tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338149582011-07-14T17:35:50.657-07:00My opinion about whatever I want to blog.Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.comBlogger281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-4060996016766454232007-12-08T22:12:00.000-08:002007-12-08T22:17:32.693-08:00

Sorry, it would seem that some of you have faithfully returned to this blog hoping to squeeze more wit and wisdom from it. Alas, I've moved on, but you can join the party athttp://docsadvice.blogspot.comThe stories won't be any more entertaining there, but then they probably won't be any less either...

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1161569641130574612006-10-22T19:03:00.000-07:002006-10-22T19:14:01.150-07:00

"Here I stand, I can do no other, God help me."These were Martin Luther’s closing words at the Diet of Wurms in defense of his 95 theses, posted on the door of the Wittenberg Church three years earlier, protesting the pope’s sale of indulgences. His 95 theses had spread like wildfire around Europe, and the pope, realizing that this “drunken German monk” had stirred up a massive controversy,

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1161058839841370742006-10-16T20:37:00.000-07:002006-10-20T21:53:22.370-07:00

You can stop holding your breath now--they arrived a long time ago, I just forgot to tell you. The statues, I mean. Sorry if you've turned ten shades of blue and keeled over from hypoxia. I didn't mean to kill you with suspense, and besides, if you're that easily transported by my sorry little story, it's really your fault, not mine.Anyway, we played phone tag with the DHL people in Ohio for most

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1160977055045682052006-10-15T22:08:00.000-07:002006-10-21T21:19:24.536-07:00

Pilate said to him, “what is truth?” (The Gospel of John, chapter 18, verse 38.)We’ve been asking that question ever since. Lately, what with the demythologizers and the existentialists and the deconstructionists, the whole notion has gotten a lot foggier. The Oxford English Dictionary isn’t all that helpful either: it defines “the truth” as “that which is true as opposed to false.”Going to the

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1160287553846333552006-10-07T20:45:00.000-07:002006-10-07T23:05:54.056-07:00

Did you ever notice how easy it is to figure out the right thing for someone else to do? I’m never at a loss for advice to give to someone who doesn’t know what to do. Amazingly, I’m often right! It isn’t that hard to look at someone’s situation fairly objectively and pick out the right course of action.Of course, unsolicited advice is just that: unsolicited. Most people don’t actually want to

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1159742381485181102006-10-01T15:39:00.000-07:002006-10-01T15:39:42.140-07:00

Respect your elders.Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.Reduce, reuse, recycle.Waste not, want not.These quaint platitudes and many other similar old clichés have been passing through my mind the past few days, but with a twist. I’ve been in Red Wing, Minnesota the past 3 days while Beth attends a “Preserve Minnesota” Statewide Historic Preservation Conference here. I didn’t attend

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1159563439062342912006-09-29T12:19:00.000-07:002006-09-29T20:26:41.200-07:00

I know all of you are on the edge of your seats to find out whether the box of statues arrived intact from DHL: sorry, no news at present.The six statues that we brought back in our carry on luggage are sitting, proud but forlorn, atop our mantle. The virgin Mary and baby Jesus are there, but no Joseph; one adoring Magus (I think that’s the singular for Magi), who also looks a bit bewildered at

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1159044602188098212006-09-23T08:37:00.000-07:002006-09-24T17:15:43.473-07:00

Since sleep has been eluding me for the past 2 hours, I finally gave up and started poking around the house. As I start this blog, it’s 6 AM CST, 1 PM Paris time, and I’ve been in bed for 7 hours, sleeping fitfully for the first 5, and watching the paint peel for the last 2. I thought I would tie up some loose ends from the trip, now that we are back in the States. It’s not exactly a cliff-hanger

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1158844080860122972006-09-21T06:00:00.000-07:002006-09-23T06:52:53.633-07:00

Yesterday, we saw Paris. All of Paris. On foot. Twice.My dogs are killing me.The day started innocently enough: we arranged with our friend and former clinic administrator, David Schough, to meet at our hotel around lunchtime. Our plan was to go to Laduree for lunch and then to the Orsay museum to see the impressionists for the afternoon.Around 11:30, we headed out to Boulevard St. Germain to run

