jeudi 5 septembre 2013
We are moving back to the United States!!!
No. Not really.
We are having a baby!
Yes, really.
It is due March 20th 2014 by the French way of calculating due dates, March 13th by the American way.
So far, the doctor thinks it is a girl, but isn't sure.
We have absolutely no idea for a name. Any suggestions welcome, preferably not starting with P.
Had really bad nausea throughout the month of August, making life difficult for me and uncomfortable for everyone else, including coworkers.
By the way, who ever knew that having a baby was so complicated? It is like organizing a space launch.
I am pre-enrolled for a hospital, right across from my work, but don't have the confirmation yet.
I have sent in some of the official forms, and we have to wait until six months before requesting a place in the city daycare. (Which are so in-demand, good luck getting a spot. And yet, France wants women to have more children. Maybe make it easier for the kids to be taken care of, and women will)
Ah well. One thing at a time I guess, starting with not throwing up.
jeudi 22 août 2013
Our vacuum recently decided to permanently retire. We can't complain too much, Alain's parents gave it to us for free when we set up household eight years ago.
It seems though that we are at the point where everything needs to be replaced- steamers, hot water pots, hot water bottles, pots and pans, mattresses, pillows, sheets, towels. I guess everything has an eight-year programmed replacability, or whatever the official term is.
We didn't use it much, would usually sweep first, vacuum up the pile of sweepings, and then mop. (And usually not more than once a month. Whoops)
So Alain was tasked with going to Carrefour one saturday and buying a new one, since obviously it would probably be difficult to find a repair place and probably cost more than it is worth.
Yes, I let him go chose our new vacuum alone as I was indisposed and well, let's face it, he is usually the one to do the floors.
He complains more doing it, and is apt to vacuuming up gold bracelets and the like (no matter how many times I ask him to not vacuum the tops of furniture) but does a better job at it. I help though, running around getting everything off the floor, preparing the mop, and fishing things out of the vacuum bag.
So anyway, the new vacuum is on the right (but you could probably tell that already). It is small and light, which is perfect for our needs. We lost the attachment thing long ago, so maybe now with the new one, we will sweep less.
It's been an exciting summer.
mardi 16 juillet 2013
Here is a picture of my office. It is on the sixth floor (Americans: seventh) of a building with nine (Americans: ten) floors. It is on one of main streets of Marseille, not far from the center of town and the beaches. The desk was recently installed, and I am very pleased with it. Before, I had one large table and one computer workstation, a small unstable desk just large enough for the computer screen and I couldn't put my legs under it because of a shelf, I guess to put a printer on.
mardi 11 juin 2013
Saturday morning, Alain and I dragged ourselves out of bed at 7 am and drove to Toulon for our niece's first communion. She goes to a Catholic school, even though they aren't particularly Catholic, and I guess Saturday was the semi-annual mass baptism/ first communion. Alain is her godfather. It was a bit difficult choosing a present as we were told 'no jewelry' (from the school) plus 'no christian stuff' (from his sister). Hum.
Alain finally went to a bookstore and bought a fictional girl's diary from some uprising in France in the 1870's and "Dictionnaire des rebelles". Good ol' anti-establishment frenchisms.
We got to the church around ten, and met up with both sets of grandparents. It was a modern church, which I didn't really like. Packed with people. Alain's sister said we would have to 'do something' unspecified. It turns out we didn't have to do anything at all other than stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down, kneel, stand up, sit down, the usual.
Man, she adores her uncle.
No pictures allowed during the ceremony, but after it was over we snuck back in and took some pictures in front of the altar, until the nuns starting cleaning up around us.
Afterwards, we went back to their house (in the middle of a major renovation- they had to move out for three months while workers added a mezzanine).
After lunch, they sent Manon to her room for awhile while they put together a tower of cupcakes. She was thrilled.
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