brokeback mountain

Brokeback Mountain. Wow.

Well it has absolutly met my expectations! When I had heard there was a new movie with Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal that was enough to catch my eye - er, attention. But after I heard about all the awards it was winning (and that its playing in English at Cafe des Images) I decided it was a must-see.

I was right. Amazing! Beautiful cinematography, a fantastic love story and unbelieveable actors. Although at times I was amazed that this was released and well received stateside with some of the scenes. Never phased the French audience though.

I feel like I should start a movie review blog... hardy har har

Nothing much going on otherwise, very happy that my classes tomorrow are canceled so I can have a grasse matinee and perhaps hit the swimming pool before work at 2:30.

Oh and a congrats out to Benette who got her internship for the spring semester! Cheers! :)

Edit : this article's funny :)

road trippin'

After a very stressfull and busy week the weekend finally came and I was invited by mystery guest to take a day trip to la Manche.

The weather was absolutly stunning, it was one of those crystal-clear winter days that you don't get very often in Normandy. On the road we could see dark clouds in the distance but by the time we arrived, there was not a cloud to be seen.

First stop was a cute little town, St Vaast La Hougue where we headed straight to a shop that apparently has the best confiture de lait. Sadly the shop was closed for part of January so we continued on our merry way.

Then we stopped at a beautiful viewpoint, la Pernelle, were you can see all of the northeast penninsula of La Manche.

Driving along the coast we took a little walk along the seaside where I happily offered to put my feet in the water. (Yes, it's January but I can't help it! Everytime I go to the beach it's just something I gotta do!)

After driving through Cherbourg we went out to the western coast (click on Galerie Photos)where I swear we stepped back in time. There were no people about, hardly a car on the road, felt lost in time. Plus we arrived on the beach just in time for the sunset, stunning!

We drove back to Cherbourg to do what we had come to do: eat sushi! And boy did we scarf that down, sooooo yummy! I haven't had sushi that good since Ichikawa! Yum Yum! Then we caught a movie at the cinaplex across the street, Lord of War. I was surprised at how much I liked it, not at all what I expected, if you have a chance I'd highly recommend it.

In fact, if you have a chance to repeat my Saturday I'd highly recommend it! :)

xmas photo

My broken camera has been on the back burner for a while now, I havn't traveled or had really important occations to use it. Or the time to fill in all the international warrenty claims forms... Plus everyone else has digital cameras so its easy to get copies.

But it can take a while... ;)

So thanks to the mystery guest for giving me this picture (and others) taken on Christmas day in La Manche. I told you I'd post it ;)

change of pace

This morning is for sure a change of routine. I woke up early (9am on a Sunday!) to get some work done before going swimming with a friend.
My usual morning routine (pretty much every day of the week) is:

-wake up (hit snooze once or twice)

-turn on the TV or radio

-pop in the shower

-check email while drinking my moka coffee and eating my yogurt & honey

However this morning as I'm going swimming I decided to nix the shower and it has thrown me all off! The tv is not on, nor is the radio and I can hear the pigeons cooing outside my window. But what surprised me is that it is not only the pigeons that I hear but some other random songbird as well. I don't know what it is, all I know is that it sounds exactly the same as those summer mornings I used to spend at my grandparent's house in Southern California.

It is amazing how a little thing as a bird's song can transport you back to your childhood, to a specific time, place and even feeling. The feeling of lying in bed with the covers thrown off as its already gotten too warm at 8am. Hearing people downstairs starting to mill about, the oranges from the backyard being freshly squeezed and the smell of bacon wafting all the way upstairs.

Maybe I should change my routine more often.

broken

I'm writing this post from my school. Ended up getting stuck here allllll day. Came for my 8am class (as this school is 45 minutes out of town I was no the bus at 6:45am!) then found out that all the other teachers I usually work with are home sick.

Except of course, for the one teacher I work with from 4:30 to 5:30. So I'm stuck here all day. Won't get home until 6:30 or 7 tonight. Well I've got homework (and internet thats finally working!!!) to keep me occupied.

But I had so much fun at lunch, ate with other profs and they are so funny. They get along really well with eachother, there is a nice atmosphere and they actually aknowledge my presence!

At one point someone said that one of the profs will be leaving next year as she is moving to Washington with her husband.

The P.E. teacher replies: "Washington, in America?"

I couldn't help it, I had to chirp in, "No, Washington in France".

