I Love Tom Brady!!!

Lately, I've been fortunate enough to follow a handful of NFL games thanks to Pete (thanks you so much!!!). Last night was one of the best games of the season so far. The New England Patriots versus the Tennessee Titans. Results? Patriots 59 - Titans 0. Here are highlights from the game:



That just made my otherwise lackluster day. I'd better get back to work now. Thought I'd share the fun ;)

Today's Random Picture:
Tom Brady: Impossibly good looking, smart, tall, an American football god... what more could you ask for? Heheh

Twin You Haven't Met Yet?

I talked to my good friend Nico the other day and he says he's positive that there's a double of me in his neighborhood, or at least, a voice double. Apparently there's another American female here in Strasbourg who not only has the same accent I have, but also has the same voice. Odds of this happening? Probably very unlikely, though with the ca. 6.7 billion people out there in the world, I'm sure you not only have a voice double out there in the world, but also a face double. Don't believe me? Remember Sarah Palin and the stark similarities between her and comedian Tina Fey?  

Or read/watch this article/video about a French Canadian photographer who looks for and photographs lookalikes. If you really think about it though, all humans are about 99.9% the same genetically, so with the near 7 billion people in the world out there, there can only be so many genetic combinations, resulting is some very similar, though not identical, patterns. Just thought it was funny that my voice double also lives in Strasbourg. I'd like to hear her or meet her one day. So far Nico's only heard her voice outside his window when he naps on weekends. \

Today's Random Picture: Is there a double of each and every one of us out there? Honestly, the resemblance is uncanny. A combination photograph shows U.S. President-elect Barack Obama (L) at a ceremony for his whistle stop train trip at the train station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania January 17, 2009 and Indonesian photographer Ilham Anas (R) chatting with his colleagues in his office in Jakarta January 17, 2009. Anas won't be at U.S. President Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday. Instead he'll be starring as an Obama look-alike on Indonesian TV. Anas, 34, who from some angles bears a resemblance to the new U.S. president, shot to fame in Jakarta after Obama, 47, won the election in November, and is now earning income as an Obama double. REUTERS/Jim Young/Supri/Files (INDONESIA)

Out of the Loop

So I got a little distracted these past few months. Ok, I got VERY distracted these past few months. The task of filling in the gaps is much too burdensome at the moment that I'm going to leave you all out of the loop in terms of what happened this summer. I'm sure I'll eventually (someday) find the time to explain what happened and share some exciting travel stories of hitchhiking all throughout the Balkans and Eastern Europe for 2 months. Overall, it was a great experience but I won't get into any details right now.

Life in France so far as been quite... let's say... different. It's one thing to be a tourist and hitchhike around without a care in the world, it's another thing to live in a foreign country and have to find an apartment and the like. This experience I had while in Mali for about 4 months, but this time, it's for 2 years and not 4 months. I've actually been in France for less than 2 months now but I've definitely noticing some differences from living in France as opposed to living in the US. For starters, EVERYTHING is more complicated in France while everything in the US is simple as can be.

To give you all a few examples:

Opening a bank account in France: You have to go to the bank with proper identification, have to get a certificate/proof of academic registration, other valid ID (which the bank makes and keeps photocopies of), then you have to sign about 10 different pages of "contract" documents to open the account. After that, you wait for a validation letter that you have to sign, which then verifies your address and your account is "officially" open, though that might still take another week or so. After it's finally open, you have to wait for your bank debit card, which they don't send to you, but you have to wait for a letter with the pin code in it. Once you receive that, you go BACK to the bank at which you opened your account and ask for your card. You then, after about a month of waiting, finally get your debit card. Also, you have a personal bank agent, kind of like your academic counselor, which is not so in the US.

Opening a bank account in the USA: You go to the bank with one form of proper identification (passport, driver's license, etc. - American, foreign, it doesn't matter which country you're from). You ask to open a bank account (student or otherwise). Your bank account is opened immediately as soon as you deposit some money (the minimum is usually $5 to $10). They make you your debit card on the spot, which takes about 2 minutes, and you're finished!
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Buying a used bicycle in France: If it's an organized bike fair, you need to wait in line for about 1 or two hours, then you finally look for a bike. If you finally find one, you go tell someone working there, ask for a ticket then pay for that bike. Oh, you also need a form of identification (passport, driver's license... which was really weird... you're buying a freaking bike for heaven's sake!). You pay, then get a receipt to pick up your bike. You pick up your bike and leave after they check your receipt.

Buying a used bicycle in the USA: You go to a bike fair, buy the bike from the vendor and you leave.
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Renting an apartment in France: You MUST have a cosigner if you're not employed. The cosigner should also be French and you need to sign a few documents, must provide copies of student status, passport, student ID cards, etc. Also, the cosigner must copy down a huge paragraph (takes at least 10 minutes to copy) certifying his or her position as guarantor/creditor in case of tardy rental payments.

Renting an apartment in the USA: If the rent is below a certain amount, even if you're not working and you're a student, you don't need a cosigner, especially if it's a shared apartment. You don't need copies of ID, but you do need a form of ID and you need merely to copy down your ID number onto the lease. If a cosigner is required, s/he needs to merely sign an agreement and isn't required to copy down any large chunks of text.

I guess there are other peculiarities I won't get into for the moment. I'm not saying the French system is worse or bad... it's just more complicated. Overall, I suppose that the complications make things more secure in some ways... though, as an American, I find things like opening a bank account ridiculously complicated in France. I mean, I'm transferring thousands of euros from the US to France to spend in France! Isn't that sort of good for France? Why should it be so complicated? In any case, I guess the French would think our system is to informal/carefree and possibly a contributing factor to the world banking crisis. I can't blame them... it's sort of true, though I don't think opening a bank account easily has anything to do with it... still, maybe the overall looseness of the system allowed for so many subprime mortgages and... yeah, I won't get into that right now.

Oh, and I think it's colder in Strasbourg in October than it was in Madison. This morning, it was 26°F (-3°C). Pretty cold weather considering it's only mid-October. Ok, I have to get ready to go to class now. I'll try to keep you all posted!!!

Today's Random Quiz:

You Would Win Best Documentary Feature

You are very curious about and engaged with the world. Everyone is interesting to you. You have a variety of interests, and you delve into them quite deeply. People are impressed by the sheer quantity of stuff you know, and you're learning more every day. However, you're not just informed. You also are very informative. You share what you know in an engaging and interesting way.

What Would You Win an Oscar For?