M3: Melun. March. Madness.

Marc and I are working out our final graduate degree course, which is simply a giant-super-giant of a paper. If I blogged everything I'd written the past couple weeks, you'd all be neck deep in my coaching philosophy and wondering what sport academic had hacked onto my blog...but why?

The most odd day the past two weeks was the day it rained hard. It was raining so hard that I finally had to wear the blue tarp of a poncho all the way to my gym. I was a gliding blue duck ghost haunting the afternoon streets of Melun. I have worn many interesting, strange, and ugly clothing articles in my day: the poncho takes the cake. But with practicality winning over style, I do not regret my decision.

We got some great footage of the men's Coupe de France Pro A semi-finals, and when I compile the edited clips, I'll get those up on here.

We both had the time on Thursday to check out the opening day of NCAA men's basketball playoffs at the Canadian pub in Paris. Between bartenders who had to have March Madness explained to them, and a waitress who told a potential client over the phone, "It looks like Colorado and Murray Street are playing on this TV right now," we kept our smiles and eyes focused on the games. Nothing too exciting happened (should have gone on the LeHigh/Duke day), but it was still nice to keep at least one day of tradition intact. And we will keep cheering for all of the ST = Street teams.

I started coloring in my "Favorite Ballets" coloring book from L'Opera Garnier. Everyone should color, I don't care how "mature" you think you are. Get over yourself, break out the crayons, and color in between (or outside of, up to you) the lines. It's a very centering experience.

I've also applied to guide tours in Paris. And why not?! I have the time, energy, and insanity for Paris that we know are the marks of every great tour guide. We will see how that goes; my plan is for it to go splendidly.

Two of my best friends come (to help me with my tour guiding aspirations, of course) this Monday and next, so the next four weeks are jam-packed with plans! The "blogability" of the future is very nice, but the time necessary for publishing may not pan out. We will see if I can pace the bloggable moments - or you might just get a ton of them at the end of their trips.

We are working on our plans for next season, and everything points in the positive direction for staying here on the same team, same city, same apartment, and same 30 minutes from Paris! We are thrilled.

Spring is in the air; and while fall is my favorite season because of the natural richness, spring is a season of promise. It promises new things, growth, and refreshment after winter. Our backyard apple trees and daffodils are breaking out to help us visualize the new season, and the birds are shouting to our neighbors. Our backyard is a bit unruly, but has a wild charm to it that will draw me outside in these upcoming days.

Have a wonderful fresh start to your spring!