France, part 4 - breakfast at hotel

Breakfast was yummy. For drink we had a choice between orange, apple (I think?) and "Multivitamin". JP and I both decided to be brave and got the Multivitamin. It was actually quite tasty. Then there was the yogurt (back middle). Honey flavored. Think texture of yogurt and flavor of pure honey. You now have my yogurt. It was ... interesting. Not bad, though. Then there was fruit. The strawberries were good. The peach was yummy. (I ate some before I remembered to take the picture.) The kiwi had a very interesting cut and was really good... at least the part that wanted to come out. The core was pretty stuck. Bananas were good. The eggs were divine... oh, so good. And we grabbed some bread (we're in France!) on the way out. Sorry, no picture. JP got some filled with chocolate, though. I got a croissant. Both were good. Crazy part? It was 15 Euros! (Well, JP's blog says 14.50 euros. My door says 15. Maybe the extra .5 is if you get room service?) Seriously people, does that plate look like it's worth $23 to you? Not to me! My favorite was the little do dah pictured at the right. "Value: Top quality, the best selection at an affordable price guaranteeing excellent value for money." (emphasis mine) $23 for a handful of fruit is affordable?! Who are these people?! I'm starting to think that all French are super rich. Though, I have a suspicion it's only because we're staying in a super nice hotel and being taken to dinner by the company we're visiting. Hopefully Paris won't be this bad. Granted, I'm not paying for anything but tourism and souveniers, but if prices are anything like here, no one is getting anything. Just be grateful if I return alive and healthy. Maybe I'll give you a toothpick from the plane. (Don't think that I won't!... Ok, I can't get all of you a toothpick from the plane...)

France, part 3 - dinner at hotel

So... you remember St. Peter's fish from Galilee? Remember how I ate that whole fish, including the fish eye? Yeah, that was gross. So tonight we went down to the hotel restaurant for dinner. (About time, too. I was starving, what with having dinner cruelly taken from me and sleeping through breakfast.) I looked at the menu and laughed, because they were all super expensive and foods that I've never heard of, or have never tried. Things like Duck Minon. They had a Mixed Grill, which seemed very Middle Eastern, except it was duck and a few other fancy meats. Dennis got a steak, but I'm not a huge fan of steak. But I was too scared to spend that much money on something I might not like. So I had her skip me. JP got the Catch of the Day, to which the waitress replied with something none of us understood, but she looked at JP with anticipation, as if waiting for a response. I then stopped paying attention, because I needed to pick a meal. Then Tom picked something, which I didn't hear, and she came back to me. I decided to be safe and went with lamb. The waitress left, but came back a few minutes later to tell me that they were out of lamb. [rolls eyes] Of course they were. Then she turned to JP and said that mysterious "troot" again. What in the world does "troot" mean? At some point JP got frustrated and just told her she'd have whatever Tom was having. She kept repeating "troot" to JP, which confused us all, until she said, "Troot. Catch of the Day." [light turns on] Me: "Trout?" Waitress: "Catch of the day, yes?" Me: "Yes. Trout?" Waitress: [light turns on] "Oui, oui. Troot!" Me: "Y'know what? I'll have that. The Catch of the Day. Trout." Waitress: "Ok. Troout." (This was an effort to say trout, though troot still wanted to be said.)
Awhile later our food came out. The three steaks came first. JP wanted hers well-done, so she asked to make sure she got the well-done one. The waitress examined JP's and Tom's and finally switched the plates, but then switched the sauces back. Turns out, Dennis got the well-done one. We're all confused as to what happened. Then out came mine. It was a trout alright. In fact, it was the catch of the day. Probably caught that very morning. There before me lay a full trout. Head, tail, everything. It wasn't even sliced along the ribs like the St. Peter's fish was. (I also think the eyes were removed from this'un. Either that or trout have much smaller eyes than do St. Peter's fish.) The only slice was down the belly, making it easy to lift the skin up and over to get at the meat. Also, the fish bones were everywhere. I don't understand how anyone could eat this without using their fingers. It's just not prim and proper to pick bones off the meat on your fork. But I wasn't about to eat all of those fish bones, either. All in all, once I got over the fact that the actual animal was sitting on my plate, staring up to me, it was really good fish. Mmmm...

