Happy Spring

Two water leaks.

Two bad sinus infections.

One wall torn up.

One broken clavicle.

Car stuck in garage twice.

Stomach Flu for the grown up monkeys.

Two major head bonks.

One fall from playground equipment.

150 (OK, slightly exaggerated) colds, temps and flus for the little monkey.

Three missed trips.

So, now it is out of our system and we can enjoy a beautiful spring in Paris.  We really are feeling thankful for this journey even with the above mishaps.  We have forged some great memories so far.  We are sure that spring will bring out the best in Paris and the monkeys.  

Stay tuned.

Spring...is it here?

The last two days have been about 60 degrees and very sunny. Flowers are coming up in the parks. Some of the French are no longer wearing pitch black, instead shifting to the much more festive and flamboyant shade known as "black-as-coal".  Troy no longer goes to work in the dark only to walk home in a new dark. Have we finally turned the corner? Is printemps here? 

Editor's note:  Paris is about the same latitude as the North Dakota/Canada border. Don't hate the monkeys because they're having spring despite their northernness. Hate them because they are beautiful.

A brave friend

It is funny.  Here were are in Paris, France.  Troy wears a suit to work and you never ever see military uniforms except for the occasional French parade.  After living for many years in a military lifestyle ie: bases, commissary shopping, uniforms, promotions, rank etc., we find ourselves in a space in between the two worlds of military and civilian life.  Until you get the news from a good friend and it reminds you of your life choice.

We recently learned that our good friend will be deploying to a far off and very scary land.  She leaves her 3 year old at home with a most capable daddy because this is her job and she does it well. It reminds us of the sacrifices that are taken on a daily basis by men (daddies) and women (mommies) alike.  

For the next year she will be doing what many couldn't fathom doing.  We wish for her safety and that the time go fast until she can come home to her family and to her friends. 

We love you K and are here for you and your family.  This may be the only time you see this loyal Air Force wife say this (although we really are one military)-GO ARMY. 

Safe return my friend.

Onomatopoeia

Of course words and sayings translate differently in other languages, but you'd think at least sound effects are the same, right?  Consider the rooster and his "cock-a-doodle-doo."  In French, it is....

Cocorico!

If you were to redraw the old Batman and Robin comics into French, you'd have to get rid of "POW!" and "WHAM!" for "POF!" and "PAF!" And the bad guy would have to yell "AIE!" when he got hurt, not "OW!"

Our phrase "the cat's meow" doesn't ring too well with the French, who hear "miaou" instead. 

"Tic tac" goes the clock. (Don't worry, clock is horloge so tic toc wouldn't have rhymed anyway).

At least ghosts make the same sound. But they just spell their spooky cries differently. Bouh!

And if all this bores you, can go right to sleep with the same representation as in English:

"Zzzzzzzzz...."

A crack in the road

Well, there we were trying to get through another bad cold and fever that the little monkey caught once again this winter.  She was on day three of the fever.  We were hopeful that after putting her to bed on day three all would be well and that her fever would break.  Well, it did indeed break, along with a curious most important bone in her body.  

The little monkey fell out of bed that night, so we think, as I met her in the hallway four hours after putting her to bed.  She was crying and screaming saying her arm hurt.  She wouldn't move it.  I asked her if she fell and she said "no".  We stayed up all night with her thinking it was a cramp or muscle issue because of the two pillows she had been sleeping on. I even gave her a warm cloth for her neck. (which by the way you don't do with a break)  In the morning we took her to the doctor.  They immediately took an X-ray and the results were shocking and immediate as well:  she had broken her collar bone / clavicle on the right side (of course her dominant side!).

So here we are on day two of the broken bone chapter of Allie's young life.  She has to wear a sling type straight jacket which we are not to remove (and really can't without rendering useless) for three weeks until we return to the doctor. She is to not go to school for three weeks and she is to stay quiet for two weeks.  HA HA!   Today, I caught her standing on a chair shouting "to infinity and beyond" after the Toy story movie, getting ready to jump.

We cancelled our trip to the Italian Riviera which was scheduled to begin Saturday...which completely puts me in a mood, but then things happen and you deal with them the right way.

You have mom/grandma come out!  

Slightly embarrassing French moment

My French teacher's sister was in town last week, and the two spent a fair amount of time going around Paris and just visiting in general.  So I asked her today:

"Est-ce que votre soeur en ville encore?" which means "Is your sister still in town?"

She looked at me kind of aghast and had me repeat it, and then say it in English. Then she looked relieved. Turns out I was off on my pronunciation of "ville".  You really have to put some emphasis on the two Ls or it comes out like "vie" (life) instead.  So I had accidentally asked her "Is your sister still alive?"

Oops. 

Things that are hard to find, revisited

Back in November, we did a blog on things that are hard to find in Paris. With a few more months under our belt, we figured it was time to update it.

red onions:  Well, it turns out with a little searching at a covered market close to work rather than home, we can buy a mesh bag of red onions for relatively cheap anytime we want. Not so hard after all. Cross it off the list.

inexpensive childrens shoes:  Still a problem. However, the exchange rate is improving nicely. I don't understand why. America is leading the way into the economic crapper and our currency strengthens relative to those of other nations.  Eh,  go figure. Either that's a signal of tougher times ahead for everyone else, or American exports are going to become difficult to sell.

spicy peppers (any kind):  go to Chinatown, I'm told. Jalapenos, habaneros, the whole family. Mmmmm.....a Metro ticket away.

churchgoers:  Nah, still none of those. But as we get closer to Easter, I'm sure I'll see more.

I do have a few things to add. You may notice a theme:

English beer:  I like English beer. I think the English and the Belgians have a lot to teach the rest of the world. But apparently not the French. A Brit in my office told me where I have to go to find a Boddington's, John Bull, or Sam Smith's, and it's all the way on the other side of town. C'mon! The friggin Brits are right across the Channel!! How hard can this be?

non-French wine:  Hey, we have American wine. Prepare yourself for a nice glass of Gallo! Are you kidding me? Also, consider this:  Fact #1: The largest producer of wine in the WORLD is Italy. Fact #2: Italy and France share a border. Fact #3: It's easier to find a straight male hairdresser than it is to find an Italian wine in our area.  I need to learn the French word for protectionism so I can rail against it. Maybe I should go on strike. It seems to be the thing to do here.

Oh well. In the grand scheme of things, these are small potatoes. We live in Paris. How bad can it be?