Another “Cultural” Visit

“Cultural” being used very loosely here!

This time I went with a group from the International Network of Norway (INN) part of the Chamber of Commerce (I’m a real butterfly when it comes to groups) and we visited a Fresh Herb farm just 10 minutes north of Stavanger.

I will not look at my parsley the same way ever again!

Some amazing view for Mr Parsley and his friends

Need to be gentle with Mr Parsley

Lots of light to grow

From the beginning to the end

They also supply the King of Norway with the first potatoes harvested

Gaining New Skills:

Gardening!

I’ve just realized I haven’t talked about my new found gardening skill!

A couple of weeks ago, the weather started to turn nicer and we decided flower planting was to be our weekend activity. So we packed the kids in the car and drove around the corner of our house to the gardening center and picked some flowers (and left a good chunk of our pay check in the process –living close to nature aint’ cheap either in Norway).

Here are some photos:

Buying

Sorting

Planting

Planting

Admiring!

And here are the new flowers in our garden.

Roll your mouse over to see Chloe's sketches with the names of the flowers

I Must Be Missing…

...Something Here

I’m in the process of organizing our summer vacation. Talk about “military precision planning”:

• 6 airports (Stavanger, Amsterdam, Paris, Chicago, Omaha, Lyon)
• 3 countries (Norway, USA, France – with 2 wee stops in The Netherlands)
• A 3-people travel plan, a 1-person travel plan, and a 4-people travel plan because it would have been too easy if we had all traveled together!

I think I can add a new title to my endless list of jobs: logistics management & travel agent

After planning this 2-month 3-country voyage I now have some other paperwork to tackle. Since I don’t have an American passport I need to register on line (ESTA) before traveling to the USA. And let’s not forget the photograph and initially 2 digits but now all ten fingerprints taken at the customs in the States. (European Entry for American visitors is such a contrast with no form (not even customs), no photographs and no tax –they still need a passport though!)

But pretty soon I might also have to pay to have the privilege to go visit friends and family in the States. Thanks to the Travel Promotion Act (TPA) I will now have to pay a $10 fee (this fee applied to travelers from the 35 countries that don’t have to pay for a visa).

Apparently the measure will “entice new visitors and spur new spending” and “The tourism industry expects the new measure to attract 1.6 million international visitors who otherwise wouldn't visit the U.S.” What I don’t understand is how making people pay to go visit a country will make them want to come even more or even spend more. Anyhow since in the tourism world it’s usually a tit for a tat (I need a visa to come to your country, you need a visa to come to my country kinda thing) “The European Union from where a significant chunk of inbound tourists emanate, intends to retaliate against the $10 tax with a tax of their own directed at US visitors”.

Going…

…Broke to the Movies

I feel so out of touch with the movie world.  Living in China had some advantages (like I don’t talk about it enough!) and one of them for movie lovers like us is the endless supply of cheap (read pirated) movies available right after their release (or even before the official release sometime)!

Well we decided to break the piggy bank (NOK130 per person -US$22- and that's not counting popcorn and drinks!) and go to the movie to see “Alice in Wonderland” in 3D... . Actually I’ve already been to the movie with Chloe a few weeks ago to see Avatar in 3D and I’ve been known to go with some of the girls to private screening in the middle of the day – how decadent is that!

Not going every week.. that's for sure!

What The…

…Hail!

Pardon my French… but isn’t it supposed to be like Spring for about a month now? So what happened around 4:00pm while I was supporting Jeremy playing Tball?

It's never going to be summer... never, e v e r!

Ready, Get Set…

...Go

Today marks the start of russefeiring (Russ Celebration) which will end on May 17th, Norway’s National Day.

