Facebook says you’re gone, Like the many maddening horrors that mark the daily news, It can’t be true. Weren’t we just kids? You, pirouetting beneath a falling baton, Me, drawing glances with a waving flag. In the crowded hallways you caught my eye. Like a favorite sweater, you slipped over…
This summer I had the rather surreal and surprising experience of traveling in Japan. The surreal aspect of my trip might well have something to do with the 13-hour time difference coupled with Japan’s near-futuristic embrace of technology. I say surprising because my expedition to the land of the rising…
After spending three weeks in France, I came home energized and exhausted, if that makes sense. I’m eager to share some of my trip but this week I’ve been catching up on the business of living my actual life, not the fantasy life that I live while traveling. That being…
You’ve probably heard about the artificial intelligence chat robot called ChatGPT. Since its debut at the end of 2022, millions of people have used it to create documents, cull data, or simply talk with a new “friend”. ChatGPT’s language processing software is so conversational that the program seems to have…
A few weeks ago, I started posting about activities to undertake in order to improve your French proficiency. I lack the hubris necessary to consider myself a master of French but I appreciate the following citation. If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it…
Last week, I started making a list of possible New Year’s resolutions for francophiles wanting to improve their French language skills. Some of my readers thanked me for providing such a thorough list of resources but I was just getting started. When I’m done, I hope they won’t be cursing…
Like many people, every January I give some thought to my long and short-term goals and come up with several resolutions. This year, however, I’ve been floundering—that is, thrashing about like a flounder hoping to flop its way off the deck of an aircraft carrier. A persistent problem for me…
As 2022 comes to a close, it feels more than ever like the pandemic is behind us. Perhaps the biggest indicator of our improving societal health is the return of social gatherings, both privately and in shared public spaces. This year, on December 31, Paris will once again ring in…
