Today I went to the Travel Clinic. And there's only one reason for that--to get injected with all sorts of stuff. I started out with a consultation. We looked over the list of countries I will or might visit. So he basically recommended everything except Japanese Encephalitis. The Hepatitis B vaccine is a 2 course vaccine so I have to return in a month. The merciful thing about that is that we got to spread out the other jabs over two times. Yay!!! That meant I only had to have 4 injections today.
So I sat there in the waiting room dreading the moment they would call my name--like a prisoner on death row. It only takes 3 injections to kill a prisoner--I was getting 4. It finally happened. I went in and sat in a nice comfy black chair. There laid out on the desk were all the shots to be administered. Yikes. They looked so menacing. The nurse asked how I am with shots. I said I don't like them but can deal with them. She asked if I'd eaten. No not at all. Hmm... Wrong answer. It turns out I should have eaten. Oh well. (I didn't tell her I did hot yoga and only had one cup of water since last night.) I presented my dehydrated left shoulder.
I got the first one. I barely felt it. Just a mosquito bite of pain. It was over in about 2 seconds. Then before I could act, the second one. This one hurt a little more. It was for Yellow Fever and the nurse said this one might sting for a short time. The nurse got up and said she was going to get me a juice. I didn't know why. Then I started seeing blackness and stars. She came back and I said "I feel a little light headed." She had seen me turn white, so she knew before I did what was about to happen to me.
Then I found out the comfy chair is also a recliner. She put a cold towel on my head. After about a minute I was fine. She came around to the other side and gave me little ice packets to hold. The next two shots were like the first two-just in the other arm. That is to say that the first one was barely felt and the second was a little more painful.
Then I paid my $280 ($40 consultation, $105 for Hep A and Typhoid, $80 for Yellow Fever, $35 for Hep B, and $20 for Measles, Mumps, Rubella). In a month I'll get my second dose of Hep B, Meningococcal Meningitis, and Tetanus).
I have to find out if they have Dukoral in France or Morocco. They apparently have it in Canada but not the Unites States due to licensing issues. That would protect me from Cholera for 2 years, but also confers about 3 months of traveler's diarrhea. So if I take it, I want it as close to possible to my travels in the less sanitary regions.
I also now have a Canadian Yellow Book to go with my US passport. :) I need this to enter most countries in Africa because they need proof of the Yellow Fever vaccinations.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Liveblogging the Seahawks vs. Packers
12:34 OK, it took me like 10 minutes to figure out what channel the game was on. Am I turning stupid? This morning I bought 6 bottles of Granville Island Honey Lager and it's chilling in the fridge. Elena is out on a walk--she got some injections in her leg and can't do anything to strenuous which is hard for her because she needs strenuous activity to remain sane. So while I'm waiting for the festivities to begin, I can finish the Le Point article about Benazir Bhutto's assassination or practice conjugating Arabic verbs. Oh and for the record, I'm cheering the Pack--sorry Seattlites--I am a Pacific Northwesterner, but I still identify myself as a Wisconsinite.
12:43 The beer is cold, but I decided to start with a pull from the box of wine--Peller Estates Chardonnay. I'll break out the beer when the players start to take the field. In the meantime, I'm seeing if I can still count to 10 in Arabic. sifr, waaHid, ithnayn, thalaatha, arba'a, khamsa, ??, saba?, thamaniiya, ??, ishra?. OK, I still know about half of them at least.
1:22 Why can't languages be easier? Why does Arabic have to have separate verb conjugations for dual amounts. There's not just 'he', 'she' and 'they', but also 'two guys' and 'two girls'. Soon it'll be time to crack open a beer. I wish I could have found Alaskan Amber, though. It's my favorite beer. Elena is still out on her walk. The sky is clouding over. It's mild, but misty. Well, the Packers are taking the field. Time to get a beer.
1:33 More jokes about "We want the ball--we're going to score". I imagine Hasselbeck called George W. Bush and said, "Hey George, I'd like to make a donation to your campaign. How about you give me something to say at the OT coin toss?"
