Tuesday, July 29, 2008

More Interesting Facts and Packing Up

Why is it that every time I plan to go home I seem to get sick right before I leave. I'm no where NEAR the sick I was the last time I went home, but I did wake up with a sore throat and have felt nauseous all day long. I'm also friggin hot. All these damn people talk about how friggin cold the north of France is and how I am going to hate it because it's so cold and the sun never comes out. Guess what folks, I'm sitting here melting with an oil slick on my face, the sun pounding it's way through my curtains and no air conditioning. Oh, and I'm going to miss Cyr's birthday and that makes me a little grumpy too. I love birthdays. Cyr hates them, is that a French thing? The good thing is that I get to have a wedding shower and see friends and family. Oh, there is also the slight possibility that being hot and sticky makes me grumpy.

I did want to blog about something I see here all the time. When I go grocery shopping I always see what I like to call the Strangely Focused Shopper. These people, the SFS's buy a whole bunch of one thing. Often I see men or women with no less than 10 baguettes in their arms. Why? Are they feeding an army? That bread will only last a few days you know, you can't store it like jelly. Or water, I always see people with shopping carts FILLED with water. Just water, nothing else. This happens EVERY time I go shopping. I'm not just talking about oh that one time I saw the guy with the shopping cart full of water. I mean I always see it, often more than once in an outing. I have also seen the soda pop cart. The last time I saw this it was a family with a shopping cart overflowing with coke, ginger ail and tonic water. They love tonic water here too, how interesting. I thought the French were supposed to drink wine all the time. What's up with all the water and soda? Are they meeting the people that have all the bread for dinner?

6 comments:

Justin said...

Well I hope you feel better before your trip home! Be sure to give the US a big hug for me.

as for baguettes... a few days, you surely mean 12 hours? I see them too, and always wonder the same thing. I buy one and it is stale before I finish it... so 10?

islandgirl4ever2 said...

I hope you feel better, too...
Hey, for the bagettes... I think they eat them all in one go... or cut them in pieces and stick them in the freezer.... Makes no sense to have frozen baguettes when there are soo many bakeries around, I know... But, weird... I konw... My hubby always buys a lot of water and it's just us...

islandgirl4ever2 said...

Oh one more thing.. I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE to celebrate b-days, too... I think Americans are just used to having any occasion to celebrate something... which I am in favor of!! We have tons of parties.. etc.. So, I have seen here that adults don't celebrate their b-day in big parties like we do in the states.. It's like when you're a kid.. you get to celebrate but when you grow up... POOF!!! That's it, no more b-day parties... We celebrate my hubby's and mine.. cuz I like to party!! Our b-days are a week apart so it makes it easy... Last year we had Thanksgiving B-day Party for four of us!! It was GREAT!!!!

Melissa said...

Girlfriend....if Hot and Sticky bothers you then you may want to postpone your trip (although that would make me very sad)! It is freakin' hot AND sticky in Houston right now!

Susan said...

I got the same sort of comments when we moved from Australia to England. Frankly, I've been overheated in England far more often than underheated - that's because all the shops and public transport have their thermostats set to something in the high 20s, which, as an overcoated punter, is ghastly.
My best bulk shopping sight was one of those tiny old ladies you see so often in rural France, and she was buying vast quantities of smoked salmon and chocolate - nothing else - I want a granny like that !
I am slightly concerned that you have a label for 'sick', btw :-)
Susan

Susan in Lille said...

Justin - yeah, 12 hours is about right actually!

Leesa - Frozen bread?! That's nuts...

Missy - I'm trying to pretend I'm really in Jamaica and just can't see the water.

Susan - So far the only place France overheats that I know of are the trains, uh, I think they had the damn heaters on last week! Oh - I made the sick label because I just know if I get sick in France again I am sure that the doctors visit and the pharmacy encounters will be entertaining. :-)