One of the silver linings of being unemployed and look for a job is that you are pretty open in terms of making plans and doing fun things (provided you have any money to spend).

Happy New Year Taoists!

I am returned safe and sound from my travels in the land of the Mayas! During the holidays I packed up my bag and set off for a month of solo exploration around Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Only in Paris do strange men feel entitled to correct your grammar while simultaneously accosting you in the middle of the sidewalk.

In the wee hours of last Saturday morning, I was traipsing through the streets of the Marais looking for that rare Parisian luxury—an empty cab. This is a recurring, if futile, exercise in my life here.

Mediocrity is for idiots and Americans. It is not for the French.

The other day I was walking up my street when a particularly agitated French woman came charging out of a little cheese shop. She was PISSED

"In the midst of life, we are in death"...and vice versa.

It suddenly just got a lot easier to be an American in Paris. I don't know what this means for the future of my blog, but I suppose the future of the world is more important.

One of my favourite places here in San Luis is El Mercado Republica. I have always loved markets and this place is a full on assault of the senses: sights, smells, sounds, taste and touch. I usually visit once a week to buy my fruit and eat lunch but I never took the time to linger and browse.

Buenos Dias!

Today is a very special day. Por que, tu preguntas? Bueno

Now I’ve done it. This is probably a story I should bury in the “Secret Annals of an Awkward American in Paris.” But what fun is public humiliation if you can’t share it with your friends?

I recently passed the six month marker here in San Luis and it has brought with it a changing of the guard. I recently split up with my girlfriend and times have been tough for me. Since I arrived here we have been very close friends and I spent most of my time with her and her friends; lunchtimes, weekends, nights out.