Packing

So, in packing preparation, I did the usual apartment inventory v/s my US shopping list to figure out what I need to buy in the US (and thus how much space to leave in suitcase, what bubble wrap to pack, etc)

What I realised is that I (a) am becoming a hoarder ; (b) cannot leave my apartment for way more than 2 years ; (c) have amnesia when in US and shopping at Kroger’s which then induces ; (d) panic buying.

What does a single woman need with 800 Q-Tips? Or about 200 each Advil and Tylenol? Or 4 toothbrushes? Or 325 calcium pills? Or 2 giant (aka US sized) bottles of bath soap, not counting what Marissa just gave me)?

Granted, I do feel that the 1 extra deodorant and 1 extra tube of toothpaste are not enough. And even right now in my mind I’m thinking that having 3 jars of peanut butter is ‘risky’ and I should buy 1 or 2 more, and same goes for having ‘only’ 180 multi-vitamins left. Cripes! Sure, some of the panic buying is because I fear the next time I’ll be back in familiar shopping land (Cincinnati) will be Christmas 2011, so I have to “make it through” the year, but still.

I don’t think I need a glass of wine, I need to be hit over the head with the bottle!!

Undeniable adult truths

I received this as an email forward yesterday and was laughing out loud reading the entire thing, so I thought I would share. When I first read the email subject, and the second time, I read “Audit”, not “Adult”. Obviously I need a break!

*my comments to the original text are in green

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. *LOL, so true!!!

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font. *AMEN!

5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? * I finally figured this out about 6 months ago

6. Was learning cursive really necessary? * I hear some schools are no longer teaching cursive!

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day. *Hits me about 14:30 – 15:30, then a burst of productivity comes at 17:15

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again. *Is Blue Ray really going to over take DVD completely? And is it by Zones too? (can I buy Blue Ray here and will it work in US?)

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
*Just happened to me yesterday morning! I stop after 2.

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is. *All the time I do this

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

Updates

It's 10:30 and I'm just now having dinner after bell choir rehearsal. As I haven't had much more than 1 hour to myself at night between arriving home and going to bed these past weeks, I figure the easiest way for me to update is to recap my Facebook updates ....

Random thoughts first, yet to be posted to FB :

--if I ever invite you over for dinner, check the expiration date on the food before you eat it

--Boston just seems so far away right now, and I wonder if I'll ever get back

--Saturday is the Christmas concert at church, and after bell rehearsal tonight, I'm no longer looking forward to it. Although, about 20 people from work are coming. Cripes.

--Sunday I am going to Ballet Russes at the Opera Garnier

Today : From church finance committee tonight, while discussing the Pastor's Discretionary Fund ... one woman says 'except then you still have people coming to the front desk hungry [and looking for money/handouts]'. Umm... it's a church, you share and do good work, right? And then bell choir put me in a worse mood. Bah Humbug.

Wed, 9 Dec : Dizzy this morning, weird.

(And also locked my keys in my apartment, still in the key hook. Luckily I have a spare set at work. So I get to work about 8, leave at 8:30 to go back home and hope the spare set works (in most Paris locks if your keys are still in the lock on the inside you cannot open it) I got lucky.

Tues, 8 Dec : Ohio, you disappoint me. [execution by lethal injection]

Mon, 7 Dec : Patriots, you're breaking my heart and ruining my Monday mornings.

Sun, 6 Dec : Bells at church today. Then tour of the famous Paris les egouts (sewers).

(Also, did you know that rats are the only animals that can survive in sewers, survive the bacteria, etc. That's pretty cool.)

Sat, 5 Dec : Back from IKEA - got nearly everything I needed, but should've bought 2 of one thing instead of 1 - gggrrr. Now off to BHV.

Fri, 4 Dec : It's 53 in Boston ; snowing in Houston ; and I have yet to turn on my heat in Paris.

(And Happy Birthday, Allison!!!)

Thur, 3 Dec : Finally got to the Louvre last night.

