There is definitely a family resemblance, don't you think ?...
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Redshirting who ?
Le New York Times vient de publier un article sur une pratique dont j'ignorais totalement l'existence jusqu'à récemment: le "redshirting". Le terme est emprunté au vocabulaire sportif et décrit le fait de retarder l'entrée d'un enfant à l'école dans l'espoir de lui donner un avantage sur ses petits camarades l'année suivante.
D'après les auteurs, 1 enfant sur 11 rentre à l'école un an plus tard qu'il aurait pu. Dans mes souvenirs, en France, les parents faisaient plutôt des pieds et des mains pour inscrire leurs enfants au CP avec un an d'avance... Comme ici les enfants sont testés très fréquemment une fois dans le système scolaire, que les résulats des tests déterminent le parcours scolaire de l'enfant, et que les résultats s'améliorent statistiquement avec l'âge, on comprend mieux pourquoi l'inverse est vrai aux États-Unis.
Les poulets, tous les deux nés en Mai, rentreront au Kindergarten à 5 ans, avec des enfants entre 9 mois plus agés et 3 mois plus jeunes... Ils seront donc dans le bon milieu, et on ne sera pas tentés de les "redshirter" ...
Ça tombe bien, parce qu'au prix que coûte le daycare (notre première facture pour les 2 poulets ce mois-ci s'élève quand même à $3175), ça aurait fait mal ...
PS sur le sujet du système scolaire américain, on a vu dernièrement "Waiting for Superman", intéressant et un peu effrayant, et on a sur notre liste Netflix "Race to nowhere" pour bientôt. Côté lecture, j'ai également réservé à la bibliothèque "Welcome to Your Child’s Brain: How the Mind Grows From Conception to College", des auteurs de l'article en question.
PPS à propos, Tipoulet a pour la première fois cette semaine reconnu l'initiale de son prénom sur la couverture d'un livre, spontanément, sans qu'on ne lui demande rien ... Bravo mon loulou !
The New York Times recently published an article on a practice I had no idea until recently existed : "redshirting." The term is borrowed from the sports vocabulary and describes delaying the entry of a child to school in hopes of giving him an advantage over his classmates the following year.
According to the authors, one in 11 children will enter school a year later than he could have. From what I remember, in France, parents were rather scrambling to enroll their children in first grade (CP) a year early ... Because here children are tested frequently once in the school system, tests determine the child's school path, and test scores statistically improve with age, it's easy to understand why the reverse is true in the US.
My chickens, both born in May, will enter kindergarten at age 5, with children between 9 months older and 3 months younger ... They will be right in the middle, so we won't be tempted to "redshirt" them ...
And that's fortunate, because considering how much daycare costs (our first bill for the two chickens this month was $3,175), it would have been painful ...
PS on the subject of the American school system, we have recently watched "Waiting for Superman", interesting and a little scary, and "Race to nowhere" is coming up on our Netflix list. In the reading category, I also reserved "Welcome to Your Child's Brain: How the Mind Grows From Conception to College" at the library, from the authors of the article.
PPS on the same line, Tipoulet found the initial of his first name on a book cover for the first time this week, spontaneously, without us asking anything ... Good job sweetheart !
D'après les auteurs, 1 enfant sur 11 rentre à l'école un an plus tard qu'il aurait pu. Dans mes souvenirs, en France, les parents faisaient plutôt des pieds et des mains pour inscrire leurs enfants au CP avec un an d'avance... Comme ici les enfants sont testés très fréquemment une fois dans le système scolaire, que les résulats des tests déterminent le parcours scolaire de l'enfant, et que les résultats s'améliorent statistiquement avec l'âge, on comprend mieux pourquoi l'inverse est vrai aux États-Unis.
Les poulets, tous les deux nés en Mai, rentreront au Kindergarten à 5 ans, avec des enfants entre 9 mois plus agés et 3 mois plus jeunes... Ils seront donc dans le bon milieu, et on ne sera pas tentés de les "redshirter" ...
Ça tombe bien, parce qu'au prix que coûte le daycare (notre première facture pour les 2 poulets ce mois-ci s'élève quand même à $3175), ça aurait fait mal ...
PS sur le sujet du système scolaire américain, on a vu dernièrement "Waiting for Superman", intéressant et un peu effrayant, et on a sur notre liste Netflix "Race to nowhere" pour bientôt. Côté lecture, j'ai également réservé à la bibliothèque "Welcome to Your Child’s Brain: How the Mind Grows From Conception to College", des auteurs de l'article en question.
PPS à propos, Tipoulet a pour la première fois cette semaine reconnu l'initiale de son prénom sur la couverture d'un livre, spontanément, sans qu'on ne lui demande rien ... Bravo mon loulou !
The New York Times recently published an article on a practice I had no idea until recently existed : "redshirting." The term is borrowed from the sports vocabulary and describes delaying the entry of a child to school in hopes of giving him an advantage over his classmates the following year.
According to the authors, one in 11 children will enter school a year later than he could have. From what I remember, in France, parents were rather scrambling to enroll their children in first grade (CP) a year early ... Because here children are tested frequently once in the school system, tests determine the child's school path, and test scores statistically improve with age, it's easy to understand why the reverse is true in the US.
My chickens, both born in May, will enter kindergarten at age 5, with children between 9 months older and 3 months younger ... They will be right in the middle, so we won't be tempted to "redshirt" them ...
And that's fortunate, because considering how much daycare costs (our first bill for the two chickens this month was $3,175), it would have been painful ...
PS on the subject of the American school system, we have recently watched "Waiting for Superman", interesting and a little scary, and "Race to nowhere" is coming up on our Netflix list. In the reading category, I also reserved "Welcome to Your Child's Brain: How the Mind Grows From Conception to College" at the library, from the authors of the article.
PPS on the same line, Tipoulet found the initial of his first name on a book cover for the first time this week, spontaneously, without us asking anything ... Good job sweetheart !
Monday, September 26, 2011
Happy birthday to me !
Ça pouvait pas durer éternellement... hier j'ai eu 34 ans.
