Paris Prep and, then, WTF!

Five days until Paris and things are, mostly, sunshine and light. I'm almost packed (down to five pairs of shoes, instead of 10) and spending hours trolling the Internet finding ways to make the trip a little easier and ways to fill my time while I'm there.

One of the best things I found was this cool App for the iPhone that lets you download maps so you don't have to pay the crazy roaming charges. Offmaps. $2.99. Very cool. Also, loaded on a currency converter, a Zagats and a translator. Why, oh, why doesn't Rosetta Stone have an app. Good articles to read if you're researching travel Apps are:

• http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2009/10/iphone_travel_advice_from_an_i.html. This one is hot off "the Internets" and where I found out about Offmaps.
• http://matadorgoods.com/useful-iphone-apps-for-travelers/. This article is a little out of date (Lonely Planet now charges for its phrase books) but still useful.
• http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/2009/06/best-iphone-travel-apps-text/1. Nat Geo always finds cool things including a free Wi-Fi finder. That, and Skype, should help me avoid too many crazy roaming costs.

I also loaded up my Kindle with e-books of all sizes, genres and topic (thank you UN Foundation staff for the gift certificate). In addition to a stack of New Yorkers and a couple of random paperbacks, I'm hoping to get thru most, if not all of these, in the next five weeks:

• Netherland, A Novel. Joseph O’Neill
• The Financial Lives of the Poets. Jess Walter.
• Juliet, Naked. Nick Hornby.
• Best Music Writing 2009. Greil Marcus (editor)
• Best American Political Writing 2009. Royce Flippin (editor) and featuring a piece by one of my best friends, Terence Samuel.
• Half the Sky. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wu Dunn
• Judgment Of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine. George M Taber.
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Stieg Larsson.
• The Year of the Flood: A Novel. Margaret Atwood.
• The Help. Kathryn Stockett.
• The White Queen: A Novel. Philippa Gregory.
• Playing the Enemy. John Carlin.
• Southern Vampire Mysteries (books 1-3). Charlaine Harris.
• Abigail Adams: A Writing Life. Edith Gelles
• Omnivore’s Dilemma. Michael Pollan
• My Stroke of Insight. Jill Bolte Taylor

I know, I know, it seems ambitious but I love Paris, I love cafes and I love reading. So after class, each day, I'm hoping to find a new cafe and spend some time just relaxing and reading a book (or two).

Worried that I won't see anything interesting if I have my head stuck in a book? How wrong you are! I've also found several interesting cooking classes and private home dinners to attend, including:

• Sunday Dinner. This sounds a little odd but in a good way. Dinners for 60 or so people on a Sunday with a guy named Jim.
• Hidden Kitchen. My mom is going to this one in February (they don't have any openings while I'm there).
• Ecole de Cuisine. This is Alain Ducasse's new cooking school.

Each day, I'm learning more and more about the city and all the amazing things to do that go beyond the Louvre, Musee de Rodin or Musee d'Orsay. I will try and post as many reviews/comments/thoughts on people, the books, the travel Apps, the restaurants, the classes, etc. as I can.

Oh, and the WTF moment: Thirty or so Republicans (and, officially, the Department of Defense) opposed Sen. Al Franken's effort to amend the Defense Appropriations bill to prevent the Pentagon from doing business with contractors who force employees into binding arbitration over rape and sexual assault charges. It is sad, but very true, that a large number of women who are active military or civilian contractors are victims of rape and sexual assault. This amendment would make it easier for them to report the crimes and for authorities to prosecute offenders. Seems pretty simple to me (and John Stewart). If this makes me as angry as it makes me, call the Capitol switchboard at 202.224.3121 and 1) tell Sen. Franken thank you for having the courage to try to do something and then ask for any of the 30 nutjobs who opposed it and give them a piece of your mind.