French apartment renovations, Day 405: Run wire cook

9,853 steps

I felt a lot of stress in my body when I woke up (some things related to home renovations, other things not at all) so I decided to go for a run. The rest of the morning I drew electrical schematics so I'd be ready for doing more wiring.

Ivy was supposed to have her 2nd dose of the Covid vaccine, but we had to postpone it due to her recent Covid infection.

I made tiramsu during lunch but it won't be ready until tomorrow.

After lunch, Eric and I headed downstairs to run electrical lines. We got outlets run in the bathroom and half of the bedroom. I then ran lines for the stove, oven, fridge, dishwasher, and washing machine. They're all hooked up to the circuit breaker and now need to be embedded in the walls and/or floors.

Dinner was steamed cauliflower with breadcrumbs toasted in butter (how I grew up eating cauliflower), then Toulouse sausages and fennel roasted with mustard, thyme, & red wine. Dessert was fromage blanc with red currant jelly.

I also got several breech videos edited, encoded, and uploaded.

We had piano lessons right after dinner. I put on a nature documentary via Arte (the channel mostly dedicated to documentaries) and it was a show about the wildlife in Borneo. Zari's teacher says that "Arte, c'est un trésor!"

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French apartment renovations, Day 404: Picnic with friends

15,152 steps

Today was less eventful than last Sunday (getting propositioned). We picniced at the Chateau with Inga's friend and her family and some of their relatives. My cousin came along too, plus a friend of Ivy's. It was glorious to sit in the sun, bask, and talk.

Once the sun got lower on the horizon and the trees shaded the grassy field, we headed home. Eric made salad and pasta. I read a book. After dinner we finished the final episode of Lupin.

Eric and I had a long talk last night about some of our worries/stresses/regrets/doubts regarding our kids. Are we raising them right? We've seen some changes that we don't like, noteably arguing and mean behavior between the kids. I know there is probably no family without these kinds of disputes, but still I don't want to just let it continue. How can we raise children to be more empathetic? To be kinder? (I'm not implying that they're monsters, not at all! But I think if you're a parent, you'll understand this worry.)

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French apartment renovations, Day 403: Yet another marathan soccer day

8,595 steps

Eric made it to 4 soccer tournaments and/or games today, one for each child. He deserves a soccer-coaching-watching medal. I went to Zari's game in the afternoon with Ivy and Inga and then went grocery shopping on the way home.

I had the luxury of waking up a bit later than normal (7:45) and then staying in bed reading for a very long time

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French apartment renovations, Day 402: Messy work day

8,186 steps

Well, we got a lot done today. We built the other wall dividing the bathroom from the bedroom. Of course it wasn't so simple because we didn't have any useable lumber. No, of course not! Instead we had these old rough wooden beams salvaged from the false ceiling of Le Catamaran, complete with axe marks all over them. They were roughly 4x4" (10x10 cm) and about 8' long. Some were too warped to use, so I had to sort through them all and select the straightest ones.

Next, we had to plane and rip all of the beams until they resembled 2x4s...but a slightly different size because of course 100-year-old beams aren't standard sizes. Some of the beams were basically tree trunks cut into quarters.

I also painted the back side of the electrical cupboard the final coat of paint and then mounted the brackets that will hold the water heater. Then it was time for the really messy work. We broke out the rainureuse (diamond-bladed channel cutter) and the jackhammer and the diamond hole saw. I took a good amount more plaster off the front stone wall and cut channels for electricity.

I came up in time to prep dinner and put it in the oven (Tuscan butter gnocchi) and then I made a trip to the hardware store and thrift store.

Eric made crepes for dessert and we watched another episode of Lupin. It's so well done!

I was really tired by time we finished dinner. I just want to curl up in bed and SLEEP!

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French apartment renovations, Days 400-401: Heat pump woes

Yesterday was so stressful that I couldn't even bring myself to write about it. Today I'm feeling a bit more optimistic so here is the drama of the past two days.

So, remember back in the summer when we had heat pumps installed for both floors? Well, it turns out the installer didn't put the compressors on the roof, which is what we had originally gotten permission for. Instead, he put them on a side wall on our building, one that faces inward near a courtyard (ie, not visible from the street). But in all of Old Nice, it's forbidden to mount heat pumps, ventilation fans, etc on any facade.

Also the installer never asked us if it was ok and never even told us he did it. We only found out afterward. (He might not have known the regulations in Old Nice...but still, he should have talked to us first).

And then, a month ago, we got an official notice of complain from the building next door about our AC units. Although they are attached to our wall, they technically overhang the "space" owned by the building and so that building has jurisdiction over that area.