Ok, very lame joke, not that exciting but everyone was cracking up. I think mainly the fact that the foreigner made a joke ;-) He was cassé (literally broken... shot down if you will)

So maybe its not such a bad day afterall, although a few more than 5 hours of sleep would have been nice...

left rabbit

I recently got a new job teaching English. To make a long story short I was supposed to meet up with my new boss tonight to plan out lessons for a seminar I'll be teaching next week and to sign my contract.

He said he'd call between 6 and 6:30.

It is now 19:27.

Thats just annoying. I hate it when people stand me up. You plan your day, evening, weekend around something specific and then to get stood up is obnoxious and frusterating.

I feel like when I'm waiting for a phone call or to meet someone then I can't start something new (like cook dinner - I'm hungry!) until I know whats going on.

Granted I wouldn't be doing much tonight (can we say veggin in front of the TV?) but still it is frusterating...

Plus now if he calls its going to be late, and I don't want to be up late. I've got my ultra-long day tomorrow where I leave my house at 6:15am to catch the bus out to my school and won't get home until 6:30 or 7pm. Grrr...

back in the real world

Yup after a brief hiatus I'm back in the swing of things! Get your groove thaaang on baby cause we are alive and kickin'! We gots me some super-duper fast internet, xtra-fabulous tv channels and - drumroll please - FREE international calls!

Can life get any better?

Can it? huh? I doubt it!

Yeah baby, we're a dancin' and a groovin' over here in Caen and luuuuvin' every minute of it ;)

So brief little funny (well I think funny) story from today...

Went to work at the lycee today and met a new group of kids (they were on a stage - work experience, training thingy in December) and the teacher wanted me to take 3 of them and practice conversation. I recognized some faces in the class, I thought probably from seeing them around the school, but I didn't know any names.

These 3 students had been in England for 6 weeks in the spring doing a stage and living with host families. They are by no means fluent, but very nice and not afraid (anymore) to talk. We had a good time chatting about their time in England, movies, music etc... At the end of the hour one of the girls asked me if I remember her. I said, no but you look familiar.

Turns out when I was having all my trouble mailing presents home in December she was doing her stage at the post office and had been the one helping me!

It is a small world.

away...

ummm I decided to switch internet companies because I found out that with the Freebox international calls are free!!! so my line has been cut for the time being and I'm waiting for it to get reconnected...
its really hard going cold turkey!!! no internet! no phone! eegad!!!
so no, I have not been eaten by wolves, I'm alive and well and be back soon :)

predictions

I love how in France you can predict everything; not only the weather but traffic jams and the flu.

Yes, the flu. Tonight on the news they showed a map (Normandy not included if you were curious) of how this gastro is swiftly attacking France and when it is expected to hit full force.

Uh oh people, watch out! The flu is coming!

cracks me up...

back to the grind

It was ridiculously hard to go back to the real world today. Not only does the sun come up really late but it was so grey outside that it felt like it never came up at all.

I made it up to uni today for my theater class and we couldn't believe how long it draaaaaaged on, not only that but I swear it was colder inside than outside! Someone needs to turn the heat on people! Popsicles do not study well! (although they fall asleep less...)

Good news is that we figured out that as we don't have exams in the Masters level we don't have class when the rest of the students have revision week, and we don't have class during the exams! So basically I think I'm free from the 16th of January to the 5th of February, then class until the 25th then another week of vacation with everyone else! Too good! But that does mean I'll have to crank on my currently-non-existant-thesis... ick.

After theater class we made it downstairs for the next class and waited, waited, waited. Finally after 20 minutes decided that the prof was a no show so we all left. It was so nice to have the time to come home, do some email, relax and eat a normally paced lunch before it was off to work.

Work went really well, the kids are just so cute and they remembered things from before break so that was fun. The thing I'm realizing though is that kindergarteners are just too little to learn a language, especially when I'm trying to run a class with 20 kids who just sit still. I wish I could break it up and take half the kids, then the other half. The other kids (1st and 2nd graders) are fun and a lot easier to manage. I walked in the door and they all shouted "HELLLLO!" and "Bonne Annee!" Very cute.

Now if only my high schools would do that... hummm...

ps. I did a search for an image for this blog, typed in "back to work" and this came up! Was too funny not to use it ;) Hiho, hiho, its off to work we go...

bonne annee!

Happy New Years 2006!

My best wishes to everyone out there.

