My clocks are finally synched...

Or in other words, I'm back on the North American continent... or home, whatever that's supposed to mean...

Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful to be back with my family- as that's what home is mostly to me. I'm having a hoot! It's been fabulous that the weather's been mostly nice in my week and a half back. I'm enjoying a stressless adjustment period of hiding out in my parents' house, of finding a job, of not having to deal with the compounded energy of at least 300 other people who are perfectly intune with their internal clock while I'm still confused about what times I'm suppose to be tired and sleepy at... That's been the best bit of being back- just having the time to coast back into a regular sleep and time schedule again. The eating schedule is something all together else though... I think I just need the world's best cereal from LeaderPrice and then everything would be all better though! So being back... overall, not too bad.

Except as usual there's all the things I miss. Like, crazy but mild weather, the river and the riverwalk, the parks, stealing daffodils out of the public gardens, my cafe, walking around centreville, destroying my shoes' soles on the cobblestones, running errands on foot except for the occasional hoof and bus trip to Cora, missing the construction of the new Pompidou in the Quartier Amphitheatre, my boulangerie on the corner, St. Jacques and all the tables, the Cathedral, and probably most of all, the bells ringing to remind you of where in the day you are- every fifteen minutes... the bells never bothered me as they might have others, I liked them and I could sleep through them during my afternoon naps, so I miss them. I tell you what, a tornado siren at noon does nothing to replace them and everything to stop my heart-- I mean, come on people, it's not the first Wednesday of the month here... everyday is a bit obsessive, except for the fact that we live in a tornado prone area I suppose...

And I miss Paris even, it's a great city if just too much some days! I miss my seat in the Luxembourg Gardens and I miss subtlely chasing the piegons down the streets and I miss the trains and I miss well, everything I love about being in France... I miss that I'm missing late spring and early summer in Europe... for those still there, remember to truly enjoy it!

And now that I've decided to cut off my list of things I miss, so as not to become overwhelming homesick, I'm going to go think about why it is I'm not going back next year... sigh.

So maybe next time I'll be up to bringing you up to date on why being guide and translator can be so exhausting... just as Kim warned me it would be!