Hmmm... Bad kickoff "return" by GB.
1:37 Injury already. That's what SH get for raising $$ for Bush. Interception. Yeah, the Pack has some Republicans too. :/ OK 20 seconds into the game and SH have scored. I used to call Favre "Turnover" I watched his game where he either tied or broke the NFL record for turnovers after I started calling him that. Of course, I know nothing about football, so what do I know?
1:42 Now that's a much better return. Errr.... Fumble and recovery by SH? Hmm...
1:46 Another SH injury? Will the obese ambulance guy drive out again? Yep, that's Lambeau--probably the fattest NFL city--or is it Houston? They were the fattest city in according to Supersize Me!.
1:49 There's a seagull on Elena's balcony. And SH TD. Well, there's still 56 minutes left for the Pack to catch up.
1:57 Yes!!!! The Pack finally moves the ball!!!
1:58 Packer Touchdown!!!!
2:01 Here's a picture of my (Elena's) bachelor(ette) pad.
2:03 Opened the beer (observant reader may have noticed the cap is on the pic above). And snow. Finally, God is starting to see what's going on at Lambeau. I guess He was out partying too much last night and just got up.
2:11 Ever wonder what "lambeau" means in French?
2:13 Challenge of the spot of the ball. Or 4th and inches? (Bite finger nails...)
2:16 A respot....a remeasure...and...and...and...1st DOWN!!!!!!!
2:20 1st and goal!! Stopped. :/ 2nd down.... Touchdown!!!!!!!
2:22 Hmmm.... Tied a record for most first quarter points in playoffs--set when I was 1 year old.
2:28 The kickoff roles are reversed!!!! Fumble SH recovered by GB!!!!!!
2:29 First down! TD in reach...2nd and 3....TO SH. OK back from comercial break....TD!!!!!!!!!!
2:36 I want a brat. Sadly, there are no brat buns in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, when I told the natives here that there are no brat buns, they all thought I was crazy for thinking there would be special buns just for brats. Like, how would they sell before they got moldy on the shelves. I live the Pacific NOrthwest, but they don't understand brats. In fact, one day when I was listening to KPLU (NPR) they mentioned that there would be somewhere a "real Wisconsin brat fest". Only they pronounced it like it rhymes with "rat". Blocked punt? Flag? What happened? Personal foul GB? Dammit! What the hell is that?
2:41 Hmm... nice catch by SH. Stuff'em Pack!!!
2:43 SH driving hard. Merde! Close to the end zone....and 4th and 7. I guess they'll try a field goal
2:45 OK SH made 3. At least not 7. Fucking penalty!
2:47 OK beer #3. I only have 6. I hope I don't run out.
2:50 Elena is taking a nap. Do I have to be quiet? I think she can put up with a little excitement even though she doesn't get it. Oh nice catch for a first down Pack.
2:52 First down! I'm trying to be quiet. Hmm... Why does Elena have to take a nap now? Another nice advance...2nd and 6...3rd and 6--got pressured.
2:54 First down on 15th yard line. 2 minute warning coming up. :)
2:58 It actually took my longer to go to the bathroom than the commercial break. 3rd and 8 from the 14. Please Favre-do something magic....looks like...........I don't know what the fuck that was but it was magic!!!!!!!!!!!!
3:00 TD!!!!!!!!!! After the goofiest thing I ever saw. Was that a forward lateral? What is an underhanded pass after being knocked off balance?
3:02 Canada has different commercials than the US. I think this is the Seattle Fox affiliate, but there are ads for The Amazing Race (which is CBS in the US, I think) on CTV. OK 15 seconds to go in the half. Will SH try something? Or just kneel? Yep just kneeling.
3:19 Kickoff. What's with this SH handholding? Are they from Capitol Hill?
3:21 4th and 7. Nice job Pack!!!!
3:25 3rd down conversion. Favre is on fire!!!!!
3:26 Excellent run to the 12!!!!