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1158744695377404732006-09-20T02:22:00.000-07:002006-09-20T08:54:22.270-07:00

I’ve decided that we’re only going to shop for little tiny things on overseas trips from now on. Since our next trip (God willing) will hopefully net us a tiny little Chinese daughter, I think I can keep this pledge. The immediate reason for this pledge has to do with the giant headache facing us as we try to haul all our stuff back to the States in two days. Last night, after finally laying

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1158657466570846352006-09-19T02:05:00.000-07:002006-09-19T02:17:46.613-07:00

I must admit it: as far as French goes, I’m all talked out.Now that you readers who know me have revived from your swoon or cleaned up the bowl of cereal you dropped on the floor, let me elaborate: it would be a cold day in a usually very warm place when I was truly at a loss for words. I’m a word guy, for one, and loquacious to boot. The French would call me bavard, which can be simply be

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1158573967291305352006-09-18T03:01:00.000-07:002006-09-18T03:06:07.306-07:00

I’ve traveled quite a bit in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia. Let’s see, that means I’ve missed Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. Gotta get those on the list soon (not sure what I’ll do in Antarctica—I doubt the sunbathing is any good). That means I’ve been to, and stayed in, a variety of cities, small and large, rich and poor, clean and not so clean. I’ve used public

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1158439032548116002006-09-16T13:19:00.000-07:002006-09-16T19:30:56.136-07:00

This post is actually meant for tomorrow, Sunday the 17th, but we have an early morning, so I'm posting it at 10:30 pm Saturday night. Sorry, there will be no deliveries on Sunday.The last few posts have been rather heavy duty, I’ll admit it. I’m not apologizing for that, I’m just acknowledging the fact. The last thing I want to be is a casse-pieds (a bore), and risk losing the few readers I have

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1158402292904289242006-09-16T03:08:00.000-07:002006-09-16T03:24:52.936-07:00

Sometimes, in the process of having a good time (the French would be “on s’amuse,” or to amuse oneself), you stumble upon something that takes you right out of your little reverie and transports you to another realm altogether. This kind of thing happened to me the first time I assisted my OB/GYN professor in the delivery room. There I was, fussing about whether I was using good enough sterile

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1158269112009690742006-09-14T14:13:00.000-07:002006-09-14T14:25:12.023-07:00

“Hi, I’m Steve. I’m a bookaholic.”“Hi, Steve!”I suspect that’s how my 12 step program would go if I ever sought treatment for my disease. My sweet wife of 23 years would have to go to treatment with me, or it would never work out. She’s more addicted to books than I am, and that’s saying something. We have the “100 greatest books ever written” series, the Harvard Classics series, scads of

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1158188823276321502006-09-13T15:12:00.000-07:002006-09-14T01:54:08.983-07:00

Warning: do not let your 3 year old read this, as the material is suitable for a slightly more mature audience, of the age that might safely watch Shrek without getting grossed out by the opening scene. My 9 and 13 year old nephews are certainly ready for what follows (cuz I watched Shrek with them, and all three of us split our guts open laughing through the whole thing). Of course, many adults

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1158103341741495062006-09-12T15:04:00.000-07:002006-09-12T16:22:21.950-07:00

Note to self: don't write the above entry into your daily journal if you are king of France, living sumptuously in the gigantic Palace of Versailles. Especially if your foreign wife, when told that the masses of poor in Paris have no bread, answers, "let them eat cake."That entry ("today: nothing") is what King Louis XVI wrote in his personal journal on July 14, 1789, an apparently inauspicious

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1158014640296895262006-09-11T12:07:00.000-07:002006-09-12T02:34:47.110-07:00

We finally tackled the Louvre Museum today. Wow, what an incredible collection of art, artifacts, and second empire decorating! I almost died of gold poisoning from all the gilded lamps, walls, picture frames, ceilings, and bricabrac. When we left our hotel, we told Phillip where we were going, and he said, "see you tomorrow, or maybe the next day." It's true, you could spend several days just to

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1157929017399249092006-09-10T14:50:00.000-07:002006-09-11T12:06:55.050-07:00

