Jason and Ashleigh in Paris

Hello all, I went to Paris again this past weekend to see some friends from home. Jason and Ashleigh came in on Saturday morning so I decided to meet them over at the hotel early. That way they would not have a chance to sleep and be jet-lagged all week. I met them around 9:30 at the Hotel Europe and we went to walk the beautiful streets of Paris. First we stopped by a cafe for some much needed coffee! Then we walked over to the Eiffel Tower and down through the park just in front of it. Over to the Louvre to see that famous pyramid of triangles made even more famous by Dan Brown and The DaVinci Code. We walked sooo much! Over to the Champs Elysees and to the Arc de Triomphe to finish. Then I let them head over to the Hotel for a little nap and so they could get ready for dinner at La Maison de Campagne. They were kind enough to buy my dinner and I was very happy to accept! It was really nice and we were fortunate because the waiter turned out to be an Irish ex-patriate so I was able to speak French and they spoke in English. The next day I met them at 1:00pm at the Musee D'Orsay because I did not realize it was daylight savings time to change and Spring Forward so I woke up late. It was nice to that museum because I had never been. The whole museum is nice and not crowded until you get to the 5th floor where the Impressionist's are. Then the place is crowded and it's hard to get a great view without being patient. The paintings are simply beautiful, I love Monet the most I think. Van Gogh is no slouch but I think that Monet had a better style and grace. Afterwards we went to a cafe and had a late lunch sandwich and coffee before I had to go and catch my train. It was a great weekend and now I have to hit the gym and pay the piper. It feels early but only because of the daylight savings. Well, I hope all of you are doing well and I will post again soon.

Spring Is Just Around The Corner

It has been absolutely beautiful here in Lyon this past week. I have been able to go roller-blading 4 times so far around Lyon and always in the Parc de La Tete D'Or. Which is a huge park in the North of the city where the whole city goes when it is nice outside. Last Thursday I skated up there to play some soccer with my peoples. We played and lazed in the sun for hours. I was so fatigued that I could not go to the gym that day! Then I went out on Saturday night with some Aussies ( of course ), and I also met some Swedes. The stereotype is true, they are all beautiful!!! However they are not all blonde. The one that I took a liking to was a blonde, and like every other girl that I like she has a boyfriend. Who apparently fits her like a glove as I have been told. So Sunday was the free-day and I woke up after being shifted into another bed when Mads got back from her rave. I went back to sleep and when I got up I had 2 bowls of this great Muesli with lots of chocolate chips! Then I grug over to the market to get some things for the rest of the week and that night. I love to get one of the spit-roasted chickens from some really jovial characters there. They are always singing and chatting with everyone so it always makes me smile to see them.
Next was off to the park again to meet an entourage and munch on some chips. I had planned to play soccer but I think everyone was happier talking and sitting in the sun so who was I to change that perfect setting! I did roller there and back so even on my day off I got some exercise. Which is good because I came home and made some broccoli and chicken pasta with parmasan, cream, and lemon zest. Not to mention the half pint of Haagen-Daaz that I ate afterwards. It was a nice weekend with great weather but it is now getting a little chilly again. Hopefully it will be nice next weekend when I go to see Jason and Ashley in Paris. Not looking forward to paying 90+ euros for the return fair but I would never miss seeing them. OK, that is enough for today I am going to me couche bientot. Ciao

Murphyslaw Strikes, then backfires!!!

Bonjour a Tous! I have a great story to tell you all. I had planned to go skiing yesterday with a large group of friends. We purchased a group package for 27 euros. In all there were 12 of us from about 5 nations and four continents that joined in on the plan. We all had to meet at Belle Cours by 5:55am when the bus was scheduled to leave. Although France is known for being late, when it comes to transportation they are usually right on time. So, I could not fall asleep the night before. Probably because I had been fighting sleep all day since I got home at 5:00am on Friday night from an international gathering the night before. I left at about 3:40am but decided to walk home so that I could get up early and clean the apartment before the landlords stopped by with the new fridge. I arose at 10:30am and cleaned the place with a nice hangover. Then, I went to the gym because they had not arrived. They said sometime in the afternoon so I continued to wait. Finally, I went to the store to buy groceries for the trip and eventually they arrived at 8:00pm. I guess that is technically afternoon! Then I watched the Miss Europe Pageant. I am not a paegent kind-of-guy but it was my brother Fred's show and he wanted me too watch it. I went to bed around midnight but fell asleep somewhere between 2:00-3:00am. The next thing I know my phone is ringing and it's Mad's. I thought she was calling to make sure I was awake but it turns out it was 5:55am and the bus was about to roll out. No chance to get there in 5 minutes so after having bought my ticket and renting my skiis I thought that it was all in vain. I received several phone calls from Maddy and Jo after that telling me to get a train to Grenoble and then hitching a ride or finding a bus. That seemed a little bit too much of a shot in the dark so I started to get back in the bed smoldering with anger and envy. Then my phone ribbits ( I have a frog chime ) with a message saying that the bus is en panne or broken down at a gas station. The station is only about 10 minutes by taxi and they tell me I have 30 minutes before the bus arrives. I hopped out of bed, called Allo Taxi, put some sandwiches and edibles in my bag and went straight down to meet the taxi! Amazingly, the bus was about 12km away and after another 22 euros for the cab fair I rejoined my friends and had a great day skiing. Moral of the story, never give up when you can call a cab!!!
Hope that you enjoyed that little anecdote, it will be a memory of mine for years to come. Yesterday I went to the Parc De La Tete D'Or with Maddy her man Mauricio, Anna, Claire, Lynette, etc... for a little fun in the finally warm sun!!! I rollered there in my skates that I got the 2nd month here. I did not fall yesterday so I think that I am starting to get my feet back. My goal is to be able to navigate the streets really well and have a proficiency in skating backwards since I would like to pick up hockey again when I get back home. For all those interested I am still in the "Zone." I have lost around 4-5kgs so far. That is about 10-12pds for those who are not savvy with the metric system. Which, by the way, is so much more efficient and easy to use than the fucking standard system that we use in the US. Americans need to jump on board and we should be more like the English in tranferring our youth completely to metric by teaching them both in school. However, with the bold and STUPID "No Child Left Behind" doctrination of our bumbling 4 more years President I think that we are sliding back in time.
OK, I don't feel like standing on the soapbox right now on such a beautiful day so I am going to the gym, class, and then maybe even the Generation Roller tonight. That is a 15km skate around Lyon. They shut the streets down in front of and behind a huge group of roller bladers. Going to be some fun tonight!