Mais j'ai eu plein de beaux cadeaux:
- un P qui rentrait de France;
- et dans les valises de P, plein de goodies*.
Un intrus s'est glissé dans la photo. Sauras-tu le retrouver? - Something does not belong in this picture. Will you find it?
Merci pour toutes ces bonnes choses, et pour tous les cadeaux !!
Et j'ai même réussi à me faire des tartelettes mascarpone/fruits rouges d'anniversaire...
It couldn't last forever... yesterday I turned 34.
But I got a lot of presents:
- a P who came back from France;
- and in P's luggage, lots of goodies.
Thank you all for all the yumminess, and for all the presents !!
And I even managed to make myself some mascarpone/berries birthday tartlets...
Mais j'ai eu plein de beaux cadeaux:
- un P qui rentrait de France;
- et dans les valises de P, plein de goodies*.
Un intrus s'est glissé dans la photo. Sauras-tu le retrouver? - Something does not belong in this picture. Will you find it?
Merci pour toutes ces bonnes choses, et pour tous les cadeaux !!
Et j'ai même réussi à me faire des tartelettes mascarpone/fruits rouges d'anniversaire...
It couldn't last forever... yesterday I turned 34.
But I got a lot of presents:
- a P who came back from France;
- and in P's luggage, lots of goodies.
Thank you all for all the yumminess, and for all the presents !!
And I even managed to make myself some mascarpone/berries birthday tartlets...
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Capital embarrassment
Troy Davis a été exécuté hier en Géorgie pour un crime (celui d'un policier, blanc) dont il n'est pas certain qu'il l'ait commis.
La possibilité qu'un innocent meure pour un crime qu'il n'a pas commis est un argument qui devrait justifier à lui seul l'abolition de la peine de mort aux États-Unis. Mais il en existe un tas d'autres.
Les pragmatiques:
- 5 pays dans le monde exécutent à eux seuls plus de 90% des condamnés à mort : la Chine, l'Iran, l'Arabie Saoudite, la Corée du Nord et les États-Unis... Beau quintette, non ?
- Le système judiciaire américain est entâché de racisme : de nombreuses études depuis la réinstitution de la peine de mort en 1976 montrent qu'un accusé noir a environ 2 fois plus de chances d'être condamné à mort qu'un accusé blanc, et que le meurtrier d'une victime blanche a environ 4 fois plus de chances d'être condamné à mort que celui d'une victime noire. Par exemple, en Géorgie, dans les années 80 (Troy Davis a été condamné en 1991), les procureurs ont requis la peine de mort pour 70% des noirs accusés d'avoir assassiné un blanc, et pour 15% des blancs accusés d'avoir assassiné un noir.
- Le système judiciaire américain est politisé : aux États-Unis, les juges sont élus, et pas nommés comme en France. Lorsque votre électorat se dit majoritairement en faveur de la peine de mort, forcément ça influence...
- La peine de mort n'est pas dissuasive : les États n'appliquant pas la peine de mort ont un taux d'homicides plus bas que les États qui l'appliquent.
- Une condamnation à la peine de mort coûte plus cher à la société qu'une condamnation à perpétuité.
Et enfin, l'argument moral :
- Justice n'est pas vengeance.
Malheureusement, j'entend régulièrement mes amis ici dire qu'aucun homme politique ne s'engagera contre la peine de mort. Rien (c'est-à-dire pas de votes) à y gagner, puisque plus de 60% des Américains s'y disent favorables.
Cette année, cela fera 30 ans que la peine de mort a été abolie en France. Le lendemain du vote, dans un sondage pour Le Figaro, 62% des Français se disaient favorables à la peine capitale.
Troy Davis was executed yesterday in Georgia for a crime (of a white policeman) that he might not have committed.
The possibility that an innocent man could die for a crime he did not commit is an argument that would alone justify the abolition of the death penalty in the United States. But there are a lot of others.
The pragmatic ones :
- 5 countries in the world execute over 90% of death sentences : China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and the United States ... Nice quintet, right?
- The U.S. judicial system is tainted by racism: many studies since the reinstitution of the death penalty in 1976 show that a black defendant is about 2 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a white defendant, and that the murderer of a white victim is about 4 times more likely to be sentenced to death than one of a black victim. For example, in Georgia, in the 80s (Troy Davis was convicted there in 1991), prosecutors sought the death penalty for 70% of blacks accused of murdering a white, and 15% of whites accused of murdering a black.*
- The U.S. judicial system is politicized: in the United States, judges are elected, not appointed as in France. When your electorate is predominantly in favor of the death penalty, it necessarily has an influence ...
- The death penalty is not a good deterrent : States that do not apply the death penalty have consistently homicide rates lower than States that apply it.
- A death sentence costs more to society than a life-without parole sentence.
And last but not least, the moral argument:
- Justice is not vengeance.
Unfortunately, my friends here regularly say that no politician will campaign against the death penalty. Nothing (that means no votes) to gain, since over 60% of Americans say they support it.
This year, it will be the 30-year anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty in France. The day after the vote, in a poll for Le Figaro, 62% of French people said they were in favor of capital punishment.
La possibilité qu'un innocent meure pour un crime qu'il n'a pas commis est un argument qui devrait justifier à lui seul l'abolition de la peine de mort aux États-Unis. Mais il en existe un tas d'autres.
Les pragmatiques:
- 5 pays dans le monde exécutent à eux seuls plus de 90% des condamnés à mort : la Chine, l'Iran, l'Arabie Saoudite, la Corée du Nord et les États-Unis... Beau quintette, non ?
- Le système judiciaire américain est entâché de racisme : de nombreuses études depuis la réinstitution de la peine de mort en 1976 montrent qu'un accusé noir a environ 2 fois plus de chances d'être condamné à mort qu'un accusé blanc, et que le meurtrier d'une victime blanche a environ 4 fois plus de chances d'être condamné à mort que celui d'une victime noire. Par exemple, en Géorgie, dans les années 80 (Troy Davis a été condamné en 1991), les procureurs ont requis la peine de mort pour 70% des noirs accusés d'avoir assassiné un blanc, et pour 15% des blancs accusés d'avoir assassiné un noir.
