Couldn’t agree more. Destroying our planet faster just so people don’t have to write their own emails seems insane to me. Google literally wants to use private nuclear reactors to power their AI projects… Do people really think that won’t be expensive, both economically and climate-wise?

My brother and I quote this money to this day, such a classic.

“How could he see me?”

The grass is always greener and all that. I spent the first 15 years of my adult life destroying my body in the trades. Sure the money was good, but the hours sucked and you’re still dealing with idiots all the time. Maybe Tracie in accounting doesn’t know to not click on every link she receives in her email, but at least she can write a coherent sentence and refrain from smoking crack in the porta-potties…

And don’t even get me started on service work. People who can’t use computers have nothing on people who can’t change a light bulb or plunge a toilet.

Inyalowda!

Mine does that too. It’s usually only for around 20 seconds, so it doesn’t really bother me.

I did the opposite lol.

No, good guess though!

This is all excellent advice, especially regarding France. Where I live, which is only 20 minutes from Geneva, you’d be lucky to find anyone outside larger towns who can speak English confidentially. And forget about it if you have an accent other than very standard British or American.

Europeans in general appreciate the small things in life much more than Americans. Like everyone has already said, try and relax and take it all in, rather than rush from place to place trying to cram as much as possible into your trip. Have that second glass of wine, or that dessert that looks amazing, or even that afternoon nap after a long lunch. Trust me, you remember those moments just as fondly as the big ones.

Lyon is pretty great. Depending on the vibe you’re going for, Marseille is also pretty awesome. I’d avoid it in the middle of the summer, but shoulder season down south is amazing. The weather is great, the people are friendly (if you avoid the worst parts of town, like anywhere) and the food is a nice mix of traditional French and Mediterranean cuisine. And make sure to get a flight of Ricard.

As an Anglophone who lives in France, I agree. Although where I live (east / south-east) English is not very widely spoken, even in bigger cities, but the people are generally very friendly.

Through victory my chains are broken. For the Empire! In all seriousness though, it’s fictional space fantasy. When I was a kid, watching the OG trilogy, I always supported the rebels, but as I got older I slowly became way more into the empire. Sometimes it’s just fun to root for the bad guys. Also the dogmatic nature of the Jedi becomes glaringly more obvious as you get older.

Guitar pedals. My collection is fairly modest (20-30 pedals) but I have some neat pieces, like a couple Japanese Boss pedals from the 80’s. They are functional so I don’t feel like it’s a waste of space per se. Also they look cool, so there’s that.

Mildly on topic: I recently moved to France from Canada, I’m not an EU citizen, and google isn’t really sure if I’m on vacation or if I’ve moved permanently.

Every single website now asks me about cookie settings. Most have a reject all button, but occasionally I have to manually uncheck some sliders to protect my data. Time well spent.

My parents back in Canada always think it’s some voodoo magic when Facebook shows them ads about stuff they’ve recently been 'talking about (AKA searching on Google.) Duhhh. Thanks EU!