a kid again

one of these days, you will actually get to see the pictures I have promised you, but as it is ... still without internet. that may be fixed in the next couple days, but I promise nothing, so that I won't keep breaking promises.

a week ago was the 14th of july - bastille day here in france, kind of like the 4th of july. and me benjamin and anna went to carcassonne for the fireworks. like many old old old cities in france, there's old carcassonne and new carcassonne, the modern little city with the old city, including chapel, castle, battlements and ramparts etc. about a km away. we tried to get train tickets but the last train was all full up, but florence, wonder woman, found a charter bus going specially for the fireworks that would take us back the same night. we had considered taking florence's tent and making a night of it, but the campgrounds were all full too. so we took the charter bus (that was, coincidentally, completely full of old people. it felt like I was still at work) and wandered around the bazillion tourist shops in the old city and then ate a long meal. turns out anna speaks and understands english, too, so we got to all speak english together, which was fun. we got along really well and had a good time. there was a slight fiasco of the restaurant not accepting our cheques déjeuner (they're invalid on holidays, which we of course were unaware of) anna was put out, but I told her not to complain, they forgot to charge for a & b's beers, after all.

then we elbowed our way through thousands of people to an excellent view of the old city from the bridge and waited for 45 minutes under thunder and lightning for the storm to break or hold and the fireworks to start. if it'd just been any old fireworks, I wouldn't have made the trek out to carcassonne just to see the old city - I've seen quite a few old french cities already - but the fireworks at carcassonne are the best fireworks in all of france, better even than paris. and they did not disappoint. fireworks have always been cool, but it's been a few years since they've really fascinated me. this was incredible - I felt like a little kid again. I was completely breathless, so excited, so in awe. it was a wonderful feeling. they were beautiful fireworks. and for once, I put my camera in my bag and left it there. I have no pictures of those fireworks because they almost never turn out and for once in my life, I was going to live in the moment, so help me. it was a great moment. if you can call a half hour a moment.

I went to see the latest harry potter movie on opening day last wednesday. a kid named simon (chinese studying at a french university in an english program, so he speaks english not french) from church called me up to hang out and he got the tickets online. lucky too cause they were pretty much sold out. hmm I'll need to see it a second time in order to really pass judgment, but I didn't like it much. I liked parts and disliked others. I'd almost forgotten how sad the ending is. but book six is my favorite (though I could probably say that for four or five of them) and this movie just wasn't up to par for my favorite. dan did a pretty good job this time, though his reaction to dumbledore's death was not as moving as other deaths he's encountered in past films. and of course, the most moving scene to me, snape and harry's confrontation at the end, was completely anticlimactic and nowhere near as good as it plays out in my head ... but that's hollywood for you. alan rickman is amazing, but his snape is laconic and cold without the deeper layer of heartbreak and anguish. snape's heartlessness is a cover for the fact that he actually does have a heart, but rickman's snape is just a character.

I started a new journal exactly one year from the start of my last journal. I had never filled a journal so fast before. I guess I've never had more to express before. that could be good and bad.