So just when I thought English was a little secret between me, my friends, and my family on the phone, I'm back in Massachusetts for two weeks hanging out with the almost-forgotten but primarily-English speaking world. I might actually go hang around train stations and bus stops successfully asking questions and successfully getting answers, just to practice...

But before I get to here, let's consider the great international service offered up by Air France: after consuming one French beer, a glass of white wine, a salmon and tri-colored pasta entree, chocolate mousse, and a blueberry muffin, I played a few video games (Chess and Caveman Crash), caught up on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (it was nicely bizarre, but a little unsatisfying with all that dentist garbage), and read a little Mayer. I heard they might even clear out a few rows for a dance floor on my New Year's Eve return.

On the homefront, WestMass might get another winter storm tonight and my parents have been doing the Snow Dance since yesterday. I'm hoping to catch a basketball game while here (for the drama and side stories, of course), and I'll be heading up to Mass MOCA to report on a few German artists hanging on the walls.

Early signs from D and Arr! say that they'll be heading to Venice this weekend, so I'm sure they'll send something on that front. And then, on my return, the three of us will trip it on the first full weekend of January. My vote goes towards flying North and mushing on some dog sleds for a couple days, though the Californians would rather experience quaint Italian island life. What do you think (and do you know of any two day European dog sledding adventures for three people, for under a total of $100)?