3:27 Another TD!!!!!! Wooohoooooo!!!!!!! (Must be quiet...Elena is napping.) :) :)
Oh here is my car--the green one.
3:31 Time for beer #4. BTW, Why the fuck is there a CAPS LOCK key? I hate it. I never use it. It just causes nothing but problems. It's the stupidest thing ever. Fuck the Caps Lock key.
3:32 The announcer just said Hasselbeck is frustrated. I hope he's even more frustrated in November of 2008 when Hillary or Obama runs against Romney or McCain.
3:34 Two holding calls on Pack declined. Hmmm... I don't like Hasselbeck doing well. Not good. But holding on offense. Now that's better. God is angry with the GOP for voting for Hickabee--after he claimed his meteoric rise was divine intervention. God doesn't like candidates who free rapists because their victim was a 5th cousin of Bill Clinton. Asshole!
3:38 GB had an illegal substitution. Hmm... Not good.
3:38 Nice hit by GB to prevent first down. But 2nd and 1...Merde!!!!!
3:40 Nice big flakes. Huge flakes. God is angry with the SHs. Incomplete in end zone. Snow!!!! Thank you!!!!
3:41 Look at that snow. It's like whiteout conditions. Field goal?........Good. Oh well. At least not 7.
3:45 It's totally like the snow increases in intensity only when the SHs start to do well. Nice. They have commercials for Corner Gas. I bet they don't show that in the US. Not as good Trailer Park Boys but OK. Of course the best Canadian comedy series ever--as well the best world comedy series ever--is The Newsroom.
3:48 3rd and 4 to.......... well he got tackled. But the Pack is back!!! I smell a TD???
3:49 First down on 4th yard line!!!!
3:50 Later tonight we eat pizza. Elena got some dough at Caper's and well roll it out, top it, and bake it. Yummy!!!! I'm starting to get hungry. LAst night we went to a place called Sanafir. They have Asian/Mediterranian/Indian inspired tapas. It was soooooooo good. Then we saw a show at the Vogue called Umoja. It's a dance troupe f.rom South Africa. They were really good. Well game is back....
3:52 First play went nowhere...Come on Favre....incomplete....merde. Flag. Personal foul on Seattle!!!!! First down again!!!! :) :)
3:53 Stopped at 1 yard line...Touchdown!!!!!!!!!!!! The Pack is going to win!!!!
4:00 Elena woke up. Here she is. SH are trying to drive.
SH going nowhere! They can't connect. I missed most of it while Elena and I figured out which picture to post of her.
4:05 Nice run!!!! Elena thinks I'm crazy for cheering!!!! Excellent run. Final nail?
4:07 Let's see the clock run down.... Bwahahahaha!!!! :) Yes run the ball. Eat time. My friends in Japan were shocked to learn that the English for "jikan o tsubusu" is "to kill time" "Kill"! It was shocking to them. LOL.
4:10 SH first down. But too little too late. I hope....Yes they run. tick tock. flag? Personal foul again? On GB! Merde!
4:12 Almost a Pack recovery of SH fumble... Err incomplete? Whatever. I'm looking at my screen. Dammit--almost intercepted. Would have been so sweet. 3rd and 10....8:14 left...incomplete. Yes!!!!!!
4:17 Gee I come back from the bathroom and I hear the Pac will take over on downs? I guess 4th down means "go for it" when you're at this point. Yes!!!! Pack driving hard!!!
4:18 Pack run stuffed--but clock keeps tick tick ticking away.
4:19 ditto.
4:20 Long bomb.....incomplete. I guess they punt. With 5:35 left, I doubt the SHs can get 22 points, though.
4:21 Nice nice nice sack!!!! 2nd & 22!!!
4:22 3rd & 25 clock at 4:10 at the snap. Oh why do I even continue. It's over. Nobody could beat the Pack in this game now. What's the point? It shold be like baseball where they don't bother with the bottom of the ninth if the home team is ahead.
