Diana and I went to the Celebration of Celts festival up in Columbia County, NY. We had a lot of fun there. There was great music, especially a Canadian band called Greenwich Mean Time, and some of the pipe bands that were there.
We spent time looking around at the festival stands, and I couldn’t resist buying one of these homemade Scottish Shortbread Cookies that one of the vendors was selling – they were great!
After a few hours there, around 4PM the wind started to become fierce. People were closing up their stands because everything was blowing away – including some of the tents, and it just got too cold to stay around much longer. It was definately worth going to. I’d go back again next year. I’ll avoid the Haggis again of course.
Posted in General | No Comments »
Well I just got my last Wisdom Tooth out yesterday. Guess that means I’m no longer wise. Either way, I’m feeling like crap today because of it. Sometimes I wish I just got all four out at once, but instead, they’ve come out one at a time (August 2003, January 2004, February 2006, and March 2006 – yesterday).
They were going to do both this one and the one they took out in February at the same time but this one was a bit more difficult. Either way, I’m uncomfortable, but due to the wonders of modern medicine (and for the first time in my life a REALLY good dentist) I’m fine.
I’ve had some reallly bad dentists in my life, but I’m glad I actually have a good one now. I go to the Gross & Flores office in Poughkeepsie. There is another dentist there (not listed in the name of the office) who took care of both teeth. Everyone calls him Dr. G because his last name is rather difficult to pronounce (Gatchalian or something like that). Its a really good dentist who can not only manage to do the drilling and such without too much trouble, but can actually make you laugh while doing so. Anyway, I really recommend them if anyone needs a new dentist. Some of my coworkers recommended them and I’m glad they did.
I’m still supposed to take it easy food wise for a day or two but I am craving a steak or something like that so badly right now. Oh well – I’ll go have another yogurt.
Posted in General | No Comments »
Okay, time to update again. I really hope to update more often, even if I’m unsure if anyone will ever pay attention to these posts 
Work has been picking up lately. I was out in for training in Salt Lake City in January for our new portal system we’re going to be using. Just another thing to have to work with here, but I think I have a grasp on the technical problems that it will cause (for the most part).
Everything is looking up though since the weather is finally turning warm (60+ today!) and the days are getting longer. I’ve been enjoying walking to work again rather then dreading going out in the cold. St. Patrick’s day is next week and I’m thinking about going to the parade. I probably won’t, but it would be nice to go. Its just too much of a pain to get down there at 7AM or whenever you need to get there to have a decent vantage point to watch it.
I still have some stuff to do for the new website (move my wedding photos to it, and upload, finally the montreal pictures from last summer).
I’ll update again soon.
Posted in General | No Comments »
Hi everyone! I’ve finally got myself a real webhost, and a real domain name. The website you’re at now, paulchauvet.org, will be where it will stay. I got a great deal through my new host, dreamhost.com. I’ll most likely be updating at least three times a week now.
Posted in General | No Comments »
Well its a late update, but we came back from our Montreal trip on Friday. The trip was really good, I just wish we had more time there. It was very good to spend a week with Diana without having to worry about work and computers (not to mention laundry/dishes/other chores that just take up time).
Once we got into Montreal we parked the car at the Bed & Breakfest and didn’t have to move it until we left. We took Montreal’s wonderful Metro system all around town. The system is very well designed, and it is very easy to connect between lines (as you can see below).
The “Lucien L’Allier” stop on the orange line was half a block from where we were staying. We took that to various stops for various sights such as:
- St. Joseph’s Oratory – near the Cote-Des-Neiges stop on the blue line
- Holocaust Memorial Center – near the Snowdon stop on the blue line
- Botanical Gardens – near the Pie-IX stop on the Green Line
- The Insectarium – right next to the Botanical Gardens
- The Casino de Montreal – right next to the Jean Drapeau stop on the Yellow Line
- And various other smaller destinations we visited, most notably the underground complex of shopping malls near the Peel, McGill, and Place-Des-Arts stops on the Green Line
When I get the pictures of our trip uploaded, I’ll talk more about the places we saw.
