I finally have my carte de séjour! A carte de séjour is a kind of residency card that allows me to stay in France and make an honest living without resorting to underhanded means of supporting myself, such as transporting contraband, or promoting Céline Dion concerts. Unfortunately the photo on my carte de séjour is awful. You see, in France, you are not allowed to show your teeth in photos used for official documents. I took this to mean I couldn't smile; this isn't true at all. I've since learned that it is quite possible to smile without showing your teeth, or at least to have an agreable expression. Suffice it to say that the expression I have in the photo is anything but agreable. With my current carte de séjour photo, I think my presence in France is actually less legitimate. I may well have to turn to a life of crime to match my newly minted identification. Sorry mom.
(Please note that I have chosen not to include a picture of my I.D. for reasons of security, and not because of any embarrassement it might cause me.)
Friday, March 13, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Adonis I am not
Yesterday, before going to bed, my stomach started aching pretty badly. I tried to think of what I might have eaten to upset it, but couldn't come up with anything. Then I remembered that two days ago, on a whim, I had done thirty push-ups in the living-room of a friend, leaving me with an incredibly sore chest. Could it be that my abdominal muscles had, as well, united against me in painful protest? Could it be that during my weeks of sloth and lethargy they had grown accustom to their state of repose? In a word: that is absolutely the case. Due to my lack of daily exercise my abs had become sore to the point of painful cramping, which I was able to alleviate only by sleeping on my stomach. I am so ashamed.
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