bon voyage

I am off to Italy. I wanted to write a long post about what I am planning, but as usual I have left everything to the last minute and have been desperately packing. I leave early tomorrow. I get back a week from Monday so I will be quiet for a bit. Wish me luck with my Italian adventures!

moba

Museum of Bad Art. Yes, it is a real place. Ryan found out about it. Check it out at www.museumofbadart.org . It is in Massachusetts so I am going to go when I get back. What a great idea. I can't wait!

in the news

Guess who is in the news today...BANSKY! check it out. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7899443.stm (it is picture of the day #7)

I went on a long walk today. I thought I needed to get out. It was nice to walk without any real end goal. At one point I was trapped withing the walls of one of the lycees (high schools) here in Aix. I had to escape by following a car out of the parking garage gate. It was my version of a James Bond moment. Just making it in time through the closing metal gates. I think it is funny how nervous teenagers make me feel. I would have thought that by this age I would be over their judgmental stares and the feeling that I need to be cool enough. I mean they are in high school for heavens sake. I am in my junior year of college! Tell me, other adults, does being nervous of teenagers ever go away? or does their power to make you feel self conscious and bad about yourself continue to burden everyone even as we grow older? Is it just me?

The rest of my walk was fairly uneventful. I still can't find the park I have been looking for since I got here. I ended up at another park and sat on a bench finishing post cards and such for a short time. Then I did some errands.

My roommate and I cooked some very nice chicken this evening. We just took chicken breasts and then covered them with a mixture or herbs, breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, and lemon zest. Then they went into the oven for 30 minutes and came out delicious. We had them with carrots and shallots.
After dinner I went with my friend Hilary to try a yoga class. It was nice just to be back in a dance studio. It was just the right level for me. I think I am going to go twice a week from now on. I think it will improve my french (especially the body part words). Today I ingrained the words insprirer and expirer. Also, the class was very full so perhaps I will meet someone to have a conversation with once in a while. In the pictures, that is actually the instructor that I had today and that is the studio where I was.

Baby Girl!

I have a new baby cousin! I am very excited and I can't wait to see her. Everyone thought she was going to be a boy. I want to say, "I was right," but that isn't totally true. My mom told me a couple of weeks ago that my aunt and uncle thought it would be a boy and I said that I had thought of my new cousin as a girl. After I saw the ultra sound pictures though, I too thought it would be a boy. She fooled us all, but I would like to think that she fooled me less. I am going to go visit at the end of march/beginning of april. Oh and she doesn't have a name yet. They only had a boy's name chosen. I can't wait to find out what they decide on.

On another note, I am enjoying Rachael Yamagata. Her most famous song is Be Be Your Love.

25 Random Things...Not

My friend from high school, Artie, posted this article on facebook. I thought it was really interesting so I am posting it for all to see. I had been debating writing my own 25 random things list and I still might eventually even if it is just for fun and just for me. Anyway, I found this article interesting. I'm not sure of the credentials, but it sounds reasonable to me. Enjoy.

http://www.slate.com/id/2211068/pagenum/all/#p2

kitten and crow

I was looking at Maria's blog and then followed her link to Interspecies Friends blog where I found this cute video about a kitten and crow that become friends. Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JiJzqXxgxo

ryan will be mad...

So I know that Ryan will be mad at me for this, but I just couldn't resist. This last Friday he was going to a party with his wilderness group. They had to go in pairs that had some sort of themed costume. Ryan and his partner went as I think "Country Club snobs from the 1970s." This is a video snapshot from our online chat. He looks so funny and soooo from another time. Haha. Love it! Oh dear...I know Ryan won't be happy. Get a look before he makes me take it down. He shaved it off the next morning right away.

been sick

So I haven't written in awhile. I have been sick all week so I haven't really felt up to it. I think my sickness went through every stage possible. It started with a scratchy throat. Then added a super runny nose. Then turned into headaches, faceaches, and feeling feverish. Next it was sore throat and congestion. Then some earache. And now, coughing and congestion. Miserable. Hopefully it is coming to an end. Sorry to bore you with that.

I had a great weekend in England. It was so wonderful to see family. I had lots of great food including roast beef, yummy veggies, indian cuisine, cheesecake, and sticky toffee pudding. I was spoiled. I got great gifts and was taken out shopping! Fabulous. I will be going back soon.

