People keep asking me if I'm packed for our trip to France on Monday. The answer is no, not yet. I do have a couple of small piles of things that will go into the luggage like an umbrella. The long range forecast shows rain everyday, so I'll be taking a rain hat instead of a sun hat. Hmmm, maybe I won't take that swimsuit. . .

We're taking the inaugural flight on Air France out of Seattle to Paris, which should be great fun. It's about nine hours on an A330. I've got the iPod video loaded up with movies, French language course and music, so I'll stay entertained. Once we hit CDG in Paris we have a short turn for a domestic flight to Toulouse where we'll pick up the Grail Tour led by Dr. Chet Snow and William Henry. Then it's off to Couiza at a restored Renaissance castle now hotel, ranging out each day to visit points of interest such as Rennes le Chateau, Montsegur and across the Languedoc. Then we'll make our way back north to Paris. It's a smallish tour of about thirty people so it should be comfortable and fun. I refuse to obsess about not knowing much French. Once I figure out how the language works and listen a bit, I should be able to get by on my previous romance language training. I remember having a dream once where I was speaking French. It was very strange because it was like I was awake and translating from English to French words and having no problems. Yet, now if I actively work at it, I tend to worry about irregular verb conjugation and adjective placement, not to mention the incomprehensible pronunciation. Ah well, learn something new everyday and stay young in every way.

I'm getting a camcorder to shoot an exciting video diary that I intend to post on my site. I promise to edit everything to bearable for any viewer. I won't post again to MMMLog until the 21st--just letting the MMMLog hecklers out there know that even though this is a research trip for my current project, I consider myself vacationing from blogging. Wish us bon voyage!

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmelinda

I love weddings, or should I say I love attending them. I don't love having any part to play in the ceremony such as parent or relative of the bride or groom who might be responsible for or volunteered for showering, catering, decorating, clean up or anger management facilitation of all parties concerned. The wedding that the DH and I attended last night with my writing pals, Lisa and DeeAnna, was great fun. Possibly because we weren't related to anyone there. The ceremony was held at 7:30 on a dock at Lake Union in downtown Seattle. Float planes took off and landed all through the proceedings, and for aviation freaks such as we, it was great. We weren't able to hear the vows, which were apparently quite different--on the groom's part, anyway, as we did hear something about promising to "chase her around naked for his whole life" or some such. Ahhhh, young love--all about fantasy, isn't it.

Everyone looked fab in the wedding party. Though perhaps the DJ was a gentleman at leisure who happened on an unattended cart of sound gear and a new career path. You know the one that people think when they look at someone else's job and say, "How hard can that be?" In any case, he appeared at the lakeside ceremony in ragged cutoffs, flipflops and a tight T-shirt that showed he'd been eating quite well. However, the sound equipment seemed a bit problematic for him, for right in the middle of the ceremony we got blasted with "Hunk, hunk of burnin' love." Hooohaaaa! That was pretty fun. The DJ scrounged up a suit for the reception and had albums and albums full of CDs but seemed to cast about for the right mood music. We did get "Goin' to the Chapel" which provided an lovely opportunity for DeeAnna and me. We actually sang the whole thing in two part harmony. Can you imagine???? Well, okay, don't. Save yourself that image. I know the DH wishes he could. And probably the tables near us. Ah well.

We danced, drank champagne, well-wished and strolled the marina in the cool late evening. Then we drove across Lake Washington in the moonlight, top down with the wind whipping DeeAnna and Lisa in the backseat. A great time was had by four friends at a very fun wedding and we wish the bride and groom all good things!

MMMMMMMMMMmmelinda