Bonjour Tout le Monde,
Or Hello Everyone, I have to practice my French whenever I can. At Disneyland Paris, everyone always wants to practice their English, so I only get real practice when I am out on the streets of Paris.
I was updating my blog and saw some notes from some of you and I wanted to say thank you for the encouragement. I am using this site to share what I wish I could share with everyone I know in person.
I have felt the sadness of seeing wonderful things, turning and having no one to share them with. Being home for a short stay last week it really sunk in about how important keeping in touch with everyone really is. I talk to Betty almost every day, and I mean really talk. I think when I complete this project, I will call her, even if it is from the other room to share my day and hear about hers. It is tough to be away from home, but in a way, I am even closer. I never found the time to communicate the way I have here, it is my line to sanity in a very odd place.
They told me there would be hills and valleys of emotion living away from everything I am accustomed to, but I had no idea how steep the fall or how hard the climb back up would be.
On The Brighter Side
Every valley has a bottom, and every hill you mount has a better view than the last one. Nature has a way of dealing with deficiencies. The blind are more in tune with their other senses than most of us. You can see them almost sense objects as they approach them. The deaf sharpen their abilities to read lips and pick up on visual clues that others overlook. Wheelchair bound individuals develop great strength in their upper bodies and in their spirit to be independent.
The reduction in verbal connectivity that I have experienced has strengthened me in ways that I would never have worked on at home.
I found this quote on a web page that speaks of exactly what I am experiencing, and it is comforting to realize my creativity is being developed; it helps me cope with the valleys.
“The most gifted members of the human species are at their creative best when they cannot have their way, and must compensate for what they miss by realizing and cultivating their capacities and talents.”
Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)
I will continue this roller coaster ride and scream all the way down, laugh all the way back up. That is as long as I know there are people out there that I can share the ride with. I have learned not only to cultivate my capacities but also to enjoy the deprivation as an opportunity to develop other capacities. True sadness will be when I no longer realize that everything presents an opportunity, when there is no one to share things with, and when I cease to… always look on the bright side of life.
Bon voyage par la vie, Good journey through life,
Robert
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Quiet Weekend
This weekend was a quiet one. I did take my usual walks. On Saturday I went to Chinatown here in Paris. now that was a bit strange. Hearing Chinese and French while I had lunch really made me stop and think of the different cultures that I get to see. I never really thought about it before, but when my fortune cookie came at the end of the meal, I wondered, why would anyone expect Chinese fortune cookies to be printed in their language and not just in Chinese? Anyhow this one was in french and read, "on ne vide pas l'oce'an avec un coquillage." . I at first thought that it said, "On a full ocean, there is an empty shell", however, after consulting my dictionary I find that it was a bit wiser than that. It actually states, " one does not empty an ocean with a shellfish". Indeed, something to think about.
On Sunday, I stayed around the apartment so that I could talk to my lovely wife, before she went to work. Unfortunately, I miscalculated and woke her up just before 7 AM. She was nice about it due to the fact that I hadn't been able to talk to her for the last few days, you see she has been selling off all my valuables (and hoping I won't notice when I get home) to donate the money to the Animal Shelter. I am just kidding about her selling off my valuables, I really don't have any. However, every fall and spring for the last couple of years, our good friends Laura and Chris Sampson and Betty join in to do a yard sale for the shelter. I heard that this year was a bit slow, so maybe they will do another one soon. Betty also told me that she will be feeding the homeless toward the end of the week, I hope they can hold out, although, I reminded her that she should feed the hungry and build a shelter for the homeless, she thought they might be hungry too. All kidding aside, I am very proud that she takes time to help the community, it makes her feel good and makes our home a better place to live.
After our phone call I went on another walk. This time to the Expo Center to see the Travel Show. Again, my poor language skills brought me into a new adventure. This time, I thought that it was a vacation show for France, and in fact it was a vacation show for people of France. There were booths there from all over the world, including Vietnam, Korea, Cuba, and Russia. I can actually fly to Moscow from Paris for only about $100 U.S., not that I will, but it is cool knowing that I could. So the big discovery this time is as I spotted a booth with travel books from anywhere in the world, that they were all in French (no Duh!). I did have a good time trying to read the ones from the US. There were some artisans and dancers from different countries and I have posted the pictures for you to see.
Back to work tomorrow, the project is coming along, we collected 72 items and we are now narrowing it down to our top 10 or so, and will be putting the presentation together this week.
Have a great week, try not to assume anything, there may be an full ocean out there with an empty shell, you never know!
