The Colonel's Forum

Sorry for the long delay, but a wedding and honeymoon take a lot out of a guy, you know? I am happy to report that both activities went exceptionally well, and I am absolutely convinced at this point that I have the best friends and family that a guy could ask for - seriously. On to more serious matters, when did people start using cell phones in restrooms? Have you seen this? I've been travelling a lot lately and I have to say I am frightened by the number of times I find myself next to someone in an airport restroom who is chatting on his cell phone. That's just not right. "Hi Frank - I'm taking a whiz right now, but let's go ahead and talk about that business proposal..." Come on. I continue to be disappointed in the appalling service we get from airlines these days. Smaller seats, less food service ("here's your snack pack"), more frequent delays, general lack of customer service. Five of my last 6 flights were late for reasons other ...

There are a lot of things about Europe that are different from the US. Some things are different in a better way, other things are different in a bad way, and I guess a 3rd category would be some things that are just plain different. Charles DeGaulle airport is different in a bad way. They don't use jetways. In the US, this is not uncommon when you're looking at regional jets or small airports. CDG is the busiest airport in France, and on the way home I had to take two busses in between airplanes and the terminals. My plane from Paris to Kentucky was an airbus A-340. It's a nice plane. It's also enormous, and all 200+ passengers had to take a bus from the terminal to the plane, then walk across the tarmac and HIKE THE STAIRS up to the plane. Only the French... The flight was decent. Air France has food slightly better than Delta, and free wine even in economy class. It used to be that on an international business trip you would get to fly business class, but t...

I'd like to talk for a moment about espresso. Those of you who know me will recall that I am not a coffee drinker. Technically, this is still true. Since I have spent time here in France though, one thing I have picked up is the customary espresso that accompanies every meal. I was reluctant at first, having had so many mediocre experiences with American coffee. At one point, Frans Maas (the logical Dutchman on the team) said "how can you ever truly finish a meal if you don't take a coffee?" So I gave it a shot. To make a long stort short, coffee in Europe and coffee and America are two completely different things. Back home, we serve a watered down, bitter cup of bean juice that generally tastes like a cross between muddy water and turpentine. Here in France, if you ask for "un cafe" what you get is a cup of what we call espresso back home. This is an entirely different beverage. I heard it was made from the same raw material though, so I got curi...

Well I'm finally winding down this marathon trip to France. 46 days. I'm outta here Friday morning (6/9) and I can't wait to get back to my honey, my house, my dog... crazy things like air conditioning, heating, rooms larger than 8'x12', shower curtains, and the ability to drive to work. I spent this weekend in Clermont Ferrand and I was again reminded of why it was a good idea for me to have spent so many other weekends traveling. This place is absolutely dead on the weekends. There was an amish quilt exhibition at the art museum in town, but I decided to skip that. Sorry Mom. Instead I explored some more of the old city, ate a good kebab, and spent some time at the city gardens where the roses are in bloom. I caught up on sleep, took care of some wedding business, and just finished a nice TV dinner (chicken with lemon vegetable sauce + couscous). There's another thing I won't miss - eating alone. You can only go to restaurants so many times and as...