A blogger whom I visit regularly - well his site anyway - thinks that people blogging about their daily life is quite dull. He prefers to deal with important matters in the world today and I like to read his views and also the comments that have been left. However, personally, I much prefer the inconsequential, la vie quotidienne*, the micro aspects that people encounter - their worries, hopes and silly jaunts.
We've not much time here at Fancy Towers for silly jaunts - it is next Sunday that Mr FF will take himself off to Paris ready to begin his new job there. We've not been able to find him somewhere suitable to rent - even though I have left dozens of messages, voice mails, emails and - in the end - got into a nervous irritable state about my lack of success. It was all to do with this Xmas and new year lark; people just have not been around. He - with so much on his plate (he is working at home to finish something before he starts this new position) is trying to allay my fears by telling me he'll be just fine in a hotel to begin with. So be it; I just wanted him settled, that's all.
Anyway, on our noticeboard is my list of things that I must be shown before he leaves:
How to attach the toilet float (see previous entry)
How to bleed the radiator
How to unzip my marked OU essay (my notepad runs on Firefox and to get my essay I need to go to one of our workhorse machines in the basement office. One of the machines has the dreaded Windows - every techie's loathed operating system).
How to play music through the big sound system connected to the projector in the living room (for when my ears are sore from my mp3 headphones).
Once these four things have been explained to me I'll know that I am ready for this life as a Person Alone. Until then even going to the toilet will contain a little knot of worry.
*gosh, people throwing in French phrases is just so pretentious
33 comments:
Hi FF. You'll be more confident than you think.
Yes, trivia and viginets of daily life are more compelling. (spelt the thing wrong, I know)
xxxx
There is more truth in the trivial than in the "global picture" in my humble opinion... good luck with the radiators...!
Oh, such a worry for you not having Mr. FF settled, though, as you say, with the holiday period, it was always going to be difficult. I do hope he/you find(s) something suitable soon.
Do you think you would worry less if he took the loo with him.....at least you wouldn't have to mend it...
Pretentious, moi??!
I wish you all the best FF for your future toute seule chez toi... Once you have mastered the little things, the irritants, you will find yourself renewed and re-invigorated - Best of luck to Mr FF in his search for un pied a terre... It must be really difficult to get hold of people at this time of year... One of the sites I've used (successfully) to rent for hols (and they may rent to you for longer perhaps) is vrbo.com You rent directly from the owners... In the short term, it may be more homely than a hotel.
Bonne chance ma belle FF, Cx
The great thing about blogging is that you can read and visit whom and whatever you please. I can understand you wanting Mr FF settled and that will happen. Yikes is it so soon that he leaves?. You will be fine with the bleeding of the music and the unziping of the toilet and you will ALWAYS have us lot to keep you company, but still I can feel those knots for ya and will keep an extra eye on you for the time being, hugs, Kathy.
Gee, I don't think what other people are blogging about is dull but I also don't feel the small stuff of my life is that interesting.
Who really cares if I pull weeds or paint a door frame? Of course these things can be turned into interesting comic-tragic stories and I have done that in blogs. Generally I've channeled myself towards purpose and results, it's what I do, it's how I make things and do art. Ideas and actions are my preeminent constructs.
In real life I'm not a good chit-chat/water cooler person for more than a few minutes. Politics, social issues, world events are always more interesting to me.
Also, I chose not to discuss family on my blog - who they are or what they do - they have their own voices and I chose not to speak-create any images of them. Basically I'm a private person playing around in an open forum and that's indeed an odd match.
Here's hoping that the 'Person Alone' transition state will not be too bad for you, and that your PC down in the basement is kind enough to let you work on it without being difficult and naughty.
I think the trivia is best, I can't stand all the wanna-be writers who practise in blogland, hoping for a book
Hi FF
Every single entry of mine is daily life and is boring at times but that is life as we know it. I tell you what, I'll be tuning in with great interest to see how you cope with these simple but real concerns of yours.
I side with Kathy...you'll be fine when push comes to shove!
l'm sorry but its the everyday that matters that makes up the big thing we call LIFE!!!
If l wanted to be a political commentator l wouldve studied harder ... not for me thanks
Looks like you've got your list of Things You Absolutely Must Know Before Mr. FF Goes to Paris in order. Good for you for putting that together -- you'll feel better armed as you adjust, I imagine.
As for la vie quotidienne, I think taking time to notice those little things is good. What we notice tells us who we are at a particular point in time (to a certain degree), and when we look back, it's often surprising to see how different we were, based on our everyday reactions to those little things.
Thinking of you. Hope the bichons are giving you extra snuggles.
Well, no wonder you're not in Christmas Mood mode! You have so much on your hands right now, and I'm not talking toilet float. Your significant other is moving to a new city, you have not found him a nest yet and you'll be alone to figure out the Hi-Fi!
