March Madness

Joakim Noah, University of Florida Gators

It’s the time of year in the US when everyone grabs a playoff charts and fills in the brackets with the names of college basketball teams. What two teams will make it to the final round to be crowned the NCAA champions this year? It’s the only game in town during this month. Basketball. Everyone talks about it at work. It’s on the radio. It’s on the news. People wear their team’s colors and logos until their team is eliminated. Then they go back into the closet until next year.

Right now the University of Florida is the defending champion. They won last year. Ohio State University is currently ranked number 1 in the US with the best record and best team. Both of these teams are picked to do well in the playoffs. I am mentioning the University of Florida for two reasons. First, my step brother graduated from this school. My parents live in Florida and they always cheer for this team in every sport! Second, whenever you see a picture of a player from the University of Florida, it is usually of Joakim Noah. Why do I mention him? Because he’s FRENCH! That’s right! One of the big basketball stars in the USA is French. Noah is the son of Yannick Noah, France's most prominent tennis hero who in 1983, became the first Frenchman in 37 years to win the French Open. Since then he has become a popular singer in France. Together with his then wife Cécilia Rhode (Miss Sweden 1978), they had Joakim.

Who will win the contest this year? As of today, no one knows. But as March Madness continues of the next few weeks the outcome will be known. I will tell you how my teams do!

http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/mayhem/brackets/viewable_men
Printable Playoff Brackets Link

A Hawk in the Garden

This was the view from my kitchen window this morning. A Hawk had killed a Mourning Dove in our small garden on the side of the house. The Hawk was enjoying a hardy breakfast. But somewhere there is a sad widow or widower. Every morning and evening a couple of Mourning Doves would sit on the wall by our window and groom each other. Their ‘Coos’ to each other always reminded me of my childhood in Georgia, where singing birds of many varieties were plentiful. The birds here in Albuquerque aren’t as pretty. Unfortunately, there is one less cooing bird by my house. However, I am glad Madame Hawk is living nearby. Maybe she will keep those ugly little birds from eating our cherries, peaches and apples this spring and summer.

The Perfect Podcast (for me)

After months of searching, I’ve found the perfect pod cast for me. “One Thing in a French Day” by Laetitia. http://onethinginafrenchday.com

It’s ideal for me because it’s usually only 3 minutes long. She publishes a pod cast three times a week with a transcript. And she speaks clearly and sa voix est adorable! ( her voice is adorable!)

The best thing about her pod cast is that she writes about small, everyday things in her life. For example: Buying stamps over the internet, replacing a light bulb in the kitchen, how to make a Galette (a type of crêpes from Bretagne), using ‘La Carte Vitale’ at the pharmacy and the barges (péniches) that go under a bridge near her home near Paris. Each pod cast is full of everyday vocabulary. Her cheerful voice and the short length of the recording make it easy to listen over and over as I memorize the cadence of her sentences and the pronunciation of her words.

My greatest weakness in learning French has been understanding conversational French. Although I have made some progress, it’s still my biggest frustration. My friend Serge listens devoutly to English language pod casts and feels that has helped him understand native speakers of English better. Taking this tip from him, I too, have begun listening to recordings of French voices daily. Thanks to Laetitia, it’s just become a sweeter part of my day. Merci Beaucoup.


The picture is of a Brasserie that just opened here in Alubquerque. La Provence is run by Marc a real French guy from Marseille.