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b'Opener: Aton I\'m back in California now, since my work in France is done. All told, we were there about nine months. That\'s a little shorter than the year originally planned, but clearly we enjoyed a wonderful experience. I was there for my job, and the job changed a bit (for the better), which is why we came home "early." All of that time was spent in Paris. It was the move to Toulouse that didn\'t happen. As my wife Candy says, we\'ll just have to go there on vacation some day. Before we left France, however, we recorded a podcast with our good friends Melissa & Olivier. They were the first people who responded to my invitation for a Light/Short group. Not only did they become our most reliable boardgamers in the group, they also became our best friends in France. It was difficult to say goodbye, but I\'m confident we\'ll see them again. As you\'ll hear, they\'re new to the hobby, very enthusiastic, and are starting to attend big events in the hobby. They\'ll return to the UK Games Expo at the end of this week, may go to Essen later, and will no doubt start attending the game events in France. If their careers bring them back to New York, then I expect we\'ll see them at the American game events, too. I enjoy hearing how my friends got into the hobby, and this interview has the added benefit of Olivier\'s international perspective. Anyone who wishes their spouse played more boardgames will be green with envy when you hear how these two enjoy the hobby together. Wow! Other mentions: New York 1901 with its artwork like bande dessin\\xe9e London Notre Dame Risk (which originated as the French game, La Conqu\\xeate du Monde) Ticket to Ride: USA, Europe, and UK Paris Connection TransEuropa (Polish edition) First Class: All Aboard the Orient Express! French game groups & meeting places: English Speaking Boardgamers of Paris Cafe Meisia Anticaf\\xe9 Beaubourg Joueurs Anonymes \\xa0 Say hi to Melissa & Olivier if you see them at the UK Games Expo Closer: Our international hobby -Mark'