- Le système judiciaire américain est politisé : aux États-Unis, les juges sont élus, et pas nommés comme en France. Lorsque votre électorat se dit majoritairement en faveur de la peine de mort, forcément ça influence...
- La peine de mort n'est pas dissuasive : les États n'appliquant pas la peine de mort ont un taux d'homicides plus bas que les États qui l'appliquent.
- Une condamnation à la peine de mort coûte plus cher à la société qu'une condamnation à perpétuité.
Et enfin, l'argument moral :
- Justice n'est pas vengeance.
Malheureusement, j'entend régulièrement mes amis ici dire qu'aucun homme politique ne s'engagera contre la peine de mort. Rien (c'est-à-dire pas de votes) à y gagner, puisque plus de 60% des Américains s'y disent favorables.
Cette année, cela fera 30 ans que la peine de mort a été abolie en France. Le lendemain du vote, dans un sondage pour Le Figaro, 62% des Français se disaient favorables à la peine capitale.
Troy Davis was executed yesterday in Georgia for a crime (of a white policeman) that he might not have committed.
The possibility that an innocent man could die for a crime he did not commit is an argument that would alone justify the abolition of the death penalty in the United States. But there are a lot of others.
The pragmatic ones :
- 5 countries in the world execute over 90% of death sentences : China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and the United States ... Nice quintet, right?
- The U.S. judicial system is tainted by racism: many studies since the reinstitution of the death penalty in 1976 show that a black defendant is about 2 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a white defendant, and that the murderer of a white victim is about 4 times more likely to be sentenced to death than one of a black victim. For example, in Georgia, in the 80s (Troy Davis was convicted there in 1991), prosecutors sought the death penalty for 70% of blacks accused of murdering a white, and 15% of whites accused of murdering a black.*
- The U.S. judicial system is politicized: in the United States, judges are elected, not appointed as in France. When your electorate is predominantly in favor of the death penalty, it necessarily has an influence ...
- The death penalty is not a good deterrent : States that do not apply the death penalty have consistently homicide rates lower than States that apply it.
- A death sentence costs more to society than a life-without parole sentence.
And last but not least, the moral argument:
- Justice is not vengeance.
Unfortunately, my friends here regularly say that no politician will campaign against the death penalty. Nothing (that means no votes) to gain, since over 60% of Americans say they support it.
This year, it will be the 30-year anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty in France. The day after the vote, in a poll for Le Figaro, 62% of French people said they were in favor of capital punishment.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The worst customer service ever... EVER
Ce post est doublement de circonstance aujourd'hui.
1) P est dans l'avion Air France pour Paris, pour le boulot;
2) l'aventure s'est conclue, j'espère, cet après-midi.
Par contre, vu que ça fait déjà 3 pages en anglais, je ne traduis pas...
This post is appropriate for 2 reasons today.
1) P is on the Air France flight to Paris for a business trip;
2) this adventure came to an end, I hope, this afternoon.
But because it's already 3 pages long, I won't put a french translation...
08/24/2011:
"Hi,
No miles have been credited to my account for my flight from SFO to CDG on 06/xx/2011. My Delta eticket number is 006xxxxxxx. In addition, because the flight was 9 hours late, I would appreciate some compensation for the inconvenience. Thank you for taking care of this.
Best regards,
MamaChick"
09/02/2011
"Dear Miss MamaChick,
Thank you for contacting Flying Blue.
Thank you very much for your e-mail dated August 24th 2011.
Please note that since July 2, 2007, missing Miles for AIR FRANCE or KLM flights must be claimed directly via the "Flying Blue" section of the www.airfrance.com or www.klm.com
Your ticket number, which appears on your paper or electronic ticket, will be required for that transaction. It begins with 057... for Air France and with 074... for KLM.
For flights with other partners, a copy of your ticket and the original boarding pass should be sent to the following address:
FLYING BLUE
235 King Street East
Kitchener, ON
N2G 4N5
CANADA
To ensure that Miles are credited to your account automatically, please remember to give your Flying Blue account number every time you make a reservation with AIR FRANCE, KLM or other Flying Blue partner.
We thank you for your continued loyalty to the Flying Blue programme.
Sincerely,
Sara
Your Flying Blue Team"
09/02/2011:
"Here's the thing:
1) I booked my ticket ON THE PHONE WITH AIR FRANCE, who had my Flying Blue number (since the return-leg of the flight was actually credited, after all);
2) but, I got a Delta ticket issued to me, so no 057... or 074... eticket number, thus I can't claim the miles online.
3) I have no time and no intention of sending you the original boarding pass.
So please, for once, Flying Blue Customer Service, be helpful.
MamaChick"
09/09/2011:
"Dear Miss MamaChick,
Thank you very much for your e-mail dated September 2nd 2011.
However, as a result of reception problems, we are unable to read the content of the e-mail you sent us.
We therefore kindly ask you to resend your request.
Please consult the web sites www.airfrance.com or www.klm.com for complete information and conditions regarding our programme and your account.
Please feel free to contact us again in the future should you need further assistance.
Sincerely,
Javier
Your Flying Blue Team"
09/09/2011:
"This is my 3rd email. Please check your records for my previous emails on Aug 24th, and Sept 2nd, and your responses on Sept 2nd and 9th.
[COPY of previous email]"
09/16/2011
"Dear Miss. MamaChicks,
Thank you very much for your e-mail dated September 9th 2011.
You informed us of activities that you would like to have credited to your account.
Upon investigation, we regret to inform you that without the required documents we are unable to satisfy your request for the credit of missing Miles.
Please note that for the registration of a missing flight you need to provide us with a copy of the electronic ticket and the original boarding pass to the following address:
FLYING BLUE
235 King Street East
Kitchener, ON
N2G 4N5
CANADA
To ensure that Miles are credited to your account automatically, please remember to give your Flying Blue account number every time you make a reservation with AIR FRANCE, KLM or other Flying Blue partner.
