And do you know what else is new? Besides the headlines of Nicolas Sarkozy-Carla Bruni romance, collapse of the stock markets, Davos forum, bank frauds, tension in Kosovo, US elections?
The answer is PLUMBING PROBLEMS. Everyone it seems, is beset with it and it's what we talk about at dinner parties.
This time last year, when we moved into our apartment, we were visited by the manager of the hair salon which occupy the unit below ours. Water was dripping from our unit onto theirs, fortunately their German pumber could identify and solve the problem. Unfortunately that was not the only incidence, it's recurred two or three times with the latest only 2 weeks ago. Not to mention the growing-ever-bigger paintcrack on our bedroom walls because of water seeping in from the bath-tub next door. The plumbers, about 5 of them, have walked through and gave their various diagnosis and estimates, and one of them knocked down the casing and exposed the ugly tub inside last October. Yet the problem is still unresolved. There's also V's bathroom sink which fell off, yes, fell off its haphazard wooden frame; the plumber took three days to find a suitable GLUE which turned out to be sticky for only 2 months. I doubt there is a glue strong enough to resist gravity and the weight of a whole sink of water but what do I know I am not a plumber! The second plumber did something else but we're not holding out much hope of the sink staying put for long.
Still, it is not that bad. My French conversation teacher was hosting dinner for 12 of her husband's business associates when her daughter informed her that the kitchen was leaking water into the dining room. Her kitchen sink had collapsed, along with the pipes, and there was dirt and mess everywhere. Nightmare!
At my favourite noodle place, their ceiling sports a makeshift cover which could not quite control water dripping on the stairs and right in the middle of the restaurant too. And this morning I read about Beaulotus's water problems. Everyone, French and foreigners alike, are moaning about their leaking pipes. These old buildings just give in come midwinter, c'est la vie.
