Expanation and Excuses

I know some of you(the few that stop here periodically)are wondering at the woeful lack of activity on this and the livejournal of the same name.
Welllll...The typical workweek here in Lyon is up at 5:30 in time for a run through the rain locker, and a bowl of 19 Euro cereral (that's about $24) and on to the Metro at 7:30 for the journey to the other end of Lyon. Then a bus to the back gate of the client's sprawling facility. Meetings with the client all day until 1800 or so then back to the hotel by about 1930. Then if the strength is still sufficient find someplace for a reasonable dinner which usually takes a couple of hours. A quick dinner is not in the language here. Back to the hotel and collapse. Repeat.
Couple this with a spendid French cold and the fact that Internet access goes for 5 Euro per half hour or 15 Euro for 24 hours (that's $7 and $20 more or less) and you have several excuses. Cold and snow this weekend have allowed some slack this weekend so I am trying to catch up both with my reading and writing and other work. I will try and do better but I have at least 3 more weeks on this stint and the way things are going it will only be the first of several more trips.
Lyon is a lovely city, the people, in general, are polite and friendly, not to mention very tolerant of my atrocious French. Some are even beginning to understand my southern accent.
We only have the BBC and CNN in English on the TV and the endless repitition wears thin very quickly. I have purchased a kettle so that I can make tea and coffee in the room and I broke down yesterday and bought some instant soup. Those that know in real life will know what that means.
Anyhow, please excuse the dearth of activity and do check back periodically as I am pretty sure I will survive this and return to my normal level of writing and posting.