Today marks the 116th anniversary of the official opening of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In honor of this day I thought I’d try to list 116 things for which we can be grateful to the French. Just kidding, though here are a few:

1.) Jean-Pierre Jeunet. You had to know he’d be at the top. Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, Amelie, and A Very Long Engagement are four of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Fantastic, quirky, funny love stories. Jeunet is the Master!

2.) It would naturally follow that Audrey Tautou would be second. She’s a lovely, talented French ingenue who, in my mind, is France’s equivalent to Audrey Hepburn.

Other wonderful French actresses include:

Juliette Binoche, who was absolutely amazing in Chocolat, a sensuous, must-see movie for food and chocolate romantics everywhere.

Also:

Sophie Marceau, who was wonderful in Braveheart, another of my favorite movies.

3.) French words. We use some marvelous words in our English language that are actually French. Some of my favorites are: denouement, queue, couture, decolletage, and lingerie.

And since we’re on the subject:

(don’t give me a hard time, at least I picked a picture painted by a woman! Don’t believe me? Click on the pic.)

4.) Lingerie. I don’t know that the French invented it, but I love the word so I’ll give them credit for it. One story holds that a Mme. Cadolle of France cut off the midriff of her corset to allow more movement from the waist and thus the first brassiere was born. You can read a tasteful history of lingerie here. As a married man hopelessly enchanted with his wife, I have to say that lingerie is one of the most wonderful things a woman can wear. I love Victoria’s Secret…I’m sorry, can’t help it!

5.) French authors.

Jules Verne, considered to be the father of science fiction gave us: Around the World in 80 Days, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mysterious Island, Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Antoine De Saint-Exupery touched us all with The Little Prince.

Alexandre Dumas gave us The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.

Charles Perrault created the fairy tale with stories of: Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Puss in Boots.

Victor Hugo gave us Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Incidently Les Miserables is one of the most amazing musicals ever made. It tells a powerful story of the law versus grace.
“To love another person is to see the face of God” -Victor Hugo

These are just a few of the French authors who have shaped the foundation of our literary lives and gave birth to tales mined repeatedly in television and movies.

6.) Wine. I credit the French with the creation of good wine and the proliferation of the truism that good wine and good food commune together to bring us a little touch of dining heaven on earth. My current favorite is Hogue Late Harvest Reisling. There are some great wines out there and its fun to see how wine bottles have become such creative works of art, from the interesting shapes and colors of the bottles to the fantastic artwork on the labels. A visit to the World Market is fun just to look at all the interesting wine bottles they carry. For a fun wine site with a selection of very artistic wine labels, check out Bonny Doon Vineyard. They also have some really fun animations as well.

and last, but certainly not least:

7.) Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Without the French there would be no Frenchman at the castle to taunt our English heroes on their quest for the Holy Grail. There would be no taunts like this, or this…or perhaps this. And how could we forget this. (you may need real player or windows media player to hear the taunts)

I could go on but I’ll leave you to comment on these or add your own. In closing I’d like to leave you with this.

(This is family Christmas 2003…couldn’t find this past year’s pix. Front row left to right: My sis-in-law Dawn, my bro-in-law Mike, my sis Abby, me, my wife Mary. Top row left to right: My bro Jason, my daughter Tori, my dad, my nephew Elijah, my mom, my niece Haley)

Today is my father’s 58th birthday. I’ve been very blessed all these years to have a dad who loves me and is invested in my life. My dad works a thankless job as a welder, a job that has been very hard on him over the years, but one that provided us with a great house to grow up in and all the things we needed to have a happy childhood.

My dad is a very creative person. He has a large shop behind his house filled with tools and it is there that he creates all kinds of furniture and other items. He is a master with both wood and iron and my house is filled with furniture that he’s created. At almost every visit one of us kids pulls out the Pottery Barn catalog to show dad what we want him to build for us next. The computer desk that I’m typing this at is a creation inspired by a PB desk but perfected in a way that only my father can do. My kitchen table, coffee table, table behind the couch, etc. are all my father’s creations. I can remember as a kid going to furniture stores and my mom seeing stuff that she liked and my dad would go home and make an even better version of it for her. My dad also makes trailers for people to haul stuff in…my brother-in-law Mike and I recently received a trailer as a gift which is about to come in very handy for hauling off all the brush we’ve lost from trees this winter!

My dad’s job involves shift work so as children we would hardly see him during the weeks that he worked nights. Despite being tired and having any number of other things to do he always had time for us. I remember playing catch with my dad and brother, going on wonderful family vacations, and just hanging out and doing things. My dad took us to the drive-in when we were young to see Star Wars…a movie he definitely did not have any interest in. He taught us how to take care of our things and instilled a good work ethic in us. My dad can fix almost anything and he has saved us countless dollars in repair costs over the years by fixing our cars, appliances, etc. Most importantly my dad taught us by example how to be a good husband and a good father.

Over the years I feel that my dad has become more and more of a friend and I enjoy the time that we get to spend together when they come down from Nebraska or we go up there for a visit.

Please join me in wishing my dad a very happy birthday! I love you dad, more than I can express in words. You are truly the best dad in the world. Happy Birthday!!!

Please join me on this beautiful Wednesday morning in wishing Angela Schuch, the infamous Scifi Chick, a happy 28th birthday!!!