Toodles...

Hitting the Slopes

This weekend is my first adventure into the French Alps for a little skiing. There is a big group of about 15-20 of us going through a service that we found that is cheap and reputed to be a nice group of slopes. Not that I am going to have any clue since it has been about 12 years since I went skiing and I had only been a few times before that. The main concern I have is the fact there was 55,000 injuries in France last season attributed to winter sports, or in otherwords skiing and snowboarding. I have just started the BFL Challenge and I am in week 2 so I am hoping that I do not go up there and screw it all up by getting a broken foot, leg, or arm! That would be just my style I think. Its not so much that I think I will fall and break something as much as I am worried about someone else running into me and causing damage like the last time I went skiing. I was plowed into by a friend of mine, I was already down and he tried something stupid above me on the slope to show-off, fell and planted both of his skis in my leg, did not break it but bruised it to the bone I can assure you. Well, I am supposed to be in class now and I have a test at around 1:00pm so I better run and get to it. Talk to you all later, looks like I have to come back for the end of May and first few days of June for a wedding. Congratulations Timmy! Never thought you would be first before Brendon or myself. No worries, wish the two of you the very best and I will see you in June I wreckon!

Snowing in Lyon

It is Saturday here in Lyon and it is snowing with a fury. It is not really sticking anywhere but the rooftops and grassy areas. I think that there is enough salt on the streets and roads already to re-create the Sahara desert. Anywho, I have started the EAS 2005 BFL challenge. I have decided to start another blog to outline this so it does not take up too much time in this site. The address is http://www.thereunionchallenge.blogspot.com and I am updating it daily with my menu and workouts.Anyways, life here in Lyon is pretty normal. Although my roommate is not happy with my decision to "faire une regime." This is mainly because he has become accustomed to my cooking and I am no longer buying groceries together. Sorry, but when I want something I have to be a little selfish as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. That would be an arguable point for him because I have tasted his food and seen him burn fried eggs.
My roommate is trying to tell my how great Mariah Carey is and how her new album is going to sell double-platinum. I think he is crazy, maybe crazier than that crazy-ass singer herself. He also thinks that she is all-real. That is to say that she has never had any plastic surgery. I have to agree with Sharon Ozbourne and say that Mariah has the best boob-job in the business. Time will tell, just look back at some of the old album covers, where did the A-cup turn into a D-cup? Come on Mariah, they are fake, nice but fake.Thats all, and enough for now. Miss all of you, have a great Spring Break for those of you at UNCC.

Back into the Zone

I have decided to do another EAS challenge. For those of you who do not know what this is I will explain it to you. A few years ago I was living in Myrtle Beach, SC. I moved there to help my sister open up a business and started working in a local restaurant. I was in the worst shape of my life, a lot like right now. So, I decided to do the EAS Transformation Challenge. It is a 12 week program of my choice and the objective can be to lose weight, gain muscle, etc. I entered the challenge at 232 pounds and at about 17.5% body fat. During the course of my program I followed a very strict diet 6 days a week and only took 1 day off. My workout routine was very rigorous work-out, with an average of 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day including a 30-45 mintute cardio session. I followed the program religously for 10 1/2 weeks until my best friend's wedding. After that weekend I let myself believe that I did not have a chance and did not send in my photos to be judged. My last measurements at that time showed that I significantly reduced my bodyfat to 10%. This test was administered by a licensed P.T. My weight fell to 189 pounds and I looked good enough to feel comfortable on a beach around Brad Pitt. Since I am in horrible shape I have decided to give it another go and this time make it stick. I am starting the challenge this week when I recieve my entry packet. The only thing I have to buy is a product from the company to take every day of the challenge. Not a large investment if you look at how much you spend eating out in a month. However, the products are very good and I do not mind taking a protein supplement and vitamins. That said, I would like to invite anyone to join me. This is not just a fakie competition with one crap prize like Men's Health. There are 2 grand prizes for the winner in the male and female categories worth $100,000, and many first prizes worth $25,000 each. Plus, the greatest part of all is that you get a great physique and a healthy lifestyle jump-start. I am doing this from France and so I will be calculating and translating in kilograms to pounds. I think that I am even going to build another blog for the occasion as well. I am thinking of posting my workouts, pictures, and diet. That is kinda scary considering I resemble a Walrus at the moment. I know I can complete this and I hope that I have your attention and support. I will let you know the website when it is operational. Bonne Chance!!!