Leah en France Part Trois

Non-smoker, non-ugly

2011-05-08T15:36:00.004+02:00

I'm ba-aaaaack! Although I don't know if anyone is still out there because I maybe scared you all away with my last post. Oh well! It's now been almost 3 months since my life exploded like that Icelandic volcano that messed up everyone's travel plans last year. I'm not sure how 3 months have gone by, but I'm still hanging in there somehow even despite some unexpected news that I learned of this week: the dreaded new girlfriend. Someone has already come along to take my old spot. I'm not going to go into all the gory details because I've analyzed the situation too many times for my own good but the basic idea is that he has moved on...ALREADY. I'm not sure how long they've been together but it was at least a month after the breakup that they got together if not before. We all know the golden rule: it should always be the breakupee who moves on first not the breakuper. OK, that might just be MY golden rule that I invented. I wanted him to be the one to run into me on the street as I walk hand in hand with Gaston who just happens to be taller, funnier, better-looking and extremely charming. Instead, I live in fear of running into him with the copine and have images of me hiding behind a tree or something to avoid an awkward situation. All I can do is make sure I look amazing every time I step outside the house which, of course, is not possible but I will do my darndest. Besides, I know the 5'9" stick insect that he calls his copine must have her faults too...right? Right?

For now I choose to either dwell on this new discovery constantly or pretend like it isn't happening. Healthy, I know, but I just can't seem to find the middle ground. I've been going out a lot into town in the evening and night hours and hanging out with new and different people. I crave change. I need to have future plans. I want to feel connected to people and don't like being on my own. I suppose these are all normal feelings but because this is the longest relationship I've ever had, I've never felt these feelings so strongly and they definitely didn't last this long. It's not a precise science, but there is definitely truth to the length of the relationship being proportionate to the time it takes to get over it. I can't believe people have to go through this multiple times. I definitely want the next one to stick around for good.

Actually, I think a lot about the future Mr. Leah en France Part Trois(though it's hard to imagine ever being with someone again.) I think about the good points that The Chef had that I'd like the new guy to have and then the negative ones that I don't want. There are certain things that might be a deal breaker. Do I really want to deal with dating a smoker again? I really am anti-smoking and that was one of the things that bugged me about The Chef. We got into arguments about it and whenever he'd smoke, it would seriously rub me the wrong way. He did quit a couple times and he also reduced the amount of clopes he'd smoke, but I don't know if it ever would have been enough for me. The other big thing was his schedule. We worked opposite schedules. He worked on the weekend. I spent(wasted) so much time waiting for him. It was hard for us to get to know each other's friends. We both wondered sometimes if he wouldn't be better off with someone working in restauration. (FYI I'm pretty sure Salopey McPetasse aka the new gf is a hairdresser so she will see how difficult it is to have opposite schedules too!) I'd say these two things are pretty huge heck no's for me. But then I realize that no one is perfect so I won't be able to find Mr. Perfect and will have to compromise on some things, but what? I definitely am not willing to settle but how picky can you really be?

I've been listening to music about breakups and being at a certain place in your life. I really relate to a song by Lily Allen called "22." It's about a girl who remembers being 22 and feeling so much hope but now she's almost 30, goes out a lot only to find losers that don't stick around and isn't happy in her career. She's waiting for her dream man to come along and rescue her and wonders why her life has worked out this way. I totally feel ya, Lily, you have noooo idea. Besides that, I've been listening to a lot of Adele. I heart Adele. She has such a beautiful voice and sings so effortlessly. She's amazing. Her second album was inspired by a breakup and, again, I completely relate to what she must have been feeling when she wrote those songs. Music is great for that.

Other than being a crazy, past quarter-life crisis, analyzing, heartbroken, hating-being-single gal, I'm kind of on pins and needles for what's going to happen in other parts of my life in the next few months. Will I have a job? A CDD or a CDI? Will I get a raise? Will I move? Back to the states or in Rennes? I feel like there are going to be a lot of changes in the near future. I'm not a huge fan of changes and going through different transitions, so I kind of just want to get it over and done with. If I could hop in a time machine and skip over the waiting and the bad stuff, I totally would. Unfortunately, that's not possible, so I will just have to deal with it for now and wish time away like I've been doing for the past three months.

Dear Time,

I'm ready for you to do your job and heal me.

Love,
Leah

PS-There's something really great just around the corner, right?

One month later

2011-04-16T14:11:00.004+02:00

It's now been two months since my life tossed its' proverbial cookies all over me. I keep thinking I'm OK and then some little thing reminds me I'm not. It really doesn't take much to drag me down again. I've had three friends visit from the states over the past month or so which was such a lifesaver and could not have come at a better time, but now I'm back on my own again and having to face the music. I've got vacances coming up at the end of next week which will be good as it will be a break from my job which is always needed because it is one of the parts of my life that is not going well, but at the same time, my job also provides a distraction from all the other bits of my life that suck. I know I'll get through it because that's all I can do, but I'm looking forward and not looking forward to it at the same time. If money weren't one of my woes right now, I would totally want to get away, but helas, it cannot be. I do have possible travel plans this summer to visit a friend in Angleterre before I leave for the states but it's not yet set in stone. At least I'm able to go home for almost a month and get away from this pile of merde I call a vie. Wow. I really can't wait to be able to re-read this blog post someday in the (hopefully near) future and be so glad I'm not in this place anymore. I'm just wondering when the heck that will be.

I know I sound negative, but you have to understand that so many areas of my life are in the crapper. Yes, I know it could be a lot worse, but I also think it could be a lot better. Career, money, love, family, friendships and health are kind of the essentials of a healthy life. Of course it's not every aspect of those categories. For example, though they're far away, I do have an extremely wonderful, loving and supportive family and the person who has cancer seems to be doing well after the surgery. Also, some of my friends have been really kind and thoughtful which I'm so very grateful for. I do have moments of trying to be positive, you see, but it wavers. Overall, I would just say it's a feeling of being uncomfortable in my life. I'm not happy how the majority of things are going. I'm able to be happy for other people who have great things happening in their lives...new houses, weddings, jobs, babies, pets, couples, etc. It is hard for me, however, to see all these wonderful things happening to important people in my life and not wonder why it isn't the case for me.

I do believe that in life things happening for a reason. If all this depressing stuff is happening to me all at the same time, it must have some purpose. I don't know why that is, but I think with time, I will be able to see. It's said that it takes half the time of a relationship to get over it which would be October. I've decided that that should apply to all of the negative things going on in my life. I know that's a bit silly to group everything together and give myself an expiration date for all of these bad feelings, but it helps to think of things in a practical and logical way. What I do know is that in theory I should know about my job situation in June. They know I'm leaving at the beginning of July for the states, but I know that they also are big fans of waiting until the last minute without really considering the people this affects. I have in my head that if I don't get a new contract or a renewal with them, I will probably be leaving France for good. I'm putting all my eggs in one basket and hoping it works out.

I try to predict how it's going to go, but there are lots of different things they could do because there are 3 of us on CDD, but only about 1.5 postes. In theory, it means they will keep 2 of us. But, they could also always try to give the hours in the 0.5 poste to the CDI people even if they wouldn't want them. They could also hire an outside person. If they did either of those things, that would mean 3 people going for 1 poste and I have a feeling that one of the people would get it over me because we really need someone who is specialized in History and that is the case for this person. However, there are lots of primary hours. The History person wouldn't want them and I don't think any of the CDIers who aren't already in primary would want them. So either they could hire someone from the outside, keep the third person or me. I know this is probably confusing, but basically it means things are totally up in the air. Also, even if I get a position, they could offer me a CDD again one more time which I don't want to have if I apply for nationality which is my plan if I get offered a new contract with my job. It's a lot of "if a happens, then will it be b or c? If it's b will it be d or e? If it's c will it be f or g?" Enough to make you analyze it over and over again, but know that in the end, you can only wait.

Money could also get a little better if they take me on a CDI, but I doubt my salary would change if they gave me another CDD which means potentially another year of being in the merde. I will have a prime at the end of the CDD I have until the end of August, but most of it will be used to pay off loans so it won't last all that long, a mon avis. To help my financial situation, I was thinking about a coloc with a friend, but it seems now she probably wants to stay in her studio because she might be moving back to Paris. I don't really want to do another coloc with all new people so, for now, I'm staying in my appart until I know more info about my job and will deal with the coloc sitch later.

My life has never been such a mess before. I guess stay tuned to see what happens and keep sending those positive vibes my way. I will try to update here from time to time. If I don't update for a while, it probably means I've been eaten by wild dogs a la Bridget Jones! Voili voilou.

One year later...

2011-03-16T19:06:00.004+01:00

It's been about a year since I posted. I am impressed with myself, I guess? Not really, it's more that I didn't always have things to say and, to be honest, when I'm happy, I don't blog. I'm blogging again now because a lot of stuff has gone down this year and it has pretty much all been very negative. I've been writing in a journal when I feel like it all needs to get out, but I do miss the blogosphere and the ability to share things with the thought that we're all here to support each other and maybe what I say could somehow help someone else who is going through or has gone through a similar situation. I won't get into everything, but I can share a bit of what I've been going through.

The first semester of the school year was very difficult with the loss of a colleague, school admin that often don't have the best intentions, my status here up in the air and a promotion that never was. But, with the change of the year, I always have a feeling of a fresh start and my heart becomes filled with hope for better things. This was especially the case this year more than most other years. Well, on the job front, things definitely did NOT get better which seriously affected other areas of my life. Then, The Chef and I got a puppy which was a totally unexpected and joyous event that ended tragically when he came down with a very aggressive disease called Parvo. We took him to the vet to get hooked up to an IV on a Friday because he was very weak as he wasn't keeping anything down. Monday afternoon, the vet called The Chef and I told him not to tell me anything until I finished the work day because I knew I wouldn't be able to hold back my emotions if he didn't make it. So he picked me up from school and I could tell right away what had happened although I so didn't want it to be true. He didn't make it. My heart split into a million pieces. Poor little pup. We didn't have him a long time, but as an animal lover, I got very attached very quickly. He was a really sweet dog, basically the most awesome puppy ever.

After that, I found out that someone that is very dear to me has cancer. That was a huge shock and I couldn't even wrap my head around it with everything else that happened. I guess I tried not to obsess over it too much to avoid just completely breaking down. But, the fear of losing that person ate me up alive and though I didn't necessarily analyze this information like I normally would, it was ALWAYS in the back of my mind.

When I thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, The Chef tells me he's having doubts and has been thinking about this for the past two months. I'm sorry, what now? We decide to take a break for a week and he goes to stay with his brother. We meet up a week later and he tells me he's now sure that things aren't working for him and he's not happy. It's the kind of split where nothing happened, no one "did" anything, but it's just not right. Except that it was a total surprise to me and I thought I at least had him in my life still and could count on him to help me get through everything that was weighing me down. Not the case.

It's been a month since the break-up and I was doing OK, but I'm starting to feel really horrible again. I don't know if it's going back to work(I was on vaca the past two weeks) which just reminds me of all the problems at work, the fact that The Chef finally moved out all his stuff a week ago which reminds me of the break-up and feeling alone, seeing a good friend come and go or a mix of all these things and more. I think it's the latter. Plus, I just feel so unsupported by certain people which is a really hard pill to swallow. Thank goodness for those friends who have been so supportive that I feel so lucky, however it seems to just point out more those who haven't been very supportive at all.

I just feel that it's a lot of things for one person to deal with at once. It's hard to stay positive and I know time is what I need, but I just so want to not feel this way anymore. I'm looking forward to the day that I can look back and be OK and I know that day will come, but I'm seriously willing the time to go by...and fast.

To not end things on a completely bad note, I will tell you that I somehow magically got my French permis de conduire by exchange. I was technically about 6 weeks late past my first permanent CDS, but something had to give for Pete's sake and I got it in the mail...4 months after I asked for it, but whatev, I got it! Another positive thing was that after doing lots of research and trips to the Dreaded Prefecture, I think that I will be able to renew my CDS Salarie without having my employer go through the Labor Dept which is exactly what I need and want to happen. Now they just have to offer me a job...on verra for that. Lastly, the person who has cancer had surgery just yesterday that is very essential to a cure. I do have hope and everything should be OK, but you just never know. So voila, just wanted to get that all out there.

Meowdy y'all!

2010-03-10T21:18:00.005+01:00

Wow, so I've posted 5 whole times so far this school year. Yikers. Where to even begin? I think my last post was during vacances if I remember correctly, vacances during which I did a whole lotta nada. I did go to Paris the first weekend, but the rest of the time was spent with the kitties and the copain(will get to this eventually.) It was basically R&R time that was really necessary after a speedy Christmas hols which didn't even feel like vaca because of running around seeing people and being sick and all the general holiday craziness. I do have to admit I got a bit stir crazy by the end this time what with the French friends working and many of the Anglos gone, but I didn't have the sous even if I did want to go somewhere. Hopefully April will be a different story and if not, I have travel plans swirling around in my head that need to eventually get set in stone. Maybe a weekend in England this Spring? Maybe a reunion in the south of France in July? Paris for Ep. 333 in April? My English friend in the states chez moi and visiting our other Rennes buddies elsewhere in the states this Summer? There's definitely some sure-ishness somewhere in all those plans. I also plan on renting some terrain with a salle de fete to fete my anniversaire in April which a friend of mine did last year to fete her 30 ans and we had a blast. I'll be co-feteing my anniv as the copers' bday is just 4 days before mine and he is turning the big 3-0. Anyways, there is exciting stuff to look forward to and time is a-flyin as usual and April will be here before I can say supercalifragi...

In other news, I have indeed...joined a book club. Thought I was going to say something else, now did you? Well, this isn't new news persay as it's been going on since December. I haven't had time to read all the monthly books(I finished December's over Feb vaca for example), but I am enjoying the monthly get-togethers and reading on a (semi) regular basis. We've done Water For Elephants, We Need to Talk about Kevin(still need to read this one!), The Land of Green Plums(this one's started) and this month is Life of Pi which I have already read...thank goodness. A pretty great lineup and I've already started April's book which is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which I've been wanting to read for a while now. I also have the second one in this series lined up as I joined France Loisir and got my first book for a discount so I chose that one knowing I'd be reading the first one for April. I hope its being in French doesn't ruin it for me. It's true the English version is a translation from Swedish, but still...I prefer French books that are originally in French. Petit rant, whatev. But yeah, I love reading, I really do and always have. I was totally that kid that stayed up late with my flashlight reading late into the night. I love books that you just.can't.put.down. Yay for reading...and nerdiness!

Lastly, as you have gathered by now, I am currently maquee, c'est a dire, avec boyfriend. It's relatively new aka 4 months this Sunday, so I'm still on my toes and getting used to the newness of the situation(ok, that just totally made me think of the Jersey Shore...am I the only one? Bueller?) Things are going well, but it is difficult sometimes considering that (insert nickname here) is a cuisteau and works many late nights and then is off in the afternoon when I'm generally working, well MTRF in any case. Luckily, as the season slows down ie it warms up outside (it's a savoyard resto), he works less and at the end of March, he will have two whole days off plus a half day(it used to be just two half days til January, people, that was roughhhh.) It is hard for him to get to know all my buds considering his schedule, but as I have had pas mal de soirees these past weekends with all the bdays, cremailleres and whatnot, he has gotten to know a few of my proches. So, we will all have to keep tuned to see what happens with the copers, but all is well for now! I will need to think of a nickname for the blizzog, but I don't think it should take too long as we all know how I love a good nickname. I actually have a few already, but I'd like to think of a different one for here. I'm thinking maybe something having to do with cooking or specifically cuisine savoyarde like Mr. Potato Head or something equally ridiculous. Ideas are welcome!

Besides that, the kitties are good. Still not yet cuddling in each others paws and no eskimo kisses as far as I can tell. To be honest, Owen is kinda douchey sometimes. Well, 50% douchey and 50% cuddley...ok maybe 40/60. I'd like to blame it on kittenhood, but kittenhood is quickly coming to an end as he will be 11 months in a few days. One day he will de-douchify, at least I can only hope so for now! Sienna at least gets a break at night when Owen goes in his panier to sleep. Ah, the kitties, gotta love em. Well, I think that's it for now, but it's been good talking! Talk soon(ish.)

SnOwen

2010-02-15T16:29:00.003+01:00

Here is another kitteo for your viewing pleasure whilst I gather my thoughts in order to write a real post un de ces quatre. It has been snowing up the wazoo here in Rennes, that is to say, more than negative 1 times per year as it usually does. Kitten is intrigued by this phenomenon and I'm sure, if he could, would love to romp around in the snow like the dog that he was in a former life. Enjoy and a+, mes amis!

Meli-Melo of Ideas

2009-11-11T15:09:00.004+01:00

I'm still vivante! I thought I might throw that out there to distract you from my absence, helas, I doubt it worked. I do have to say I definitely thought I would be blogging at least once a week for Pete's Sake, not once every 7 weeks!(It's been literally 7 weeks, I just went back and looked!) During vaca, for example, I was sick for part of it, but otherwise I had plenty of time on my hands that I clearly prefered to spend watching True Blood and going on FarmVille. I know part of the reason why I've been unmotivated to blog, but I can't blog about it here so then we start going around in circles. Yes, I realize that makes no sense to 99.9% of you(with me being the 0.1%.) Unfortunately, that's how it will have to stay for a while because this isn't a private blog and I don't really want to have to make it one either. Anyways, enough of me saying things that make no sense, what CAN I tell you? Well, to continue from my last post, I had my medical visit(no TB, woohoo!) and I went straight to the Dreaded Prefecture afterwards and got my recepisse with no probs(with the exception of thinking I didn't have to pay for the 70 euro timbres until I got my actual carte...oh well.) I can also tell you that as of 2 weeks ago, I am now the proud owner of a carte de sejour salariee...youpiiiii! So, I am now proof that it IS possible to work in France legally and not be a student, assistant, pacsee, married or go through a program that sponsors you...yay!

Next stop on the France train: citizenship! Ok, so I mayyy be getting a little ahead of myself here, but it's something I've been thinking about as the years roll on by. I am guaranteed a job at my skool until the end of the 2010-2011 school year which is also about when I would be eligible for citizenship, so we will have to see what happens with my job. So far, the two previous people before me have worked exactly 3 years which will be the case for me at the end of 2011, but I think the only 3 years thing was due to the fact that the job is not a CDI for now plus one girl went back to the states and the other passed her CAFEP-CAPES so she moved up to the college/lycee level. On verra, maybe I'll be working more in the International program next year than this year? I will very likely have 2 extra hours to fill again like this year and I won't necessarily be doing 8th grade grammar, plus the program is constantly changing and having more and more hours open up, so it really is a big ol' point d'interrogation. I wonder, though, if it really is necessary to have a CDI to get citizenship or if anyone has ever done it with a CDD. Like I said, I really am getting ahead of myself.

For now I need to focus on the present which is easier said than done because the future sounds far more exciting. Christmas with my fam, New Years with my university friends that I haven't seen in ages and are the funniest group of nutters I know, a weekend trip to Nantes in Jan or Feb with my former roomie to visit our other former roomie who is such a positive, funny dude, the K&K infamous Episode 333!!!, a reunion in the south of France in May with my friends from Rennes 04-05 who are some of my very favorite people and then possibly this summer my lovely English friend from Rennes who has sinced moved back home coming to visit in the states. I just reread that and got re-excited! My current life of couilles-less kittens, colds that won't quit and online TV just somehow doesn't inspire me as much, ha! Not really, I mean, I have managed to do some intersting and fun stuff like meet a bunch of new people, make French people celebrate Halloween, see a Flashmob MJ tribute and sing 3 songs at Karaoke(whilst sick, I must add!), host a couchsurfer for a few days during vaca, go to the Salon des gourmets to taste and drink some yummy bits and host my own mini Diner Presque Parfait. I think my prob is that I just need some sort of creative outlet, like singing, dancing or cooking classes. These are all things I love and I like to do them on my own time, but it would be nice to go to an actual class rather than me singing and busting a move as I prepare my own dinner in my kitchen that equals not the same thing. Plus, I'm a creature of habit and I like having regular weekly/bi-weekly or monthly plans. I'm not making cards regularly either anymore(only when I go home and go to classes) and I just don't find it as enjoyable by myself. While we're throwing things out there, I should get back into running too...yikes, one thing at a time, of course. Now that I've thrown my year plans out there for you all, I'll let you contemplate what your own plans are and enjoy a kitten video aka a kitteo if you prefer. A la prochaine!(hopefully less than 7 weeks this time!!)

Tarte de Mesjours Update

2009-09-23T14:06:00.005+02:00

As I mentioned last time, I was eagerly awaiting notification of my visite medicale and worried that, because this is CDS season, it could take a long, long while. Well, I got a letter at New School just this past Monday from the OFII/ANAEM/OMI/Please stop changing your name why don't you? in my casier. I quickly tore it open only to see a letter about the timbres I would have to pay for plus a map. That's great you're telling me the money I have to pay plus where you're located, but how about what day and time I'm supposed to be at your office? Duh. So, I called that same day, but it was clearly the old number that had since changed and so then I sent an email which bounced back. When Tuesday morning rolled around and I got a break from teaching, I sent off another email and later that morning when I went to go back to the site to call them as well, their "handy dandy" France map with all the contact info wasn't working on not one, but two comps at the school because they didn't have some plugin that I didn't have the right to download and there was nowhere else on the site itself or the internet to find the contact info, believe me I tried! You're thinking I should have written down the number when I got the email except that I didn't have a pen handy because I forgot my trousse down at the primary school and was at the college and was about to have class. Fin bref, I managed to FINALLY have a look at lunch at a comp that had the plugin and wrote down the number and called that afternoon.

Good thing I did call! Turns out they forgot to put in the convocation telling me when my med. visit was. Yeah, that's right, forgot! Oh, France. So, the lady was very nice and said that was definitely not supposed to happen and told me I have my visite this Thurs(as in tomorrow) at 9 AM. So I luckily had the time to notify my teachers I won't be there Thurs morn. I don't know how long my visite will take, but in any case, afterwards I'm headed straight to the Dreaded Prefecture to give them the OFII form so I can get my recepisse because my carte expires tomorrow!! Talk about pile freakin poil! It's that time of the year again, folks, so please croisez those doigts for me that everything goes ok!

Kitty Wranglin etc.

2009-09-17T21:19:00.003+02:00

So it's been 2 weeks since I posted. Whoops-a-daisy! Whoops-a-daisy? Did I really just write that? Does that make anyone else think of that scene from Notting Hill? Anyways, I just wanted to FINALLY post the video(s) of my appart that I've been meaning to film/post since foreeeeever. I 've been in this apt since Feb, that's 8 whole months! Time really does fly. I still am so glad I left the colocdom when I did even if it means I've had to dip(or in the case of this month: plunge) into my decouvert pool several of those 8 months...sidenote, is it the end of October yet? Money issues aside, getting back into the swing of things here in Rennes and at school hasn't been too much of a challenge so far. My scheduling was annoying, yes, but I knew it would be like that, so at least it wasn't a surprise like last year. It was actually even more complicated this year as I have more hours at New School than last year which meant that I was only able to work a couple hours at Old School(ie just with the CPs, not the GS.) This is because the extra time I had to fulfill was filled by teaching 2 hours of grammar to bilingual 8th graders. Let me just say, gramer sux. That being said, I'm doing what I can and will get what needs to be done done, but I'm hoping next year to have any extra hours used teaching bilingual 2.5-11 year olds aka not college kids! On verra. At least my group is small(11 kids), motivated and generally nice and I can't say it's not interesting to hear their life stories about how they came to be bilingual, trilingual, etc. Ca donne envie, quoi!