We rang in the New Year in class, style and lots of Dirty Dancing music :)

Hopefully some pictures to come, but as my camera's flash is on the blink (yes, I know, horrible pun hehe) it might be a while.

snow days

Ever since yesterday morning it has been snowing mostly non-stop! Big thick fluffy flakes coming down all over town, it got up to about 4 or 5 inches today! In the past few years that I've lived here I've never seen this much snow!

So of course I've been holed up at home drinking tea and hot chocolate and procrastinating my work because hey, I'm on vacation! But this afternoon the sun came out a bit and so I walked around town taking pictures of the town under a blanket of white.

Otherwise nothing exciting going on, with none of the roads salted there are very few cars and the public transport is barely running so its good to just hang out.

Hope you all are doing well. I leave you with 2 pictures from town, the chateau and the view from my window :) Enjoy!

christmas weekend

Well I know my faithful readers (all 2 or 3 of you....) are dying to hear about my Christmas weekend so here's my little recap for your reading pleasure ;)

On Saturday afternoon I took the bumpy little TER train out to La Manche where I spent Christmas Eve with a wonderfully welcoming French family.

After a champagne apero we started on dinner... let me tell you, what a dinner!

Started off with:
*Oysters on the halfshell (for those who liked them) or a little puffpastry filled with cheese and ham.
*Then another appetizer of fried fois gras with sauteed apples (yum yum!) served with Sauternes
*A trou normand
*Main dish: Ostrich, little bundles of green beans and sweet potatoes (besides the green beans not a typical french dish!)
*Dessert: cookies I had brought (thanks Gwenn for your amazing Chocolate-Chocolate-Craisin recipe!) and a homemade pear/chocolate Bûche de Noël

Then presents were opened around 11pm when a webcam/MSN conversation was set up with the oldest brother who is off in South America.

Christmas carols were sung at midnight and then too beat after that excellent dinner everyone was up in bed by 1am (not that late for a Christmas Eve).

I had to catch my train at noon on the 25th so I could be back in Caen to celebrate Christmas Day with Jen and her family who was visiting from the States. After some fantastic French toast, scrambled eggs (with lardons of course!) and lots of o.j. I rolled on home to open my loot!

I'm one spoiled kid! I got tons of fun stuff from home, I especially liked the 4 pounds of coffee and tons of skiens of yarn, great for cold winter days. While watching my new DVD (Phantom of the Opera) I got a chance to talk to almost everyone at home which was really nice. Then I rejoined (does that exist in English?) Jen, her family and Natalie for a yummy stir-fry dinner.

A big warm hug and thank you to everyone that I could share Christmas with, and to everyone at home who thought about me during the weekend. I couldn't have had a better time over here.

gros bisous a tous

seasons greetings

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays and Peace on Earth.

Hugs.

clear

For the second time this week I've gone down to the public pool to swim laps with a friend.

I love it. It is so relaxing and unwinding to swim laps back and forth. I don't know why I'd never gone to check out the public pool before, it is right next to my house, only 1.55E for students and open even on Sundays!

But now I've been and it is fantastic. Both days we swam 1km of laps (each lap being 50m). It reminds me of summers playing in the pool, my sister and I racing, doing laps as fast as possible. It is the first time that I've used an outdoor pool in France and it is great, the pool is heated and each time I pop my head up to breathe I get the crisp refreshness of a December day.

The only trouble is I hate wearing a bathing cap, how annoying! I look like a Smurf with Dumbo ears!

Oh well, a small price to pay for an hour of clearheaded, weightless swimming.

I think I'll stop in tomorrow morning before Xmas Eve festivities (yes, now I do have plans).

coupe de blues

Don't freak out, not manic depressive or anything but just got a bit homesick tonight. The longer I'm gone the easier it gets, and believe me after the last 3 years I've been doing pretty good. But the holidays are never an easy time. I'm very thankful to have a wonderful family to share Christmas Day with but when I realized tonight that I'd be alone Christmas Eve it hit me hard...

...alone...

it just sounds so - alone.

Maybe I'll just spend the day pampering myself, hot cocoa, movies and knitting. Buy some yummy pastery and try not to think about it being Christmas Eve, afterall it would technically only be the 23rd in the States! Or maybe I'll brighten up the day but opening my presents early, afterall I'm not going to lug them over to our xmas brunch just to open them in front of people that didn't give them to me, that way I can get those stateside to call me while I open them and pretend I'm home.

