Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Random Observations

Just some observations from the week so far...

Random : In Europe, paper notebooks do not contained lined paper. Rather, the paper is some sort of graph paper. Either the usual tiny squares, or some even more miniscule rectangles. Really, what are they expecting of me besides sitting in boring meetings and coloring in the squares?

Random : Hardware stores in Paris (e.g. Castorama) are not nearly as fun as in the U.S. (Home Depot) or UK (Home Base). In the particular location I visited Monday, the aisles were narrow, some were mazes (i.e. you couldn’t go up one and down another and end up where you started), they were playing techno music on the loud speakers, and it was grungy. But not grungy in the way a good hardware store is (like the one up in Canada my family always used before it closed). A good grungy makes you think of progress, of people building things, tools being used, power and machinery… This place just gave the feeling of being grungy in terms of dirty, disorganized, and old. Oh well. I got my drill (although not the one I have seen on countless Metro advertisement billboards). Now I just have to wait for my drill bits to arrive w/ the rest of my goods and then it is the oh so fun times of putting furniture together, hanging curtain rods, hanging pictures and other such things that are more fun with two or three people, but which I have become accustomed to doing on my own.

Random : Just this week it has gotten lighter in the evenings, so when I leave the office at 18:00 or 18:30 it doesn’t feel like it’s 22:00! Spring might actually be here soon!!

Random : The US Embassy in France website has lots of good information for people living in France. In their list is a link for “Websites of interest” ; at the bottom of this is “Other sites of interest”. The list? Current Avian flu information ; Democrats Abroad ; and, Republicans Abroad. Really – Avian flu, Dems and Reps? What? Certainly Avian flu would fall under the “Health Care” title. Or, as Marissa said, is that the Independents?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Megs, I wish I could help you hang your artwork and whatnot. :( Certainly have not forgotten what a huge help you were to me in my old place in Sluma.