And the strike goes on

Read this post from my friend Harriet: http://harrietweltyrochefort.com/wordpress/?p=946
I don't think I could say it better.
I feel very housebound. I'm retired, so I don't have the real problems of the working population. My children do, though. My son has been working from home as much as possible and has had to drive to the office on the few days when he had to go in for meetings. My daughter has had better luck. She lives along one of the two automated métro lines and that gets her fairly close to work. However, work is on Montmartre, so it's an uphill walk. She's been able to hitch a ride when necessary. People are very nice in that way.
We've had to go to Paris on two evenings but it wasn't too difficult. During rush hours, it's horrendous. We are lucky. One of the two bus lines that will take us to Vincennes is functioning and line 1 from Vincennes is the other of the two automated lines. As long as our destination is not far from line 1 or line 14 station, we are able to go. For our first venture into town, we took the bus to Vincennes. Since we are close to the end of the line, there were two buses, back to back, and the second was not too crowded; there were seats. The métro was crowded, but not too crowded since we got on at the first station. We were wondering if the Bastille station would be open since that day's demonstration went from République to Nation via Bastille. At Nation, the métro became very crowded and more so at the Gare de Lyon. We got off at Bastille and some of the exits were closed off but not the one we wanted to use.

Our destination? A jazz concert in a passageway off the Rue de Lappe featuring Joe Makholm at the piano. I've known Joe for years but had never seen or heard him perform. I knew him from his days as a baseball umpire when his son played. It was a long time ago and I kept seeing his name come up on FaceBook in posts by mutual friends. Our circle of mutual friends ranges from all over. It was not surprising to find a few at the concert. Monique Wells, from the American Library, where she gave a talk and arrived early while I was working at the circulation desk. Owen Franken, whom I had never met, but had had several email exchanges with and with whom I shared 16 or 17 friends on FaceBook. So, we finally met in person. Bernadette Martin, whom I hadn't seen in many years since an AARO lunch, but I wonder if I hadn't seen her at an International Business Communicators meeting even before that lunch. Others were not able to come because of the strike -- buses not running or too crowded to get on. The concert was excellent but we left at 10:30, before the end, because we needed time to get home. Although the métro, line 1, was running, our bus line had stopped. Rather than try to find a taxi in Vincennes, we took a taxi from Bastille.
I then had to go to Paris for a mid-day meeting. Getting into Paris was not difficult. It was not rush hour. The meeting went well and I left before it was over because I felt I needed 2 hours to get to my physiotherapist appointment. The métro was crowded to Vincennes but I got to sit after a few stops. However, once in Vincennes, the mob waiting for the bus that goes to Nogent was, to be nice, undisciplined. I finally got on the 4th bus, having waited almost 45 minutes. I did not have time to walk several kilometers to the appointment, so it was the bus or forget the appointment. I got there just in time. My 2-hour calculation was perfect, when, normally, it would have taken less than one.

On Friday evening, we met the rest of the Parisian family to go to the light show, Océans en voie d'illumination, at the Jardin des Plantes. We decided to drive to Vincennes and see if we could get a parking spot, which we were lucky enough to find. The parking garage had 6 spots free when we entered. A few minutes later, it would have been full. That meant we got the métro earlier than we had anticipated. The walk from the Gare de Lyon is not too long and we arrived at the Jardin des Plantes a full hour early.
Anne joined us and, together, we waited for the others. The walk through the illuminations took us from the tropics (and the kids remembered seeing the real marine animals last year in Florida) to end in the polar regions. It was a chilly walk, but it wasn't raining, so comfortable enough. From the exit, we walked to Jussieu, to Le Buisson Ardent, the restaurant where we had reserved for Paul's birthday. Expensive, yes, but I think we all enjoyed our meals. The kids' meals were smaller portions of an adult meal and they cleaned their plates. I had the perfectly prepared calf liver. The walk back to the Gare de Lyon seemed so much longer, though, and I was happy to have the car waiting at Vincennes to take us straight home.
So, we've managed, but it's not fun and I would like to go into the city a bit more. Just this last Friday, I was supposed to meet Anne to go to an exhibit. Again - bus + métro 1 + tram. But she got to the tram before I even left home and announced that the tram was not operating, although it had been on Thursday. So, no, she went home and I stayed home. I would like to see my friend S, but she's near the Gare du Nord and that is too far for me to walk from lines 1 or 14.