But you'll do great. This will be a wonderful time to focus on your OU work, to spend quality time with yourself, and–why not?–pamper yourself.
You are a generous creature, it all pays back, you know that.
Ciao and have a smashing new beginning of 2010!
Lola xx
I'm not so sure that daily life and wider concerns are in opposition. Jane Austen wrote largely about the trivia of life, and yet in doing so she also wrote about universal concerns such as love, fear of poverty, class, the role of women...
Most of what I write stems from my daily life but I suppose I use that as a starting point to consider some deeper feelings. Ultimately, I think the best blogs are the ones which are honest and true to the author - like yours!
Stay well and keep writing.
I do think the news is important, but like to get my fill via news channels. For me, the charm of blogs is life as it is lived by real people....
Prétentieux? Mais mon ami , c’est normal non? Il doit sûrement avoir quelque erreur.
Bon chance pour les aventures de Mr FF dans Paris et pour votre situation a la maison seul avec les contraptions technologique. *It will all work out fine I'm sure.
** Dites donc!C'est une frimeuse de parlez anglais n'est pas?
Ms. FF, oh dear...the Mr. is soon to be gone! I hope it all works out just fine.
I'm a Jane Austin fan...and the little bits of a person's life are fascinating-"even pulling weeds" as long as talking about the garden is included! Phil's comment's are soooo pretentious!
:-) Just love it! (He writes in the kind of French I can understand...humm...is that good?) Love your blog! May your 2010 be everthing you hope it to be...and more! xx
Jen - I love trivial stuff. I leave the Big Pictures to the cleverer ones amongst us
Steve - the only rad I'll need to think about is our bathroom one which sometimes makes strange gurgling noises. I'm looking forward to feeling practical.
tfitw - At least replies are trickling in from some of the PAP ads I've responded to. Most of them say the place is already let!
AWONI - I just had a quick look at that site and it looks very expensive. The perfect place was there however but it was 1500 EU a month! About 900 is our top whack because we will still have all the expenses on the house here and - until the authorities have caught up with us cancelling our French business (it takes months believe it or not!) - we have a lot of cotisations to pay - despite the fact that Mr FF will be paying them again through his salary. Life is a lot of money here.
We'll have to look on it as a savings scheme we'll get the money taken in error back - e v e n t u a l l y
Oh Kathy - that made me cry. I must be in a bit of a state I guess. Thank you for watching over me - you are so lovely
Bill - when I put what I put I did have a moment of 'oops, hope I don't upset anyone'. It was never meant as a criticism - but I'm just not clever enough to discuss politics or climate change etc. I'm not a George Monbiot or Arianna Huffington type of person. I can just about fight my corner with the things I believe in, but put me up against someone well-read or learned about these matters and I crumble. Mr FF is of your ilk and I just don't take him on.
Vera - I don't know why I have so much trouble unzipping word files. In the four years I've done the OU I have not yet successfully opened up one marked essay without help
FFS - hello you. I have to confess that when I hit a blog and paragraph after paragraph greets me I might read the beginning few lines and the end few but the rest I will skim. Too many words are just overwhelming
Ken - the thing is that I never find your posts dull. Everyday life just fascinates me - in all its minute detail. I've always been a very curious person (some say nosey) and reading about your life with Bev and all the things you do is just wonderful. Don't change a thing
fff - I know someone who is up to her Phd in political science and I can't think of anything worse - well I can - philosophy!. Two subjects guaranteed to make me run out of the room screaming
ContemTroub - gosh, you do write well. (I could have said 'golly gosh' then and gone all 1950s England - although I only saw two years of the fifties). It is interesting to think how we have changed over the years. I've never lived on my own - I always shared flats or (whisper) lived with men. This will be a good experience I feel (she said, sort of meaning it)
Lola - you are so lovely. As for pampering myself - I don't think I could ever be accused of not pampering myself. My days are more or less my own and now is my chance to do something with them - like get on with some writing.
Mark - I never thought about Austen and how you can really get a perfect picture of the society in which she lived, just be looking at the Bennet family through Jane's microscope. Perhaps in years to come our blogs will be studied by sociologists (on Mars or something)
Fi - I read the Guardian online and get the international edition delivered - but as soon as I've read something it goes straight out of my head. Unless it is a terrible story about dogs - in which case it haunts me night and day.
Phil - tu peux me tutoyer, mon ami.
With you on terrible things happening to animals - it gives me the horrors for days.
We have recalcitrant cisterns too. Getting posted to Paris to escape them is an option that hadn't occurred to me! I'm sure it'll seem strange being separated - but the weekends will fly round.
tfitw - When a dreadful doggy story catches my eye I usually write all sort of letters to people mentioned in the article - I even extended it to elephants when that awful Mary Chipperfield cruelty story hit the headlines.
