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mchookem

Certifiably Surly
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Posts posted by mchookem

  1. 9 hours ago, Smax said:

    And I'd like to add that this is a perfect example of the CR circle jerk. I've participated in threads here for quite some time, piling on Trumps stupidity, maga idiot gops fascism Texas idiot leadership, yet I dont think Biden is great and several of your start attacking me ...
    Get over yourselves

    i thought Derka got banned 🤔

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  2. anyways...

    we. loved. Paris.

    i'll share more later... but basically we did like half the things i planned and it was fucking awesome and we would totally come back. 

    may i just say i will miss 2+ hour lunches with 3 courses and wine and dessert and then a 'nap' 😄 

    also we rode trams, metro, RER trains, taxis and Uber...i think the only public transit we missed was the bus. Europe's ability to move mass amounts of people everywhere everyday should embarrass the USA.

    Pepe Lepew came back.

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  3. girl... we've been in the country 12 days, i've been eating almost nothing but French food 😆 we did Lafayette's just last night!

    i was curious about 'French-Mexican' food but that doesnt seem to be a thing on its own, it's all trying to be some version of 'texmex' and i assume failing lol. 

    we've had some spectacular meals and i've eaten some things i'm not even sure what they were... but it's all been good lol. we've also tried Thai, Mediterranean/Lebanese, seafood (on the coast), and we cooked quite a bit when we were out in the country. the food has been outstanding and my digestive system has felt great 😁 and i'm not even getting into the bread, cheese, and wine lol.

    but...i live in CO now, good central Texas bbq IS foreign food to me 😆 also our French exchange student friend loves it 🤘 anyways, it's called Melt and i would definitely recommend it!

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  4. 14 hours ago, rage-a-holic said:

    French BBQ?

    not in the slightest...

    On 5/26/2024 at 3:50 PM, mchookem said:

    why eat bbq on the other side of the world? because their pitmaster is from central Texas. and because it's waaay better than Colorado's 😆

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    the taste has not been adjusted for French palettes...this was straight up Texas bbq. even the sides tasted like Texas - the potato salad was fantastic. i wish we'd gotten there before they sold out of the ribs! 😆

  5. spent the last couple of days in Brest in Bretagne, which is not at all a tourist destination but is where our French friend lives and works, and it turned out to be a really nice midpoint stop. Brest is home to the French Naval Academy and has been a French naval base and military harbor since 1631. it has a 3rd century castle that houses the Maritime museum. it's full of rowdy sailors 😄, a cool lift bridge, and some damn good food, especially the oysters.

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    these narrow openings allow archers to shoot arrows out but were too narrow for anyone to shoot back.20240524_082948.thumb.jpg.4ada8f1896014e7a5a5a889faef48ec0.jpg

    Normandie was covered in USA flags which made sense. seeing our colors flying over this castle was cool, we think it was for upcoming DDay celebrations which are apparently going to be huge.  20240524_092501.thumb.jpg.2344fb950c7f00435d85338574239e63.jpgScreenshot_20240525_150620_PhotoEditor.thumb.jpg.822180d8defe474618bc60f9d4d725c3.jpg

    so we had to change some plans, primarily bc my sister was really struggling with the anxiety. there's a lot behind it...but basically we all concluded there was literally no way she could handle Paris...she didn't even leave the apartment once in Brest and it's less than half the size of Corpus! it was disappointing for my dad bc he wanted to see Paris, but we'd already gone thru two unprecedented panic attacks with her and barely avoided a third, so we all decided a change in plans was best. so that's how my mate and i ended up on a regional high speed train from Brest to Paris which was awesome 😁 so it's just us now in this gorgeous Paris apartment.

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    only problem now is our nosy Parisian neighbor who is freaking my husband out 😆20240525_133625.thumb.jpg.99bfdc1b91b76250dffb7f9cb6fa41cc.jpg

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  6. the last few days...

