An eventful week

Despite the sad news of Boris's demise, it has been a pretty good week. To avoid getting the blues, I have been trying to keep busy. Also, we had a fun group in class this week, which always makes things more interesting. As I've said already, everyone here has been very supportive. And being able to go to the gym has been helpful as well.

Yesterday, before settling in for the NCIS marathon on Channel 6, I went to see "Albert Nobbs". Although I liked certain aspects (the period Dublin setting, some of the minor character actors, and the amazing performance of Janet McTeer), it's not a film I can really recommend. The amazing passivity of the central character both defied credibility and sucked all the life out of what could have been a far more interesting story. Yeah, Glenn Close was impressive, but in the end it wasn't in the service of a particularly worthwhile project.

This afternoon's production of "Oncle Vanya", which I finally did get to see, was much more enjoyable. Even if I did feel like standing up a few times and imploring the actors to speak just a little bit more slowly. What the staging lacked in production values (very sparse indeed) was more than compensated by the actors' talent and enthusiasm. It was well worth travelling out to the sticks a second time to see it.

When I got back from the theater just now, I found myself to be the proud owner of a 'natural' sponge, purchased in one of the fine boutiques near the Bastille for a mere 18 Euros. This is a little disturbing, because I barely recall buying it, and while I'm sure it will come in useful, it's hardly what one might consider a necessity. I am reminded of a brief interval following the death of Boris's predecessor (the venerable Stumpy), where part of my grieving reaction manifested itself as a minor spree of impulse buying. I plan to take precautions here by not taking my credit cards with me when I leave the apartment and limiting the cash on hand to no more than 20 Euros. There was also the 43 Euros worth of cat-themed artistic memorabilia that found its way into my shopping basket at the gift shop in the Musee d'Orsay on Thursday evening. If you must know.

Tomorrow I am going to the museum (of decorative arts?) with Nancy and Gabriella. Next week I plan to restart my private lessons with Danielle, my teacher from last fall. Brad is back in San Francisco, holding down the fort. But my friend Yvonne is arriving on Saturday to claim her place on the sofabed downstairs. Then the following weekend I will be attending my friend Ben's wedding in Gainesville. So things will continue to be busy for the foreseeable future.

Thanks to everyone who sent me e-mail or Facebook messages sympathizing about Boris's death. I appreciate all your good wishes.

So they've just turned the lights out on the Eiffel tower for 5 minutes for "Earth Day" as a symbolic gesture. Frankly, the sense of this escapes me completely.

(OK, that last picture is a little creepy)