Hello, Graduate School.

Regardless of where I end up next year, I have to accept my offer from Penn State to even be considered for a deferment.

And it's off :)

Easterly shenanigans!

Easter brunch ... oops? A Lindt chocolate bunny, mmmmm.

For Easter yesterday a few friends and I went to Charlotte's sister's place in Versailles (did everybody follow that link?) to make the most of the strange weather we've been having. We made flammenkusch, crepes, and ate lots of random other stuff.

I even helped chop onions. Skills, I know.

Since I'm such a nice friend, I let Guillaume take a nap...

Not.

Then we attempted to make crêpes. Not sure what the problem was, but we were having some issues. Eventually Bastien got the situation under control.

Then we decided that we needed to go stroll around Versailles to snap ourselves out of the looming food comas. So we took our Easter eggs and headed to the gardens. We didn't actually go to the Chateau's main gardens because there was a musical water show thing, but we went to another big garden/park next to it and played some frisbee. Bastien failed to complete this pass.

It was fun to toss again. It has been forever.

The weather was weird ... It would rain, then be sunny, then cloudy, then combinations of two or more at the same time. So pretty much Syracuse. Apparently France and New York have traded weather for this month. UNFAIR.

Charlotte and Guillaume gave us a demonstration of Tai Chi. Like old people on a beach.

Then Guillaume took distance shots of us dancing along the edge of the pond thing.

In spite of my traditional talents, I managed NOT to fall in.

After Charlotte and I gave each other piggybacks, I attempted to demonstrate my strength. Apparently photos fail to adequately portray my capacities.

Versailles Cathedral thing. Pretty pretty.

Then, like the old biddies that we are, we came home and made tea and more or less all fell asleep. At 6pm. Oh geez, my life :) Fortunately a rousing game of Time's Up (More or less Catchphrase, but with only people. Do we have this game in the US?) was enough to snap us out of it.

For the record, Bastien and I won.

Today is Easter Monday, and it's a holiday. AKA, I refuse to get dressed and I slept until noon. Ahhhhhhh, relaxation :) Happy Easter everyone!

*Reminder*

Now that it's still light when I leave babysitting, the contrasts reminded me where I am. I've gotten so used to seeing the Eiffel Tower that I almost don't notice anymore.

Almost.

BOY'Z can't spel good?

Apostrophe z? Unacceptable.

(Some random store we walked by in the Marais.)

WHAT UP SAINT GERMAIN?!

Tuesday was a meh day at work. The kids were better than Monday, but since the Education Nationale decided to inspect me and tell me I suck at life, I enjoy my job a whole lot less. Whereas before I could have fun and just make the kids care about learning English, now I'm constantly wondering if I'm doing things wrong or speaking in French too much or I don't even know what. So, basically, instead of giving me feedback, they wrecked my confidence and made me dislike my job.

Smooth.

ANYWAY, what made yesterday awesome was coming home to find Josh and Kim in the middle of making bruschetta for our own little apéritif. We then promptly popped a bottle of champagne (out my window, for good measure) and held a dance party à la américain, while Kim shouted "WHAT UP SAINT GERMAIN!!!" over the Parisian rooftops.

I have the greatest friends, EVER.

For further examples: The other night Kim and I giggled ourselves into fits of hysterical laughter-tears when she referred to my treetop bed as "upstairs," or otherwise referred to my "spacious duplex." Priceless.

Add to this a slew of ridiculous commentaries of all sorts and you have a decent idea of the state of the union.

So besides having my stay-at-home spouses to go buy me toliet paper and have dinner and drinks ready when I get home from a rough day at work, the best part of having Kim and Josh here is that it feels like I have a little part of Binghamton with me. The last few nights of the three of us goofing around is the closest I've felt to being back in Bing (perhaps more specifically Hillside or Tom and Marty's?) in a long time.

It feels pretty awesome.

SOS: Send fortune cookies!

Kim and Josh got here on Friday; I'm so happy to have them back here with me :) Kim brought me, as per request, fortune cookies ... my main source of spiritual guidance.

Today my fortune cookie informed me that ' A healthy way of living is to be good to your health.'

Self-evident, you say?

It's not about the profundity of the advice offered, it's all about timing. In this case, it is important to note that I received this fortune after spending yesterday afternoon at the Salon des Vignerons Independants, aka, monster wine tasting. By monster I mean over 600 wineries, all ready to have you taste anything your little heart desired.

Emma, Pat - Oh.My.GOD.

Then a group of us went out to a fondue place for dinner. I think my internal organs melted.

Long story short, fortune cookies are my moral and spiritual guidance, and I haven't had any in six months. Problem solved (temporarily).

Because Jewtalian is cliché.

Found this on a walk with mommy ... See that little store's sign? That's right, you're not imagining it ... O'Kosher.

O'Kosher? Oh yeah, they went there. Someday I'll have to investigate further.