Blog suspended

No, not really. But I sure got you worked up, didn't I?

Actually, I'm being vetted as a possible replacement for Sarah Palin in case she drops out of the race.

I mean, why not? I'm an American from a small town. I look pretty sharp when I wear glasses, too.

And hey, the country I'm living in now shares borders with a whole lotta foreign countries! That certainly qualifies me to be Vice-President, and maybe even President, of the USA.

I mean, I can see Spain from here! And I even know the name of its president!

No seriously...

It-- it's funny that a comment like that was-- kind of made to-- cari-- I don't know, you know?

Wordless Wednesday 28

New look at Cuisine Quotidienne

Faithful readers of this blog probably know I limp along with two other personal blogs: Cuisine Quotidienne, which is ostensibly "devoted" to everyday French food and cooking, and And So Forth, where I occasionally write about whatever I feel like discussing -- which, these days, has meant a number of political posts.

I'm grateful, and at times amazed, that readers keep up with even one of my blogs, but I did want to tell anyone reading La France Profonde that Cuisine Quotidienne has undergone a facelift, with a brand new design created by Madeline Miller of Made by Madeline.

I haven't played around with the new template at all, but if you have a minute, hop over and tell me what you think.

I'm also hoping to get away from the "photo/recipe/look at what I ate" format and write more about cooking and eating habits in France, which was my original intention for the blog anyway.

Hope to see you here and there!

Wordless Wednesday 27

(Photo courtesy of Thierry Jouanneteau -- click to enlarge)

On the road again

My daughter and I are skipping off to another area of France this weekend for a one-night trip to see friends.

It's always great to get away and see new -- or in this case, familiar -- parts of the country. It will also be a chance for eldest daughter to work on her driving skills outside of Aveyron, which she knows so well. (She has the equivalent of a driver's permit now, and will be practicing with us until she can get her permis de conduire at the age of 18.)

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we will be having the same weather as in the above photo, but we will be near the same place.

Any guesses as to where?

(Photo courtesy of Cath at Grain de Sel, a very nice blog en français that combines music experiences and travel photos.)

Wordless Wednesday 26

(Photo courtesy of Thierry Jouanneteau)

Are they having fun yet?

(Example of a French high school student's schedule -- click to enlarge)

Oh, there are plenty of good things to say about the French public school system. But today, I'll be leaving it up to my readers to say them.

While one of my daughters is discovering the joys of finishing her school day at 2:37 pm, the other is gritting her teeth and bracing herself for another year of the 35-hour workweek -- 35 hours a week of class, that is.

She doesn't have it quite as tough as the student above who finished four days a week at 6:00 pm or 7:00 pm. My eldest will be getting out of class twice a week at 5:00 pm, twice a week at 6:00 pm, and at 11:00 am on Wednesdays. (High schools and middle schools do, mercifully, have Wednesday afternoons off.)

Is she having fun yet? Well, "fun" and "school" don't seem to be associated very often in France. And maybe they shouldn't be. American schools, with their pep assemblies and dress-up days, must look absolutely ridiculous to French educators.

And as a teacher, I certainly know that learning isn't a Disney ride.

But I do wonder what added value is France getting out of a high school system where students have to be in class as many hours a week as many French employees work, and then are expected to slog through a ludicrously huge homework load on the side.

What do you think?

Wordful Wednesday