Me from A to Z

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!