Three Days Left

Only Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are left to conquer now in my career at ISCIO. It seems like 50 years ago that I first got off the train and found myself not understanding anything about that place and the way they conducted business. How much I have learned. Perhaps I would have been better off turning around and running like a madman in the other direction. This weekend was pretty short and sleepless. The neighbors decided to have a big party last night (but it was okay you see, because they put a note out ahead of time for everyone to read). So this combined with the fact that we lost an hour on the clock change hasn’t helped my sleeping capacity. It’s hard to get past this. Hopefully once I quit my job things will improve. We went to the Marais district yesterday and tried to plan a route to take with my parents. The two major areas we want to see are pretty far apart, so we will have to plan better. Today we went out to La Defense and walked around. That part of Paris feels like the U.S. Everything is modern and gigantic. It was a nice change. Have to do our taxes this week (should have done them this weekend). I think they will be less painful that I had initially thought. I will be able to deduct the French taxes I have already paid, so that should allow me to just about break even for the year and not have to pay much. But still, this is the first year I’m having to pay something in taxes. I miss the refund I had been used to getting with part-time work. If I was 25 I would be able to get the Earned Income Credit, but unfortunately Sara and I both exist in one of the little age loopholes. Well, lots of exciting stuff coming up. Here is to Thursday and never reporting to duty as a French worker ever again. :dance