Books, Hair and Rain

I take back what I said about the absence of Christmas in Europe. It almost seems like it happened overnight--It's here in Angers, out of nowhere. Today, while I was in Centre Ville, I saw people adjusting over sized decorations from the building overhangs, dangling Christmas lights from the outside of the shops, putting up enormous, sparkly, glistening window displays-- and then I saw Christmas candy and ornaments in the Petit Casino. My dad said it was kind of like how it used to be in the United States-- no Christmas anything until the day after Thanksgiving. I think it has something to do with Advent.(This is something I don't even really know what that means since I've been a fallen Catholic since the age of 15 and even before that, I didn't really understand the "rules" of my religion. The point is that it's here and I'm happy it's here.) The funny thing is, with the way I've felt about commercialism and how the holiday has came and gone the last few years, I never thought I would find myself saying that.

So I overcame my irrational fears and got my hair cut today. I have been really terrified that I'd end up bald (You know, through a miscommunication or what not) if I even so much as WALKED INTO a salon so I've put it off for awhile (even though I've badly needed it.) Siri and I went together and it went pretty well, even though it was a REALLY humbling experience. I can't ever just be proud of myself. I had a really great day at school-- understood every word on every worksheet, every sentence that came out of my teacher's mouth, answered a question quickly and correctly-- then I wander out into the real world and fudge up badly. This hair dresser has got scissors and a blow dryer, one in each hand, and she's staring at me in the mirror, waiting for a response to her question that I did not understand in the slightest. I point to a picture on a page in an open book nearby "ça, ça!" like I was some sort of ape. This was followed by lot's of "oui's" and "d'accords" and little of anything else. Definitely not one of my more shiny moments.


Afterward, we went to the English Language Library. I know I'm here to study French and all, but sometimes I have some down time. Also, I live really far from anything exciting and since screen time rots your brain, I decided to get some books (I finished all of my books in early September.) I picked up "Sushi For Beginners" by Marian Keyes, "The Time Travelers Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger, and "BlueBeard" by Kurt Vonnegut. We'll see if I can get through them all in 24 days.

Here's what my new hair looked like after a walk through the rain. It doesn't look as great here and when I first got it done, but I do think the library adds a nice touch.



Siri and Me




I've recently begun making an iMovie project of my Euro trip for my relatives/friends at Christmas. It's been a bit of a wake up call- I took far fewer photos than I thought. I've since been making a conscious effort take more of everything. When you're immersed in your environment, you tend to forget the value of it all so I'm trying to take a step back and document everything.