O'Mexico

We had a strange dinner tonight. Well, strange for Paris. I got
home a bit late from babysitting, so we decided to go out to dinner
instead of eating leftovers again. Since Dr. B found out he had
another paper published today, it was a bit of a celebration. We
walked a few blocks over to Rue du Père Guérin (Hi L & P at SFX! Is
this your relative?) to try a Paris oddity, a Mexican restaurant. We
have no idea why they named it O'Mexico. Maybe the place used to be
an Irish pub or something. Anyway, it was a tiny spot tucked away on
a nearby street, painted a bright, sunflower yellow inside with
parrots and (??) a Native American in a War Bonnet on the wall.

I admit, after several days of lots of french speaking, it was a
relief to be in somewhat familiar surroundings. Although the chip
basket was miniscule to say the least (and the salsa bowl was
literally what an American restaurant would serve butter or sour
cream in), the fajitas were delicious and the tortillas were home-
made and fresh. Plus, margaritas are always a good thing. (Though
we sure appreciated NAFTA in hindsight when we saw the price.) The
next table was full of businessmen (french, german and american) all
speaking in English, so we had an evening where we could relax and
enjoy, and we didn't have to worry about sticking out because we were
conversing in English ourselves. (And we were proud to note that the
loudest guy at the table was German! Americans here have a
reputation for being too loud, but not this time.)

Today was a gloomy day in Paris, and rather cool, but I can't
complain. I just received photos from my cousin in Williston, North
Dakota, of their backyard this afternoon. Blanketed under many
inches of HEAVY SNOW (Yes, it is only Oct. 5). I tried to publish a
photo, but had some trouble, so you'll just have to use your
imagination. I guess a few clouds aren't so bad. Hard to believe
Madison had 84 degrees today, while ND had a blizzard. Bizarre!
(Say it like the french do, "BEEEE-zahr!")

Tomorrow I will sit for the girls a little later, but that's OK.
Extra cash is always a good thing! (Maybe I will get a new pair of
shoes or something for a treat...I've had my eye on some lovely
ballerines, or a new pair of Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars...)