But what is Russefeiring and who are those Russ?
“For many, taking part in Russ is a rite of passage, a transitional period when the usual rules and restrictions that govern a teenager’s life are forgotten, and when excessive drinking, drug taking and casual sex are the norm”

Russ are the students who will graduate from Junior College (videregående skole). For 3 weeks BEFORE their final exams, you will easily recognize them by their big baggy overalls which they will wear during the entire time without interruption. The color of the overalls should match the graduate’s line of study: Red (rødruss) for General Studies, Blue (blåruss) Health Care and Economical & Administrative Studies (the two most common colors and only one I have seen in Stavanger), White (hvitruss) for Medical and Social Studies, Black (svartruss) for Engineering and Green (grønnruss) for Agricultural Field (the two latter colors are rarely seen due to the lower student number in such courses). On the morning of the National day, the attire is completed by the ceremonial addition of the russelue (Russ cap). The ceremony involves the christening of the graduate, who is awarded a name by his or her fellow graduates which, in their opinion, either characterizes an aspect of the graduate’s normal behavior, or one exhibited during the russefeiring. This name is written on the brim before the cap is handed over. The cap should match the overall in color, and should be worn for the entire National day, which completes the russefeiring. This way, the Russ’ attire is complete before they join the local National day parade, which is the culmination of the Russefeiring.

During the russefeiring, the students are competing for russeknuter, or knots - badges of honor which have to be earned in a variety of different challenges. They get to attach these knots to their russelue and the more knots they get the better. The dares/challenges started off innocently enough but can get a little “wild”. For a list of the dares (rated by single knots, double, triple or super), check out Stavangerhs website. You can use Google Translate for help. Some example of challenges this year:
• Watch Teletubbies episodes 6 hours at a stretch.
• Play a game of Twister in the cafeteria wearing only underwear.
• Be awake 48 hours straight.
• Be silent a full day of school.
• Request sex tips from the mother of another Russ.
• Sit through an entire lesson wearing only underwear and optional headgear.
• Drink 24 cans of beer in 1 hour
• Kiss a policeman / woman.
• Run naked in the City Bridge.
• Go barefoot in 48 hours.
• Shower and change with the opposite sex in their dressing room after gym.
• Go on a dinner date with an inflatable partner and treat it/him/her as a normal person. Be sure to give your date a lot of attention and introduce it to the waiter
• etc...

This year one of the challenges for Stavanger students is to find the home of the woman who took down all the pacifiers from the tree  at Mosvanet lake, and then hang one in a tree/bush in her garden. If she is at home, one should also give her a lecture on how trees provide oxygen for the woman. (triple knot!!)

Russekort (Russ cards) are mock business cards that the russ will hand out to anyone who asks for them. They contain a picture, contact details, and a slogan. Usually the picture is either a funny picture of the graduate him or herself, or a drawing, picture of a celebrity, or other funny picture. The name and contact details are usually spoofs and the slogan is a joke. Having a large collection of other russ’ cards is a status marker, as it is regarded as a sign of popularity, especially cards from members of the opposite sex. Since the extensive festivities ares an excellent opportunity to meet members of the opposite sex, it is common for the cards to sport lewd jokes or suggestive remarks. However, such cards are also very attractive to preschoolers and primary school kids, who collect them and barter them. As a consequence, a few russ carry two sets of cards: One designed for kids, and one designed for adults and other russ.

A few cards from Jeremy's collection

Over the years, the Russ has gotten a bad name as the general behavior of the teenagers get wilder. Drunkenness, debauchery and inconsiderate behavior have become a common for some of these teenagers. Excessive drinking, overly casual sex and sometimes even drugs feature in russefeiring. All limits that usually govern these youth fly right out the window and many go overboard with the partying. The Russ are therefore constantly reminded not to go too far.


Source: Wikipedia

Living in…

…2010

Since Chloe celebrated a new decade yesterday let’s have a  look at what it is like to live in 2010 with another "You Know You Live…"

You Know You Are Living In 2010 When...

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
9. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
10. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
11. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
12. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
13. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
14. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list

Here’s another one that was relevant to my kids "You Know you went to an International School"

Celebrating...

...A Decade

Double digits from now on. T(we)enager already?!

Chloe finding out about her present

yeah

I can see so far away

What Does The Volcano, iPad And...

...Norway Have In Common?