4:25 My mind is moving to the pizza Elena and I will make later tonight. It'll be so yummy. I love homemade pizza. It's fun to make and fun to eat. :) And after the Pack wins I'll be in a good mood. I could feel sorry for Seattle, but Seattle is used to losing. The PNW is used to it. Vancouver lost the Grizzlies and Seattle is about to lose the Sonics. But we have the best revenge--this is the best place to live. We don't care much about sports because our quality of life is too high to have time for spectator sports.
4:30 Less than a minute. First down SH. But what's the point? :28 left. :20 left. :14 left. :10 left. The clock is gone. When's the 'F' coming? Now.
12:43 The beer is cold, but I decided to start with a pull from the box of wine--Peller Estates Chardonnay. I'll break out the beer when the players start to take the field. In the meantime, I'm seeing if I can still count to 10 in Arabic. sifr, waaHid, ithnayn, thalaatha, arba'a, khamsa, ??, saba?, thamaniiya, ??, ishra?. OK, I still know about half of them at least.
1:22 Why can't languages be easier? Why does Arabic have to have separate verb conjugations for dual amounts. There's not just 'he', 'she' and 'they', but also 'two guys' and 'two girls'. Soon it'll be time to crack open a beer. I wish I could have found Alaskan Amber, though. It's my favorite beer. Elena is still out on her walk. The sky is clouding over. It's mild, but misty. Well, the Packers are taking the field. Time to get a beer.
1:33 More jokes about "We want the ball--we're going to score". I imagine Hasselbeck called George W. Bush and said, "Hey George, I'd like to make a donation to your campaign. How about you give me something to say at the OT coin toss?"
Hmmm... Bad kickoff "return" by GB.
1:37 Injury already. That's what SH get for raising $$ for Bush. Interception. Yeah, the Pack has some Republicans too. :/ OK 20 seconds into the game and SH have scored. I used to call Favre "Turnover" I watched his game where he either tied or broke the NFL record for turnovers after I started calling him that. Of course, I know nothing about football, so what do I know?
1:42 Now that's a much better return. Errr.... Fumble and recovery by SH? Hmm...
1:46 Another SH injury? Will the obese ambulance guy drive out again? Yep, that's Lambeau--probably the fattest NFL city--or is it Houston? They were the fattest city in according to Supersize Me!.
1:49 There's a seagull on Elena's balcony. And SH TD. Well, there's still 56 minutes left for the Pack to catch up.
1:57 Yes!!!! The Pack finally moves the ball!!!
1:58 Packer Touchdown!!!!
2:01 Here's a picture of my (Elena's) bachelor(ette) pad.
2:03 Opened the beer (observant reader may have noticed the cap is on the pic above). And snow. Finally, God is starting to see what's going on at Lambeau. I guess He was out partying too much last night and just got up.
2:11 Ever wonder what "lambeau" means in French?
2:13 Challenge of the spot of the ball. Or 4th and inches? (Bite finger nails...)
2:16 A respot....a remeasure...and...and...and...1st DOWN!!!!!!!
2:20 1st and goal!! Stopped. :/ 2nd down.... Touchdown!!!!!!!
2:22 Hmmm.... Tied a record for most first quarter points in playoffs--set when I was 1 year old.
2:28 The kickoff roles are reversed!!!! Fumble SH recovered by GB!!!!!!
2:29 First down! TD in reach...2nd and 3....TO SH. OK back from comercial break....TD!!!!!!!!!!
2:36 I want a brat. Sadly, there are no brat buns in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, when I told the natives here that there are no brat buns, they all thought I was crazy for thinking there would be special buns just for brats. Like, how would they sell before they got moldy on the shelves. I live the Pacific NOrthwest, but they don't understand brats. In fact, one day when I was listening to KPLU (NPR) they mentioned that there would be somewhere a "real Wisconsin brat fest". Only they pronounced it like it rhymes with "rat". Blocked punt? Flag? What happened? Personal foul GB? Dammit! What the hell is that?
2:41 Hmm... nice catch by SH. Stuff'em Pack!!!