For the past month I've been trying to get the AC guy to move the compressors up onto the roof, where they should have gone on the first place. He's been slow to respond and still hasn't even figured out a solution of how to mount them (depsite me sending him ideas).

Yesterday, I got an email from our syndic (the person who manages our building) that the neighbors have filed a formal complaint with the city department in charge of urban planning. We have to get hte compressors moved ASAP or face a lawsuit and/or a process with the police.

The problem is: now that the city is aware of our situation, we might not be able to simply mount them on the roof as originally planned. Even though technically it's not against regulations, the city will now be coming to inspect our rooftop and we have to get permission in advance and have our plans approved before we do anything.

So that was yesterday. I was so stressed last night that it felt like the terrible period of panic attacks and insomnia I went through 4 years ago. And of course I woke up at 4:45 am and couldn't turn my brain off.

But, I called the city office first thing in the morning and ended up with a really helpful person. He was familiar with our case and I explained what had happened up to that point and asked what we should do next. He said to email him with our proposed installation and gave us some ideas that would likely help, such as hiding the compressors inside of a little enclosure made to look like a chimney.

His office is in charge of historic preservation so they need to ensure the esthetic qualities of any changes to the exterior buildings. And I appreciate that they're doing so...it's just a pain that we have to go through all of this now! But I left the phone call feeling more optimistic.

I called our syndic and explained the situation. Then I drafted a proposal outlining our installation plans and CC'd our syndic and our AC installer on everything.

It's definitely not something you're taught how to do in French class!

Here is the letter I wrote, plus pictures I took up on the rooftop:

"Bonjour M. ___,

Merci de m'avoir parlé ce matin. J'espère qu'on peut trouver une solution rapidement afin de déplacer les compresseurs et de soulager l'immeuble à côté.

Je propose d'installer les deux compresseurs sur notre toit derrière les puits de lumière. Dans cette photo, j'ai marqué l'emplacement provisoire en bleu. Notre installateur va poser les compresseurs sur un type de support pour les toits inclinés; il est actuellement en train de chercher une solution pour la pose.

Ensuite on peut créer une fausse cheminée qui entoure les compresseurs et les supports, peinte de la même couleur que notre façade. Je suis montée sur notre toit et j'ai pris une photo des cheminées dans le voisinage (flèches bleues). La cage sera enlevable pour l'entretien des compresseurs.

3 faces de la cage seront solides et une face aura un grille en métal qui permet la ventilation des compresseurs. (Comme dans la photo ci-bas).

J'espère que cette solution sera agréable pour vous et que cela va préserver l'esthétisme du Vieux Nice. Nous sommes aussi ouverts à d'autres idées ou suggestions. N'hésitez pas à nous contacter par mail ou téléphone.

Cordialement,
Rixa et Eric FREEZE"

Then I went on a run because I had all this nervous energy to discharge. Then Eric and I built a wall.

ps, you can spy at least one unauthorized compressor in the 2nd photo.

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French apartment renovations, Days 399: Video editing

I have a big project due ASAP (which I would have finished sooner if not for getting Covid). I worked on the Powerpoint in the morning, filmed in the afternoon, and have been editing all evening.

I ended filming the whole thing twice because for some reason my phone didn't save the first recording!

We finished the last episode of Lupin Season 1. It's really good even the second time around.

I meant to get out more today...but didn't. Oops.

Eric made magret de canard and salad and we finished off the lemon cheesecake. Bonne nuit!

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French apartment renovations, Days 398: Puttering around in Le Catamaran

2,412 steps

My cousin came down with Covid. She had a scratchy throat and a runny nose yesterday, so she tested just in case. Fortunately we can all be together so her isolation period won't be too boring!

Eric and I did little things in her apartment this afternoon: towel bars, towel rings, little shelves above the toilet, changing lightbulbs, weatherstripping. She was a good sport despite the noise.

I have a breech lecture I need to film and edit tomorrow. I'm behind schedule due to getting Covid.

Oh, after soooo much time looking we finally found a place to stay so we can go skiing! Eric has been looking and looking and has tried to book several places, none of which worked out. This one must have been a last-minute cancellation. Less than 2 weeks now...I need to start doing squats so my legs aren't too sore.

Dinner was red lentil dahl on basmatic rice, then lemon cheesecake for dessert. I still am not tasting some flavors as strongly.

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French apartment renovations, Days 396-97: Crazy stunts in Cap Ferrat and getting propositioned in Nice

11,305 steps

We took a family outing yesterday morning (with my cousin, minus Zari) to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. We hiked the Sentier Littoral while Eric spearfished and then met at Place Passable for lunch.

