147699

I have mix feelings concerning investing in stocks: not taking part is an option I refuse to consider but at the same time doing so is in total contradiction with my political ideas. I have invested since I started to work: I made every possible mistakes and lost a lot of money as well as won some. I consider it a game at times – which I perfectly understand may shock people – but I don't loose the finality of it: end up with a portfolio that is positive. Even better worse, I'm not sure what to do with the money eventually – which again I understand may shock certain -: retirement plan, pay up all morgages, travelling, charities, …

It's like playing Simcity ® except that one doesn't have the possibility to remove stray/random elements such as natural disasters.

It may sound stupid and childish but I need reasons to feel Ok continuing. T doesn't give a damn; he uses every € he earns to continue constructing his little house at Vellefaux; I don't think I know someone less interested. A has more problems accepting my … bipolarity. Since caring about what other people think is part of my personality I am … in trouble.

Problem is that it deals with money. Like a player at the casino I'm interested in the right formula, the perfect martingale. I could talk and make my spread sheet fume twisting statistical and probability functions for hours. Sometimes I realize it's a good thing I don't think of the value of what I invest. It's scary but now it generally amounts to one month salary… I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be more, 6 months, a year, …

The most reassuring sentence I recently heard was said by a preast, in a film; during a confession scene he simply asked: do you think you've made the best of the capacities in you?

 

147205

I saved someone yesterday… a woman. Same car of the train I was riding on my way from Dijon to Châlon. She sat on a broken chair and fell as the train was about to depart and the door was automatically shutting. She was on the floor before I could do anything but I prevented her from going any further and maybe having her head crushed…
My conclusion is that there are probably good things in me, I mean more than bad ones since I didn't … push her. She was older than me so was obviously a dead weight in this society: I'll have to pay for her retirement plan, medical expenses, etc. Who will mine? Next time I definitely need to think twice before acting inconsiderately. Damn!! why didn't I just look the other way?The train would have dragged her body over miles and miles, tearing it apart, blood splashing all over the car, the entire train turning into red. Come to think of it I forgot my camera at Besançon so … *head hanging over the desk*

 

147022

Headache… not too violent though but … I can hardly think…
Just 2 days ago we could enjoy at least 10°C more *sigh* and now, here I am … in France. I don't think it is possible to live in a tackier, more stuck up, boring, obnoxious, pretentious country. No, I really don't think it is possible. I'm sorry, I'm tired of living in here. 40 years is a long time after all. ^_^

 

146905

The last evening at Florence we went to the 4 leoni restaurant (trattoria rather). Young P not appreciating the change of her plans aside T and I are still wondering what was so special about that place… I hope we didn't miss something? Wine was good …

 

146686

Happy birthday to !!

 

146385

Unlike I had the chance to loose my father very quickly. I don't think know if I would have behaved with as much dignity as Chris did had my dad suffered the kind of degenerative disease chris' father died from…

 

146138

We're back. Not at Besançon yet but at Dijon, at K's who was kind enough to pick us up at the train station (and make sure her little baby P was Ok). I didn't manage to sleep very well this time…

A strange thing happened to me yesterday; a man came to me and said: Don't I know you?… about 60 years old, american from the accent which he confirmed later, living in Florence in a little studio by the Palazzo Vecchio… Originally from California, San diego, he told me he thought I was some man from there too… We all have a double in the world; his would live in the Netherlands for that matter and mine in California… A sign? ^_^

I'm glad we're home; not so I work tomorrow *sigh*

 

145677

I have like 10 mn left of this card to remain connected so I'll make this entry short:
Yesterday we went to the swimming pool (Young P was getting tired of following us in museums). We went to a tratoria in the evening contrary to what P had plan, so…. well she made quite a scene about it with a headache and everything along so much so T had to take her back to the apartment… I remained there thinking whether to leave or to continue the dinner all by myself… They finally came back, P calmed down somehow and even risking eating some risotto and fritto del'aia. Children are not easy *sigh*
Today is the last day. Shopping and wandering around basically until we board our train back home.

 

145463

Could barely check out my e-mail yesterday. My internet card was empty and couldn't find a bank to get cash to refill it. I had like 3 mn left so basically I checked out my online bank account to find out, among other things, that I had sold some stocks at a fixed price (something I'm not too proud about doing… will probably blog about it someday) and read comments and had made…
I forgot to mention we rode a bus from Firenze to Sienna yesterday. Strangely enough, when I visited Sienna 3 years ago (during a journey in which I happened to know a couple and their daughter from Quebec: the nicest people one could possibly meet) it had rained heavily that day. Well so did it yesterday… Italy is not the place where one would think of buying an umbrella but there we were, threatened to get drenched wearing only T-shirts, so…

The week is about to end now and it's been kinda fun having to deal the whole time with T and young P. Playing substitute father was not easy in a way as I had to let T control things and not intervene even though sometimes I couldn't help commenting and giving orders… the kid knows how to defend herself, fortunately for her 🙂 I will probably blog more about it later. I have to digest this first and let the dust settle down.

 

145307

T in a shop, about to buy a film for his camera:
un filmo per mi camera por favor, please? H (prononced like in french with an a or o depending on how masculine or feminine words or letters sound) P, 5 (prononced cinco; T studied some spanish at school… some) and in order to help he waves his hands in a typical way which one may interpret as “You understood me, didn`t you?“
Me, to the lady who, obviously, did not understand a word: Akka, Pi, cinque, tipo de pellicola; I`m pointing my finger at the same time because I`m not too sure she understands my accent though I`m rather certain of the translation
T: yes, si, oui…

Today was dedicated to the visit of a museum, excruciating experience for young P who gave up after 2 hours. We ended up en terrasse at the end of the visit.