Sat, 28 Nov : Watching 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' on DVD. Only 2 days late, but it counts! (well, 1 day late as we had our T-giving celebration Friday night)

(But, I'm so 'Bah Humbug' right now, I have no motivation to watch the Christmas special ; and for me, I never feel like it is Christmas until I do watch it. Should be an interesting year for me then.)

Sat, 28 Nov : Up the Eiffel tonight (only to level 2 as level 3 was closed due to strong winds)

Sat, 28 Nov : Fontainebleau

Random thoughts

Some random thoughts I've been compiling the past two weeks (my apologies if any are repeats) :

--If it is Monday and I say "next weekend I am going to Boston", what do you think? Do you think 5 days from now or 14? In France/French, they think 5 days (i.e. le week-end prochain), as in this weekend. It was confusing enough when we expats got to the Paris office, so we overcompensated by always using dates. But now, we're getting ourselves confused with using "next" - is it this or next, or next next?

--One colleague gets Le Monde every day at work. But it is in his corporate mailbox by 3 p.m for the next day - how can they write, edit, layout, print, publish and distribute the next day's paper by 3 p.m. the preceding day?

--I am always amazed by people who go on holiday and then return all gung-ho, ready to work 12 hour days and are excited about work. Sure, I return from vacation all rejuvenated, but not necessarily raring to be back at work.

--I keep trying to figure out what to do with my life when this stint is up. I thought, gee where would my current zip code put me in the US? Turns out, Denton Texas. Time to think up a new moving location strategy.

--Yes, it seems to be a universal problem....filling the copy machine with paper. I feel like I am forever putting paper into it, nevermind that I print 1% the amount that the guys down the hall print. I just went in to pick up a print job and one guy was staring at the display screen, then left. Ummm, 2 of the 3 paper try indicators were Red, showing 0 paper. And the dude just walked away. I'm going to go mental one of these days very soon.

--If you’re supposed to use hot water to wash your hands, how come most of the faucets in the women’s room are turned to cold?

--And speaking of hygiene ... the company has had all these meetings and studies relating to H1N1 and whether or not we can all work from home. But still the French insist on shaking hands every morning (or, if it is 3 p.m. and it's the first time they've seen you, then shake hands then) ; granted, it's better than the kissing. But seriously - GERMS. I know not everyone washes hands. So now, before the person even turns away I take out my hand sanitizer and use it in front of them, with a slight look of disgust on my face. One day I want to sneeze into my hand and then shake theirs. And never mind the interruption it brings to your work/concentration, to stop what you're doing to shake hands ; or that the other person will stand there in the hallway and wait with hand outstretched while you shift your papers, phone, pens from right hand to left.

--One of my neurosis is I like blue ink pens... Another one is that even if it’s a cheap, free, pen, I.want.it.back. So how did I ‘lose’ 2 pens and 1 pencil last week? I am sure when colleagues were at my desk and we were doing work, they walked off with them. And I think I know who, but how can I go take back a cheap, free, office pen? The kicker is the pens were from the London office and I like them. A lot. Ugh.

--The UK has a “Serious Fraud Office”? Seriously? That's the name, honest.

--When I read books where characters are in relationships, experience emotions, etc (i.e. all books), it makes me realise I have little of that, of close human emotion/contact and makes me feel more alone. I feel better when I read things like National Geographic (well, then I just hate humanity and weep for Mother Earth rather than myself).

--Yes, I actually feel like it is a minor victory, like I have done something to advance time when I am looking at the clock on my computer and it changes. Seriously. It was 13:52 and then it was 13:53 - all because I looked! Whew.

Lots of Random Thoughts

Lots of random thoughts, mostly observations made at work, presented in random colors.

