Sorry I’ve been away for so long. This past couple of month has been really crazy for many reasons:
1) I had 2 poster presentations to prepare for the American Academy of Neurology meeting I was attending. And I undertook a MAJOR project 2 weeks before the meeting that I absolutely wanted to present. So I ended up working every night after work (and weekends) on my research project. This left me seriously sleep deprived but totally psyched about the new results of my research!
2) Although the meeting was great, being stuck in Toronto for 5 days (thanks, Volcano) not knowing when I would be able to fly home was NO fun! After 3 weeks of arduous work, I was really looking forward to being able to spend some quality time with the hubby…
3) But after my return, I still had 2 more conferences with one poster and one oral talk to prepare . Ahhh…..Work Work Work…..
4) Major Bummer: I haven’t blogged in over a month! Not that I haven’t had any blog material. But life just gets in the way….
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But I know that dwelling on the bad times wont get me anywhere and I am determined to see the bright side of life. In spite of everything I just mentionned I’ve had some pretty rocking moments too. Here is a little overview of what has made my heart smile over the past few weeks….
1) Niagara Falls:
I was at first pretty disappointed to discover that there was a city around the falls. I had imagined something pretty wild and remote. Not a big city with lots of tall hotel buildings overlooking the falls. But taking the boat to get a closer look at the roaring waters was just amazing! Was also a great way to spend time with my coworkers and get our minds off work!
2) Reading a book at Starbucks!
Oh… that felt soooo goood….. I hadn’t given much time to reading but while I was in Toronto, I decided to take a morning off to go to a local bookstore, sit with a Soy Latte and read. I was so lucky to find the perfect book for my lazy morning: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin! It is such a fantastic source of discussions, quotations and thoughts on this very tricky question: Is it possible to become a happier person? Like Rubin, I am not an unhappy person, I haven’t experienced traumatizing catastrophes, I have a good job, a lovely husband and I live in a beautiful city. But I have always believed that little changes in my attitude or my outlook on life could make me a happier person. This is not a self help book but through her experience, Rubin has helped me find some little ways to make my life more enjoyable and overall more fun! I loved her openness, especially when talking about her relationship to her husband.
I highly recommand this book!
Especially with my new adorable bookmark! I couldn’t resist….
3) AirFrance!
Spending time in Toronto was fun but I was so frustrated to miss time with the Hubby while we were stuck there. After 5 days, my group finally flew to NYC, hoping to get on a NYC-Toulouse flight (the Paris Airport was still closed at the time and southern French airports had just reopened).
I was just so so glad to get in that airplane! Especially when the announced that the Paris airport had finally reopened and our flight was redirected to Paris.
More than 2000 people were waiting at the AirFrance checkin area. Almost all of them were able to go home that night! It was such a relief!
4) Driver’s license!!!!!!!
Yep! I finally did it! Passing the stupid driving test wasn’t easy! The success rate is about 40% (so different from America, huh?) but I did it! I did it!!!! It is such a relief for me … and my bank account (learning to drive in France usually costs around 2000 euros, and even more if you have to take the driving test several times!). So glad it is over!
I even got to drive my sister’s Smart car (the “A” in the back is my mandatory “young driver” sign):
Oh so cool…. The hubby and I are even thinking of buying me a car! I’m so thrilled!
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Well I think it is time to end this crazy long post! I’ll be back with more news later this week!
‘Night yall!
Welcome back!!! Loved your photos and congrats on the driver’s license. Thanks for the book review, I’ve heard about this book so I’m going to reserve it at the library. Good luck with your projects…
That’s quite the adventure. My hubby and I drove to Niagara once years ago and will always treasure it as a memory. Did you see the video about the lady who went over it in a barrel and lived? Thanks for the book recommendation. We’re going to pick out some summer reading this weekend and that looks perfect to me.