So, it has been just over a year since my last entry. What have I been up to?, you may wonder. Well gather 'round, one and all, for I shall tell my tales...

I am back in France. I think I was in Ohio during my last post. Claire and I have had our own apartment for quite awhile now. Nothing great, but there is a lake nearby, and a good bakery. Lyon is just a short tram ride away.

Noisette disappeared while being in France, back in July. She never came back... It hurts just to type this now. We found a tortoise shell cat here in front of a nice pizzeria last October. We named her Myrtille, after a berry much like a blueberry, but red inside and not as palatable raw. She was staying at Claire's parents while we were finishing the appartment and getting settled in. We got a call one day saying that she didn't come home the night before.

The weather was bad, it was now January. There were problems with the train so we had to wait until the next day to search, and she had been missing for a day already. It was dark already when we arrived, but we called and left food and posters made with the only photo I took of her. A neighbor saw the poster, and told us he found a cat matching the description on the road, just next to the house. He had put her to the side, at least. We didn't see her, as it had snowed before we got there, and she was covered. We had left food not far from her...

She loved to play. She played with anything and everything. She had a temper, but she was very sweet. We think she was separated from her mother, as she would try to get milk from us when she lay next to us.

If I ever find someone hurting an animal, there is a very real possibility that I will kill them. Just the other night while walking around, Claire and I found a pigeon that probably didn't die naturally...

We adopted three cats that were going to be euthanized after the old woman that owned them died. The woman wanted it like that apparently, but her grand-daughter couldn't let it happen. Two boys; Zoe and Toto, and one girl; Bibiche.

They are all older cats, so of course, no one else wanted them. One Day, Toto got sick and started vomiting. He couldn't even keep down water. His kidneys had failed, and his pancreas was failing. We had to euthanize him. The vet said he was probably older than what we were told. Some places apparently give the age as younger than what it really is to encourage adoption.

We ended up with three other cats. Mercure, a female and FIV+. Neo who is FIV+ we got from the lady that fostered Zoe, Toto, and Bibiche; and Loki, both males. Mercure and Loki we are fostering, but we will likely adopt Mercure. Loki was taken in by a woman, but he didn't get along with her other cat so we ended up with him. She didn't have him long so he had no name, and he causes trouble, hence his name. She may be able to take him back though, which would be nice.

Plus we still have Olive in Ohio, and his supposed sister Pandy. She actually got a home, and Olive and Noisette were abandoned. Then, the people that abandoned her wanted her back, and then gave her back to the person that they gave her to before. He didn't want her anymore then, supposedly because of the baby that he was babysitting... i don't know, some ridiculous story like that. people are ridiculous. So I told my mother to take her, and that we would take her when we get back.

I don't get it, old or young it's a cat all the same. Zoe runs around like a kitten all the time. I encourage anyone out there, if you want a pet, adopt. Pet stores are disgusting things. And please, sterilize your pets. Seriously.

Some pigeons made a nest on one of our balconies. There were two eggs. Both hatched, and the babies grew up well, but one died somehow. On the other balcony there were two more, but again, one died. Do pigeons commit fratricide?

So that explains my absence. On to happier things.

My birthday was on the 10th. That's two since I've been here. I still haven't done anything with my photos. I will though, I'm getting back into the groove of things.

I want to get some Nikon equipment. I want to get into Daguerreotypes. I'm thinking of making chests and maybe making a living with it. I can't do normal jobs and be happy I feel. I have always liked chests and boxes. Photography doesn't seem like a valid career choice for me, unless I can land something related to nature. I still love it though.

I think I have a thing with light. I have always loved to see how it behaves when passing through different mediums. This may be why like photography. I'm interested by glassblowing too. And gems. I've always loved gems and minerals and fossils.

I went to a mineral exposition some months ago. It was awesome. Some really beautiful natural pieces there. It's in Bourgoin-Jallieu, if you are ever in France. It's supposed to be one of the best ones. International and serious.

There was a magnificent amethyst geode there. It was a tall stalactite or stalagmite geode, at least a meter. There was a column of amethyst running completely from top to bottom, with a large pink calcite in the center of the column. All for only 16,000€.

Well, I got a much smaller amethyst, a citrine, some garnets, a labrodorite, a microcline-labradorite, a vesuvianite, and an apatite. I also won a large kyanite ore. It's not too prety, but there are a bunch of the crystals sticking out of the rock. I've always liked stuff like that, but never was able to get anything. Well, I have some pyrite from a field trip in elementary school, and some tiny tumbled stones from a vacation, one of which might be ametrine...

I want to get some in-line skates, and a good bicycle. I need some better shoes too. I still want a Pentax Spotmatic II in good condition. I regret not buying one I found on a collectors site that was complete in box. Now it's probably been sold on eBay for ten times what it's worth.

I have a bunch of mosquito bites. It gets pretty hot here.

Even when I joined dA, it didn't seem as nice as I remembered when I used to browse it. maybe there is a smaller amount of serious artists. maybe it's just that my tastes have changed. maybe it's just because I'm not too social with the community. I hope to get my own site up sometime to put my work, though I'll probably still be around here, though I tend not to keep up with things.

I have gotten back into making my mods for Morrowind, so don't expect anything too soon. But at least I'm doing something.