France, part 2 - flying

Ok, we'll go for smaller pics on this'un, since there are many.

This was the last bit of awesomeness inside the terminal. The Eiffel Tower on the desk. Heh.


Here we have a tote bag that they gave us to commemorate the first flight! Inside was a t-shirt. Y'know, it's times like this that I wish I were a large, because I can never wear free t-shirts I get. Present, BJ? :D


Look! I'm in SLC! The line is the route we're about to take. So, it's off to Canada with us.

Next, our menu. You may have to click the picture to be able to read it. I believe I heard somewhere that our food was supposed to be worthy of first class. (JP disagrees. She thinks it was gross food. I thought, for airline food, it was fairly decent.)

As we left, the Utah fire department sent us off with fire hoses shooting water over the plane. It was kinda cool. So first we have the people on the runway watching us leave. Then we have the first sighting of a fire truck. Jess, the rainbow is for you. In fact, it follows us into the third picture where the water is so dense that you really can't see anything except that. And then the last picture is my favorite. You can see the fire truck in the background and the water running down the window. If I had a picture a day blog, this'd totally be my picture.


I see the temple, I win! :) SLC and Bountiful. I rock.


Dinner! I had some sort of chicken with mushroom thing. Though, I saw more rice and beans than mushrooms. So, I wasn't feeling top notch, so I only ate a little bit at a time. I finished my salad and got a little way into the chicken and beans when they came to pick up the trash. I told her I wasn't finished and she moved on. Then a little while later I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, my food was gone. Including the brownie. Which JP said was divine. [pout]


Now we start the flight. Follow my progress via the television. (You can tell when we were watching a movie, because there are large gaps, whereas towards the end of the flight, when there was nothing but map on the screen, the pictures get closer and closer together. Also, I was getting more and more excited that the plane ride was almost over.) I thought about doing commentary for all of these, but I thought it'd make this section too long. So, brief commentary... yay! Look at me fly over Canada. And the ocean! Now we're over Europe. :D Awesome. Ok, so this is a flight from SLC to Paris. Everything is in English and French, understandably. So why is this screen in Spanish instead of French? Weird. Look! We're over England! Carli, I'm probably right over you! Except you're probably still in Istanbul... Look! I've traveled 5,481 miles! Yipes! So close now; we're in street view, even. Almost there! Then I stopped taking pictures because we were hitting turbulence and descending quickly and it was simply a much better idea for me to be closing my eyes and not trying to focus on the screen. There was a great shot of the plane sitting atop Paris on the map when we landed, but the lady sitting in front of the map stood up with her baby and I just couldn't get a clear shot.

Isn't this a cool looking airport? (This is Bordeaux. I didn't get any pictures between Paris and Bordeaux. Sorry. I was a little grumpy as I had slept through breakfast and was rather starving at this point. Also, my knee was hurting after 10 hours of not being able to stretch it. Though, I did get a little sandwich and juice on the second flight.) I wish I could have gotten a better shot for you. It was a gigantic glass caterpillar. At least, that's what it looked like.


Here's the little plane we flew in from Paris to Bordeaux.


Here are the nice men fixing the escalator. (It was kind of weird to see men standing in the escalator...)


Welcome to Bordeaux! Famous for its many wines! (Yes, this is where we picked up our luggage. There were two of these gigantic wine bottles. Also, every advertisement on the wall was for some sort of wine. Now we Mormons really are the weird ones. Why would you come to Bordeaux if you didn't drink? You should've seen the look on the waitress' face when we said we just wanted water... but dinner is for the next post.

France, part 1 - in the airport

I'm sitting here at the airport, waiting to board my flight to Paris. Have I mentioned that this is the first direct flight from SLC to Paris? Oh my goodness... it's craziness! Talk about a party. So, we're still sitting and waiting to board, right? Here are some of the things that welcomed me to the gate:

A lady playing the accordion. I have a video, too, but I don't want to even try to upload a video on a Verizon wireless card.

Balloons galore surrounding a table of food. This is when I first got here and the place was still quite empty.

