Three-day weekend

This turned long, so here's the pictures and maps. The rest is just blah blah blah captions. I didn't take enough pictures overall - I will try to take at least more, if not more better.

Wow, just realized it's been since Tuesday since I posted, and even then it was just a couple of quick pictures. So, here's the relatively quick update on our week since then. On Wednesday, Betsy wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home. Carter had a half-day of school but Calvin was off. We visited Calvin's school in the morning to figure out how to do extended-day stuff, because we need someone to take care of him on Wednesday mornings when I have French class (starts in a couple of days). We talked to the directrice and got it straightened out so he can go Wednesdays, at least half-day. Then we went to the market, Betsy went to get Carter, and we all took naps. After a late wake-up, Betsy and the boys went to the RATP (Metro) store and got some neat souvenirs - toy buses, pens, a picture frame, and a geeky Metro history book for me.

Thursay was a regular work and school day. I hustled home from drop-offs because our new sofabed (canape-lit) was being delivered. It's roughly this shape, but in a cool vibrant red microfiber covering a truly impressively comfortable bed. Come try it out! After they left, I ran some errands - grocery, market, etc. - and went to the Alliance Francaise to register for language classes. Naturally, I didn't have all the right forms, so couldn't complete it, but at least confirmed that I'd be able to start next Wednesday, 3rd May, for two hours a day, five days a week. Carter had his French lesson in the afternoon - an hour after school Tuesdays and Thursdays - so Calvin and I hung out for a bit at the Fat Tire bike tour shop, where we've made lots of friends since we moved to the neighborhood. Calvin spent most of the time assembling a curl weight set, fitting the weight disks on, figuring out how the locking nuts worked, screwing them on and off, putting on more weight, seeing if we could lift it, and so on. The guides think he and Carter are hilarious - soon after they met us, they watched Carter fill in his hoops bracket, and he waves to them every day when he walks by with his class. After we went to get Carter, we kicked the soccer ball around with a couple of the guides for a while. It was a beautiful afternoon.

Our typical evening routine is that, after school (either 4:45 or 5:45 depending on whether Carter has a lesson) we head home, or to the park, or to the bike shop, or to the bakery. Once we get home and I start on dinner, Betsy's usually home or almost home (6:30ish). She and Carter start his French homework - I'm just not much use on that! - while I and sometimes Calvin finish making dinner. After dinner, back to homework, then ready for bed. Not too much different than in Arlington & DC, in roles or timing - there we'd pick up Calvin at 5:15-5:30 then Carter just before 6, then start dinner once home.

On Friday, we started as usual as well. We all headed out within a few minutes of 8:00, me and the boys to school, Betsy to work. Some days we ride scooters to school (well, they do), sometimes we walk, sometimes we Metro. Some days we stop at the bakery on the way. Friday we were running late to jumped on the Metro, which probably cuts our 15-17 minute walk to 10-12. Carter and I dropped Calvin off - he's been much happier to stay at school recently - and headed to his school. After he went in, I started on my long list of errands. First to Calvin's NEW school. We decided we'd move him to the closer maternelle for the school year starting in September. It's only a slightly tough decision to uproot him again, since he hasn't made any close friends and would be changing teachers again, of course. The school is next to a church and square, between our apartment and Carter's school. The directrice was very kind, so even with very little ability to speak to each other, we got it done. From there, I went back to the Alliance and got my paperwork taken care of and bill paid. Then it was back to our neighborhood to the couch store, to let them know about the two small holes in one cushion. Again, no real ability to speak to each other, but I'm pretty sure he's going to get a new cover for the cushion within 3 weeks or so. I think ... Friday afternoon I went across town to see some furniture that Betsy had noticed on craigslist. It was quite beautiful, and in talking to the brother and sister selling it, I found that she has spent lots of time in New Orleans and is also missing Jazzfest right now. We've decided to buy the furniture and figure out where to put it in the apartment, so that'll be on my to-do list for Tuesday after the holiday today.

Man, I'm only up to Friday, let's speed this up. Friday afternoon to the toystore to get a gift for the party Carter went to yesterday. Ran into Tom, Betsy's former EPA colleague who's moving here with his family (boys 6 and 3) this summer. Friday night to Passy for dinner and a v.o. (subtitled) of L'age de glace 2 (Ice Age 2). Saturday day to the market, to the park to meet a couple of potential babysitters, then to Carter's party. After the party, we made dinner for ourselves and our friend Kevin, then watched the Paris-Marseille French Cup final (won by Paris 2-1, whee!).

Today out to the Science Museum at la Villette. Calvin and Betsy came back around 4:30, Carter and I stayed later then went out to dinner. He had mussels, I had oysters, and we had a great time hanging out together. Now it's Sunday after midnight, and I want to get these pictures up before I go to bed, so that's it for the blah blah blah.

Love and miss you all ... Chris.