Thinking about last summer

I didn't write during the summer. Now, I'm going through our photos to create our annual photo album and that got me to thinking about the summer, again.
Photobox is moving to a new system since Adobe Flash is no longer available. They haven't finished the migration and some of the conveniences of the old studio are gone and it's frustrating. I just don't want to have to start using some other service. I've got so many books created with Photobox. It's already frustrating enough that I have two accounts. I started one in the UK and then another in FR. I managed to migrate the one in France to the UK, but could not merge the two accounts. Each has its own email address. I do wish I could merge them and have everything in a single account.

So, let's get back to the summer. Rue du Général Chanzy held its annual street party. For C, it was her first and she loved it. The weather was good, too; the rain held off until almost the end. There was a new "toy": a bubble maker. C. loved that and spent a lot of time chasing bubbles. Our street has held this party for 30 years. At the time, it was a novelty, so much so, that the Maire (then, Nungesser, now, Martin) has come almost every year. Since we started, the French have created a national "Fête des Voisins", but we don't bother with that date. It has been a great success on our street, with the street blocked off to traffic and open to games such as racing on stilts, rope pulls, snail races and more. Adults gather together to watch the kids. It's nice to see the next generation continue. Meanwhile, A took a week-long vacation in the Loire valley.
Early in June, we went to Northampton to visit the English family. We went to visit a manor and a petting farm. We got to see Au. in a dance show. I had my hobby knitting machine with me and the kids had a chance to knit a little and I fixed the skirt and sweater that were too big.
Immediately after that, I went off with the AARO delegation to Washington for Overseas Americans Week. I was already exhausted because I had done most of the preparation work of getting the appointments. A couple of the other participants helped out once the lists were made but it is exhausting work.

The OAW delegation before we split up the last day.

The FAWCO delegate and I shared a hotel room not far from Dupont Circle. I got to spend one dinner with Amy, who is now working in DC. We had a tiny family reunion, eating our take-out dinner in Dupont Circle! She has a small apartment right at the Circle. Another delegate and I had a night out at the ball game - Washington Nationals vs the Diamondbacks. Other than that we all spent the week scattering ourselves from meeting to meeting both on the Hill and off. 83 meetings, in all!
Paul's cousin, Danielle, died before I got home but since the funeral was delayed, we both managed to go to St. André des Alpes for the funeral and, as usual with funerals, we got to see lots of family not seen in ages. P. and G. stayed at the same B&B as we did, so we had a pleasant get together before they headed back to Six-Fours and we headed back to Nice to catch our train. There was a heatwave and our train back to Paris got delayed. We had water for the trip, but not enough and it was an uncomfortable ride. The OUIGO discount TGVs do not have a refreshment car nor vending machines so if you don't bring your own food (in our case, lunch sandwiches) and water, you are stuck. They do have air-conditioning but they set it at a minimum, relatively high temperature. We were wilted on arrival and still had to catch the RER and walk up the hill once we got to Nogent.
At the end of June, Chl celebrated her 5th birthday. We went to Swann et Vincent, a decent family restaurant at Denfert-Rocherau and got an ice cream cone for dessert at the nearby rue Daguerre. After that, we had a little break. The kids in England were still in school and the kids in Paris were off on the beginning of their vacation until the end of July. Somewhere in there

A day at the zoo

When school was over in England, Cl brought the girls for a week at the end of July and the Parisian kids were back so the cousins had a wonderful few days together. We all went to the zoo one day. They went to the Toutankhamon exhibit and even managed to go up the Eiffel Tower before I took the Brits back to the airport. This was followed by a visit from the American cousins at the beginning of August! We only got a couple of hours together on the river bank, but the kids, who remembered the Christmas visit to Winter Park, picked up playing together as if they'd seen one another just the day before.

Chez Emma

We had a week or so to recover from all the visiting. The Brits stopped in on their way to the Annecy and took A with them for a week and the Parisians went to Oléron for relaxation and oysters. We drove down to Najac to visit E and G and after the week in Oléron, the Parisians had a week not far, so we all managed to get together, again.
Upon our return to Paris, the Brits stopped for a night on their way back to England and took me with them for a family birthday party in London -- another wonderful family reunion, especially for C, who hadn't seen these cousins in several years.
One night at the hotel and I returned home the next day. And then my shoulder froze.
PS: As usual, there are no photos of the kids. I do share them with the family.

