| StoreTags: kite, corsica, france, blah, work
Author: timmo on July 15 2008 Viewed 1498 times. 19 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.
People who enjoyed reading this: daswesen, Unknownforce, Analog, Moriarty, Fredo, kwyj, Otterfan, Roshi, license, drewzle, bodo, Lara, Tridact, hecanjog, papergoose, cbit, bbwax, monty, celibacyclub
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ITEM 1:
A while ago, like more than a year perhaps, someone gave me a kite. It quickly got stuffed in my closet and I forgot about it. I didn't really think much about it, I flew kites when I was a kid, you stand there and hope it flies. So fast forward until this past weekend when for some reason I got the kite out. To my amazement it is not just a regular kite, but a really nice (to me) sport/stunt kite. So I went to a park and I tried it. It took a bit to get the hang of it, and mostly I was able to just dive bomb the ground as my only "trick", but eventually I had enough control to do figure eights, and spins, and just generally actually make it fly. Somehow it was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable things I've done in a really long time, I have no idea why, but it was. So much so that I went out the next day and was so excited I managed to totally stab myself with part of the kite and so I bled all over and flew my kite. Anyone else like kites? I admit to being totally clueless but its still super fun somehow, and there are some really strange things people can do with kites: link What is even going on?
ITEM 2:
I got a job working for one month in France in some small place on Corsica called Calvi. I'm really excited because despite having learned French from age 3 to 20, I never really got to use it, so basically I'm a useless mono-language american. I would love to hear from some French folks about what to expect there. I'd be happy to meet up with EM folks too, but I doubt there are any there! The project I'm working on is somewhat interesting, I'll be shooting video of these professional athletes running around the natural environment, and it will be my first job where I get to do underwater shooting, so hopefully that goes OK and my camera doesn't drown.
I have a really long layover in Amsterdam so if anyone wants to come and laugh at me in the airport or take me around for a few hours that would be fun too. I'll be going there at the beginning of September so its a bit off, but I figured I'd try to figure things out as much as possible.
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07/15/08
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cloudburst
just rent mr bean's holiday.
it will explain the french as viewed from the english.
;)
07/15/08
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Zanf
and then throw the dvd in the bin because its terrible terrible comedy.
I love kite flying. A few years back, I got a kite from an exGF and took it up to Blackheath with my flatmate and his young son. Some other friends popped up and everyone really enjoyed having a little fly of the kite. One friend brought himself one but a big aerofoil type. Then he got a bigger one and now he regularly goes out with this massive kite and a little buggy, riding up and down beaches.
the moral of the story? kites are more addictive than crack
07/15/08
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Unknownforce
Corsica looks lovely. You should be able to get a boat from there to Marseille where LeMatt lives.
If you only have a few hours in Amsterdam, get the train to the city, it takes 20 minutes and then wander down Damstraat, check out the red light district and then visit Begijnhof
07/15/08
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packetst0rm
1. I have not flown a kite since narm...I'm so gonna buy one this weekend!
2. I'm scared of france due to a completely boring trip to paris last year, me and the missus ended up escaping back to lowly dirty of LAHNdahn  Won't catch me in paris again!
07/15/08
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Moriarty
i don't think i've flown a kite. ever. 
that first photo is really good
07/15/08
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kwyj
The first time me and the missus tried kite flying we had one like yours and after 20 very enjoyable minutes in brisk cornish wind it shattered and Ellie got fiberglass stuck in her finger :-(
Anyway now we've got a small aerofoil type one which is pretty crashproof and also very good fun.
07/15/08
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Lara
1. I have a kite shaped like a shark that i enjoy flying at the beach with my friend Marce. it doesn't do any tricks, but it does have a super long string and it is a pretty good beacon. Due to the somewhat boring nature of a single stringed kite, we were thinking we could start fighting our kites!!! and when I told my grandpa about this, he told me they used to fight their kites by dipping the string in glue and glass and trying to saw the other person's kite string in half... so awesome. because thats what was going on before the internets.
2. Yay France!
07/15/08
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Tridact
I got a kite for Christmas one year. It was the diamond-shaped kind and had a skull and crossboneson it. I also found and old kite in the garage. It was from the '70s and had a planet that looks like Saturn on it. We flew them a few times on a giant university field that has since been built over. We'd have them go as high as possible, then spend a whole lot of time winding them back up.
