AliThinks

Perspicacity

After she'd been tucked into bed for a few minutes, my daughter said, "Mommy! Come look at the fireworks!"

Indeed, from the bedroom window we could see fireworks that were happening in a neighboring community. The three of us watched for a while. My kids were commenting back and forth: "I want to see some green." "Yeah, this is nul, just yellow and red."

The final fanfare came and went (with green AND blue!), and we heard the explosions long after the fireworks had ended. My daughter seemed disappointed that the show was over, but I reminded her that we'd be arriving in the States on the 4th of July, and that we'd most likely get to see fireworks.

And she went into pre-teen mode, and emoted, "Yes, but we're going to be like this [head lolled, eyes rolled back into head, tongue out] when it's time for the fireworks, and you're going to be like this [shrill voice] 'Stay awake! It's time for the fireworks!' and you know, whatever."

The Most Fun I've Had All Day

I created a Simpsons avatar of myself.

Of course, it's not even 11 am here...

Thanks

...for all the kind and supportive comments to my previous post.

It didn't take long for me to start feeling like myself again. And the past couple of days I've been pretty busy catching up with old friends. Yesterday I hopped on a train to Paris, just because I could. Today I am taking my daughter and her grandmother shopping (grandma doesn't drive).

I've spoken on the phone to other friends, friends who used to live here but now live in the States; we happen to be in La Rochelle at the same time.

And last night an old friend from high school got in touch via MySpace. And that is pretty cool, too.

Not to mention that I have an ethernet connection here, and Allan is never very far away.

So things are good. My melancholy was short-lived. I have even gained a little clarity.

Now let me ask you a question: should I start answering comments with comments? Or should I continue to respond with a personal e-mail (which I haven't done during this trip, as you may have realized)? What's your take on it? What do you do?

Amputee

My trip to France is rather long because my ex wanted us to test out la garde alternée, one week with the kids, one week without. They lived with me all last week, and they'll be with their father all next week. Then they'll come back to me and we'll prepare to fly back to the States for their annual month-long visit.

I returned the children to their dad yesterday, so they could participate the block party organized on their cul-de-sac. Their beloved grandmother was going to be there, too.

When I came back to my gîte, and sat here alone at the computer, I felt unsettled. It is not a problem for me to spend time alone. I do enjoy it. But yesterday, I had neither my children nor Allan near me, and neither in sight for the immediate future.

When I am with Allan, it doesn't hurt as much to not be with my kids. When I am with my kids and Allan isn't there, it doesn't hurt as much either.

Yesterday I felt like some parts of me were amputated. I felt numb. It was such a bizarre sensation.

Yes, this is a situation that I created. I have two lives, and I am trying to reconcile them. I'm tired of it being one or the other. I want both. Maybe that makes me selfish, or maybe I'm just like everyone else who seeks happiness even if it engenders upheaval.

Quoting Allan

Just after I relayed, via instant message, my daughter's question: Why doesn't Allan buy a ranch in Texas?

Alison: I really don't know why she asked that. It was totally out of the blue.

 

Allan: A random misfire of neurons caused by a hormone surge, I would imagine.

Queen Anne's Lace

Queen Anne's Lace, originally uploaded by Alison.

Sad, Funny, Or Ironic? You Decide.

Le collège de ma fille se trouve à coté de l'ANPE.

My daughter's school is located next to a branch of the unemployment office.

It's A Good Thing He's Going To Spend A Month In The United States

My son, to me, as I was preparing dinner: Mom, why do you always put a torchon on your épaule when you're kitchenin'?

All you francophones out there, feel free to chuckle along with me.

Ogre

My Son's Breakfast, originally uploaded by Alison.

A boatload of muesli with almost a liter of milk on it. He ate it all. An hour later, he's asking when we're eating lunch.

Somebody, Please

Explain to me why I woke up singing Foreigner's "Double Vision"? And no, it's not because I overindulged at the launch party for 24 Hours of Flickr. 

(Now you hate me because you're singing that song too, now, aren't you?)

The Flickr shindig was a lot of fun. I went not knowing a soul, and got to meet a number of VERY cool people, including some of my Flickr contacts. It was a great way to spend my first night in town. Also? Yahoo! knows how to throw a party. The venue was intimate without being crowded, the food was spectacular, the wine was delicious, and the music wasn't overpowering.

This morning I'm having coffee with Jeorg. We live in the same damn town and never see each other, so I'm laughing at the fact that we are meeting here in Paris. And this afternoon I'm having coffee with Gentry, although she has also told me we'll be eating cakes as well. In between the two coffees, I have no idea what I'll do. The French have a great word, flâner. Je vais flâner dans les rues. I'm just going to mosey about.

