Clinging to the Giant Pendulum that is Life

Today is one of those days. One of those days there aren't any lines and there's always a seat on the tram. The bus is waiting for you when you get to the stop and you somehow manage to cross nearly everything off your to-do list while still finding time to relax during the day. Everywhere I went today someone had something helpful to say or answered at least one of my lingering questions. I now know how to apply for the CAF (government lodging subsidy), how use my French Insurance, where I should go to get a general doctor (I'm gonna go get the flu shot), and randomly I noticed a little pamphlet while at the insurance office detailing the University Club Sports, i.e. when, where, $ and so on. They have Yoga on Friday mornings!!! That's a little bit of information I've been looking for since the day I set foot in France and has been diligently avoiding me until today. I guess we need bad days to truly appreciate the wonderful ones. I woke up early this morning on crisp clean sheets before my alarm went off and lay in bed reading until I felt motivated enough to start my day. I lingered over hot cinnamon and apple rice pudding (like dessert for breakfast, but low-cal since I made it with vanilla rice milk which is so sweet I didn't need sugar), while I watched the France2 news online. I ran errands all day, but still found the time to read, go running, visit the market, finish my homework and play in the kitchen. I came home this afternoon to discover that the tiny steak I bought for dinner was actually a filet mignon. I decided it was above the beef stroganoff it was destined for, so I seared it in oil with spices and cut rare slices dressed with a sour cream (well, crème fraîche, though I think I'll use plain yogurt next time) and onion sauce with noodles and ginger-butter carrots. The other half just may find its way into a steak sandwich for lunch tomorrow just the way Pa makes them!

On a completely unrelated topic I would like to point out that the French are ridiculous. Only in France would people plan strikes, weeks in advance. Tomorrow there will be no public transportation. Yes, we would like higher wages, so please don't plan on going anywhere next Thursday, thank you. This is also the reason I was discharged a day late from the hospital; the interns were striking and the doctors were too busy to get around to me. I'm not actually sure what the interns are upset about, but they're apparently pretty miffed as they're still having intermittent strikes including a bicycle parade in Marseille yesterday. A girl in one of my classes couldn't report the theft of her apartment because the local police were striking last month on all things not serious. What??? For a country with excessive paid vacation, universal health care, and social services up the wazoo, the French sure like to complain. They sure do make good cheese here though...