Monday, September 12, 2005
And you are....?
I have a slight suspicion that the parents of the French family with whom I will reside for the next few months are not married. If they are, they do not share a last name. I am not even sure what their last name(s) is/are. The lady of the house is Stephanie, followed up her husband/partner Joel and two lovey and adorable little girls; Salome (8 1/2 years old) and Apolline who insists she is 3 1/2 and not only 3 as her sister had said.
The reasons which have lead me to be confused about the whole issue of the family name are that the mother, who has been corresponding with me, has never written her last name. She always signs it as "Stephanie" but her emails are listed as from "Knafo". At first, I did not think about it but when I had asked her for the Parisian address that I should use to inform people, parents, etc. she notes it down as: c/o Buisson-Knafo and the address follows. Now, if her last name is Knafo, then who is Buisson? Keep in mind, I have no qualms about people co-habitating and having children as well (on the contrary, I am against marriage and love the idea of a living contract law in France) I would just like to know what their last name (s) is/are without seeming rude if I outright ask. It really is just a curiosity.
Putting that aside, I had gone shopping the other day and I bought a couple of presents to give this nice family. The caterpillars are diamond crystals and cost a pretty penny. The sales lady was such a moronic arrogant Egyptian bitch. She should be glad I did not want to ruin these cute figurines or I would have stuck them and the entire showcase shelves up her rotton asshole. I despise purchasing from people who are despicable but these caterpillars were too cute to pass up.
For Apolline and Salome, I literally spent two hours in one part of one shop to pick out these two items. I can be the most indecisive person on the planet. I really had no idea what 3 year olds and 8 year olds like. If I buy them dolls would they think I was insulting their intelligence? If I bought them colorful writing pads and cute organizers would they think it inappropriate since the kids are so young? Is it okay for the motifs and logos to be in English and wouldn't they understand? Do I buy them animal motifs to be cute or the Bratz kind to be cool? I was so desperate that I just wanted to ask the sales lady's opinion and let her pick but (luckily?) in being consistent with the behavior of all the sad stupid fucks in this country, help was no where in sight and I had to make up my mind on my own.
After careful consideration (and the fact that I needed to pee really badly and the store was about to close) I chose the two; the doll for Apolline because I figure she is still young enough to appreciate its warmth (it is almost as big as her face) and the backpack for Salome since it is cute enough to use when she goes out and big enough to carry some books to schoo. Apolline's mom probably carries everything for her (lucky kid!) .
Buying presents for children is probably the hardest task to do. With the (unfortunate) influence of Britney Spears, sex on T.V. and 'cool' clothes for kids I have no idea if children think the way I used to think or they really are, as magazine and internet articles say, as 'mature' and demanding in style as their adult counterparts. Mom later put my mind to rest when she assured me that my choices were perfectly fine and that, "I know a 20 year old girl who still loves Hello Kitty."
I have a slight suspicion that the parents of the French family with whom I will reside for the next few months are not married. If they are, they do not share a last name. I am not even sure what their last name(s) is/are. The lady of the house is Stephanie, followed up her husband/partner Joel and two lovey and adorable little girls; Salome (8 1/2 years old) and Apolline who insists she is 3 1/2 and not only 3 as her sister had said.
The reasons which have lead me to be confused about the whole issue of the family name are that the mother, who has been corresponding with me, has never written her last name. She always signs it as "Stephanie" but her emails are listed as from "Knafo". At first, I did not think about it but when I had asked her for the Parisian address that I should use to inform people, parents, etc. she notes it down as: c/o Buisson-Knafo and the address follows. Now, if her last name is Knafo, then who is Buisson? Keep in mind, I have no qualms about people co-habitating and having children as well (on the contrary, I am against marriage and love the idea of a living contract law in France) I would just like to know what their last name (s) is/are without seeming rude if I outright ask. It really is just a curiosity.
Putting that aside, I had gone shopping the other day and I bought a couple of presents to give this nice family. The caterpillars are diamond crystals and cost a pretty penny. The sales lady was such a moronic arrogant Egyptian bitch. She should be glad I did not want to ruin these cute figurines or I would have stuck them and the entire showcase shelves up her rotton asshole. I despise purchasing from people who are despicable but these caterpillars were too cute to pass up.
For Apolline and Salome, I literally spent two hours in one part of one shop to pick out these two items. I can be the most indecisive person on the planet. I really had no idea what 3 year olds and 8 year olds like. If I buy them dolls would they think I was insulting their intelligence? If I bought them colorful writing pads and cute organizers would they think it inappropriate since the kids are so young? Is it okay for the motifs and logos to be in English and wouldn't they understand? Do I buy them animal motifs to be cute or the Bratz kind to be cool? I was so desperate that I just wanted to ask the sales lady's opinion and let her pick but (luckily?) in being consistent with the behavior of all the sad stupid fucks in this country, help was no where in sight and I had to make up my mind on my own.
After careful consideration (and the fact that I needed to pee really badly and the store was about to close) I chose the two; the doll for Apolline because I figure she is still young enough to appreciate its warmth (it is almost as big as her face) and the backpack for Salome since it is cute enough to use when she goes out and big enough to carry some books to schoo. Apolline's mom probably carries everything for her (lucky kid!) .
Buying presents for children is probably the hardest task to do. With the (unfortunate) influence of Britney Spears, sex on T.V. and 'cool' clothes for kids I have no idea if children think the way I used to think or they really are, as magazine and internet articles say, as 'mature' and demanding in style as their adult counterparts. Mom later put my mind to rest when she assured me that my choices were perfectly fine and that, "I know a 20 year old girl who still loves Hello Kitty."
# posted by Mare @ 4:45 AM 
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