Usually a good crash would break the wooden dowels, and after so many times you get too lazy to replace them, and then forget about them, and then realize it's been years again since you've flown a kite.
Kites are fun: link
07/15/08
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tantan
I loves france
hate kites though, they always frustrated me
07/15/08
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Roshi
Three films about france:
"M. Hulot's Holiday"
"Mon Oncle"
"Jacque Tati's Playtime"
If you see only one, please see "Mon Oncle". Just brilliant.
07/15/08
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papergoose
I was kind of unimpressed with France, and, being right after the start of the Iraq war and the whole "freedom fries" BS, I seemed to catch a lot of animosity from people there. It was by the most passive aggressive country I've ever visited... not so much in the city, though, but the smaller towns. I spent several weeks living in a dormitory with a friend in Compiegne, and the bus ride every day was torture. People would throw paper at me, jeer and say things, and when I would turn around they wouldn't even make eye contact. Old ladies would refuse to move their bag out of the aisle for me to walk by, even after doing it for a local just 5 seconds prior, and I would have to CLIMB over it.
So, eh, I'm no big fan. It was a pretty place though. I had an infinitely better time in Spain. Barcelona FTW.
And kites. Yeah. Kites are rad. It's something about pulling and using forces that are WAAAAY out of your reach usually... that tactile TUG.... it's like you and the gods are playing tug of war.
07/15/08
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timmo
Thanks for all the comments guys!
I have seen the tragic Mr. Bean's Holiday, one of those movies that could have been something, but just wasn't.
Zanf, I've seen those buggy guys before, that looks so awesome, but if I manage to damage myself with a small one, imagine what I would be capable of with something that big.
Unknownforce, I was definitely thinking of exploring, thanks for the tip.
Packetstorm, I too have had a bad experience in Paris when I was passing through trying to get to Germany, basically I managed to get myself thrown out of a restaurant. HAHA
Moriarty, you really should fly a kite, I am amazed at how relaxing it is!
kwyj, I thought I was the only one who could be capable of a kite related injury, I'm glad I'm not alone! That must have been some wind!
Lara, fighting kites sounds like a most excellent idea, as does the glass. I really want to dive bomb people with this one, it goes really fast.
Tridact, that pirate kite sounds pretty awesome! And that song is totally stuck in my head.
Tantan, if you ever want to try this kite, feel free, its pretty easy!
Roshi, I know I've seen those movies way long ago, I should check them out again, thanks for the idea!
07/15/08
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timmo
whoa, Papergoose, that sounds really lame! What a bad situation to be in! I hope its a bit more friendly where I'm going! I also agree with that pull. I get that same feeling with water when I kayak. It reminds me I am not in charge.
07/15/08
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bbwax
congrats on the job in france. so, basically you are getting paid to travel. nice one! i hope you blog about your experiences there. i am currently planning a trip there myself so i am curious about your take on it. now i'm a bit worried by papergoose's comments. seems like i've heard a lot of stories lately about decent american travelers getting lumped in with the bad ones. maybe a win by obama will turn around some anti-american sentiment.
07/16/08
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whitecar
Roshi why are you always watching my favorite movies? Mon Oncle is totally required viewing but Playtime is my personal favorite.
Kites are great. You can even make a ghetto kite at home by using sticks, trash bags and tape. It's kind of neat when they fall apart up there in the sky. Kites are really fun though.
I just remembered National Lampoon's European Vacation. The French part is hilarious. When did this cold war between France and America begin anyway? Are there really that many American tourists out there, ruining things for the rest of us? I guess Americans don't even have to travel to do that though. I read recently that a tech job in India at At&t or Microsoft used to be considered a great job, but now it isn't because of the stress of dealing with American customers.
Woman: You can't say Americans are not more violent than other people.
Fred: No.
Woman: All those people killed in shootings in America?
Fred: Oh, shootings, yes. But that doesn't mean Americans are more violent than other people. We're just better shots.
-from the film Barcelona
MYTH: The French love Jerry Lewis
FACT: French people don't love Jerry Lewis. Most people in there 20s and 30 don't even know who Jerry Lewis is. And if they do, they don't like him.
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