Should you require any further information, your Flying Blue team remains at your disposal either by telephone at 1 800 375 8723 from the United States.
We thank you for your continued loyalty to the Flying Blue programme.
Sincerely,
Renata
Your Flying Blue Team"
ARE YOU KIDDING ME !?!!?
You'll notice that in addition to being incompetent, they only reply to emails once a week apparently.
09/20/2011:
After 3 painful, very painful phone calls to Flying Blue - where I was arguing that since they were responsible for the mistake, they were the ones who should fix it -, 2 to Air France Customer Service, I finally ended up talking to Delta Customer Service, who, BECAUSE THEY'RE AMERICANS, know what a Customer Service is supposed to look like.
Me: "Hi, I have a problem with some miles that were not credited to my Flying Blue account for a flight with Air France with a Delta eticket."
Her: "Oh, well, then you need to call..."
Me: "NO! I talked to Flying Blue, they told me they couldn't help me, and to call Air France Customer Service, which I did, but THEY told me they couldn't help either and gave me your number. This is my 6th phone call today, please help me or I'm going to lose it."
Her: "Oh my! They've really had you on a roll here... I am sorry, let me see what I can do to help you. [I explain the situation, pause] OK, I talked to my supervisor, and he agrees with me, it's not acceptable, I am going to call them RIGHT NOW and they're going to hear it from me if they don't want to credit your miles. [pause] Alright Ms MamaChick, I just had them on the phone, please fax them the email with your eticket and they'll credit your account within 48 hours."
Fax sent today, I'll update the post in a couple of days.
Thank you Delta Customer Service, I love you ! And Sara, Javier, Renata and the 2 morons I had on the phone today at Flying Blue Customer Service, !@#$ you.
1) P est dans l'avion Air France pour Paris, pour le boulot;
2) l'aventure s'est conclue, j'espère, cet après-midi.
Par contre, vu que ça fait déjà 3 pages en anglais, je ne traduis pas...
This post is appropriate for 2 reasons today.
1) P is on the Air France flight to Paris for a business trip;
2) this adventure came to an end, I hope, this afternoon.
But because it's already 3 pages long, I won't put a french translation...
08/24/2011:
"Hi,
No miles have been credited to my account for my flight from SFO to CDG on 06/xx/2011. My Delta eticket number is 006xxxxxxx. In addition, because the flight was 9 hours late, I would appreciate some compensation for the inconvenience. Thank you for taking care of this.
Best regards,
MamaChick"
09/02/2011
"Dear Miss MamaChick,
Thank you for contacting Flying Blue.
Thank you very much for your e-mail dated August 24th 2011.
Please note that since July 2, 2007, missing Miles for AIR FRANCE or KLM flights must be claimed directly via the "Flying Blue" section of the www.airfrance.com or www.klm.com
Your ticket number, which appears on your paper or electronic ticket, will be required for that transaction. It begins with 057... for Air France and with 074... for KLM.
For flights with other partners, a copy of your ticket and the original boarding pass should be sent to the following address:
FLYING BLUE
235 King Street East
Kitchener, ON
N2G 4N5
CANADA
To ensure that Miles are credited to your account automatically, please remember to give your Flying Blue account number every time you make a reservation with AIR FRANCE, KLM or other Flying Blue partner.
We thank you for your continued loyalty to the Flying Blue programme.
Sincerely,
Sara
Your Flying Blue Team"
09/02/2011:
"Here's the thing:
1) I booked my ticket ON THE PHONE WITH AIR FRANCE, who had my Flying Blue number (since the return-leg of the flight was actually credited, after all);
2) but, I got a Delta ticket issued to me, so no 057... or 074... eticket number, thus I can't claim the miles online.
3) I have no time and no intention of sending you the original boarding pass.
So please, for once, Flying Blue Customer Service, be helpful.
MamaChick"
09/09/2011:
"Dear Miss MamaChick,
Thank you very much for your e-mail dated September 2nd 2011.
However, as a result of reception problems, we are unable to read the content of the e-mail you sent us.
We therefore kindly ask you to resend your request.
Please consult the web sites www.airfrance.com or www.klm.com for complete information and conditions regarding our programme and your account.
Please feel free to contact us again in the future should you need further assistance.
Sincerely,
Javier
Your Flying Blue Team"
09/09/2011:
"This is my 3rd email. Please check your records for my previous emails on Aug 24th, and Sept 2nd, and your responses on Sept 2nd and 9th.
[COPY of previous email]"
09/16/2011
"Dear Miss. MamaChicks,
Thank you very much for your e-mail dated September 9th 2011.
You informed us of activities that you would like to have credited to your account.
Upon investigation, we regret to inform you that without the required documents we are unable to satisfy your request for the credit of missing Miles.
Please note that for the registration of a missing flight you need to provide us with a copy of the electronic ticket and the original boarding pass to the following address:
FLYING BLUE
235 King Street East
Kitchener, ON
N2G 4N5
CANADA
To ensure that Miles are credited to your account automatically, please remember to give your Flying Blue account number every time you make a reservation with AIR FRANCE, KLM or other Flying Blue partner.
Should you require any further information, your Flying Blue team remains at your disposal either by telephone at 1 800 375 8723 from the United States.
We thank you for your continued loyalty to the Flying Blue programme.
Sincerely,
Renata
Your Flying Blue Team"
ARE YOU KIDDING ME !?!!?
You'll notice that in addition to being incompetent, they only reply to emails once a week apparently.
09/20/2011:
After 3 painful, very painful phone calls to Flying Blue - where I was arguing that since they were responsible for the mistake, they were the ones who should fix it -, 2 to Air France Customer Service, I finally ended up talking to Delta Customer Service, who, BECAUSE THEY'RE AMERICANS, know what a Customer Service is supposed to look like.
Me: "Hi, I have a problem with some miles that were not credited to my Flying Blue account for a flight with Air France with a Delta eticket."
Her: "Oh, well, then you need to call..."
