Day 226: I Like Your Chops

WELL... Walking through a rainy park in Strasbourg last night, we discovered that the place is a stork sanctuary. They do everything they can to encourage them to breed. They're taller than toddlers, storks are. More like an 8-year-old without shoes. They have a gawky elegance and very pointy beaks. I am terribly impressed. 


Jack's impression of a colleague trying to stay awake in a meeting made us howl. My stomach and my face hurt. All of us had tears running down our cheeks. I thought David was going to pass out. Jack has the most pleasing laugh I've ever heard, and he really knows how to incapacitate you once he's got you laughing. 


Day one out of five, and I'm LOVING this job. You never know, maybe we'll have a massive fall-out before the week is out, but right now, I doubt it. It went well today, especially for a first run. We'll make minor tweaks, but not much this time. I did my bit, which I was a bit nervous about, but it flowed okay. I'd have liked to take a bit longer over it, but we were very tight on time, so we hit that mid-way and took it from there. I love the level of commitment to doing a good job. I love the openness and idea-swapping. This event has a lovely feel and although we're tired and spent, I'm very pleased to be here, and I understand what a privilege it is. Maybe we'll save some wind tomorrow and go for more of a wander. I'd like to visit the Cathedral quarter and get back in that park at some point. I didn't bring my trainers, so I can't go jogging. I think that's a good thing. My back is only just recovering from it's out-puttedness of a few days ago. 


I watched a waiter walk with a strange body holding. Every time he changed direction (which was a lot), he did a neat 45 degree turn with his whole body. His head and his eyes went with him, like a dancer. He wasted no movements. He had me transfixed. He noticed, though, that I was watching him. I think it made him nervous. 


I also loved the pair of identically-bespectacled men eating their posh meal together, each choosing a tiny variation on the meal of the other: faux-filet au roquefort, faux-filet à l'ail; tarte aux fruites rhabarbe, tarte aux fruits groseilles rouges, petit café, café allongé. I couldn't work out if they were lovers, brothers, or cliquey friends. They pleased me, whatever they were to each other. 



An old Italian gentleman who works on the desk at the hotel has just made a comment about being rocked in the arms of Morpheus. I got the impression that he was leading to something very gently sleazy, so I dove in. Morpheus, I said, was waiting upstairs for me. If he couldn't sleep, I'd get him to pop down for a lullaby once I'd dropped off. A few comments followed... Morpheus is a man - no thank you. All good-natured. Best not, though. Having said all that, Morpheus would be welcome. Will be. That's it. I'm off.



Oh, before I go, I saw this on a friend's facebook page today. It made me think of Catherine Semark - the person I know who most uses the word 'chops'. I admire that in her. Please continue.