France took the Christ out of Christmas long, long ago. The word Noël comes from the middle French nael, which comes from the latin natalis [dies] which means [day] of birth. To wish someone a Merry Christmas, one would say Joyeux Noël. There is no all-inclusive “Happy Holidays” greeting in France, but in keeping with [...]

The weather is finally starting to get cool here, average days in the 40s, which means winter is a-coming. What’s the best part about winter in France? The combination of damp cold and hibernation mode makes it acceptable to eat the many cheese-heavy dishes one would normally only indulge in during a ski trip to [...]

The brightly colored fingerpaint cover always caught my eye, and for a weeks I’d glance at it and say “Oh, it’s Room,” until I finally read the book description and found out that it’s told in the first person voice of a five-year-old child. That should be interesting, I thought, and useful for someone who intends to write for kids.

For my Fierce ReRun, I’d like to remind myself what to do when I’m slipping into a funk, because now that my job is over and I’m bumbling around the house, I feel one coming on. Best to nip it in the bud. Originally published 11/04/10 Has anyone ever told you to take care of [...]

As I fly away from a picturesque New England town where American flags are already hung from porches in preparation for Memorial Day weekend, I’m feeling reminiscent. Reminiscent of the  time when I rued the fact I was American, my teenage years. Back then I thought that America had no culture, America was nothing. Just [...]

As English speaking voices tend to do, a woman’s voice carries from 20 feet away. She’s sharing personal details about her son with a couple of strangers. It’s ten a.m. and the woman in the couple drinks from a 1.5 liter bottle of (not diet) Pepsi. The man is that kind of  fat that makes [...]

Break out the confetti and noisemakers — I have officially lived in France for two years! May 2nd was my anniversary. Before I even left the states, I told myself that the next two years of my life would probably suck, and therefore I wouldn’t be allowed to make any rash decisions based on my [...]

When I was young, my godmother lived right next door and my best friend lived across the street. These relationships were created by my parents. They forged an instant friendship with the neighbors across the street, who had a little girl my age. It was only practical. Then they appointed the neighbor my godmother. The [...]

After recently learning that the French term for brass knuckles is “an american fist,” I decided it was time to share my growing list of objects and ideas that involve the word américain. When you think about it, there are a good many American terms that involve the word french. The door swings both ways. [...]

Lately, I’ve been working on lists, that could lead to fun blogumns, like “Words in French For Which There Are No English Equivalents,” or “Things That Are Different in France.” So far I have, defenestration (the act of jumping or falling out a window) and “dairy creamers in France are made with evaporated milk instead [...]