The Colonel's Forum

Well, today was my first full day on French time and it went pretty well. Had a nice breakfast, put on my suit and tie and walked to work. It is really nice to be able to walk to work. You get in a little exercise in the morning and evening, and the old Roman city here is so interesting there are a million things to see. Little Boulangerie's and Patisserie's around every corner. I'm sure it'll get old, but for now it makes for an interesting commute. The language barrier can be really frustrating, but I'm learning. At least they speak English at work. Well, it's broken English but it's way better than my French. The project is certainly an interesting one, and a good resume builder. Unfortunately, we are continuing to discover communication gaps, especially around how much I am actually needed here. Working in France is all fine and good, but I've got a honey and a new house in Kentucky that I'm already homesick for. Ben and Matt are talki...

It took 3 planes, 3 buses and 3 car rides, but I've made it from our house to my temporary home in Clermont Ferrand. It's a neat little town - small, old Roman layout (meaning no real layout at all). Michelin definitely needs our help, and it appears they are going to be a great client. My office isn't any fancier than the one I had at Lexmark, but at least I get a window. Testing out the webcam tonight to see how that works for video conferences with Ella. Talked with Matt about the project and my expectations, he has been a great help so far and I expect he will continue to do so. Stopped off at the grocery just now and got a NICE bottle of Bordeaux for $5. Also found some Four Roses and Jack Daniel's - will save that for my next trip. Having the supermarket downstairs may be a blessing or a curse, we will see. After being up for 30 some hours, I'm going to crash now.

Well it's April 25th and I'm making this post from Bluegrass Field. Drinking a Sam Adams and waiting on some chicken tenders. I upgraded my flights to business class using sky-miles because my company wouldn't pay for it, but even in business class I expect the food will be awful. Used to be when you traveled internationally on business, you got to fly business class. Welcome to the "new" economy. It's a 16 hour trip and I go straight to the Michelin office when I get there. Said goodbye to Ella and Tobi. Looks like Ella will be coming out the weekend of May 20th - looking forward to that already. Haven't decided yet if we'll stay in Clermont-Ferrand, tour some wine country, or maybe spend a weekend in Paris. Tough choices.

Now that Ella and I are finally settled into our new place, looks like I'm off to France for 7 weeks. I'm expecting a plane ticket this week for April 25 - June 10th. My employer has also assured me that they will pay for a plane ticket for Ella too, which makes the 7 weeks away from home not so bad. The French take a ton of vacation days in the summer too, so it's likely that it will be a rather relaxing summer. The town I'm heading for is Clermont-Ferrand, in the Auvergne region. It's right in the middle of the country, about 3 hours from Paris or Nice. Tentative plans for the summer include a run down to Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix, and some tours of the French wine country when Ella comes out to visit.