Replacement part - health care in France

Sometime in late August, my shoulder froze, again. I think the first time it froze was when I was still working. That means it was before 2007. I remember not being able to change gears during my daily commute. It was actually frightening. I also had trouble typing and that was part of my job. It didn't last long. It hit me again shortly after I stopped working, early in 2008, I guess. Again, it didn't last and I forgot about it.
In 2012, my shoulder froze and I consulted the rheumatologist, who prescribed pain medication and by 2013 felt that the osteoarthritis had progressed to the point I should consult a surgeon. Before I got to the appointment with the surgeon she had recommended, I found an osteopath, who unblocked the shoulder. It still hurt but at least I could move my arm. That first surgeon wanted to do a shoulder replacement immediately. I asked him whom he would go to if his shoulder froze and that is how I found my surgeon.
Dr. Grimberg, then, consulted at a clinic not far from where we live. At home, when I said I had an appointment with him, my daughter reminded us that he was the surgeon who had repaired her collar bone several years before and she was happy with the result! He did a much more thorough exam of my arm movement than the first guy (made possible by continuing to go to the osteopath) and said that I would certainly need a shoulder replacement, but not immediately. He asked that the next time my shoulder froze up I should let him see me before going to the osteopath so that he could see me at the worst. He agreed that as long as there was cartilage the osteopath could delay the surgery.
When I couldn't move my arm this summer, I made an appointment with Dr. Grimberg. He's now practicing in the 16th, not near us by public transportation or car. I did not hesitate, though. I did not want to go through the process of finding another surgeon I liked. Getting the appointment was easy and there was not a long wait. I saw him on September 11. He prescribed an x-ray and an MRI, both of which I had done within a week and I had my next appointment on September 16. He demonstrated to me that it was time for surgery. I asked how soon. He had one slot for the 26th and after that, it would have to wait for mid-October. I took the open slot. For those who want to know what kind of surgery, look up "reverse shoulder replacement".
I had my 6-week post-op checkup, last week. I know the physical therapist (kiné) is happy with my progress. I am pleased with the progress. The doctor is very pleased. Next appointment in 3 months. I know that next week the kiné will start working on movement behind my back. I can't wait. I haven't been able to reach behind my back in ages!
The French system is a mix of Sécu and private insurance. Major illnesses (diabetes, cancer, heart, etc.) and surgery are covered by the Sécu 100%. That is the rate that public hospitals and doctors that are "conventionnés I" charge. Other, non-major consultations are covered by the Sécu 70% and the supplemental insurance covers the rest. Some supplemental insurance covers the extra expense of doctors that charge more and for that, it is the customer who decides how much he or she is willing to spend each month for how much extra coverage. We don't go for much extra coverage; that's our choice.
Cost: My total out of pocket expense is less than €1000, about a quarter of the total cost. This doctor does not practice in a public hospital. He charges over the Sécu (French social security is medical coverage, not retirement, and is familiarly called the Sécu.) rate = €1200 out of pocket and the anesthetist also charges over the Sécu rate = €400. Of that our supplemental private insurance covered about half. The clinic charged 2 days for the room, even though it was just for one night and the supplemental insurance we subscribe to only reimbursed €65 per day, not even half of what it cost. The Sécu does not cover a private room, at all. All of the other pre-op, surgery, and post-op expenses were covered by the Sécu or some combination of Sécu and the supplemental insurance, including medication, a nurse house-call every other day to change the dressing and take out the staples and 30 sessions of physical therapy, which are not done, yet.
Choice: I chose my doctor. I could have chosen a surgeon at a public hospital and that would probably have been my decision if I had not already met and appreciated Dr. Grimberg.
Waiting time: Even if I had had to wait until mid-October, I do not think that is outrageously long. As it worked out, I only had a 10-day wait from the appointment when it was decided to operate to the operation. During that week, I had to have lab work, a pre-op appointment with the anesthetist, more x-rays, ....
Care: Top-rate. The clinic is excellent. I like my doctor. He explains everything very well - why this reverse rather than an anatomical replacement. He did not rush into surgery so I trusted him when he said it was finally time. At the clinic, the nurses and nurses aides were attentive and friendly even though I could see they had to hurry. The nurses who made the house-calls (both of them, men) are almost friends. We've known them for years. The kiné is excellent and has me working hard for a positive outcome. When I've been to the hospital (last time, 2008), I've had only the best care, too.