Posted in General | No Comments »
We’re just about gone. Its Saturday night now, I’m just finishing packing for our trip. We will be leaving tomorrow for Plattsburg, and then Montreal. We are SO going to enjoy this trip!
Au Revoir friends!
Posted in General | No Comments »
I’m finding myself counting the days until my vacation in late August. This will be Diana’s and my honeymoon. We’re going to be going for a couple of nights to Plattsburgh first. Its a stop on the way to relax, enjoy Lake Champlain and whatever else there is to do in the area. Diana knows of stuff to do (thats where she got her Bachelor’s – SUNY Plattsburgh), and we’re going to visit with her old roommate. This is to me the ‘pre-honeymoon’.
Then after Plattsburgh, we’re going to go to Montreal. We had been looking at some generic chain hotels, and some bed and breakfasts, but we were fortunate enough to have what looks like a great place recommended to us. Our friend Martha recommended the Petite Auberge Les Bons Matins in downtown Montreal. Its perfect! Homemade breakfast in the morning, a whirlpool, elegantly decorated, and more. It even has parking available, and is right near a subway station.
Between the monotony of New Paltz, Diana and I both busy during the days with work/student teaching/etc, and the fact that we have never taken a real vacation together, I CANNOT WAIT to go. Its only three and a half weeks away now, and I wish it were tomorrow. I’ll just have to be patient.
More pictures of the place we’re staying are at:
Posted in General | No Comments »
So I’m finally getting around to posting my review of the newest Harry Potter book. Diana came with me to pick it up at Ariel’s in New Paltz at their midnight release for the book. It was cute seeing the kids dress up and such, but there seemed to be a lot less to it then there was at the last release party. On the other hand though, they were MUCH more organized at the release. Within about a minute of midnight, I had the book and Diana and I were driving home.
Of course, after getting home, I read until about 3AM. As with the last two books, I just couldn’t put it down until the thought of being tired even if I woke up at noon got to me. Over the course of Saturday and Sunday I finished reading the book (much of that reading done in the comfortable chair in the corner at the Mudd Puddle).
I really did enjoy the book, though not enough as I enjoyed book five. I felt that certain scenes (like ALL of the flashback scenes to Voldemort’s past) were a bit overlong. When I thought back on it after I finished the book, I realized Rowling was trying to show that in many ways Voldemort and Harry were alike, but at the same time as different as can be. I also found the endless obsessing over Malfoy a little tiresome, considering he was able to do nothing about it in the end. The book is dark – minor characters and their friends and familiy are dying left and right. Yes, the book is dark because it has to be. It is the one before the inevitable final struggle between Harry and Voldemort. I guess there were some things to nitpick about in the book, but the worst thing about it was finding that it was finished, and the start of the long wait for the seventh book. I don’t expect book seven to come out until at late 2007 and most likely mid 2008. But, I am a long time reader of fantasy series. I’m used to waiting, even if I do not like it.
Book five, though considerably longer, never seemed slow at all.
Posted in Reviews | No Comments »
So my wife and my friends convinced me to go to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this past weekend. Now I’ve never read the books, and I never saw the original movie. My first thought before seeing it was that it would be too much for kids and I wasn’t sure I could enjoy it as an adult at all.
I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the movie! Johnny Depp was as perfect as could be as Willy Wonka. He was eccentric to the point of insanity in the movie and it was great! It was great when one of the spoiled brats was introducing himself and he said, non-chalantly “Don’t care….”.
The instrumental music from Danny Elfman was great, but the ‘Oompa-Loompa’ songs in the movie were very annoying. That was the only low point in the movie for me really.
Even though it was Diana who wanted me to see it, she wasn’t as happy with it as I was, but I’m glad she twisted my arm to come.
The movie was entertaining, and definately worth seeing in my movie.
Posted in Reviews | No Comments »
The wedding pictures are online! You can either click on “Enter Gallery” under “My Photo Gallery” on the right hand side, or go directly to:
Photo Gallery
All the pictures online for the wedding (unless otherwise noted) were taken by Dave Blake of Flash Forward Photography
Posted in General | 1 Comment »