Here's my "plate" (aka napkin) of food. Top: Smoked salmon patee; Middle: something weird. Lettuce with walnuts and bleu cheese, I think. (I was gonna be brave, but I maybe dropped it face down on the ground and took it as a sign that I shouldn't eat it. The same did not hold true when I dropped a truffle.) Bottom: Duck patee. Left: To-die-for chocolate truffles. Things I learned: smoked salmon taste a lot like tuna with a punch. Also, it should not be green. Eating duck right after smoked salmon is quite shocking. I didn't like it as much as I should have, methinks. But, point remains, I've now eaten duck. (Though, Mom, didn't (shoot! I forgot his name! "The Town Character" in Travis' book) bring us duck once?) Also, the truffles are still amazingly wonderful.

Look how full it is now! This is just before they started boarding. Also, did I mention that the Utah Governor showed up? I wonder if he just came to make an appearance, or if he'll be on the flight...

Basically, I'm awesome. Y'all remember that. ;) More pictures and stories to come from the plane ride, I'm sure.

Oh, also, JP and I got interviewed by Deseret News and also KSL 5. So for those of you in Utah, go ahead and watch the news tonight... see if I make it on. Or read Deseret News tomorrow! (If I make it in the newspaper, save me a clipping.)

Lastly, I hear they're gonna shoot water over our plane as we leave. I don't have a window seat, however, so I don't think I'll be able to see it. [pout] I guess I can't have everything.

Refresher course

So, there are a lot of new people to my blog ever since I got engaged. Because I think it would be cruel to make y'all go fishing through this massive blog to figure out what all of my regular blog topics are about, let me bring y'all up to speed.

If the title is a date during the summer of 2007, you are reading a really out-dated catch up of my trip to Jerusalem last summer. I actually started this blog as a way for me to keep everyone at home updated on exactly what I was doing (so no one could get upset that they didn't know anything about my trip) as well as keeping a journal for myself. These posts are chock full of details and thus are very, very long. I will never hold it against anyone if they don't want to read these ginormous posts. They are as much for me keeping a record as anything. Also, I have found that I tend not to read really long blogs. Yes. I'm a hypocrite this way. However, I don't regret these really long blogs in the slightest, since this blog is what first got BJ thinking he should get to know me better. I figure it has more than filled its purpose. Also, I am only documenting up till July 14, 2007. So there are only a few more blogs to go.

ALA #_. I am a member of the American Libraries Association. Every week they send out a newsletter with a bunch of links that I found largely fascinating. (Actually, typically only about 1/4 of them even remotely interest me. I narrow it down a lot for your viewing pleasure.) I kept sending various links to various people, just because I thought they were very sharable. Finally I decided that it'd be better to just blog them. Then the people who wanted to read them could, and those that didn't care could just ignore them. Also, I would never have to know the difference.

So there you go. 90% of my posts in a nutshell. Now you know... (Whether you read that as GI Joe or Bill Nye is up to you.)

ALA #7

Brace yourself. Today is going to be a long ALA post. Not only are there about a billion links for today (what a great week this newsletter was), but I have something to say about several of them.

Going green with vending machines. Ok, so the link itself isn't anything to brag about. It's more of an advertisement than anything. I think the thing that drew my attention to this one was simply that there is one more thing out there going green. I never would have imagined myself as much of a tree hugger (and I'm not really... don't worry, I shan't be glowering at anyone who doesn't recycle. Heck, I don't even recycle, really.... well, if it's there I do. I just don't go out of my way). Something about saving energy and going natural and such just speaks to me. I keep getting on eating healthy and food storage kicks.

To-do Tattoos. Wow. I might need these. Wedding present, anyone? :)

Facebook To Open Source Facebook Platform. For all of you programming nerds out there who might care.

Why don't you back up your computer? Michael, this one is for you. :) Also, for those of you who don't know how to back up, I have two words for you. Time Machine. (Yes, it requires you buy a Mac. I vote that you do it.)

Microsoft closes Live Search Books. This one speaks to me because it's exactly what my job entails. I digitize books. For years now, this has been my life. I have been interested in both Google and Microsoft trying to digitize the books of the world. Secretly I've been rooting for Google to win, just because it's Google vs. Microsoft. Is it really a question? The only part of me that cringes is that is because Microsoft had teamed up with Kirtas and they guarantee a much higher rate (90%) of accuracy than does Google (70%). Yes. 30 pages of your 100-page book can be missing and they will just smile and move on. Cross your fingers that it's not the last 30 pages of your Harry Potter 7. Anyway, looks like Google won by forfeit.

