Merry Christmas!

Christmas is in two days, New Years arrives in a week, and Max and I will be flying to Boston in just one month – where did 2014 go? Generally, these breaks in posting correspond to life getting busier, and I just don’t have the time (read: motivation) to write about it. My last post was in early November (about a vacation we took in July), so there are plenty of things that I haven’t gotten around to writing yet :

– My parents visited in September

– Business trips to Berlin and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

– Turns out I have astigmatism

– We’re moving to Houston, Texas in February

And, best of all, Max and I are engaged! (whew!)

Celebrating differences and Michael Sam

Video

Dan Hansen, a Texas sportscaster from Texas, speaks out on ABC about Michael Sam.

For those who haven’t been following the story, Michael Sam is an NFL prospect (and recent graduate of the University of Missouri) who publicly announced on Sunday that he is gay. If drafted, he would become the first openly gay player in NFL history. The draft is scheduled to begin on May 8. 

The New York Times published a piece on Michael Sam’s background, presenting an athlete whose talent and drive offered a way out of an impoverished town and unstable home life.

There has been an ourpouring of pride and support from Sam’s home town of Hitchcock, TX, his university, teammates, and the public. Unfortunately, many NFL representatives has expressed that there may be a negative impact on his draft standings.

This video succinctly states what many (sports fans or not) have been thinking about the value we place on professional athletes.

Joyeuse année!

Well what do you know – it’s 2014! The past several months have been a whirlwind of business trips and vacation in the US, seasonal changes, and holiday festivities on both sides of the Atlantic. Calls and emails with friends usually begin with… “Wait where are you now?”

The region suddenly drifted from crisp sunny autumn to chilly and damp winter. We’re greeted by thick frost and fog on the way to work each morning, and rain almost every afternoon. Our village has been transformed by a massive overhaul of the roads and the addition of new sidewalks on several streets. Without a single blog post since August, I’ve got some serious catching up to do!

Some highlights from upcoming posts:

Business conferences in Boston and Houston
Sightseeing in San Francisco and Washington, DC
American Thanksgiving and Christmas
French marchée de Noel and New Years