Ahhhhh, what a morning! And I don't mean that in a good way. I'm no longer used to 6:30 wake-up calls, and I am definitely not a morning person... Have I mentioned that before? The fact that I am decidely NOT a morning person? Well, I'm saying it again. Especially after this morning. I know that you can get a heck of a lot done by waking up early, but my body is just not cut out for it. At least not yet... Who knows, maybe one day that might change (of course, I'm not going to hold my breath!) -- or I may be forced to change myself. But in the meantime, I am fighting against it with every bone in my body.
Especially when the wake-up requires a stop at the local medical lab to get some tests done, something which can't be done directly at the doctor's office here in France. I know we have an excellent healthcare system, for the most part anyway, and trust me -- I'm not complaining. I just wish I could get the lab tests done in the same place where I have the doctor's appointment. So it didn't require crawling out of bed at the crack of dawn to have either some needles stuck in me, or other fun forays into the medical domain...
My boyfriend had gotten up yesterday morning to go have some bloodwork done himself, to check up on his cholesterol levels and make sure he was doing okay. It's a necessity after the health scare he had last April, and we have to monitor his heart condition on a regular basis. And I'm constantly feeling guilty about this, because I'm wondering if I'm not cooking the right things, if I'm not taking care of him as well as I should... Of course, I know stress doesn't help things either, and I'm not responsible for everything. I like him to be happy, so I try to treat him from time to time, but then I get the gnawing feeling that I probably shouldn't have made that sweet chocolate mousse on Sunday... Especially if I had known he was going to have tests done on Monday morning!! Even he didn't think about it, didn't make the connection until he got his results on the Internet today... Argh, the triglycerides are not looking good, and I have a feeling the chocolate mousse definitely didn't help.
So off I went this morning, leaving my boyfriend wandering frantically around the apartment, tearing apart every room in search of his car keys, for gosh's sakes, which he could no longer find in order to move his car from one side of the street to the other... We live in one of those neighborhoods where the cars need to be moved midway through the month for one reason or another... I can't remember why this morning, for the life of me, he has to do that. But if he can't find his keys, he can't exactly move his car, now can he? I decided not to harp on the fact that it seems incomprehensible to me that he could lose his own car keys, as I knew this wouldn't help matters much, and I also knew that if I started looking myself I would get as frantic as he already was, and that wasn't going to help either. So off I went to the lab as planned, did what I had to do, stopped by the good boulangerie near the lab, and brought home piping-hot fresh bread for us to share at breakfast. He had calmed down by then, having found his keys in the interim, but still had to go out to move the car.
While he was gone I tried to put as much of the junk back that he had taken out in his hunt, but still hadn't finished when he walked back in the door -- damn, is he quick! And I'm as slow as a snail... I don't think I was awake yet, that was part of the problem. I got the coffee going, slapped on some makeup so I wouldn't look too dead at the office today, and finally wobbled into the kitchen for breakfast. We were both in crappy moods, and the lost keys hadn't helped. I was of course relieved he had finally found them, but I was pretty sure he would anyway -- and guess where they were?? Ha ha... At the bottom of his tennis bag. I think I could have told him that ahead of time -- I don't know why I didn't think of it... (Jenn, are you reading this? What is it about men again?!?!...)
And of course you would think that getting up so early would allow me to head out of the apartment early to catch the perfect train and get to work well ahead of time, right? Well, you would think wrong... I ran out the door the same time as usual, as I got distracted in the kitchen trying to clean up after our breakfast. Old habits never die... I ran down the street and arrived, out of breath, at the train station, only to see that the train I usually take was going to be five minutes late. Well, perfect, right?! Yeah, I guess, except there was no guarantee that it would get me to work on time...
And, well, I did make it in the end, so that's certainly a relief -- but it's given me a bad taste of things to come... An ominous foreshadowing of events this Thursday in Paris, when a huge grève générale is expected on the whole métro/train/RER/bus system.
Oh, how lucky we are. We knew this was coming, but I have got a baaaaad feeling about it this time around... Anyone remember Fall 1995? Yikes!
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9 comments:
It'll be ugly, this grève. Aïe.
Oh, Alice. I always like to hear from you and your post was just read aloud to me. It's okay. Perhaps, in a way, it could still be a good morning, but at least its finished. Petit bon lunch, babe.
In Paris, is it possible to get a home nurse to come? I pay the extra out of pocket -- which is not very expensive here in the countryside -- but that way I don't have to drive to a lab at some ungodly hour without having eaten.
If you're really sick, the doctor can prescribe to have the blood tests done "à domicile," and then it is reimbursed by the fabulous French health care system.
Early mornings- yuck! And the early morning groggy search for the car keys, I can relate to that! My housemates used to wake me up at 7am to move my car and I would spent 15 irritating minutes searching for them half asleep. Is the strike just for one day or is it possibly going to go for longer?
Oh, man, I don't know how long for the strikes yet -- I don't think anyone knows at this point! It's just too soon to tell... But here's hoping they'll be finished as QUICKLY as possible. As it is, I've had to come up with a Plan B for my next couple of evenings -- given that I will have no trains from where I live to get me into Paris or back home again. Thank goodness for friends who live in the city!
I think Jenn's right, though -- this is probably going to be the worst strike we've seen in years... I just hope it won't be anything like '95! That apparently lasted for months...
Betty, that wasn't really necessary this time around -- I was able to drag myself out of bed, I was just grumpy about it! I'm a bear in the morning. But it is good to know that we have that option, that's for sure!
Micah -- ah, funny seeing you around these parts! Yeah, guess things could always be worse, n'est-ce pas? But did you mean my post was okay, or that things in general were all a-okay? ;-)
Yeesh, I absolutely have to go to Marseille on Tueday, and I don't have a car... I hope this is straightened out by then. So, how are you getting to work, Alice?
Last night a kind soul let me crash on her sofa-bed (you know who you are, dear friend!) and tonight I'll be staying at a colleague's in the 14th arrondissement, so tomorrow morning we'll either walk in or try to take Vélib's (although I think there's a slim chance of us finding bikes, but anyway...). This morning the line 14 worked fine and wasn't crowded -- the perfect solution as there are no drivers -- it's automatic! (so not affected by the strikes) I walked from St. Lazare to work, which was only about a 20-minute walk.
I still don't have any trains to get home tonight, so that's why I'm staying in the city and depending on the generosity of friends and colleagues. Here's hoping things clear up by tomorrow afternoon!
Well, I have a french doctor and I visit him every year for a check up on my blood... The French health system is WAY in front of the Australian system.. its worth the trip! :o)
I used to be the one frantically ripping the house apart to find keys. Now we have a key bowl next to the door. And we shame each other into putting all of our keys in the key bowl as soon as we get home. It works!
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