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Blogger now majorly sux

Santa Claus is coming!

My darling dearest uncle has been putting me to shame by updating his blog very regularly now. It's nice to see though, and it's good inspiration for me. What would also be good inspiration for me is ... comments. So please feel free to leave your digital footprint!
The last two weeks have been absolute madness due to some big projects for work. I have pretty much spent every waking hour working, including weekends, and my life was literally put on hold. As a result I've been spending yesterday and today trying to catch up on all the Christmas organising. Well, mainly the gift shopping. The next two days will be spent taking care of administrative and official type stuff so that the new year can be started with a clean slate.
One blog that I read regular is that of Moby... yes, THE Moby. Sometimes he goes on a little too much about political subjects for my liking, but I persevere all the same because I like the way he relates to the world. Anyhow, one thing Moby is fond of is lists. So perhaps for today's post I too will try a list:

a - I'm not posting a photo tonight. I was going to, but I changed my mind... sorry!

b - Speaking of photos, I went back through some of my archives a little while back and I have some major cleaning up to do now that it's been stripped bare of all the images thanks to the server meltdown

c - Also on the subject of photos, Remi has been doing a lot of portrait shots of people lately and some of them are really beautiful. Let's hope he gets an album online soon so that I can show you

d - Feeling really creative lately and finding lots of inspiration. Which brings me to a great quote I read tonight on another blog I check out from time to time:

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing.
Action always generates inspiration.
Inspiration seldom generates action.
Frank Tibolt

e - If like me you are feeling creative, a great blog to check out is whipup. It's a highway to craft heaven!

f - If you are feeling creative and are having kids over for Christmas, kids that will need entertaining, then Kiddley is the place to visit for some great ideas. Makes me wish I had kids around! The last time I did something creative with a kid was in March-April when I did some origami with Annie and Rani. It was awesome. Craft with kids is highly recommended.

g - Tonight I followed the one-minute rule you can find here. That blog is one of the latest additions to my little favourites list... lots of things to develop awareness about our own behavioural patterns, tips and quotes. Worth a little visit from time to time. And the one-minute rule works great if you can remember to apply it.

h - I had a few other things to say, but I've forgotten them :/

i - I'm going to open a serious can of whoop-ass on blogger if it doesn't stop misbehaving. What's the point of changing stuff that isn't broken, just so the newer version is full of bugs. And they changed my damn template!

So that's about it for my list tonight. The Christmas cards are done and sent. The Christmas shopping is almost done and was near painless... so bring on the fat man and all that food! :)

Ok, so as far as comebacks go, that attempt back in September was pretty lame. I'm sorry for that. It's just that no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't bring myself to update my blog. I had a blog identity crisis. I think I'm still in said crisis, but I feel guilty enough today to actually put fingers to keyboard.
The above photo was taken a couple of weekends ago, at Remi's aunt and uncle's lovely house about 2 hours drive away from where we live. You should be able to see the picture full-size by right-clicking on it and selecting "display image" or some such thing (sorry, I use a French version of Windows since I replaced my hard drive, and I can't remember how the option is worded in the English version).
Lately things have been good and bad, up and down, but this week things have been mostly good... very good even. Firstly, after a few meetings with an advisor I have decided to take the plunge and declare myself freelance - a complicated administrative process here in France, one that requires serious consideration considering the risks and fees you are faced with when you take such a plunge. So in January I should officially be a "freelance" translator, totally independent and self-reliant. YIKES!
This has meant getting motivated in several ways, doing a lot of research, developing different character traits, learning to talk about myself, promote myself, ask for help... it's been challenging and worthwhile and the process will no doubt be long. Still, when I am not full of self-doubt I really enjoy what I do. So some people apparently aren't clear on what I do. I translate, mainly from French to English but sometimes from English to French. I mostly work on marketing texts or trade press copy, which means I get to be more creative in my work. I get to write, I get to proofread, I get to adapt and summarize texts, sometimes I even get to re-write them... all of which I love doing. So that's it in a nutshell, for more info you can visit my professional site at natasha-dupuy.com.
When my work appears in a magazine, I usually get sent a copy of it. This week I received the latest, and was surprised to find that practically the whole issue is made up of articles I have translated over the past few months, and they all happen to be articles that I am happy with. The issue looks great! Remi's not allowed to touch it lest he accidentally crease a page or leave a greasy fingerprint behind ;)
So that's one of the things that happened that made this week a good week. Another is that Monday I got to attend my first meeting of an English creative writing group in Toulouse. Yes! I finally found one! It was so great. We are to meet every two weeks for a couple of hours, and we even get homework to go away with so that we have something to work on in between meetings and to share and discuss at the next get-together. I'm very excited :)
Another good thing: I FINALLY got through to the Spanish teacher I've been trying to reach for a couple of months, and so next Wednesday night I will be attending her class for the first time. Apparently I am making good progress just by attending the Spanish conversation group once a week, but that progress is not enough for me so I am looking forward to doing more work in that area.
Another good thing: Wednesday night I was invited to a friend's reading group. A lovely bunch of people open to exploring different styles and genres, but not too intellectual and deadly serious about the whole affair, so it all ends up quite pleasant. Discussing a book over a yummy crepe... there are worse ways to spend an evening once a month or so!
And last but not least: About a year ago I had posted a message on this blog, stating that I was looking for some old childhood friends I had lost touch with after leaving New-Caledonia for Australia. In doing so, I was hoping that one or more of them would "google" themselves one day and happen upon my post. Well... it's happened! A little while ago I was contacted by one of the people I had been searching for over the years. It's such a nice feeling to reconnect with your past and with people who really marked your life in a big way. We exchanged a few emails and photos, and a couple of days ago she called me on the phone. It was so great to hear her voice. Fate would have it that she left New-Caledonia last April and is now living in... France!
About 1.5 hours drive away from Lyon, which is where we will be spending Christmas again this year! So she has invited Remi and me to stay for a couple of days while we are up that way. I will get to see her again, catch up on all those years, and meet her fiancé!

So today, right on cue to remind me that life is not all pleasure and happy tidings, I am having a flare-up that has left me unable to work all day. I also found out my latest text is to be finished to a really tight deadline which will have me working through the weekend... oh well, you know how the ol' song goes "you take the good, you take the bad, you take 'em both and there you have... the facts of life" ;)

We're baaack (said in a creepy little gremlins voice)

Well, it's been a long time and life keeps keeping on. Three months, and the site was totally offline for at least one of those due to a server meltdown. The blog and galleries haven't fully recovered yet: some of the photos were not backed up and I would have to take the time to go back and re-link/re-upload/re-reference the pictures that are missing. BUT at least we have the text and all the archives and a great majority of the galleries!
So what has happened over the last three months? We have been to Paris, Lake Maggiore on the border of Italy and Switzerland, up a mountain in Switzerland and back down again (by car), we've been to Milan, Monza and Venice, back to the beautiful Pays-Basque for the ferias and some R&R. I've been to my first and last bullfight and we've spent a weekend sailing the Mediterranean with friends. Until I catch up with everything else, here are the photos from that weekend.
In other news, on July 19th I passed my driving theory test and on September 1st I passed my practical driving test, both on first go. I am now licensed to drive! I am doing ok, though not so comfortable doing between 70 and 90 on little country roads, driving at night on little country roads, or parking... anywhere ;)
Work is coming along and this week will see me turning a new leaf on that front as I sign up with an agency that will accompany me in the creation of my business. I am learning new skills, I enjoy what I do and it's something I can do from anywhere in the world.

So... that's the lowdown for now!