A weekend of joy

This weekend has been absolutely fantastic.  It started off with a lot of errands that resulted in a whole host of things for me to bring to France (all of them necessary).  

For example:

- 15 new pairs of socks in 4 different styles and 6 different colors (gotta love the multi color packs)

- a jar of peanut butter (because when you can't eat anything, you can always eat peanut butter)

- big boxes of NyQuil and DayQuil (the French really don't do cold medicine, and since I'll be teaching I anticipate a handful of colds)

- pain reliever (the French have this, but stores have odd hours in France - and pain doesn't wait)

- the biggest container of Tums available (the French love cream, as do I, unfortunately my system does not)

- some magic tooth brush things that don't need water (because airplanes are not good for fresh breath)

- a new pair of sneakers to replace my 5 year old, very well loved pair (which I'll probably pack anyway)

- a new laptop battery (I've had my beloved laptop for 4 years and never replaced the battery - it was time)

Along with a new battery for my beloved iBook G4, I also had it checked for overall computer health.  And it passed!  There is not a single thing wrong with my lovely laptop - which makes me very happy.  The nice people at the apple store also cleaned it - which was very necessary (no more black spots on my nice white computer!).  

Saturday night my dad surprised my mom and I with a spinach, cheese and ham souffle and a berry and whipped cream parfait (and a clean kitchen too)!  It was an amazing meal which was greatly enjoyed with my Mendocino county wine that I'd been saving since Christmas.  I've been slowly drinking my wine collection, since none of them are meant for aging.

Today, we all piled in the car with Razu to have a test airport and car ride run.  The best way for him to feel relaxed on the big day is for him to know that the airport isn't all bad and that he can survive the stressful experience.  I'm happy to report that he did very well.  He didn't cry too loudly in the car, and he was pretty quiet in the airport itself - since I'll have to hold him while I walk through security, I also practiced that.  He hyperventilated a little, but all in all he did well.  After 40 minutes in the airport we went for a drive to Saguaro lake.  Razu sat right next to me the whole way and didn't say anything.  He even cuddled on my lap!  I think he's going to be fine!  Next week we'll do a few more trips to the airport, just to further prepare him.

The trip to Saguaro lake was multipurposed: Take Razu on a car ride, get out of the house and take some pictures of the cacti and landscape to show my French students - so here are a few images:

just love those blue skies

giant cactus

up close and personal

looking up

Mountains, blue skies, saguaros and creosote - what's not to love?

Another great piece of news came when I learned that my health insurance company has decided to cover me until October 1st.  Since my French job (and therefore health insurance) starts October 1 - there won't be a gap in coverage!  

But the very best news of all came from Alain, my contact person.  Whoever said that the French aren't nice, clearly has never met a Frenchmen.  I received an e-mail this morning telling me that I can stay at his mother's flat (she will be visiting a friend).  Not only that, but "you can stay there for a couple of weeks. There is a bus stop just around the corner, and the city center is 15 minutes by bus, a bit longer to go to the school.  She was a bit worried about the cat, but I told her he knows where his box is and is an appartment cat, so there won't be any problem. Just don't use the phone to call your friends in Hawai! ;°)  So don't worry, you'll have a shelter when you come. I'll buy some cat food and cat litter too."

Nicest man ever?  I think so!  Also, I really love that French smilies have noses - I'm using that version from now on!  ;˚)