Lyon - November 29, 2004

I went to a soccer game on Saturday. I've discovered, though, that the real excitement of a soccer game doesn't come from the game itself - though it was an exciting match (Lyon, the number 1 team in France, barely beat Auxelle, the number 4, by a score of 2-1). Nor does the real excitement come from the fans - though they were very exciting (between the screaming, cheering, flag-waving, throwing stuff, and setting off flares, they made the game a lot more interesting than the ones I've been to in the United States.) But no. The real excitement at a Lyonnaise soccer game comes from rooting for the other team.

I felt bad for them, though! The entire stadium was thundering "LYONNAISE! LYONNAISE! LYONNAISE!" and what did the other team have? No one. A tiny little blue and white square at the far corner, in a sea of red. It seemed kind of unfair on the Auxellians. So, I started cheering them on a bit, when they made a good play - just in the interest of fairness - which went fine until the other people I was with (Americans!) noticed.

"You're rooting for the ENEMY?!!" Lin asked, horrified.
Kate - "That's really lame, Nathan."
"What are you talking about, 'enemy' - we don't know either team!"
Lin - "Yes, but after all the time you've lived here..."
"Under three months!"
"...You don't have any fellow feeling for the Lyonnaise?!"
"Oh, please, there's more Brazilians on the team than Lyonnaise, anyway."
Sound of disgust from Lin: "Traitor."

My telling them that it was just a game didn't seem to improve the situation.

On Tuesday, I went to a fencing lesson (epée) with a couple of students in the year program. It's kind of interesting. They plug in the sword to an extension cord, looped through the fencing suit, and slung up through a system of pullies on the ceiling, to a little box that rings and lights up when you score a point. I can proudly say that I won both matches (the first against the other student who was teaching me and wasn't attacking, the second against a ten year old girl). Oh yeah - I'm good. I'd just started to play against another guy my own age - a lot more interesting - when the time ran out. I'm thinking of going back this week. The skill could come in handy, should I go to another soccer game.

The main thing I'm busy with at the moment, besides school work, is trying to find a place to live when I go back to Santa Cruz. I'd just found a place that appeared absolutely perfect - large yard, heated pool, cheap rent, nice housemates, two ferrets, unlimited free rent at the video place they work (the housemates, not the ferrets) - when I discovered the catch. The place is 20 minutes away by bus, which runs 4 times a day (6:30, 8:30, 3:30, 5:30). As I've got classes after 5:30 on Mondays, that would leave me basically stranded on campus, unless I wanted to take a taxi once a week. Sigh... back to the search.

Last Sunday I went to the modern art museum. Unfortunately, two whole floors were filled with an exhibition that I didn't find particularly interesting. It was a multimedia art exhibit, which meant for the most part grainy black and white images of... the sky. The only piece that was at all interesting was the one with a guy dressed up like a fly, buzzing around the roof of his apartment building. I preferred the exhibits on the first two floors. On the ground floor, there was the "Bizart Baz'Art," an interactive art exhibit featuring all kinds of bizarre consumer products completely covering the walls and ceiling of a little hut. My favorite was "Cry for Fame" - a little mechanical dog with its fur ripped off, scrabbling frantically against the side of a glass cage, trying to escape, an Oscar standing imposingly behind.

There wasn't any other news last week, in case you were wondering.

Ciao for now.