Posts filed under 'General Update'
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”
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December 1st, 2006
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!
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September 18th, 2006
Doing the madison at Remi’s grandma’s 80th birthday party
A little more pensive on the train home…
Sorry about the rather lengthy bout of silence, but there seems to be quite a lot going on right now. Some good news though… I have my first official, legal translation contract: a 46 page document for a public administration whose name will look great on my CV. I got my first go at writing an official quote and contract for my services. Yikes!
The weekend before last, we set off by train to Perpignan for 3 days to help Remi’s grandmother celebrate her 80th birthday. On the way there I saw pink flamingoes in the wild for the first time ever. Apparently they are pink because they eat shrimp.
In Perpignan I finally got to meet Remi’s aunt from Vancouver: Micheline. Lovely woman
At a party full of geriatrics I let loose on the dancefloor and busted a couple of madisons and paso dobles before sitting down to a dinner of about a hundred pigs :/
Other than all that I’ve also been working on a genealogy project that will eventually involve the greater part of my family. It’s a pretty huge undertaking but very rewarding so far!
What else can I tell you… Oh yeah… I ate crumpets!! real ones! My friend Anne scooted over to Bristol for a week and brought me back crumpets :) Thanks Anne!
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February 21st, 2006
Before I go any further I should tell you that I am a bit grumpy. Well, maybe a lot grumpy. The reason? I have been sick in bed all day. As sick as I was exactly one week ago so that’s really not fun and I am fed up. Now that I have explained myself…
A new year is coming up and I always try to take stock, clean things up and start off the year as sharp as possible. So that brings me to the questions I have for you. Questions prompted by frustration at a few things blog-related. I think I lost a lot of my blog audience during my long periods of silence in Montreal. So be it. What I have to say though is that it gives me great pleasure to share things with you guys and a lot of the time this also involves fair amounts of time.
So I am questioning myself tonight (as I have been for a few weeks now) and wondering if all this is just a waste of time. I have been blogging for 5 years now and in the beginning I really started doing it just for myself. Since leaving Australia though, I feel that I blog mostly to keep in touch with my loved ones back home or strewn around the world and so it frustrates me if I put a lot of time/energy into a post and then no one bothers to read it.
So what does she want to know???
Well, I want to know what it is about the blog that appeals to you so I can concentrate more on that and not waste my time writing long entries that no one reads or building photo albums that no one can be bothered looking at.
What types of posts do you enjoy the most? Do you ever actually follow the links towards the extended web references or is adding those a big fat waste of time? What about photos… do you only look at the ones posted on the blog or do you check out the albums too? Is there something about the way things are set out that you don’t like?
Help me out here! I’m waiting for your comments and I expect them to be honest. Thanks.
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December 21st, 2005
Yep, even in France… these were lifted from an Irish pub in town 
Notice how Tasmania is not part of Australia?
A quick update to let you know I haven’t forgotten about you. Those of you who have been patiently checking for an update daily, thank you for your determination!
The last few days have been very busy with doctors’ appointments, job hunting, domestic duties, and… a trip to Barcelona!! which I was hoping to tell you all about a few days ago but which will now have to be my next post… hence the wait.
The last couple of days I have suffered a terrible flare-up that has left me bed-ridden and overdosed on codeine and ibuprofen. Yuck. BUT… my Remi is a wonderful nurse and I am getting better and Christmas is just around the corner and there is a lot to be grateful for, including my Mum whom I spoke with this morning on the phone
So the doctor’s appointment ended up being rather positive. Apparently it is normal for Sarcoidosis to sometimes manifest itself like that and other times not. Just to be sure, I got a second opinion. I also have a specialist appointment on January 9th… a Dr Gache (don’t laugh) who has a very good reputation and both GPs I saw agree that I will be getting the best care possible from him, so that is extra good news.
About the flare-up in the last couple of days… don’t worry. We think it was triggered by the use of cheap Spanish wine when cooking a tomato sauce. Normally using wine in cooking does not cause problems because the alcohol evaporates, but Mum told me today that she read an article that said some allergies can even be triggered by smells. I do remember the wine smelling extremely strong even once it was cooked in the sauce… So we’ll have to be more careful with all that. It’s not an experience I am keen to relive any time soon!
Some of you have sent emails asking me if there is anything from back home that I really miss. An Aussie friend of mine here just had her niece over for a visit and she was kind enough to bring me the top 2 of my wishlist: golden syrup and vegemite!!
Aside from that I almost cried in the bread aisle of a supermarket once when I realised that I would never see packs of crumpets in a bread aisle in a French supermarket *sniff*. I am still trying to recover from that. Someone tells me there is an English supermarket somewhere in the city and they might sell them… the adventure continues. Especially since I am now blessed with the best butter and honey in the world.
