La bise

I have been spending many hours in French goverment offices, reminiscent of none other than the UN itself. Surprisingly, I have not been irritated by the shuffling from one obscure acronymed edifice to another, waiting in stuffy hallways with despondent receptionists and irate citizens - on the contrary, like most everything I have been experiencing upon my return to France, I have been enjoying the daily scenes with refreshed amusement (I've only been here one month). One of the most entertaining scenes in my opinion is the daily ritual of "la bise," wherein friends, colleagues, and sometimes acquaintances, kiss each other on the cheek as a form of greeting. I would like to know how much time is actually spent on this and wonder if any stats were ever made.
It reminded me of high school at the Lycee Francais on 95th St, going through it every morning and every evening - somehow in the morning it was more striking; perhaps because of the overnight separation, or the newness of the day, or simply the fact that arrivals were more synchronized than departures? In any case, many minutes were spent indulging in this display of French culture and civilization. It almost gave you a little forecast for the day, perhaps confirmed alliances formed the previous day, or grievances unresolved. You would hear so and so wondering why such and such did not kiss him or her. Or on the contrary, it could be your first time to greet this or that person, maybe from another class, as such.
Ours was a small school, and it made me wonder about French school kids in large schools, do they spend an hour greeting everyone? Or perhaps the mode of greeting is changing?
This morning I took my daughter to school, (a rare treat for me of late, since her father has been taking her for the past year) and sure enough all the parents were kissing each other on the cheek. If you were not kissed, then there was a bit of a problem. The same codes were there (this form of greeting is not practiced in grade school, perhaps because of cooties?). After dropping the kids off, a bunch of parents all went to the cafe and a round of espressos was served. More cheek-kissing ensued...