During our hike, we saw a man pulling a crazy stunt: slacklining between two outcroppings with the line going waaaaay far over the sea. He had on some kind of harness but still...this guy had guts.

Once he made his way out over the water, he started jumping on the rope, doing flips around it. I wonder how he got the rope on both places in the first place.



This easy hike--more of a pleasant walk than a hike, given there was no elevation gain--wore me out and I had to take a nap in the afternoon. Stupid Covid.

So yeah, I was tired and didn't write an update last night. Today I had my usual walk to & from Cimiez...which reminds me! I have a hilarious story to tell about my walk home.

So I was walking back home listening to a podcast. I passed a man, probably around my age (give or take who knows how many years). He made eye contact and said something to me as I passed him, enough that I stopped and took out my earphones.

"Do you speak English?" he asked me both French and English (with a West African accent).

I replied in French: "Yes, I speak both English and French."

He then launched into a spiel about how he had seen me before (which doesn't surprise me--I walk the same route every Sunday) and how I was so beautiful and he just had to talk to me.

Okay...well then. I kept trying to respond in French but it became evident that his English was far better than his French.

Inwardly I was laughing because was this guy really trying to hit on me? Or what else was his intent? He kept talking, complimenting my beauty, which of course just made me laugh even more inside because when anyone starts talking about my beauty, it just makes me roll my eyes rather than feel flattered.

So I just let the conversation go on without taking the easy way out (you know, mentioning overtly that I was not available aka I have 4 kids at am married, that kind of thing). I was wondering, "Okay, when is he going to say what he really wants to say?" Because I am curious that way, I guess.

I asked where he was from (Gambia) and we had a short conversation about why I liked being in France more than in the States (fewer problems with racism, better social security, less divided politically), about his name (Suleiman, but it's easier for English speakers to say Solomon), etc. He still wasn't getting to his point and I wasn't going to make it easy for him. I was really curious to see what his point was after all of this effort.

Finally he asked a question to fish out more about me: "Do you have a family?"

"Yes, I have 4 children."

"And do you have a husband?"

"Yes."

"And is he here in France with you?"

"Yes."

Next thing he asked:

"Can I have your phone number?"

"No."

"But why not?"

"I prefer not to give my phone number."

"But you are so beautiful. Can I have your phone number, just for you and me?"

"No thank you."

I have to give it to him. He kept trying. It was a valiant effort but doomed to failure. I thanked him for his interest and, with a smile, wished him a good day and continued on my walk.

This reminds me of when I was in Amsterdam back in 2016 and another man approached me on the street and did his best to try to get to know me, to invite me out to lunch, etc. Even me mentioning being married with 4 children didn't dissuade him all that much. They both get an "A" for effort.

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French apartment renovations, Day 395: Electrical panel 2.0

5,074 steps

Well, we are making progress on the front apartment. Eric had a pickup soccer game this morning. I painted the final coat inside the electrical cupboard, then installed the main breaker as well as the electrical panel. All we need is our electrician friend to come by and install a "répartiteur de courant" in Le Catamaran and we will have power in the front! Woohoo!

 

After lunch we made yet another trip to Leroy Merlin, primarily to return the wrong size dishwasher. But of course we had all sorts of other things to return and to buy. We made it back in time to pick up the girls from school.

I cooked saag feta, basmatic, and tarte au chocolat tonight. Then we wall watched an episode of Lupin together with my cousin. The kids hadn't seen it yet either so we restarted at the beginning.

Tomorrow will be fun: a family hike! Zari will have to miss because she has a soccer match in the morning.

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French apartment renovations, Day 394: Out of Covid jail!

3,871 steps

Trying to figure out post-covid-infection protocols has been challenging. Does finishing a 7-day isolation period trump an ongoing positive test? We finally got confirmation today that we can all, in fact, resume our normal activities even if we continue to test positive. Apparently it's not unusual to test postitive for quite some time post-infection, but you're not considered contagious after a week (especially if you've been vaccinated).

So yay, I can go grocery shopping and run errands again. And my cousin was finally able to join us for meals today! Ivy and Inga vied for who got to sit next to her at dinner. We watched a show on Arte (nature/documentary channel) about summer in Norway and then one episode of Canine Interventions.

Eric and I got the electrical closet built, not a small feat considering that a) none of the walls are straight or level and b) we were using random scraps of wood, most of which were warped in at least one direction as well. But we made it work with lots of ripping boards with table saws and lining everything up with a laser level.

We built the back wall of the closet out of tongue-and-groove boards left over from our subfloor, and I painted the inside of the closet white. I have one more coat to put on tomorrow and then I can FINALLY install the electricity in the front apartment.