On Sunday, I stayed around the apartment so that I could talk to my lovely wife, before she went to work. Unfortunately, I miscalculated and woke her up just before 7 AM. She was nice about it due to the fact that I hadn't been able to talk to her for the last few days, you see she has been selling off all my valuables (and hoping I won't notice when I get home) to donate the money to the Animal Shelter. I am just kidding about her selling off my valuables, I really don't have any. However, every fall and spring for the last couple of years, our good friends Laura and Chris Sampson and Betty join in to do a yard sale for the shelter. I heard that this year was a bit slow, so maybe they will do another one soon. Betty also told me that she will be feeding the homeless toward the end of the week, I hope they can hold out, although, I reminded her that she should feed the hungry and build a shelter for the homeless, she thought they might be hungry too. All kidding aside, I am very proud that she takes time to help the community, it makes her feel good and makes our home a better place to live.
After our phone call I went on another walk. This time to the Expo Center to see the Travel Show. Again, my poor language skills brought me into a new adventure. This time, I thought that it was a vacation show for France, and in fact it was a vacation show for people of France. There were booths there from all over the world, including Vietnam, Korea, Cuba, and Russia. I can actually fly to Moscow from Paris for only about $100 U.S., not that I will, but it is cool knowing that I could. So the big discovery this time is as I spotted a booth with travel books from anywhere in the world, that they were all in French (no Duh!). I did have a good time trying to read the ones from the US. There were some artisans and dancers from different countries and I have posted the pictures for you to see.
Back to work tomorrow, the project is coming along, we collected 72 items and we are now narrowing it down to our top 10 or so, and will be putting the presentation together this week.
Have a great week, try not to assume anything, there may be an full ocean out there with an empty shell, you never know!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Family Update
Hi All,
One of the reasons I started this blog was to make it easy for everyone to keep up with what is going on with the family. So often we intend to call people and let them know what has been going on and one thing leads to another and before you know it, you are strangers to your friends and family. So here is a quick update on the Belair's of Winter Garden.
Well of course I am in Paris on a Six month assignment doing some pretty cool work. Our project is to help find efficiencies that will help fund re-investment to the Disneyland Paris Resorts. So my partner here, and I had to take a quick trip to California and then Florida to collect information on how thing can be done better and faster. We are back in Paris now and will spend this week creating the list of suggested improvements to be reviewed by the Vice President(s). I am not scheduled to be back in the states until sometime in the middle of July. I will most likely take advantage of not having a permanent assignment and take a month or so off to recuperate and spend some time with the family. August brings lobster season, and Bobby Peterson and I will probably take the second week in August to go to the Keys and play in the water. Bobby has a wedding to go to and it is usually a little slower in the Keys that week, so that works out well.
Betty has been working a lot of hours. She started out part time, but they keep asking her to work. She is her own worste critic, she is never satisfied with her performance, job, but, I know that she is respected and does a great job. She has one Pharmacist that puts undue pressure on her for no apparent reason, but we all have people like that in our jobs, I think that is one reason they call it work. She has been doing a great job taking care of the house and all the critters. She now has 3 cats, Charlic, Miss Kitty and Muppet, 2 dogs, August and Duke and Suzie the Ferret and believe me, they keep her busy. However she still finds time to sew heart pillows for people that have had heart surgery. Her and a group of volunteers get together every month and churn out a bunch of pillows. The other volunteers like having Betty around (who doesn't) because she is always witty and in good spirits, plus she can sew like the wind.
Nick has recently changed jobs and is working as a life guard at a local resort and Betty told me that he recently saved a guy from drowning, even though the guy could have stood up, Nick had to jump in and get him calmed down. He is doing his part while I am gone, putting out the recycle plastic and paper and putting down the trash for pick up. A couple of months ago he got a different vehicle. He picked up a Nissan Pick Up truck and it is doing good for him. He has the Jeep for sale, but the transmission needs to be replaced, so no one is too interested.
Chris is doing just fine, he went through some training to work toward his Sargent's rank. As I understand it you have to have so many points to qualify, then there has to be an opening. The class he took was 4 weeks long, and they isolated him by moving them into separate barracks and taking away the Internet and travel privileges. All that they could do was to use the phone, and they were so tired from the training they didn't even do that too much. I understand that he finished in the top ranks of his class and received a 4 day leave as recognition, however he hasn't had time to use it yet. Just last week he went through the MP SWOT training and he said he did very well in that. This week he is doing training for doing the patrol duty on base. Who knows what they will have him do after that. Maybe he can take some time off in July when I get done here. I talked to him while I was home a couple of times and he said he still hasn't had a chance to get back to the specialist for his hearing. I guess that is a good sign, although I want him to get it documented before re-deployment time rolls around. Oh well, I have to remember that he is a grown man now and will fend for himself.
That's it for now, I will try and do this once every couple of months or so, or anytime a milestone comes up. Please let us know how your family is doing, you can leave a message to this post by clicking on the little envelop at the bottom right.
