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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Summertime…and the living is (sort of) easy

We seem to have gone full force into summer now. Temps in the mid-80s and sunny days. I find myself thinking this would be a great place to live if it we could always go around in shirt-sleeves and cotton dresses. Oh, and if I were independently wealthy and could travel any time I wanted. But back to reality… In fact this heat wave is a bit tough to handle considering very few homes and apartment buildings in France have air conditioning. This means after about 1 in the afternoon it’s time for the big floor fan and I must “water” the balcony concrete slab to cool things off. And sleeping is next to impossible as the sound of our little fan keeps me up, so I must make do by dressing lightly and just using the sheet.

The number of classes I have is diminishing as people’s training courses end or vacation time arrives. Good and bad news as this has an effect on my paycheck. Meanwhile I’ve started the career counseling thingy (yes, that’s the official name ;). And as the lady gives me little tasks to do between sessions, that’s keeping me busy and a little stressed. But maybe it’s time someone shook me out of my routine a little; I don’t seem to know how to do it myself.

And summer has brought with it a few different TV programs. Back again is my reality TV favorite: L’amour est dans le pré (Love is in the Prairie). An opportunity for Remi and me to analyze farmers’ attempts to woo eligible men and women. We generally come away from a typical episode glad that we’ve found each other in this big old world, despite our list of faults (mine are many!). Then there’s Desperate Housewives, this year available in English (thanks to our super-duper internet-cable system). We were both thrilled to hear the real voices and the real humor. Remi’s proud to understand it pretty well.

And soon we’ll be off to the US for three weeks, and our time is already nearly planned to the limit with visits. But it’s all good, we’re gonna try to enjoy every minute of it. And since mom keeps bugging me about what I want to do while I’m there, here’s my to-do list:

1. Eat some Krispy Kreme doughnuts (original glazed and chocolate glazed).
2. Eat at a Mexican restaurant, preferably when the mariachi band is playing, but not right next to my table, thank you.
3. Eat California rolls.
4. Check out how my local Wal-Mart has evolved.
5. Soak up the little things, like riding down the highway and seeing the signs for “rest stops” and the pine trees whiz past us.
6. Catch up on friends and family, of course!
That’s all for now, and hopefully I’ll get a post out before I leave.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like now the first 3 things on your 'to do' list involves eating! A girl after my own heart!

Jenenz said...

The donuts, mexican food, and california rolls are going to taste fabulous. Since you can't get them all the time, the flavors will burst in your mouth and send happiness to your brain!

That show about the farmers sounds interesting. Doesn't matter what you do in life, people just want to make a connection!