I love the stick shift

My driving lessons are in full swing now. I've so far had 7 hours out of 20. And guess what...I actually like the manual transmission! Now that I have the hang of it, it's really not so bad. My last 2 lessons, I've only stalled once each! (Don't ask how many times I stalled before that). I like how that car '"tells" you when it's time to switch gears. I am mostly in 2nd gear driving around Paris - there's not much chance to go faster on city streets. However there's a few times I've been able to go into 3rd gear, that's been fun. And the driving instructor said I was ready to try l'autoroute, the highway! That means high gear baby! Vrromm, vrrroooom, vroooommmmm.

All is not perfect though. The instuctor said mechanically I drove well, but I did not sense the dangers and did not know well enough the rules yet. Well, I know I don't know all the rules and signs yet, but I sense danger everywhere!!

Yesterday when I went to the auto-école, there was someone there conducting and filming interviews for a little piece on driving schools for a cable TV channel. Despite my fear of inflicting my accented and non-perfect French on cable TV viewers everywhere (or because of it?) I agreed to answer some questions. I was asked things like why am I applying for a license, what are the differences between learning to drive here versus in the US, etc. I don't have cable so I won't be able to watch it, but the guy filming said it would be on the internet too. It will be broadcast next Saturday, so I'll check it out...if I don't look like too much of a fool, maybe I'll post a link. :)

T-day

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Enjoy the turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie!

in which I curse like a French(wo)man

When I realized late in the day at work, I had made a mistake and would have to do some things over, I let out a curse "Putain merde"! (basically, f$cking sh@t, though slightly less strong than in english).
There weren't maybe people around, and on of my colleagues was surprised that it was from me, because the way I said it, it sounded like it came from a French person. I had the second syllable of merde just right!
Perhaps I shouldn't be pleased that I can cuss well in French, but I am. But oh believe me, I still have lots to learn.

itsy bitsy spider

Though my family will be surprised to hear this, as I usually completely freak out at the sight of a bug, when it comes to spiders, at least smallish ones, I leave them alone, as long as they stay in their corner. I figure they will do no harm, and eat other bugs.
"Okay Mr. Spider" I say, " As long as you stay in your corner there and don't crawl above or in my bed, shower, or toilet, we'll get along just fine".
So that was my attitude until eating dinner tonight, when I killed about 10 itsy bitsy baby spiders crawling along the kitchen wall. One or two spiders is one thing, but I can't have my aparment turning into the Arachnophobia movie set!
Unfortunately I don't know where the progenitor is, but next time I see him, or her I guess, it's war!

whew

Finally. After living here 8 months, I have validation that my French has improved. One of my French co-workers on Friday mentioned that I had made a lot of progress. I thought so, but unless a native Frenchie who knows what your French was like in the beginning says something, you don't really believe it. Ok, whew.

Metro observations

The other day I read about a poll where Franciliens (those who reside in Paris or the surrounding Ile-de-France region) were asked to rate their satisfaction on several issues, including the regional public transportaion. I don't remember the exact figure, but I think it was somewhere around 55, 60% were satisfied. Um, are they serious?? That's it?? Do they not have any idea of good they have it? Do they not realize how much the metro in Paris kicks ass over its New York counterpart? Oh, poor Parisiens, they sometimes have to wait 3 mintues for a train during rush hour instead of 2. Do they not realize in NY you often can wait up to 10 minutes or more during rush hour? Have they ever been on the WTC bound E train at 8:30am as it goes through Queens? Do they have ANY IDEA of the masses of people on the East side Lexington line? And that Lexington Ave is the only avenue on the ENTIRE east side of Manhattan with a subway line?

Maybe every few weeks, if even that, on the Paris metro there is a small delay due to heavy traffic, or an “incident' up ahead. Um, how about every few days on the NY subway! How many times have I been on a subway that's cra-a-a-a-wled it's way through a section in 20 minutes that should take 5. Or had delays due to sick passangers, a police incident, a track fire, or for no reason at all, at least none that they will tell you.

Did I mention that the Paris metro is also much cleaner than in NY??

Oh, oh, oh, I almost forgot the HEETs! High entry/exit turnstile, or something like that. No HEETs in Paris! But there are in NY. Those things suck. Those are those turnstile that are made of those series of horizontal bars that you push through like a revolving door. It takes far longer for people to enter or exit. Gee, real safe, if there's a terrorist attack and everyone has to evacuate. If the person in front of you pushed too hard, and it rotates another turn by itself just after you've swiped your metrocard, you're out of luck, have to go over to the gate agent at another entry with another set of turnstiles (normal ones) and plead your case. That's if there's one on duty! If the MTA hasn't let them go in order to “modernize”. The other thing that can happen if a person leaving the subway exits the HEET just after you've swiped and before you enter, you lose your ride then too!

The majority of my NY public transportation experience is with the subway, but I know my friend J could write a scathing report of the Long Island Railroad!

The next Parisien that complains about the metro, I'm sending them to NY to ride the E and the 6, transferring at Lex/51^st (horrible horrible transfer) every day at 9am and 6pm for a year. They'll be kissing the metro's aqua green seats when they return!