It is inevitable that I will find something to do to fill my time, be it being lazy and reading or going on a wild adventure. Yesterday I asked (in french, woot go me!) what would be the best day to go to Chartres, and I got a unanimous, emphatic "Samedi! (saturday)." So in about two hours I'll be walking to the train station and heading out for ( Read more... )

So, I didn't go to the festival... I know, I do regret it but I was in such a foul mood I don't think I could have enjoyed it.  Hungry but disinterested in food, exhausted from stress, and generally perturbed by french and having to work longer hours than I should have, I balked at any semblance of being social.  However, once Thursday was over, ( Read more... )

you want me to do something?  sure... just ask.  I know as girls we assume everyone knows everything... but seriously.  you hand me a protocol, I'll follow it.  if it says 10mL, I use 10mL.  If it doesn't say "save 1mL" how am I supposed to know? 

after 2 phone calls to my desk phone, by french speakers, and my complete failure to tell them what they needed to know, i feel like oscar the grouch.  my experiments are driving me nuts and i'm ready to go home, boil some penne, and read.  here's where the problem comes in: after my resolute entry this morning, i'm totally stuck.  it's the Fete de ( Read more... )

So, exciting news in the realm of loneliness... The other american interns arrived this week!  I met Rita from South Carolina last night, although I'm afraid I talked her ear off...  I've been remarkably more silent in the last 2 weeks due to my faltering french.  It really has gone from bad to worse the more I try, because I get so flustered by my ( Read more... )

On the whole, this has been an awesome weekend. I made it to versailles yesterday (pictures to be uploaded soon), proving this trip is not cursed, and also managed to figure out the watching of football games :). I had cute outfits this weekend even... and did a lot of smiling and happy aimless wandering until my feet decided they'd had enough ( Read more... )

Today, right now, would be an awesome time to work from "home."  I could take my laptop (well, if the battery lasted more than 30minutes) and go to a park, and work on my powerpoint and read scientific papers there, instead of here where I'm oh-so-tempted to stare  up at our tiny little window or root around online *gasp, bad ari!*  But seriously, ( Read more... )

So I had a strange dream repeat the last couple of days. In it, one of my friends arrives at my house very early in the morning, battered by being rammed by his father's large suv while he was trying to park (yah I know, absolutely most depressing start to a dream I've ever had...). I don't know how he gets to my house, but i drive him to the ( Read more... )

I miss my zoe like crazy... but dad got some pictures of her to make me not miss her so much. Only now I miss her even more! She's become friendly with my parents (although we'll see if she loves me still when I get home in 2 months...) and maybe that means that she'll actually come meet my friends when they come over as opposed to running the ( Read more... )

So we have a new poet laureate for the US. Maybe you didn't realize we had one of those, but evidently they are highly rewarded:
"Hall, 77, will assume his duties this fall. Poet laureates receive $35,000 for the year as well as a travel allowance."Woo Hoo! So if I'm the bestest poet in the whole country, I can make up to $35,000! Thank god I did ( Read more... )