A rich man asked a Zen master to write something down that could encourage the prosperity of his family for years to come. It would be something that the family could cherish for generations. On a large piece of paper, the master wrote

“Father dies,

son dies,

grandson dies.”

The rich man became angry when he saw the master’s work. “I asked you to write something down that could bring happiness and prosperity to my family. Why do you give me something depressing like this?”

“If your son should die before you,” the master answered, “this would bring unbearable grief to your family. If your grandson should die before your son, this also would bring great sorrow. If your family, generation after generation, disappears in the order I have described, it will be the natural course of life. This is true happiness and prosperity.”

Invasion from Planet Catopia

Blois is pretty and I am still alive.

But the only free access to the internet in town is 2km away at the micky dees. Which is where I am now.

That’s all for now, but here is a spider: http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/

Last week was an eventful one for Julie.  Her thesis finally finished printed and sent off to the prof, and also hearing back as to which school, and which city she will be teaching in.

And that city is:  Blois .  Yes, that is pronounced like “blah” with a “w” in the middle.  Mike’s going to have a field day.

It’s a little town of about 50,000 inhabitants.  It is a very old city, dating back to the 6th century or so, and has a very rich history.  It was a residence for French Kings.  Louis XII was born and lived there.  Other notable homeboys are Denis Papin, who built the first piston steam engine, and Houdin, the father of modern conjuring.

The middle of town is hilly and winding.  On our apartment hunt yesterday, at least two of the flats we visited were in medieval houses.  One of which was literally next door to the chateau (I wanted that one because it’s on all the postcards).

Just a few pictures from Angers. A house with 3 testicles?

According to an analysis of campaign contributions by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Democrat Barack Obama
has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed
overseas at the time of their contributions than has Republican John McCain, and the fiercely anti-war Ron Paul, though he suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination months ago, has received more than four times McCain’s haul.

Troops Abroad Donate 6:1 to Obama Over McCain