A Typical Week

A Typical Week

Okay. This is ex-pat life. Sunday starts at 5:30 am with a shower, breakfast, coffee and the first cigarette of the day all while watching CNN International. It’s called multi-tasking. I was running a little late and didn’t get out the door until about 6:40. Had to pick up two teachers over by the French Embassy because the one who drives has his car in the shop. Usually I listen to music very loudly on the hour drive to work, but Sunday I had to make conversation. Work is busy, period, end of story. I’ve been working on hammering out a new attendance and academic policy for our section’s different programs. Spent most of the day on that. Leave work a little before 2 pm and the drive home. Arrive home about 2:30. Try to find a place to park. Eat lunch while reading the paper and watching CNN. It’s called multi-tasking. Then one of my favorite parts of the day. My nap. Wake up about 5:30. Down some iced tea, wash up, get dressed and grab 2 weeks of laundry. Over to the same laundry I’ve been using for like ten years. I don’t own a washer and drier. No way, uh uh. I mean $50 a month does all of my washing and dry cleaning. Then drive over to the Lebanese Roastery for coffee (ground fresh), olives and nuts. Then down to Spinney’s for the weekly shopping. People say Spinney’s is too expensive and it is a little more expensive than say Carrefour or the Co-Op, but it’s damned convenient. There’s a liquor store, a book store, card shop, magazines and pork—all under one roof with easy parking. Pork is only available in a couple of supermarkets and at hotel restaurants. And at Spinney’s you can buy everything from French pate to Iranian caviar to fresh fish, lamb and, of course, hamburger helper. Put it all in the car, drive home and really fight to find a place to park. That was one of the things I liked about this area when I first moved here about 6 years ago. Parking was easy. Now they have several new buildings under construction and that takes up several parking spaces and they’re also doing something with the water lines, so that takes up even more spaces. Get it parked and mule the crap upstairs. It’s just turned 7:30 and on Sundays CNN shows an “International Edition of the Daily Show”. I switch on the TV loud and listen to it while I put the groceries away in the kitchen. A little before 8, I pour myself a Jameson’s and lie down to watch my soap opera, “Coronation Street” and then eat the dinner I picked up at Spinney’s deli about 8:30. I’d taped “Footballers’ Wives” the night before and watched that. Then I did the washing up, shaved, got everything ready for work and poured myself a nightcap and got in bed to drink that and read Against All Enemies by Richard Clarke.
Today, Monday, had to drive the two teachers in again. Picked them up by the French Embassy. It had rained during the night. This has been one of the wettest winters I’ve ever seen here. It’s great. Drive to work. Work in the Major’s office most of the day putting the finishing touches on the attendance/academic policy thing. He’s very particular about the format. He’ll spend hours on font colors and size and layout. Then drove home and did the usual lunch, newspaper, CNN thing. Then my nap. Woke from my nap about 5:30, poured some iced tea and got on the computer. No errands to run this evening. And now it’s almost eight so it’s time to pour a Jameson’s and watch “Coronation Street.” Later.