The Anti- Anti-Sh*t Group Has Emerged

Well, the anti dog sh*t sign did not last long - here is what I found a couple of days ago. 


I cannot help but feel sympathetic to the ASG. I wonder how they (could it be more than one person belonging to this noble group?) will react to this new development. Stay tuned. 

Even the French are Complaining!

I wrote a while ago about the gymnastic abilities required to dodge mounds of dog feces in French streets. It's a real problem everywhere - there is no law requiring curbing dogs and dog owners just do not seem to care where they do their business. It's not an exaggeration to state that in a given street on a given day you would risk stepping on at least 6 different mounds in all sizes, shapes and age. Some are in corners by the walls but some are smack in the middle of the sidewalk. Every so often you see evidence that some unfortunate soul stepped on them, and see efforts of that person trying to clean the shoe against the edge of the curb - adding to more material for you to try to avoid. Whenever we foreigners get together, this comes up as the number one everyday annoyance of French life. 

I'm usually really good at dog-output dodging - I'd like to think that my radar is constantly at work, looking ahead at least 5 feet at any given moment. The fact that I've only had the misfortune of stepping on two mounds in my 1-1/2 year here is a testament - I think that must be a failure rate of approximately 0.000001% given the number of risks lurking everywhere. When I was in NY last time, I thought, at the end of the first day walking around Manhattan,  that something felt different - and I pinpointed it as the fact that I don't have to walk in constant apprehension of stepping on something unpleasant!

Anyway, I recently ran into this handwritten sign in a small street behind our flat:

Rough translation:

Sh*t bags...

I am not insulting you, you dog owner. I just want to add a new word to your vocabulary. We hear each other. The A.S.G (Anti-Sh*t Group)

So evidently I and the other foreigners are not the only ones in distress over this topic! Hooray to the ASG!

January Sales

Wednesday was the start of the annual winter sales here. Unlike the US, where retail stores can hold sales anytime they please, here in France they are allowed two official sales periods, once in January - February and another in June - July. Supposedly this encourages fair competition among the retailers - well, another thing this encourages is mad crowds on the first day of the sales.

Granted, no news reports of people in stampedes a la Walmart after Thanksgiving, but since the sales always start on a Wednesday and many women do not work on Wednesdays (see posting on elementary schools closing every Wednesday), it can be really crazy. I stepped out with the kids last year and promptly came back home - it was utterly unmanageable, especially with Manolee in the stroller. 

The French take the Soldes (sales) very seriously. People strategize for weeks ahead of time - which stores to hit in which order. People go ahead of time and try on things and cozy up with the salespeople to try to put things on hold (heard this was illegal, but many people try and succeed anyway). Always seems to be a big topic with the moms at school. People buy things ahead, meaning, they will buy clothes for next year and the year after. I am not yet used to such strategizing, such is my habit of just buying what I need or want when I need or want. But with the recession supposedly in full gear, maybe I will get my head in order - but does that makes sense? Spend money in a recession to save money in the future? Not convinced. 

Happy sale-ing!