    Utah beach 

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    i was told all the Longhorns were back at home sipping tea 🤔

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    moving...and prescient 

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    i can't decide if it's weird or cool that they have that guy up there

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    rifle found off Omaha in 2013 😮20240522_075224.thumb.jpg.c4160bc780bbc95270ece2a284fc552e.jpg

    last evening in this place...i could spend two weeks in this exact home easily... and we're already planning it 🥰20240522_133923.thumb.jpg.2c620c4f91ad5cf29b82d2fbe1cbeaed.jpg

    American Cemetery...i was not expecting Omaha beach and the English channel to look like the coast of Hawaii 😮 20240523_031642.thumb.jpg.b4df9488f3b08b08c6a0d5b112d376ae.jpg20240523_033233.thumb.jpg.de0b7a7ff68f1d79979adc66752e4757.jpg

    this might literally be the most unbelievable place i've ever been/seen...

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    ...and this is the best purchase i've ever made 😆20240523_181443.thumb.jpg.2fc9e7c38919f3a4f9ff4dc2a529d437.jpg

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  7. well. do i have some pictures.

    here's just a couple from tonight. 

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    this one has a german bunker and the full moon...

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    anybody visiting Normandie that needs an AirBnB recommendation, lmk... this is the most awesome place i think we've ever stayed. 

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    also that^ pic was taken at 10:20pm 😮

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  8. well... we drove across France today. which was mostly just beautiful and breathtaking and there's like 11th century castles just there on the side of the toll road lol...but MY GOD between the traffic and the absolutely torrential downpour... just going around Paris almost did us in 😳 it was like trying to drive 610 around Houston at 5pm during Harvey.

    ANYway... the sun was still up at 10pm (which was unexpected and weird!) when we finally arrived here...

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    watching my dad walk across the street and stand on Utah beach was...well, you don't get many moments like that, especially at 76. pretty special.

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  9. Strasbourg

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    Notre Dame de Strasbourg. so big it looked like an optical illusion and it triggered a bit of my megalophobia. i can't imagine what the Paris one is going to be like. definitely had me gawking like a tourist dork. which i am. who gives a shit. 😄

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    most of France has had a ton of rain this year, lots of flooding around the country. 

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    in general the French seem to be much more engaging and effusive than Germans, kind of snarky and smartass. i fit right in 😄 also, France has ALL the nationalities. 

    but wtf with the absolute dearth of ice in Europe. i mean it only requires water, it's not exactly a luxury 🤨

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  10. a few shots from the last two days. or three. i'm not sure. the effect of jetlag on me specifically has been interesting...i have insomnia and am a night owl by nature, have been since childhood. then i retired and it became extreme, so at home i am often up very late and typically sleep until at least 930-10, and i only get up then bc i set my alarm every day. that has somehow translated here to...i am sleepy and in bed by 11pm, and am wide awake at 730am. weird.

    the thing i'm most surprised by so far...i think i could live in Germany.

    Leaning Tower of Kitzigen. we recreated a family photo from 1969 in front of it. pretty cool deal. 

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    Munich biergarten 20240516_112453.thumb.jpg.8d63383a0f0691da3f7f8b53ac2120cd.jpg

    Zugspitze

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    german wine and german funyuns for hotel hh in the rain 

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  11. so here's my first rec...if you're like me and you freak out a bit on flights longer than four hours, and you are willing to pay a bit more for comfort/room/service but aren't a surly 1%er and can't afford Polaris, and if you live in a city that has a nonstop flight to Reykjavik...then I highly recommend Icelandair Premium Saga class. it's basically domestic first class service and comfort. nonstop from Denver, with a 4 hour layover with full access to United lounge in Denver and Icelandair lounge in Reykjavik. 

    reviews for economy class are full of horror stories...but splurge for Saga and it's pretty freaking awesome. food was shockingly good, and the gin choices were outstanding... apparently that's an Iceland specialty. i did not know that but i was happy to sample a few! and the lounge in Iceland is open bar... and by that i mean there's just a counter with open bottles of whatever liquors, with an ice bucket and glassware and setups/mixers... and you just make your own drink. 🍸 

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  12. On 5/9/2024 at 9:16 AM, GenXer said:

     

    Tonight it’s Gary Clark Jr at majestic

     

    how was GCJr? seems like he probably puts on a great live show... we're seeing him at Red Rocks Monday!

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