[geeks] *sigh*

[David Cantrell]

On Mon, Jul 16, 2001 at 07:59:33PM -0500, Bill Bradford wrote:

> Okay.  Amy wants to go on a trip to France.  I have some
> concerns.  Feedback appreciated.
> 
> 1.  She wants to go for a month.
> 2.  She wants to rent an apartment
> 3.  She wants to get a cellphone while she's there.

Get one of the pre-pay phones.  No hassle at all, no credit checks or
deposits required.  Not sure if these will permit roaming in other
countries though if you want to visit Germany/Belgium/Holland/Italy/
wherever.

> 4.  She wants to go alone.
> 
> And my concerns:
> 
> 1.  Too long.  I'd pine away and die.  Not to mention the cost.
> 2.  *sigh*  A month is too long.
> 3.  Probably not a problem.
> 4.  I worry that two years of high school french aint gonna cut it.

Hmmm.  The French do have a reputation - at least partially justified IMO -
for not being particularly pleasant to Anglos who don't speak French.  But
IME this evaporates when you: make an effort to speak their language (which
is only polite anyway); or want to buy something :-)

> Plus, this is the woman who sometimes makes me kill bugs.  I dont
> know about letting her go to a foreign country by herself.  She
> might get mugged/robbed/raped/accosted by a handsome frenchman.

I ain't going to comment on most of the above stuff, but *that* is not
something worth worrying about.  Simply apply the same common-sense as
you would at home.

BTW, there's some *really* good offers at the moment on tickets on the
Eurostar, which make day or weekend trips from Paris to London affordable.

-- 
David Cantrell | david at cantrell.org.uk | http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david

Do not be afraid of cooking, as your ingredients will know and misbehave
   -- Fergus Henderson