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother coming in to the office early (7:30 or 8). I have not even 2 minutes to breathe as at least two of the people in my team are already in office (I think they get in at 7 or earlier?) ; I liked having a boss an hour time zone behind me and who came in late (although it meant I had to work many late nights to accommodate her schedule). I don’t even have time to have my computer on and log in to my email before I’m being asked a question that is also awaiting me in my email. Gggrrrr. I am awake in the morning at home, I enjoy the morning, I enjoy reading on the commute, I even enjoy the leisurely walk from the RER to the office. But as soon as I sit down, tiredness and lethargy sets in. It's as if my body suddenly thinks it's 3 a.m. and it was rudely transported from bed to desk.

I know people are allowed to have changes of opinions, and it’s actually a good thing, but seriously? I think some in my company have done full 180s in opinions this past year, some even doing 360s, and 540s. Fine to do that, but don’t then pretend like your first opinion never existed and that instead it is some error in logic on my part! (i.e. I create a presentation/analysis based upon your point-0 assumption ; you then change your mind to point-180 and tell me my numbers are all wrong. Umm, they were your idea in the first place!) It wouldn’t bother me so much if point-0 was incorrect, but 99% of the time the difference between point-0, 180, 360... is just due to a change in company politics rather than some sort of underlying fundamental business reason.

My co-workers in Portfolio tell me I have the best desk in our office ; but even though I tell them no and the reasons why, they don’t believe me. My back is to the window and I can see the door and sort of through the venetian blinds that are in-between the double windows in the hallway. Fine. But, (a) all morning I have a horrible glare on my screen, at some points so bad that the only part of the screen I can read is the part that is in the shadow of my head (b) I cannot see outside as my back is to it (c) I get to see everyone who comes in, and then see them try to mask the disappointment on their faces if I am the only one in the office. And, this also points to the fact that people will naturally goof off a bit at work – who cares who can see your computer screen if all you’re supposed to have on it is work stuff anyway?

Why do others get huffy that I have my keyboard settings set to English? Let me explain... I have a French keyboard (AZERTY, along with a lot of other changes), but in the Control Panel settings I set it so it types as if it were US. I don’t have to look at the keyboard when I type. And, there is an icon in the menu bar down by the clock that says EN, you can change it so it is FR, and voila you have a French keyboard. So if a co-worker or two on my team is at my desk and we are working and then they want to type, they get all flustered and annoyed that it is EN. I point out that I can change it with one click to FR and they decline. Well, if you decline then deal with it.

Why did the IT guy who installed my new laptop, and supposedly is the point of reference for our business unit, tell me to call the company IT hotline to have a program installed? Like I want to do that? It’s a program I had on my old laptop. It’s a program that the company created and has the license for it. Why couldn’t he call when he was here? Why couldn’t he have it pre-installed on my laptop as I had identified it as one of the programs I use. Cripes.

I have a daily French phrase calendar, by Living Language. Why must co-workers feel the need to tell me when there are errors? And not like they are errors, but more ‘this is how you should say it’ – like if an English calendar had ‘To whom did you give the book?’, and I was the smart-ass who says, while that’s grammatically correct, people actually say ‘Who did you give the book to?’ Give me a break. I feel like they are berating me and not the calendar.

Why does Windows Vista NOT have a lot of options already in Auto Correct? Older versions of MS Office did (which , it’s a frightening list – go to Tools, Auto Correct – then look at the words. Some are easy to see they are corrections for people who type too fast, i.e. adn instead of and. Others are corrections of misspellings and these are horrific!)

It looks like, more than a year after the merger (which was in discussion for 2 years), that the London offices of the two companies will combine at some point this year (or next). Our side of the group, the much much smaller side, is complaining. Oh boo hoo, you have to move across town and your commute is longer? For what, all 30 of you? Really? You’re complaining about having to transfer Tube lines? You didn’t have to move to Europe like some did. Or have to move to Houston like others from Boston did. Or get made redundant. Buy a book and enjoy the commute.

Why do my French coworkers all say Salut to each other but Bonjour to me? (Hi v/s Hello // Informal v/s Formal)

Why does everyone else think Chartres is so stunning and beautiful? It’s not the best cathedral I’ve seen.

