Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Are we really retired...?

I know.  It's been a little quiet on this blog.  Here's why.

1) I'm being published in LensWork Magazine for the second time.  I had an interview with Brooks Jensen three weeks ago and prepared a bunch of materials for them two weeks ago.  It's done from my side and it's now theirs to finish and publish for their April/May issue of Lenswork Extended.  They choose a series of images I created in Paris cemeteries.  Right nice of them, me-thinks.

2) I'm working with a pair of authors and a publisher to illustrate a mook on Steampunk.  All in a fun Paris-style.  I've been busy every single day for three and a half weeks!  Great/Fabulous photoshoots as far as the eye can see.  Well, the shooting part is coming to an end.  The image processing will continue for a few more days.

3) We need to head down to the Prefecture de Police to get a recipicee for our Visa which will allow us back into the country even as our visas will have expired.  We have an appointment with the PdeP already, so this should be easy.  Right?  Wrong.  We went to the commissariat and were redirected to the marie, and have been forwarded to the PdeP on l'isle de la cite.  Ugh.

4) We needed some documents translated for French healthcare and for our visit with the PdeP for our visa renewals.  The first set of documents are translated and will have a second set worked on before our PdeP appointment.

5) As soon as the first set of documents were translated, we headed to the French CPAM office to face the nasty fonctionaires.  Again.  For the fourth time.  This is the one place where the French can be as rude and arrogant as their reputations lead the world to believe they can be.  Bad stuff... but... if we can get healthcare, it'll be at a fraction of the US costs we're currently paying.  The paperwork has been submitted.  Yea.  Now we wait.

6) We're hosting a dinner for the Anglophone society we belong to.  Tomorrow night.  For just a few hours.  Fortunately.  But is should be fun.  We'll be hosting the meal at our favorite bistro.




7) And... we needed to submit our US taxes.  So a few forms needed to be filled out and sent to the States.  All it takes is time, right?

8) Our French library bill for checking out CDs and DVDs arrived.  We needed to sort out where to pay and when.  Arriving at the local tax office, we waited while the very kind functionnaire figured out how to take our money.

9) Well, our US-issued healthcare bill has come due and... it'll cost us a small stack of money.  The older we get the higher the costs.  It's pretty amazing to watch the costs skyrocket.  A bottle of champagne est dans le frigo against the day our French healthcare is granted.

10)  This is all working toward the time when we board a plane and head back to the States to clear out our storage unit.  I hope it takes less than the three weeks we'll be there.  But... if it doesn't, we'll have to find a place to store what's left.  Likely it'll be at my wife's son's house.

It's been crazy around here... and it's time to get things set up with our friends in the US so we don't leave them dangling any longer regarding our schedule...  Whee...

As my father continues to remind me, retirement means being busier than you've ever been in your entire life.


2 comments:

  1. You know you're really retired when you look around and wonder how you ever had time to go to work every day. ;-)

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