Norway Prime Minister governs with the iPad (Cnet)


The iPad might be a fine alternative to a laptop for simple tasks, but can it really be relied upon to run an entire country? Norway Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg certainly thinks so.
Stoltenberg--stranded in New York City because of a volcanic eruption in Iceland entering European airspace and disrupting travel--has been using the iPad to get his daily work done, according to a CNN report. The network said that it spoke with the prime minister, who said it's business as usual for his government.
"It's very normal for a prime minister to travel abroad, so this is not different from the other travels, it's just lasts some days more than expected," Stoltenberg told CNN. "We have the Internet, the mobile phone. I also use an iPad, which is excellent."
Stoltenberg plans to get back to his country on Saturday, but he will be forced to travel in a roundabout way to do so. Until then, it seems that his iPad could be his best friend as he attempts to keep his government running amid an unlikely roadblock.
For Apple's part, the company could use Stoltenberg's iPad use for its own gain. What better way for Apple to promote the iPad as a mobile companion than to say that it can help a prime minister run his country?

Work, work, work...

He must have bought it in the States since the iPad is not yet available in Europe… and maybe he didn’t want to pay the (most certain) high Norwegian price!!!

Update: just read this article: Jens Stoltenberg you might be in trouble!

Illegal to use iPad in Norway if it is not approved for use in Europe, warns Post and Telecommunications Authority.


iPad has to be CE-marked
Post and Telecommunications Authority (NPT) is reminiscent in a statement that the iPad on an equal basis with other electronic radio equipment to be used in Norway, must be approved for use in this country.
It means that the product has to have the CE mark. An EU approval also applies to the EEA country Norway.
Label is a guarantee that all directives that have to do with security, are met.
PT encourage anyone who is traveling outside of Europe, to look for the CE mark when buying an iPad or similar electronic equipment.
Illegal for private individuals
It is illegal for individuals to use products not approved for the Norwegian and European market, and such equipment may be withheld in customs. Imports for the resale of such equipment is not allowed, “says PT.
“The problem is that non CE-approved radio and telecommunications terminal equipment can cause interference to other equipment, as we have a different type of regulation that limit transmission power in Europe than in the U.S., explains the head of the NPT, Tor Bringsverd.
PT is not, however, does not know if the first iPad-one that is released in the U.S. market are CE-approved or not.
Feedback from our readers suggests rather that all iPad are CE marked, and in this sense fully valid to use here at home. Something that is supported by a report from the U.S. Postal and Telecommunications Authority FCC.
Aftenposten.no has asked Apple about the status of CE marking on iPad-one that have so far been sold, but as late as this evening it is not confirmed whether all the iPad devices are CE marked.
“We are still working to bring the facts is clear,” said press spokesman for Apple, Petter Ahrnstedt.

Celebrating…

….Chloe’s Birthday

Chloe will turn 10 in a couple of days and she has been wanting to celebrate one of her birthday at an indoor playground for a few years but I’ve always managed to convince her to do it at home because I had all those great ideas (she’s my easy child!). This year I tried again and she was going to concede one more time then I realized that I didn’t plan as well as the previous years (where does all this free non-working mother time go I wonder?!!!) and that it could be the solution that would make us both happy.

10 girls (+ 1 very happy Jeremy!), a indoor playground and a disco room… endless of fun and an eye opener for Maman and Daddy… What happened to our little girl? dancing on chairs, (innocent) gossiping, girly giggle, etc... a preview to the teenage years ahead of us? 

Let's Party

Another Sport...

...Tball for Jeremy

Jeremy has starting playing Tball at school. Practice are on Fridays after school and the “games” are on Saturdays morning (either at 9am –that would be Jeffrey duty to be there on time or 11am –should be able to manage that one!).

If you haven’t read the post on Jeremy playing football either in China or in Norway I invite to you go and read it first…. I’ll wait. Tic toc, tic toc… Ok so you are back (no cheating I hope).

So here’s how practice go. First you need to gather the troops all at the same place at the same time. Not as easy as you may think… remember they are a bunch of 5-6 years old full of energy.

Not sure they really need the warm up...  they have been running all day at school already!

Then you have to explain the different base… No, you cannot skip it and just run “near” it, you actually need to physically touch it!. A little explanation on where is Left and where is Right because they always seem to forget which way to run. But cheering parents are always on hand to scream: run, run, ruuunn to the right, right … your other right!

