TooMuchInformation

Today the Boy in the Checkered Shirt came over and worked on the painting project.  Then we went into the city and shopped for a new wireless router (I’m typing this from the floor of my bedroom!) and a pair of Princess Leia-esque headphones for work.

After, we took the W train down to Prince Street and stopped in to Uniqlo to look for a t-shirt he saw in DC.   They didn’t have it anymore, but I did pick up a new sweater and 4 pairs of badly needed socks.  Then we walked over to Cafe Habana, for a coffee, but the wait for a table was 30 minutes.  Instead we headed across the street to Jacques, a French brasserie with very few patrons.   We each ordered a cappucino, shared a shrimp and avocado salad.  We finished the light meal with a very heavy souffle au chocolat.

And then we boarded the M train at Bowery and headed back to Bushwick.

The day before leaving France I met Nadine, my first French teacher, to say goodbye. Also invited was one of her newer students, Monica, from Argentina via Italy. We discussed the variety of students at the Alliance Francaise and Monica’s experiences in Nice. Before moving to Grenoble, Monica lived in Nice for a short time. I’m not certain on the details, but I think she was living with an elderly couple and keeping house. Within three months they both died and she was left without employment. And not speaking much French.

This story was told with a lot of humor. Dark humor. Nadine found it extra humorous because after a spring trip to Nice I emailed her several pictures of a cemetery there. I think it’s normal to visit cemeteries and take pictures. Nadine disagreed.

Nadine had a demi, Monica drank a Schweppes, and I had a citron a l’eau.

I met Jean on his lunch break for a drink. We discussed his recent return to the movie round table radio show The Steve Mac Couine Show. He recently quit after an on air argument with another host and life long friend. They disagreed on the quality of Almodavar’s recent film Volver. Since then at least 10 people have approached Jean on the street to tell him how riveting the argument was. Jean was excited that at least 10 people listen to the show.

We also discussed Jean’s adolescent crush on Kirk Cameron.

He drank a cafe and un verre d’eau, I drank a citron a l’eau.

Before heading to Papatzul for burritos, I sat outside and watched a bit of the World Cup match between the Netherlands and Cote d’Ivoire with Leena, Cho and her boyfriend Adrien. In a bit of Francophonic solidarity Cote d’Ivoire was the crowd’s favorite, but the Dutch team prevailed. Cho and Adrien each drank a demi-peche and Leena and I each had a citron a l’eau.

Eve leaves for the US tomorrow. She’s the tall blonde woman from Pittsburgh who keeps her own counsel most of the time, then lets loose with a well crafted opinion. Or a moose call. C’est depend.

I went over to her apartment this morning with a bag of pastries to share with her and her brother Jeremy over coffee. She was out of coffee filters, and it was too hot and we too lazy to get some. So we just boiled water and dumped in the grounds and let it settle before drinking it. Gritty, but not bad.

Still hungry, Jeremy, the least lazy of us, ran out to the gas station across the street and came back with eggs and cheese. Which we promptly ate.

After, Eve and I walked into town, sticking to the shade when possible. Eve lives near the Palais des Sports. Elton John is performing there tomorrow night. In the lot behind the arena was a moving van with the sign “Reserved for the Tea Women” in the driver’s window. We theorized who these Tea Women might be and if there was an Elton John connection. But it was hot, so we kept on moving.

Eventually, after looking for a toy store I’d stumbled across once (didn’t find it) and going to the post office and bank, we settled into this comic book shop/bar. Reading hard cover copies of French BDs (elaborate graphic books very popular here) we each drank a citron a l’eau.

Jean wanted to meet at a cafe so we could continue to bicker. Which we did on the sidwalk at this Jamaican themed place in the center of town. I noted that the passersby were of a completely different variety than I was used to seeing. Jean explained that we were in a “bourgeois” section of town. The kind of, sort of bourgeois Leena arrived and joined us. She had a noisette, Jean a demi, and I ordered a citron a l’eau.

I was late meeting Vincent at this cafe down the street. Which made the rendez-vous short. Vincent drank a tea, me a noisette.

I visited the Chartreuse distillery in Voiron with Leena, Nisha, and Nisha’s sister Varsha. Then we walked around the town a bit before settling into this cafe. Nisha and Leena each ordered a demi-peche, Varsha an iced tea, and I drank a citron a l’eau.

After hiking with friends, Leena and I went grocery shopping before dinner. Today was Pentecost, which is an official holiday in strictly atheistic France. Therefore our first and second choices of markets were closed and we ended up at a very busy Marche Plus. It appeared that the whole neighborhood was there.

When we left the store with our groceries - including a box of cookies begging to be eaten, we headed across the street to the Touring Hotel for coffee and to escape a sudden burst of rain. With the holiday, warm weather, and rain the cafe was also busy.

We both commented that the Touring Hotel gives us a familiar feeling. The bartender was playing a Tracy Chapman CD, the crowd was a mix of generations, and the bar’s 1970s decor looks out onto the sidewalk through large windows. The bartender and waiter smiled and greeted us.

In short time, we were joined by Nisha and her sister Varsha, who is visiting from India. We opened the box of cookies and discussed their recent trip from Paris and how Leena and Nisha had recently bought two baguettes using only 1 and 2 cent coins.

Varsha and I are both scorpios and Leena opined her theory that every scorpio is born to replace someone in the family who has died or will die within a year. The rest of us expressed our doubts about this.

Varsha ordered a grand cafe creme, Nisha a petit cafe, and Leena and I both had grand cafes.