"wait til you see me in the boots!"

i finally took a shower last night. this is worth saying because it had been a couple days, which just is not okay in paris, where everyone is dirty and moving quickly and crammed. but due to a faulty washer and dryer, my clothes came out semi-clean and only semi-dry on thursday afternoon, leaving me with my bedroom turned into one ginormous clothesline. i turned my heater up and covered my floor with socks and underwear. its all over now- almost, got to clean up the socks- but it sure is a pain.

i usually come back from 'au pairing' around 745 or 8- sometimes later- which puts me in quite a flurry as far as dinner, which is at the foyer [dorm] from 714-815. so a typical night is me rushing in, cold and tired and absolutely starving, crossing my fingers that there is something for me to eat besides bread and an accompanying starch, and then eating semi-rapidly while talking with hannah and anna, or some british friends, or of course the frenchies. and usually, i have some long story that describes something that is not going how i want it to, causing me stress and maybe anxiety, for example, the above laundry scenario.

and for example. my camera. if you read my earlier posts, you know that my camera came to its end in the montmarte cemetery- its a pretty good ironic story. anyway, i eventually decided that yes, i do indeed need a new camera- badly. so mom and dad picked it out at home, because even with the cost of shipping, its still cheaper to buy it in the states [thank you, exchange rate]. this camera was sent 6-day air to arrive a few days before my trip to switzerland last weekend. guess what? i still dont have it. so the past week of dinners has consisted of me giving updates about how i got an illegible letter in my mailbox telling me to call a number because my package didnt make it through customs [took me about half an hour to figure that out, during most of which i was trying to decipher the characters of the phone number]. i had to call a number, which caused me to use up all the minutes left on my phone . i had to email the company, declaring the contents, worth, and my willing to pay any extra taxes. they emailed me back. i had to send another email doing the same thing but more officially. they emailed me back. i have to wait. this saga has not yet ended.

another example, my boots. 'all i want for christmas is a pair of boots.' well, now i have two. thanks to me not knowing that the return policy was really only an exchange policy. so when i decided that the boots i bought were too big and then found another pair somewhere else and bought them, upon returning the first pair, i found myself stopped, and trying on a whole new round of boots to find a replacement. one is a christmas present, the other is a christmas present...on me. happy christmas, steph! you now have two really nice pairs of boots! not complaining about that part, its just that miss thrifty is freaking out for her bank account here.

i have not yet finished my puzzle, which is good, because it means i am getting out of my room more than hiding in it. good progress though- all the border and a significant portion of the top.

mom and dad get in tomorrow morning CROSS YOUR FINGERS. they fly through DC and its a big snowstorm there, so thats where the problems might begin- or before, if they are stuck in seattle. so if everyone crosses their fingers reeeeeeally hard, we might be able to influence fate and get them here on time, or at least on the right day...

time to go finish my laundry from thursday, i think those socks are dry now, or at least good enough.

ps if you know what this post's title is quoted from, 10 points. you know me well.

l'hiver à Paris [winter in Paris]

life couldn't get too much better right now. as i ate my breakfast this morning, i noticed that the rain looked a little different than normal. needless to say, it was not rain at all, but snow. good thing i didnt decide to break in my new boots- they would have gotten dirty on their first outing.

its quite cozy, the snow in paris. i stopped at a boulangerie on my way to school through the blizzard, waving bonjour to the baker behind the window as he kneaded the next loaf, and buying a delicious apple-filled sugar-covered bread. i couldnt get over the fact that the windows were actually fogging up- none of this fake spray-on fog that we do to give the impression of warmth- this was real, bread-baking/snow falling window fog. if only i had had a pumpkin spice latte at the time, too. just kidding.

last weekend was switzerland. youd think it would have been snowing there, too, but no, just the ultimate cold front accompanied by reckless wind. had i not brought my hat or gloves, guaranteed i would now have two of each. but courtney and i loaded up on chocolate, and i also bought...a puzzle. BECAUSE WHO DOESN'T LOVE PUZZLES?!?! so i warned everyone that if they dont see me for several hours- or days- on end, please come tear me from my puzzle. way too addicting.

all the people who highly recommended the seine boat cruise were not exaggerating AT ALL. last night, gonzaga paid for a 97euro dinner cruise, beginning with amazing kir, followed by an appetizer, entree, and the best chocolate dessert i can think of ever having. this little triangle that bursted with flavor from the crispy bottom to the moosy middle and the chocolaty covering. heaven. worth the effort right there. going with the fam again on christmas, and am looking forward to the dessert most of all, unsurprisingly.

speaking of the family, THE PARENTS COME ON SUNDAY! i have never been so excited. it will not be a lazy morning, since their flight gets in at 635am, but i would never leave them stranded so ill be waking up soon before then to take the RER [as long as there is no strike] to CDG.

nap time.