That snowy Saturday

The morning I went back to Saint Rémy with Robyn and Alicia. It snowed. This is how much it snowed. Who would get excited about this much snow? Well, this is a once-in-three years event in Avignon, so a lot of people would.





In Saint Rémy I showed Alicia and Robyn around the posh shops and we went to the Christmas market which was really nice. Then we stopped by Nostradamus' childhood home. Nearby is a picture of him on a wall. Me and Nostradamus:




After about 12 hours of travel I'm home. Yay!

Saw this online, and I know at least the U of Cers reading this will think its funny.

It's snowing!

in AVIGNON!  Unfortunately it's just warmer than freezing so it won't stick.


A clarification on my last post:  After reading it my mom said, "so, you really like Dodd," I didn't say that, I said I like his voice. A lot.

The Democratic Debate

CNN Europe is showing the democratic debate tonight. I've never really heard Sen. Chris Dodd speak before. I've read his statements, but speaking, it's a whole 'nother ball game. He has a good voice to start with, but a great manner of speaking. He sounds like a cross between a Kennedy and a classic movie star. If this election was on radio only, he'd win. I almost want to vote for him just to be able to hear him talking all the time.

One Week Left

Exactly one week from now, I'll be on a train on my way to Paris, ready to fly home the next morning! I can't wait to go home, see my family, see Pete, and see my dogs. I can wait but not so easily so buy some clothes out of the country that has made me think that 85 euros for a big scarf is only slightly expensive and not crazy-expensive (I didn't buy it, but I visit it sometimes.) Ive also been making a to-eat list: celery with peanut butter, pizza, cheddar cheese, Sam Adams, Yuengling, and moist cake. Of course I'm sure once I get home all I'll want is olive tapenade, aioli, and emmental cheese. Actually, I'll never want emmental cheese. Its the standard cheese here, on almost everything, and right now I'm just working on liking it. If I get drunk, I can count on a kebab-frites (basically a Gyro sandwich with fries piled on top) craving. In writing this, I just gave myself a craving for perhaps the best of French food: a molten chocolate cake. Enough sidetracking, or as the French say: let us return to our sheep. I'm sad that I'm going home and am not going to see that many people, but mostly I just want to hang out at home with my brother, play with my dogs, listen to NPR, do a puzzle with my dad and uncle, make Christmas cookies with my mom, and then go celebrate New Years with Pete. I downloaded Sufjan Stevens' Christmas album and am getting thoroughly in the spirit. I love Christmas.

GRE words in the unlikliest of places

The big test is tomorrow, and I have been doing well on my practice ones. After some practice essay-writing, I hopped on to the internet for my usual indulgence in Politico.com and gofugyourself.com It's a dangerous mix or brain-numbingly stupid arguments about smart things (on the message boards, that is), and a brain-numbingly stupid topic written about by clever people. Once I get sick of one, I'm ready to go back to the other. The Politico message boards have given me good practice in breaking down flawed arguments - fantastic GRE prep, but I didn't expect to get a boost from my other guilty pleasure site. Low and behold, this tidbit about Keira Knightly "I will say that, though maybe I'm just inured to her physique by now, she appears merely naturally thin and no longer as perilously bony as she did at some of the Pirates premieres." INURED, I was just looking at that in my vocab book. Spectacular. Now I definitely won't forget it.

This is ourselves...under pressure!

Just moved to Avignon, haven't unpacked yet. No one is sure who can give me a visa I need to get back into France after I leave for Christmas, and I'm taking the GRE on Monday. This is how I feel: