See's Candies

We have an invitation to a New Year's Eve party tonight and didn't know what to bring to our hosts.   They are wine experts and have everything that they need and want. 

I thought and thought.

Finally the answer came:  a box of See's candies.  I haven't eaten a piece of See's in years!  Willpower is often overrated.  I hope they will appreciate this nostalgic offering.

I expected long lines at the store.  So,  I parked far away and walked.  When I opened the door, the store smelled incredible -- just like I remembered as a kid.  Sweet and a little cold (don't want the chocolates to melt...). 

I found what I was looking for and had a short wait in line.  I was tempted to buy more than what I'd planned but I resisted.  As I was paying, the cashier offered me a chocolate.  Considering that our hosts might not open/offer the box that I bought, I accepted.  Yum! I finished it on the way back to the car.  I'm sure that the walk didn't begin to burn the calories of the chocolate, but it was worth it.  Absolutely incredible.

I wish I had more occasions to buy See's candies.  Happy New Year to everyone.

The "Pour" and the "Contre", Part I

I took a class during the Fall, "Guided Conversation in French".  One of the best parts of the class was being in the same room with a lot of other people like me.  They were all Anglophones (the students were from the US and the UK) who live in Paris, struggling to perfect their french language capability.

Our homework was in the form of a reading assignment.  The idea was to read the article, learn any new vocabulary and come prepared to discuss the topic with the others.  There was a wide range of topics; some of which were interesting to me and some that weren't.  In any case, I learned something every week and got to speak with others about complicated concepts, opinions and ideas.

At first, even though we knew many of the others, we weren't very friendly.  We were focused and I think everyone was trying to put his/her best foot forward.  It was also a bit competitive in terms of speaking time.  The most aggressive person got the most speaking time.  Just like life.

Many of the "conversations" had no reply, no discussion, it was just a round table of opinions.  But, one day, while thinking about the week's subject, I started to jot down the "pour" (for) and the "contre" (against) life in Paris.

When my time came to speak, I pulled out the list, declared I'd made a list.  Everyone snickered.  Too light, not enough verb tenses.

I will share a few of these "for" and "against" ideas in the next few posts.  Let me know what you think.

A few "pours"

Monoprix -- the great store that has both food and clothes, makeup and household items -- the french version, but better, of Target

Windows at Christmas-time -- the french shopkeepers really dress their windows during the holidays

La Poste -- the post office.  The french post office is a bank in addition to a post office so they have plenty of people to help you.  In my neighborhood, there is no line, there are people to help me and they are polite

A few "contres"

Food is more expensive -- both in restaurants and in the markets, wine is cheaper (pour)

Bureaucracy -- a mild form of torture when you try to get something done

Most stores are closed on Sunday

The lists grow every day.  More to come.

Shopping in the USA

It is really nice to have a car available for Christmas shopping.  Buy the stuff, throw it in the trunk, lock the car and return to the stores for another round of spending.

What impresses me the most about this year's shopping is the discounts.  Every store has some gimmick that gives a price reduction.  Macy's has coupons for 20% off and also for $25 and $15.  You can juggle these coupons for maximum savings.

REI has a rebate that they give to their "members".  I got about 10% off a purchase today, a big help.

In a week or so, it will all be discounted even more.  But, the moment will be lost; these are gifts and I can't wait.

Wreaths and other decorations are really cheap and nice at Trader Joe's and their cheese is a steal compared with other grocery stores.  You just have to know where to go.  

Things are different than in previous years. In one store, I had to pay 75 cents for a box!  Bags to hold your loot are another commodity and plastic bags are verboten.  Customer service is almost nil; cashiers are grumpy and bored at the same time.  We're rushing so much that we don't notice. 

I'm home with the loot.  Now I can try to creatively wrap it all and get it to the right people at the right time.

Merry Christmas