and then january is gone

so its been a while. my most recent excuse is that ive had a high fever from a wicked virus and, had i had the energy to write, probably would have barely splattered out some incomprehensible franglish.

some photos?
well i dont really have any of good tourist destinations recently. but here's one from a while ago, on the seine boat cruise our whole group went on just before christmas:

and more recently, this is where i spent one CRAZY friday night [sarcasm]:

yes, this is an old boat on the seine covered in plants with an old woman down below casually serving cheap beer.


and last, here's how i think of going back to my room every day. in fact its just one step above me sitting in my bed as i am now:
it's the sign in the metro showing that the next train on line 13 headed toward châtillon is approaching- flashing 00- which is the best time ever. line 13 is my favorite. it always gets me home!

and finally, one of my favorite pictures that ive taken so far in france:
"Le Monde en Greve aujourd'hui" = "The World on Strike today" quite accurate in france where there is always some large group on strike that inconveniences everyone else [most often transportation]. AND what the heck? how can Le Monde, France's largest newspaper, go on strike? Anything is possible here.

aside from getting sick [hey it had to happen once, right? lets hope thats it!] life has been pretty paris-normal, pretty fabulous! classes are just about finished for the first semester I KNOW right? we are still in the first semester! come ON people lets move on! its almost february! and we dont even start the second semester until the 22- or for me and hannah, march 1, as we decided we're too good to go to classes the first week of school and would rather pass our time wearing five warm layers in...poland. hey, when in europe, right?

i signed up for classes today. im taking two art history classes, different periods. also a french/english translation class, philosophy, and a course on french documentaries- nope, i have no idea how that one will go. hopefully it will be the random pick that ends up being really cool. we shall see. in any case, its looking to be a very different semester, since ive graduated to the no-french-language-classes level, and am now just taking 'civilization' classes, but in french.

did i ever mention that i finished my puzzle? oh my gosh how lame is it that i am so proud of this feat! i can never take it down! it is forever sitting on my table until i must pack it up and take it back to the states...to be rebuilt! the finished product:
dont even try to make fun of my love of puzzles, it wont make a difference, im still searching for a new one :)

im starting to get this spring-is-in-the-air feeling. of course this happens just after i buy a bunch of adorable winter clothes. but i think my feeling might be slightly off. maybe if it were mid to late march i would be more accurate. and...two weeks from now,in eastern europe, all warm thoughts will most certainly be pushed right out of my head, guaranteed. so scratch that thought. however, it is getting lighter earlier. for instance, it has been dark since 5pm lately, meaning when i pick up eleanore at 6 i feel like i should be going to bed instead. now, however, its still light when i head underground in the metro at 520. however when i resurface at 555, it is once again pitch black. but progress right?? the day i get out of the metro at 555 and theres a bit of sun still waiting for me, i just might go buy myself a cookie to celebrate. and eat it really quickly before eleanore starts whining for one, too.

to everyone back in the states, we will be on the same soil once again in 134 days, and in my very own city in 136. what this means is that i now have my return plane tickets, which means that i do indeed have to return, which means that this fabulous little escape from reality will indeed come to an end. its too early to get sad/excited/nervous/confused about it now. but it definitely is reminding me that despite all ive done, there is still a lot to do, so no time to waste!

bonne année

it was very odd telling a french friend of mine that oh no, in fact the stores in the US can have a sale anytime they want! [shock!] because here, the sales are government-regulated. all stores get five weeks in the winter and five weeks in the summer at an exact time- plus one week for each season that they can choose on their own. im not quite sure how i feel about this. well no i am- its so weird. and i dont really understand it. however, it does provide a constant option of something to do, and at a good price.

im thinking that i brought some of spokane with me. the snow here has been lasting unusually long, and people are somewhat freaking out. the most we had at any point was maybe MAYBE half an inch, but still. you always have a valid excuse if you are late for something.

christmas with mom and dad in paris was wonderful. we did the seine boat cruise together for christmas day dinner, went up montparnasse for lunch [the tallest tower in the city with a beautiful view] and generally were superb fast-walking tourists. we also got to get out to normandy to see the WWII beaches, see Versailles, and of course visit a ton of museums and monuments in paris. for my new years resolution, i vowed to appreciate family and not discount a single day. this came by way of several catastrophes, beginning and ending with canceled airplane flights, but more importantly being mom's hospital visit.
so glad youre okay, mom!

we only have three more weeks of school until february break! cant wait! im only half-ready for 2010, part of me still cant believe that ive been here for four months already.