Me: "NO! I talked to Flying Blue, they told me they couldn't help me, and to call Air France Customer Service, which I did, but THEY told me they couldn't help either and gave me your number. This is my 6th phone call today, please help me or I'm going to lose it."
Her: "Oh my! They've really had you on a roll here... I am sorry, let me see what I can do to help you. [I explain the situation, pause] OK, I talked to my supervisor, and he agrees with me, it's not acceptable, I am going to call them RIGHT NOW and they're going to hear it from me if they don't want to credit your miles. [pause] Alright Ms MamaChick, I just had them on the phone, please fax them the email with your eticket and they'll credit your account within 48 hours."
Fax sent today, I'll update the post in a couple of days.
Thank you Delta Customer Service, I love you ! And Sara, Javier, Renata and the 2 morons I had on the phone today at Flying Blue Customer Service, !@#$ you.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Monterey & Big Sur - Part V (and last): Tipoulet's favorites
Ça n'est sans doute pas dans les guides touristiques, mais un des trucs préférés de Tipoulet à Monterey a été le parc Denis La Malice.
Il faut dire, comme parc, ça se pose là.
En plus, pas noir de monde, comme vous pouvez le constatez. Et tout n'est pas sur la photo. Il y avait aussi une vraie locomotive sur laquelle les enfants peuvent grimper.
Enfin, malgré tout ça, après 45 minutes, on a retrouvé notre grimpeur préféré...
... dans un arbre !
L'autre truc que Tipoulet a adoré, c'est la piscine de l'hotel.
Et à notre grande joie, il a recommencé à se lancer tout seul - ça faisait quelques temps qu'il avait peur d'être seul dans l'eau -, en mettant la tête sous l'eau.
Et voilà un petit loulou épuisé... And here's an exhausted Tipoulet
You probably won't find it in guidebooks, but one of Tipoulet's favorite things in Monterey was the Dennis the Menace park. I have to say it is a pretty awesome park. And not too crowded as you can see. Plus, there are even more things than shown in the picture. Like a train engine that kids can climb on.
Still, despite all of this, after 45 minutes, we found our little climber... in a tree ! The other thing that Tipoulet loved was the pool at the hotel. And to our delight, he started swimming on his own again - he had become afraid of being on his own in the water lately - putting his head under the water.
Il faut dire, comme parc, ça se pose là.
En plus, pas noir de monde, comme vous pouvez le constatez. Et tout n'est pas sur la photo. Il y avait aussi une vraie locomotive sur laquelle les enfants peuvent grimper.
Enfin, malgré tout ça, après 45 minutes, on a retrouvé notre grimpeur préféré...
... dans un arbre !
L'autre truc que Tipoulet a adoré, c'est la piscine de l'hotel.
Et à notre grande joie, il a recommencé à se lancer tout seul - ça faisait quelques temps qu'il avait peur d'être seul dans l'eau -, en mettant la tête sous l'eau.
Et voilà un petit loulou épuisé... And here's an exhausted Tipoulet
You probably won't find it in guidebooks, but one of Tipoulet's favorite things in Monterey was the Dennis the Menace park. I have to say it is a pretty awesome park. And not too crowded as you can see. Plus, there are even more things than shown in the picture. Like a train engine that kids can climb on.
Still, despite all of this, after 45 minutes, we found our little climber... in a tree ! The other thing that Tipoulet loved was the pool at the hotel. And to our delight, he started swimming on his own again - he had become afraid of being on his own in the water lately - putting his head under the water.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Nous sommes tous Américains !*
Après deux jours à écouter à la radio toutes ces douleurs, tous ces manques, ce soir, j'ai embrassé un peu plus fort mes deux petits Américains à moi.
Tribute in light - Hommage en lumière
* comme l'écrivait Colombani dans l'éditorial du Monde il y a dix ans.
** crédit photo
After two days of listening to NPR, to all this pain, to all this grief, tonight, I kissed my own two little Americans a bit longer.
* "We are all Americans !" was written by Colombani in an OpEd piece in Le Monde 10 years ago.
** photo credit
Tribute in light - Hommage en lumière
* comme l'écrivait Colombani dans l'éditorial du Monde il y a dix ans.
** crédit photo
After two days of listening to NPR, to all this pain, to all this grief, tonight, I kissed my own two little Americans a bit longer.
* "We are all Americans !" was written by Colombani in an OpEd piece in Le Monde 10 years ago.
** photo credit
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Pacified
Gros progrès, La Poulette a enfin compris comment utiliser une tétine. Jusque là, elle la recrachait aussitôt que vous lui colliez dans la bouche, ce qui était par ailleurs assez amusant à voir.
En quoi est-ce un progrès, me demanderez-vous...
Eh ben,
1) c'est pas vous qui vous faites machouillez le sein depuis 3 mois et demi;
2) ça fait touche-silence (c'est comme ça qu'on dit "mute button" en français ?);
3) et ça nous a permis de passer au plan B la nuit, à savoir lui donner la tétine au lieu du sein quand elle se réveille à 4h. Résultat la troisième nuit: 7 heures de sommeil d'affilée, une première.
T'es la meilleure, mon ange !
Mise à jour: 4e nuit, 9 heures et toujours endormie... :)
Major breakthrough, La Poulette finally figured out how to use a pacifier. She used to spit it right back whenever you tried to put it in her mouth, which was quite funny to see, actually.
How is this a breakthrough, you may ask...
Well,
1) you're not the one whose boob has been chewed on for the last 15 weeks;
2) it is a very effective mute button;
3) it gave us the chance to use our plan B at night, which involves giving her the pacifier instead of the breast when she wakes up at 4am. Report on the third night: 7 hours of sleep in a row, a first.
You're the best, my angel !
Update: 4th night, 9 hours and still sleeping... :)
En quoi est-ce un progrès, me demanderez-vous...
Eh ben,
1) c'est pas vous qui vous faites machouillez le sein depuis 3 mois et demi;
2) ça fait touche-silence (c'est comme ça qu'on dit "mute button" en français ?);
3) et ça nous a permis de passer au plan B la nuit, à savoir lui donner la tétine au lieu du sein quand elle se réveille à 4h. Résultat la troisième nuit: 7 heures de sommeil d'affilée, une première.
