Oh, the anxiety

Sitting on the porch, having a lovely salad with the boys. The weather is stunning: the humidity broke last night, and we are left with a summer day that encourages reading after the chores (packing, mowing the lawn) have been finished.

I look over at my flower garden and wonder if the boys will remember to water it, and to take in the plants before the first frost. To remember to overseed the new lawn that we've worked so hard on this spring. I wonder what I will find when we come back this winter.

Yesterday, I spent far too many hours online searching for a cell phone solution.  I think back to the time that I used to make fun of my husband for his need to be connected all the time. Then I got a phone. Whoops. Now I am scared by the simple idea that I could be somewhere without being able to call and say: "I'm late, I'm lost, How are you?"

There are many providers in France - Sosh, Free, B-and-You, Bouygues, Orange - and the list goes on. How interesting it is to see the plethora of choice here. I wish we had the same. In a way, it feels like the wild west, and to an outsider, it is a bit difficult to find the key to the best solution to your needs. Anyway, apparently you choose your plan, and then you choose your phone. If you have a phone for more than 3 months, you can unlock it. If you want a phone, just for 60 min/month with no contract, it will only cost 2euros. Unbelievable.

I have a couple of old Sony Walkman phones that work on European standards. My original plan was with Cingular (which no longer exists), then ATT and now I'm w/ Verizon (smart phone.) I called ATT, and they gave my the unblocking code and the directions (which are rather complicated!), and now I have 2 phones that work in France. Tada!!