It seems like we’ve all known Angela for a long time but it was only a few short months ago that I stumbled onto her blogspot site and began posting. She in turn started chiming in here and we’ve all become fast friends. Angela is a huge science fiction fan, an avid reader, a movie lover, a freshman comic book geek, and a veteran of at least one (that she admits to) Star Trek convention. Could anyone have tailored a more perfect friend for all of us here at the Droppings site?!?!? On top of all that I think you’ve all come to know that she’s a very sweet and intelligent young lady and I’m thankful that we’ve all been able to “meet” her.

If you haven’t been over to Angela’s site I encourage you to go have a look. The main page has posts related primarily to movies and books coming out in the science fiction/fantasy/comics genre. The forums offer an even wider array of topics that you are more than welcome to add your two cents to. Not only do you have the opportunity to share who you are with like-minded geeks but you can also read movie reviews, book reviews, comic reviews, and talk about all manner of science fiction, fantasy, comic, anime, movie, music and book related topics. Its a fun, rapidly growing site.

Happy Birthday, Angela! I’m so glad that you are a part of our lives via the weird and wonderful world of blogs. If you’re ever in the KC area you’d be welcomed with open arms by all the local readers of this site! I hope you have a wonderful, special day!

A belated Happy Easter to everyone! Hope everyone had a pleasant time with family and friends. If you were expecting something from the Easter Bunny I hope he didn’t disappoint. Jimmy’s daughter Lydia bluntly informed me after church yesterday morning that the reason I didn’t get candy from the Easter Bunny is that I was a grown-up and he doesn’t visit grown-ups…ah, the brutal honesty of children!

On the Great Weight Loss front I’ve lost 7 pounds since March 13th! What’s my secret? Lots of water and rampant illness! The combination of those 2 ingredients have begun my slimming process. Today I awoke feeling like my old self again and I can finally start exercising in earnest. I got my first “you look like you’ve lost weight” comment today and I have to admit that it felt pretty good! 🙂

It is finally spring and I’m starting to get Spring Fever! As is usually the case with these things Easter weekend was cold and blustery and today in Kansas City we awoke to sunny skies, warmth, and a forecast for 71 degrees. Happy Monday! I don’t know about anyone else but I’m profoundly affected by the change of seasons. The beginning of each new season (or at least when it starts to feel like the new season) brings with it the desire to re-evaluate, make some changes, and embrace old familiar seasonal favorites (books, movies, etc. that I associate with the season). I spent the afternoon yesterday watching home shows on HGTV, A&E, and TLC and started getting really excited about indoor and outdoor projects that I’m wanting to accomplish this year. These networks have some great shows. I recommend: Designing for the Sexes, Generation Renovation, New Spaces, Divine Design, Curb Appeal, Moving Up, and Find and Design just to name a few.

I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions but I do like to sit and take a look at the start of each new year to see what I’d like to accomplish that year. Kelly Sue DeConnick had posted at the first of the year about uberlists and, talking my cue from Kelly’s list, I decided that this would be a fun thing to do. The start of spring seemed like a perfect time to see where I was at on the list so I pulled it up on my PC and gave it an honest appraisal. Of 44 things that I originally put on my list I have completed 4 and am in the process of doing 3 others. The majority of the things on the list are fair weather projects and I’m getting excited about the fact that the weather is beginning to cooperate and I can get moving on these. One of the things I like about the uberlist concept is that I feel I can add to it throughout the year or modify things without feeling like I’m cheating. For example, I modified my weight loss goal to reflect what I’m currently doing and actually made the goal harder than what I had intially put down.

To wrap all this up I want to wish everyone a Happy Spring and remind all of you that there is no better time to push forward with life changes, no matter how big or small, than during this time of renewal and growth and new life. Don’t miss opportunities to sit out in the sun or to gaze up at the night sky. Take walks alone, with a cherished pet, or with ones you love. Be still and quiet and listen…there’s no telling what you might hear or how it might affect you. Enjoy this season of change.

Ironically, today is also my wife Mary’s birthday. This is the 18th birthday that I’ve been able to celebrate with this marvelous woman. I’ll save details of our meeting for an anniversary post but suffice it to say I was attracted to her immediately. She is truly everything I could ever want in a partner.

Its like God took a picture of all my heart’s desires throughout the whole of my existence, things I didn’t even know were important to me in a companion, and then created this amazing woman who would embody all of those things. As a teenager I read alot of Archie comics and always loved Betty. Mary is my Betty. She is the kindest, most unselfish and compassionate person I have ever known. Her care and concern for others and their feelings puts me to shame. Mary puts the needs of others before her own and she is such a great example to our daughter.

Mary and I share a love of reading and I’ve marveled over the years that I’ve gotten her to read and enjoy science fiction and fantasy books that she would not have picked up on her own. In turn she has rekindled my love of good children’s literature. One of the things I really love about Mary is that she also likes to watch movies again and again. Most of the movies we own we’ve watched over and over together. We’re both saps for a good romantic movie, regardless of the genre. There’s nothing better than cuddling up with her while we lose ourselves in a good movie.

I’m so proud of my wife. She maintains a full-time career, cooks (very well I might add), does the dishes, the laundry, grocery shopping (all with less help from Tori and I than she deserves), keeps up with our daughter’s activities and needs and still finds time to laugh and love and give and be the most amazing women. We have such a good time together and I truly enjoy her company as well as her companionship. I could go on and on but will save much of what I could say for our upcoming 16th anniversary.

Happy Birthday, Mary! I truly love you more with each passing day. Everytime I have a moment to reflect I am awed at how blessed I am to be your husband. I’m so happy to be able to share this day with you. You grow more stunningly beautiful every year and the woman that you’ve grown to be makes me want to be a better man than I am today. Thank you for all that you do and for being who you are. I love you.