GE has a new CFL that looks like a regular incandescent. The ballast is all up inside the globe.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/g...ranny-of-ugly/
Living in France also got me mostly over the need for lots of stuff. The problem is now I've got it all back and I still have an inability to get rid of most things. A lot of it is still in boxes.