In about 2 or 3 weeks, I'll start with my classes with the university students on Wednesdays which will be good for the bank account, but I will miss my free Wednesdays. Quoique I haven't been really even able to sleep in (kitten's fault) and I've oftentimes had errands to do and by errands, I clearly mean crops to grow on farmville, so it's not thaaaat big of a deal to go back to work there afteral, I suppose. Speaking of work, I have yet to receive my carte de sejour "salarie" because I haven't had a convocation for my visite medicale yet! My current CDS expires...next week! Yikers! I guess this means another trip to the dreaded Prefecture to try and get a recepisse whilst I await the visite. I was hoping to not have everything be so last minute, but I am not in the least bit surprised. Lets just hope the OFII hasn't lost my dossier and by lost, I clearly mean jete-d in the poubelle! This is not the ideal time either with all the new assistants coming, fin bref, whatev.

Besides school and the usual paperwork shuffle, I've been spending a lot of time kitty wrangling. Owen is a bully and Sienna has had it jusque la and is fighting back and it's getting old. I never expected them to be snuggle buddies or anything, but a bit of tolerance would be nice. I'm hoping it will change as he grows up and maybe after he gets his, cough, man parts removed? Only time will tell. For now I'm running around the appart like a crazy woman trying to get him out of everything he's getting into. Let me just say it is hard for such an organized person as myself to deal with a kitten causing a mess in every.single.room. Yes, he finds a way! He is sleeping in the kitchen on work nights, but I might do a test next week to see if I sleep through the night ok with him roaming free. Cats are hard work sometimes! I think that's it from me, folks, but I wish you a happy Friday and a tres soon!

Previously on Leah en France Part Trois...

2009-08-30T16:00:00.010+02:00

Not to waste any time explaining why I was gone, here's what you missed:

February

I moved in here.

March

I have no idea what happened in March. There aren't any holidays, this month blows, nuff said. Haha!

April

My parents came here. We also went there and there.

May

I had my Cremaillere and dressed up as her. Also, I worked maybe 2 days because of all of the jours feries.

June

I got very anxious to be done teaching these guys.

July

When in France, I went here, here and there. Then, once back in the US in early July, I went here to visit with family and friends after a 13 year lapse!

August

I got one of these. His name is Owen. Stay tuned to see what happens with these two.

In other news, I missed my freakin blogiversary! It's been 3 years, can you believe it? Apparently I've posted just 165 times, so that's an average of 55 times per year. However, we all know I've sucked at posting these past 7.5 months and then the first year I wasn't thaaaat post-y, so I highly doubt the average is so perfectly spread out. Anyhoo, no excuses, I'm the only one to blame for not keeping a written record of my vie. That being said, I really don't know how posting is going to go this year. I really would like to get back into it, but I might be just as busy as last year socially and workwise. I've been given 2 more hours at New School so that they can sponsor my CDS(long story, but it needed to be done because of regulations), but as of yet, I'm not sure what I will be doing for those 2 extra hours since all the teaching time has been filled up. I might have to surveille the kids or some shiz like that which is all fine and dandy, but I had worked it out so that I could have one afternoon off, so I'm hoping whatever the directrice has me doing will be either before or after school or during lunch hours. On verra. I also have yet to hear from the directeur of Old School which is sort of my fault because I kind of partir-ed like a voleur this summer, but to my credit, I did call his portable last week and have yet to hear from him. I'll have to call again this week at the school itself and see what the dilly is. If they don't need me, it could mean 2 afternoons off and also, one less job to have to lesson plan for and worry about, but it's also less money(well, the same amount as last year, but I was going to make more with those 2 extra hrs.) So, I'm sort of torn. Basically, if they still need me, I'll do it and if they don't, I don't plan on getting something to take its place.

The rentree is tomorrow...ahhhh! It's kind of scary to think about working with all those little ankle biters again. It'll be easier than last year just due to having last year's experience, but there are always things that will change and new kids and teachers. We actually have a lot of new people coming in! There's a new lady in maternelle to replace the collegue who retired last year. There's also a new stagiaire working with one of the CE2 teachers, but I probably won't see her very much unless I have that class the day she teaches. Then, there are 2 new people taking over another CE2 class and a new CM1 prof. This is all because we had a split level CE2/CM1 class last year because there weren't enough kids to have a full class of each level. Well, the person who taught that was just a sub essentially. Then, this year since we had enough kids to separate that split level CE2/CM1 into 2 different classes, we had to get 2 new teachers or in our case, 3 new teachers. So, that's already 5 new people. Plus, we need a new aid to work with one of the kids in maternelle who needs to have their own personal helper. And, we also have 2 new teachers in the International Program for the bilingual and high level English students. So, 8 newbies all together once everything takes shape! It'll be interesting. Tomorrow, almost all of those peepz should be there minus the International profs who will prob be at the College/Lycee meetings. I have to be completely honest and say that I am kind of dreading all those meetings because a)I really don't like small talk and I still kind of feel like the new girl b)so much of the info at the meetings is not for me since I don't really collab with any of the profs, more like work alongside them if that makes sense and 3)I could be sleeping. Tear.

In reality, all I need to do is set up my classroom with new material, decorate the door, update some of the posters and set up my schedule. Last year, I spent the first 2 days of school setting up my schedule and it was a lot of waiting and then running around like a crazy monkey from classroom to classroom and during recess trying to track down teachers and get them to choose a time slot. Some were easy, but most were a pain in the A. There were some that were difficult just to juggle all the things their class had going on (recess, gym, choir, catechese, International English class, wine tasting, cheese sniffing, etc) and then there were those that really weren't willing to compromise for no good reason. Although, while I'd love to get the scheduling done before the kids come back (ie Thursday), in a way it does make sense to have one full week with the kids so I can have all of the classes in one go rather than miss out on Mon and Tues classes this week. I guess I'll find out tomorrow or Tues or Thurs or Fri for that matter! I just want to get the beginning over with and ease right back on in to teaching, this before stuff is no fun. I also am looking forward to the next vaca, not gonna lie.

In terms of the future, the plan is set for a couple more years in France. The school is sponsoring my CDS and all that is left to do is have my visite medicale and then pop on over to the Prefecture(I say that dripping with sarcasm, has anyone in history ever popped on over to the Prefecture?) The whole process has gone relatively smoothly(so far) except for the little blip with the hours which cost us some time, however it was probably for the better because had we known this earlier and had the Labor Dept given the OK, I would've probably been gone when my medical visit was scheduled which I'm sure would be fun to reschedule....NOT. So as it stands, I'm waiting to get a med visit scheduled sometime soon(as my CDS expires at the end of Sept), then go to the Pref for my CDS(well, my recepisse, but whatev) and I will have a CDD for 2 years(summer pay, woohoo!) and a CDI at the University where I teach 3 hrs per week. But, I am waiting for something to go wrong, so I will be holding my breath until I get that laminated carte in my mains! I think that is it from me, I'd better be off, I've got some kitties to wrangle!

Bisous,

Crazy Cat Lady aka Leah en France

Appart Hunting 101...Agence Style

2009-01-17T16:17:00.005+01:00

So, I know a few of you specifically are interested to know more about apt hunting en France. As someone who is currently going through this, I deem myself capable of informing the masses(and by masses I mean the 2 or 3 of you reading this.) So, here she goes:

I was looking for a T1 bis or a T2. T1 bis can have an alcove so that you could put a curtain or divider up and separate your chambre. T2 has a chambre separee. Lesson 1 of apt hunting: The proprio can call an apt a T1 bis a partir du moment ou la cuisine est separee, so be careful, T1 bis doesn't always mean it has a renforcement for your lit! I technically started my search three months before I wanted to move. I signed up with Seloger, Logic Immo, My local newspaper, Leboncoin, Vivastreet and Pap to get email notifications of available apts and then checked the sites occasionally on my own as well. However, there was little to nothing available at that time, so I didn't actually head to the agencies until 2 months before I wanted to move. I went to 3 agencies at that point and it was pretty evident that there was very little available because 2 months ahead of time was "too early." I think it's definitely worth it, though, to go to several places and see if there even is anything available. I found that online, it sometimes says the date that apparts are dispos, but not all that often, so it's always good to go into the actual agencies. Lesson 2: If you see something online that interests you, go to the agency in person and ask about it. I did that for one place I thought looked great and it wasn't available, but I ended up having 4 visits with that agency qd-mm, so you never know.

Due to Xmas vacation, I didn't get to head out to more agencies until early January. At that point aka 2 weeks ago, I went to 2 agencies that had nothing and then the third had something that was maybe interesting, so I arranged a visit for that same week on Wednesday. Then, I went to an agency that a friend had used and I scheduled 2 more appts for that Wednesday. I also arranged for 3 visits with another agency(where I liked the apt, but it wasn't available anymore) for that following Thursday and I brought along a friend. Lesson 3: Always try to have at least a second opinion! Well, that ended up only being 2 visits because the 3rd apt's proprio decided to sell. So, that first week, I had 5 visits total and only 1 apt that interested me out of all of them. The next week, I arranged for 2 visits on the Tuesday and again had that same friend come(that was the apt in the quartier des putes!) On Wednesday, I had previously arranged for a revisit(you can do that!) of the apt I liked from the prior week, but I got a call on Tuesday night saying the agency had to cancel the revisit because the apt had been rented that day. Lesson 4: If you like something, do NOT hesitate. This apt did have a few questionable factors such as only containing a kitchen sink, but I later learned not to be surprised by a cuisine non-equipee. Tant pis, someone else got a reasonably-priced apt in the quartier I wanted, I knew it just meant something better would come along.

Though disappointed by the loss of the apt I liked so much, I continued on and scheduled 3 more appts for the following Thurs and 3 for the following Fri, these both ended up being only 2 visits each because those 2 apts had current locataires in them, so the agency didn't have the keys and had to get their approval, but of course, they didn't call the agency back. Oh well. So, the apts on Thursday, I had that same friend come again(this means she did 6 visits out of a total of 11 and I'm really glad for it.) The apts on Thursday were nice enough and located in the centre historique, but one was cher and the other was on the 5th(!!) floor with no elevator. Which brings me to Lesson 5: Know what your criteres de recherche are. If you know(like me) you're lazy, don't even waste time seeing something that's up 5 flights with no elevator. I should have listened to myself and not bothered, I can't imagine moving in and carrying furniture and boxes up 5 flights or even carrying my heavy weekly groceries or my heavy school bag. Although, Lesson 6: Don't rule an apt out just for one small thing. Know your deal breakers of course, but see things even if the photos look ugly for example(case in point: the first apt I liked looked very moche sur les photos, but ended up a lot better in person.)

Which brings me to Fridays visits. I saw one apt in the quartier I wanted, but there wasn't a separate bedroom or a way to separate the living room to make a bedroom and this was one of my deal breakers. I gave it a chance even though I saw it said T1 and usually that just means the piece de vie is one big room, but it just didn't do it for me. Then, the other apt I saw, I was wary of the quartier, but though it's not located exactly where I'd want, it at least had more of a neighborhood than the one in the quartier des putes aka Ho Hood. It met all my criteres plus more and was really nice. And, my big news, I've dropped off a dossier for this apt and as soon as I can get 3 quittances de loyer from my proprio this week as well as a garant all I'll need to do is wait. I even got the proprio to baisse the prix by 2o euros. Lesson 7: Don't rule out an apt that's at the maximum of your price range or slightly over it. As you can tell from my experience, negociating can be had. If you find it expensive, let peepz know! Lesson 8: If you notice an apt you like that could do with a paint job or new tapisserie, ask the agency if it's already set to happen and if not, if they could ask the proprio to do so. It maybe won't happen, but it's always worth a try.

For my dossier, I needed:*

1 copy of my CDS

3 last quittances de loyer

3 last bulletins de salaire

2 last avis d'imposition**

1 RIB

1 garant and all their papiers

1 attestation d'assurance multirisques habitation (in order to get the cles)

*They also asked for a livret de famille, but I explained how I was 'mercan and they didn't have a problem. Btw, they could also ask for your contrat de travail, this agency just happened not to.

**I'm sure if you only have 0 or 1 of these, you could also explain the situation and they would be understanding.

So, now it's a waiting game, on verra if my dossier will be accepted, but the apt is pretty sweet, so I hope so. I'll fill you in on it more once I know if it's a yay or nay!

Grippe-ness

2009-01-13T16:14:00.004+01:00

So, I am home with the grippe. It started yesterday before work, but at that point, I thought it was just a mix of lack of sleep, a stuffy bus ride and cigarette smoke at 8 AM. I knew I wasn't doing too well when, at the end of the afternoon, I absolutely had to give my whole class sitting down because standing up was too uncomfortable. I told my kids I was sick so they had to be quiet-this is one of the few times that they will (for once) voluntarily behave. I went home after school and laid around until bedtime when no sleeping was to be had. I was shivering cold, so I put on 4 layers of tops, 2 pairs of socks, slippers and at one point also had my jacket wrapped around me. I knew I would just get hot during the night, but I couldn't do otherwise. Well, I just couldn't get comfortable, I was cold, had a headache, had courbatures, was overall not doing well. However, I went to school anyways because I thought I would try to just get through the day and make it to tomorrow when I only have to work 2 hours. I guess I forgot how if in the states you come in when you're sick, you're a trooper, but in France, you're an evil, germ-spreader infecting everyone else around you. Once the teachers found out I was sick with a grippe, they said I really should head home. Obviously so I get better, but also so I don't infect them or the kids! In the end, they were right that it wasn't that smart to be there when I was in that state, so I talked to the directrice and she gave me the green light to go home.

When I got home this morning, I took my flu meds and went right to bed and that's pretty much where I've been since. It has done me worlds of good and though I am still sick, I do feel better. I think I'm actually going to go to the apt visits I had scheduled for tonight because I don't know when I'll be able to reschedule otherwise and I really need to make a decision by the end of this week. The only apt I've liked so far will be my apt of choice when I resee it tomorrow if neither of these that I'm seeing tonight are goodies. But, I'd still like to feel like I've explored my options as much as possible in 2 weeks' time. So, seeing these apts today will mean I'll have seen 7 apts total which I think is a fair number, although it doesn't exactly feel as such when 3 of the 5 I've seen so far have been immediate no, no, nos. Oh well. Hopefully 1 of the 2 today will be a yes, yes, yes. Although, a couple copines told me that the apt building(the 2 apts are in the same building) is in the quartier des putes. Umm, Rennes even has a quartier des putes? That's news to me! I knew there was an area where the drag queens hang, but I didn't know there was a whole quartier for the prostitues! On that note, I'm off!

Warning: blog post is longer than it appears

2009-01-08T23:13:00.011+01:00

So, I've gotten a few requests(hi Crystal and Emma!) for a blog post and hordes(over statement of 2009) of people asking me where the F I've been. Umm, doing stuff? Duh. I can't really say what I've been doing, I barely remember what I did yesterday! That's not true. I checked and my last post was from Dec 1st. Wowza. I know I had soirees up the wazoo all through December, went to the K&K 200th episode bash in Paris, had tons of lesson planning to do, then was sick, then got ready to go home for xmas break, then was home and was busy watching Food Network all the live long day, then I got back on NYE, got thrown into a soiree hosted at my apt but thrown by my amis because I didn't get back til 17h, then I slept a lot because I was all jet lagged-ed and then again with the tons of lesson planning and adding in test correcting, then this week has been apt hunting and that little(understatement of 2009) summary should bring you up to speed! To tell you the truth, I didn't really think that much about blogging or when I did, I just didn't have anything that great to share. And we allll know how well-written I like to keep my posts...or not.

What you should know:

-It was great fun at K&K's 200 episode and I am now officially "Intern Leah." I think that just means I'm supposed to do stuff for them and get paid in M&Ms. I'll gladly take it...as long as by M&Ms, they clearly mean mojitos and margaritas! Je deconne. Yeah, twas fun, met some bloggas(hi Andromeda and ASL!), stayed with my fave Canadian bloguesse(is there a word to distinguish female bloggers because I feel like there should be), saw the ksam and the kkarina and had some rhum-rhums finally. Yay!

-Home was awesome. I was so happy to see my family and be back home. And it snowed! The morning after I got back. I freaking love waking up to a beautiful, white, untouched layer of snow on the ground. It continued to snow throughout the day as well. I heart snow. I have a pic above that I took at like 7 AM or whatever heinous hour the jet-lagged me got up at. Oh and for the first time in a long time, I gave into jetlag and ended up going to bed super early and rising with the roosters(if we lived on a farm which we don't so don't ask why I said that) which was one of the worst ideas EVER because it threw me off schedule for the first 5 days or so.

Xmas eve was at my house and my mom and I made some delish wassail, olive garlic cheese dip(recipe below if I remember), Kariner-beaner's stuffing, roasted chicken with a white wine sauce and veg, eclair cake, apple crumble and other delices. It was so good, but we were SO fullll by the end. Don't worry, I still managed to shove my face with eclair cake at the end. Don't get me started on that...I might still be full from everything I ate over the Christmas hols. I don't believe in resolutions, but I do plan on getting back into faire-ing some sport in the near future which is much needed! Anyway, all in all a good time and I didn't feel ready to leave at all after just 12 days. I think I was spoiled by spending 6 weeks over the summer, those 12 days just flew by! Luckily, I was sent out in style by landing a spot in business class because I arrived so late at the airport due to traffic and there were no more economy seats. I got a seat that reclined, tons of legroom, real silverware and plates, a comfy blanket and the best part!!, a privacy screen so I could pretend the person next to me didn't exist. That was sa-weet. I actually got to sleep more than my usual little snippets of 5 mins at a time before my head jerks up because I'm so effing uncomfortable. I know this because I missed breakfast! I was a little bitter about it at the time, but it turned out ok because I got a bit of food on my London-Paris flight. Yes, I had a connection. I miss Air India's direct flights, but I actually got to sleep for once, so it didn't seem too long. Then later, per usual, I slept like a bebe on the train...that thing rocks me to sleep, I swear!

-I'm on the apt hunt. I've had 5 visits in the past 2 days with 3 different agences and I do have one candidate that is good placement-wise(a bit closer to centreville), c correct au niveau du prix, it's lumineux and has an American salle de bains!!! The major downside is that the kitchen is pas du tout equipee and literally just has the kitchen sink. Isn't there an expression with something about everything but the kitchen sink...this is the opposite, nothing except the kitchen sink. Oh wait, isn't it something about taking everything but the kitchen sink? Then, n-mind, this would be the same. I'm tired. So yeah, that is a big downside because it means money, money, money, money, mo-ney, MO-NEY! But, it might well be worth it. I think I'm going to schedule a revisit tomorrow and hope no one has snatched it up! I have 3 more visits planned for Monday, have emailed a few particuliers and then was thinking of going to another big agence in town tomorrow. I want to be all set by the end of next week. I'm going to be moving in before I know it and I have trop hate, I really do. Thank goodness I'll be moving on a weekend and thank goodness for friends that can borrow their rents' big cars! Also, I'll be on vacation the weekend after, so that should give me plenty of time to get stuff done that I won't have time to do during the week. Yay! Ok, y'all, I's reals tireds, donc I'm gonna go couche myself, but bonne nuit to you all and if I don't blog again soon, just know I really am trying to keep up with your blogs(although jeez you guys write a lot more than me...I had over 2oo posts to read on bloglines after I got back from xmas!) Toodles!

Recipe for delish dip:

1 cup green olives(with pimiento)

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup cream cheese

1 garlic clove

Mix olives and cheeses in a food processor until a little bit chunky but not completely smooth. Grate in garlic. Eat copious amounts!

Quadrice Turkey Days

2008-12-01T23:48:00.006+01:00

No, I still have no clue what comes after thrice, but then again, I didn't actually try to look it up either. Ah well, quadrice(or fleetine!) works just fine for me! So, last week was the week of Thanksgivings. I have never eaten more than one Thanksgiving meal ever before in America. Ok, that's not entirely true, I guess you could say two meals actually if you count the leftovers the next day! I had one T-giving in the afternoon on Thurs which was arranged by my school. Pretty sweet. A few of my coworkers actually brought in some decorations and made little quizzes for people to answer about the history of Turkey Day that were placed on each table. It made me very thankful to be a part of a pretty awesome program and team. The Frenchies seemed to be willing(except for that guy that got fries) to try the meal(they had an alternative option) and everyone said how much they enjoyed it. An added bonus was discovering I'm now getting even more of a discount than before on my lunches at the school(thank goodness considering I eat there M, T, R&F and it's not cher, but it can add up!)

Thurs night which is the scene of the pics above was a minigiving/thanksmini at Yuri's place. It was nice to do an actual meal on the day of and in someone's home and Yuri had the wonderful idea, so how could we not take her up on it? It was a smaller scale thing because we all were going to another big T-giving the next night...so I bought some English cranberry sauce, made my cornbread mix and made garlic bread. We had escalopes of dinde, mashed potaters, gravy, corn and a broccoli casserole. For dessert, we had brownies and those patisseries you see above. We were only 5.5 people(1 came later hence the half) so, needless to say, not all of those puppies got eaten. No they weren't actual dogs, excuse the dad language! It was a nice, relaxing meal entre amis.

Fri night was a big shindig with about 25 people that was fun, but not really Thanksgiving-y. Plus, I made stuffing, but didn't have time to cook it beforehand and on top of everything, I ended up being extremely late, so the stuffing didn't get cooked enough and wasn't all croustillant like it should be. Tant pis. On Sat, I headed to Fougeres to a T-giving hosted by a coworker and her pacse. I was glad to be invited(we were 15!) and everyone there was very nice, although I realized at one point that though there were two other girls by themselves it was only because their counterparts stayed home and that meant I was the only single person there. Kind of blechy. But, I didn't have time to focus on that because, as you can see...food galore! Real turkey, real cranberries(and even the fake kind with the can rings...love it!), mashed potaters, green bean casserole, 3 kinds of stuffing(I made a second batch of mine and it was properly cooked this time and delish, thanks to Karina for the recipe I've used 2 yrs now!), sweet potaters, green bean casserole, cornbread(with cranberries!) and even biscuits! For dessert, apple pie and yummy pumpkin pah as well! Many laughs were had and games were played. Turned out to be quite a good night! So, voila, there is my "remember the time I had 4 Thanksgivings in 3 days" story. Hope your T-givings were as bons as mine!

Top ten...

2008-11-24T23:35:00.007+01:00

Reasons why I CANNOT wait to move...

~Fishy smelling kitchen because the oven fan isn't put on.

~Roomate being in the salle de bains at the EXACT moment every morning that I need to be in there...I know he knows...grr.

~Cleaning&organization all according to me...mwahaha!