First you need to practice the throw:

Jeremy definitely has some style!

Then the catch:

Where did it go?

Pitching is a little bit easier since they have a T to hold the ball at the right level…or you might think!

Action shot

Then the fun part... the running!

See Maman... I touched the Base

All in all it’s good fun but with all the waiting around it seems that most of them get distracted and end up doing all sorts of things!

Should I pay attention?

Talking strategy with the coach

Everything seems so much clearer with your glasses

Number One

Winter…

…Tires

My year used to be divided by pre-heated flat and post-heated flat, now it’s all about summer tires and winter tires. You see cars in Norway have to have winter tires (with or without studs) from November 1 to April 15. If you have an accident in the winter without your winter tires (“Vinterdekker”) you are not covered by your insurance apparently.

Doing my part

We Are All Stuck Here…

...Not Just Me!

The Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland first eruption since 1821 has transformed Western Europe and Scandinavia into an unprecedented no-fly zone.

The major concern is that the ash could pose a very serious hazard to aircraft engines. The dust is extremely fine and if it gets into a jet engine, it blocks up all of the ventilation holes that bleed in cooling air.

An enormous ash cloud from a remote Icelandic volcano caused the biggest flight disruption since the 2001 terrorist attacks as it drifted over northern Europe and stranded travelers on six continents. […]

The cloud, floating miles (kilometers) above Earth and capable of knocking out jet engines, wrecked travel plans for tens of thousands of people Thursday, from tourists and business travelers to politicians and royals.[…]

Authorities in Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belgium also closed their air space. France shut down 24 airports, including the main hub of Charles de Gaulle in Paris, Germany's Berlin and Hamburg were shut Thursday evening, and several flights out of the U.S. had to double back. […]

A volcano beneath Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH'-plah-yer-kuh-duhl) glacier began erupting Wednesday for the second time in less than a month, triggering floods and shooting smoke and steam miles into the air. […]

The ash plume drifted at between 20,000 feet and 36,000 feet (6,000 meters and 11,000 meters), where it could get sucked into airplane engines and cause them to shut down. The smoke and ash also could affect aircraft visibility.

The Icelandic plume lies above the Atlantic Ocean close to the flight paths for most routes from the U.S. East Coast to Europe, and over northern Europe itself. […]

Explosive volcanic eruptions inject large amounts of highly abrasive ash — essentially very small rock fragments — into the upper atmosphere, the cruising altitude of most jet airliners. It can cause significant damage to both airframes and engines. […]

In 1989, a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 747 flew into an ash cloud from Alaska's Redoubt volcano and lost all power, dropping from 25,000 feet to 12,000 feet (7,500 meters to 3,600) before the crew could get the engines restarted. The plane landed safely. […]

Ironically, Iceland's Keflavik airport remained open Thursday. (Associated Press)

Scope of Ash

The Cloud - Boston Picture

The European sky’s pretty quiet: (From Flight Radar )

Not much traffic in the North of Europe

Strike…

...In Norway?!

Received today from the kids’ school…

Due to national labor negotiations, there is a chance that ISS Bus 5 and Bus 12 will not run Thursday morning, April 15. Only morning bus runs may be impacted, all routes will run as normal after school. It is ONLY these two routes impacted, all other ISS bus routes will operate as usual both morning and afternoon. A final answer on whether the Bus 5 and 12 drivers strike may not be available until midnight or after. We are sharing this information so parents of students on Bus 5 and 12 can be prepared to make alternative transport plans. Thank you. Linda Duevel, Director”

Of course my kids ride bus 12. Where do they think there are? France!!

My Invit’ Must Have Gotten Lost

... In The Mail!!

Queen Sonja was in Sandness to declare the start of celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the city (about 15 min south of Stavanger).

I used to be invite to those little cocktails; well I know why would I have been invited, the French Embassy has nothing to do with it but it just reminded me how much life can change in the space of a year!

This photo (taken from this video) strangely reminds me of Bernadette Chirac visiting Beijing in October 2006!... Riding a ‘Rickshaw” must be on the list of things to do when you are on a state visit!

