I'm as old as Jesus was

As I told my friend Andy, as the birthdays get older, I feel more content with each and every day of my life.

Deep thoughts by Jack Handey.

No, really.
It's pouring rain right now after weeks of southern Georgia sunshine. I was ready to install a rocking chair on the balcony, buy a jug of sketchy homemade booze, and pluck one of the randomly weird wheat shafts growing in the flowerpots. "Damn kids today.. where's my shotgun?"

Maybe the sunshine got me.

Or, maybe it's insanity from school. I know, I know, "what about Paris?!?!?" Well, oui oui Paree really has nothing to do with Paris - it's a backdrop to my masochistic lifestyle in grad school. And, what a pretty backdrop. I have so much catching up to do. My good friend Dave and his wife Lisa and his parents visited. Dave and Lisa live in Edinburgh so their hop over wasn't as trying as their parents - although they'd beg to differ after the bad hotel shuttle encounter. Anyway, they were all in town - oh my - a month ago (why does it feel like just yesterday?). We had a lovely tour around Paris, discovered new places, made it last minute to others, and grinned and beared it quite well with bad directions and wild meandering. I'm working on the photos.

My French colleague had her baby, Madeleine. Interesting stories about giving birth in Paris and how they have excellent post-care nurses (in 2 regards: bad nurses the days after; good nurses the week after). Madeline has a huge head of dark hair like her dad and a wrinkly forehead like her mom. Again, photos coming soon.

Ok, total spoiler but I scored an apartment in Geneva for the summer from an exiting intern I met at the UN. ("at the UN" - that's so cool to say) Now, I'm in the negotiation phase with a young grad school couple who want to be in Paris for a couple of months over summer. It's so precarious this whole internet anonymity game. Can you be trustworthy? Can you be honest? It's almost like some absurd love relationship - take 1 step forward, 2 steps back, etc..

Yes, well, it was my birthday and thank you to ALL for their lovely wishes. Very sweet, indeed. ... I have an exceptional life and am very fortunate to be able to have Paris raindrops as a backdrop with an encouraging and loving family supporting me and ... what's that weird smell coming through the walls? I think this half of my apartment is just above or next to a bathroom. Delightful.