And then there were TWO!

CARRIE IS HERE!!! IN MY BED!!! Unfortunately I'm not in it too, I'm babysitting.

At any rate I'm pumped, because eventually (but today!) I'll get to see her. AND THAT ROCKS SOCKS!

For now I only have one little monster, and he's rocking the late morning deal. Works for me. Julien and Maxime had a sleepover at their Grandma's, so they'll be back later this afternoon. Turns out one kid = Infinitely easier than three. Note to future parenting self. ALSO, remind me to ask all parents why they don't STOP after one. Seems more reasonable.

I have also decided that any people believing themselves ready for a child should be put through a required au pair internship with someone that has a newborn. Like a three month, paid internship. This would lead to fewer crappy parents in the world, AND harassed couples with babies would get an extra set of hands around the house.

Add this to the list of proposals demonstrating that I WOULD BE AN AWESOME PRESIDENT.

Just saying.

One last thing: Tell me this series of pictures doesn't make you smile :)

I couldn't make this up. Three in a row. Bam.

Food for thought?

Simon just had a loud disagreement with the piece of bread he was eating. Then he came into the kitchen where I was making lunch and hugged my legs.

So adorable it makes my head hurt. Oh wait no, that's just my head reminding me that I'm due for another dose of Tylenol/Advil.

In other news, I might have to stop dissing homeopathic remedies. The list of little granules (like six different vials of them) that Christine gave me seem to really have helped unblock my head. No comments please, [cough DAVE cough]. I hope this isn't a sinus infection though, that would be lame.

I so totally love children under the age of nine*

I've been bringing my computer over to the Kobrin's for when Simon naps, but it turns out he thinks all things electronic are the greatest things EVER. He particularly loves the camera, be it on my laptop (I let him click to take the pictures, so I have roughly 200 pictures of us like this from the last week alone) or the one on my Blackberry.

Now I just need to teach him to make faces.

And this is the final proof that we're destined to be best friends (as if crying when his chocolate pudding is over weren't enough) ... He sits and looks at books. I'd say reads, but hey, he's only 17 months.

*I make some exceptions for slightly older children. Like Potter. It's a pretty select list though :)

Take that, Federal Elections.

Mailed in my ballot a few days ago ... Fine, don't let me vote for governor of New York, but I swear if Paladino wins by one vote there will be HELL to pay. Actually, scratch that. If Paladino wins, period.

Things are otherwise uneventful. I'm sick with some lame cold, and the only thing REALLY bumming me out about it is that I can't taste anything I eat. I'm not sure it has ever been this bad before. I've tried everything: Spoonfuls of Dijon mustard, overdosing black pepper, soup, NUTELLA. Presumably, if you're reading this, you know me, so you can understand the FULL misery of this cold symptom. I've made progress though, now I can taste the food when I blow my nose.

Ponder that for a minute.

Moving on, I spent my post-orchestra afternoon buying tickets to La Cage aux Folles, My Fair Lady and [WAIT FOR IT] SWEENEY TODD. So excited, I always wanted to see Sweeney Todd live (pumped for the other two, too). Along with all of those classical concerts I've reserved at the Salle Pleyel, I'm starting to feel like I'm actually taking advantage of some of these opportunities I might not have again. SCORE!

Just cooked myself dinner (chicken with rice and a cream/mustard sauce, master chef that I am) ... Couldn't taste it. Curses.

Tomorrow I'm off to Neuilly-Plaisance to tutor English and have lunch with the Penets. Love them, they're so much fun to talk to!!!

Just what, exactly, are they saying?

So I've had a lot of people comment on the strikes in France and make sure I'm here/OK/Not leading the people of France to the streets to demand better quality internet or anything.

I'm not involved in these strikes, so don't worry. HOWEVER they are often taking place at République, which is where I'll be moving in November. Let's hope they work out this mess quickly or things could be more annoying.

Actually thus far the strikes haven't caused me any REALLY unnecessary inconvenience ... The trains are in various stages of strike (both Parisian public transit, suburban trains and the national train company) so everything is crowded ALL the time. There are apparently oil refineries closed, which means people have started stockpiling gasoline, or stopped taking their cars. So as long as I don't plan on going anywhere while they're busy having an uprising I ought to be alright.

