Not entirely rosy Mitraillette #37099

• Fun money issues harshing my oh-so-hard-to-hold-onto-anyway mellow. 
• Stupid program debit card has been refused a handful of times so now I just get cash out all the time which means we are paying astronomical international transaction fees but it can't be helped; I refuse to run the risk of being at a museum or somewhere owing a couple of hundred dollars and have the card be refused. It's been absolute dumb luck that I had enough cash on me the other times.
• Additional fun money issues are partly my fault and really are OK but just another thing on my mind.
• As usual pretty lonely over here and this time since I'm broke* things are even more fun. I'm pretty sure I already talked about this so whatever, plus you all know it already. I thought this year would be the year when it would just rock the whole time. Well not really but I figured all my hard work and having so much done ahead of time would pay off in contentment... Um, not so much. 
• Usual disclaimer of how ridiculous and of course ungrateful this sounds to other people but the bottom line is the same as before: Paris program really is just barely worth all the hassle on my part.
• On the other hand it is my favorite time of the whole year where students are concerned.
• *In truth I'm no more broke than previous years, but this year I'm not charging ANYTHING. After bills that means I JUST have enough money to eat. That's good but everyone knows it's more fun to travel when you can spend on some special stuff once in a while. I did squeeze money out of somewhere for my train trips to Caen, so that's good. My strategy of getting gifts for people at the Puces is good, too. Fair amount cheaper than all the tourist crap and of course much more fun, both to look for and to give (and hopefully to receive).
• Let's end on something good: Musée d'Orsay tomorrow, which I was not able to go to the last two years due to program errands and ankle woes (2009 and 2010, respectively). I haven't been in the Orsay since at least '89, I think earlier.
• Oh, and Flashdance is on (music movies tonight all eve on France 4 because today is Fête de la Musique :)