Other wishlist items:
- Tea tree oil
- Cherry Ripe
- Tim Tams
- My special yummy scratchy cloth from the Body Shop, but am pretty sure you can’t get those anywhere anymore 
- My special yummy lip pencils from Face of Australia
- My family and friends (though those are definitely top of the list!)
A bientot alors with the Barcelona adventures!
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December 16th, 2005
Tomorrow I go back to my doctor with my x-ray and blood test results and though I’m curious, I am also a bit nervous. I guess I should explain. As some or most of you know, I have a disease called Sarcoidosis. Every year I am supposed to have a chest x-ray to make sure the disease is not spreading to my lungs, and I guess because in me it seems to be behaving strangely they also hope every year to notice an improvement. The bad news is it hasn’t improved, the good news is it doesn’t seem to have gotten worse either. Of course, this is speculation on my part since it’s over a year and a half since I saw my last x-ray, I don’t have it with me for comparison, and I am not an expert.
The x-ray guy kinda freaked me out last week though. I was a little spooked during the x-ray because in France they don’t give you little paper gowns to put on for modesty. Here you stand tits at attention until they stick them right up against a very cold metal plate and pretty much make you do the hokeypokey before having to throw your hands in the air and turn side-on for the next shot. Anyway, after this little ceremony I went back into the waiting room to wait for my results to be processed and handed to me sealed like they do back in Australia.
Instead, the doctor came out to call another patient and turns to me and says ‘Mme D, you too please’. Surprised I make a mad grab for my things and shuffle off behind him until he points me into a room to wait for him. I sit myself in the chair, look up and am confronted head-on with images that look quite like the inside of my chest. So I wait, nervously. He comes back in, sits down and says ‘Now. What is happening with you’… Now of course, because my doctor had clearly written “Controle, Sarcoidose” on the referral I figured this guy was in the know. That is why I panicked. But when he said that, I confusedly replied ‘Umm, nothing. It’s my yearly check-up. You know, I have sarcoidosis’. Ooooh!! silly me! grrrrrrrrrr
The good news is it still hasn’t moved to my lungs
The news that I am nervous about though is that it seems to finally be manifesting in my bloodwork… and I have no idea what that means…
For 12 years I’ve been told so many different things by doctors because nothing showed in the blood tests. And now, stuff is showing in the blood tests. So I guess it’s normal to be a little nervous no?
Wish me luck!
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December 6th, 2005
I am finally breaking my month long silence to provide an update on where I am at at the moment. If possible, I will give you a more detailed account of my latest adventures soon and hopefully you will be treated to some lovely pictures as well.
I have been in Toulouse for a little over two weeks now I guess. I am learning my way around, finding my feet, and yet trying to not savour too much of the city itself before Remi arrives next Monday. It is important to me that we discover a lot of our new life and surroundings together.
I have not limited myself completely though and I have quite luckily been treated to a great deal of France’s beauty already… Lyon, Auvergne, Bayonne and les Landes, the Atlantic Ocean, le Lot… breathtaking scenes that make you hungry for the history behind them.
Quite by chance I have stumbled upon a new friend whose company I appreciate very much. She has kindly taken me in to her home and life while I learn to navigate my way around the murky waters of the French administration, and she has patiently dealt with my frequent frustrations. So, here I am. In Toulouse and in good hands, and next week my love arrives :)More soon, I promise!
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September 21st, 2005
*31 today
I’m 31 today!
Hei-ho the dairy-o I’m 31 today!*
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July 26th, 2005
I am currently reading Da Vinci Code to figure out what all the fuss is about: the controversy, the spin-off books and the spin in general. Not so keen to blow 50 bucks on hype, I was waiting for it to be released in paperback version and growing increasingly disgusted by the clever marketing ploy that was delaying this so. Finally, however, the French paperback version has been released so I snapped it up and am now swept away on the journey. It really is absorbing. It really does leave you guessing, wondering… curious. How much of it is fact and how much fiction?
The clues so far are certainly enough to keep Google in business for a while and I’m sure http://www.opusdei.org/ never got so many hits. Of course, I’m right in there furiously clicking from link to link. Today I came across the website of a Melbourne guy who believes he is Jesus. He’s completely cracked, but hey it’s worth a peek! http://www.holyconspiracy.com/archives/Jesus.htm
Of particular interest is how he “proves” his conviction to us, so be sure to follow the “Can I prove I’m Jesus?” link at the bottom of the page.
I have not had much of a chance to post for the last week since life has been pretty hectic… I am taking advantage of a quiet 5 minutes at work to post via e-mail. Tonight I should finally be able to post a picture I have been wanting to share with you for a while.
Until then…
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June 9th, 2005
This is a picture (well, 4 to be exact) I found in my bag today. We were on our way to catching the metro one cold January day and decided to step into a photo booth a la Amelie I think they’re really cute, so I scanned them. I’m posting them here to test out my new photo publishing capabilities. POWERRRR!!! hehehe
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May 30th, 2005
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