This article sums it up pretty well.

Otherwise things are going well! Seeing friends, relaxing a bit; Even going to see this concert at the Salle Pleyel tonight. Not gonna lie, the main reason I wanted to go to this concert was for the second movement of Beethoven's Seventh. One of my favorites. I have a subscription to this year's concert series (which is AWESOME because they have great deals for those under 26). I had to miss two of the ones I originally booked because of changing my flight, but I still have another five after tonight I think!

Not to mention the other good concerts they wouldn't let you reserve places for ... I'll have to chance it on the lines for those ones!

Sunday, without much sun.

Today I was up early to tutor in Neuilly-Plaisance. It was fun to see the whole family again, they're really sweet and I love getting to talk to them. The daughter I help in English is in tenth grade, with gives me a nice diversion from my usual fare.

Afterwards I met Guillaume in the 18e for coffee and chats. On our way down to Abbesses to catch the métro we came upon a vide-grenier. I, of course, was pumped to see lots of framed old maps. Resisted the urge to purchase them, since I can't bring them back. Almost as upsetting as passing over that disco ball last year. (Note strange skull in front.)

I've had La Cage aux Folles at the forefront of my mind recently, and when I saw this I couldn't resist. Talk about a vraie cage aux folles. I'm not sure what makes this the most memorably epic: The doll in the cage or the doll on the toliet OR the doll on the toliet in the cage. Hard to say.

Just you know, pretty buildings. Typical.

Then Benoît and I moved my life over from Betsey's house, since I don't want to drive her nuts with everything. Besides, so much of my life is in boxes here, it makes sense to isolate the madness!

State of the Union ... Or my life.

My absentee ballot showed up at the Kobrins the other day. Which is great, except a MAJOR reason I wanted it was to make sure that pesky prick Paladino (alliteration!) doesn't get elected, AND HE'S NOT ON HERE. That man makes the Jersey Shore look downright WASPy, and I'm coming from, oh right, ARIOTTI, so I get to say whatever I want about him being so mafioso it makes my head hurt.

Not that getting to vote for two Senators AND my congressman isn't fun, but WHAT ABOUT THE GOVERNOR? Pretty sure I get to do that too. Curses.

Anyway, things are going well so far. On Wednesday I wandered around canceling cards (the USPS ate my French wallet, long story) and ordering new ones. That night I went to dinner with two friends from when I lived in the foyer on Bd. Saint-Michel as a student. Weird to think that was almost three years ago. We had lots of fun catching each other up on stories and such, and it was a good reintroduction to Paris.

The weirdest thing about being back is that unlike last year, I don't feel weird being back. In three months not much has changed, and I feel like I never left. Last year coming back was after being gone for a year and a half, and I didn't know everyone as well. This time it's almost like a homecoming of sorts -- at this point I'm as at ease in Paris as everyone else I know is in New York City.

That's a more than a little disconcerting.

Yesterday I went out to my favorite school (that I WANTED to go back to) to visit my teacher friends and see if the kids remembered me. Turns out, if the mauling is an indication, a lot of them did :) It was lots of fun to catch up with everyone, and I hope to go out and see them from time to time. If I could swing it I'd volunteer to help out there on Thursdays when I'm not working. It would be fun, and they could certainly use the help ... I wasn't replaced. In fact, new reforms to the French national education system are cutting everything from external assistants to funding for activities that have always been considered standard. So basically everyone who works in a school is ticked.

Then I hung out with my old neighbor boys for awhile before grabbing coffee and a cookie with Betsey and heading to orchestra. Turns out that I'm not completely incapable of sightreading; I actually managed to hold it together fairly well for the rehearsal. I'm hoping that wasn't a fluke. They're in the process of deciding who gets to go to China and and play a chamber concert at the end of the month, so wish me luck. I sooooo want to go to China.

Today is day one of au pair life. Simon is probably going to wake up soon. He's so much bigger; I suddenly understand why people say it goes so fast. Now he's 17 months, and he started walking while I was away. Blows my mind how much taller and older he seems.

More soon :)