I managed to do the transit card thing, although the clerk was Not Happy about selling it to me.

With a year, you could learn enough French to get them to grudgingly speak English to you, lest you continue to mangle their language.

You have to ask for the check at restaurants.

Huh. Dennis Quaid is at my workplace.

That's wonderful, Sparky1!

With a year, you could learn enough French to get them to grudgingly speak English to you, lest you continue to mangle their language.

Based on my experience, the line in My Fair Lady got it right -- Parisians forgive a fair amount if you have good pronunciation. A polite and respectful demeanor helps, too.

My main tip for Paris: there's a mini golf course at the Bois de Vincennes where every hole is tiny Parisian architectural landmark. It's fun to play mini golf in Paris!

Many restaurants have very affordable Prix Fixe lunch deals, so that's often your best bet for big meal of the day.

Other cheap food option: bakeries sell sandwiches. Of course they are delicious French sandwiches on fresh baguette. I was fond of Tonne de crudite. But you can also get a jambon.

My best chocolat chaud was at a Salon de The and it's worth looking up which place has the best. Because it was incredible.

There are lots of little nooks and cranny places in France that it's worth tracking down a great local guidebook.

My favorite neighborhood was the Marais. Just a great long ramble with lots of shops, antiques and restaurants. (You can get your hot chocolate there, and see the Picasso museum.)

The other best thing I did in Paris was my afternoon snack. I was really pushing myself to See All The Things, which meant I crapped out mid-afternoon. So I found somewhere with wi-fi to get a snack (crepe, macaron, whatever) and just sat for a while.

When they got to the park, Salsa barked a greeting at Lucy's mom, and who should zoom out of the woods after hearing that but LUCY! So, happy ending. And a play date for the sisters.

Oh wow! That's great.

Y'all -- I have 6 unread emails. That's the lowest I've had all year! And several of them are about the same pending item! I have nearly taken care of everything!!

I am at a post-funeral lunch (Tim's aunt) that will NEVER EVER end. And Tim has massive FOMO, so we will be the last ones here. I would totally kill a(nother) person just to get out of here. I don't know why we don't drive separately to these.

Go Jesse!

I came in to work to try and do the things that are too hard to do from home and have a phone call with one of my salespeople but since I've been here I just keep feeling worse and worse. The call is in a few minutes and I may just go home again after.

SO and I are going to Paris for Christmas and New Year's, leaving on the 23d and coming back on the 1st. Other than the typical tourist stuff (which is so worth it), you should definitely visit the covered passages throughout the city. They're filled with shops and restaurants and beautiful architecture. The catacombs of Paris are also super interesting, if that's your thing. A trip to Fauchon gourmet food market is also a must. My favorite clementine jam comes from there. Find time to sit under the base of the Eiffel Tower and take it all in. There are two awesome English language bookstores: Shakespeare and Co and Abbey. They are The Strand in a much smaller space.

Sparky, that's lovely! I'm so glad Salsa's sister was close by.

Teppy, I hope you can leave soon.

Feel better, -t.

Argh, my salesperson isn't calling me! I just know if I walk away to heat up some soup that's when she'll call.

ETA phew rescheduled to Monday. SOUP TIME