T'es la meilleure, mon ange !
Mise à jour: 4e nuit, 9 heures et toujours endormie... :)
Major breakthrough, La Poulette finally figured out how to use a pacifier. She used to spit it right back whenever you tried to put it in her mouth, which was quite funny to see, actually.
How is this a breakthrough, you may ask...
Well,
1) you're not the one whose boob has been chewed on for the last 15 weeks;
2) it is a very effective mute button;
3) it gave us the chance to use our plan B at night, which involves giving her the pacifier instead of the breast when she wakes up at 4am. Report on the third night: 7 hours of sleep in a row, a first.
You're the best, my angel !
Update: 4th night, 9 hours and still sleeping... :)
Friday, September 9, 2011
Monterey & Big Sur - Part IV: The coast
On s'accroche, les enfants, je crois que c'est l'avant-dernier post sur notre week-end à Monterey.
Aujourd'hui, la côte, avec Big Sur et le 17 Mile Drive, vous allez voir c'est beau.
On a profité que les poulets faisaient la sieste à l'arrière de la voiture pour descendre jusqu'aux chutes McWay, dans le Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, à environ 1h30 au sud de Monterey.
les chutes McWay - McWay falls
Un petit bijou de la côte californienne qui vaut le détour.
On est ensuite reparti un peu vers le nord pour passer le reste de l'après-midi à Pfeiffer Beach.
Très jolie plage au sable violet,
encadrée par de belles falaises.
Chacun a pu s'adonner à ses activités favorites: ramassage de bestioles pour P et Tipoulet,
farniente pour La Poulette et moi.
Le lendemain, avant de repartir pour Palo Alto, on a fait un petit tour par le 17 Mile Drive, entre Carmel et Monterey. Là encore, la côte est magnifique.
Devant... - In front of us...
et derrière - and behind us
Et comme c'était marée basse, il y en a qui étaient contents.
On a fini la ballade en saluant l'habitant le plus célèbre du 17 Mile Drive, le cyprès solitaire (The Lone Cypress), probablement un des arbres les plus photographiés de la planète (et mieux que par moi).
La côte Pacifique est un régal pour les yeux, on ne s'en lasse pas. Par contre, un peu frustrés, on s'est dit que pour nos prochaines vacances, on choisirait un endroit où l'on puisse se baigner aussi...
Hang in there guys, I think there will be only one post left on our Monterey week-end after this one.
Today, the coast, with Big Sur and the 17 Mile Drive, you'll see, it's very pretty.
We took advantage of the fact that the chicken were sleeping in the back of the car to drive down to the McWay falls, in the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, about 1h 1/2 south of Monterey.
A wonder of the californian coast that is definitely worth the drive.
We then headed back north, to spend the afternoon at Pfeiffer Beach.
It's a gorgeous beach, with purple sand, surrounded by beautiful cliffs.
Everybody enjoyed their favorite activities: sea shells hunt for P and Tipoulet, and farniente for La Poulette and myself.
The next day, before we drove back to Palo Alto, we took a little detour through the 17 Mile Drive, between Carmel and Monterey. The coast is gorgeous there too.
And because it was low tide, some people had a blast.
We ended the ride by visiting the most famous resident of the 17 Mile Drive, the Lone Cypress, probably one of the most photographed tree on the planet (and better than by me).
The Pacific coast is just a jewel for the eyes, we can't tire of it. But, a little frustrated, we decided that our next vacation was going to be somewhere we can swim in the ocean too...
Aujourd'hui, la côte, avec Big Sur et le 17 Mile Drive, vous allez voir c'est beau.
On a profité que les poulets faisaient la sieste à l'arrière de la voiture pour descendre jusqu'aux chutes McWay, dans le Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, à environ 1h30 au sud de Monterey.
les chutes McWay - McWay falls
Un petit bijou de la côte californienne qui vaut le détour.
On est ensuite reparti un peu vers le nord pour passer le reste de l'après-midi à Pfeiffer Beach.
Très jolie plage au sable violet,
encadrée par de belles falaises.
Chacun a pu s'adonner à ses activités favorites: ramassage de bestioles pour P et Tipoulet,
farniente pour La Poulette et moi.
Le lendemain, avant de repartir pour Palo Alto, on a fait un petit tour par le 17 Mile Drive, entre Carmel et Monterey. Là encore, la côte est magnifique.
Devant... - In front of us...
et derrière - and behind us
Et comme c'était marée basse, il y en a qui étaient contents.
On a fini la ballade en saluant l'habitant le plus célèbre du 17 Mile Drive, le cyprès solitaire (The Lone Cypress), probablement un des arbres les plus photographiés de la planète (et mieux que par moi).
La côte Pacifique est un régal pour les yeux, on ne s'en lasse pas. Par contre, un peu frustrés, on s'est dit que pour nos prochaines vacances, on choisirait un endroit où l'on puisse se baigner aussi...
Hang in there guys, I think there will be only one post left on our Monterey week-end after this one.
Today, the coast, with Big Sur and the 17 Mile Drive, you'll see, it's very pretty.
We took advantage of the fact that the chicken were sleeping in the back of the car to drive down to the McWay falls, in the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, about 1h 1/2 south of Monterey.
A wonder of the californian coast that is definitely worth the drive.
We then headed back north, to spend the afternoon at Pfeiffer Beach.
It's a gorgeous beach, with purple sand, surrounded by beautiful cliffs.
Everybody enjoyed their favorite activities: sea shells hunt for P and Tipoulet, and farniente for La Poulette and myself.
The next day, before we drove back to Palo Alto, we took a little detour through the 17 Mile Drive, between Carmel and Monterey. The coast is gorgeous there too.
And because it was low tide, some people had a blast.
We ended the ride by visiting the most famous resident of the 17 Mile Drive, the Lone Cypress, probably one of the most photographed tree on the planet (and better than by me).