2:43 SH driving hard. Merde! Close to the end zone....and 4th and 7. I guess they'll try a field goal
2:45 OK SH made 3. At least not 7. Fucking penalty!
2:47 OK beer #3. I only have 6. I hope I don't run out.
2:50 Elena is taking a nap. Do I have to be quiet? I think she can put up with a little excitement even though she doesn't get it. Oh nice catch for a first down Pack.
2:52 First down! I'm trying to be quiet. Hmm... Why does Elena have to take a nap now? Another nice advance...2nd and 6...3rd and 6--got pressured.
2:54 First down on 15th yard line. 2 minute warning coming up. :)
2:58 It actually took my longer to go to the bathroom than the commercial break. 3rd and 8 from the 14. Please Favre-do something magic....looks like...........I don't know what the fuck that was but it was magic!!!!!!!!!!!!
3:00 TD!!!!!!!!!! After the goofiest thing I ever saw. Was that a forward lateral? What is an underhanded pass after being knocked off balance?
3:02 Canada has different commercials than the US. I think this is the Seattle Fox affiliate, but there are ads for The Amazing Race (which is CBS in the US, I think) on CTV. OK 15 seconds to go in the half. Will SH try something? Or just kneel? Yep just kneeling.
3:19 Kickoff. What's with this SH handholding? Are they from Capitol Hill?
3:21 4th and 7. Nice job Pack!!!!
3:25 3rd down conversion. Favre is on fire!!!!!
3:26 Excellent run to the 12!!!!
3:27 Another TD!!!!!! Wooohoooooo!!!!!!! (Must be quiet...Elena is napping.) :) :)
Oh here is my car--the green one.
3:31 Time for beer #4. BTW, Why the fuck is there a CAPS LOCK key? I hate it. I never use it. It just causes nothing but problems. It's the stupidest thing ever. Fuck the Caps Lock key.
3:32 The announcer just said Hasselbeck is frustrated. I hope he's even more frustrated in November of 2008 when Hillary or Obama runs against Romney or McCain.
3:34 Two holding calls on Pack declined. Hmmm... I don't like Hasselbeck doing well. Not good. But holding on offense. Now that's better. God is angry with the GOP for voting for Hickabee--after he claimed his meteoric rise was divine intervention. God doesn't like candidates who free rapists because their victim was a 5th cousin of Bill Clinton. Asshole!
3:38 GB had an illegal substitution. Hmm... Not good.
3:38 Nice hit by GB to prevent first down. But 2nd and 1...Merde!!!!!
3:40 Nice big flakes. Huge flakes. God is angry with the SHs. Incomplete in end zone. Snow!!!! Thank you!!!!
3:41 Look at that snow. It's like whiteout conditions. Field goal?........Good. Oh well. At least not 7.
3:45 It's totally like the snow increases in intensity only when the SHs start to do well. Nice. They have commercials for Corner Gas. I bet they don't show that in the US. Not as good Trailer Park Boys but OK. Of course the best Canadian comedy series ever--as well the best world comedy series ever--is The Newsroom.
3:48 3rd and 4 to.......... well he got tackled. But the Pack is back!!! I smell a TD???
3:49 First down on 4th yard line!!!!
3:50 Later tonight we eat pizza. Elena got some dough at Caper's and well roll it out, top it, and bake it. Yummy!!!! I'm starting to get hungry. LAst night we went to a place called Sanafir. They have Asian/Mediterranian/Indian inspired tapas. It was soooooooo good. Then we saw a show at the Vogue called Umoja. It's a dance troupe f.rom South Africa. They were really good. Well game is back....
3:52 First play went nowhere...Come on Favre....incomplete....merde. Flag. Personal foul on Seattle!!!!! First down again!!!! :) :)
3:53 Stopped at 1 yard line...Touchdown!!!!!!!!!!!! The Pack is going to win!!!!
4:00 Elena woke up. Here she is. SH are trying to drive.
SH going nowhere! They can't connect. I missed most of it while Elena and I figured out which picture to post of her.
