Sunny Morning Thoughts

We're taking a break from Paris for the rest of the winter.  Berkeley has welcomed us with open arms and an incredible spring-like burst of sun and warm weather which I hope never ends.  We missed the severe storms here at the end of 2010 and have been absolutely stunned to be walking around in shirtsleeves and sandals.  Woo-hoo!!

I love the first days of jet lag when we come back here; waking up at 4:30 A.M. full of vigor and the desire to unpack, rearrange, do the laundry.  By 8:00 we're ready to hit the market and take a walk before breakfast.  This is not my usual pattern, people.  In Paris we rarely see the sun partly because when it is around it's in the mornings, and we're not.  I suppose there's something to be said for alarm clocks, but I had enough of them in my working years.  Now I just go with the flow.

Jet lag is over now, but I'm still waking earlier than usual and feeling good.  However our 20 year old car is not feeling so great, and we're going to have to replace it, one of my least favorite things.  The reason we even have a 20 year old car is because I hate, hate, hate, car dealers and negotiating.  I bought this last one over the phone, calling every dealer in the area until one would give me a price without my having to come in and haggle in person. 

It's lucky I'm feeling so sunny now, it helps in girding up for the search.  We're gone at least half the year, so having a nice car isn't as important as it would be if I were in it every day, but finding something decent at a low cost will be a challenge.  I'm off to look at one this morning.  Wish me luck!