29 June 2009, Paris

Overslept because I was kept awake by a bunch of dumb$*# Americans cooking and partying in the kitchen one floor below for their last night in Paris. I actually got out of bed, traipsed down there opened the door and yelled at them. It took another 20 mins for things to break up. The two bad parts of the experience are that 1) I think their program director was with them--way to go !! and 2) they were playing some good music. I was getting ready to go back down, comment on their good taste in music, but ask them to shut up!

OK, so still no €. I walked down to the PTT to get Western Union funds, but I wasn't given all the info I need by the people in the US. Now I have an email into them. We'll see. Glad I went to Iceland...the saga continues

Phone's working--two perfectly stereotypical cleaning ladies came into my room. One about 4'5" and gruff, family's been here a while, and the other, whose family has probably been here a generation or two. Guesses...but that's why I said stereotypical. 4'5"'s pushing every button imaginable, not understanding that it won't work, because the phone's talking to her. The other comes in takes control and resolves it with some quick words to the reception desk. The woman there had been giving the first woman a hard time...now 4'5"'s staring at the phone saying she's going to kill her.

Finally have Internet down. It's a combo of their system here and UMM's webmail. Met with the guy today and we should be good to go. Nice guy and knows his stuff.

So without € I can't make any calls out of my room, so I need to go stand out in the callbox.

I love France!!