4:05 Nice run!!!! Elena thinks I'm crazy for cheering!!!! Excellent run. Final nail?
4:07 Let's see the clock run down.... Bwahahahaha!!!! :) Yes run the ball. Eat time. My friends in Japan were shocked to learn that the English for "jikan o tsubusu" is "to kill time" "Kill"! It was shocking to them. LOL.
4:10 SH first down. But too little too late. I hope....Yes they run. tick tock. flag? Personal foul again? On GB! Merde!
4:12 Almost a Pack recovery of SH fumble... Err incomplete? Whatever. I'm looking at my screen. Dammit--almost intercepted. Would have been so sweet. 3rd and 10....8:14 left...incomplete. Yes!!!!!!
4:17 Gee I come back from the bathroom and I hear the Pac will take over on downs? I guess 4th down means "go for it" when you're at this point. Yes!!!! Pack driving hard!!!
4:18 Pack run stuffed--but clock keeps tick tick ticking away.
4:19 ditto.
4:20 Long bomb.....incomplete. I guess they punt. With 5:35 left, I doubt the SHs can get 22 points, though.
4:21 Nice nice nice sack!!!! 2nd & 22!!!
4:22 3rd & 25 clock at 4:10 at the snap. Oh why do I even continue. It's over. Nobody could beat the Pack in this game now. What's the point? It shold be like baseball where they don't bother with the bottom of the ninth if the home team is ahead.
4:25 My mind is moving to the pizza Elena and I will make later tonight. It'll be so yummy. I love homemade pizza. It's fun to make and fun to eat. :) And after the Pack wins I'll be in a good mood. I could feel sorry for Seattle, but Seattle is used to losing. The PNW is used to it. Vancouver lost the Grizzlies and Seattle is about to lose the Sonics. But we have the best revenge--this is the best place to live. We don't care much about sports because our quality of life is too high to have time for spectator sports.
4:30 Less than a minute. First down SH. But what's the point? :28 left. :20 left. :14 left. :10 left. The clock is gone. When's the 'F' coming? Now.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Madrassa?
I soon plan to restart my studies of Arabic to prepare for my travels in Morocco, Mauritania, and Mali. When I was studying Arabic before, I came across the word "madrassa". This simply means "school". Nothing more. Just "school". So what's with all this Obama and the "secular madrassa?"--a term used by Bob Kerrey? I'm ashamed to say that I was home and Tucker Carlson was on the TV and I heard him say "there's no such thing as a secular madrassa". http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22326849/ In fact, the term "madrassa" defaults to secular in Arabic--just not in English where it defaults to "radical Islamic". So I guess you could call it a secular madrassa if it is a non-religious school.
Anyway, I have to recreate a few grown over neural ruts so that I can say "wa alaykum as-Salaam" when someone says "As-salaamu alaykum", and exchange "ahlan wa sahlan", and "tasharafna" and "kayf al-Hal?"
Anyway, I have to recreate a few grown over neural ruts so that I can say "wa alaykum as-Salaam" when someone says "As-salaamu alaykum", and exchange "ahlan wa sahlan", and "tasharafna" and "kayf al-Hal?"
Someday Me Talk Pretty
I spend my days reading French but I also, once a day, I download an episode of This American Life on iTunes. Today I listened to the episode about Americans in Paris. It made my want to buy the book of David Sedaris who wrote a book about his experiences in Paris(Someday Me Talk Pretty). This problem with buying books in Canada, though, is that the back of the books have the two prices--American and Canadian. The last book I bought was US$13 or CAD$18. Yikes! It made me decide to buy no more books in Canada. So now I'm torn. Oh the trials of currency movements!
Update: Turns out the title of the book is "Me Talk Pretty One Day", the part of it that takes place in France is rather small, and it's US$14.99/CAD$18.99. I didn't buy it.
Update: Turns out the title of the book is "Me Talk Pretty One Day", the part of it that takes place in France is rather small, and it's US$14.99/CAD$18.99. I didn't buy it.
