J'avais besoin de rigoler...

J'avais besoin de rigoler ce soir...et j'arriva. Dans le metro...avec les folles.

I'd been in a rather foul mood all evening. It was made even worse when upon getting to the movie theatre, I waited for my Chai Latte at Starbucks for 10 minutes, only to have it confiscated when I tried to go in the theatre. (Then don't put the friggin' store next to the entrance!) J'ai le droit d'ammener un boisson dans le cinema................

I saw a pretty good film, "Largo Winch", however I had to pee 15 minutes into the film. Then, as I was exiting, I followed the signs to the bathroom like a good movie-goer and got trapped in some back area where more signs told me to go to the "café", however the "café" was a bunch of work equipment. I banged on the door to no avail and finally heard voices, followed them, and found my way out. The French don't quite have the point-your-way-to-the-bathroom thing down yet apparently.

Got on the metro. Folle #1 - Woman who had obviously been riding the train all evening fell off a chair she'd been sleeping on when it stopped and I got on as she crawled around searching for a new location.

Sat down. Folles #2 - 3 crazy British boys with skinny jeans and boxer briefs hanging out the back forced the doors open to all get on in time. Beer bottles in hand, they proceeded to do acrobatic moves on the handlebars and light up inside the train.

Rolled eyes and counted number of stops until mine. Folle #3 - Man with VERY obedient dog who put his cigarette out with his foot upon entering and pointed for the dog to sit on the chair. Then proceeded to almost sit ON the dog and pulled the poor thing by the neck to sit behind his rear end.

2 more stops. It was at this point that I snapped. I turned to the 20-something "normal" looking man next to me and kind of grinned. Then, I burst out into laughter. I couldn't stop myself. It was as if everything I'd been mad about today was brought to this insane climactic moment on the metro where I realized that nothing was really all that important. These insane people helped break me out of my funk, and I owe them all thanks. The man beside me got off one stop ahead of mine, and as he grinned at my continual laughter before the doors opened, I said, "J'avais besoin de rigoler ce soir." (I needed a laugh tonight.) He said something I didn't make out due to my laughter and his accent...but we wished each other a "bonne soirée" and I walked home one of the two people in Paris with a grin on their face.