Friday, January 28, 2005

January 27, 2005

So Dagmar and I are going to Strasburg February 14. I found a deal with the train tickets—only 20 Euros each way—and I booked us into the youth hostel. Dagmar should be really, really easy to travel with. I have a pretty strong feeling that she likes to go her own way and do her own thing, so we should be fine together.

I am also trying to get to the Carnival of Venice next weekend. I found (again, a deal) bus tickets there and back and one night in a hotel for 125 Euros. I am trying to talk at least one other person into going with me, as I need to book at least two tickets. Of course, everyone else has to hold committies to discuss the whole thing. I am trying to explain that time is a bit of an essence here, the trip leaving the 4th of February, but everyone is lollygagging. They’re lollygagging to the left, then they’re lollygagging to the right—they’re a bunch of lollygaggers! Hmm, I need to remember to teach that word to my students.

It is cold and windy here. It is below zero without counting the windchill factor. The wind is from the north at between 90 and 100 kph. I was planning on going to Nimes this weekend, but I keep putting off my trip because it is so cold. Also, the female conductors in Toulouse have started a spontaneous strike because a female conductor was raped—while she was at work. Honestly, I don’t blame them for striking. But anyway, the strike has disrupted train services. There are a lot of trains not running, and some stations are completely shut down.

I still haven’t received Mom’s package yet. She sent it about two weeks ago, but last week being the “official” week of strikes, I’m sure it is more than a little late. (The post office workers went on strike one day, and the next day was the trainworkers strike. The day after that it was the teacher strike, and after that the doctor strike.)

The love lives of at least two of the assistants here are all topsy-turvy. The Chilian (Jose) has broken it off with the Italian (Alyssia). He was a right asshole anyway (in my humble opinion) but she seems to be pretty upset about it. And Jo has a French admirer. He asked her out on a date. Problem is, Jo has a boyfriend and she is quite content with him (I’ve met Tom, her boyfriend, and has my seal of approval). So now Jo is trying to figure out what to do about this guy. Should she try to set him up with another friend? Should she just say no? Should she say no but then invite him out with a group of friends so she can set him up with someone? (The last was my suggestion. And no, it was not so I could be set up with him. He is too young and too skinny. I think Jo should set him up with Suzanne, the English assistant from Northern Ireland.) And Dagmar and I are single, unsought, old crones. Ah well. I’ve decided that French guys are creepy anyway.

1 Comments:

At 4:30 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

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