I love this city. My children are the reason I came to France, and I can't wait to see them tomorrow. But I'm glad to have this time in Paris; I visited only a handful of times during my marriage, and that was early on.

There's more to say (there's always more to say about Paris), but I'll leave it for now.

Before I Go

I'll leave you with a video. It's almost seven minutes long, but it's a subject that's close to my heart!

Thanks to mi amigo DannyG for posting the video on YouTube!

E to the N to the T

This morning I saw an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor. My doctor had made the appointment for me, so I kind of had to go.

The first verdict? I don't have an ear infection, just a lot of "gunk" in my ear.

It's so very reassuring to hear medical doctors use words like "funky" and "gunk" to describe ailments. Really.

The solution? Trying to suction out the gunk (which happens to be "crusted against [my] eardrum"). And then trying to peel it off.

Uh, yeah. I was squirming in the chair. Because it fuckin' HURT.

It also didn't work. Next was a pressure test. The eardrum in my good ear responded well. The eardrum in my crappy ear didn't.

So the ENT gave me two options, even though he couldn't detect any fluid behind my eardrum because of the crusted-on gunk:

1) Get numbed up so he can make an incision in my eardrum to drain any fluid. Because of the gunk, he can't just use anesthetic drops. He'd have to give me a shot. IN. MY. EARDRUM. And the injection would make me dizzy.

2) Get on the plane armed with Afrin, ear plugs, and chewing gum. Apply olive oil to my eardrum every day, then use Debrox to remove the gunk. Return to doctor upon my return to the States, so he can check for fluid and take any necessary steps. Like numbing up my eardrum (with drops, presuming the gunk is gone) and making the incision to drain the fluid.

Because I had some things to do this afternoon, I chose option 2. And after I did said things, I went to a thrift shop and got a sundress for three dollars. Then I bought these (for less than the website price) and YAY! I'm almost ready to start packing my bags.

Where Does The Time Go?

We went away this past weekend, to see one of my favorite cousins. She lives in the DC area (CEO, don't kill me for not looking you up). Another favorite cousin drove down from the Philadelphia area..

I took 191 photos. Many of them are crappy, especially the ones I took at HonFest on Saturday. And you know, this disappoints me, because I'd rather photograph quirky things and people than historical monuments any day. But judging from a preliminary viewing of my photos, I got some great ones of the flags at the Washington Monument -- shortly before my camera and I melted into a sticky pool of plastic and perspiration.

It was a great weekend, despite the soul-crushing heat and humidity on Friday and my infected ear, which the doctor described as "funky." My eardrum didn't explode on the plane to DC, but it may well do so at twice the altitude when I fly to France on Wednesday.

Yeah. I'm going to France for three weeks. In two days. I haven't even thought about what to take or anything like that. Part of it is that I've traveled so damn much that it takes me about 15 minutes to pack. [But the LAUNDRY, Alison! -ed.] And I'm going to France, for God's sake. I lived there for thirteen years. It is not a foreign country to me. It is also not a third world country, so if I forget to pack my Q-tips or even my underwear, I'll be able to buy some there.

Right now I'm more concerned about my funky ear, and I'm waiting for a callback from the doctor. The Levaquin (aka an antibiotic strong enough to kill a frickin' dinosaur) has not helped.

Speaking of health-related issues, it turns out I'm allergic to Kentucky. The doctor put me on Zyrtec in addition to the antibiotic. At least THAT seems to be working. I no longer cough like I've been smoking 60 cigarettes a day.

So yeah, time is flying. Life is happening.

Cooking

I know. I promised stories about my college reunion. They will be written. Someday.

Right now I am trying to figure out what to cook for dinner. Neither of us is really in the mood to decide what to eat, and I'm not in the mood to go out. But I figure I can get the motivation to cook something.

I think I'll peruse Clotilde's new book. And maybe I'll follow the wine pairing for whatever recipe I choose, because Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours created them. And in a cool example of small-world serendipity, I just discovered that Lenn is a fellow alumnus of my college. He's a little younger than I am, though.

292

That's how many photos I took this past weekend.

Gratuitous Photo of Adorable Kittens

Little Kittles, originally uploaded by Alison.

Allan took this.

Word Verification ON

The spammers must have known I was away, because they left me a spate of comments this weekend. I hate to do it, but I'm turning the word verification on for a while.

The Weekend

It was my 15th college reunion this weekend. I have many things to write about, but the stories will have to wait. Allan and I are heading east to my brother's house just now; tomorrow we'll drive back to Kentucky via Pittsburgh (read: IKEA).

Hope you had a good weekend, too.