ok, ok, i know....it's been too long since the last update.

i will try to be better i swear!

not much new or special though - still teaching away, when i can!

this week half of my classes were cancelled - had an all-day training on Friday and Thursday, the whole country went on strike! i attended the protest and it was quite something - 40,000 people in the streets!

saw a guy dressed as Sarkozy leading the parade in a convertible surrounded by bogus secret service. hilarious. he was, of course, dressed in Napoleonic robes and an olive branch crown.

also a whole bunch of folks following the car with sheep masks on, baaaa-ing.

then more of the usual, flags, banners, firecrackers and chanting. during the parades, the whole downtown area shuts down and you can't get anywhere, so might as well participate. you can also collect stickers that the national unions hand out. my collection is slowly growing.

i'm in that crowd, somewhere!

still playing soccer (which is so much fun! i headed the ball the other night and the boys thought that was hilarious!)

the inauguration was wonderful to see - watched it online. made all the headlines in the papers that day (see below). Obama's got quite the following over here - everyone loves him.

it continues to be interesting to be somewhat disconnected from daily events in the US.

kinda nice in a way!

the weather is the same as well - lots of misty rain and wind, not cold enough to snow though.

every few days we get some real sun, which is GREAT! here's a pic of a great sunrise i saw the other morning....don't have to get up too early for them either - sunrise tends to be round 8.

one more week of class before the next vacation - already!

my mom will be coming over and i'll join her in paris for a few days before coming back here to show her around town.

another bit of news is that last week i met an american guy, randomly, and turns out he is from NC and plays for the semi-pro team over in Cholet (about a half hour from here). So we went to the game and it was an experience! they all played pretty good, the band played the *entire* time and you could only get something from the concession stands at halftime and after the game! afterwards we walked a bit round dowtown Cholet and it made me so glad to be in Nantes - Cholet is much much smaller and pretty sleepy.

last thing is that it seems NC is pulling me back in - i'll be interviewing (over the phone) for a position at Jordan High this coming week - wish me luck!

miss you all! and now that i've posted - it's your turn! send me some email and let me know what's up!!!!