~Decorating!!

~Exciting plans!!!

~Kitty can have free reign of the apt and not be enfermee in my chambre when the others are here.

~Having a place for my parents to stay when they visit me in the spring!!

~No more dishes piled up...and if they are, it'll be all MY fault!

~Singing out loud to my heart's content!!

~Wearing pyjamas on the weekend for hours on end and not having to feel like a lazy bum!!!

Things I'm thankful for this holiday season...

~Moving(sorry, couldn't resist!)

~Rennes' current development(the big new movie theater, all of the construction of apt buildings, the renovation of facades as well as many other changes.) Rennes is a happening spot!

~Celebrating Thanksgiving not once, not twice, not thrice, but FOUR TIMES!!

~The fact that it's almost Thanksgiving and we all know after T-giving, Xmas celebrations begin!

~Xmas decorations in my room and classroom(ok, so I started a bit early!)

~Sending out my homemade Xmas cards!

~Xmas lights up and soon to be lit around the city!!

~The American goodies waiting to be brought back in my bedoroom at home that I couldn't fit into my suitcase(s)!

~My job(s)!!

~My family, friends(espec my new enlargened group of anglo buddies in Rennes) and kitty!!!!!!

Could she be cuter...

2008-11-23T12:50:00.002+01:00

...I don't think so!

Random comme d'hab

2008-11-17T20:28:00.006+01:00

I think I'm supposed to be eating dinner with my colocs ce soir which is about as tempting as punching myself in the face, so instead I choose to blog. I know I'm still almost as absent as ever, but for good reasons. What with teaching, preparing for teaching and lotsa socializing(note vid above of the third of three Soiree Raclettes in the past 2 weeks), I really just haven't had the motivation/inspiration to sit down and blog. My brain is constantly thinking of about a bajillion things at once and blogging is usually not one of them. High on the list is moving plans and thinking about allllll of the things I will have to purchase when I move. I mean, I have the bare minimum furniture-wise(a couch, 4 chairs and a bed!), but if I were to make the list of everything else I'm missing, it'd be pretty dern long! Though I did more than double my salary from last year(which was pretty meager to begin with, so I'm definitely not rolling in the dough by any means), I've had a lot of stuff to pay off. 140 for a mattress+sommier, 110 for surcharges of our EDF/GDF, 130 in Taxe d'habitation, 500 for a plane ticket home...that's 900 easy euros gone right there. Thank goodness for the bank loan I got because there's no way I would have been able to get by otherwise. And by no way I mean no way besides asking the rents, but I want to avoid that if I can because I am a quasi-grownup afterall.

So, I won't be buying out any expensive furniture store anytime soon, but I will be hitting the Trocante, Ebay and a couple places I've heard of in Rennes where you can get new products with not-so-grave defauts(like dents, scratches, wrong colors) for way cheaper. Although I don't want to get too much before I move because that's just more stuff to have to move! I think I'll wait for a)the soldes which tombes bien because I'm moving end of Jan/debut fev, so I can hopefully grab some of the bigger, more expensive things then. But, I'm thinking even the little things I don't have are going to add up fast...vaccuum, broom, mop, toaster, microwave along with all the cleaning supplies I will have to buy as well. My detail-oriented personality(read:a touch of OCD) makes me want to do things like guesstimate prices of aluminum foil+mop rags+windex=?? I guess I shouldn't think about it too much in detail because it might, maybe just maybe, stress me out a bit. I think focusing on the caution, first month's rent and agency fees are quite enough, thank you very much. Plus, not all of what's on my lists(yes, you read that right, that's lists with an 's') is really priority. Take cheese grater for instance, I can live without it. Yes, my lists are specific. I should do that for a job except that I don't wish to organize other people's lives, just my own.

So yeah, I've got moving on the brain a bit. Plus, exciting plans for when I do actually move(Yur, you know what I'm talkin bout!), so I'm looking forward to actually getting stuff sorted. The sooner, the better. It's a maladie, I tell ya! Sur ce, here's a little meme that I've wanted to do for a while but for aforementioned reasons, I never got to. Taggees, find your names at the bottom.

Six things you probably don't know about me:

1) I only give myself 30 mins in the morning to get ready. I value sleep too much, so I take showers at evening or nighttime and I oftentimes wake up with yesterday's makeup(yes, I know this is bad.)

2) I am very sensitive to certain noises(what's interesting is that my sis is like that with smells and can't go near a perfume shop.) I was that girl that stood inside watching the fireworks from afar because the sudden BOOM! just didn't bode too well with me. I've gotten more used to it as I've gotten older, but it still bothers me a bit. It's now translated into standing far away from people opening bubbly wines or champagnes, although that might also have to do with my fear of things going into eyes.

3) I can tell when meeting someone for the first time if they are someone who I could be good friends with. I haven't been wrong yet. Bizarrely enough though, unless it's blatantly obvious like they are a jackface or a creepster, I have a hard time placing exactly what it is about people that just doesn't rub me the right way.

4) I have a strange fear of falling into open spaces. My mall back home has its' second floor overlooking the first and I avoid being near the railing like the plague. I constantly think about what if someone accidentally bumped into me or what if I was leaning on it and the glass broke. This goes for sewer grates, metro stations and any cavernous space of any sort pretty much.

5) I can never remember who I tell what to. For instance, now that I'm thinking about it, I might have mentioned my fear of falling into open spaces on here before, but I'm not sure. In some ways I have a really good memory(like useless random facts or memorizing things), but other times, I have a hard time remembering very specific details of a general thing if that makes sense. I did well in high school for instance because it was a lot of memorization(which is a big part of why languages came so easy to me), but college was more difficult because I am not so analytical and it takes time for me to organize my thoughts.

6)I am random. I start talking about one thing and then end up in a completely different place. Hence the blog. Oh and speaking about organization, I am so organized sometimes I forget how organized I am and try to do things like a normal person. Say I'm going to use the same photocopy for 2 different classes. Well, I will do something like make a photocopy and put it in the folder for each class, so that I can have the copy in the 2 places I need it instead of having to remember that I need to transfer it from one folder to the other after I'm done with the first class. Then I file the orignal away because I like to get $h!t done. Then, I proceed to forget that I have done so and spend time looking for the original(that I have already filed away) so I can make copies for the second class and then remember that I am so ridiculously organized that I already not only have filed away the original, but also have the copy that I need in the folder for that class. Yeah, so that probably only made sense to me. What was I saying about being random again, I forget if I mentioned that here or not. Cycle vicieux.

Je tagge: Fellow Canuck, Going to Episode 200!, hopefully also going to Ep. 200!!

Two outta three ain't bad!

2008-11-10T16:35:00.004+01:00

So, the apartment hunt has officially begun. While I've been checking out ads on the internet for a couple months now, I was waiting until I actually sent out my lettre recommandee with accuse de reception and got the confirmation that my proprio got it and then hurdled the task of telling my current roomies. Well, now that that's all said and done, it was time to tackle the beast of going to the agences to see what's available since not much is online for when I want to move. I headed out today not knowing how it was going to go since I've never been to the agencies before as I found my colocation on the internet. I decided to go to the three places near me figuring that a)since I want to stay in this hood, they might be the best bet for that and b)since they're close by, if I ever need to stop in for whatever reason, it would be very convenient.

First agence-I walk in and two younger girls are at the accueil. They both are very friendly and when I say that I know it might be a bit early(seeing as all the annonces they had outside were for at least a month before I want to move), one tells me it's never too early to search for an apartment. She takes down my info as well as my general preferences and says that the woman who takes care of this is busy today, but she'll give me a call once something comes up. I then proceed to the second agence.

Second agence-I walk in and the lady at the desk walks away, umm not really a good sign. Luckily, she redeems herself by calling out her colleague's name saying there is someone waiting to be helped. Phew. New lady gets down to business and takes down the details of what I'm looking for. She then tells me the person is out today who would be able to help me, but asks for my name and number so that she can contact me once she has done some recherches. She writes down Mlle Leah until I correct her and say Leah is my first name, umm duh. On to the third!

Third agence-I walk in and lady is on phone. I patiently wait for her to finish and remark on how freakin hot it is in the place. Me hates the heat. Strike one. The lady finally gets off the phone and I explain that I'm looking to rent an appart etc and she directs me to her collegue in the next room. Collegue says hi and then just sort of waits for me to talk. Awkward. Aren't real estate agents supposed to act like your new bff so they can get your money? She should learn a lesson from the bankers. Strike two. So, I am awkward and say c'est vous, Christine? The lady at the reception didn't tell me her last name, though! Oh well. I go on to say I'm looking for an apartment a louer in a little under 3 month's time. She looks at me like I have two heads and says and I quote " c'est beaucoup trop tot pour chercher" and then tells me she only has 1 appart that she knows of that is even dispo then and that I should come back at the earliest at the end of December. I say umm ok, I'll repasse a ce moment-la. Thanks for the help(or not.) Strike three.

I'm an organized person, I can't help it, I like to get $h!+ done. Coming from the two places where they didn't hesitate to take down my info and where one girl even said it was never to early to look for a place, I thought it was pretty lame for the lady(from a reputable company, btw, that exists in the US) to look at me like I was crazy for already getting started with my search, then tell me she did have a place(ok, just one, but still, it's not like there were none!) and then not even take my info. It doesn't really make me want to go back there and actually I was hoping to get this sorted before I go home for Xmas anyways. Is that like super crazy of me? Now, I'm just hoping to hear soon from the other ladies and if I don't hear from them within a week, I'm thinking I'll go elsewhere just to leave my options open. Wish me luck!

Nouvelles

2008-11-04T11:08:00.003+01:00

Well, after my bit of drama a la Gossip Girl, I'm ready to share some major news with you people that I'm very excited about. I'm mooooooving! That's right, after over 2 years in the same ol' apartment and 5 different roomies later, I'm ready to casse-myself. I've always told myself this would be my last coloc and that the next place I lived would be my own appart. I wasn't in a rush to get out before, though, I mean it is gonna take a decent amount of sous to do this afterall. However, I think that the fact that my newest roomies are not people I ever see myself being friends with has really given me the extra push I needed to see this thing through. I told them last night which was a huge relief because for whatever reason it was making me nervous. But, I'm giving them plenty of time plus I already know of someone who might be interested in taking my place which means they could be set pretty soon and without paying 1 centime on appartager or any other roommate sites.

I, on the otherhand, have to actually find this magical, new apartment. I've been looking for about a month online and have seen very few things open for when I want to move. So, I'm thinking I'll have to go to the agencies and see if they do actually have stuff dispo and they just haven't put it online(thinking it's too early) or what. I really would love to stay in the same quartier I live in now-close enough to walk to downtown, lots of buses if I need to take them, but at the same time pretty calm seeing as I can hear ducks coin-coining as I write this. The only other place I would live would be centreville, but that usually means an apt that's either super cher or the size of my pinky, so on verra. In any case, I'm very excited and can't wait to find my new place and get all the perks that go along with it. Plus, decorating, hello? What could be fun-ner? So yeah, that's my big news and I honestly CANNOT wait!

PS-Go Obama!

Secrets, secrets are no fun

2008-11-02T23:06:00.005+01:00

So, I've always been one to believe in being honest with people. Honesty is the best policy, they say. It might sound a little Gertrude Goodie Two Shoes, but it's me. Yes, I've told some white lies in my time, but bold-faced lying just isn't my thing. I guess I can't say I've never done it before either, but it was when I was much younger and now I'm older and wiser. Or so I thought. Is it lying if you just purposely choose not to tell someone something? You know, just leaving something out. And is it good to tell the truth knowing it will make you feel much better(to have whatever it is off your chest), but make someone else feel much, much worse? How do you decide when someone needs to know something? Should you let time pass by and wait to say something? These are questions I find myself facing. I won't go into details, but help!

Vacation, all I ever wanted

2008-10-29T18:06:00.005+01:00

Hightlights of my holidays so far:

Watching ridiculous amounts of Gossip Girl

Running errands up the wazoo

Finalizing a very important decision that will mean a big change for this lady

Getting together my Halloween costume bits and pieces-just know that my costume involves a boa and a sparkly flower in my hair, details to follow later

Shopping for school supplies and magic pens!

Picking up my Tarte de Mes Jours!!!

And vacances aren't even over yet! I still have 4 more days plus a very exciting Halloweener party on Friday!

PS-Isn't that pic of the Go-Go's so deliciously 80s it hurts?

Long time, no blog!

2008-10-26T12:37:00.003+01:00

Howdy partners. It's been a while, eh? I've just been busy, busy with work life and social life and didn't get around to blogging. But I am now, very thankfully, en vacances so I figured this was the occas to get my bloggin on. I do have some exciting plans to share with you, but I will wait a bit until it is 100% set in stone. In other news, here are a few random tidbits of news and happenings from the past two weeks:

-Taught ex-Roomie#1 how to say "to drink one's face off" aka se bourrer la gueule, hilarity ensued when she could not remember the order and said things like "I'm going to drink off your face." Ouch, that sounds painful.

-I was wearing my normal comfy French shoes(the shoes all French people wear that aren't sneakers/tennis shoes, but just shoes) and one of my kiddies in a Moyenne-Grande class remarked "my brother has the same shoes, Leah!"...this encouraged the rest of the class to tell me that their brothers, fathers and uncles had the same shoes as well. Just because they're brown doesn't mean they're boys shoes, geez!

-Went to an anglophone party in a bar on Thurs night...one drink free and 2 drinks half-off, this meant I paid 4 euros for a demi, vodka orange and a pinte. I think I will be going back, umm, every Thursday. Especially because besides the cheap booze, it was so random, I couldn't help but heart it. A bar after my own heart.

-And probably one of the best bits of news of them all...I got my little slip of paper saying I could go to the dreaded Trefecture and pick up my Tarte de Mes Jours!!! Yessssss, victory is (almost) mine!

PS-Can YOU guess where I'll be on December 6th?

Sans voix

2008-10-13T23:24:00.006+02:00

Ok, this is going to probably be a lot of random ramblings aka a normal post from me...oh wait. So, I have officially lost my voice for the second consecutive October. And as we all know when something happens more than once, you can use the word usually. So, when I usually lose my voice(you know, every October and stuff), it really blows. Whisper-yelling just does not have the same effect on the chilluns when I'm trying to tell them to shut it. I seriously think it's because I go all summer being calm and not singing songs every 5 seconds and then the rentree comes and I jump back into being a source of enterntainment 5 days a week for approximately 5,000 hours. My voice just can't handle the strain and I lose it. I guess maybe the soiree from Friday night didn't help either...but, I know that's not the only reason. Since I've been back here for part trois of my life in France and I've been the main English teacher in my schools, I've also found my voice just gets worn out from time to time. I also feel like it's scratchier than it used to be, but that's probably just from all that lovely second hand smoke that has been poisoning my lungs since circa 2002.

Despite the whisper-yelling, being sans voix does have its' advantages. Par ex, I can get out of talking to people. Now, that might sound anti-social of me, but you're forgetting one thing, I am indeed anti-social. No, I'm clearly kidding...ish. But, there are some people that I just don't feel the need to waste my ever-so interesting conversations on. Oh, and that prof that was always closing the window that I had previously opened because I was 500 degrees from all the singing and bouge-ing actually opened the window for me today when she saw how overheated I was at trying to talk/sing despite my lack of voice. A lady after my own heart. Not for serious, but I definitely have grown to like her a lot more than I thought I originally would. It's funny because there was one teacher I was told to "be careful of" as she is a bit of a sheister and had taken one of the people who worked at NS before me "under her wing." Basically, she made her buy her groceries for class. She apparently looks down on teachers that don't have the official French teaching certification and comes off as really nice, but is secretly kind of evil. The funny part is that I confused two of the teachers' names and I was "being careful" of the wrong teacher for 3 or 4 weeks! Glad I cleared things up with a coworker! Their names are similar to be fair to me, I'm not a complete idiot afterall!

What else to update on? Well, the bilingual kiddies are still as adorable as ever. It's so weird for me to hear American kids in Rennes. It's such a shock to my ear and then it immediately reminds me of home and it turns into a comfort. Plus, how cool is it to be a truly bilingual child? I wish I had grown up speaking two different languages! My chilluns(if I have some) are definitely going to be bilingual, preferably in French. Maybe I'd better first get started working on a way to get those chilluns in the first place because I don't think the Immaculate Conception is going to happen to me any time soon. In other news, it's Yuri's bday this week. Yay! And I'm hosting her party at my apt. Double yay! And my roomies will be gone. Triple yay! To be honest, I've hesitated on having people over because my apt has kinda had the fun sucked right out of it since the new roomies moved in. No, that's not right, I shouldn't say that, what I meant to say is that my apt has DEFINITELY had the fun sucked right out of it since then. I do really miss my old roomies, it is true. Le sigh. Oh, and other funness is that my English friend, Jenni, is coming back to visit soon. She's been in Rennes as long as I have(aka when the dinosaurs roamed the earth) and was an assistant with me in 2004. She came back in 2006 and stayed until Aug 2008 when she went back to Engers to do her teacher training. I miss her tons and tons, so I'm wagging my tail in excitement at the thought of my lady back in town! On that note, I'd better be off to finish my lemon tea&honey and then straight to bed! Or, I'll be watching ANTM on youtube, you take your pick!!

Smarter than a first grader

2008-10-07T20:25:00.006+02:00

So, as I am now on Week 6 of the rentree at New School and Week 3 at OS, I have been reminded of some extremely important things all thanks to my lovely students:

Farts are funny. Admit it, you know you want to laugh. Also, making farting noises is almost just as good.

People dropping things(namely me) is also hilarious, it is funny to see your teacher look like a fool.

Sometimes you have boogers, often times you cannot be arsed to do anything about it.

When your teacher says the letter 'p', don't hesitate to repeat the word pipi over and over again. It is honestly one of the funniest things ever. Don't forget about "zee", what word would be funny to formulate using that letter? Oh, and don't you love how 'q' sounds like cul?? I know I do!

Also, tiger sounds like ta gueule and six sounds like...I'll leave you to figure that one out. It might be a toughie!

Yes, kids will be kids anywhere you go. I actually do have a bit of a difficult group in one of my first grade classes. They kind of donnent me envie to m'arracher les cheveux. I finally (along with their prof) had to lay down the law with them and make them realize that I mean business. They showed up the next class with drawings asking for my forgiveness for their rude and boisterous behavior. Whilst this was appreciated, I would just like you to NB some of the things they wrote...

pardon lia pour n'avoir pas ete sage

je m'aiscuse pour avoir rigole

lille morise(l'ile maurice)

...and that, mes amis, is why I'm smarter than a first grader!

A Tarte de MesJours Haiku

2008-10-01T18:43:00.005+02:00

Good surprise arrives

Wait of four hours, babies cry

Leave with blue in hand

Did you really think I could write just three lines? Of course not! So, I am happy to announce success is mine, mes amis! I was waiting for something in the mail which I luckily got this afternoon(after going back to give them a prioritaire SASE to replace the economique one I had given without thinking) and I rushed off to the dreaded Trefecture throwing all my official docs in my bag and leaving my wet laundry I had just taken out of the washer behind. On a whim, I grabbed the yearbook portraits I (for some reason unbeknownst to me) got from New School when I took my picture for my teacher card just in case my mugg shot-like photomaton pics didn't cut it. I got to the Tref at about 11:45 and my stomach did somersaults and had butterflies because I wasn't called until 16h(when it closes.) I luckily landed on the same lady who gave me my changement de statut carte last year who actually is capable of smiling and I showed her the list her coworker had given me 2 weeks prior of everything I needed and she seemed to think I had everything. She did take a second look at my mugg shot pics and said she didn't know if they would be ok for my actual carte because the top of my head was a tiny bit cut off. I handed over my yearbook pics and she said those would definitely be ok. Phew! I even made a joke about how I was better off with the yearbook ones anyways because the other ones were pas non plus tres jolies. She actually laughed and joked back which makes me think she might be human and not, in fact, a robot like the rest of them. I think the nice people at the Tref are starting to outnumber the meanies which makes me happy. Adios, droids! So, all that to say I have a brandy-new recepisse in my mains and all is bon for now!

Chill and Chili

2008-09-27T10:34:00.004+02:00

I am sure you are on pins and needles(tenter hooks?) waiting to hear about how I used my paprika. My life is just seriously THAT interesting. Before I get to that, a little update on my CDS situation. Well, basically, it's looking more positive than negative. I have a RDV on Monday morning and by Wednesday, I should have what I need to go to the dreaded Trefecture and get a new CDS. Then, in theory, the school should be providing me with a new one in a couple months once all the paperwork has gone through at the Labor Dept which is what was supposed to have happened 2 months before I started working. I know this couldn't have gone any differently and I don't believe on dwelling on the past forever and ever because ca sert a rien, but I will say it sucks that I ended up getting a bit F'ed over having to do all the work and pay myself en plus. But, it makes me feel better that the school is still planning on getting me a new CDS for this year. I did say planning, so we'll see how that goes.

I will miss some classes because of these RDVs which sucks, but the school is on board seeing as none of us really have any other choice. I had a meeting on Friday and had to cancel my last class of the day with my CP2 class, but instead of just cancelling their 40 min class and doing an entire 40 min class with the CP1 class, I did 20 mins with each class during the time the CP1s have class. That way, they'll both have learned the same amount. Then, on Monday morning, I will be missing a class of PS and PS/MS, but I figure that since they have class every day, it's not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things and I can always just not teach anything new on Monday to the other PS class I will have. Unfortunately, I will also be missing a CE2 and CM1 class, so I need to figure out what to do about that. I think I'll make a pretty light lesson plan for the other 4 classes of CE2s and CM1s and then give the teachers of the 2 classes I'm missing the material to give to the students. More practice than learning, quoi. I know the CM1 teacher does English with her kids, so that shouldn't be a problem. The CE2 teacher doesn't(it's another CE2 teacher that teaches all the CE2 classes), but I know he does speak a little English and I will just make the lesson simple. Reviewing stuff can't hurt. I really can't have some classes ahead of the others, so I think that's what I'll do in the CE2 and CM1 levels. Et voila!

Wow, I'm sure that was as interesting for you as it was for me. Moving on to the paprikaness. Thank you again to all of you for your wonderful recipe ideas, I will have to try some of them out in the near future. If you haven't guessed it already, I decided to make chili of the vegetarian sort. The veg part was only because I prefer chili with ground turkey and not ground beef, but I might try chicken chili at some point. I can't even imagine how much chili I would have had had I added meat, though. As it was, the recipe made enough chili that I definitely could/should have froze it to eat later because I'm a bit chili-ed out by now! Anyhoo, here is the recipe that I came up with based on a fairly simple basic recipe that I added to. I love how making chili just means throwing things into a pot and crossing your fingers. Haha, no it was good, though! Enjoy!

Leah's Veggie Chili
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion
1 cup celery(I used 4 stalks)
1 small red pepper
1 tbsp garlic(I used 3 cloves)
2 cans(16 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can(8 oz.) sweet corn
1 can(16 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. sugar(or cinnamon!)
2. cups chicken stock(I used 2 bouillon cubes and some water)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. each basil, oregano, thyme, paprika, cumin, chopped bay leaf

Add olive oil to skillet on medium high and saute onions, celery, red pepper and garlic until onions are translucent.* Add all other ingredients in order and stir well. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add some sour cream(creme fraiche), fresh chives and/or cheddar(emmental) to garnish. Mange it up!

