38 and life you got it

So I turned 38 this last week. As a self-rescuing princess type, I brought cake to work and cookies to Esh, and welcomed a new direct report to my group instead of taking the day off as I'd initially planned.

It seems important that I also had a good handstand lesson that night, and a GREAT handstand lesson the next morning -- my straddle jump has improved overnight, thanks to that one lesson I got from a teacher in Las Vegas, and now Pokemon can work with me on the improved version. Then the day after that was an acro/contortion day. I middled my first-ever FULLY successful three-high (successful mount, successful controlled dismount) and also touched both my cheekbones to my shinbones in a pike for the first time in many years. Cramped up an ab, but it was worth it, and my leg wasn't injured later.

All of which is to say, I don't feel decrepit yet. I've had a few weird little health things this year, but they have not been age things, and I'm still strong. The 30s would seem to be good all the way through! Hurray!

Paris, first 30 hours

I wanted to get that last entry in before I got all distracted by being in Paris with norwoodbridge and his friends... I actually wrote it on the plane. Yes, second glamorous destination in less than a month. ^_^

Thus far, France is reminiscent of Italy for me, with its old buildings --grates on the windows, plants sitting in all of them -- and courtyards. Where Italy has cats sitting around, though, France has tiny dogs on leashes; and the language bubbling uncomprehended around us is headier, less deeply voiced.

Yesterday involved some napping, because I came over on a red-eye and needed it. There was some wandering, though. Then dinner with Norwood's friend group that we're here with. Our hostess was the one person of this friend-group who lives here (the other four of us are in a crazy-cluttered airbnb) and a fabulous cook; I learned some tricks.

Note to self: for deliciously crispy new potatoes you about halfway boil them (more than just blanch), then put them into a container with olive oil and garlic and shake the living shit out of them to kind of mash the outer layer, THEN roast them at 375 or whatever until done. SO GOOD. I probably won't ever bother to try cooking duck the way they did it, but I'm gonna copy those potatoes.

Also: Skinceuticals something something UV defense is REALLY nice sunblock for face. If I don't get something awesome in Paris, I'll buy that when I get back to the US. That said, it starts to seem like the best things to buy here are indeed pharmaceuticals: there's better sunscreen available here, and an ibuprofen cream (ditto), and an ibuprofen/codeine/caffeine mix that is sold for migraines but sounds useful for any number of things.