is from those parts). I am psyched about the trip, about the fact that we get to take the night train on the way there and back, and I'm going to burst with anticipation about our coachette with a SHOWER in it! I really want to know what that's like. We're only going for the weekend, and it's a 12-hour train ride, but being able to sleep as you go means we can leave Friday night and arrive (showered and fresh) on Saturday morning. Spend the night in Barcelona. Then leave Sunday night and arrive (showered and fresh once again) in Paris in time to hustle off to the office.

I'll post pics and comments about the trip soon. I'll try not to take so long in between posts. :-)

Let's all keep our fingers crossed for an end to this rioting. While nobody is dying, it's still a terrible way to solve a problem. I hope they got the attention they were looking for, and that everyone can start working toward a solution.

--Aimée