metro diaries - week three

I have to wonder - do all feasible modes of transportation conspire against the workers of the world to drive them crazy before they get to where they're going? Not a single seat on the trains this morning and rain when I got to Suresnes. I've started taking the RER instead of Line 1 and it's a gamble. Will it be on time? Will the train go at a regular speed or will it go slower than a snail going up a hill?

Monday evening, I agreed to meet some friends from the States out for a drink and calculated 40 minutes to get from work to the bar. A twenty-minute bus ride later, I questioned whether or not I would be late. The RER, three stops on the A and two on the B, took just as long as it would have on a train with 100 stops. There was a point in the commute when I actually felt gravity.

Aside from the nightmare on the way, catching up with friends was a great way to start the week.

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I know it's too early and too cold to be thinking of spring time but there's a little ray of sunshine outside the office window and I desperately would like to go out and enjoy it. A walk along the Seine? YES PLEASE!

In a daze, staring out the window, I saw a bird with lovely dark green and aquamarine crest land on a green light post that made his feathers look even more splendid in the sun. Seconds later, a female bird came and pecked at the handsome green bird and they flew off together. It may indeed be too early to think about spring, but thanks to those birds, I know I'm not the only one.

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Passing ticket control on the metro was always something I wanted to happen to me. Apparently I didn't have enough of a delinquent look to get stopped very often while I lived here before. The stairs to exit the RER at La Defense are always difficult to traverse, but Thursday morning, when there was only one way out and the electric escalators were off, the climb was incredible. Upon reaching the exit, I suppose I understood - controllers were blocking the exits and swiping metro tickets. What fun I once found in getting controlled before suddenly disappeared.

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Three weeks into my life as a working woman, I took my first day off to take care of some carte de sejour business. Although I didn't get much done as far as paperwork, I did get to spend a lot of time on me. While changing earrings and transferring the contents of my purse into another purse, I thought to myself, 'why didn't I do this before?' A deep blow dry, manicure and tea party (sables fourees, hibiscus-infused green tea and the first half of Marie Antoinette) later, I was on my merry way to shop the soldes (successfully this time), walk around my favorite neighborhoods and meet my boyfriend for a drink to start the weekend!