Hover mouse over the image! *

“Fashionable…

...In Rainy Weather”

A little bit of spring inspired fashion for this edition of “Fashionable in Rainy Weather” with the grass print boots….

Way to blend in with the décor!

And if you are tired of taking your umbrella everywhere you go, you can drag this one instead!

Those clever Japanese again

Chance of Drought…

… In Stavanger?!

It hasn’t rain for a whole TWO days and my neighbors thought that their grass would  not make it so they had the sprinklers going on full speed.

Who knows maybe I didn’t hear the news that the sun had decided to stay in Stavanger for an unlimited period of time…Ok I think I’m day dreaming and wishful thinking at the same time!

Better safe than sorry

In Days Like This…

…I Love Norway

I haven’t had a chance of enjoying a lunch outside on my own balcony since we lived in Buenos Aires and it felt really nice to be able to do this in the last couple of days.

The view that keep me sane here!

Is this A Sign…

… From Above 47° 37’ N 122° 20’ W?

I think Seattle is sending me some signs.

I found a bottle of Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino at my local supermarket… is this a first step toward Starbucks Coffee Shop?

Even though Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark & Sweden trust the 6 first places (France is 19 and USA rank 26) of annual per capital consumption of coffee (2008 Data), Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee house chain, has yet to penetrate most of Scandinavian countries. In fact Starbuck opened a coffee house in Sweden (albeit the Stockholm airport – Terminal 5 gate area 1-10!) just a month ago and the 1st one in Scandinavia opened in Copenhagen airport only in 2007.

Enjoying a Frappuccino on my deck in the SUN!

Actually I think it’s not so much the Starbucks coffee that I’m missing but more the memories of friends meeting there and me working countless hours on my computer at their various locations in Beijing.


Coffee Factoids You Should Know:

• Coffee is grown in 53 countries around the world. Every single one of those countries lies along the equator between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
• Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world. Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world.
• The United States imports more coffee than any other country in the world, however, other countries drink more coffee per capita.
• One acre of coffee trees can produce about a ton of coffee beans every two years. Most coffee is grown on small farms with less than an acre of trees.
• There are about 7 million tons of green coffee beans produced worldwide each year.
• Most coffee farmers still pick every coffee cherry by hand. Many bring the coffee cherries to a mill to be processed, but many still spread the cherries to dry and process it on their own.
• The only US grown coffee is grown in Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The rest of the country doesn’t have the climate for it. Puerto Rican and Hawaiian coffees are among the most expensive in the world.
• Until the late 1800s, most people bought green coffee beans and roasted them at home in a frying pan over an open fire. The United States was the first country to turn to roasted coffee. In many European countries, it was still common to roast at home as late as the 1940s.
• Coffee is the second most-traded commodity on the market. The most traded commodity on the market is oil.
• Most coffee farmers get less than 25 cents a pound for their coffee.
• The value of the coffee in a typical Starbucks coffee is about 6 cents.

Track &...

...Field

With the nice weather, the outdoors activities are back in full swing. Both Jeremy and Chloe are trying out the “Track and Field” after school activity or should I say chaos and disorder since pupils from kindergarten to 5th grade are involved. We’ve already established that Chloe’s got some pretty fast legs and Jeremy’s not far behind and pretty good at sports might I add…if only he would listen to the instructions and concentrate a little bit more.

Click to enlarge collage

Photo of St Barts...

...Preview

Here’s a preview of the 1,500+ photos taken…I will post more soon (believe me!).

25 km² of beauty

We tried as many as we could

Being the Star at the Villa Rock Star (Eden Rock) -Only 15,000 to 25,000€ a night!- Playing with the restored mixing board where Lennon recorded Imagine...

“Eau de...

...Manure”

Back in Beijing I knew Spring* was upon us when I started to see these in the streets:

The sign of Spring in Beijing

Here in Stavanger it’s not so much a vision thing but more a smell thing. When spring starts “Eau de Manure” permeates the air.

Roll your mouse over to experience the smell

* Winter and Summer in Beijing
.