6 months!

I haven't written in 6 months. No excuses, really, just didn't feel like writing. I'm not going to try to catch up in a single post, either; Rest assured.
Let's just start with yesterday. I had my 6-week post-op appointment with the orthopedic surgeon who replaced my shoulder at the end of September. The clinic, which is where I had the appointment, is in Paris, opposite from the eastern suburb I live in. It takes an hour to get there on the RER and métro and about an hour or more by car. I've been hand knitting quite a bit during the convalescence and needed to replace one of my circular needles. Being the efficient person I am, I googled "mercerie" (that's the French word for a notions shop, haberdashery in the UK) and Exelmans, the métro station closest to the clinic. To my astonishment, there was one.
I left home in sufficient time to go to the mercerie on my way to my appointment. This was an old-fashioned shop, a hole in the wall place, no light, drab. Usually, this is ideal for finding a knitting needle. The young girl at the counter didn't know what a circular needle was but I explained and looked in the drawer of few needles with her. There weren't any circular needles, at all. And if anyone were to go there for straight needles, there weren't many sizes in stock. The needle wasn't the only thing on my list. I've been knitting tubes of self-striping sock yarn on the knitting machine (the grandkids have been very helpful) and adding the toes, afterthought heels, and top ribbing by hand. I wanted some solid, off-white sock yarn for the hand-knit parts. Well, there wasn't any sock yarn, at all.
After my appointment (doctor very pleased with my recovery, as am I), I decided to go to a shop in the 14th on rue des Plantes, the Atelier at 13bis (https://www.atelierdelacreation.com/). They would have what I wanted. I dislike taking the métro so one of my pleasures as a retired person is to take a bus, even if it's more time. The 62 bus was not too far away and would take me to the rue des Plantes, just a short walk from the shop. It took 45 minutes! They have a lot of sock yarn but, for some odd reason, this year, no solids. They had the short version of the needle I wanted and I bought it, thinking it seemed kind of expensive. The sales clerk told me to go to another shop near m° Etienne Marcel ....
By this time, I wanted some lunch and was not far from my son's, where he usually works from home on Fridays, so I called to see if he could have lunch with me. Exceptionally, he was at the office. Still, I had to get to the métro station, so I stopped for lunch, got on the métro to go to Etienne Marcel and got there before 2.
The shop Lil Weasel (https://www.lilweasel.com/) is located in one of those original shopping centers, a covered passage joining two streets. This one is the Passage du Grand Cerf. It's very picturesque and I recommend strolling through these galleries on rainy visits to Paris. You can almost make your way through central right-bank Paris without getting wet. The hours painted on the door indicated opening hours 10:30 - 19:00. The door was locked. I knocked. No sign of anyone. I waited. Then, I went across the way to the fabric part of the shop and waited for the clerk to finish up with a customer and was finally told to keep waiting. I went back. I finally knocked loudly by using my phone as a knocker. The clerk finally came downstairs to the door, yelled at me for my impatience (15 minutes of "open" hours) and found me some very expensive yarn. I asked about the circular needle, the size and length I would prefer, but it was more than twice as expensive than the one I'd gotten before lunch and the price of the yarn and general snotty service put me off.
From there, I went to visit S, up near Barbès. A year ago, I would have been able to go straight to visit her from the clinic for my notions because there was a great mercerie on rue Cadet. If I had thought my search would take me all over Paris, I could have gone straight to the Marché St. Pierre, just up the hill from Barbès, before going over to see S. But by the time I had gone to 3 merceries, I just wasn't in the mood to trek up the Montmartre hill.
There used to be two merceries in Nogent, until maybe 15 years ago. There were still two in Fontenay, a few blocks over from me, until 4 years ago. Monoprix used to carry some notions. There is still a mercerie stall at the main market in Nogent, but she doesn't come every market day and she doesn't carry everything, so it's hit or miss. The shops in Paris are expensive. It's quite a schlep to get there and then to have to go from one to another to another. Does anyone still wonder why Internet shopping is successful?