Take Care,
R
One of the reasons I started this blog was to make it easy for everyone to keep up with what is going on with the family. So often we intend to call people and let them know what has been going on and one thing leads to another and before you know it, you are strangers to your friends and family. So here is a quick update on the Belair's of Winter Garden.
Well of course I am in Paris on a Six month assignment doing some pretty cool work. Our project is to help find efficiencies that will help fund re-investment to the Disneyland Paris Resorts. So my partner here, and I had to take a quick trip to California and then Florida to collect information on how thing can be done better and faster. We are back in Paris now and will spend this week creating the list of suggested improvements to be reviewed by the Vice President(s). I am not scheduled to be back in the states until sometime in the middle of July. I will most likely take advantage of not having a permanent assignment and take a month or so off to recuperate and spend some time with the family. August brings lobster season, and Bobby Peterson and I will probably take the second week in August to go to the Keys and play in the water. Bobby has a wedding to go to and it is usually a little slower in the Keys that week, so that works out well.
Betty has been working a lot of hours. She started out part time, but they keep asking her to work. She is her own worste critic, she is never satisfied with her performance, job, but, I know that she is respected and does a great job. She has one Pharmacist that puts undue pressure on her for no apparent reason, but we all have people like that in our jobs, I think that is one reason they call it work. She has been doing a great job taking care of the house and all the critters. She now has 3 cats, Charlic, Miss Kitty and Muppet, 2 dogs, August and Duke and Suzie the Ferret and believe me, they keep her busy. However she still finds time to sew heart pillows for people that have had heart surgery. Her and a group of volunteers get together every month and churn out a bunch of pillows. The other volunteers like having Betty around (who doesn't) because she is always witty and in good spirits, plus she can sew like the wind.
Nick has recently changed jobs and is working as a life guard at a local resort and Betty told me that he recently saved a guy from drowning, even though the guy could have stood up, Nick had to jump in and get him calmed down. He is doing his part while I am gone, putting out the recycle plastic and paper and putting down the trash for pick up. A couple of months ago he got a different vehicle. He picked up a Nissan Pick Up truck and it is doing good for him. He has the Jeep for sale, but the transmission needs to be replaced, so no one is too interested.
Chris is doing just fine, he went through some training to work toward his Sargent's rank. As I understand it you have to have so many points to qualify, then there has to be an opening. The class he took was 4 weeks long, and they isolated him by moving them into separate barracks and taking away the Internet and travel privileges. All that they could do was to use the phone, and they were so tired from the training they didn't even do that too much. I understand that he finished in the top ranks of his class and received a 4 day leave as recognition, however he hasn't had time to use it yet. Just last week he went through the MP SWOT training and he said he did very well in that. This week he is doing training for doing the patrol duty on base. Who knows what they will have him do after that. Maybe he can take some time off in July when I get done here. I talked to him while I was home a couple of times and he said he still hasn't had a chance to get back to the specialist for his hearing. I guess that is a good sign, although I want him to get it documented before re-deployment time rolls around. Oh well, I have to remember that he is a grown man now and will fend for himself.
That's it for now, I will try and do this once every couple of months or so, or anytime a milestone comes up. Please let us know how your family is doing, you can leave a message to this post by clicking on the little envelop at the bottom right.
Take Care,
R
Quick Trip Accross the Pond
Well, it sure has been whirlwind for the last couple of weeks. My French Counterpart and I had to travel to California for a week, then home to Florida for a week to perform interviews of other peers trying to find best practices.
I will have to say it was a little weird leaving Paris that Friday morning. The company provided a private car and driver to take me to the airport so I had time to look out on the city as we weaved our way through the back streets toward the airport. I guess the drive took that route to avoid the freeway traffic, it was after all 0900, and all good Parisians know it is very fashionable to be just a bit late.
As I watch the buildings and parks, I couldn't help but wonder what it is about this place that has worked it's way into my blood. The city is pretty dirty, the people as a whole are what we Americans would call rude, or at least selfish. But there is something magical about Paris, and as I was leaving to go home, I couldn't help worry that I would miss the bursting of spring. Already a few of the trees in the park had flowers, and the weather had turned warmer than in the past few weeks. They say the springtime in Paris is "the" time to be here.
California was surprisingly cool, there was even snow in the mountains and the wind had blown the sky clear to give us a great view. We toured Hollywood, Beverly hills, we even went for a walk on Rodeo Dr., but didn't buy anything. We got into the Disney Main Headquarters at the Studio in Glendale and took a lot of pictures of us being tourists. We had a nice afternoon on San Amonica Pier and then drove to Malibu for a quick look and dinner overlooking the Pacific. Another moment that I spent wishing Betty was with me. The next day we drove to Venice Beach, and walked the famous waterfront with all the unique individuals that populate the area. It was windy so no bikini's or muscle bound body builders were out, but still a lot of people whom I think came west from New York. Then down to Anaheim to work on Monday.
