6 months since.....

Here's a list of a few things I haven't done in 6 months that would be high on my "to do" list if I woke up in the U.S. tomorrow.

• Eat hot wings. No BW3s or hooters here. Of course I could fix my own, but I haven't seen wings packaged in bunches here and I also can't find any jalapenos. I occasionally buy a whole chicken for roasting. I thought of cuttting the wings and saving them till I have enough, but I have a freezer the size of a dorm refrigerator.
• Go to a movie. They occasionally show movies in the original version over here, but it's spotty. We had plans to go see the new Bond movie a while back, but it was about 1.5 hours away and we didn't get around to it. And I did not want to see it in French. I don't think "Je m'appelle Bond, James Bond" would cut it.
• Eat a big fat corn fed steak. As a rule, the steaks here are not very big. The sad fact is that they are much more sensible about their protein distribution in a meal. You'll have as much starch and vegetables as you will protein. I've lost weight and I know it's better for me, but I really want a nice red 1 inch thick ribeye.
• Watch a live basketball game. I haven't brought myself to watch a French "professional" team. I saw some European basketball on TV the other day and couldn't hardly watch it. I'd love to go catch a good high school game or one of my brother's college games.
• Speak English to a stranger. I'm a bit gregarious. I like to talk to people just for fun. I've even taken to talking to strangers in French, and I don't mind, it's kinda fun. It's just tiring.
• Go hunting. Lots of outdoor activities here. Hiking, biking, skiing, etc. The list goes on. The French are very inventive at finding things to do outside. I just missed hunting this past season and I'd love to go. Maybe next year I'll get it worked out to go.
• Drink a Dr. Pepper. Ok, I actually had one 2 days ago, but officially I went 6 months w/out one. Oh, it was good. Dana happened to spot them in a specialty store and went nuts. We bought several for about $1.50/can. Now I just need to take one in to McDonald's with a glass of ice. You won't find the Dr. Pepper or the ice there. MickeyDees is not the same with out it.
• Sausage. Plain old breakast sausage or "italian" sausage like we know it. No Bs and Gs (biscuits and gravy), no sausage w/ pancakes, no sausage mushroom pizza. I've tried to find and create substitutes but they're not the same.
• Bacon, while we're on the subject of pork. They don't cure and smoke bacon like we do. They have something similar, but.....you get the idea.
• Tune into a country station. Sure I can do it on the internet or plug my iPod into the car, but I can't tune into a country station while I'm driving down the road. I miss driving down the road and having an old favorite come on. They play quite a bit of American music here, but no Country music.

Ok, I know I've mentioned a lot of food. It's funny, you move to a country with one of the most highly regarded cuisines in the world and you end up missing something like boxed macaroni and cheese. I guess that's why they call it "comfort food". There can never be anything that replaces what we grow up with.

By the sounds of this, you're probably thinking I can't wait to get back. Not so. It sounds odd, but I like missing these things. It makes you realize that you've done something different with your life. That you've broken away from the ordinary, and I like that feeling. I can already tell that this experience will have a profound impact on the rest of my life and the lives of the rest of my family. While you can't all pick up and move to France ( I know how lucky we are for the opportunity), I would encourage all of you to not be afraid to break out of the mold. Do something different. It's the different things that lead to memories, which is what it's all about.