*This is where you would add 1 lb. of ground turkey or beef if you're making a meaty chili.

Cooking Cuestion

2008-09-21T18:53:00.002+02:00

So, in my quest to be a real live grown-up, I have recently been adding to my spice collection. I kept it basic for a long time with just the herbs and spices that I used all the time. Whenever I needed something for a recipe, I would buy it, of course, but I didn't have things just hanging around au cas ou. One of my recent additions is none other than paprika. I decided to buy it because I thought, hey my mom has this, so it must be good for something. I clearly neglected to think about the fact that my mom has spices from circa 1970 that just sit there collecting dust. Ok, I miiiight be exaggerating a tad, but you get the picture. She's a great cook, but she def has some spices she uses more than others. So, I find myself asking the question, what DOES one do with paprika? I know I can look online, but I'd love to hear from you cordon bleus out there that already have experience using paprika and maybe even have recipes on hand that you'd like to share. So, bring on the paprikaness!

Que dire, que dire?

2008-09-19T20:31:00.003+02:00

Yeah, so I've been absent as I'd predicted, but it's been for good(and bad) reasons. One being I've been really taking the time to get used to New School, new kids and new curriculum. When I'm there, I feel like I'm constantly running up, down and across three floors with not enough time to do everything because I'm late or the class is late from recess or the kids are not getting something I thought they would(although only because I'm unfamiliar...they're English is incredible!) This being the first year and having now prepared classes for many different grades all at different levels, I'm not yet adjusted to what they know. Also, I'm trying to develop rituels with them of my own as well as use some(many) of the things they've learned over the past few years with the person I replaced. It's an adjustment for everyone, some of the kids still call me the other teacher's name(although some of them just were doing it because they thought it was HIlarious) and I have about 450 kids' names to memorize. Holy fa-reakin cow! That's just at NS, btw. At Old School, I believe I'll have about 100 more. The students at the Uni can just forget it, quite honestly. There'll probably be about 50 of them which adds up to a ridiculous total of 600 students. Kindly picture me punching myself in the face right about here. Although, thank goodness for etiquettes on their desks telling me their names, well minus my 7 maternelle classes, but whatev. You learn the bad, I mean, poorly behaved kids' names pretty fast.

I start at OS next week which I'm not too worried about because I can do what I want and a lot of what I did last year, I can reuse. I will just have to add on some more subjects because I started a few weeks later last year. Also, it was the first year that they started English in GS, so I ended up teaching the GS and CP classes the same vocab except the CPs had more words to learn as well as a few questions/answers. So, I will review with the CPs what they did the year before for a few weeks, but then I will have to do completely new things since they are the old GS kids and obviously they're not going to learn the same things over again...duh. But, I have the freedom to do what I want, it'll just be the issue of taking the time to prepare. Sunday is going to be my preparation day for all of my students. Well, every Sunday for NS and then every other Sunday for OS and Uni as I will plan out 2 weeks' worth of lessons for OS since I only see them once a week and then the Uni classes will all pretty much learn the same thing. I have what the person before me did with the Uni students, so that will help, but I think I'm the most nervous about teaching in front of them. I mean, I'm not used to teaching a group of students and they're franchement not gonna be that much younger than me. It's not like I can distract them by singing Old MacDonald and I somehow doubt we'll be playing Duck, Duck Goose. Oh well, maybe they'd go for London Bridge? It's a bit more sophisticated, IMHO. No, in all seriousness or something close to that, I will be scared about teaching them because I'm just not used to it and I can't predict how it will go. Also, I'm glad it's based on teaching them about CVs, interviews, etc in the anglophone world, but there will no doubt be some grammaire mixed in there which I do not personally enjoy or feel entirely capable of teaching. But, ca y ira. I'm glad, en tout cas, to have these two week breaks between everything starting up and then at the end of Oct, it's Toussaint, baby! Yes, I am already thinking about my vacances, can you really blame me?

Autrement, the vie has been se passe-ing bien. Repas, soirees, cremailleres, all sorts of fun stuff. Well, minus my current dilemma with my CDS. I don't want to delve into it toooo much, but let's just say things aren't going as planned and the original type of CDS I was supposed to get is not looking like it's gonna happen. Time was not on my side, unfortunately, and most of what's happening now couldn't have been prevented. However, I'm waiting to hear back and every day that gets closer to my CDS expiring, makes me want to gerbe. I will have to keep you posted because I really don't know what's going to happen and I'm not trying to be dramatic, but things could possibly go very awry. So, please croise your doigts and doigts de pied for me because I might soon find myself in lots and lots of merde. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but it's true!

Sinon, my new roomie moved in about 2 weeks ago now and things are going ok enough. I like her more than I thought I would, but she's just not gonna be my BFF or anything. I was hoping she would actually be around more to befriend Correcty(boy roomie), but such is not the case. Hopefully that changes soon because Correcty is still as lourd as ever. I also decided on top of being annoying, he's also not a very interesting person. Yes, I'm mean. No, he's not a bad person, but I just really miss my old roomies who may have gotten on my nerves with the boy's lack of doing dishes/cleaning and the girl's plan cul one room over, but we were good friends and had some pretty darn good times. Memoryyyy, all alone in the mooooonliiiiight, I can smile at the oooold days...ahem, no one else like a good "Cats" song? Ok, mes amis, I do believe it is time for me to be off...dinner and sleep are calling my name. But, as has now apparently become tradition(I say tradition because this is the second time I've done it...like how I say "usually" as long as something has happened twice), I will leave you with a list of some of the more "interesting" prenoms I've noticed at school and what I think of them. Many of them are the equivalent of say, Gertrude, Bea, Pearl, etc then there are the ones that sound like they should be preceded by "Count" and "Duchess" and, course, the ones that are a bit bizarre. Enjoy!

Capucine-reminds me of Capsicum aka the way to say bell pepper in Australian.

Gaspard-Gaston from Beauty&the Beast?

Marin-Aye, aye, sailor!

Bertille-Berthillon, the good ice cream place in Paris.

Hermine-Hermione

Ambroise-Haven't I been there before? Also, NB, this is a boy's name.

Louis-Alexandre-Wasn't he king or something?

Suzon-like Suzanne, but not

Aubert-Oh, Bert

Thelma-and Louise?

Salomon-umm?

Ombeline-this name is made up...take Ambre+Emeline and what do you get? Ombeline!

Theophile-Did you really have to add on the phile...Theo would have been just fine!

Philippine-Philippe, girl version

Auguste-does he know Napoleon?

Solange-My new computer's name...and also lots of mamies.

Hortense-Hortence...yikes.

Hippolyte-I don't even know what to say to this.

Foucauld-Last name as first name

Marceau-marteau

Prune-who names their children after fruit? Oh wait, forgot about Apple Paltrow...

Come-rhymes with home

Armand-Armani, Giorgio

Ethel-like Estelle, but new and improved with a lisp

Germain-German with an "i"

Flamine-Flamel, Nicolas from Harry Potter

Anzor-I don't know where they pulled this name out of...

Pia-rhymes with Leah and also, a fake name

Blanche-from the Golden Girls

Brune-what if she decides to go blonde?

Eugenie-Eugenia? Yeesh...poor kid!

Titouan-titeuf...those kids love that stuff

Dominitille-Domicile

Klervi-Claire vie

Louis-Rodolphe-A king and a reindeer all at the same time.

Astree-Ash tray

Sixtine-no, seventeen.

Anselme-similar to how a French person would pronounce handsome

V-Town and Blabberings

2008-09-14T12:18:00.005+02:00

It's been awhile, bloggy friends, n'est-ce pas? Unfortunately, I don't see that trend changing anytime soon. I've been busy, busy, busy preparing for 8 different levels at New School with class for different amounts of time and different number of classes per week. For example, my PS, MS&GS kids have class 4 times a week for 20 mins. My CP&CE1s have class 2 times a week for 40 mins. Last but not least, my CE2, CM1 and CM2s have class 1 time per week for 30 mins. You know, just to complicate things more. Though I do have the general curriculum and materials used in the past 3 years to follow, I do still find it difficult to know exactly what their levels are. I've been reviewing questions with the older kids and I had to look through what they did last year to see which questions they did. I guess I shouldn't say difficult, more like time-consuming and a little annoying as I'm used to being the one who knows where the kids are at and not following someone else's curriculum. I shouldn't complain because it's hard work coming up with what to teach from scratch and trying to make things progressive-that would have been a toooooon of work with all those levels of kids. It just will take time to get used to and I'm sure I'll get the swing of things soon. Like how exactly does one teach 2.5 yr olds who barely speak French? The youngest I've ever taught is 5 yrs old and I remember what a challenge I found that to be at the beginning. But, like I said, it just takes time. Now, 5 yr olds seem like a breeze to me. I'm sure I'll get used to what works and what doesn't for those little 2.5 yr olds. And, I think it will also get easier for them as well. Now, they're just starting school for the first time ever and they still have doudous, accidents and are missing maman, they will grow up a lot in front of my eyes, I'm sure. For now, I'm just chugging along and sweating through the entire morning because of a)nerves and b)the freakin stuffy school. I love when I crack the window open just the teeniest bit and the teacher closes it, courants d'air me arse! That is not how you attrape a cold. But, I digress...

So yeah, it's difficult, but it's definitely doable. I just need to get organized and either plan out the week's classes on Sunday(je me connais, quand-meme!) or plan out Mon/Tues on Sunday and Thurs/Fri on Wednesday. Thank goodness I didn't start everything at once, I would have gone folle for sure!! I start Old School in 2 weeks and then Uni in 4 weeks. My CDS expires in 2 weeks which makes me want to gerbe when I think about it, so my oh-so-intelligent solution is to try not to think about it. Genius! I signed a bunch of paperwork on Fri that first gets sent to the dreaded Trefecture and then the Labor Dept. But, I have a meeting anyways with the admin lady at the school because I'm not sure what I have to do on my end of things at the Trefecture. I think once the Labor Dept approves my stuff, I automatically will get convoque'd for a visite medicale and possibly an integration day, but I think that will take awhile and I will have to get my recepisse before that point. But, the lady at the Labor Dept told me some conflicting info which is why I need to talk to the admin lady at the school. I really, really need to get going on this soon!

Autrement, when I'm not busy working or preparing for school, I've had the chance to profite of the vie. Last weekend, I made an unexpected trip to V-Town, which is ksam's old stomping grounds. I never had made it out there before, so I said pourquoi pas and accompanied her for a tour around the town and took in all of its' cuteness. It did rain a bit, but it wasn't enough to ruin the day by any means. Later, I made my yummy poulet curry and we enjoyed some vin. A little too much vin, d'ailleurs, because I was out of commission all day Sunday. Remember how I was hoping beer was on tap last time I posted? Yeah, I got some of that too. We ended up going out on the town because, well, il faut profiter quoi and we spoke some German(not really) to a guy who believed us-proving that there was someone drunker than us afterall! We got back and instead of drinking water and popping some advil, I crashed right away which meant I paid the facture on Sunday. The artist even tried to help me toss my cookies by showing me Palin's speech...I came close, but no cigar. If anything will make you vomit, that's it! But, helas, I wasn't much more than a presence for poor ksam. I bid her adieu that evening and prayed to the gossip gods that she'd get some good dirt. Despite my useless lump-ness on Sunday, it was still good times, I think anyways. So, that's that from me, here are some more pics for you to enjoy below. I'm off to prepare for classes and by prepare for classes, I mean eat mac&cheese!

What's on tap for this week

2008-09-03T22:30:00.003+02:00

Does anyone else say that or is that just me slash my dad? Anyhoo, I usually hesitate to write updates until after I know the full story, but what the hay, I'll bore, I mean, inform you with what I know.

-I kinda forgot how worked up French people get over seemingly insignificant things and regardless of their importance, they tend to go on and on(and on)and on about them. Shut it, Frenchies. Seriously.

-I have once again encountered the joys of disorganization in France. While I normally am alllll for waiting til the last minute to know which classes I have, my schedule and my CDS status, I'm really not.

-I still do not know my schedule and I think I technically start on Monday, but one can't be sure.

-After I finish the schedule at New School, I have to schedule classes at Old School(hoping that they'll be free for the 2 end of afternoon times I have available on only 2 days.

-Yes, I'm teaching the college kids, oh wait I'm not, no wait I am, hold the phone, I'm not. That's how many times I've seen that change. That's been fun.

-The green card process has started on their end, I'm impatiently waiting for it to start on mine. I only have about 2.5 weeks before my old one expires. Yikes. I have to wait for everything to get approved by people outside of the school AND do a medical visit AND a journee d'integration AND go to the dreaded Trefecture AND get a recepisse. Yeesh and more yeesh.

-Note to self: stop saying yeesh.

-Yeesh

-Note to self: never listen to advice from self.

-I have 18 classes at NS(that's New School) and 4 classes at OS. That's 8 levels and 22 different classes. Oh, plus I have 3 classes at the university level, luckily they're doing pretty much the same thing as each other. But, that means in total I will have 9 levels and 25 different classes. Yikes and a half.

-I'm only going to do three of the five jobs in the end, I just don't have the time nor will I have the energy to do anything more.

-I did or didn't wear a small, plastic pink butterfly clip right smack dab at the top of my forehead that is owned by a 5 yr old whilst diagonally crossing the city of Rennes. Nor did or did not people on the street, on the bus, at the bank, at the grocery store and in my apartment building see me with said butterfly clip. I am the shame of Rennes.

-So, what's on tap for this week, you ask? Well, besides working out my schedule(s) and possibly green card stuff, I can only hope that beer is on tap...and lots and lots of it!

The Days of my Lives

2008-08-30T12:22:00.006+02:00

Yes, yes, I'm aware it's not so much Sunday as Saturday, but this will just have to do. Pretend it's Sunday, you're creative, you can do it. Anyways, I just wanted to update on my situmacation with the new school. I called the other girl who will be doing the other 3 hours of the 7 total and I got the scoop. Basically, she was supposed to do all 7 hours, but because of a scheduling problem with another school she's working at, she just can't fit it in. Like I said, I'm sure they went to me last because there are 4 other people they could have asked and some or all of them already work at the college/lycee. So, I'm thinking they must not have room in their schedules, though I'm hoping this isn't the case in case I just can't do this. I have since calmed down a bit since my last post as I learned a bit more about what these 4 hours would entail.

Ok, here's what I know. It's working with a group of 20 6th graders who have gone through testing to be chosen into this special program designed for kids with a very high level of English. It is 7 hours per week all with the same class. They have a text book and will be using English not only within the whole linguistic scheme, but also to learn about American history and other subjects all in English. The history part is another teacher that would be doing that with them, though. Phew. This is a new program that is starting for the first time this year and it means the kids will eventually be able to go on and take a special BAC. I'm not sure if the kids also have English with their regular teacher, but in any case, this is definitely not your run of the mill, regular 6eme English class.

This all still scares me a bit and, I don't think I mentioned it before, my old school maybe wants me to do an extra hour and 15 mins more than last year. Literally the only time I have free is Wednesday 8h15-9h15(I found out the kids start at 8h15 and end at 16h30 and do Wednesday mornings) and Friday* afternoon from 13h30-16h30. However, if the old school wanted me to do an extra 1h15, the only place I could fit it would be on the Friday afternoon, meaning there would be no way for me to fit in those 4 hours the new school wants me to do. It's frustrating not knowing my exact schedule, though, because a lot of this is info I've sort of made up(the amount of time being the only thing I know for sure.) For example, the Wednesdays at the university, I said that it would be one week 10h-12h and the next 10h-12h and 14h-16h. This is not at all set in stone, it's what the guy estimated because he doesn't know yet when the university students will have free(I do know it will be on Wednesdays, though, at least!) If, for whatever reason, they had to move it to 9h-11h, I'd be F'ed. Also, I won't have my schedule at the new school until this Tuesday, so I know that I'll probably be with the little kids M,T, R&F mornings and I've taken it upon myself to try to squeeze CP&CE1 into 2 afternoons(that I've temporarily put on Mondays and Thursdays.) However, it depends on when the teachers can do it. Also, 1 class of CP and 1 class of CE1 have international students who have special classes with international teachers and I am supposed to work around their schedules, ie when they work with the international kids, I am supposed to work with the rest of the class, so that the entire class would be gone at the same time. Yeesh. Once I know my schedule at the new school, I have to make my schedule at the old school. As it stood before, I was going to do the old school in one afternoon when I was sure it was just 2h30. Now that it might be 3h45, I would have to do the 1h15 during the 4th afternoon which leads to the aforementioned probs with doing the 6eme classes. Not to mention not knowing the exact sched at the university as well as 2 families waiting on my sched info for tutoring their kids. This is probably not clear to anyone but me, but let's just suffice to say it's complique.

Basically, I need to call the old school on Monday and see if the prinicpal knows how many hrs they would want me there. Also, if he can tell me if he knows if there is an afternoon the 4 teachers can absolutely not do. Then, if he says it's 3h45, I'll know I can't do the 6eme classes. If it's 2h30, I'll have to set my schedule with the maternelle&primaire teachers and then see if there's a way that I could end class around 16h10 instead of 16h30 to be able to still work with the bro/sis. And, then somewhere in there, I'll have to decide if I want to do the 6eme classes and be really squeezing everything in together for something that I don't necessarily want to do, but would help out the school that's providing my CDS. Ok, because I'm now SURE none of that made sense to anyone, I'm going to do a mock schedule for you, dear reader, and me both.

NS=New School
OS=Old School
U=University
T1=Tutoring bro/sis
T2=Tutoring sis/bro
*=Possible
__=free

M T W R F
8h __ __ __ __ __
9h NS NS __ NS NS
10h NS NS U NS NS
11h NS NS U NS NS
12h __ __ U __ __
13h NS OS __ NS OS*
14h NS OS U NS OS*
15h NS OS U NS __
16h NS OS U NS __
17h T1 T2* T1 T1
18h T1 T2* T1 T1

Now do you see what I mean? Plus, not included in there is travel time and photocopying time which as it is will be tight and have to be done either before school or during breaks. So, to add 4 hours would be kinda nuts. I've got some serious schedule organizing and figuring out to do. I'll keep you updated on the days of my lives in a moment...

Yeesh

2008-08-29T18:22:00.004+02:00

So, the new school keeps adding on to my hours which, at first, was a very pleasant surprise. More teaching time with varied levels=more experience as well as a better salary. However, I really don't know how it's going to work out. I don't think it's actually possible. Plus, while I'm glad to be teaching from Petite Section through CE1(aka 5 levels aka 2.5 to 7 yr olds), the latest addition would be teaching 6th graders which does NOT dit me at all. I found the 5th graders to be already getting towards that middle school attitudey age towards the end of the year, so I can just imagine 6th graders. Plus, even more important than that, I don't really like teaching lots of grammar. Plus, plus, that's a HUGE responsibility to be in charge of their learning English...I don't know anything about the curriculum nor do I have experience. It's just so different fromn the little ones. Ay, ay, ay. On top of all of that, I wanted to keep my bro/sis tutoring students from last year which I wouldn't be able to do because I have to be at their school AT 16h30. I'm already not able to do my tutoring of the mom/son which I feel bad enough about, but I at least told her I didn't know for sure. I told the mom of the bro/sis kids that I could do it which I would have been able to still even after I got those 4 more hours on top of what I was originally told. Now with 8 hours it wouldn't even be possible.

Oh merde, I just realized, do college kids have school on Wednesdays? Or do they have half days? This is getting to be so complique! I have a committment starting in October and it's for classes at a university which would be something like 10-12 one week and 10-12 & 14-16h another week. I could, in theory, do 8h-9h on Wednesdays and then 13h30-16h30 on Fridays(of course the kids would have to be free then and I don't know when they have school til.) I don't even know how it works, though. I know there is someone else doing 3 hrs with them. So if 7 hours means 7 classes once per week, that would be fine. However, if it was 7 classes and twice a week, then the other teacher and I would have to share some of the same classes since I could only do 1 hour on Wednesdays and that's just not the best idea in the world. The school has a special program, so I can't really research it, unfortunately. So, I am slightly (and that's clearly a huuuuuge under exaggeration) flipping out. Because if I could fit it in and they can't find someone else, it's gonna mean I'll be working 9h-18h30 4 days of the week and 9h-16h30 the other day. Yes, there are breaks in there, so it's still under a 35 hr workweek, but still, teaching all that time is exhausting. I probably shouldn't complain as my American counterparts have to work many more hours than the French teachers, but still, 30 hrs of teaching is a lot for me. I really think I'm going to have to politely decline, it just seems like I'd be really sacrificing a lot of things for something I don't want to even do in the first place. But, I'm thinking they only offered it to me (someone new and only at the primary level) because no one else could do it.

I hate to cause problems before I even start, but I'm gonna have to let them know asap because the principal said I'd be starting next Friday! She also kinda didn't really give me a chance to say no by casually throwing in something along the lines of as long as ca me convient. I did say that I was still working at my old primary school, so I couldn't do it if that was at jeopardy, but that's only a few hours. I clearly didn't really think it through until after (hence this rant) and now I'm stressing. I just can't, though. I already have to prepare stuff for 5 levels at one school, 2 levels at the other(these kids are less advanced, so they'll be learning different things), 2 different fields of study at the university and then tutoring stuff for the bro/sis as well as possibly another sis/bro. Admittedly, the tutoring stuff is just a question of taking the time to go through my materials and copying a few things that I could use with them, so it takes little planning, but stillllll. I think I will try to email the girl who's doing the other 3 hours and get some info from her about Wednesdays and what time they start and finish school. Feels good to let this all out and I guess I should consider myself lucky I even have all these jobs to consider in the first place. I wish I could give some of these away!

Butterflies and kitty torture

2008-08-29T15:45:00.006+02:00

Though from my posts it sounds as if I did little to nothing when I was at home (ok, maybe I didn't do thaaat much, but still), I forgot to mention my little outing with my maman. Towards to end of my trip, my mom brought up the idea of going to Magic Wings which is a place in Western Mass. that's a covered sort of greenhouse where butterflies live and you can walk around. To be honest, I wasn't that keen on going at first since I'm not specifically butterfly-ey in any way. However, I decided to tag along since I only had a week left with my mama and wanted to spend some Q time with just her.

To my surprise, it was actually pretty cool, you walk in and you're literally surrounded by butterflies. They're flying directly in front, behind and to the left and right of you. They even will land on you, though usually briefly, as they're so used to humans. My mom had one on her toe and I had a few land on my head. I was actually a little scared to walk/move as I feared squishing one of those little buggers by accident. No butterflies were harmed in the taking of these pictures, though, don't worry. I would definitely go back, especially when there are fewer people around and I could just sit in one of the gazebos or on one of the benches tranquillement and just enjoy nature. Plus, there was a Yankee Candle compound (pretty much) not too far down the road and as I love being overwhelmed by 5,000 scents all at once, that's always a fun time...or not. I did like their Christmas village, though it was completely overwhelming and I literally almost ran into Santa when I was turning a corner. But, that's a story for another time. Also, they have a neat restaurant lit all by candlelight (what else?) that we had dinner at. All in all a nice day spent with the moms. Oh, and the second photo is of a butterfly with its' wings closed, doesn't it look just like a leaf?

