While hauling my luggage through Charles De Gaulle airport, I made an embarrassing observation. Pound for pound, I had probably lugged more camera equipment to France than clothes, including my shoes. Digital SLR: check. Lenses: check. Firewire card reader: check. Laptop computer: check. Straps, caps, cards and cases: check. Though for the time ( Read more... )

By dinner time, we discovered that the hospitality of these French country-folk knew virtually no limit. They practically took us by hand to the village's dining hall, an ancient stonemasonry affair. Having just been awoken from my nap, I nearly fell back into my chair. There was a sweet wine, poured politely by members of Gaz's family, who all ( Read more... )

The wine tasting was a major event. Family friends of Gaz's own a winery, and Gaz's father makes a living bottling and corking their product. At the winery, we were greeted ("Bonjour!") by a childhood friend of Gaz's, another lanky, dark-haired young man who spoke virtually no English. He enthusiastically pumped all of our hands in a series of ( Read more... )

We drove through the countryside, from Dijon to Beaune. it turned out that Dijon was in fact known for its mustard; the hills shimmered as the wind caressed hectares of bright yellow mustard plants. The fields of mustard eventually gave out to practically infinite rows of grapevines as we ascended into wine country. It was awe-inspiring.
    The ( Read more... )

I was standing in a dirty train station in Dijon, surrounded by pickpockets and weary travelers, when I realized that I was in way over my head. Three months ago I had told my sister and her boyfriend that yes, accompanying them to Paris seemed like a fantastic plan. And it really was, I found, if I just kept an open mind.
    Stiff euro to dollar ( Read more... )

Saturday, May 1, 2004
Dear Ms. Circuit,
I wanted to greet you from Seattle, Washington, United States, and maybe ruminate a little about your style of music, if you'll indulge me.
I was corresponding with a friend while ago and we were talking about how simple waveform synths seem to be creeping in to the Big Musical Aesthetic Collective. These ( Read more... )

RRRR!!! Fierceitude!
--lja
July 2, 2003
Dear Mr. Sperry,
Greetings from Mr. Franz and Mr. Schubert, the tenants of 3132 Lombard, unit number 3.
Enclosed you will find payment in the form of a check from myself, Mr. Franz, for the amount of $575.00, as determined by our rental paperwork.
It is not typical for me to be issuing the sole check; Mr ( Read more... )

January 15, 2004
Dear Leif,

An old woman made up of ovals hunched over a shopping cart at QFC yesterday. Round head a sagging oval ensconced with a cellophane sheet, wrapped again in a kerchief. Eyes like saucers. I saw as she put one foot in front of the other, shakily pushing her cart toward the U-Scan. Mouth hanging open, permanent surprise. ( Read more... )

This is the only e-mail I've ever received with a table-of-contents. Good God - somebody write this guy a reality check!
--LA
5/5/2004 ( Read more... )

Taking Care: Early Extraction an Unwise Decision?

Question: Reader Tamara McCormick has a complaint about dentists who preemptively pull their patients' wisdom teeth. She writes, "It seems like oral surgeons have a real racket going - like they're some sort of tooth gangsters." A dentist has recommended that she have all four of her wisdom teeth ( Read more... )