I did a huge video editing job this morning (for an online breech conference). Now that that is done, I have one more presentation to film and edit.

Inga has been having fun at her friend's house. Her friend got 2 pet rats for Christmas and the mama rat just had babies. 10 little rat babies. They are now getting some fur and apparently are super cute.

Ivy had a friend over: they both tested positive around the same time, so extra safe to play together now!

It was Eric's turn to make dinner: sauteed green beans, quiche Lorraine, and salmon-mussel quiche. Storebought organic pain d'épices (gingerbread cake) for dessert. Not bad, but I still think homemade would be better. I think I'll make saag feta tomorrow.

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French apartment renovations, Days 392-93: Tired

I forgot to write last night. I'm still feeling off and tend to get really worn out in the evenings. The 3 of us are STILL testing positive. The current French guidelines allow vaccinated people to go back to school after 7 full days of isolation without testing at the end...so this means Zari was allowed to go back. I have to call to see if this is also the case for Ivy, given that France just started allowing vaccinations for younger children.

Anyway I just want to rest. I should take it easy but have too much going on!

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French apartment renovations, Day 391: Baby reunion

Wow, a friend of mine sent me a picture of us together with our babies in 2011 (Inga at around 5 months old, her with her first baby). Thank you Desiree!

Cavigal is advertising its next soccer camp and Ivy is featured on the poster!

We got everyone tested and...the positives are still positive! Boo...we'll re-test Zari and Ivy on Wednesday and see if they can go to school at some point this week.

I helped Eric work on the front apartment this afternoon. We got more metal rails embedded in place (marking the final height of the finished subfloor). It's slow, fiddly work because everything has to be placed just right, down to the last millimeter.

I'm still feeling a bit off and more tired than usual. I also admit I have a hard time slowing down...but I am already so behind. Argh.

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French apartment renovations, Day 390: Sun, ahhhh

6,262 steps

I think I'm the only one with lingering Covid symptoms. They are all pretty mild, thankfully: fatigue, a slight alteration in my sense of taste, and just feeling a bit "off." 3 of us will get tested tomorrow morning.

Half the family had to stay home from church this morning. We had a lovely afternoon at the beach basking in the full sun. Eric napped, I read a book and napped a bit, Inga and Ivy played the whole time, Zari drew pictures on rocks, and Dio grumped about how it was really boring. And my cousin (technically my cousin's daughter, but we'll just call her my cousin!) came along with us and read a book.

I know it wasn't much but it was just so amazing to go out and strip down to a camisole and roll up my pant legs as high as they would go.

Eric made dinner tonight: a big salad, grilled sausages, and Tunisian octopus salad (from an octopus he caught a while back and put in the freezer).

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French apartment renovations, Day 389: So much for taking it easy

Today was fun but a bit busier than it should have been. Eric was away most of the day coaching or watching soccer games: Ivy's game in the morning (minus Ivy since she hasn't finished her 5-day isolation) and Dio's game right after.

We delivered lunch down to my cousin. She'll get meal delivery service until we're all out of quarantine. Then we took her out on a walk all around Old Nice, the chateau, and the port. We being me, Ivy, and Inga. Zari opted to stay home. She got tested this morning because her soccer coach really wanted her to play in a game today, but she's still positive.

I made risotto with saucisses de Toulouse, white wine, onions, chicken broth, & parmesan, plus a salad, sourdough bread, and our favorite yogurts for dessert.

I had to leave just as I served dinner because I had 3+ hours of meetings online. First was a breech live session, then a podcast interview. By the end I was feeling worn out and a bit overextended. But glad to have done both events.

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French apartment renovations, Day 388: Tour of Le Catamaran

My cousin's daughter arrived today to stay in Le Catamaran for 3 months. She's taking a semester off university to work on her French. So I thought I'd give you a tour of our progress so far since we won't be showing much of it for the next several months.

I used a wide-angle lens to be able to show more of the space at once. As you can see, we've made good progress on the kitchen. I removed the epoxy grout haze today and Zari brushed on the first coat of oil on the countertops. We are still waiting for the doors & drawers to arrive (they are wood Shaker-style doors in a beautiful green the color the copper turns as it oxidizes). The open space in the bottom will hold a narrow dishwasher.



Due to Covid and life, I didn't have time to post yesterday. I'm not entirely over it, but each day is better. Ivy is good as new today. Hoping for continued improvement and no new infections among the males in our family!