Now to the kitty torture. My sis and I saw this at Target when I was home and as we both have cats that we find adorable, we thought what would be even more adorable than a cute cat disguised as a fish? Lily, her kitty, literally held her head in shame and wouldn't look at us after my sis put it on. Sienna first gave me a death glare (see above) then tried to literally back out of that sucker(also see above.) Too bad it was velcroed on, dudette. This is what happens when I have too much free time on my hands spent waiting for news. Kitty torture. Oh, and just for kicks I've thrown in a pic of my new comp, Solange who is gorgeous and shiny-new. Sorry Serge, she's won my heart.

Mattress Musings and a Pet Peeve

2008-08-25T14:01:00.004+02:00

So, I'm back in Rennes enfin. I could have easily missed my flight since I got to the airport only an hour before my flight(a bunch of traffic and a little getting lost on the way to Newark from CT), but luckily there weren't many people going through security, so I made it with a few mins to spare. I was a bit stressed considering I'm the girl who gets to the airport like an hour early just to be sure I have enough time and/or won't be rushed. I had to say a quick bye to the fam and then was off back to my second home in France. The flight went by pretty fast (love those direct flights!) especially since I had a really good book to read(Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, in case you're wondering.) Now I'm back to the ole rigamarole of pursuing the ever-evasive tarte de mesjours (I daren't utter the word!) which will probably mean several trips to the dreaded Trefecture to convince them I'm an asset to their country. Umm, yeah, we'll see how that goes. Pretty much more of the waiting game, I'm waiting for the boss lady to call me back because she's in a RDV which makes me nervous because she used to always conveniently be "in a RDV" when I was harrassing, I mean, calling her back in July to get more info about the poste.

I also have to go for an interview to see about this other job that would be teaching classes to university students and teaching them how to interview in English, write CVs and other job-related things in the anglophone world pertaining to their studies. It sounds really interesting and it's more hours to tack on in my goal to be as close to the French 35 hr work week as possible. As it stands, if I get all the jobs I'm planning on getting, I will have 5 jobs that will total about 30 hours. One is working for the same primary school as last year teaching 5&6 yr olds, another is tutoring a brother/sister in English, my main job working in a primary school with 2.5-7 yr olds, another tutoring job teaching a sister/brother in English and then the job at the university. I'm hoping to connect with the guy at the university soon, but every time I call, he isn't into work yet which leads me to my pet peeve. I called this morning and the lady who answered said "oh non he won't be in until the afternoon, bien sur" (insert patronizing tone that says "duh, idiota, you should know that!") I'm sorry I don't know his schedule by heart lady seeing as this is the first time I've called him and he just said "give me a call" with no specific day or time. Jeez! So, I called back at 14h and her response was that he was "pas du tout there, it's only 14h, why don't I call back in an hour, he should be there then." I swear to dog if he isn't in at 15h30, I'm gonna jump through the phone and clock that lady. I guess it's possible for her to have no clue when he's coming in, but why does she have to act like I'm ridiculous for asking if he's there every time I call? This wouldn't bother me so much if it were the first time I've encountered this strange reaction when you call looking for someone at a place of business. But, I've definitely experienced this before and it gets on my nerfs. Grr. Ok...back to waiting.

PS-I just got a new mattress and box spring while I was gone (a friend works for a company and got me a good deal) which is exciting because no one likes to sleep on two mini beds at different levels...or at least I assume that's not just me, anyways. While I'm grateful to my pote, I find the mattress to be pretty hard. I know hard is supposed to be better than soft, but still, it's kinda uncomfortable. Do any of you know if such a thing as like an egg crate or one of those soft down layer thingies exists in France? I asked a couple Frenchies and they thought no...but I'm thinking you expats might know for sure. Help!?!

Update: I finally got through to the dude at the university (the same lady I talked to before was this time surprisingly pleasant ps, quoi?) and I have an entretien demain which is bon. Then, bad/good news about the school, bad news being that I won't be able to meet up with them until the end of this week, good being that it looks like I should have 3 or 4 more hours than prevu'd!

Moi

2008-08-21T21:19:00.003+02:00

So, with all my newly found blogger friends on fbook(hi!, hey! and hello!), I thought about all (and by all, I mean maybe 1 or 2) those readers out there who've been reading my blog all this time without the pleasure of knowing what my lovely face looks like. I found this on another blog and played around with it to formulate the visage above. It def has a likeness and, for those of you I don't know IRL and/or on fbook, it will have to do. For those of you I know and/or friends on fbook, is it my sosie or what?

Two years

2008-08-19T17:24:00.004+02:00

2 years, baby! Seems like just yesterday that I decided to put a blog out there to share my whining and complaining, I mean, story with you. There have definitely been some high highs and some low lows, but I'm happy to say I got through it all ok in the end. I head back to the France this Thursday which is both happy and sad. I'm happy to get back, but it's always sad to leave my family behind. Although, I won't be 100% sure that I'm staying until I get that recepisse in my mains. I will keep you updated, of course. And, if I do stay, expect even more randomness and shenanigans to come. Happy Bloggiversary to me!!

Mamma Mia!

2008-08-16T04:12:00.001+02:00

All is bon here in the states. I've been hanging out with the fam(rents, sis and aunt), went to a b-day part for my twin second cousins, made cards and went shopping for jeans(about freakin time...holey jeans no more!) and other bits. Then, this past weekend, I went to see Mamma Mia!, here I go again, my, my, how could I resist ya?...sorry, I couldn't help myself! I think you have to like musicals in film form to enjoy it, but if you do, it's a really fun film. It made me want to be IN a musical again(I used to do them in school) and also go to Greece. My sis already bought the soundtrack and we've been Mamma Mia-ing for the last few days aka randomly busting out into song whilst talking. She was actually singing during a good portion of the movie...I guess she couldn't help herself. It's very, very singalong-able. I mean, the cheese factor is there, but what musical doesn't have some cheese in it? I dunno if/when this movie is coming to France, but I highly recommend it! And if you're in the states, go see it soon! That's my update for now, will post again soon...ish.

Delurking Day

2008-08-09T16:07:00.006+02:00

So, I don't know about you other bloggers, but I find it pretty interesting and sometimes amusing to see how people find my blog. Most times people come from other blogs, but there are still quite a few people coming from random google searches. I have compiled a list of some of my favorite searches people have done to end up on my blog. I have a feeling the majority of these people didn't find what they were looking for and I doubt they're normal readers of my blog, but if you are, delurk yourself! Actually, if anyone that's a normal reader wants to go ahead and delurk themselves, that'd be great too. I know there are regular readers in the US, the UK, France, Canada and Germany and I don't know who you are! Don't be scurred if you're not a blogger, I was once not a blogger (circa 2 years ago) and reluctantly made my first comment on a blog I was reading. Even now, I still sometimes prefer to hang behind the scenes and not comment until I work up the courage and/or feel I have something relevant to say which, as we all know, is not (ahem) necessarily that often. Anyway, I'd love to hear from you! In the meantime, here are some of my favorite google searches...

Avril sucks Leah

Umm, I believe I wrote WHY avril sucks and not who. Gross. I'm (not so) sad to say that this ain't the Leah you're lookin for, buddy, sorry!

The certificate of roller coasters

I'm thinking I was probably saying something about a roller coaster of emotion(knowing myself), not talking literally about them. Sorry again, I happen to work in schools, not amusement parks.

Furious kitty Rennes, France
Ok, this one. I don't remember saying my kitty was furious, but why, praytell, are you searching to find a very angry cat in Rennes?

Leah's blog

I'm sure there must be other Leahs out there with a blog, so I just looked on google and I wasn't even in the first 10 pages, so that means this person was actually looking for my specific blog which is really, very, extremely CRAZY. I apologize for the nonsense this person fell upon when they actually read my blog.

Super U France
This is the search that people do most often and end up at my blog. I know I did a post complaining about Super U changing around the store's set-up and most likely complaining in general. Sorry to disappoint all you Super U fans.

The eternal part of a cat

What exactly is the eternal part of a cat? Oh wait, you probably don't know hence why you did the search. I would love to be enlightened. My guess would be eternal independence?

Lady on unicycle performance

I would not be surprised knowing how random I am that I had mentioned unicycles, but all that together? It is true that since moving to Rennes, I have never seen more people on unicycles in my life, but did I mention that?

So, there ya go, why people get sucked into, I mean, get interested in my blog. Who knew I was so versatile? Now go and delurk yourselves, people!!

Updates

2008-07-31T16:48:00.003+02:00

So, I've been back in the states about 1.5 weeks and I have about 3.5 weeks left. I finally bought my ticket after waiting for eons for some magic price reduction on the horrifically expensive flights. Boo. I'll be back in France on August 22nd and if everything goes ok, I will be starting work in September. I still don't know anything for sure and I can't do anything about it until I get over there because peepz are on vacances plus I need to be there in person. I'm anxious to get things rolling with that and crossing my doigts that it all marches. On freakin verra!

What have I been doing during these past 1.5 weeks, you ask? A lot of nothing. Enjoying being on vacation, watching way too much TLC and Food Network, shopping for jeans(enfin...holey jeans no more!) and other bits, seeing movies such as...Mamma Mia, here I go again, my, my, how can I resist ya? Sorry, I couldn't help myself! I've never really especially been into ABBA or seen the musical, but I decided to go see this with the sis because it looked like fun times. I mean, there was obv the cheese factor there, but if you like musicals in film-form, this is def a fun film. It brought me back to my Musical days in high school and also re-made me want to go to Greece. I'm not sure if/when it's coming to France, but those of you stateside that would like that kind of thing should def go check it out.

What do I have planned for the rest of my time? Well, besides more R&R, I will be starting a temp job tomorrow and doing it through next week too. I'm very excited I got something worked out-I needs to pay the ol' student loans! I've been deferring them for the past few years because I just haven't had the mulah to pay for them on top of everything else, but they started taking the money out of my American account again this past June, so I really need to save up as much money as possible to just leave in my account here so I'll be covered for a while. I will have to eventually use my French debit card to take out some dollars from an ATM here, but I'd like to be covered until Xmas, so as to not have to worry about it. I wonder if I could ever write French checks and have my rents deposit them? Hmm...I know it works with Canadian checks, I'll have to look into it. Anyway, so I have a job for 8 days and it should be pretty easy-peasey, so yay!! That's it from me for now, be back soon!

I heart fauna

2008-07-23T04:15:00.001+02:00

Are you reeeally surprised that the one time I take the time to post I put something like this up? I'm not. Anyways, I thought it was adorable and yes I cry at Hallmark commercials. Haha. No, seriously, I like the little message at the end. Enjoy!

Innnnnteresting

2008-07-14T17:30:00.002+02:00

Oops! I meant to throw in this video I took of the, ahem, very innnnnteresting Tombees of the Nuit, but I forgotteded. Must.distract.them.with.videos.and.pictures. Kidding, but enjoy and feel free to tell me what you think!

Tenter ma chance

2008-07-14T16:16:00.007+02:00

I do find it a bit amusing that my last two posts have been on America's national holiday and France's respectively - the celebration of the two places I call home. Or, the place that is always home and the other place where it seems they keep trying to kick me the F out. Kidding...sorta. I'm heading back to the states tomorrow and though I said I wouldn't leave without knowing for sure either way if I'm staying or going, I am doing just that. Yes, I have jobs set up. No, I don't have the whole visa/CDS situation sorted yet. I have very high hopes that things will work out with one of the jobs being able to get me a CDS, but only time will tell. My life has been a huge waiting game in this last while. I went to the fac last week to explain how I was going back to the states and needed an answer or at the very least, an idea of when I could get an answer and fell upon this very unhelpful lady who clearly listened to about 1% of what I said because she responded, "well, we're not going to just up and send your mail to the US." Umm, that's not at all what I asked, bizznatch, thanks for listening. So, no help there. I would fill you in on the job situmacation, but all I can do for now is wait and hope for the best.

So, in the meantime, I'll leave you with a picture of my new shoesies(45 to 40 to 30 to 24 euros with the 2eme demarque!) that I've had my eye on for about 6 weeks or so as well as some ones of the kitty being cute and coquine that show that the stress must have finally gotten to me and I'm apparently a full-fledged cat lady? I also will give you a few updates on things besides all this stressful stay/go drama that have been going on recently.

-Former Roomie#1(the girl) is back with her F Buddy, but at least the bed is a rockin' not just one wall over, but on the other side of town.

-J's leaving to do her teacher training in England for at least one year, if not two. It'll be weird to be in Rennes sans elle, she's one of my orig anglo copines in Rennes.

-We found a new roomie who I will call "Hippie" for now. She's 22 and a student and, perfectly nice, but I was hoping for someone who was more my age, salarie and more of my genre de gens.

-The new old roomie is not my favorite. Truth be told, I would never have chosen him had we not been constrained for time and also had we not had the knowledge that with Roomie#2 leaving earlier than prevu'd, we would have to be doing this whole roomie search all over again sooner rather than later. He is nice and definitely better than the first guy Roomie#1 and I had to deal who stayed enferme'd in his room all the time, but just to give you a reference point, I would describe his caractere with the following words: know-it-all, correcty correcterson, coince du cul, condescending, anal-retentive, lourd, critiquey and power trippy. This time I'll have at home will be a nice break because he is just alllllways around and annoying and wanting to do stuff together. No thanks. You know when people start to get on your nerves and then every little thing they do gets under your skin? Yeah, we're already at that point. I'm not alone in finding him this way, so I don't really think I'm jumping to conclusions, but I will try to give him one more chance not to be annoying and see what happens. But, I think I'm really just going to have to keep my distance so as to be able to deal with him. It just sucks because it's not at all what I wanted my living situation to be in terms of roomates. Luckily, I think Hippie is just like Correcty's other friends, hence why he liked her so much(and passive agressively made it clear he wanted a fille as he found something wrong with every single mec we saw), so hopefully the two of them can hang out together a lot and I won't have to get annoyed with him as much. Au pire, I can always casse myself, but I would prefer this to be my last colocation, so on verra.

Anyways, that's it from me for now, but I will def be reading blogs when I'm away and maybe posting a teense. But, I already have things lined up for when I get back as well as trying to find a temp job to try and save some mulah to pay off those wonderful student loans and also putting Serge in his final resting place and getting Solange ready to bring back with me to Rennes. Ciao, mes amis!

Getting all sunny.

Next to the bed.

In the bed.

Under the bed.

Veuillez patienter svp

2008-07-04T15:40:00.005+02:00

So, while I'm waiting to see if I can stay or not(this is serious last minute panic attack-inducing kind of last minute, btw), I decided I would share a couple things to keep you entertained in the meantime. I will be reading blogs, but I highly doubt I will be posting because I gots me lots of loose ends to tie up and until I hear something either way, it's just the ol' waiting game. It's also a lot of ifs and buts...if only I had applied for school earlier, but I just didn't know at the time that I could/should have done that....if only I applied for the right studies the first time around, but maybe it would have been the same answer...if only I had gone in earlier to check the status, but maybe they wouldn't have known then. Ay, ay, ay.

I should know something either way within quinze jours according to the lady at the accueil, but the problem is that I'm leaving in 11 days and obviously nothing can be done on the weekend and then Monday before I leave just happens to be a jour ferie. Freakin genial. En plus, I had told myself that I would have to know either way before I go because I kinda have no envie to leave allllll my stuff plus kitty in hopes that everything will go through ok. What if it doesn't? I don't want to pay an extra aller-retour just to get my stuff. But, at the same time, what if I don't know before I leave, take everything with me and then it turns out that it's bon, I'm not gonna up and bring everything back and find a new place, do all the paperwork over again, that's just not possible. So, I find myself in a predicament and at a loss for decision-making. I'm hoping and praying that the dossier or letter saying I'm not accepted gets here by next Friday, but there are no guarantees. I will try my best to pester them into letting me know if I haven't heard by next Thursday, but I don't know if they will give in or not to my pesteriness. Yes, I know that's not a word, but it's gonna have to marche.

K, well, on that hopeful note(insert sarcasm), I will leave you with a vid from the Fete of the Musique from 2 weekends ago. I also have one from the Tombees of the Nuit that I'll have to put up at some point. What tiiiiiiiiime, what dayyyyyyy, gonna get my hands up in your faaaaaace!!?? Ok, so maybe my friends and I didn't know the exact words, but close enough!

PS-Happy 4th of July to my americains peepz out there!!!
PPS-See above: Sienna being dog-like.

No news is...no news

2008-07-01T14:51:00.003+02:00

You know the expression no news is good news? Well, in my case, it would read no news is no news because really that's all I gots, no new news on the job front. I know I can keep the majority of my jobs I had this year, but I'm hoping to add on especially in the morning/afternoon time when cours d'anglais just aren't faisables. I have a few irons in the fire, but nothing for sure. Plus, I went to the fac today after doing my demande of dossier two weeks ago and nver getting the actual dossier in the mail and they said I'll get a courrier. It's unsure, though, what exactly this courrier will be and if it is the dossier, I'll have about a week to get things together to hand in, fill it out and have them get back to me with an attestation. I should be stressed out, but instead I choose not to think about it.

On a lighter note, here are some things that have been going on as well as future plans:

~Everyone and their mere leaving Rennes. Two of my assistant friends hit the road in May after their contracts ended, a student friend left this morning, Roomie#2 is leaving this week and my copine anglaise is going back to Engers in August. Good thing I have my French friends and one American who will all be staying and hopefully the newest coloc will be all sorts of awesomeness.

~I've had a new coloc since the beginning of June to replace Roomie#1 which I haven't blogged about really and then we also now have to find someone for the beginning of August in about two weeks time if I want to take part in the decision. The new roomie is nice, talkative, but a little coince'd of the cul I have recently discovered. I think his new blog name will now be officially CC or C Squared si tu veux.

~We had a Soiree BBQ/Fete-ing of the Depart of Roomie#2 this past Sat which turned out to be quite the big shindig with 40 people in the park right next to my apt(see video, ignore humming, I'm a dweeb.) Luckily my favorite lady, J, was a huge help and thank goodness because I basically did almost all the work thanks to my lazy roomies. Besides me being stressed for the entire week leading up to it and maybe the one before that, it really was reussi. It def made me sad to realize Roomie#2 was going so soon and who knows how often he'll be in Rennes slash available because he knows a tooooon of people and he'll be living about 2 hours away.

~I made the Chocolate Chip Cookies with the kids and no one kicked the bucket due to dairy product allergies. With the older kids, we played a fun game of Jeopardy. The school wants me back next year and might even be adding on 2 more classes of each level just to try and have smaller groups. Bring it on!

~I'm (finally) getting my hair cut in a week's time which is much needed as the last time was early January. L'horreur, I know, I know.

~July 15=back to the place where we speak americain and go to Target. I'll be there for about a month or forever. Take your pick.

It's not me, it's you...

2008-06-23T15:25:00.006+02:00

So, despite trying hard to find something with a substantial amount of hours for next year, it looks like if I'm going to stay, it would have to take ye olde student route. On verra. I can keep some of my old jobs...actually, 3 or 4 out of 5, which ain't bad and I'm sure I could find some replacements for the ones I can't keep, but the problem is when a lot of what you're doing is tutoring, you can only work during certain hours and so consequently, you can only take on so many jobs. Kinda annoying. There are a few jobs that I'm still waiting to hear about, but time is a tickin and I really should let the landlord know if I'm leaving...umm, two months ago? In reality, the only sort of job I've been avoiding is teaching English at a language school...otherwise I've applied for formations in English, sent out the CV to all the private schools, applied to be a receptionist/secretary/admin assistant, customer service rep, work at a hotel, etc, etc. Basically any job where you teach English or they consider it very important that you be bilingue. Yes, I know I'm not technically bilingue, but ca passe quoi.*

What else can a girl do? I mean, I'm still cherching in case anything comes along, but it seems I keep on just missing out on things. Maybe someone else would take this as a sign that it's not meant to be, but it just makes me want to keep looking even harder to find something. When I really want something, I tend to really stick to me guns. I know I don't want to live here forever, but I wouldn't mind 1, 2 or 3 more years. I don't feel like I'm done here. So much more to learn, see, do and I haven't had enough time. But, I can't seem to find something that would allow me this opportunity. So, I would like to officially take this time to blame my failure to find a job on France. Even I know this is ridiculosity times 5 bajillion, but it makes me feel better to just think, "hey, France, it's not me, it's you!"

*This reminds me of the fact that in the past couple weeks I've had varying reactions from strangers and friends saying I either speak French really well or that they were astonished I didn't speak better after all the time I've been here. One friend of Roomie#2's even interrupted me while I was speaking to say (in a slightly disgusted manner) "mais, t'as un accent, Lea!"** To which I quickly responded : "c'est normal, je suis americaine" and then continued on with my convo. My English friend got told she had a sale accent by a friend of a friend of hers and asked "if there wasn't anything she could do to soigne it?" Umm, is it a maladie? En plus, my friend has an excellent French accent and I would say speaks more fluidly and with more slang than me. My friend was like "I should've asked her to speak English and hear her sale accent." But, alas, my friend is a NICE PERSON and wouldn't try to belittle someone like that. France, I love ya, but sometimes you're a bit too critical, judgemental and loving of the corriger-ing of others. I have many more examples, but please don't get me started!

**I did not, in fact, misspell my name, I go by Lea in French and it just seemed weird to write Leah which is pronounced Lee-ah in case you've been wondering. PS-Don't call me Lay-ah in English unless you want a poing in your gueule. Kidding...sort of.

Paris Highlights

2008-06-19T13:55:00.005+02:00

So, in case you were wondering, I headed to Paris this past weekend to visit and stay with Sam and to attend the K&K picnic. I got in Fri night and since the artist was working, I had invited myself, I mean, been invited to Kyliemac's very spacious chambre de bonne with Vivi. We chatted about how "cute" children are and who else in Buffy that K-mac could write her next paper on. Sam finally finished around 23h and I met up with her and she showed me her apt with the fabulous view of the tour Eiffel. We watched a bit of Jay Leno(yay!), I squeezed my a$$ into a French-sized sleeping bag(umm, is that like a fun-sized bag of candy?) and we hit the hay.

On Saturday, we rolled out of the appart around 11 and headed into the city to grab a fallafel and by grab I mean wait approximately 5 hours. Then, we headed quickly over to the Catacombs which neither of us had ever seen before. We got there right around when it opened for the afternoon and waited for another 5 hours(ok, that might be a sliiiight exaggeration) and I'm pretty sure a girl I went to high school with walked by. France is the size of my foot. Anyways, we finally made it down to the Catacombs which was really eerie in the beginning as no one was around and I kept thinking, "Where are the bones? Where are the bones? Are they just going to pop out around some corner?" Luckily, there was a warning engraved above the doorway that kinda gave us a clue they were coming up(see Sam's blog.) I gotta say I felt kinda bad for all the peepz that ended up in the Catacombs all piled ontop of each other and some even had their skulls stolen and probably mounted on someone's wall or something. As bad as I felt for them, though, I did not appreciate the bone water that kept dripping on my head. Eww.