Not much is new in France. The strike is coming to an end soon so things will go back to normal. Although I'm not really sure what that normal is yet since I haven't experienced it so far. We will see. I don't think it is going to be as tough as Wellesley. I think this will be my "break" semester. I keep meaning to get lots of drawing done. It was, afterall, my new year's resolution, but I just haven't done it. I need to get on top of that. I think it has been too cold and windy and I really want to be drawing outside. I feel very guilty about it.

Oh and I forgotto mention the boots that I got in England. They are exactly what I wanted. I love them! The first night I wore them, I had blisters on my feet from before, but these boots still didn't hurt my feet. Now that is a good pair of boots.

One thing that I have been doing this week is watching a tv show series called How I Met Your Mother. I really like it. Jason Segel is in it. He was in Freaks and Geeks, Knocked Up, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The premise of the show is that a father narrates (Bob Saget) the story of how he met his wife to his children. The only thing is, he goes waaaay back. My roommate is watching the third season now and he still hasn't met the mother yet. It is super funny and also can be very sweet. Good times.

s u m m e r d r e s s e s

Some summer dresses to go with the boots that I want to get. Just for fun!



The last two are from american eagle.

My search for boots

So these are the types of boots I think I would like to get. Mama (grandma) says that she will take me out boot shopping. I have been trying to think about what I would really like. I want them to be loose and scrunchy and casual.

rain and wind

The rain and wind is miserable. It has been rainy and cold for the last couple days. It makes me feel stuck and bored. I feel like Aix doesn't have much to do that isn't outside or expensive. Shopping seems like the main activity here. This might also be my fault. I am going to be more proactive. I am going to find a gym for one thing. I keep wanting to go out and run, but the rain makes that really not appealing. Well, that's all for now.

BANSKY

I found this guy's artwork on one of my favorite blogs (designer jots). I really like it so I thought I would put it on my own blog. I think it is so cool how he/she (they are anonymous) will take a mess of something (like an already vandalized wall) and then turn it into something so fun and interesting. His website is banksy.co.uk to see more of his stuff.

My apartment

Today I cleaned the apartment so I thought I would put pictures up. Enjoy!

The Kitchen with lovely orange flower tiles.

The other side of the kitchen. We don't have a lot of storage space so a lot is stored on the table.


Another view of the kitchen.


The bathroom.


More of the bathroom.


My bed and my bedside table (the one I bought for cheap)


The opposite side from my bed. The dining area and our chest of drawers.


The front wall with the dining area and our sofa. You can see the door to the kitchen as well.


The back wall. That is my bed in front. I couldn't tidy my roommate's stuff so that is still a little messy. You can see the lovely windows though that look out onto cute little rue Granet.

Birthday Weekend

21 centimes!

I had a great birthday. I got up and went to buy a french pastry with Hilary and Miquel. It was an apricot and croissant thing and it was delicious. Yum! After that I went shopping and had amazing birthday luck. I managed to find so many things in the French January sales. I bought a pair of pinky purple pants, two pairs of flats (I have never bought two pairs of shoes in one day!), a shirt, a skirt, and a jacket!!! Everything was so cheap. I felt a little guilty, but Hilary, Ali, and Miquel convinced me that I shouldn't feel guilty on my birthday.

Oh I forgot! Before going to get the pastry I opened my presents. My family gave me wonderful gifts including a re-sized ring. It was given to my mum for her 18th birthday from her sister. It has a garnet, which is very appropriate for my birthday since it is my gem stone. I really love it. I also got a really nice photo frame from my grandparents. It looks very nice in my apartment.

After the shopping I got a little reading in at a cafe, which was something I was hoping to do on my birthday. I finished the Twilight series last night actually. There is a cafe near my apartment called Happy Days. They do the best Chocolat Viennois (hot chocolate with whipped cream). After that Ali, Hilary and I made a scrumptious meal at the apartment and then friends came over with a bottle of champagne. We went out for drinks, I was serenaded by a spanish band in a Tapas Cafe, and we ended up dancing at a club. Overall a very fun and exciting evening.

Friday evening, Eleanor arrived. We had a great weekend. It included shopping, eating, walking, and going to a museum here in Aix. We also took pictures of the fountains here, which she should be emailing me shortly. It is great to know that a friend is so close. I find it a little mind boggling that we have ended up in France at the same time. I am looking forward to visiting Ellie in Montpellier.

Classes finally start tomorrow and then at the end of the week I am going to England to celebrate some more! What a great birthday!

Hilary and me in my apartment. I'm wearing my new shirt and new trousers.

All of us with the Spanish band.