Chad Writes Stuff

"A few times in my life I've had moments of absolute clarity, when for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think, and things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh. I can never make these moments last. I cling to them, but like everything, they fade. I have lived my life on these moments. They pull me back to the present, and I realize that everything is exactly the way it was meant to be."-George Falconer, from the movie "A Single Man"

I have to admit something. I hate coming to the south. It's not because of the friendly people, it's not about, being called sir or even because of grits, it's because it exposes a nerve, a nerve that isn't present when I am in California. I think when I am here, I often experience my emotions a lot more. I allow myself to feel. Maybe that's because I am not in cali and allow myself to feel and be present in the moment, all the while removing my mask of emotionless thoughts and feelings when I am home. I expose a nerve and say what if. What if I would have stayed in the south? Would I have continued with my faith, would I have married, would I have started a family, would I have found true love? Would I have married high school or college sweetheart? I'm not sure i will find the answers to that question. A bigger question that exists in all of our minds, which is why are we here. Is there a purpose? What is our sole mission? This is the nerve that is expos...

So I woke up today pretty early at about 7:30 to be exact. I went to my little cafe to grab some breakfast and people watch before the day began. I ordered my usual Crepe with Nutella and bananas and a cafe with cream (cafe au lait). My waitress was very nice and super friendly. She brought me my order very quickly. While enjoying my breakfast and people watching, apparently a not so mentally stable person came in and began yelling at my server. Several other servers jumped in and seemed to tell this lady to go away. She did not and the tone of her voice escalated. She became louder and louder yelling at the servers and finally picked up a chair and threw it at a table. The lady sitting on the back row of tables picked up her little dog to make sure she didn't get hurt. The lady finally left screaming and walking down the street. Needless to say, it was entertaining and I am glad no one got hurt. I went back to the hostel at about 9:30 and decided to go to Antibes with the Finnish ...

This is an amazing city. The people are friendly, if you make an effort and be humble. I have seen a beautiful mix of people here because it is so diverse. It's like a mini New York with bustling streets and activity on every corner. Are there flaws in the system, of course. There is homelessness, there is graffiti, there is smoking and there is an immigration problem as well, but the difference is, no one is complaining about it. Instead, the people of Nice go about their day, laughing, smiling and enjoying the day. I had breakfast this morning with Jorge Dahl. Very nice guy from Spain. He was heading to Marseille, but going to Monaco on this day to check out the casino. I bought him breakfast and he was very thankful. We found our way to to the bus stop and said our goodbyes. He said, if you are ever in Spain, please email me. If I go to Spain, I will definitely call him. My new friend Jorge The people in this area are heavy consumers and at every corner, they are consuming, espe...

So today I decided to catch a train to Cannes. After learning how close the train station is, I decided to walk :-). The queue for the train was long and eventually I was able to talk to a person. She helped me get my ticket and told me the train departed at 1:30, but that she was not sure what track (voie) it would be departing from. I went to the reader board and saw that It was leaving from Voie 1 and that it was now 10 minutes late (retard). It actually ended up being 30 minutes late and so I just enjoyed a cliff mojo bar and listened to the people chat. I find it interesting that I cannot understand a thing they are saying, there is still beauty in it all. The train ride was about an hour and we stopped at many amazing stops along the way, Cros-de Cagnes, Cagnes-sur-Mer and Antibes to name a few. Arriving in Cannes reminded me of the train station in Paris, not as big mind you, but busy, very busy. I found my way out of the station and began to explore the city. I found myself get...

So I arrived today in Nice. It was a quick 30 minute train ride from the Monaco train station to Nice. I didn't look at a map before I came and I should have. When I came out of the train station, I gave him the address and he said "no problem" . He said the fare would be 10 euro. and I agreed. He literally took me 100 yards and dropped me off on the street and I walked to the hostel. I was laughing to myself because that was the quickest 10 Euro I have ever spent. I arrived at the hostel and had no problem checking in. Patrick's wife, who runs the hostel, was very friendly and checked me in quickly. It is a very secure hostel. It has been recommended by lonely planet and recieved high marks on hostel worlds website, which is why i booked it. As i arrived in my room, there was an Indian gentlemen from Stockholm packing some things away. He is looking for an apartment in Nice since he is retiring soon. He was complaining about the realtors in the area and how they wont...

So today was my last day in Monaco and it was a gorgeous one. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun seemed to be happy to be shedding its light on us. I woke up at about 8 am and packed all my stuff into my backpack in preparation for my trip to Nice. Upon packing, I found that I lost my charger for my phone and called down to the front desk. I told them where I was, and to my surprise, they found it and would have it delivered to my room in a few minutes. I got a call from one of my work associates that some of the staff and I were going to meet at this cafe that we had been eating at all week for lunch. There were about 6 of us and we all had cappuccino's and they were delicious. An interesting story about this cafe is that the owner's family was from Orange County and her husband was from Monte Carlo. Sixteen years ago she moved to Monte Carlo and got married and they have owned this cafe for the past 6 years. It is a tiny little place, but they do fantastic busine...