Dreaming of grasses matinées..

Oh, Friday, please come, soon. Vacation time. Of course, I won't really be on vacation for the first week because I have to watch the kids so the father can play billiards all day do important things, but at least I'll have more free time and won't have to get up at 6am! Hallelujah! I am soooo not a morning person. You know when people tell you "Oh getting up early isn't so bad after awhile, you'll get used to it!"? They're lying. It's actually the opposite: it gets worse with each passing day of the week, only relieved by weekend sleep-ins and copious amounts of coffee. I hate getting up early, and I am definitely still not used to it. I haven't been an early riser since I was 8 years old and even then, it was probably to steal cookies and watch Ren & Stimpy before my brother got up. I look at my clock at 6am everyday and want to punch someone in the face. I set at least five alarms a day on my iPhone plus an annoying radio alarm on my real clock that plays loud, awful French rock music. And I still have trouble rolling out of bed at 6:20. Or 6:25. And then I wonder why I'm running late nearly an hour later, straightening the front of my hair (screw the back, I'm f-ing late) as I throw on my coat and hope that I packed everything in my schoolbag the night before. Damnit, I'm in middle school again.

I renewed my contract today for next year. It's not for sure, really--I can still change my mind. It was due today, and I thought, well, better to do it now and back out later than to not do it and not have a backup plan. I'm not sure what I want to do. A huge part of me wants to stay here, but I also would love to be out of debt and have a little cash to sit on and go to grad school with. I'm strongly considering coming back stateside and working for a year before heading back to uni. Which could be anywhere, really. I love France, and especially Paris, but at this point, it is synonymous with having hardly any money. I hate having bills at home that eat up my already measly pay here, and even though I don't starve, and I can travel a little bit, I'm not paying anything off (like, say, student loans) or saving anything. It just breaks my heart, though, thinking that this could be the last time for a while that I live here. Part of me thinks that the near-poverty is worth it, considering how much I love the city. And then I think about the stores that are open past 9pm in the US and it's decided! (haha) Guess I'll have to do some serious thinking over my break.

Speaking of which, I'm headed back to Germany for a few days. I do intend on going somewhere else, really! But I've got a free place to stay and my ticket is already bought, so for now, it looks like it will be a pretty affordable trip. Staying with two German friends that studied at MWSU last year, about an hour north of Nuremberg. Might make a little séjour to Prague, if time and my bank account allow it.

Nothing much new to report. It's freezing here, and has snowed a lot this year--for Paris. Obviously nothing to even talk about compared to what the Midwest has had this year, but cold is cold. I have my toasty scarf that I wrap around my neck three times, bury my face in, and brave the freezing temps with. Could it be...that I left the Midwest to find myself in the Midwest again? Minus the eight feet of snow, plus the annoying French busses that have a hissy fit when there's 2 inches of snow on the ground that's melting faster than it's falling down. SERIOUSLY.

Well, perhaps part of my getting up early troubles has to do something with the fact that I cannot, for the life of me, go to bed before midnight. It's 23:50 and I'm out. Leaving you with a few pics from some walks I've recently taken when the temperatures weren't cold enough to make my fingers fall off!

Also, some plugs:

I read Julia Child's My Life in France and loved it. Even if you aren't a big Francophile, it's a great read. She had a really interesting life. I'm sort of envious.

If you're looking for a good film, rent Adam. It's about a guy with Asperger's who falls in love..it's really sweet. And the soundtrack is great, too.