Dinner Party: Lively Now!

Another week, another dinner party, this one light years better. It's not that I didn't enjoy the old folks, but here everyone other than the hostess was in their 30s. Aaah, that's better. There were two couples, the guys both teachers at school, one missus an English teacher and the other a librarian, and also two small children. This part was not fantastic, but I felt like their parents were more pained by their presence than I was. Particularly when they broke things, which they did. More than once.

Conversation flew around the table as always: difference between U.S. and American students, whether Obama deserved the Nobel, Didier & Karine's vacation in Scandanavia, Guillaume's imminent trip to Cambodia, the presence of the Klan in the southern states. (I got to answer this one three times, because there was a "special report" on TV last night about it. I just told them that I've lived my whole life in Alabama and never seen a real, live Klansman, but I suppose if you go looking for nutjobs, you can find them.) They agreed the French media has a tendency to exaggerate.

The teachers I work with were absolutely appalled to hear I'd been assigned the Devil's Class, that one particular group known school-wide for being the worst of the worst, absolutely intolerable, at least half of whom should be expelled immediately. This was mollifying; it's nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks the school could have been a little more considerate in picking out my classes. Lord knows we took great pains to make Miss Cake's adjustment as easy as possible, so I get kind of bitter about the corresponding treatment I've received.

Anyway, I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed the evening. It was relaxed, it was fun, it was just plain super. Afterwards someone volunteered to drive me home, which is good because it was past midnight and I'd missed the last bus. There was one shaky moment about halfway through the drive when the missus said, "Did you drink too much? Are you okay to drive?" and he responded by giving her the universal hand signal for "kinda sorta." But hey, it was a short trip and we made it back in one piece, so good on him.