We left the Catacombs about an hour later and headed to Aimee's cafe, L'Oisivethe, to meet up with Karina. Aimee is incredibly adorable and so is her cafe, what an awesome dream come true! There was another blogger, Andie, who was there with her kids. She's in the midst of doing her student teaching year for CAPES, so I really feel for her with all the Anti-Americanism and Pro-Frenchness that I'm sure she's going through. We liked the cafe so much apparently that we ended up staying way too late especially since we still had to pick up goodies for the picnic. Sorry, everyone! We didn't really have any good excuse except that Karina had to pick up a liter of maple syrup, haha, and we haaaad to get some wine, bien sur. We finally made it to the tippy top of the Ile de la Cite and stumbled upon all the familiar, yet new faces. Unfortunately, there wasn't really much plant life to hide behind, so I was forced to talk to people minus a certain Frog who was at the other end of the blanket(the intern competition is still going strong!) I did get to talk to The Late Bloomer, however, for a bit who was adorably clad in a cute red number showing her little baby bump and I was happy to meet because she also writes novels on her blog and in comments just like, umm, someone else we know...

We chowed down on St Moret with Ritz crackers, hummus and bread, Rice Pringles, Mint Slice, Tim Tams(!!!), wine and some other stuff(including cough syrup...or that was maybe just me.) That night, we headed out to the Marais to a few bars. Well, we intended to stay at just one, but kyliemac is very very allergic to smoke, so a few of us went inside another bar where it was smoke-free. I finally got to talk to Katia that night and (attempt to) do my imitation of an Australian accent. Yikes. We met a Welsh guy who had just bought an appart with his bf right near to where we were who claimed that all of the famous Welsh people were related to him. I totally believed him...ish. All in all a fun night with some fun people.

Sunday, I was only there until about 15h and plans to hit up Breakfast in America were quickly squashed when people...ahem...slept in a bit. So, a few of us headed to Starbucks to get bagels and coffee drinks for 9 euros. That hurt the purse strings a bit, but it was def worth it. Next time, I'll have to do B.I.A. for sure, but at least I got my Starbucks fix for now. So, voila, that was my "little" summary of my weekend in Paree. Be back soonish, hopefully with news on what the heck I'm doing with my life. Ya know, just minorly stressful stuff. A+

Little Snippet

2008-06-15T19:57:00.002+02:00

I'm back from Paree after spending the weekend staying chez the artist and meeting up with a few lovely Bloggers at the K&K picnic. Since I am lazy, I mean, oh so very busy, I've decided to share a vid of the awesome view from Sam's appart and fill you in on the pique-nique later...ish.

Cookie Cuestions

2008-06-11T12:09:00.002+02:00

This is a message to all you cordon bleus out there. Actually, I lied, it's two questions. I've decided to have a little Chocolate Chip Cookie Workshop with my little kindergarteners for their last class, but I don't have any good recipes I know with me in France and I'd rather use one that I or someone else has tried before rather than just finding one off the internet. So...

1)Do any of you have any good recipes you could recommend?

Also, one of the kids in the second class is allergic to produits laitiers, but her teacher is unsure just how allergic she is and if it's to everthing or moreso milk and yogurt. So, I want to have a good recipe onhand au cas ou that she won't be able to have one with beurre etc. So...

2)Do any of you have any good dairy product-free recipes you could recommend?

Merci in advance!

Photo of the Week

2008-06-09T14:29:00.002+02:00

Umm, did she really think she was doing a good job of hiding?

Will YOU be there?

2008-06-05T15:41:00.006+02:00

What: The KnK picnic extravaganza
Where: Paree
When: Sat, June 14th at 17h
Who: The lovely hosts, this fwabulous grenouille, the AFKASDB, maybe her, me and otherz.
Why: Why not?
How: Train, plane, bike, moto, bus, walk, run, horseback, camel, stilts, unicycle, pogo stick?

Since I'm not bringing my kitty, those of you not on facebook will be able to identify me as the one hiding behind some sort of plant life because meeting all these bloggers is scarrrrry! I'm definitely excited, though, and I hope to see you there!

Sundayness

2008-06-01T20:05:00.003+02:00

YOU CAN ONLY TYPE ONE WORD!

Not as easy as you might think. Change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers.

Umm, I'm not sure what happened to number 8, but thought I'd entertain you with this little quizzie I found, feel free to do it yourself!

1. Where is your cell phone? adjacent

2. Your significant other? somewhere

3. Your hair? biiiiig

4. Your mother? sweet

5. Your father? cool

6. Your favorite thing? love

7. Your dream last night? crazy

9. Your dream/goal? happiness

10. The room you're in? cosy

11. Your hobby? cards

12. Your fear? loneliness

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? settled

14. Where were you last night? here

15. What you're not? employed

16. Muffins? yummmm!

17. One of your wish list items? haircut

18. Where you grew up? CT

19. The last thing you did? eat

20. What are you wearing? clothes?

21. Your TV? Roomie#2's

22. Your pets? cuuuuute

23. Your computer? mort

24. Your life? alright

25. Your mood? tired

26. Missing someone? indeed

27. Your car? what?

28. Something you're not wearing? shoes

29. Favorite store? target

30. Your summer? hot

31. Like someone? always

32. Your favorite color? purple!!!

33. When is the last time you laughed? today

34. Last time you cried? unsure

35. Who will repost this???? Bloggers?

Bye-Bye, Serge

2008-05-28T12:11:00.003+02:00

I am both sad and happy to announce that Serge, my loving pc for the past 4 years will soon be replaced by this lovely lady pictured above. Serge and I have been through a lot together-we've done countless plane/train/bus/car trips together and we've lived in 3 entirely different countries. However, Serge has been ageing not-so gracefully in the last while-he's slowed down a lot and gets annoyed with me when I ask him to do more than one thing at a time. He especially does not like it when I wish to watch something other than his beautiful face. Unfortunately, Serge has had it a bit rough over the years and has come down with several viruses that have made him go a little loco. I can only hope Solange's(yes, I have prenamed her and, yes, it's a she, have you noticed the pink and the flowers?) life will not be so hard. Though I am opting to welcome Solange into my life, that does not mean that Serge won't be a perfectly good compagnon to someone else. I have about 6 weeks left with my cheri and I plan to make the most of it. Here's to you, Serge!

Como se dice quoi?

2008-05-26T17:39:00.004+02:00

Introduction: At Roomie#1's(the girl) new apartment for an apero with Roomie#2(the boy.) The vin is a-flowin', the snacks are being manged and the conversation non-stop.

What: We get into a conversation about my job situmacation(ie that there is very sadly nothing at all new to report) and I explain a bit about a job I really wanted that someone else ended up getting who happened to already have a job lined up plus the right to work in France in a few months and could only do the job for one year's time. It's not at all this person's fault I missed out by 1 place, but the situation totally sucks for me as I'm totally left in the merde. After giving the run down of the D's, I sigh and the next thing that comes out of Roomie#2's mouth is...

"BIATCH!!!"

Conclusion: Oh, France, I love ya, but your choice of the anglais coming into your country baffles me sometimes!

Birthday Blabberings

2008-05-21T10:00:00.009+02:00

Ok, so it was my birthday at the end of April(almost 4 weeks ago at this point), so I thought it was high time I shared with you all the wonderful and iiiiiinteresting presents I got from my wonderful friends.

This vase was from my Friday night apero dinatoire and sorting celebration with the francaises, they know how I love the Maisons du Monde store and got me this funky vase. It's not exactly my style, but it's grown on me. One friend brought me muguet for the 1st of May. It was very sweet.

This is also from the French girls. It's purple so deja they couldn't get it too wrong, plus with the swirls and beads, I really like it! Though, as my sis pointed out, it does appear to be missing a dangly bead string from the lower swirl. Oh well.

These beautiful, purple wine glasses are from my American friends plus French guy friends from my Saturday apero, resto&sortie celebration that I shared with a friend who has the same birthday. I saw these when I was travelling in Rouen at the Habitat there and fell in love. A few weeks later, I was shopping with my English friend, J, and pointed them out to her saying that to treat myself, I would maybe buy like 2 of them since they were pretty cher. She took note of this and had the wonderful idea to buy them for me for my birthday with my other friends!

This pile o' presents is from my rents and sis (although my sis had already technically given me my present that I discovered by accident at Christmas, so I think it was more my rents.) Anyhoo, I got a cute magnet for the fridge, mac&cheese(!!!), my hair stuff that doesn't exist here, funny Shrek figurines(I think this one was a joke), Reese's PB cups, something else I can't remember and a season of Will&Grace. I was very happy and it was exciting to have all those things to unwrap on my actual birthday(Sunday) when I didn't have anything planned.

And, last but certainly not least, is the present I received from Roomie#2 who picked this out all by himself and clearly did not follow the advice of Roomie#1 when she told him to get me something deco like candles, a plant or perhaps something to hang on the wall.

Wait for it....

Oh, it's worth it...

A little bit longer...

And, voila...

My cher coloc got me a handheld Electric Mixer. Do I make soups? Umm, not really. Purees? Not so much. Did he pull this gift out of his a$$? Me thinks yes. But, if I do end up staying(have you noticed how so many of these gifts assume that?), I'm sure it will come in handy one day. I could use it to make mashed potatoes, smoothies and other stuff(??) To add to the randomness of this gift, the thing is not in fact white, but a very 70s looking orange and yellow. Gotta love it. At least I opened this on my bday morning before he was awake so he didn't get to see my reaction face!

It's about time part 3 (Bordeaux)

2008-05-18T19:40:00.007+02:00

Ok so, Monday afternoon, I got into Bordeaux safe and sound after a long train ride during which I slept...a lot. After a quick panic attack that my friend had missed her train, we met up with each other again in the slightly confusing gare. Our CouchSurfing host, Manue, wasn't going to be done with work until 18h30, so we met up with a friend of my friend's that showed us around the city a bit and we eventually mosied on down to a cafe to prendre a verre in the warm sun. Not too long after, it started raining (again!), so we huddled up under a table with an umbrella. Despite the weather, we had a mission-find me some shoes. I had tried all the usual chain stores I knew in Avignon, but we tried them again here and eventually found me some ones for a decent price that I liked at some place I had never heard of. It was no easy feat(hehe) as many stores had gotten rid of shoes and put sandals in their place, so I was lucky to finally find myself a pair.

It got to be time to meet with our host, so we headed up the same street of the shoe store(she lived right downtown on the main road of the city which was super convenient) and found her place. She didn't see us and keep walking like we joked before we met her, but instead showed up directly from work a bit late and welcomed us in. We got settled and soon after went with her and one of her roomies to the grocery store to get stuff for a typical Bordelais meal. She had invited her other roomie and a few friends and we chowed down on potatoes and some sort of canard and finished up with a light fruit salad and yummy pastries. The canard didn't make me gerbe, so I guess it was alright. That night, we went to a fun Karaoke-except-with-good-singers-kinda-bar called the The Frog&Le Rosbif(I think) that apparently exists in Paris and Toulouse as well. They brew their own beer which was tasty and the people sang in English(score!), so it was a nice thing to do for a change.

The next day, we toured the city as much as we could since I was leaving Wednesday morning and wouldn't have time nor desire to really see much more. We saw the church above that had it's Bell Tower separate from the church because they were afraid it would tip over, the Monument aux Girondins with a really cool fountain, the Gros Horloge, Place de la Bourse and
other things whose names I don't know(at least I'm honest, right?) On our way, we grabbed some bread, cheese, strawberries and a cake canele(Bordeaux specialty) because we had a date at the Tourist Office for a late afternoon wine tour, baby! We made it to the T.O, shoved our faces and then we were off on the tour bus to Chateau Reignac and Chateau de la Fitte. The wine tour was a tad more cher than I would have liked to pay, but I think with tasting 5 wines, seeing two vineyards plus a mini tour of Bordeaux on the bus, it was worth it. It was a cool experience that I wouldn't mind doing again...maybe a day tour? Although I was a bit pompette by the end, so maybe not, then again we did fill up our verres when the tour guide wasn't looking...hmm. There was a girl who ended up bright red and on the floor who they were calling "sick", but my friend and I decided the girl probably was not a big drinker and promptly got wasted. We felt bad for her being on the floor in front of the whole group and having to go in the ambulance. That sucks.

The bus dropped us off around 18h and we waited for Manue to meet up with us at the Grand Theatre because we were getting cheap last minute tickets to see Gisele. Manue had been before and gotten these cheap tickets and ended up in the first few rows. Well, that was definitely not the case this time. We ended up literally in the very last row and couldn't see anything because the very beautiful and intricate theater was in some sort of enclave that made it impossible to see down to the stage 5,000 feet below. Being tricky as we are, we found a little light room that had no one in it and we parked ourselves there for the rest of the show and watched the lovely, ant-sized figures flitter and leap around the stage. I'm definitely glad I had seen that ballet before or else I could have been a bit disappointed. I think everybody liked it though, in the end. We parted ways from the others and headed back soon after because I had to be up early to make it back to Rennes. But before I went to bed, we had been crafty and gone to the grocery store before the ballet in order to get supplies to make our host(s) a "typical" American meal. So, we took the congealed cheese(not really) and pasta out of our bags and made them some baked Mac&Cheese. Good stuff. I think(hope) they liked it anyways. And, that was that and now here I am, so voila my April vacances in the sud!

It's about time part 2 (Avignon&Nimes)

2008-05-18T18:55:00.006+02:00

So, where were we? Just kidding, I got it, I got it! So, Friday late afternoon I got into Avignon gare where the lovely Nicole met up with me. She took me under her wing and got me maps of the city and already had ideas of where I should go. However, we didn't tour the city just yet since it was starting to rain and it looked like it would stay like that for a good bit. Instead, we invited a few of her friends over for quasi-galettes and crepes. Those crazy southeners tried to call them crepes salees which I had absolutely none of and bored them to tears explaining that it was because of the buckwheat flour and you must never call galettes as crepes salees to a breton, homie don't play that game. Anyway, I call them quasi-galettes because I made the mistake of buying a mix instead of the premade ones because I was worried they would be too old by the time I got them to Avignon and they stuck to the pan like nobody's business. With a bit of teamwork, however, we managed to eventually make a few of them...well, enough anyways to tide us over until the desserts of crepes and tiramisu. Later, we went out to a bar where I met even more of her friends(she's got a lot!) and we headed back at a reasonable hour and I hit the hay so I could be ready for my trip to Nimes the next day!

I took the train to Nimes around noon the next day and headed straight for the Arenes. I took a tour which included those headphones that you can listen to about all the history and the Zzzzz. Yeah, the segments were a bit loooooong, so needless to say, I cut some of them short and just checked out the views from the top and tried to imagine what it was like back in the day. After I finished that up, I just blindly walked around town stumbling upon things I remembered reading about in my Let's Go. I ended my tour in a lovely park which had a wedding precession which was nice and all, but homegirl needs a travelling partner or else she gets bored fast. So, I decided my original plan to say 6 hours needed to be cut almost in half and that I would rentre a bit early to do some fopping with an sh with Nicole and friends. I ended up (f)shopping by myself and not finding any shoes(the only thing I needed), but instead, some new shades and a cute tank. Fopping with an sh is dangerous. That night, it was one of Nicole's friend's b-day, so Nicole and I had a little quick din and wine and then met her and her friends at a creperie. We then went to a bar de nuit and I danced my face off until my face got way too hot. Fun times.

Sunday was spent touring Avignon with Nicole who had so generously decided to give me the official tour. We saw the pont d'avignon where I danced(of course), le palais des papes and a bunch of other stuff that I forget the name of. What, who me, spacey much? It started to rain (again, notice a theme here?), so we took a chocolat chaud and decided that we had had enough of walking around the city. We then went to her friends' place for a Mexican meal and some inappropriate(in a good way) conversation. All in all, good times. I headed to bed in my third bed of the three nights(long story and Nicole has a big apt) and dreamt of red wine because I was off tres early the next morning to Bordeaux...

It's about time part 1 (Marseille)

2008-05-18T18:09:00.010+02:00

So, I got to Marseille on Wednesday afternoon after a last minute change of train tickets that originally had me getting in late, late Tuesday night. I met up with my CouchSurfing host, Aleksandra(Ola), who took me around a bit in the Quartier Belsunce area where she lived to check out the markets and the (hilly) streets. I was off on my own to explore for a few hours, so I headed down to the Old Port where tons of gross guys tried to drague me. I headed back up the main road(Canebiere) and picked up some wine and M&Ms at the smallest Super U known to man(I'm making that up) and went back to Ola's apt to help start din. We had some couscous with chicken and veg in a cream sauce that was quite good, but we had to shove it down our faces because we had an apero that had started, oh, about 2 years ago from the time we had started eating. Btw, Ola had two friends staying there who were also Polish(did I forget to mention she was Polish? Oops!), so I ended up speaking loads and loads of English and also impressing them by knowing only swear words in Polish and nothing else. I'm a classy gal. The Apero was at a Ukranian girl and a Algerian/Serbo Croatian girls' apt. It was a very international apero, in the end, with me and a bunch of people from Eastern Europe.

Moving along...my friend got in on Thurs aft and after her attacking her probs with SFR ending her phone contract too early plus waiting 5, 000 hrs for the eternally late Polish couple, we headed off to explore the Old Quartier of the city(Panier-the first pic is there) The couple took about a picture every minute, so we eventually said do widzenia(since I only knew swear words, I thought it would be a good idea if I learned how to say goodbye, so I could at least be polite after I cursed someone out) to them and went our own way. We did a ton of wandering around and had planned on taking the little tourist train because we are ever so cool, but it started raining. So, instead we took shelter in a cafe that gave us what were clearly leftover Easter eggs. But, hey, chocolate is chocolate afterall, you won't see me complaining! We had an apero dinatoire that night and then headed off to bed.

Friday was our last day and we didn't have to leave until later afternoon, so we finally managed to take that bebe train up to Notre Dame de la Garde which overlooks the city(you can see it in the 2nd pic and it's where I took those other pics from.) We also ran and caught the bus to the beach which was not all that impressive and included a randomly placed statue of some sort of David that stood in the middle of an intersection. Strange. We said adieu to Marseille after searching for some pastry that we saw advertised but only exists at Easter...oh, that and soupe au pistou which just doesn't exist at all apparently. Then, I made my way to Avignon...

Lazin round

2008-05-11T21:17:00.005+02:00

I wrote this yesterday, but my comp was being weird and I couldn't get the pics to upload until today...

Que dire, que dire? Well, I've been on vaca since Wed evening and won't reprendre until Tues evening. It's been really nice weather recently which has been perfection(omg, almost wrote the the p-word!...shudder, shudder...prefect...), thanks Bretagne! So, here's a little rundown of my weekend for my, I mean, your enjoyment!

Friday: Din at former Roomie#1's new appart. She reminded us all of how much nicer her apt is than the old one and proclaimed approximately 5,000 times how great everything from the balcon to the power outlet was. Ok, I might be exaggerating, but still. Then, sorting a bit en ville for a drink and a dance.

Saturday: Din at my apt with A and everyone's favorite artist-formerly-known-as-Sam de Bretagne. Apero bits (including Ritz Crackers!!!), Provencale Quiche, rose and quite a refreshing (if I do say so myself) fruit salad. I whined, I mean, explained to them how I'm still jobless and hopeless and they told me to shut it, I mean, wished me good luck. Had fun, girls!

Sunday: 5 hour picnic/eat your face off-athon at the park I just discovered right nearby my apt with J. Our cuisine included and was not limited to: cherry tomatoes, pineapple and cheese on toothpicks, tzatziki, crisps, bread, 2 cheeses, pesto pasta, quiche, pizza, fruit salad, chantilly. We luckily had not had b-fast before and took a few pauses and didn't finish everything...but it was all super bon.

Now, I'm off to finish listening to these guys and see if I can't convince them to hire me as an intern. Huh, what you think, ladies?

Jobless and hopeless

2008-05-06T20:49:00.004+02:00

So, I guess wanting something so bad enough to will it to happen isn't a reality. Does that mean that buying kitchen utensils won't automatically get you a job? Yep, guess not. I musta been confuzzled. I haven't posted much because a)I'm lazy b)I don't have too much to say 3)I've been trying to focus on my job search here in Rennes/France. Yes, I realize that I just wrote a, b and 3-that's how I roule. I do want to write about my vacances or at the very least upload some pics and write sarcastic comments-you guess which will most likely occur. But, for now, I'm a little held up on the fact that I had two entretiens for a poste of lectrice(how's that for franglais, Victoria?) in the past few weeks one of which I mentioned on here and said how I didn't get it. Well, the second one I had yesterday and I got an email this morning saying that they had the regret to informer me that I didn't get it and that I got the 3rd place, so if person#1 and person#2 decline, the poste is as good as mine. Skip-ih-dee-doo-dah! Who would eeeever decline that? A lecteur position is like crack for non-EU citizens. Crack, I tell you!

This means I have about a month to magically find a job in France. A job that will either sponsor my visa or a job that would fit the FACC requirements. Plus, I'm trying to stay in Rennes. Oh, I should find that job in about...a quarter to never. I am looking in other towns in Bretagne and I wouldn't rule out Paris. Anybody know of anything? I really don't want to become a student again just for the visa and then work 5 bajillion jobs like this year for a meager salary, it just isn't moving forward and that's what I need to do at this point. I have 26 ans...I'm no spring chicken of 20 like I was when I came to this country for the first time. I can't keep on doing this, my desire to stay and live here is not so overwhelming that I'd be willing to be completely stagnant. And that is what I would be if I were to be a student again...stagnant. So, for now I'm crossing my doigts so tightly that I will probably eventually form a misshapen claw. At least then I would have something different than other candidates if I go for more interviews...a misshapen claw. Yes, that must be the ticket to France. Well, I think me and my ten-fingered-for-now self shall goeth now...eth. But, I just wanted to spread the wealth...misery loves company, right? Don't forget, any job offers you hear about, I'll be there with bells on!

Long time comin'

2008-05-05T17:24:00.006+02:00

I know you must have been waiting with baited breath for an update on my vacances and to see me new room. Well, the vacances post is on its way one of these days (ahem), but today I offer you a vid showcasing my new chambre and the appart version rangee 2008. It's ridiculous amounts of long, so just sit back and enjoy the show. Quoi? Ok, I'm going to stop rambling on because I did enough of that in the video and I will just wish you happy viewing!

Missing you

2008-05-01T11:18:00.006+02:00

What I know

I’m missing your laugh because it stretched over thousands of miles and

I’m missing your hugs because they made us all feel so safe and loved and

I’m missing your smile because it could brighten any dull moment.

I’m sorry you lost an almost lifelong battle with a cruel disease and

I’m sorry you couldn’t reach out for help when you needed it and

I’m sorry you didn’t take better care of yourself when you should have.

I’m sad for your children because they still have so much life to live without you in it and it’s not fair or right and

I’m sad for my parents and aunt because now so many future memories with them will be left unfulfilled and

I’m sad for my sister and I because without you here, the laughter in our hearts is now quieter.

