Not long after my last post, I got involved in all the hooha necessary to start my new project, and I have now been on site for two whole weeks, so the time for doing anything else is severely limited, given French working hours.

I don't know why everyone thinks the French work less than anyone else, I leave the house at 8am in the morning and don't get back until at least 7pm, and this is with a 30 to 45 minute commute - except on my second day, when something odd happened with the metro and it took an hour and a half to get home. Normally it is an easy commute, a bus to Etoile and then a few stops on the metro, although I may have to stand all the way. The bus stop is at the end of my street and the office is opposite the metro station, in a pedestrian area, so that aspect is entirely stress-free. I normally buy coffee and a croissant at the station and sit in a nice park outside the office to have that.

At the new project we have an office on the 27th floor of a tall building, so at least the view is good, although I do sit in a windowless cubicle with about four other people, it gets a bit crowded if anyone has visitors. In fact I sit next to someone I worked with about four years ago and was not keen on then, but she has matured somewhat (she's very young, not 30) and there is another one I used to work with on the same project as well. He used to be a giant pain as well, actually that whole project was horrible, but he is also much improved. Probably I am myself, in fact, given the conditions we had at the other project, where I was permanently tired and had people screaming at me all day long.

So I have not been doing much in the evenings and at weekends, except a little stitching and knitting on the days I do not have to finish some work. It has also been very hot for most of the time, and it is the period of the summer sales, so last Saturday and yesterday I have been shopping and spent a little bit of money - a new set of sheets, three pairs of shoes, a dress, a suit and, of all things, a colander! Plus a few books, but that is nothing exceptional.

I think the involuntary two month "holiday", plus having the wisdom tooth out, has done me a fair bit of good, so I hope it continues - having a summer this year is definitely a plus, even with the few days that have been too hot. We have a public holiday coming up, for 14th July, and that is a four day weekend, and I am having two weeks off at the end of August, I hope.