Missing the Music?

When I first moved to France, I was really annoyed with the music.  I really only wanted to listen to American music.  But now that I am back in the US, I miss the diversity.  Music in French and UK music that rarely makes it here.  I found out that I could listen to Virgin Radio on iTunes and I have a Virgin Radio app for my phone...  Now I can even listen to French commercials...  I have to keep up my French somehow;)

Thanksgiviging Blew-up Again

The last 2 years in France we haven't had a "normal" Thanksgiving.  I mean I don't usually have a "normal" thanksgiving.  In the last 10 years, I probably had Thanksgiving dinner only a handful of times with "people", and the last time I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my parents it ended in disaster.  But when you dad shows up at the Thanksgiving table that you have spent hours preparing in his underwear (without pants) and then gets upset when you turn off the Lifetime Movie that he was watching and doesn't even acknowledge all of your hard work, well maintain your cool (in this case my cool) can be difficult.  I think I nearly broke into tears.

Anyway, this year was my first Thanksgiving back, has already been disappointing...  First off, everyone I have invited already has other Thanksgiving Day plans.  Some of these people aren't even Americans, live far away from their family or have just moved here 5 minutes ago.  Already have been Thanksgiving Day plans....  So who cares --  I bought a 13lb Turkey (for the 5 people at my house) and just make everything myself and eat leftovers until Xmas. No use sulking about it.

I wonder if when I should send out the Evites next year?  Labor Day?

You are, of course, invited to my table this year.  I have plenty of turkey and stuffing to go around.

Did I lose 3 lbs?

For my birthday I went to the gym at the hotel for a swim.  Since I don't actually own a scale, I saw one and thought, hmmm, I wonder how much I weigh compared to right before Z was born.  I know that I must have lost some weight but I wasn't quite sure how much.  Well I was right about what I thought I was Baby Weight (BW) - 15.  Yeah!  And since I only gained about 15 lbs in pregnancy, I thought, great, back to pre-pregnancy weight.  Well, due to an unfortunate bacterial infection, I found myself at the doctors again.  And viola, I lost another 3lbs in just one month?  Really, cause I am not even trying.  I did go to the pool, twice, and have been taking the kids to their swim class twice a week, but that is hardly exercise.  Could I have really have lost 3lbs?  Well maybe.  The pants that I just bought are a little loose -- like so loose, I didn't have to unbutton them to pull them down the other day.

Maybe I did lose weight.  Now I just have to lose those stretch marks and I will look like a pre-baby woman.

The Other Woman's Name is Georgette.

A has started his own Levain.  Georgette is her name...  I named her because she is taken care of often with regular care.  Georgette gets hungry every couple of days, after a week of eating, she is 4 times her size, then she needs to be used.  When A uses Georgette, their time together can last almost 24 hours of mixing, proofing, kneading and attention.  The only good thing about Georgette is that in the end, she can make some pretty darn good bread.  But A can't keep up with her constant growth, can't make enough bread to get rid of her, seriously, she is taking over my kitchen. 

Health Care -- Taxes/Premiums

So now that you know how much it cost to see a doctor, what does one pay for coverage?
When I was in France, we paid about 21% in "social charges". That's covers health, sick leave, retirement and other social program like welfare and unemployment. Here in America, only 9% of my salary goes for those same social charges. The interesting thing though is that in both countries about 25% of salary is taxes and social charges... So that means that more of my money in the US goes towards income taxes...
As Megan pointed out, my salary is higher in America, almost twice my French salary. But if I were like my brother, who makes about $8 an hour, my salary would be very similar and I would be paying very little for my health coverage in France.

So to summerize - France is best for low wage workers and America spents lots of money on stuff like Defense...


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A Heath Care Comparison

It just surprises me the differences in cost between the USA and France for health care. I'm going to pretend that the Euro and dollar are the same since the have the same buying power. Here are some numbers:

Cost to visit the pediatrician:
USA without insurance $135
USA with insurance $90
France w/ or w/o insurance $35

Co-pays
France w/o suplimental insurance $18
France w suplimental insurance $0
USA $15

So it costs my American health insurance company $75 and the French gov't $17 for the same visit, so roughly 5x. Why? What does that pay for? (1) Billing -- apparently 15% of Doctor's bills are billing. (2) mal-practice insurance which cost the American doctor 1000x more. (3) Salary or the American doctors school debt, which is almost 200K at the end of 4 years. For French doctors there is no school debt. (4) nursing staff. I never saw a nurse at a private practice.

So in short in France if you have no insurance, you don't pay very much to see a doctor.  If you are on the state social system, you pay about what an average state worker in the US does for doctors visits at the end of the day without the "mutualle"  Although in France some doctors charge more (like 60 Euros) without explanation and so you might be paying a little more.  But then again, it isn't as much as an uninsured person in the USA, although would be more than an insured person.  Which makes things get complicated.

Next time I will compare the insurance premiums.



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Social Secuity Website Closes

Weird huh?  Apparently you can't find a social security office late at night, please use their webiste at regular daytime/evening hours.  What?! Do they have a guy to does search office search for you?  Maybe their website need to get it's beauty rest too....