In Excel in the new MS Vista, if you are saving it as an older version of Excel so the rest of the world can still open the document, you get the warning message of : ‘Minor loss of fidelity’. A loss of fidelity? Really?

What is the H1N1 outlook where you are? Are people all terrified? ‘50% of the US will get it’ is one thing I’m hearing here – that’s like saying 50% of marriages end in divorce. So what, that means 50% don’t. All these contingency plans for working from home – fine, sign me up, I’ll do that now. We (expats) are trying to get the French to stop all this hand shaking every morning – you know not everyone washes their hands between Metro and office.

Ok, now I know how the French stay skinny .... A co-worker had English class today, so missed lunch. I gave him the bag of almonds & cashews I have in my desk drawer. He had some and said thanks, that it was better than nothing, even if it was junk food. JUNK food? Nuts? He said, yes. There is salt. And that cashews are the fattiest nuts. Seriously? Ok, I know that, but they're not laced with chocolate and caramel in a candy bar!

And how can Le Monde, the leading French newspaper be in our mailbox in the office by 3 p.m. when it is the next day’s paper? This means it had to have been printed by noon to be delivered to the office and then distributed. It’s not even a late edition for the same day, but the NEXT DAY. I guess I do find out the news before it happens!

And, I am much sadder about Ted Kennedy's passing than I am about Michael Jackson's.

I Wish Lunch Could Last Forever

Some random thoughts I've been accumulating the past few days....

--Why does my refrigerator sound like it has a cricket living inside it? (And the fridge is only 4 months old.)

--Why can’t a girl just buy a pot watcher if she wants one? My mom has one and I think it’s the greatest thing ever. However, trying to find one in a store in the U.S. is impossible. Suggestions?

--Why is it when I decide to go to Starbucks after church, to pay an exorbitant 4.50 EUR (6.40 USD) for a chai latte, and to sit and read, that the are always 3-5 groups of people with young children? And these young children are ALWAYS annoying, loud, screeching, pounding on tables, etc. I ALWAYS end up storming out of the place in anger.

--Why is there always ONE person in church who cannot read the prayer in the bulletin, or recite the Lord’s Prayer, at the same cadence as everyone else? Why must said person always be a few words ahead or behind? Certainly it should be obvious that he/she is off-beat and adjust? And why must these people always be within earshot of me?

--Don't know what it was at work today, but it was first day in three weeks where I was fantasizing about the Jameson & Ginger I was going to have on the commute home. Tastes soooo goooood....

--I really really detest / despise / hate when I’m in meetings and other people are on their BlackBerrys. Not just checking the time or a quick message, but sitting there head down, frantically pounding the tiny keys into oblivion while replying. Hello, I’m talking to YOU and asking you questions. Get your head out of your a$$ and pay attention in the meeting and stop wasting my time. (This megativity also stems from the fact that a few of the people weren’t listening to me in the meeting (half of it I was leading), weren’t reading the information I sent out, and obviously hadn’t paid attention or read the information six months ago the last time we went over this strategy exercise. Oh, sorry if the forecast of the group’s operations isn’t interesting to you... whine whine whine.)

--When did work stop being fun, exciting, challenging, engaging, etc? Well, I could tell you but then it’d just be depressing that I never quit. Time to do the 4-1 countdown (1/1/11).

--I don’t know if it’s the whole company, but at least our branch is working on an H1N1 (aka hi-ni to some of us) contingency plan. Not so much what would we do if 50% of our workforce died, but rather, can they work from home if necessary. And get this, the fear isn’t for infection in the winter, but rather in September when the whole population gets sucked back into Paris on some sort of giant rubberband that let them escape on holiday for 3-6 weeks. We Americans in office are trying to stop shaking everyone’s hands each morning, but it’s so engrained into the French psyche that it’s like asking them to give up wine, bread, and cheese.

--I’ve found a good way to lose weight : be so tired when you get home from work that you have just enough energy to have a bowl of cereal for dinner.

