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So much more to see in Paris

I have the travel bug again. It seems to happen a lot. I get to thinking about going to London and Paris. The place in London was serviceable, but the hotel in Paris was pretty nice. We didn't spend a whole lot of time there - we were there to see the sights! We only scratched the surface in Paris.. the Louvre was amazing. I could have spent days wandering and exploring. Even my rusty, junior high school French started to come back and I found I was reading some of the French signs. What they say is true... if you are polite, greet people with a "bonjour" and make an attempt to speak French, most times Parisians will switch to English (probably since we butcher their beautiful language!)

We also toured the Loire Valley. Again, another place I'd love to visit again and really explore. I'm sure there are lots of great hotels in France that are affordable. The castles are amazing. The history is amazing. It really makes you realize how young the USA is when you walk over marble floors that show 1000 years of wear. Chenonceau, for example, is built right over the river Cher, and was allowed to remain during WWII because each town was allowed one bridge. Apparently, the French Resistance used it too! Chenonceau has two gardens - one created by Henri's wife, and the other by his mistress. Try getting away with that now...

But back to Paris. Sigh. Dinner in the Eiffel tower was wonderful. I realize we did very "touristy" things, but my dear Grandmother had wanted to go there for over 40 years. She'd saved National Geographic magazines with articles about France from as far back as the 1940s. She's gone now, but I have two little girls that would love to explore. All we have to do is find a reasonable Paris hotel to use as a base. When they're older, that is. Not so sure dh wants to go. He's more interested in war history. I think he would like it. Some of the small towns, with their close to the cobblestone street houses made me think about the movies I'd seen. We were in a small town, walking to the restaurant for lunch on such a street, and we could hear a car approaching. We couldn't see it, but we could hear it, and I could only imagine how those tanks sounded. Ick.

Oh well. Maybe someday I'll go back. I'll learn more French first, though, if I ever do!

Laurie Berkner Rocked the House!

WOW!
We were lucky enough to get tickets to the Aug. 11 Laurie Berkner Band show in Bushkill, and boy was it worth the cash. Who knew a concert for kids would be so much fun. We love her on Noggin, and her music is great - engaging and fun. I shot too many pictures, as usual. I was just happy that I didn't have to take the camera back to the car. I'm always such a wimp... if it says "no photography" I obey, then I'm pissed when everyone around me has a camera and isn't hassled. So this time, I decided to be ballsy and just do it - even took the Nikon instead of going half way and sneaking in the little Sony point and shoot digital. (Which takes awesome pictures, I just wouldn't have been able to control my exposure...)

We had a blast!

Now I'm Really Mad

Ok. Read my other post about suing the Red Cross. Then come back. I'll wait.

Ok. Done? Good. So I just read J&J's demands.

Specifically, J&J demands that the Red Cross:

• Stop the Red Cross and its licensing partners from using the Red Cross emblem permanently on first aid, preparedness and related products sold to the public;
• Surrender to J&J for destruction the Red Cross' inventory of accused products;
• Hand over to J&J all Red Cross proceeds from the sale of these products with interest; and
• Pay punitive damages to J&J along with attorney fees related to its legal action against the Red Cross.

What the heck? Pay back the money? Sorry, J&J... it's on your neighbor's back in the form of a blanket - the one lost their house in a fire last week. It's in the form of any of the other countless ways the Red Cross has helped people for what, over 100 years. Yeah, so my panties are really in a bunch over this...

I'll be brainstorming to see what I, as a consumer, can do to help J&J lose this battle.

They're Suing the RED CROSS?

WTF!?! I just read an article on MSNBC about Johnson&Johnson SUING the Red Cross over putting their [the Red Cross] logo (a red cross... duh) on the products they're now selling.

Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, which uses a red cross as its trademark, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the American Red Cross, demanding that the charity halt the use of the red cross symbol on products it sells to the public.

How low do you have to be to sue a charity? Why haven't they had a problem with this logo before, say in the last, oh, 120 years? Oh, wait... the Red Cross has started marketing first aid kits and it's cut into J&J's business. (never mind that all the proceeds go to help with disaster-response efforts) J&J is claiming that they have exclusive rights to use the red cross on certain items. Well...I don't recall ever seeing J&J use a red cross. I certainly don't think of a red cross when I think of J&J. I do, however, think of, well... The Red Cross!

No where (and I just looked in the medicine cabinet) on the J&J Band Aid box is there a red cross. No where. So, in the words of Kathy Griffin, they can "Suck It". I'll be buying Curad. No, wait... I'm going to go look at the Red Cross Store and see what I can buy instead of J&J band aids!