Well... almost...
Jessica has a math test tomorrow which she perhaps isn't 100% prepared for. She called me in the afternoon to see if we could get her in to a class at Assistance Math Physique in the evening. We found out later that they weren't doing classes tonight. She called her tutor, Hugo, and set up an hour of private class for 19:00.
As it turns out everything and everybody was running late at home anyway so we didn't sit down for dinner and TV until about 20:00. Desney got home late from work and I was having difficulty finishing my work as well.
Tomorrow was supposed to be our annual International Meal at Jessica's school. This is when the families of the international sections get together to eat, drink and socialise. Each family prepares some food, hopefuly of their own international origin, and brings it for everyone else. It's an absolutely wonderful day and a truly valuable part of the international school experience. Desney had bought a ton of apples and was going to be spending this evening making apple crumble for everyone.
However due to the school protesters this year's international meal was cancelled, for the first time ever, at the last minute (18:00 this evening).
Some time when I have time I may put down in to words my opinions as regards the school protests going on and the CPE contract. I most probably will not. For those of you who are interested however I can summarise: I agree that the children should have the right to protest like anyone else; I agree that if a majority votes on a strike they should be able to strike even if they are minors; however that's striking and protesting. I do not agree that any group of students should be allowed to block the school and interfere with the other students' right to an education. I do not agree that the public services should be able to handicap and cripple the country with strikes or protests which completely remove public services (transportation, post, education, ...). I do agree with the CPE contract as is and, from a more radical point of view, feel it should actually be the normal way we hire and fire in this country. I have not hired anyone in this country since 1994. I only work with subcontractors. The notion of employment precarity has never seemed like a negative aspect to me. Losing your job is not the same as losing your health. I still believe one can find a job. It may involve a compromise that it appears most people are not willing to make. But the job is there. I do not feel that employment is a right. It is something you work for and earn. That's why we say you "earn a living" or "earn your salary". In France it is generally looked down upon as negative if you have changed jobs 2 or 3 times in a 10-year period. In many other countries, such as the anglophone countries I've worked in, it is looked up upon as positive that you have proven mobility and flexibility by changing jobs and that you have a more varied experience of employment and the type of work you are looking for as part of your career. Just to really upset more: I actually do feel that the employer should have more rights than the employee. The employer pays. The employer therefore pays for that additional power and rights. An employe can lost his job. An employer can lose his company which can entail much greater consequences than just losing a job.
After having written the above paragraph I better feel, although I already understood, the positive feeling of being able to vent ones opinions.
Tonight we didn't order out for food. No pizza. No Japanese. No Chinese. Tonight Desney prepared a whole bunch of tiny foods for us to eat (chicken wings (tasty), flammenkuche (delicious!), fresh raw vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, ...), crisps, pretzels, nuts, ...
Desney drank our house wine: Maison de Fleurie - Fleurie.
I had a beer which I felt would go better with what we're eating.
As it's my birthday weekend I decided I would choose tonight's movie. Amazon recently had a sale on DVDs, many of which were only about 2.99 €, and I bought quite a few. One of the ones I bought however was not on sale but a movie I personally have wanted to see for quite some time. It's a movie which just did not get any marketing support whatsoever and did not do well at the box office. However I had read, and quite enjoyed, the book by Michael Crichton. Timeline is the sort of movie that proves yet again the classic point: the book is always better than the movie. I knew the kids would like spotting some of the actors in the movie. There were many well-known actors but not real stars. Alexandra spotted David Thewlis from Harry Potter III; Jessica recognised Paul Walker from The Fast and Furious films and both of them immediately recognised Gerard Butler as Lara Croft's boyfriend/partner in Tomb Raider II. Strangely enough Jessica didn't recognise him as the star of The Phantom of the Opera which is a film she adored. Desney immediately recognised Billy Connolly but couldn't remember his name... With Richard Donner directing it had to be explosive to say the least. The family adores all of the Lethal Weapon movies so I thought it couldn't go down all that bad.A good time was had by all...
Alexandra went to bed, as she has school tomorrow, and Jessica went up to study (hopefully) for her test tomorrow. I sat around watching the Making Of for a while...
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