Reading more Le Point
Everyday I go out, order a cup of coffee or two or three, and read one of my French magazines. I'm getting much better at it. The articles are either really easy--I'll need to look up one word every three paragraphs, or really hard where I need to look up multiple words sentence after sentence after sentence. I keep looking up words I know I have looked up many many times. Oh why am I learning a new language at the old age of 39?
I spent a long time on a sentence about upper end real estate in France. The problem was with the word "disposer". I was taking it to mean "dispose of". The guy who runs Sotheby's International Real Estate Group wants to "dispose de 50 agences" in France. But that wasn't making sense in the context of everything else he was saying. Well, it turns out he wasn't saying that he want's to dispose of 50 agencies, but rather have at his disposal 50 agencies. Opposite meaning altogether.
Besides that I learned that my iTouch is a "baladeur", that legs can be described as "galbée", and pet custody is becoming an issue for divorce in America (one guy was feeding fatty sausages to his dog who has digestive problems right before driving the pooch to his ex-wife every Sunday night).
One of the benefits of being in Canada is that I have several channels in French I can leave on in the background. I get bits and pieces--in a Quebec accent, I suppose. But I still can't get much. The movies we rent are nice because there I'm getting better and better at connecting the subtitles to what I just heard. I hope someday I won't need the subtitles, but that's a long way off.
Well, off to read more Le Point--today I want to finish the article about Bhutto's assassination, the new anti-smoking law (thank you France!), excerpts from a book on Hillary Clinton, and the reviews of the latest cellphones.
I spent a long time on a sentence about upper end real estate in France. The problem was with the word "disposer". I was taking it to mean "dispose of". The guy who runs Sotheby's International Real Estate Group wants to "dispose de 50 agences" in France. But that wasn't making sense in the context of everything else he was saying. Well, it turns out he wasn't saying that he want's to dispose of 50 agencies, but rather have at his disposal 50 agencies. Opposite meaning altogether.
Besides that I learned that my iTouch is a "baladeur", that legs can be described as "galbée", and pet custody is becoming an issue for divorce in America (one guy was feeding fatty sausages to his dog who has digestive problems right before driving the pooch to his ex-wife every Sunday night).
One of the benefits of being in Canada is that I have several channels in French I can leave on in the background. I get bits and pieces--in a Quebec accent, I suppose. But I still can't get much. The movies we rent are nice because there I'm getting better and better at connecting the subtitles to what I just heard. I hope someday I won't need the subtitles, but that's a long way off.
Well, off to read more Le Point--today I want to finish the article about Bhutto's assassination, the new anti-smoking law (thank you France!), excerpts from a book on Hillary Clinton, and the reviews of the latest cellphones.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Telephone Problems II
So, I left off yesterday frustrated. Today, I had to run an errand at 39th & Cambie, so since I was in the car anyway, I decided to visit my old neighborhood and see if I could get a cheap AC adapter at PC Galore on 4th Avenue. PC Galore is an odd place. It is a computer consignment store that uses the Dutch auction technique. They take computer equipment that you want to get rid of and start off with a high price. Then they drop the price over time until the item sells. I don't know what happens when it gets to $0. Anyway, I figured they'd have a box of AC adapters. Sure enough. I asked for an AC adapter and out came a box with about 20 various shapes and sizes of 12VDC adapters. I picked one out and asked how much. $10. OK, I wished it were $5, but I can can deal with $10. I took it home and plugged it in. It didn't work. Dammit!
So I went back--this time with my little Vonage unit. I was going to make sure the LED turned on this time. We dug through the box again and found another one. The LED turned on! Yay!!!
I came home and plugged it in. Once the Ethernet cable was plugged in, the connection to the Vonage network was soon established. I plugged in my ugly green phone and picked up the receiver. There was a dial tone! So I made all my necessary phone calls.
I canceled my cable, finally. Then I called a place for my bon voyage party. Then called my parents. Finally, I made an appointment at the travel clinic to get all my painful and expensive shots so I don't die of some African disease. I'll post about that on Monday when I return from the clinic.