Friday, I flew out to Florida, to spend the weekend with Betty, and had a good day at the Pet Fair, and a nice quiet lunch together before heading to the Bowl-a-Thon to meet the Downtown Team. I had my customary beer and cheered them on, but had other plans for dinner so we had to cut it short.
Betty and I drove up to Dave and Jo's house for dinner, and to critique their new kitchen. Betty was impressed, but I was blown away with what they had done. Betty had never seen it prior to the work getting done, and because I had the transformation was stunning. (see pictures on the link) I did get to see the rest of the Downtown Team at The Ale house one evening, and of course Chinese for lunch. It was really great seeing you all and knowing that we are still connected. The rest of the week flew by and before I knew what hit me, I was back on a plane, missing Betty again.
After a quick nap this morning, I emptied my suite case and put everything back in it's place, then headed out to walk in the bright sunshine and re-acquaint myself with the city. I was pleased that most of the trees had not started to sprout leaves or flowers yet, and those that had are holding their blossoms well. I took a couple of pictures of some of them and some flower beds that are being planted by others that are eager for spring. I was even more pleased to know that the best of the spring is due to come. I fear I will take too many pictures, the scenes are so inspiring. I walked quite a bit, had lunch in a sidewalk cafe' and strolled down to the Seine and watch the boats go by for a while. I came accross a soccer game and watched that for a few minutes, then headed back to my home for the next few months, ahh Paris in the spring.....I can't wait until Betty comes in April so I can share it with her.
I will have to say it was a little weird leaving Paris that Friday morning. The company provided a private car and driver to take me to the airport so I had time to look out on the city as we weaved our way through the back streets toward the airport. I guess the drive took that route to avoid the freeway traffic, it was after all 0900, and all good Parisians know it is very fashionable to be just a bit late.
As I watch the buildings and parks, I couldn't help but wonder what it is about this place that has worked it's way into my blood. The city is pretty dirty, the people as a whole are what we Americans would call rude, or at least selfish. But there is something magical about Paris, and as I was leaving to go home, I couldn't help worry that I would miss the bursting of spring. Already a few of the trees in the park had flowers, and the weather had turned warmer than in the past few weeks. They say the springtime in Paris is "the" time to be here.
California was surprisingly cool, there was even snow in the mountains and the wind had blown the sky clear to give us a great view. We toured Hollywood, Beverly hills, we even went for a walk on Rodeo Dr., but didn't buy anything. We got into the Disney Main Headquarters at the Studio in Glendale and took a lot of pictures of us being tourists. We had a nice afternoon on San Amonica Pier and then drove to Malibu for a quick look and dinner overlooking the Pacific. Another moment that I spent wishing Betty was with me. The next day we drove to Venice Beach, and walked the famous waterfront with all the unique individuals that populate the area. It was windy so no bikini's or muscle bound body builders were out, but still a lot of people whom I think came west from New York. Then down to Anaheim to work on Monday.
Friday, I flew out to Florida, to spend the weekend with Betty, and had a good day at the Pet Fair, and a nice quiet lunch together before heading to the Bowl-a-Thon to meet the Downtown Team. I had my customary beer and cheered them on, but had other plans for dinner so we had to cut it short.
Betty and I drove up to Dave and Jo's house for dinner, and to critique their new kitchen. Betty was impressed, but I was blown away with what they had done. Betty had never seen it prior to the work getting done, and because I had the transformation was stunning. (see pictures on the link) I did get to see the rest of the Downtown Team at The Ale house one evening, and of course Chinese for lunch. It was really great seeing you all and knowing that we are still connected. The rest of the week flew by and before I knew what hit me, I was back on a plane, missing Betty again.
After a quick nap this morning, I emptied my suite case and put everything back in it's place, then headed out to walk in the bright sunshine and re-acquaint myself with the city. I was pleased that most of the trees had not started to sprout leaves or flowers yet, and those that had are holding their blossoms well. I took a couple of pictures of some of them and some flower beds that are being planted by others that are eager for spring. I was even more pleased to know that the best of the spring is due to come. I fear I will take too many pictures, the scenes are so inspiring. I walked quite a bit, had lunch in a sidewalk cafe' and strolled down to the Seine and watch the boats go by for a while. I came accross a soccer game and watched that for a few minutes, then headed back to my home for the next few months, ahh Paris in the spring.....I can't wait until Betty comes in April so I can share it with her.
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