Another bait and switch! I'll give my little soliliquy on the Da Vinci Code tomorrow after our visit to the Louvre, and make a few people-watching comments as time goes on. Today, though, we're going to visit Auguste Rodin's house, and then experience vespers and mass at Notre Dame.Beth has trapped a rhume (a cold, not some French rodent), so she is malade today. I left her resting in the room,

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1157838932564365122006-09-09T13:18:00.000-07:002006-09-10T00:58:16.466-07:00

I noticed that in my post from yesterday (Saturday) that I didn't give a teaser line at the end, advertising what today's post would be about. That means I can talk about anything I want. Like potpourri. Everyone knows what that is: a mixture of dried flower petals and spices in a bowl to spice up the room. In a more general sense, it means a mixture of things or a medley, which is what I plan

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1157814251408278142006-09-09T02:09:00.000-07:002006-09-09T09:55:44.073-07:00

The tough go shopping, of course. French lesson #2 with Marguerite yesterday clearly illuminated the vast cavern that remains between us and proficiency in the French language. We sat at a Cafe in the Place des Vosges and spent 45 minutes learning more grammer and vocabulary, then strolled around the square visiting many of the chic art galleries and boutiques there. Marguerite would ask us a

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1157666587114798312006-09-07T12:34:00.000-07:002006-09-10T14:41:12.380-07:00

Marguerite, our new French instructor, asked us when we first met her whether we were still jet-lagged. I said no, but I didn't tell her why: we have a secret weapon against jet-lag. I've heard all kinds of tricks to use when travelling east versus west, and while some of them work a little, here's what really works: if you keep going to bed 16 hours after you woke up, and then sleep for 8 hours,

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1157622530851171392006-09-07T01:26:00.000-07:002006-09-07T10:41:03.596-07:00

I'll admit it: I am a word guy. I love having le mot juste, the right word or phrase to get the job done with savoir faire. Some of you know that I've been toying with learning French using the Yale University video and audio program "French in Action". It's a program of first and second year French using 52 half hour lessons that follow a young French girl and a young American guy as they meet,

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1157498920913471372006-09-05T16:23:00.000-07:002006-09-06T04:46:37.006-07:00

Disclaimer: I can't always predict the future perfectly, so just because I promised something in my teaser line yesterday, it doesn't necessarily mean that I will actually talk about it today. It's true that I have in the past, and sometimes successfully, talked about subjects of which I know nothing, but in a blog like this, I'm assuming the reader wants the truth and not some fairy story.So, we

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1157453575245484992006-09-05T01:44:00.000-07:002006-09-05T20:40:44.476-07:00

Almost everything about daily life in Paris is inefficient. Fortunately, it's a fairly pleasant sort of inefficiency, like the uncommon kind of airline inefficiency that keeps you in Maui an extra day. Traffic is often snarled up, so the morning commute is long unless you take the subway (fairly pleasant) or live close enough to walk or bike to work (even more pleasant). Evening meals take, well,

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1157377170308769782006-09-04T06:30:00.000-07:002006-09-10T14:38:39.440-07:00

Rain! In Paris! Ce n'est pas possible! According to the French videos I watched to learn to parlez a little Francais, it only rains in Angleterre (England), never in France. They lied! When we went to bed last night, it looked like this picture...We were about to venture out this morning for a day of adventure when the skies opened up and we scuttled back in to watch from our room. Once Beth got

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1157363063379781722006-09-04T02:00:00.000-07:002006-09-05T04:01:08.216-07:00

Bonjour! I'm back with another exciting episode of "adventures with language"! I left you at BHV, with Beth's face alight with happiness--a real cliffhanger. She apparently survived the ecstacy of the face cream application, because we set out Saturday night for a restaurant called Le Coude Fou, which is literally "the crazy elbow". I think they're referring to one's crazy bone, but it could be a

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33814958.post-1157328762529360722006-09-03T16:16:00.000-07:002006-09-04T07:21:50.506-07:00

My first opinion: I guess that title is rather disingenuous, since I probably gave my very first opinion right after my Mom gave birth to me and the Dr. whacked me. You might add (if you're mean) that I haven't stopped since.Anyway, some of you have suggested that I try blogging about our trip to Paris, so here it is: mon avis, my opinion of everything Parisienne.Caveat emptor: if the reader is

Dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08015564258674863888noreply@blogger.com0