I’m mad because I hadn’t seen you in over 2 months when I learned you were gone and

I’m mad because there’s nothing I can ever do to change that and

I’m mad because you left us too soon.

I know everything happens for a reason and this time I can’t figure out why, but

I know I never will and must learn to accept that anyways, but

I know I love and miss you and I will always.

Aunt Sue

4/21/52~5/1/07

Update city

2008-04-13T17:05:00.006+02:00

What have I been up to this past week? Umm, pas grand-chose really. I always feel like I want to update only when I have big news or manage to squeeze something slightly humorous out of my you-know-where. But, I guess I could go ahead and fill you in anyways even if it means you might fall asleep whilst reading. Tant pis! Well, first this week has been a whole messa stuff all over the appart because Roomie#1 is leaving next weekend. There have been boxes, bags and bordel, basically. The majority of the stuff in the apartment is hers, including the frigo, machine a laver, the kitchen table, the dining room table and 4 chairs. Oh, did I also forget to mention all the pots&pans, silverware, utensils, tupperware and the broom, mop and vacuum? Yep, all that too. I luckily managed to snag a free couch and 4 free chairs to replace what she'll be taking with her, but the other stuff, ben ca va etre chaud. Basically, Roomie#2 is gonna buy a fridge that he'll take with him when he eventually moves out and for the other stuff we were hoping to find a new roomie(no news there either, le casting nouveau coloc is on hold until I get back) who has meubles and stuff for the kitchen. If not, I guess it'll mean a few trips to the Trocante to buy some new old stuff and Carrefour to get some cheap kitchen stuff. It's kind of nice I'm leaving this Tuesday for vaca so I don't have to stress over this stuff and R#2 can demmerde considering I've already bought a good bit of (cheap) stuff to cover our a$$es in the kitchen as well as managed to snag the free couch and chairs.

Like I mentioned, I'm leaving next Tuesday evening and heading to Marseille, Avignon, Nimes and Bordeaux and I'll be back in Rennes on Wednesday aka don't be surprised if I don't post again for a while. I'm super excited to get away as this will be my first real vaca since last April. Plus, all the places I'm going I've never been before and I'll be having a blast with all the fun people I'm getting to hang with. It will also take my mind away from the fact that I, unfortunately, didn't get the job that I interviewed for this past Thursday. There were a ton of candidates and I think they probably chose someone with more experience than I had, possibly someone a bit older as well. I should find out next week what position in the list I am, but I almost don't want to be second because that'd be one of those "close but no cigar" kinda things. We have strange expressions in English, don't we? Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy my little photo sesh with Sienna dearest and the vid of her caught red-pawed. She's too cute sometimes. Enjoy!

Snuggles

Regal and kind of b**chy all at once

Sweet little pum'kin

Vrai ou faux?

2008-04-05T01:57:00.005+02:00

True or False questions :

1) The photos in the last post are from: Avignon, Marseille, Nimes and Bordeaux.

2) Last week I fell in love with a cute, lime green, light jacket that was matched with a white shirt with pretty delicate flowers on it. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a man's coat.

3) CCL(aka Crazy Cat Lady) came by last night at 10:30 PM to ask me to translate 2 words, one of which she already knew.

4) When helping a 6 year old student color in his bonhomme's outfit, I got told that putting red and orange together was, in fact, du n'importe quoi. Exsqueeze me? Baking Powder? Are you 6 or 16?

5) NKOTB(or New Kids on the Block for those of us in the know) is planning a reunion tour and have even recorded new music together. I think they're approximately 100 years old now, but hey, maybe they've still got it! I met Jordan Knight...when I was in college aka wayyyy after they were popular and even still a few years after he had released a single as a solo artist.

The photo quiz was kind of a bust, I think I made it too hard. But, you guys should definitely be able to figure this one out. I am sadly quite predictable. So, go for it!

On my way

2008-04-03T22:51:00.007+02:00

Finally some good news, people! Firstly, I have at least 1 interview coming up and potentially a second. Which is at least better than no interview at all. Are my logic skills blowing your mind or what? So, that's bon. Then, my other exciting piece of information is that I now have plans for April vacances!!! FINALLY!!! I haven't travelled this year very much at all and I think it has left a big ol' negative impact on my psyche. I needs me some travellin or else I really start to get a major case of hot feet. Well, thanks to my good friend, L, who's here in Rennes with me and needed a travelling buddy and my favorite Avignon blogger, I'm set as a jet. For your viewing pleasure, here are some photos other people have taken so you can see where I'm heading. Five points to whoever can tell me which cities!

A little Vaklempt

2008-03-30T14:36:00.002+02:00

You're probably wondering why I was a bit bothered(understatement of the century) in my last post. Well, it sort of was an accumulation of little things that finally just pushed me over the edge into feeling hurt and upset. I won't get into all of them here because, like I said, I feel a bit limited in what I can say plus it's not really my thing to talk about people on here(umm, by people I meant English-speaking people only of course...haha.) Surprisingly and I say this because I don't think it came across that way, the blogging part of it was a very minor factor, but it still added to the enormous pile that are my current annoyances.

One thing is the eternal question mark about what I'm doing next year and where I'll be, that at this point, has come to a standstill and all I can do is wait. I'm crossing my fingers to hear soon, but hearing soon just means being called in for an interview, the position is not necessarily going to be mine. I should hear within the next two weeks and obviously once I have some answers, I will fill you all in on what I'm even talking about. But, I don't want to jinx it by talking about it here especially when I could potentially not even get an interview in the first place. On verra.

Then, Roomie#1 has decided since she's moving out in 20 days: 6 hours: 30 minutes: 15 seconds(ok, so that's just an approximation, can you tell I can't wait?), she doesn't really give an F about keeping the apt orderly, being disrespectful by bringing her FB over, not doing housework, smoking in the salon and just many other unpleasantries. It's driving me up the wall, but since she's leaving soon, I don't want to be picking a fight with her all the time because I want things to end on a good note. So for now, I'll just continue to range every morning when I get up, throw her stuff in her room, leave the window wide open to air out the salon, etc so I can still get my message across albeit passive-aggressively.

The last big thing was finding out that it's 99.9% sure my best friend from home won't be coming. It looks like a big opportunity has come up at work that would last for 4 months and just happens to start the week she was going to come over. So, it looks like I've gotta plan out an alternative vacation or else I'll be bored for 10 days straight. Any ideas? I'm thinking of tagging along with a friend to Marseille and Bordeaux, but I'll need to find 1 or 2 cities in between the two because she's going to Toulouse to visit her host bro and I don't want to impose myself. So, I'm thinking of Avignon, Nimes or Montpellier, but I'll let you know once I buy the tickets for the other places and then I'll have to get recommendations from all of you southerners!

Et voila, now you know what's been getting my goat!

Blurred

2008-03-28T00:08:00.003+01:00

Walking home during what feels like one of the longest and shortest walks of my life, the lights look like they're bouncing up and down and side-to-side with every step I take as I look at them through damp eyes. No one else exists or matters, but me and my swirling thoughts. I feel alone. I feel hurt. I miss my family. I miss my real friends. I miss a real life. I think back to the mean kids in elementary school and what I had to endure for no good reason. I bury my hands in my pockets and the scars still burn. These scars are not physical, but mental. Time does heal, but you never forget. I wonder what I did and when my time will be. I want to be appreciated for who I am and what I do. I don't deserve this. I don't. I don't. I DON'T! I've kept so much inside and I've been the bigger person. Being the bigger person doesn't always make you feel better. I want to scream and kick down the walls and say what I mean and mean what I say. But, I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. Because I'm a coward and because I care what they think. Who cares what they think anyways? I wish I didn't. I want to stop. But, I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't.

Sidenote: This all being said, I just have to comment that my blog first started out as a place to update friends and tell a few anecdotes. Over time, as friends in real life did not seem to be reading, I felt the freedom to delve more into personal feelings that I would not necessarily share with all of my real-life friends. I have some people I know that read this blog and, unfortunately, I don't have much of a choice in that. That being said, I want to let those people know that if they wish to read my blog, fine. I have no control over that unless I were to make this private. Just as I stumbled across many interesting blogs before I decided to commit and write my own, I do not want to prevent others from having this same opportunity with my own blog. Therefore, I would greatly appreciate those of you that I know to keep MY thoughts to yourself. They are not to be shared with others in "real life" nor do I wish to talk about them with you. That's why I keep them here. In the end, it's my life and I write this all for me. Yes, I appreciate feedback and nice comments, but I write to vent, to get things out of my system. But, once they're out, it's over unless I say differently. Please keep this in mind and refrain from treating my life as you would a short story you read in the newspaper. Thank you.

Made me smile

2008-03-26T14:07:00.003+01:00

Reason 5 bajillion 143 mazillion 579 plajillion why my mom is the bestest. I've been kinda bored recently as nothing much new seems to be going on and I, comme d'hab, have no idea what I'm doing next year or where I'll be doing whatever I'll be doing, for that matter. So, getting this package today on a rainy Rennes Wednesday really brightened my day. M&Ms, Peeps, a Marshmallow bunny, Cadbury Creme Eggs and drumroll please.....REESE'S EGGS! She knows so well my love for the Reese's Egg...the peanut butter to chocolate ratio is out of control and none of those crazy ridged edges to deal with. They're my favorites! She also included a note in the card that I am to give one Cadbury Egg to Roomie#1 and one to R#2 which is absolutely fine with me because I find them kinda tooooooo overwhelmingly sugary(even the little ones.) And she didn't include jelly beans which she used to give me in my Easter basket for the longest time, but I didn't like them so I'd just give them to my sister who loves them. I finally came out with the truth a few years ago(I also filled her in on the Conversation Hearts at Valentine's Day.) Although those I would always eat and still do eventhough I don't like them because I feel they are an integral part of Valentine's and I must make myself eat them. Strange, I know.

Yay for Easter baskets, yay for Nouvelle Star tonight and yay for hopefully finding a new roomie soon! PS-I will def fill you in soon on our casting of Nouveau Coloc 2008 and such candidats as Coloc d'amour, Baba cool, l'ours and Justin Timberlake. Just need to get myself motivated to write. In the meantime, I'll just let you drool over my Easter goodies. Ciao!

Happy Paques/ Joyeuses Easter!

2008-03-23T12:25:00.001+01:00

Here's wishing you a Happy Easter & Joyeuses Paques! I hope the Easter Bunny/bell from Rome came and brought you tons of lovely treats!

Me from A to Z

2008-03-21T09:34:00.006+01:00

It's a cold, gray and rainy day and so I thought what better rainy day activity than a little quiz action for all of my wonderful readers. I pique'd this little quizzy from Kari's blog. Enjoy and feel free to fill it out on your blog as well!

A-Available?: Better believe it. Single and ready to mingle, baby!

B-Best friend: A, who I've been friends with since we were little wee ones in elementary school and who is allegedly coming to visit at the end of April. I say allegedly because I love her, but the girl's scatter-brained. Besides her I have a lot of really good friends from college and study abroad: K, T and S more specifically. Being so far away from them all is hard!

C-Cake or Pie: Well, this is a toughie. See, I don't like when cake is too, umm, cakey...I like it to be mixed with jam, fruit, frosting, etc. I find chocolate cake way too overwhelming unless you have just a little sliver. Can it be ice cream cake? Yum, that stuff is mmm mmm good. Pie I like fresh and I don't like when the fruit is too compotey...all congealed and gucky...think how apple pie or blueberry pie get. I like the fruits rouge kinds of pie or obv any kind of chocolate, coconut thingy as well. Umm, I've talked way too long about cake and pie...so I vote ice cream?

D-Drink of choice: Yes please.

E-Essential thing used everyday: My brain? No wait, it says EVERY day, hold the phone for a sec there. I dunno...my patience? I am in France afterall.

F-Favorite color: Purple, hands down.

G-Gummi bears or worms: I guess I'd say the bears because you can gobble them up in one bite whereas the worms are all chewy and might take you two or three. I don't like to have to work to eat my food. Haha.

H-Hometown: A town in Connecticut/a town in Nova Scotia. I'm AmeriCanadian and don't you forget it!

I-Indulgence: Chocolate.

J-January or February: January- the start of a new year.

K-Kids and names: Umm, none that I know of so far. Does Sienna count? As for names, I have a list(of course) and many start with J, K and L for whatever reason. I think it'd be cool to have a French name that could translate into American English. I want something unique for my future ankle-biters.

L-Life is incomplete without: Love.

M-Marriage date: September 24, 3008?

N-Number of siblings: My sis, K, who is 7 years older than yours truly.

O-Oranges or apples: Oranges unless you're taking about apples freshly picked from a New England orchard which you can make cider and applesauce with.

P-Phobias: Spiders, sharks, any doctor, huge open spaces I could fall into or maybe even just grates, the Prefecture.

Q-Quote: "Ou que tu ailles, vas-y avec to coeur."

R-Reason to smile: Haven't found it yet.

S-Season: Fall and winter. Fall and winter are beautiful in New England. Spring's alright...just not summer(this is all determined by how I hate being hot.)

T-Tag three people: Umm, your mom, your dog and your Chia-pet?

U-Unknown fact about me: I can't really read music, but I played the violin and flute for 5 years.

V-Vegetable you do not like: MUSHROOMS=dirt of the earth.

W-Worst habit: Cleaning up after people and putting their things away maybe? But, that's just for my roomates, really. Asking a bajillion questions? Could that be it? Possibly?

X-rays you have had: Chest twice for the visite medicale and 2 at the ER of my noggin when I was really sick last April.

Y-Your favourite food: Am I in France or the US? I dunno...fajitas, cottage cheese, cheddar, Mac&cheese, popcorn, cereal and instant oatmeal?

Z-Zodiac: Taureau.

Luck of the Irish

2008-03-17T20:31:00.005+01:00

Here's wishing all you fellow anglos/anglophiles a Happy St. Paddy's day!

Just for fun I've included a lil multiple choice one-question quiz for y'all to enjoy:

1. Which of the following things occurred today?

a) I translated a gospel song into French for crazy cat lady after CCL randomly sonned at my porte ce soir.

b) I learned that while the French have a word for people who are cold all the time(frileux), the equivalent for people that are hot all the time(me) does not exist. Surprise of the century(insert sarcasm.)

c) I just up and decided to get over my ex-copain after way too long a time spent wasted thinking about what could have been or what maybe could be.

d) All of the above

Sneak preview!

2008-03-15T12:01:00.003+01:00

So, here's a lil sneak peek of my new room(as of April 20th!!!) that I decided to share with you all. Please note that I do not think myself a cinematographic genius by any means. I do realize I turned the camera vertical even AFTER I had just mocked myself for having done that same thing in a previous video. What can I say? I'm a little bit conne. Oh well. Enjoy, peepz!

Friends en francais!

2008-03-12T23:46:00.001+01:00

I found this a while back when I looked for the funny vid of Phoebe teaching Joey how to speak French. I just find it interesting how much French has been integrated into everyday English. I was talking about this one night last week over dinner with 2 other anglos and 1 franco and we were just rattling off a list of words/expressions like nobody's business. Chauffeur, bouquet, voila, c'est la vie, tete-a-tete, laisser faire, blase, derriere, hors d'oeuvre, a la mode, chic, BCBG, maitre'd, genre, clique...those are some I can think of off the top of my head. It's pretty amazing, really.

I wizzay therefore it is, kinda th'n yo

2008-03-11T12:55:00.008+01:00

Since I've bizzy in Rennes fo` pizzay troisof mah time liv'n in France, I've done a pretty good job of keep'n clockin' cheap n deny'n me tha urge ta spend on th'n I didn't reeeeeally need(I even denied me a purple scarf on soldesfo` 1 euro!) I'd been dying ta buy new tops, a battery playa a second pillow, a motherf***a a new coat n a Brita filta fo` ages like a tru playa'. But, I just tried ta forget `bout those th'n n would tizzy me "you don't neeeeeed them, Leah, it's jizzle one more thing ta have ta bring B-to-tha-izzack or leave hizzle n lose tha money lata on." Well, I have not only managed ta buy every single one of those th'n in tha last 3 weeks, but have also started ta pizzick out furniture ta buy fo` mah new bedroom . Im a bad boy wit a lotta hos. Have I won tha lotto, scored a new job, have any indication I'm stay'n hizzy fo` a while homedawg you drug deala? Well, tha answa is I really wish, I snoopa really wiznish n I hypa mizzy snoopa really wish fo' sheezy! Hizzy I gone nuts is tha more appropriate question n probably would be tha correct answa.

I have somehow developed this crazy idea thizzat if I will sippin' in France enough, it'll jizzle happen. I mean, I am of course pound'n tha pavemizzles maybe not so miznuch messin' as lightly ballin' ta look fo` a job. It's just tizzle I really have no indication tizzle I'm stay'n nor do I feel all that hopeful `bout ballin' a job(it is me n mah luck, afterall!), but I jizzy wizzle it ta be so much tizzy I have turned it into some S-to-tha-izzort of false reality. I wizzay therefore it is, kinda th'n yo. It hasn't bizzle pimpin' ta stay nor has it been know'n I'll stay eitha. I'm try'n ta figure out whiznen it all started n where it came frizzay . Bounce wit me. Maybe playa being S-to-tha-izzick fo` so long n so often, I fizzy I needed ta treat me n tizzy it jizzay turned into a volcanic eruption of mass ridin'? Not sure but real homies don't give a f****. Was it afta read'n Eat, Pray, Love n start'n ta believe in tha possibility of life n love again? Again, couldn't tizzay you and cant no hood f*** with death rizzow. All I know is I believe . Drop it like its hot.

PS-Check out gizoogle.com!...yo

Dreamin big

2008-03-09T18:29:00.005+01:00

Since I've been in Rennes for part trois of my time living in France, I've done a pretty good job of keeping things cheap and denying myself the urge to spend on things I didn't reeeeeally need(I even denied myself a purple scarf on soldes for 1 euro!) I'd been dying to buy new tops, a battery charger, a second pillow, a comforter, a new coat and a Brita filter for ages. But, I just tried to forget about those things and would tell myself "you don't neeeeeed them, Leah, it's just one more thing to have to bring back or leave here and lose the money later on." Well, I have not only managed to buy every single one of those things in the last 3 weeks, but have also started to pick out furniture to buy for my new bedroom. Have I won the lotto, scored a new job, have any indication I'm staying here for a while longer, you wonder? Well, the answer is I really wish, I super really wish and I hyper mega super really wish! Have I gone nuts is the more appropriate question and probably would be the correct answer.

I have somehow developed this crazy idea that if I will staying in France enough, it'll just happen. I mean, I am of course pounding the pavement(ok, maybe not so much pounding as lightly treading) to look for a job. It's just that I really have no indication that I'm staying nor do I feel all that hopeful about getting a job(it is me and my luck, afterall!), but I just want it to be so much that I have turned it into some sort of false reality. I wish therefore it is, kinda thing. It hasn't been hoping to stay nor has it been knowing I'll stay either. I'm trying to figure out when it all started and where it came from. Maybe after being sick for so long and so often, I felt I needed to treat myself and then it just turned into a volcanic eruption of mass spending? Not sure. Was it after reading Eat, Pray, Love and starting to believe in the possibility of life and love again? Again, couldn't tell you. All I know is I believe.

The calm after the storm

2008-03-04T16:19:00.007+01:00

I don't think I've ever mentioned before that Roomie#1 was planning on moving out this summer. This is the same girl who was 100% moving back to Portsmouth, England this past September where she spent a year and a half a few years back. This is also the same girl who after the England plan went to crap, decided she would be buying her own apartment somewhere in Rennes. Over time, she became the girl who was occasionally looking at apartments she could never afford that were available several months before she would move out. About a month back, she mentioned that her new plan was to find an apt to rent on her own. When she told me that, I sort of half-listened knowing that this new plan, just like the others before, would soon change. However, folks, it looks like she has seen a place she really likes and will possibly be moving out as soon as the end of March or April. Nothing is set in stone, but I think it's safe to say with her recently acting as though she were living by herself and my recent rebellion, she is ready to have a place of her own...and, more importantly, so am I.

While I do think this will be a sad change as I look back on all the soirees, stories and sad Sundays spent together, I think it will also be the thing that can save two friends from slowly growing apart. It's difficult to live with friends, though I do know despite that, I still will always prefer to be friends with my roomates rather than simply people who share the same living space. It's a fine line, though, if you hang out too much together, you really start to get on each other's nerves. But, it's hard to create distance on purpose when you share many of the same friends and also don't want to hurt the other person's feelings by not inviting them. I know I will see her less just by living in two separate apartments which is normal, but I hope we will still be able to be as good of friends as we were before.

Like I said, it's not set in stone which is why I was really hesitant to blog about it. But, she and her FB and her mess all over the apartment have been driving me crazy and if this were to continue, it would mean major problems and I just don't want that to happen. So, I am a bit sad about it, but I also think it's for the best. Plus, this means I get her room which is bigger, sunnier, has a built-in placard and no eyesore of a sink! If this does happen, btw, expect a video tour. Yeeee-uh! You didn't really think I could stay serious for an entire post, didya?

PS-I will also keep you updated on le casting of nouveau coloc 2008 which I'm sure, after having gone through that for MONTHS last year, will provide for quite the entertainment!

Paris&Rouen happenings

2008-02-27T11:24:00.006+01:00

Basically Rouen, for me, can be defined as the opposite of this McDonald's...I'll get to that in a bit, though. First, I'd like to share how I spent my weekend of mini-vacances. I headed off to Paris on Thursday afternoon and I randomly was on the same train as my friend heading to Stockholm and we both had no idea! So, instead of spending a boring two hours all by my lonesome, I hung out with her in the bar voiture of the train. Remind me not to do that again unless I randomly decide feeling nauseous and having nowhere to sit equals good times. So, after I tossed my cookies, I quickly met up with our other friend going to Sweden who was already in Paris. Just a quick chat and then they were off to cherche a Starbucks and I was off to metro it to meet up with my friend at La Defense where she works. She ended up working til about 19h30, so I faire'd un tour around the big centre commercial and waited for her. We mange'd at a miammy thai resto vite fait(poulet curry vert!!...basically chicken in the form of fire) and then headed to her apt which is in a nice quartier outside the city. Let me tell you, her apt was awesome, I'm totally jealous...in an old building, but totally modernized inside with wood floors, a built in dressing in her room and a totally redone kitchen with pretty, colorful tiles on the walls. A reasonable price considering it's location and awesomeness(900/mo for 40 m2 on the metro line) and she, of course, had added nice bits of deco and a color scheme of reds, browns, whites and a bit of gray. It totally donne'd me envie to have a nice, new appart of my own....un jour!

