Why a Blog?

Contrary to most bloggers, I'm not one who readily uses or understands technology. I'm a writer, and most writers would love to see the return of the typewriter if only it had the ability to cut and paste. In light of this confession, the idea to start a blog about my life in France seemed counterintuitive. But seeing how much time I have on my hands these days and how writing, for the most part, is a pleasure notwithstanding the kind of technology used, I decided to create this blog. You might find the title deceiving. Although fictional devices may be employed from time to time what I write will neither be fictitious nor from or relating to the planet Mars. Unfortunately. My blogs will instead be about life in Marseille, which sometimes feels entirely unknown and foreign but is actually, surprisingly, home. One cannot be in France without doing what the French do best: complain. But whether I'm complaining, waxing philosophic, or writing about the pleasure of buying a pain au chocolat from the neighborhood patisserie at exactly 4:30, when the day's second batch just comes out of the brick oven, hot and golden brown, this blog will hopefully open a window onto the expat life--in all its misery and glory. So for those of you (expats and non-expats alike) who do take the time to read this blog, please share your thoughts!