Using technology for balance instead of guilt. Ok, I'll be honest, as I read this one, I thought the guy was obsessed. Seriously, he has his friends' facebook status updates texted to his phone so he's sure never to miss one. Weirdo. But I liked his last paragraph about how just because you have a cell phone doesn't mean you have to be dependent upon it, and how you can choose to not answer. I think self dicipline is good here.

The 100 best tech products of 2008. Ok, sure, I haven't heard of many of them. (The #1 slot is for Hulu. I have no idea what hulu even is...) But there are a lot that I do recognize. Please laugh with me that Windows XP made it, but not Vista. Also, please note all of the Apple products on that list.

9 Firefox extensions to protect your privacy. Thank you Firefox for protecting us.


Google: Viacom lawsuit "threatens net" I had no idea Google even owned YouTube. Learn something new every day.

X-rated content infiltrates library's story line for kids. Seriously. It makes me sick that there are people like this in the world. There are simply no words for the disgust I feel about this.

This one doesn't have a URL. (Well, it did, but the URL doesn't work.) So here's the blurb I got:

Ministers launch PR campaign to stop Bush library
Praying for a last-minute miracle, some Methodist ministers are launching a public relations campaign to try to stop George W. Bush’s presidential library, museum, and think tank from being built at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Rev. Andrew Weaver said the goal is informing people about the partisan think tank, which won’t be under SMU’s control and will promote the Bush administration’s policies....
Associated Press, May 21

Which was followed by Archivist says Bush library will be an asset to SMU.

Library planetarium stalled by money concerns. I just think it's awesome that a library is getting a planetarium.

Group wants public library in area known for polygamy. Over the many, many years, when a government wanted to oppress the people, they took away literature. If people can't read, or can only read what the government says they can read, then the people stay ignorant and can't free themselves of oppression. If people have the opportunity to read, then they have the chance to make their own decisions. God has given us agency and we have no right to restrict it. I think everyone should have access to a public library. If they still choose their way of life after that, so be it. So long as it is their own choice. But no one, and I mean no one has the right to take away choice from another person.

STanford faculty weigh pros and cons of ebooks. Again, welcome to my job. For the record, I am pro digitizing the books of the world. And no, I don't think that will put libraries everywhere out of business. When I want to quote a book, or quickly look something up, I will use the digital book. When I want to find books of a specific topic or that contain a specific quote, I will use the digital book. When I want to read a novel, I will get the paper book from the library. When I am doing research and want "20 books open on my floor," I will get the paper books from the library. I will use the digital books to find what I need quickly, without having to leave my bedroom, then when I actually know what I need, then I will go to the library and check out those books. Think of this as an intense library card catalog.

In Google we trust--but should we? May I just say that I love Google? Favorite quote from this article: "Nearly all of Google's products from search to document storage are free. What kind of monopoly is that?"

Library theft suspect arrested... at the library. Seriously, why are people idiots?

ACLU files suit in Harry Potter librarian case. Ok, this one makes me mad. Really, really mad. Sure, I think people who think Harry Potter causes children to believe in the occult are idiots. However, it is their right to believe that. I love Harry Potter, but those who don't are allowed that right.... I don't care what their reasoning is. I may not agree with them, but I still respect their rights. "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." How could they possibly suspend her for asking to not work after-hours for a Harry Potter opening against her religious beliefs? The thought just angers me.

Parade of Bookmobiles held during 2008 ALA Annual Conference. If you're like me and have no idea what a Bookmobile is, turn to another favorite site of mine, Wikipedia!

Visit the Campaign for America’s Libraries exhibit space and write a personal thank you note to Julie Andrews. Just cuz I think it'd be cool to write a personal thank you note to Julie Andrews. :)

Congratulations. You have made it through the longest ALA posting of my life. I am so proud of y'all.

ALA #6

- Google Health
- News in Google Earth
- Baby Boomer, Generation X, Generation Y, iGeneration?
- YouTomb: Where Videos Go to Die