Looking Back…

… And Forward

Celebrating my 40th birthday yesterday in Saint Barthelemy (I could have spend it in much worst place!) made me realize that statistically I’m almost half way there since for a girl born in France her life expectancy is around 80 to 84 years (statistics vary!). But does it apply to me anymore? Should have I lived my whole life in France to get this number? Does the fact that I lived in other lower life expectancy countries (France: 84, US: 81, Argentina: 79, UK: 81, China: 75*) change my own life expectancy?

Anyway here are a few birthdays through the years and 5 countries

• My 38th birthday in Beijing, China: Getting up at 4.00am for 12 hours of craziness around town
• My 35th birthday in Aberdeen, Scotland: Getting Helicopter flying lesson
• My 30th birthday in Buenos Aires, Argentina: Funkiest 70’s birthday party with Aida and Eric
• My 25th birthday in St Quentin sur Isère, France: Back to the future. Celebrating at my parents with childhood friends after living in the States.
• My 21st birthday in Denver, CO. USA: Celebrating turning legal in the USA (was legally drinking everywhere else!). I actually celebrated twice; once on March 4th and once on April 3rd (the barman didn’t know that in Europe we write the dates differently…. I didn’t complain when he offered free drinks!)
• My 20th birthday in France: Last birthday before leaving for the US a few months later…the end of an era!!!
• My 18th birthday in France: Turning legal, getting my driving license (legal age in France!) and passing the Baccalaureat… all within a few weeks.

Best present ever: Chloe a few days after my 30th birthday (and 4 days after the Buenos Aires' Party mentioned above!)

Celebrating in style at Eden Rock in St Barts

Wikipedia Minute! :
France has the highest rate of centenarians in percentage of the total population: 1 centenarian for 3,076 people. The rate is 1 per 3,522 in Japan (but much higher in Okinawa), and 1 per 3,300 in the United States.
I might be here for a while!


* Statistics from Nation Master

Life Begins At Forty (W. B. Pitkin)

Age is strictly a case of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
(Jack Benny)

A few weeks ago I received an email from a friend of mine after I told her that I didn’t understand one of the jokes/video link she previously send because it was aimed at the over 40 and I wasn’t yet 40. Ok maybe not funny but it’s my sense of humor and I do whatever I want with it (besides it’s been going one between the 2 of us for the last 3-4 years and unfortunately it will now have to stop, unless she send me jokes for the 50 and over).

So as I was saying she sent me this email (you know the ones you have to open the attachment and it turns out to be a PowerPoint presentation with cheesy beautiful pictures and cheesy lines). Well this one was called George Carlin’s view on aging (it turns out it’s not George Carlin’s words but might be Larry Miller’s… I’m a control freak and check everything that might be a hoax on snoops or hoaxbusters … Again I have weird way of spending my time but hey it’s my partytime and I’ll cry waste it if I want to, waste it if I want to… you would waste it too if it happened to you lived in Norway)

So anyway it reminded me of a conversation my daughter Chloe had with one of her friends a few years ago when we lived in Aberdeen, Scotland. I was driving with Chloe, then almost 4, and her friend Camille and those 2 little girls were talking about birthdays and who was the oldest, meaning at this age older equals better. Than Camille mentioned that it was going to be her mom’s birthday that weekend and she would turn xx (number withheld for sensitivity privacy issue ). Chloe asked me how old I was and when I told her I was zz (that’s xx+2!!), Chloe proudly told her “My mom is older than your mom” which prompt me to explain to Chloe that past a certain age you aren’t usually advertising the fact that you are older. I’m not sure that explanation did anything to them since they kind of look at each other thinking I must have gone mad.


Anyway this is the text:

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids?

If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. "How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five!

That's the key. You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back.

You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. "How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life...you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony...YOU BECOME 21 YEARS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk. He TURNED, we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50... and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70!

After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime.

And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

Well I think I’m just going to say my age in months just like “Petits Bateaux” (I love them because I’m still a size “14 ans*” for them. Really check out their website FR - & US) so happy 480 months young to me!

How many months are you?

*really, do I need to translate that? Please!! Ok just to make sure you don’t think it’s size 14: “14 ans” means 14 YEARS OLD

“Life is what you make it. 

Always has been, always will be.”

Eleanor Roosevelt