So I went back--this time with my little Vonage unit. I was going to make sure the LED turned on this time. We dug through the box again and found another one. The LED turned on! Yay!!!
I came home and plugged it in. Once the Ethernet cable was plugged in, the connection to the Vonage network was soon established. I plugged in my ugly green phone and picked up the receiver. There was a dial tone! So I made all my necessary phone calls.
I canceled my cable, finally. Then I called a place for my bon voyage party. Then called my parents. Finally, I made an appointment at the travel clinic to get all my painful and expensive shots so I don't die of some African disease. I'll post about that on Monday when I return from the clinic.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Telephone Problems
I have telephone problems. When I packed, I made sure to bring two things with me to Elena's place so I could use my Vonage service. My Linksys router and my Vonage unit. Today I decided to hook them up because I have to make some phone calls.
So it turns out that Elena doesn't have an old POTS style phone handy. OK, no problem. I remember buying one for $5 at Radio Shack several years ago. So I head over to London Drugs. They have some old POTS phones, but they are $15 and super ugly. So I head down to "The Source" at Burrard and Davie. They also have nothing cheaper than $15. Their phones are burgundy and ivory, but neither model is in stock. So I head up to Future Shop. Of course, they don't dabble in such low level crap that you could buy in a pawn shop--they're Future Shop. I make one more stop at Sears--same stuff as Future Shop. Oh well. Back to London Drugs where I have a choice between girlish pink, baby blue, and pastel green. I get the green.
I come home and look for the AC adapter for the Vonage unit. Well, it seems that when I packed the router and Vonage unit, I only packed on AC adapter because both are made by Linksys. So now I only have one AC adapter--though it would work in either unit. So I decided to try to connect the cable modem straight to the Vonage unit. The power and internet LEDs just flashed. I'm not sure what the problem is, but when I hooked up the router, I had to clone the MAC of Elena's computer. OK. So I'll need to go through the router. Dammit. That means I need an AC adapter and an ethernet cable which I don't have--though I could use the one that goes to Elena's computer. I looked for another AC adapter that's 12V with the - on the outside and + on the inside that's the right radius. No luck.
I give up for today. I'll have to buy an adapter and that means maybe a run to either one of of those computer consignment stores or to London Drugs/The Source again.
Why can't I just use my cell phone? Well the roaming is like $0.90 per minute. Damn corporate cellphone pirates!
So it turns out that Elena doesn't have an old POTS style phone handy. OK, no problem. I remember buying one for $5 at Radio Shack several years ago. So I head over to London Drugs. They have some old POTS phones, but they are $15 and super ugly. So I head down to "The Source" at Burrard and Davie. They also have nothing cheaper than $15. Their phones are burgundy and ivory, but neither model is in stock. So I head up to Future Shop. Of course, they don't dabble in such low level crap that you could buy in a pawn shop--they're Future Shop. I make one more stop at Sears--same stuff as Future Shop. Oh well. Back to London Drugs where I have a choice between girlish pink, baby blue, and pastel green. I get the green.
I come home and look for the AC adapter for the Vonage unit. Well, it seems that when I packed the router and Vonage unit, I only packed on AC adapter because both are made by Linksys. So now I only have one AC adapter--though it would work in either unit. So I decided to try to connect the cable modem straight to the Vonage unit. The power and internet LEDs just flashed. I'm not sure what the problem is, but when I hooked up the router, I had to clone the MAC of Elena's computer. OK. So I'll need to go through the router. Dammit. That means I need an AC adapter and an ethernet cable which I don't have--though I could use the one that goes to Elena's computer. I looked for another AC adapter that's 12V with the - on the outside and + on the inside that's the right radius. No luck.
I give up for today. I'll have to buy an adapter and that means maybe a run to either one of of those computer consignment stores or to London Drugs/The Source again.
Why can't I just use my cell phone? Well the roaming is like $0.90 per minute. Damn corporate cellphone pirates!
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