Another weird thing about being back in the U.S. is watching American Crime Dramas (CSI, Cold Case, etc.) with the characters actually speaking English. I had gotten used to hearing them speak French while they mouthed the English words. I was talking about the translated titles of these shows the other day. CSI is "Les Experts;" Law and Order: Special Victims Unit is "New York: Unite Special." And they're dubbed. I always talk about learning lots of new vocabulary from seeing "The Usual Suspects" dubbed in French, but I don't remember learning much from the televised crime dramas.

I had a very busy Labor Day weekend filled with out-of-town vistors. P. visited briefly, which was nice. He and Laura and I met up for a drink downtown. It was nice to hang out with them. Friday night I had dinner with Tony, who was visiting from Missouri. And Monday was Jacob's birthday at Old St. Andrew's.

We started rehearsals for Translations this week. I'm excited about it. I am learning a lot more about Irish language, history, and culture. I just checked out three books on the Ordnance Survey, which was England's effort to map all of Ireland, between 1824 and 1842. The play is set in a small town in County Donegal in 1833. (Actually, the name of the town, Baile Beag, means "Small Town" in Irish.)

This weekend was more relaxing. I went over to Laurie and Dave's on Friday night, and then went to a birthday party last night. Today Jen and I picked up some furniture from a friend who just moved into a smaller apartment and was getting rid of some stuff. So now I think out apartment is completely furnished. Hooray!