ESC: Museums on Sunday

"Sitting on the edge of the bathtub with Otis wet and dripping in my arms, I'm always overcome with the same vision-- Donald clutching a newly revived Otis, his face slick with tears, transformed from a man twisted inside out with grief to someone awestruck at the realization that our worst mistakes can be retrieved-- that death can be traded in for life, that what has been destroyed can be made whole again.

With a sudden surge, Otis struggles to get out of my lap. He is an armadillo and there is exploring to do. I let him down and watch him slide around on the linoleum and try to push the toilet off its base, and I feel a small, bitter joy lodge in my heart. Otis is resurrected, I whisper."

-- "Otis Is Resurrected", Brady Udall

Sushi Spot

Kevin and grabbed some sushi from a place that Nicolas recommended, and it was delicious. The price was good too. I tried to speak to the cashier in French, but he responded in English, so I still have some work to do.

Kookies

Nicolas gave me a box of cookies from a place called Kookies. These were more like cookie chunks and they tasted amazing.

Is it 2019?

I'm back to my old habits of playing board games during class breaks. We get a 30min break in between our 3-hour classes, which is just enough time for a round of Skull (my most recent game purchase). 

Watching The Office

Making Rice Noodles with Xining

Xining offered to make Jean and I rice noodles for lunch one day. I found some bean sprouts at the store and brought those too.

Lunch with Jean and Xining

We also brought a baguette for a second throw back to when we were on team Kung-fu vs. Baguette.

Lulu cake

Jean brought one of his favorite dessert snacks from is childhood. It was a yellow cake, shaped like a bear, with some chocolate gel inside.

Popcorn

Fixing the coffee table

I had put this table back together when I first got here because it has interlocking joints that come loose. After about two months, it had come loose again. I applied one of the many lessons Paul has taught me: a little (sometime a lot) of time and effort can make living spaces much better to live in. I'll offer a one-year warranty on this coffee table not falling apart.

Baking goods

I had been using cake flour that comes with baking soda in it, but now I have baking soda, vanilla (sort of ), and yeast.

Rising dough

What am I making?

250g each

Failed baguette

I have disgraced my host country with the world's saddest baguette. It turned out to be really delicious bread, but it was not crisp. I'm guessing that the oven was not hot enough. The first problem is that our oven is not that good and second, I used too much water to make steam. What gives baguettes it's crispy outside is that it's baked with steam, but all that water/steam absorbs a lot of energy and brings the temperature down. I'll give it another shot.

7-layer burrito

Musée Bargoin

All museums are free in France on the first Sunday of the month, so I went to a two here in Clermont after church on Sunday. The first one was the Musée Bargoin, which is a weird combination of local ancient civ history and a modern tapestry gallery.

Epic tile mosaic of Medusa

I started getting flashbacks to reading the Percy Jackson series. There's a lot of medieval history that is very evident in France, but I forget that there is a much older history beneath everything. Hopefully one day, I can explore Europes ancient ruins.

Ancient city layout over Clermont

Roméo Mivekannin

I found these ones amusing as the artist pastes his own face onto those of kidnapped women.

Consumption by Moffat Takadiwa

An artistic reminder of how much we consume. Do you think a single person uses more or less bottles than the caps in this tapestry? (answer below)

Red Tape by Eglé Ganda Bogdaniené

There's too much packed into this one to unload at the moment.

*A single person will use approximately 15,000 plastic bottles in their life. Humanity uses about 1.2 million per minute.

Sensual by Joana Vasconcelos

What if we made some sort of couch or bed out of this?

Sports at home by Severija Kriaunevicience

I absolutely loved the idea behind this one. It's simple, yet demonstrates power over sports. As a hunter mounts it's kill on the wall, I wouldn't be surprised if professional athletes did the same.

Muséum d'histoire naturelle Henri-Lecoq

Lecoq was a botnist and friends with Bargoin. Both of whom donated their collections to create these museums.

Plant Specimens

I remember @Yarmiks letting me use their plant dehydration books. I had a lot of fun. It is also on the list of things I force @Bjorn to do.

California Sea Lion

I did not expect to one of these as I walked in. Apparently, somebody shipped a par of California Sea lions and deposited them at the Lecoq park pond next door. After living some 30 years, the sea lion was taxidermized. I'm not sure why they didn't reproduce but thank goodness they didn't. 

Armadillo

Lecoq Park

I'm halfway through my time here in France already. It goes by quick, but not too quick. I think my French is getting a little better; I'm gaining some confidence at least.