I begin to understand why artists talk about light with such reverence.  Provence is fabled for its light: A destination for artists and for sun-worshippers, en general.  Toulouse is in the Midi-Pyrenees, which is immediately west of Provence and definitely southern France.  So the light in Toulouse can be pretty spectacular, too.  Evenings are really the best time to watch the light.  It is clear and soft and the change from early evening to late is a constantly evolving show.  There’s a big, old (built before Columbus sailed) church visible from my balcony.  Around 8:00 p.m., it is white-washed by the sun.  By 8:30, it radiates a rose color, as does the city (hence the nickname “pink city” although I prefer the untranslated “ville rose”).  By 9:00, the sun is low enough that the buildings are in shadow, but the cumulus clouds are lit up – textured whites on top, blue-grays and pinks on the bottom.  It will stay like that for another 30 minutes or so and be twilight around 9:30.  But the most amazing light I think I’ve ever seen was on a short evening trip from Ayron to Poitiers two weeks ago.  It was about 9:30 p.m.

Usually in these blog posts, I like to focus on something related to Online Ed or Instructional Design. But today I want to write about something a little more personal and fun…. I recently got a hamster! I just moved into a new apartment two weeks ago, after living for four years in various places where I wasn’t allowed to have a pet. I really love animals and was excited to have a pet of my own, but wasn’t willing to pay the expensive deposits and extra rent to own a dog or a cat at my apartment, and wasn’t quite sure if I was ready for the responsibility of owning an animal that requires frequent walks and vet trips, especially when I work part time and take classes. That left me to look at the world of little critters, and after reading up on the differences between gerbils, hamsters, and guinea pigs, decided I was pretty sure I wanted a gerbil. Then, I went to the pet store, held a gerbil…. and wasn’t all that impressed. He was adorable, of course, but I just wasn’t sure. So I asked to hold a Black Bear Hamster, and the store clerk picked out the fattiest, fluffiest little guy in the bunch. As soon as I held him and he looked up at me, I knew I just had to have him. Could you resist this little ball of fluff??