Etrange – "At Half Past France… "

Pandemic Pauses

Hadn’t quite realized how quiet I’ve been here for the past year and a half… not so much that I had been silenced and more shifting of gears. Shifting gears as in bringing back my music, which I have neglected since leaving the States. That has changed.

I’ve slowly been putting back together pieces that will allow me to create the music I had been making before: adding guitars, software, pedals, and even computer upgrades (tho’ I’m STILL looking to find a used and affordable Godin smoke gray xtSA that I loved so much and wish I hadn’t given up in coming here).

https://www.thomann.de/fr/godin_xtsa.htm

As listed, locally available… nearly triple what I paid in 20+ years ago

The painful thing about the Godin is that all these years later, the price of a used xtSA is actually more than what I paid for it new! The cheapest ones I’ve found, in the US, are still over $200 (or more!) more than I paid and that’s before the shipping costs of getting it here. So it is scrimp, save, sardines for lunch, and no dinner delivery.

The computer upgrades were driven by teaching needs: the twelve-year old MacBook Pro had simply reached the point where it could no longer handle the video demands of Microsoft TEAMS which, unfortunately, is the de facto for a number of my corporate students. I’ll simply say that Apple’s M1 chips, even with the most basic configurations, can be pretty impressive. The fun part is that I can retire the MBP to be a dedicated machine — just need to decide how best to use it.

Here’s a couple recent photos that reflect the mood amongst some of les citoyens locaux:

… behold The Sabby Tabby!

Open letter to Leipzig Mayor: problem hiring foreigners

Open letter to Leipzig Mayor: problem hiring foreigners

https://leipglo.com/2019/01/18/open-letter-problem-hiring-foreigners/
— Read on leipglo.com/2019/01/18/open-letter-problem-hiring-foreigners/

It might seem like “preaching to the choir” but it bears repeating. I’d hear that people had contacted the Mayor of Leipzig’s office about this issue, but I haven’t heard if it has made any difference. I certainly can’t see that it has.

I can only hope that others have complained, commented, or otherwise expressed concern over the manner in which applications are being handled locally with regards to hiring “foreigners.”

I have to keep telling myself that I, too, am alien here and a foreigner.

Bonjour, bonsoir, whatever time it is…

“Wherever you are, there you are.”

And it’s true.

But it’s down right strange to be in France and be closer to London than Paris.

But there you are, definitely in France, but surrounded by so much of Britain that you might as well be somewhere in Hackney (sorry, Hackney — you’re a nice place and I loved spending time there, but THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FRANCE) for all the French you’re getting to learn and speak.

Escape into town. Up by the church and le postale; at least there’s a tabac there and Isabelle and Laurent don’t speak much English, but they are amused by your efforts at le langue Française and they DO have some local brew.

Or take a right out of the gate and walk down to the bridge over the canal. There’s a bar there, seems like a real bar inside from what little you’ve seen. Certainly worth another visit and spend some time with some real locals — and hope that they’re not derelict Flems on the run and speaking in Flemish rather than French.

Call this a work in progress, call it what you will… just don’t call me late to dinner.

More to follow when the spirit so moves me…