Back to normal...

On Saturday night Beatrice left for England, and once again we are plunged back into our long-distance-love state of mind. I am getting used to only being able to hear her voice with a two second time delay on my Skype phone. The cats have begun to return to their normal state as well... after a week and a half of intensive attention during daylight hours, Ryan and I are both back at work for most of the day. I think they knew that something was missing when I came back alone from the airport on Saturday night. But that night I wrapped the duvet under my feet, put an extra blanket on the bed and took advantage of their warmth through the covers. They seemed to know that I needed company on that first lonely night.

On Monday I returned to work, and not a moment too soon. $13.50 an hour couldn't have returned soon enough, and any more time away from my francophone colleagues would have probably done serious damage to the progress I've made with my French language. I have returned to my 'reverse-commute' too. While most people who commute in this take the métro or bus in from the suburbs to the city centre every morning, I do exactly the reverse on my way to the office in Anjou. I never thought of it this way, but actually it's a much better deal. I get to live in the middle of the city, with everything the Plateau has to offer right outside my door. For the seven hours I have to spend in an air conditioned office every day, I leave the interesting urban landscape behind and retreat to the grey suburbs where distractions would be a bad idea. Then when I finish work in the evening, I can come back to the city and relax where it's easier to have a good time.

Plus, I always get a seat...

*j*