The Pacific coast is just a jewel for the eyes, we can't tire of it. But, a little frustrated, we decided that our next vacation was going to be somewhere we can swim in the ocean too...
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Random highlights of the day
Le discours d'Obama, enthousiasmant comme à l'habitude. Si les votes pouvaient suivre, pour une fois...
Et ce que j'ai trouvé:
sur la page Facebook d'un "ami" (comme quoi des fois ça sert): ce lien,
sur la mailing list des post-docs de Stanford: ce mail,
Sujet: [BIO] Caca de gerbille de Mongolie
Et oui, j'atteins de nouveaux sommets dans ma carrière scientifique, en vous suppliant de me donner du caca. J'ai besoin d'un caca frais de gerbille de Mongolie (Taconique?) saine pour une étude de microbiote. Ça serait super si vous pouviez me donner de la merde.
et dans ma boite email: cette photo prise par un parent au daycare hier.
Obama's speech, as inspiring as his other speeches. Now if only the votes could follow, for once...
And also things I found
on the Facebook page of a "friend" (see, sometime FB is useful): this link,
on the Stanford post-docs mailing list: this email.
Subject: [BIO] Mongolian gerbil poop
Yep, I have reached a new high in my scientific career, begging for poop.
I just need a fresh pellet of an uninfected Taconic Mongolian gerbil for some microbiota work I'm doing. That would be awesome if you could give me crap.
and in my mailbox: this picture, taken by a parent at daycare.
Et ce que j'ai trouvé:
sur la page Facebook d'un "ami" (comme quoi des fois ça sert): ce lien,
sur la mailing list des post-docs de Stanford: ce mail,
Sujet: [BIO] Caca de gerbille de Mongolie
Et oui, j'atteins de nouveaux sommets dans ma carrière scientifique, en vous suppliant de me donner du caca. J'ai besoin d'un caca frais de gerbille de Mongolie (Taconique?) saine pour une étude de microbiote. Ça serait super si vous pouviez me donner de la merde.
et dans ma boite email: cette photo prise par un parent au daycare hier.
Obama's speech, as inspiring as his other speeches. Now if only the votes could follow, for once...
And also things I found
on the Facebook page of a "friend" (see, sometime FB is useful): this link,
on the Stanford post-docs mailing list: this email.
Subject: [BIO] Mongolian gerbil poop
Yep, I have reached a new high in my scientific career, begging for poop.
I just need a fresh pellet of an uninfected Taconic Mongolian gerbil for some microbiota work I'm doing. That would be awesome if you could give me crap.
and in my mailbox: this picture, taken by a parent at daycare.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
3's
Aujourd'hui,
j'ai 33 ans,
Tipoulet a 3 ans, 3 mois, et 3 semaines,
et La Poulette a 3 mois, 3 semaines et 3 jours...
PS merci Mamina et sa page Google pour l'info
PPS on a trouvé comment tirer un vrai sourire (pas un "cheeeese") de Tipoulet: avec l'appareil-photo en mode retardateur.
Today,
I'm 33 years-old,
Tipoulet is 3 years, 3 months and 3 weeks-old,
and La Poulette is 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days-old.
PS thanks to Mamina and her Google page for finding out
PPS we figured how to get a real smile (not a "cheeeese") out of Tipoulet: with the camera on self timer-mode.
j'ai 33 ans,
Tipoulet a 3 ans, 3 mois, et 3 semaines,
et La Poulette a 3 mois, 3 semaines et 3 jours...
PS merci Mamina et sa page Google pour l'info
PPS on a trouvé comment tirer un vrai sourire (pas un "cheeeese") de Tipoulet: avec l'appareil-photo en mode retardateur.
Today,
I'm 33 years-old,
Tipoulet is 3 years, 3 months and 3 weeks-old,
and La Poulette is 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days-old.
PS thanks to Mamina and her Google page for finding out
PPS we figured how to get a real smile (not a "cheeeese") out of Tipoulet: with the camera on self timer-mode.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Monterey & Big Sur - Part III: Whale-watching
Voici donc le post sur les baleines... J'espère que vous ne vous attendiez à rien de spectaculaire, sinon ça va être décevant. Notez, ça aurait pu être encore moins spectaculaire si on s'était inscrit à la ballade du matin (pendant laquelle le bateau n'a pas trouvé de baleines) au lieu de celle de l'après-midi.
Liste officielle des cétacés rencontrés pendant notre ballade: 6 baleines à bosse, et 5 dauphins de Risso.
Il y avait même des choses à voir dans le port, comme ce jeune pélican,
ou la colonie de lions de mer qui puent.
Tipoulet était équipé et fin prêt pour observer les animaux sauvages.
Car il faut avoir l'oeil. Le truc, avec les baleines, c'est de repérer le jet d'eau quand elles remontent respirer à la surface.
une baleine vient respirer à la surface, le plus difficile à photographier - a whale blowing water, the hardest to catch on camera
Dans les secondes qui suivent, vous pouvez généralement apercevoir un dos, ou plus si vous avez du bol.
Baleines à bosse - Humpback whales
Moi, j'ai eu que des dos, et après, j'ai été malade... Vous moquez pas. J'avais pris des médocs et tout, mais bon, je n'avais pas trop trop d'espoir non plus. Je suis malade en voiture, il faut dire. Là, voilà, vous pouvez vous moquer...
Ah si, j'ai quand même eu le pélican adulte, aussi...
Du coup, P s'est retrouvé à devoir s'occuper des deux poulets, donc il a pas vu grand-chose non plus. Mais quand même quelques dos, et une queue de baleine qui plonge. Sinon, la bonne nouvelle, c'est que les poulets ont l'air d'avoir hérité du pied marin normand de leur père... Tipoulet s'est empiffré de chips pendant la moitié de la ballade, alors que rien que le mot me filait des haut-le-coeurs.
Et les dauphins de Risso, photo de P, moi, je devais être à l'arrière du bateau en train de vomir mon petit-déjeuner (malheureusement, je ne plaisante qu'à moitié).