**update: the box I sent home THREE weeks ago finally arrived today! Mom just called and she got it at the post office and was pulling out the goodies as we were speaking. I was going to go down to the post office and ring someone's neck but it came in the nick of time. (My sister is leaving tomorrow so its good she gets her presents before leaving!)

That put a smile on my face.

city of lights

I havn't been writing much (as Benette pointed out) as there hasn't been that many exciting things going on. My free time, and thoughts, have been occupied by the Boy but I don't feel comfortable putting that online. Lets just say things are going well.

Back to other things, on Saturday I made a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants decision to go to Paris for the day on Sunday. Some friends of mine had been planning on going to spend a couple days in the capital but I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend that much money.

So Saturday afternoon I decided to go just for the day, we left early in the morning and had a wonderful time. It had been since August that I was in Paris and it was great to be back, especially with a fantastic Christmas atmosphere!

We arrived at 10am and I meet up with Virginie at her place for a coffee and chat. Then hooked up with the Caen girls and had a lovely lunch in a funky cafe in Montmartre. We made our way down to the Marais to check out all the great boutiques they have there, then walked down to Bastille for a coffee. I had picked up the FUSAC and found out about an American church putting on Christmas Carols. Was going to go but I was way too tired after the long day so I decided to head back to Caen.

Side note: A friend of mine and her fiancee went to Germany for break so I've been cat-sitting. I have to remind myself to stop by everyday to feed them, so what do I do last night? I get all the way back home and realized that I forgot the kitties! So I had to go back outside and feed the little fuzz-balls. But they are oh so cute! Its nice to have a warm welcome when you walk in the door, coming up and purring around your legs. Course they know that I bring the chow but hey, still love it!

Things are quiet around here but I like it. Its nice to take a break, be on vacation and veg in front of the tv. So if there aren't many posts thats cause I'm too lazy to post... but I'm around! I promise I'm alive over here, drooling over the lovely presents that arrived in the mail today. But no touchie until the 25th! :)

cast your votes!

A few years back people told me I looked like Kate Winslet. But more recently I've gotten Cameron Diaz...

Don't get me wrong, they are both very nice compliments! Both very beautiful women, but honestly I don't see either at all when I look in the mirror.

So cast your votes, don't be shy!

Let me know, I'm really curious!

party

I've had a great day so far, even if it entailed waking up at the buttcrack of dawn to haul out to my 2nd school where I teach. But the kids were great, I had a group of 6 girls that were actually interested in trying to communicate and made me feel worthwhile. Then the best news came, I didn't have to stay until 5:30 as my last class was canceled, that means I was on the bus home at 3:00! Yipppee!

So what did I do when I came home? I baked of course!

I was invited by a girl in my Masters program to a housewarming/christmas party! First time I'm going to ever see my classmates outside of class! This girl is very nice, in fact when she said she was going to Dublin 2 weeks ago and I said that I missed Philadelphia Cream Cheese she brought back two ginormous tubs! So when she asked me to bring something to the party - Cheesecake!

I finally could make a normal cheesecake! Its too hard finding good substitutes in France... So I found a yummy sounding recipe on the internet - Sinful White Chocolate Cheesecake! It is sitting in the oven resting so in the meantime I made a quick cranberry sauce to put on top. How good does that sound? Yum Yum.

So I'm hoping that the other conversions worked out ok. Thats the problem with cakes and such, you can't try it before serving it... just a wee bit too obvious if there is a slice missing... but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it turned out normal.

I'll post a picture tomorrow of the Sinful White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake in all its glory!

fashion

When I lived in America I was never one for fashion statements. I just wore jeans and semi-nice tops, nothing to write home about (so to speak hehe).

I came to France to study abroad in the fall of 2001 and my concept of fashion was given a jump start (grâce à Air France) when my luggage didn't turn up and I had to buy all new clothes.

I even dared to buy things I never would have worn before: tight-ass-french-pants! scarves!

My world did indeed change, but I still never thought of myself as having amazing fashion sense.

This changed this week. This week I was complimented on my clothes three times! Yes, count them 3 times! All by frenchies!! Those pigs have flown!

Granted like all stereotypes the French are not all pefectly in tune with fashion, there are some horrible trends out there, but the 3 people that complimented me are all people that I look at as having really nice clothes and unique styles.

*smiles*