I've rung police inspectors (with a few cruelty to dogs perpetrated by members of the police), headmasters and social service inspectors - when young yobs tortured animals - you name it I have done my little protest about it.
Mr FF sometimes goes through the paper first - when I am feeling a bit low - in case there is a story there that will upset me. Oh dear, that's going to go out of the window then. :)
BroTob - he won't be coming home many weekends really. He has some other work of his own he needs to finish and, at the end of a busy week with the new job, I want him to stay put more than travel.
We'll be together when we can be.
http://www.paristay.com/1744-studio-apartment-for-rent-in-paris-Lenoir-23.html
worth a try?
http://www.parisattitude.com/search2.asp
That's very sweet of you to look, Desert, but it says it is available from July 2010. There seem to be a lot of these summer dates in the Paris rental market - must be students finishing up I reckon.
I had actually seen that site - there are hundreds and hundreds and I think I have now seen them all. Most want 2 months rent and a month to the agency as their fee - up front. We don't have that spare until the end of Jan. On verra and all that.
A hotel doesn't need a deposit and that is just fine with us. At the end of January he can go down the agency route. There is also a site called PAP that is private ads - that's the best route to take 'cos then there are no agency fees.
Thanks again though
x
Ordinary peoples lives are so much more interesting than politics and world affairs.
I am sure that things will soon sort themselves out for Mr FF.
ops didnt mean to make you cry FF. I wonder what mars will make of my tablescapes hehe, K x
Oh dear Julie, you'll be fine. If Mr. FF doesn't get around to explaining everything you can bug my husband. He amazes me with all he knows and absolutely loves to be helpful.
Thinking of you. And I love hearing about your everyday, so don't stop please.
I love blogs about other peoples' lives and their daily trivia...it gives me the confidence to write about my daily trivia. We learn so much about people and the different cultures in which they have immersed themselves.
As for being alone FF. Take it from someone with plenty of experience. Mr FF will be fine...no need to worry. There will be things that crop up that you believe you can't deal with. But believe me, you will surprise yourself at how many problems you ARE able to sort out yourself...and the sense of achievement afterwards does wonders for the self-esteem. It's hard at first. There are tears of loneliness and frustration. But it soon passes. Women are far more resourceful than we give ourselves credit for.
cheshire wife - as I write this Mr FF is about to reply to an ad he put on an expat forum. A flat share in central Paris is involved and looks like the short term answer. I feel like a weight has fallen off me.
Kathy - I'm very hormonal atm and of course it doesn't help. I do feel very loved though out in the blogosphere and it is a good, very good, feeling
Angie - ok, when I next have a problem - if I can't sort it out myself I will turn up with my two little dogs - it's ok, they are housetrained - and my suitcase and just move right on in.I can be the babysitter.
Ayak - well, when I had my problem with the perpetually flushing loo I felt immense satisfaction that one of the levers I pressed did actually stop the pump going. I even tried several times to re-attach the float - I didn't want to be beaten by an inanimate object - I have to learn the knack.
I know I'll be ok really - I have been through some things in my life and come out the other end - this is small fry stuff compared to that.It's only now and then I think I might succumb a bit to the down side of things.
Julie, dearest, Mr FF is going away next Sunday! I'm like you when it comes to DIY (utterly hopeless in my case). I use the hammer for everything!!! I have earned a new respect for those lovers or husbands who have to work away from home. I didn't realise how much one will miss quite frightfully. One does take things for granted but one only knows what one missing when you don't have it. My dear, I wonder if you got my parcel which I sent just before Christmas and I didn't know if it arrived safely.
PS. Mr Londoner has left to New York this morning. I'm already missing him quite frightfully xxx
Oh ASD, how nice to see you back. I've been awfully remiss in not sending you a letter - I've not been able to sit quietly enough to compose my thoughts - blogging is about all I can manage - you take more thought and preparation.
I've not received anything yet but I'm waiting for a few things that also haven't arrived. Thank you for the thought.
Shame about Mr London going away - can't wait to find out more.
xx
J
:) I agree. While I do enjoy reading "intellectual" articles, life would be really dull if that's all there was in it. It's fun to read blogs that give me a glimpse of life being lived elsewhere. And Brittany looks awesome!
Hi FF, Here's hoping Mr. FF. gets settled soon. Sometimes it is easier when you/he is in situ and can look around there. He'll be fine and it's lovely that you are worrying about him so much. True love.
On blogging...it is hard what to put in and what to leave out. My new year's resolution is to try to be truer to myself. I know I blog incessantly about the bank (and probably bore everyone to tears with it) but I do WORRY! So I can understand how you feel yourself. Don't worry, pet, it'll all work out.... C xx
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