Living in France, le blog

After years of forced subjugation to the soccer-mad European sports world, I thought the arrival of ESPN America was my ticket out. Sure, the hours were going to be a little tricky, but certainly it would be worth it to trade in whiny, injury-faking prima-donnas and their stupid haircuts for the hardcore football I grew up with?

Two years later, I'm not so sure...

A Nord-Pas-de-Calais family is finding out the hard way that French laws governing what does and does not constitute an acceptable baby name are both unclear and far-reaching. In a couple of weeks, they will find out if their devilish choice will make the grade or if there will be yet another Pierre or Jean-François brought into the La République.

The European debt crisis, personified by (but by no means limited to) the very real possibility of a collapse of modern Greece as we know it, has taken a subtle but game-changing turn.

One hears a lot of yap about the French health care system in America these days, most of it misinformed: in my continuing effort to explain how doctoring works over here, I thought I'd give an account of my recent visit to a French hospital, from the initial consultation to post-op care. In any case I'm stuck here, legs elevated under mountains of ice, with nothing else to do...

The official press conference won't take place until tomorrow, but word on the street is that the deal is done: the Spurs point guard is going to spend his lockout vacation right here in Lyon.

When is the last time you heard the word "jailbreak" outside the context of hacking an iPhone, anyway?

Nestled just beneath Croix de Fer Pass in the upper portion of the Maurienne Valley, St. Sorlin D'Arves in August is much more than a ski resort gone to sleep for the summer. Easy access to great hiking, quaint Savoyard villages, marmots and spectacular views—all beneath the gaze of a giant cat made of rock—make a snow-free visit to this Alpine resort worth the trip.

Only one more year of Minitel?!? Say it ain't so, Paris!

With the 2012 French presidential election less than a year off, campaign season is well under way. For much of 2011 the mediatic frenzy seemed rather dull, what with the contest between incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and popular socialist candidate Dominique Strauss-Kahn being a done deal and all.

Oops.

Let the fun begin!