Qu'est-ce Que C'est?

OK, time to get meta and blog about the blog itself. First, an explanation. The accompanying photo is of David Byrne of Talking Heads, whose song, "Psycho Killer," includes the phrase "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" ("What is it?") In this post, I want to discuss what this blog is all about. Hence, the title. (As I see from the Wikipedia entry, "Psycho Killer" includes several other lines in French -- none of which I ever picked up on in the dozens of times I've listened to the song. While that may be an indication of how much (i.e., how little) French I know, I think it also reflects the fact that what I like best about the song is simply how it sounds. It's catchy. I couldn't tell you what any of the lyrics are, even the ones in English.) I considered titling this post "Malkovich Malkovich...," in reference to another piece of post-modern art, Being John Malkovich. As those of you who have seen the movie know, when John Malkovich enters the portal that leads into his head (those of you who haven't seen it: I told you it was post-modern), bad things happen: everyone looks like John Malkovich, and though they appear to be speaking intelligibly, every word they say is "Malkovich." Here's hoping this post ends up better.

On to the task at hand. I see this blog as being several things at once:

- A way for us to let our family and friends know what we're up to and and how we're doing in our vie en France.
- A chance for us to step back and process all of the new things that we're experiencing.
- A forum (an excuse?) for us to write. We both enjoy writing. What better fodder than a move to Paris?
- Relatedly, a way for us to talk about us. As my mother says, people love talking about themselves. (Remember this adage, and you'll be able to minimize awkward silences at dinner and cocktail parties.) What is a blog if not an excuse to tell the world what you think?
- A way for us to communicate with one another. This may sound strange. We're husband and wife, and until we learn French and make some more friends, we're spending just about every minute together (outside of my time at work). Surely we share with one another everything that we're thinking already? The answer is, Yes, to a certain extent. We do talk a lot about what we see as we walk down the street. But not everything we see or feel can be immediately related; some thoughts and observations develop over time (and we're both very thoughtful and observant). This blog lets us share those deep thoughts not just with you, our faithful readers, but with one another.
- A way to remember what happened to us here -- not just the formative living-in-Paris experiences and aforementioned deep thoughts, but our favorite cheeses, wines, restaurants, etc.
- A means of reflecting on life as a newly married couple. Certainly, living together as strangers in a strange land draws two people even closer; we've noticed this already in our short time here. Indeed, it's almost a metaphor for how marriage is, or should be: two people, bound closely together, against the world. And certainly as well, it is important at the start of a marriage to develop the right habits of talking, sharing and, for lack of a less touchy-feely word, togetherness. But as our lives become busier and we each begin pursuing our individual activities and interests, the dynamic may come under some strain. Regular postings on a shared blog can help to re-center us. Hence, the title of this blog.

That's the "what" and the "why." The "how" depends on the "who" -- that is, which one of us is blogging. Ashley sits down, starts typing and, 20 or so minutes later, has produced a smart, snappy, cohesive post. I sit down, and I mull. And mull. And write a few sentences. And bite my fingernails. And glance up at the television. And mull. And then, with luck, write a few sentences more.

For me, the "when" is even trickier, for even when I'm finally done, usually I'm not. Five minutes -- or two days -- later, a related thought or a different way of saying something comes to me, and I go back and revise the post. And when I re-read it, some other phrase catches my eye, and soon I'm re-working other parts. Walking through Paris is very conducive to thinking, so this happens regularly. Needless to say, Paris is also full of wonderful things to do, so what may be less regular are our actual blog postings. Ashley has been good about making time to post, and encouraging me to do the same, but I'm not as disciplined as she is.

But that's my process. Personally, I think our contrasting styles make for entertaining reading. I hope others agree, but at the end of the day, it's our blog, and we'll post if, when, in whatever manner and for whatever reasons we want to. To paraphrase another song.

-- MBB