If it's Thanksgiving, this Must be Belgium

So these last two years, I've had a 2-day offsite leadership meeting on Thanksgiving and the day after. That means spending both days in a conference room with 20 or so colleagues from around Europe. And actually, it kind of works for me. Over the years Thanksgiving became my favorite holiday in the U.S. -- just low key hanging out with friends and family. And it lacks the pressure and hype of of Christmas. And so if I can't be home with y'all, then it's good to be busy and ... well ... nobody enjoys strategic planning more than me. It also helps that this year's session was in such a beautiful setting: a château in Jodoigne outside Brussels (to the right).

And then I had the bright idea of staying another night in the Brussels city center after the meeting broke up. This wasn't a great plan. La Grande Place is lovely and all but it was cold, rainy, and a little lonely - especially after the full days beforehand. Still, it's cool to see how different cities celebrate. In Brussels, they wire up L'Hôtel de Ville with high-tech lights, play Christmas music through a large P.A. system, and do a synchronized sort of a thingy. Sort of like laser-Floyd except with Enya-esque Christmas music. It was pretty cool and hundreds of people turned out - even in the bad weather.

And of course, on the Rumsfeldian map this is Old Europe. So that means politically incorrect Christmas displays are still in-bounds. Hence, the traditional nativity scene. Is it just me (and the aforementioned loneliness) or does Mary look a Victoria's Secret mannequin?

Book Recommendation

OK yeah ... so I finished this book last week on a flight from Somewhere to Somewhere. Actually, I bought it twice because I lost the first copy on a flight from Somewhere Else to Somewhere Else. I recommend it.

True, Richard Dawkins has a real problem with creationists or "history deniers" as he calls them. And that animosity gets the best of him sometimes. But still, it's an excellent modern recap of the evolution model. I've been looking for a book like this for years: a consolidated, up-to-date, readable summary of the evidence for evolution. This pretty much fits the bill. I especially appreciated the chapter on intelligent design and why, in his opinion, it's an illusion.

So my view is that God exists and evolution, while not fully understood, is undeniable. And I don't have any problem simultaneously holding both ideas to be true. Good night.

That Guy

OK, I try to keep the self-immolation to a minimum over on Facebook. And that means that you 1 or 2 people who RSS'ed the CBIP blog have to bear all of my whining. The thing is ... I like this European gig. I like the challenge. I like building something new. I like moving the needle on our business here in Europe - and that's showing results now after a year. I like being the odd American who makes the move to a non-Anglo country with some level of business and cultural success.

But there are days.

And today was one of them: an early morning Eurostar to London, a day full of meetings, and then a late evening Eurostar home to Paris while colleagues back in the US are calling me all along the way. It was a great day in London but the whole thing is exhausting sometimes.

Exhale ... Bordeaux ... Chèvre Chaud ... chocolate ... OK I feel better now.

The Redeye

The redeye from JFK to Orly. I won't try to sell it as a terrible hardship. Afterall, it was on this weird airline called Openskies on which the entire aircraft is set up as business class. It's a strange experience ... makes one wonder: is the appeal of business class the enhanced service or the set-apart-ness? Or said another way, if everyone is special then is no one special? Or am I just a jerk because somehow I find a reason to whine about traveling in business class?

The good news is that my post-transatlantic travel transition period seems to be shrinking. The old rule of thumb (a day of transition per time zone crossed) used to apply but I seem to have down to a couple of days now. I

It's mid-September and the rentrée is complete: the tourists have thinned out and the Parisiens have returned. The weather is turning to Fall and you know what that means ... scarves everywhere!

WWII Geeks?

Any other World War II geeks out there? This cartoon was reprinted in Le Monde yesterday. It was originally published in France in 1939 after Ribbentrop and Molotov signed the nonaggression treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union.

The caption says, "Combien de temps va durer leur lune de miel?" meaning: how long will their honeymoon last?

There's something deeply disturbing about Stalin in a wedding dress.

August in Paris

August in Paris is a whole 'nother thing. It's true that the French take their vacations seriously and August is prime time. And since France supports the whole Mom & Pop business thing, many small businesses just shut on down ... la fermeture exceptionelle. Restaurants, pharmacies, shops, broquantes ... doesn't matter.

August is also the primo tourist month here which means: Anglos everywhere! Even here in Montparnasse which is not on most tourists' agendas. An Irish dude stopped me on the street today - not even an attempt at French - just started asking directions in English. I guess I look like I speak English.

But it's pretty sleepy around here this month. So I'm headed stateside for the next few weeks.

In the U.S.

Yeah, yeah, yeah ... the blog has gone mostly silent for over a month. At this point nobody's paying much attention so it's a good time to post something rambling.

I left Paris a week ago today and flew first to New York, then on to Seattle, drove Portland for a few days, and then finally drove back to the Bay Area yesterday. That's a whole lot of America in a short period. A few things came into focus more this time than my previous trips back to the U.S.

Things I miss about the U.S.

• NPR!! C'est vrai. I dunno, maybe it's all those years spent living in the Bay Area. Maybe it's the ridiculousness of private radio stations (KMTT and KFOG excepted). But damn I miss it -- all of it. And BTW Oregon, what's the deal with your radio stations? Nothing but "Christian" radio and country.
• American grocery stores. Ahhhhh ... fresh bread, produce, and neosporin all in one store? That's three stops in Paris.
• Space. Granted, our flat in Paris is in a pretty dense neighborhood. But yikes - driving from Portland to San Francisco is one long openspacegasm. And I didn't even get near the fly-over states!

On the flip side, as soon as I landed stateside this time I was struck by the girth. Americans are huuuge! I suggest that we all take a cue from our president and adopt a rigorous program of high stress, exercise, arugula, and smoking. That'll do the trick.