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French apartment renovations, Day 386: 4/6

Another one down with Covid: Ivy. She woke up feeling terrible so I had a couch/snuggle buddy all day. I'm feeling improved from yesterday: mild fever & headache, plus a pleghm-y cough. (Is that a word?) We both got tested today but honestly I had no doubts that we were both positive.

Eric and Inga tested again this morning: negative. Good news for Inga: she is cleared to play soccer and go to school.

Dio's soccer practices were cancelled this week, so I made both him and Zari exercise today. After lots of moaning and groaning, they decided to do PE With Joe together.

I have read a lot of books the last two days. A LOT. It's my standard coping mechanism for stress, pain, or just about anything else that needs coping.

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French apartment renovations, Day 385: 3/6

Well, we are all succumbing to Covid. Zari tested positive this morning (no symptoms, required due to school policy of being a "cas contact"). I woke up at 2 am feeling absolutely awful: mainly a fever and terrible headache. I haven't got myself tested yet but am certain it's Covid. So far Dio and Ivy are still negative. Eric and Inga have to test tomorrow for school & soccer regulations.

So I was a helpless blob on the couch all day. I finally caved midday and took acetominaphen because my headache was so terrible. It did dial down the headache and fever for several hours.

I hobbled downstairs and helped Eric and Zari cut the hole for the sink and put the sink plumbing together. We also took off the tile leveling clips. Eric did quite a bit more work after I hit my limit, getting the remaining bookshelves cut, sanded, and primed.

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French apartment renovations, Day 384: Going viral

Covid is making the rounds in all the kids' schools. Previous to the Omicron variant, we hardly knew anyone who'd had Covid. Maybe one or two people but no one in our close circle of friends. But now...it's everywhere! Several kids in both Zari's and Dio's classes have it. Ivy's class just had 2 new infections today (one asymptomatic case, in Ivy's best friend, discovered after the class was closed and everyone required to test). Not to mention all sorts of other people we know.

Inga got out more today; she put on her N95 mask and hung out with us while we installed the backsplash tile. She helped install the bookshelf brackets, which she loved.

I think if any more kids test positive, we might just have to give up and let them circulate freely within our apartment. It's been a challenge keeping Inga isolated and I'm not sure if any of the others would put up with it.

We had a great workday: we installed the entire backsplash by early afternoon. Then we did all sorts of little tasks, those last things that you often leave undone because they aren't entirely necessary: caulking, putting last little bits of trim up, etc.

And we finally got the bathroom mirror installed! It was tricky because it had to go on a stone wall which, of course, didn't have any flat spots! So I had to drill deep into the rocks for the screw holes, install long anchors sticking out of the rock a ways, and then build up a flat area with lime mortar where the brackets would go. All this work just to put up a mirror! But I love it--very Art Deco and only 10 Euros.



I went out this evening to drop off recycling and took a moment to appreciate the beautiful place where we live.

Also a random thing Inga made yesterday: "Picasso Dio," based on a picture of the curtains in her isolation room.

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French apartment renovations, Day 383: Sunny Sunday

3,481 steps

Wow, I really didn't go far today: just to the beach and back in the afternoon for some family Vitamin D therapy. Inga and I stayed the whole time at the beach, while Eric took Ivy and Zari up to the chateau. Dio griped about being bored and finally after an hour I told him to walk up and down the chateau and then he could go home. (What is up with him not ever wanting to leave the house? It's not like we're doing anything that interesting here!)

I read for much of the day, except for cooking dinner (chana dal on basmati rice) and baking 4 large sourdough loaves. Oh, and watching 2 episodes of The Flash with the family.

I wanted to get outside and go on a walk with Eric but our evening ended up flying by, mostly helping kids with homework or putting them to bed.

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French apartment renovations, Day 382: Soccer and sunbathing

When I woke up this morning, I texted Inga to see how she was doing. "Much better!" We had a fun time texting silly things for a while.

I brought Ivy to her first vaccination appointment. They did a quick antibody test to see if she had had a recent infection (no). On the way home we stopped at the Asian food store for things I can't get in the normal grocery stores.

I picked up 6 antibody tests for the kids to take 2 & 4 days after their initial tests. These are required to be able to continue attending school. Ivy's was scheduled for today. We figured it out, despite all of the instructions being in German.

Ivy and Zari had soccer games this afternoon. I took Dio and Inga sunbathing (in an isolated part of the beach, don't worry, and Inga wore her N95 mask until we were settled in our spot). It felt amazing to bask in the sun. Dio complained of being bored after a while, so I told him he had to go up and down the chateau and then he could go back home. Inga played with rocks and seeds that had fallen off the palm trees.

We'll have a quiet day at home tomorrow.

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