--And seriously, why was the financial ‘crisis’ that ‘hit’ last September such a surprise to everyone? If you look at most of the economic figures (fx rates, unemployment, job creation, GDP, ISM indices, etc.), they were all going down starting since at least March-2008, if not 3-6-9 months prior.

Random thoughts

Just some recent thoughts throughout my sleep deprived day Thursday :

--Sleep deprived because I landed in Paris (from Houston) at 9:30. Wednesday and was able to sleep a bit on the plane. But, Wed night, I went to bed about 22:00 and was awake from at least 01:00 to 04:00 - I think it was the first time that jet lag has really ever hit me that badly.

--I think the new 103rd floor glass balcony at the Sears Tower (Chicago) is just insane!

--Happy to read that India decriminalized homosexual intercourse between consenting adults. When one lives in a more liberal place, one can often forget the discrimination elsewhere.

--July is looking to be a good month : Paris, London for Buffett concert, Trinidad, Bastille Day, Springsteen in France, and Canada (let's hope I didn't jinx myself!)

--It took me at least one full day to go through my work emails and sort them and file them and ... after being out of the office for the week (one of the perils of having two work email accounts, one of which is only accessible on the laptop that I do NOT take when I travel because it is : old software, all in French, French keyboard, and weighs a lot)

--It has been hot in Paris and I don't think my office space area has proper a/c vents. The hallways and other office areas are cool, but mine is not. And we have a window, which one of my colleagues will open (I usually open it every day when it is cool outside), but the air outside is hotter. Basically, it just turns into a hot, stuffy, stale air mess.

--Why does an Eddie Bauer order I placed, with express shipping, go via FedEx from Columbus (OH), to Indianapolis (where it sits overnight), to Erlanger (KY) and then to Cincinnati? Where are the logistics in that?

--I had to be in two photos for corporate in-house magazine stuff (young, female, American - I allow them to check off several boxes). But these were to be photos of several of us 'having a meeting'. Then photographer kept telling us to lean in toward one another and to smile, to 'be natural'. There is nothing natural about that!! I don't smile obsessively during business meetings ; we don't lean in toward one another ; we don't focus on someone and look into his eyes when he's talking - we're all leaning back ; some checking blackberry ; looking out the window. No wonder why I always look at photos in such publications and scoff at them.

14

That's how many hours of sleep I got yesterday / last night, between a 2 hour nap in the afternoon and 12 hours at night, only waking up twice. I don't feel 100% due to this cold, but at least I'm not the walking zombie I was yesterday!

Two big news items : 

1) I got my Carte de Sejour yesterday, which is basically my residency permit card allowing me to live here for longer than they allow tourists. Now, due to a mix-up with UK Immigration at Gare du Nord in Paris, I have to go have a meeting or two with them so the UK can reinstate my work permit (long story and not that interesting).

2) I got 2 tickets to see Jimmy Buffett in London on Sunday, July 5th!!!!!!!!! Any takers?

This summer will be great : 

July : Buffett in London, Bruce in Brest (France), holiday in Canada

August : Belfast for Tall Ships

September : Boston / Maine for friends' wedding ; Buffett in Paris 

October : Patriots at Wembley (UK)

Now, I just need to find time to actually do and see things in Paris and in France.

3 things

1st) I am sitting here having a hot toddy out of my new Jameson coffee mug. This means two things (a) I am getting a cold ; and, (b) I made it to the Jameson distillery tour when I was in Dublin for a brief stopover on my way to Galway last weekend for the Volvo Ocean Race.

2nd) I just bought 4 tickets to the Jimmy Buffett show in Paris this September!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!! (of course, me being megative me, I won't be 100% confident until I receive the tickets in the mail)

3rd) This is my first weekend in 7 weeks I will be in Paris all weekend. I am so excited to just stay home, finally transfer all my music, photos and files to my Mac ; clean ; put all the mail and papers and stuff away that has been accumulating the past 7+ weeks ; and relax!