guitare et laverie et yoga = balance

It's Sunday morning in La Ciotat and having conquered rond-points and the supermarché it's time to do some laundry. It's the little conveniences in life that can really throw you off balance...and finding that balance again is very comforting.

As for my balancing act, I'm mostly there. Mostly only because I haven't ventured away from La Citoat...yet. Well ventured away from La Ciotat on purpose. La Ciotat, I have come to learn, is a sleepy little tourist town. Inhabited mostly by retirees year round and fueled by tourism during the summer months. I suppose it could be compared to Florida in a sense...but only in the place where people come to spend their retirement years...not in the special-kind-of-redneck-found-nowhere-else-but-in-the-dong-of-america kind of way.

The only items that I brought with me that could be classified as non-essential are my yoga mat and my travel guitar (cameras are an essential as far as I'm concerned). However, not speaking the language and being here for just over a month these items have become very essential to helping me find my balance. Yoga, well what can I say about yoga...you either understand or you don't...I understand.

Music, however, everyone understa

nds.

Earlier this week, my colleague is showing me where the break room is located. Cool...French break rooms are no different than American break rooms....vending machines for soft drinks, sandwhiches, etc all in place. Cork board with various postings of things for sale, compan

y announcements, and music something or other. Umm, wait a second. I *think* that one says something about a practice room and "do you play an instrument? if so, come join us..."

Ok, wait a second. Monday I noticed a portable building in the visitors' parking lot. Then around lunch when I'm back up there I hear music coming from inside. Could it be?? Can this gig get any cooler?!?

Sure enough, my company has a portable building specifically set up for band pract

ice and is typically completely reserved every day and night of the week for the various musical groups to use for practice. That's right, these geeks also jam AND the company promotes it!!!

Back to the break room tour. I ask my colleague what that sign says. He confirms my rough attempt at a translation AND goes as far to tell me the one of our team mates plays guitar in one of the bands that practices on Wednesday...would you like an introduction?

wh-wha-WHAT!? HELL YES!!!

So, first band practice with my new found French amis is this Wenesday....and we'll see if music can overcome language barriers...w00t!!!