What's with all the dog crap?

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I live in the dog shit capital of the world. The French call it "le crottin de chien," but a rose by any other name, so to speak. The owners give their pooches carte blanche, and for the rest of us, it's like a game of minesweeper out there. You can always pick out the ones who are going to leave it. They have a preemptive look of guilt about them, and their eyes dart back and forth to keep a look out for potential witnesses to their little transgression. Then, when the deed is done, they abscond with alacrity, secure in the knowledge that no one will be able to trace le crottin back to the source. I mean, no one likes carrying around a load of sombody's crap in a plastic bag; I get it. But it must be done to spare one's compatriots from living in constant fear that the moment they look up from their walk, something will go horribly wrong.

Okay, that's probably the most I've ever written about dog crap in one sitting. Let's hope it's the last.

The weather has finally turned hot here, prompting me to buy a noisy little desk fan which now stays on day and night. Hot weather always confuses my brain. On the one hand, I feel like I should be outside because it's "so nice out" and I'm "wasting it" (this is deeply rooted in my childhood when not being outside and "enjoying the weather" was considered aberrant behavior). But within the first 20 minutes of being outside, all I can think about is finding air conditioning. It must be my Scandinavian genes at work. We are a chilly people. Fortunately, there is a grocery store on the way to school which is great for this, because they seem to have the temperature perma-set at cryogenic.

I realize that I am going off on tangents that are probably of no interest, but I'm afraid you would find my daily activities a little on the dull side. My time is mostly devoted to French, going to movies, wandering around the village, going to the gym, and bike riding. And CNN Asia. I promise my next entry will be better crafted and more interesting, but until then, I'm including a few pictures to make up for my rambling :)

Pictures of dog crap to come...(just kidding)

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