August, in the middle of, some thoughts appertaining to.

[robshearman]

I'm feeling cautiously celebratory. The last time I felt this celebratory was a couple of weeks ago, for no especially good reason, and to commemorate that I took Janie off to the South of France for a few days. There's a lovely town there called Carcassonne which boasts a huge medieval walled city on the top of the hills - as you fly in on the

Comments

[jaseroque]

It could be exotic -- posting here, I mean. You have readers from all around the world, I'd think. I'm here to represent Australia! That's tolerably exotic and a good start.

[robshearman]

I think you can get away with describing Oz as both exotic *and* tolerable!

[redbraids]

Way to go on the nominations.

I laughed out loud at your description of Cassoulet. I was in Carcassone and Toulouse last year, and enjoyed them both immensely (the food in Toulouse was amazing). I am currently reading "Paladin of Souls" by Lois McMaster Bujold, and it is meant to be set in a land much like that area. I am imagining Carcassone as the castle as I read.

[robshearman]

I missed Toulouse, more's the pity. Nearly went. Even handed over a credit card to a particularly surly woman at the train station. Then asked for it back. We suddenly decided we wouldn't be able to explore for long enough to justify the length of journey.

But we might go back. Carcassonne looks like a good base from which to explore the South of France by car. (If I can just persuade Janie to overcome her nervousness about driving on the other side of the road...)

[redbraids]

It is a good thing that you plan on going back by car. Getting from train up to Toulouse last year was incredibly stressful and took about a full day of waiting in lines at Barcelona central station waiting as many as 3.45 hours sitting on the floor of the humid station, only to be yelled at for following instructions, and then being sent back to another round of lines for several more hours. By the end of it I was walking around the station in a daze of tears

[jigglykat]

I won't say anything about the new movie other than it was nice to see Mulder and Scully on the screen again. But congrats on the writing and stuff! I look forward to reading it!

[robshearman]

It was nice seeing them again. They're about my age, Mulder and Scully - just a couple of years older. So I sat there and marvelled at how... *mature* they now looked. Then, after the movie, went into the cinema toilets, and looked at my own reflection in the mirror. ...And realised I didn't look half as good as either of them. (Long red hair would really suit me, I think.)

[tvnerdgirl]

Congratulations!

As for Calgary, it's less of a place full of winterwear and more of a city of cowboys, oil companies, and the Calgary Stampede...very much "west" in Canada, both in geography and state of mind....

Oh and Calgary drivers are some of the angriest drivers in the world ;) But they have a decent hockey team...

Heh, I'm SO Canadian...

[robshearman]

That does sound like fun. And unlike anywhere I've ever been before. As you know, I love Toronto. And Niagara Falls is good for an awed chuckle or three. But that's all I've seen of Canada...

...so far.

[prof_pangaea]

oh, completing long projects... it is the most wonderful thing in the world. *basks in the reflected glow*

also hurrahs for awards and such!

[robshearman]

Well, I've decided I haven't completed the book yet. There are still a couple of ideas nagging at me, and I can't shut them up. So any basking you do will be in pretty poor heat. But you're very welcome to huddle in and get as much glow as you can find!