Dauphins de Risso - Risso's dolphins
Voilà nos petits marins revenus sur la terre ferme !
Comme vous voyez, on avait sorti la combinaison en laine avec chaussons assortis tricotés par Madame G, l'amie de ma grand-mère, pour La Poulette. Elle est pas trop mimi comme ça ? Moi je dis, vivement les sports d'hiver !
Au final, miraculeusement, tout le monde a été content de la ballade. Du coup, si vous n'avez ni le mal de mer, ni des enfants en bas âge, on vous le conseille vraiment !
Here is the whale-watching post, finally... I hope your expectations aren't too high, because you might be in for a disappointment. Note, it could have been even more disappointing if we had signed-up for the morning trip, on which they didn't spot any whale, rather than the afternoon one.
The official listing of our sightings: 6 humpback whales, and 5 Risso's dolphins.
There were even things to see in the harbor, like this juvenile pelican, or the stinky see lions.
Tipoulet was all set and ready to observe some wild life.
Because you need to be pretty attentive. The thing with whales is to look for a blow in the water when they come up to the surface to breathe.
In the seconds that follow, you can generally spot a back, or more if you're lucky.
In my case, I only got backs, after that I got sea-sick. Don't make fun. I had taken some medicines and all, but I didn't have much hope. I actually get car-sick too. OK, now you can make fun of me.
Wait, I also got the picture of the adult pelican...
After that, P ended up having to take care of the two chicken, so he didn't get to see much either. But still, a few backs, and a tail when one of the whale went diving. The good news is, the chicken seem to have inherited the sailor genes of their normand father... Tipoulet ate 3 bags of chips during the trip, when only the word was making me queasy.
Oh, and here are the Risso's dolphing, photo courtesy of P, since I was probably throwing up my breakfast at the rear of the boat, by then (I'm only half joking unfortunately).
And here are our little sailors back on dry land!
As you can see, we used the little wool outfit with matching knitted shoes made by Madame G, my grandmother's dear friend, for La Poulette. Isn't she cute in it ? Can't wait for the skiing season !
In the end, and it's miraculous, everyone enjoyed the boat trip. So if you don't get sea-sick, and you don't have too young children, we highly recommend it !
Liste officielle des cétacés rencontrés pendant notre ballade: 6 baleines à bosse, et 5 dauphins de Risso.
Il y avait même des choses à voir dans le port, comme ce jeune pélican,
ou la colonie de lions de mer qui puent.
Tipoulet était équipé et fin prêt pour observer les animaux sauvages.
Car il faut avoir l'oeil. Le truc, avec les baleines, c'est de repérer le jet d'eau quand elles remontent respirer à la surface.
une baleine vient respirer à la surface, le plus difficile à photographier - a whale blowing water, the hardest to catch on camera
Dans les secondes qui suivent, vous pouvez généralement apercevoir un dos, ou plus si vous avez du bol.
Baleines à bosse - Humpback whales
Moi, j'ai eu que des dos, et après, j'ai été malade... Vous moquez pas. J'avais pris des médocs et tout, mais bon, je n'avais pas trop trop d'espoir non plus. Je suis malade en voiture, il faut dire. Là, voilà, vous pouvez vous moquer...
Ah si, j'ai quand même eu le pélican adulte, aussi...
Du coup, P s'est retrouvé à devoir s'occuper des deux poulets, donc il a pas vu grand-chose non plus. Mais quand même quelques dos, et une queue de baleine qui plonge. Sinon, la bonne nouvelle, c'est que les poulets ont l'air d'avoir hérité du pied marin normand de leur père... Tipoulet s'est empiffré de chips pendant la moitié de la ballade, alors que rien que le mot me filait des haut-le-coeurs.
Et les dauphins de Risso, photo de P, moi, je devais être à l'arrière du bateau en train de vomir mon petit-déjeuner (malheureusement, je ne plaisante qu'à moitié).
Dauphins de Risso - Risso's dolphins
Voilà nos petits marins revenus sur la terre ferme !
Comme vous voyez, on avait sorti la combinaison en laine avec chaussons assortis tricotés par Madame G, l'amie de ma grand-mère, pour La Poulette. Elle est pas trop mimi comme ça ? Moi je dis, vivement les sports d'hiver !
Au final, miraculeusement, tout le monde a été content de la ballade. Du coup, si vous n'avez ni le mal de mer, ni des enfants en bas âge, on vous le conseille vraiment !
Here is the whale-watching post, finally... I hope your expectations aren't too high, because you might be in for a disappointment. Note, it could have been even more disappointing if we had signed-up for the morning trip, on which they didn't spot any whale, rather than the afternoon one.
The official listing of our sightings: 6 humpback whales, and 5 Risso's dolphins.
There were even things to see in the harbor, like this juvenile pelican, or the stinky see lions.
Tipoulet was all set and ready to observe some wild life.
Because you need to be pretty attentive. The thing with whales is to look for a blow in the water when they come up to the surface to breathe.
In the seconds that follow, you can generally spot a back, or more if you're lucky.
In my case, I only got backs, after that I got sea-sick. Don't make fun. I had taken some medicines and all, but I didn't have much hope. I actually get car-sick too. OK, now you can make fun of me.
Wait, I also got the picture of the adult pelican...
After that, P ended up having to take care of the two chicken, so he didn't get to see much either. But still, a few backs, and a tail when one of the whale went diving. The good news is, the chicken seem to have inherited the sailor genes of their normand father... Tipoulet ate 3 bags of chips during the trip, when only the word was making me queasy.
Oh, and here are the Risso's dolphing, photo courtesy of P, since I was probably throwing up my breakfast at the rear of the boat, by then (I'm only half joking unfortunately).
And here are our little sailors back on dry land!
As you can see, we used the little wool outfit with matching knitted shoes made by Madame G, my grandmother's dear friend, for La Poulette. Isn't she cute in it ? Can't wait for the skiing season !
In the end, and it's miraculous, everyone enjoyed the boat trip. So if you don't get sea-sick, and you don't have too young children, we highly recommend it !
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