K, I need to speed this up considering I said all of that for just half of a day! Friday, my friend ended up having meetings in the afternoon, so she had to work despite her original plans to take the afternoon off. So, I was left to my own devices to wander around the city and headed to the Tuileries to sit and read my book and people watch. Then, I met up with your favorite American podcaster and mine because I contacted her and her partner-in-crime once I found out my friend had to work last minute and she was free. Unfortunately, her Aussie counterpart had to work, so I'll just have to meet up with her the next time I swing by Paris! We ended up going to the Cluny Museum and enjoyed statues with dead shrimp eyes, trying to understand the English translations and failing, the unicorn tapestries and the narwhal tooth. You can hear about the visit here. And I urge you, dear reader, to go look up a narwhal now and tell me if, like me, you had no idea that existed. That will make me feel better about myself. After stealing K-Mac's magic orange glasses, I headed to Starbucks for a Mocha Frappuccino. I took a seat upstairs and thoroughly enjoyed it until this b****, I mean, lovely girl came up to me and promptly asked me if I could y aller because she and her friends were going to be assez nombreux. After punching that girl in the face, I left the 'Bucks and headed back to my friend's apt in order to head to Rouen that night.

Moving on to Rouen, I finally met my friend's fam and a friend of hers who was also staying the weekend. Everyone was really lovely...espec her dad who was a huge deconneur just like yours truly and managed to make an inappropriate joke approximately every 5 minutes. A guy after my own heart! I stayed in my friend's sister's room which happened to be right next to not only a boite de nuit, but also a child that loved to scream bloody murder at 5 in the morning...one on each side, the child was not sleeping in the night club. Well, at least I don't think so anyways. So, that was fun times...or not. After I finally rolled out of bed on Saturday, I then proceeded to eat my face off for the next 24 hours. I'm maybe still full from this weekend. The Frenchies and their courses, I tell ya! We had a huge lunch from two until FIVE PM on Sat then we ate Indian food at 8 that night and then a humungo brunch(I made pancakes!) at noon on Sunday. But back to Rouen...we finally left the house at 5 and walked around the city for a couple hours. First, my friend's mom took us to the top of a hill overlooking the city, then dropped us off downtown. We went in and out of stores along several streets and I guess(?) pretty much covered the city. Which leads me to my thoughts on the city of Rouen. Like I said, it can be basically be defined as the opposite of the McDonald's in the photo above. I found the fact that something as ugly as a McDo was hidden behind such a pretty facade pretty ridiculous. Rouen, on the otherhand, is a bit fugly from afar, but once you get inside the vieille ville, it is actually really pretty. There were a lot of the half-timbered houses(like the one McDo is hidden behind) like we also have in Rennes. At one point, we found ourselves meandering down a fairly narrow street that had such a cozy and inviting-looking salon de the, I would've moved in had they let me.

I am so glad my first impression of an industrial-looking, gray city did not last longer than the second I stepped foot into centreville. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery power, so I didn't get to take a lot of pics(I just bought a battery charger today, actually...good riddance to batteries!) Rouen has the oldest auberge apparently in France...or Western Europe maybe...woulda liked a pic of that. Tant pis! I think that's all I got for now, peepz, so I will bid you adieu. I'm off to feed my cold with some warm tea. Hopefully I'll get my voice back sometime soon too. Ciao!

Out like trout

2008-02-21T02:13:00.004+01:00

K, I'm off for a mini-vaca to Paris&Rouen to visit my old Montreal roomie(who is French from Rouen...I know, confuse you more why don't I?) The two of us will probably slip back into l'accent and reminisce about former times of pancakes, pina coladas and poutine. I've never been to Rouen before so I'm excited to get to visit a new place. Yay for mini-vacances!

Sidenote: I am up writing this quite late because I've been awaken by the FB of R#1 which is, franchement, just swell.

Sidenote#2: Remind me to punch her in the face when I get back from vacances.

Sidenote#3: I love the sparkly Tour Eiffel!

Sidenote#4: Remind me to also kick her in the shins.

Sidenote#5: Freqkin azerty!!...whenever I go from my qwerty laptop to any azerty comp and back it always takes me a while to readjust(and bizarrely enough it's true even for my rents' qwerty desktop.)

Sidenote#6: This is my 100th post. Wahoo! Random babble with a splash of sarcasm as usual...I'm so proud.

Vid of the week

2008-02-19T11:31:00.004+01:00

I promised a video post and here it is, folks! I've decided to take you on a tour of my appart and bore you to tears all in one go. My skillz even amaze me. Note that I actually say "note" and "actually" approximately 5,000 times. It's a disease. Ok, so that's a blatant lie, but I dunno...I had to keep talking and that's what just came out! And talk I did, wowza! On that note, I will leave you to "enjoy" Leah's Appart Tour 2008.

PS-Here is a link to an interview with Cheaty McCheaterson aka Jodie Foster speaking her excellent French. Bizznatch.

Weekend high(and low)lights

2008-02-17T22:18:00.005+01:00

Ok, so I decided to try a different format and see what I think, your opinions being welcome as well of course! So, just to run through this weekend with you as I sit here having just finished some yummy raclette leftovers. PS-Remind me not to eat for the next week. Anyways, this weekend was full of highlights as well as lowlights...let me just run through them for ya...

-Rediscovering Citror and how much I heart it, although is it supposed to feel like your taste buds are being burned off when you get to the end of the glass?

-Spilling said Citror all over the floor AND my computer...some of the keys don't really want to work so much anymore. But, how the heck are you supposed to clean underneath the keyboard on a laptop, praytell?

-Watching the Star Ac finale with a few friends which Quentin won! Wahoo! I know he's overly-dramatic and thinks he's great, but I just think he sings better than good ole Mathieu.

-Not seeing Quentin's zizi which apparently made a brief cameo near the end of the show. Quoi???

-Partaking in an interesting conversation about how French speakers are very competitive about their accents and how when a French person tells you you have a good accent, it's a steady downhill slope from there. Also, sharing the fact that Jodie Foster is my French-speaking(Cheaty McCheaterson) nemesis and hoping to never ever meet someone who has the same language learning experience as me who has sounds 100% fluent all the time.

-Literally running home in order to claim the salon to call a friend at 3 in the morning so that Roomie#1 could go directly to the bedroom and get the bonking over with. Unfortunately, I was lucky enough to hear round two. *gag*

- Finding and buying a second rectangular-shaped US style pillow at LeClerc!!! Is it sad that this one got three exclamation marks?

- Enduring an awkward evening being the only anglo amongst R#1 and THREE couples that have known each other since terminale. You know how it is when people have been friends a while and they start to talk about things and people that you have no idea about? That's always fun. Needless to say, I did little talking and much escaping to my room to proclaim how awkward I was to all my anglo friends online.

-Being happy to start eating finally...at 11 PM! My only options before the eating were to escape to my room or drink...let's just say my wine glass was in my hand at all times up until then.

- Having to listen to all the Frenchies comment on how bizarre the sweet potatoes were.

"But, zees taste like carotte"

"Can I 'ave a normale potato pliz?"

"What hare all zeese leetle hairs on zee patate?"

"It's so sucre!"

Way to be adventurous in your food choices. I mean, I agree that the patates douces are different. But, refresh my drink, when did anyone say they were the same? R#1 thought she'd try something different and all but one of her friends had something positive to say. It makes me think of Thanksgiving and all the flack I got for putting cornflakes atop my pasta and making them try jello. I'm sure there are some cainris out there who think that's weird too, but how about you at least try it before you go on and on and ON about how weird it is? I mean, I think cake au thon is weird, but I try to at least be polite and say "different"(that doesn't always happen), but at the end of the day, I am at least trying these things and not going on and on about how weird they are. Can you tell this got on my nerves? I had been clammed up all night, but I had to speak up when they were carrying on and say "it's not weird, it's just different." Shut it. Seriously.

-Having to sit with the three guys alone who were ALL talking about their impending marriages. Two are set in stone within the next year or so. They're all about the same age as me, give or take a year. Awesome.

- Getting in a fight with a random English guy who was being rude to R#1 who was pretty bourree, but just being nice and trying to speak English with him and his friend. I know they were in a bit of a serious thing, but there's no need to say F*** off to someone straight off the bat. How about at least "can you leave us alone (please)?" I did or didn't call him a wanker. Haha. Remember what I said before about the glass always being in my hand? Umm...yeah.

So, that's my weekend in a nutshell. I did promise you that coming soon was a video post and/or interesting post. Does this satisfy the interesting post thingy? Yeah, not sure. A video is coming soon, though...hang tight!

Happy V-Tines!

2008-02-14T12:22:00.002+01:00

Just a quick message to wish you all a very Happy Valentines Day or Joyeuse Saint-Valentin from me. Give a big hug and kiss to someone you love not because of this day but just because. Hope you have a great one!

Random thoughts from today

2008-02-13T23:16:00.002+01:00

[Out of the corner of my eye] Why is my cat sitting in the corner staring at me? No wait, that's the house plant!

I really hope Quentin wins Star Ac.

Note to self: you are not, in fact, 16.

[Again out of the corner of my eye] Kitty's sitting there staring again. Nope, stillllll the houseplant!

I miss you, I REALLY miss you and I miss the idea of you.

Kids are cute....when they refrain from speaking.

Aww, how sweet of you, young teenager, to step right in front of that old lady getting on to the bus.

Italy or France for vacances???

Should I stay or should I go?

A compliment from a French person? Quoi???

Must.stop.smiling.at.strangers.

I love living here.

[5 minutes later] Why do I want to stay here again?

I really must think of something creative for the blog...OOPS!

Coming soon: Either a video post and/or an interesting post. Stay tuned!!!

Pancake Thursday, quoi?

2008-02-07T21:49:00.000+01:00

Yeah, so I missed Chandeleur on Saturday and then I missed Pancake Tuesday, so I decided I'd make my own little hoLEAHday(get it??) called Pancake Thursday. Yeee-uh! Ok, in reality, I just wanted pancakes and all the shenanigans with Chandeleur and PT just reminded me of it. I had pancakes TWICE(since I made a whole batch) in the same day, but it was worth it! I poured on the yummy (fake) maple syrup that's been casually chilling in my cupboard for eons now and ate those puppies up! Miam freakin miam.

In other news, WW4(WW3 happened a bit back, but I just didn't post about it) has officially come to an end. R#1 came to her senses and said she understood where I was coming from and that she will make an effort to not do the horizontal tango so loudly(ok, so that miiiiiight be a rough translation, but still) and she actually moved her bed so it's not right against my wall. You can insert a big ol' sigh of relief here. Though I complain about all the things I find annoying that the roomdawgs do, I can deal with most of them(as long as I can secretly complain here), but that was just not acceptable. Regardless of our newly signed treaty of Effing, I am glad to have a break from the roomies this weekend. It's always nice to have the apartment to yourself where you can sing loudly and dance around by yourself in your room, I mean, relax in the silence. Plans for this weekend include a football match at the Stade Rennais and a possible American Party take 3. Besides that, I am on the search for the veste/manteau of my reves that I am convinced is out there somewhere waiting to be bought at say...1 euro? Ok, not thaaaaat cheap, but a reasonable price. If not, I gots my oeil on a cute light spring jacket at H&M that's not too cher. Eh oui, things are looking up!

Argh!

2008-02-05T19:19:00.000+01:00

Just for fun, I thought I'd compile a list of all the things I've noticed recently that are starting to really get under my skin and drive me up the wall and I thought that those of you that live/have lived with Frenchies could chime in as to whether or not you've found these things as well and add any others I've forgotten. And, btw, I swear I'm not always complaining, just recently! Here she blows:

1.) Crumbs from bread left places, not cleaned up.

2.) Eating off the kitchen table and not a plate.

3.) Meat in the fridge in a bag and not on the bottom shelf so instead the meat water drips down all over YOUR stuff. I hearted that one a lot.

4.) Not running water over grimy dishes to let them soak and make it easier to wash them.

5.) Putting the shower curtain up to dry instead of letting it hang dry.

6.) Leaving things in tin cans in the fridge(haircots verts, for example.)

7.) Leaving things (even with meat!) out for a very, VERY long time.

8.) Keeping people awake until 2 AM (getting) busy getting your jollies. Oh sorry, that one just slipped in there somehow!

9.) Putting used matches back in the matchbox. Why on earth you would do this, I have no idea.

10.) Recycling things that are definitely NOT recyclable.

That's all I can think of right now that might be French-related. There's other stuff as well, but I'm thinking that just has to do with people being not as organized and tidy as I am. I'm a little OCD, I will admit, but I feel like some of this stuff is just common sense. And, I am getting annoyed of lightly suggesting things to Roomie#1 only to have her get defensive and annoyed. As you can guess, I am in major need of a break from the roomdawgs, especially R#1 who is being a freakin a$$munch right about now. Luckily, R#1 is gone this weekend and R#2 might be as well. Perfect timing! Good riddance, I say!!

PS-I'm not sure why this banana is so angry, but I found it funny!

Ca fait rever

2008-02-04T18:07:00.000+01:00

I wasn't lying about that video kick, eh? Sorry to be a lame-o, but I'm too tired right now since I was kept awake by someone doing something that I was lucky enough to hear through the uber thin wall at 2 AM(not getting into it here, FB/IM me if you wanna know!)to write much of anything, so I thought at the very least I would not be MIA and instead share some vids I took last spring when I was in Bruges, Belgium. I loved it there and I would seriously go back in a heartbeat if I could and since it was the only city I went to in Belgium, I wouldn't mind exploring other places too. But, that isn't in the game plan, so I can only dream about it for now!

Ca donne envie...

2008-01-31T13:30:00.000+01:00

I'm on a video kick, what can I say? Now, I'm no cinematographer so please don't judge my (lack of) filming skillz. I wanted to share with you the lovely afternoon spent on a tour of Chenonceau castle in the Loire Valley. A beautiful spring day, just sunny enough without being too hot-me strolling down the tree-lined path of the castle eating a delicious glace a la menthe. Ahh, heavenly! I wrote about my tour last year a bit...I first went to Lille, made my way up to Bruges in Belgium, then the Loire Valley for Chenonceau, Le Clos Luce(Da Vinci's house) and Amboise. It ended up being a pretty awesome and cheap vacation and I'm hoping to achieve the same thing this year for my mini-vacances to Paris&Rouen in February and my one-weeker in April in either the Alps or the south(still haven't decided yet!) Vacances can't come soon enough, people, my feet are getting hotter by the minute. Ok, I'm off for now to get ready for one of my 5,000 jobs and then it's Soiree Karaoke tomorrow!!! A+, mes amis!

The cat's meow

2008-01-28T20:03:00.000+01:00

I've been wanting to post a video to my blog for a while now (umm, just to prove I'm not a complete blogging dummy) and I realized that I had the purrfect candidate(please excuse the dad joke.) I now present to you my cherie d'amour des iles, Sienna. I took an awesome video of her where she was going hog wild and doing sumersaults and flips and all these crazy gymnastic moves. But, yeah, that's not this video because I'm an idiot and forgot to actually press the start/stop button so it didn't record. Duh! Anyways, instead, I've managed to catch her viciously attacking Kitty Jr. She's so lazy, though, and at the end of the video, she just gives up since KJ fell on the floor. So, sit back and enjoy the entertaining(maybe only for me?) one-woman show....MEET SIENNA!

On the road again...

2008-01-23T12:08:00.000+01:00

It's frustrating to be living with minimum sous in a beautiful country in Europe at a stone's throw away from not only other countries, but also cities within that same country that are worth a visit. I gots me a case of hot feet...the itch to travel. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and work out a way to travel...go somewhere, anywhere! I have a bit of vaca in Feb and April and I can't do anything major, but I've decided I will be travelling somewhere in France. In late Feb, I'll be heading to Paris and Rouen(never been to Rouen before) to visit with my French roomie from Montreal who lives in Paris, but whose fam lives in Rouen. I'm excited to go somewhere new and to get to see her-it's been about 2.5 years since I last saw her!

In late April, one of my nearest and dearests is coming over to France to visit me and do a little travelling as well. She was abroad for the past two years, so I haven't seen her since she left for her trip! We are planning to travel around France for a week and were thinking about either Lyon-Grenoble-Annecy-maybe Switzerland or some of the following cities Toulouse-Montpellier-Nimes-Avignon-Marseille-Nice&Monaco. So, what I'm wondering cher reader, is if you have advice/recommendations/etc. I'd love to hear your input about these places or even if you have any other suggestions. The idea is to go to 3 (max 4) cities in France during a week's time and possibly dip into another country if time allows. So, what do you think? Inquiring minds want to know!

Lose weight in 2-0-0-8!

2008-01-20T13:56:00.001+01:00

All the whispering behind the back, the comments about the round tummy, the name-calling, the asking about possible pregnancy. People are cruel, it's true. Well, it's enough to push someone over the edge and get them motivated to do something about it. Yep, you guessed it. My cat is going on a diet. Oh, you thought I was talking about myself? Nope. My cherie d'amour des iles has had enough. I don't know why, but so many of the Frenchies that come chez-moi take enormous pleasure out of saying things like "oh, what a gros chat!", "elle est enceinte?" and when a friend of Roomie#2 recently called her Garfield, that was it!

She's not even that freaking enorme. She's 10 lbs, very fluffy and happens to have a bit of a belly on her which seems even larger than it is because of all the fluff and the fact that she doesn't have a ton of fur on her hind legs which gives the illusion of her bidon protruding out her sides. When I first adopted her, she was about 6 pounds because she had been abandoned by someone's neighbor and was living outside without food. She was teeny tiny, but that was not normal. She has since become an indoor cat which is much safer, but she obviously doesn't get as much exercise. She's been eating 1/4 cup of food twice a day for a few years now and will occasionally be treated to a little tuna.

The only thing that could change is WHAT she's eating. Just like for us humans, cats eating croquettes is just a lot of empty carbohydrates without the proper protein and other essentials for a healthy diet. So, I will be feeding her the same amount, but switching over to wet food and see what happens. My sister did this with her cat and her cat lost 1 or 2 pounds. I think it is worth a try and since she won't be eating any less, and this was recommended by her vet, I feel confident in getting the ball rolling on this one.

2008 is going to bring new and different things. A slim, trim Sienna that everyone will refer to as the artist formerly known as Garfield. Yes, 2008 is a brand new year, bring on the change!

Quoiiiiii?!?!? moment of the week

2008-01-17T12:38:00.001+01:00

Yesterday, upon getting on the bus to go meet up with friends, I say my normal bonjour to the bus driver expecting anything from a lack of response to an obligatory return-the-favor-kind-of bonjour while the driver looks straight ahead into nothing. Instead, I get a huge grin ear-to-ear and an enthusiastic and happy bonjour directed right at me. I nearly turn right around and sprint off that bus, I mean, people going out of their way to be friendly and actually smiling? Something must be wrong with this person! Either that or he's half-anglo!!!

Quoiiiiii?!?!?

From the horse's mouth

2008-01-14T12:56:00.000+01:00

So, a whole lot of nothing has been going over here in my neck of the woods. I somehow managed to get a case of reverse jet lag(ie going to bed early and waking up early like you normally do in the states coming from France) for the entirety of last week which of course is something only I could manage to do. Other than that, I've just been contemplating what I want out of 2008, I won't use that darn "R" word, but I really can't help but compare what 2007 brought into my life vs. what I want out of 2008. To be honest, 2007 was kind of a ginormous piece of merde. What with me being sick and ending up in the hospital's ER, my aunt unexpectedly dying, my childhood pet being put to sleep, my great uncle dying, I think it's safe to say I've seen much better years. Plus, last year I turned 25 which seemed like any other birthday in the beginning until slowly over time, I started to realize all of the things I didn't have going on in my life...no defined career path, no money, no family close by, no sense of being settled in a certain place and no one to share all this with. Genial. I also decided at the end of 2007 to quit the IUFM which was surprisingly a very easy decision, but also very disappointing and depressing.

I don't know how, but I somehow manage to remain optimistic despite myself, but I'm starting to feel like something's gotta give one of these days. I also have a ticket home for mid-July, but if I had my way, I would stay another 2-5 years. I know I can always go back to school just to be able to stay and work here, but that bugs me so much to not be progressing. I miss my family, I do, but I feel like I'm enjoying my time here, I'm getting experience teaching, I love Rennes and I love speaking French. The thought of going home and not speaking French every day just kills me. I've worked for so long and though I've done well, I still feel like there's always so much more to learn. Blah. Plus, if I go home now, my hometown will have none of my friends living there, ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA, PERSONNE. How sucky will my social life be? Very, very, VERY sucky. How am I ever going to meet someone there? It's a great place to grow up, great for families and older folk but it just is this blackhole of suckiness for people aged 18-30ish. Which leads me to what I wanted to share with you, dear reader.

So, I haven't completely been up to nothing at all. I actually hosted an American party this weekend(thanks for the pic, Sam!) for some fellow anglos and way too many French people. All in all, it was fun times with card games, Beer Pong and way too many cigarette breaks. Anyways, late in the night, I ended up having a chat with a platonic friend about past relationships, what we look for in another person and where we're at now. I miss hanging out with boys on a friend level and it was such a sincere conversation with no hidden agenda behind it, it really was great. At one point, I was telling him how it's been a while since I've been in a long-term relationship and I really have a lot of marre. He said, "mais, t'es marrante, jolie et intelligente. Tu vas surement trouver qqn qui te correspond." Later on in the night, when having a heart to heart with Roomie#1, I shared the sweet thing the Frenchie had said to me. Her response and I quote:

"C'est vrai. T'es ni thon, ni conne, ni pauvre fille."

Umm, gee, thanks. She really has a way with words, huh!?!

Je serai là

2008-01-11T00:29:00.001+01:00

I like Teri Moise a lot and, despite one of the least manly voices ever, Christophe Willem is actually a good singer.

Geno y Danni Úbeda: Se me olvidó otra vez

2008-01-10T23:45:00.001+01:00

An old Spanish song that I find catchy, I really need to stop with all this video posting!

Beth - Dime

2008-01-10T23:42:00.001+01:00

This is the girl that one Operacion Triunfo in 2003 and the song that you couldn't get out of your head if you watched the show.

Anais - Mon coeur, mon amour

2008-01-10T23:30:00.001+01:00

Hehe, I can totally see where she's coming from!

Paolo Nutini

2008-01-10T23:25:00.001+01:00

His voice makes me melt...ahhh

Mika

2008-01-10T23:24:00.001+01:00

Lurve Mika. Who knew he could speak French? Well, I did, but anyone else? He did a fairly good job with the francais, actually.

Kaolin - Partons vite

2008-01-10T23:10:00.001+01:00

Ok, so I know none of these are new songs, but they are goodies. A few comments on this one:
Man, is that guy a good whistler! Haha.

I kind of find the guy playing the red guitar attractive, but I fear he is wearing eyeliner in this. Yikes.

I think it's super cool with performers do a prerecording(no, I don't know the technical term, but feel free to enlighten me) of all the instrumental parts and use it during the performance. KT Tunstall and Camille are both fans of this, I know, but I didn't know Kaolin did this.

Shakira - Moscas en la casa

2008-01-10T23:00:00.001+01:00

It just occurred to me that I should be translating the titles, but then maybe you're the kind of people that can appreciate a song even if you don't speak the language? Yeah, I'm just gonna bank on that.

Shakira - Ciega Sordomuda

2008-01-10T22:56:00.001+01:00

I really prefer Shakira singing in spanish and I heart this album.

Ricky Martin y Mari - Tu Recuerdo

2008-01-10T22:47:00.001+01:00

Me encanta esta cancion!