cliffhanger

Sorry to leave you all with such a dismal last post. Or at least it is dismal in my memory. Before I tell you about the rest of my vacation I have to regale you all with the tale of my dinner adventure. I realize this is specifically contradicting the theme of my last entry, but this is just a funny story and I promise not to complain about how full I am ;p

I couldn't find anyone to eat with (one friend gone, one in bed, one eating already) so I went to this place not far from my house. I had JUST arrived, thrown my crud in my room, and gone back out because I didn't feel like cooking even if there was something to cook in my apt; therefore, I was starving lol. Anyhow so the place had couscous and I was psyched about that because if you can't enjoy couscous then what CAN you enjoy? There were two guys working the counter who seemed very nice and asked if I wanted couscous to which I answered yes and pointed to what I THOUGHT looked good and what I thought was something to put on the couscous. Apparently it wasn't for on couscous, in fact apparently it wasn't good either. I'm still not sure what it was. They were wary about letting me have it but I foolishly said, "yes yes fine good great" or whatever you know, overconfident or perhaps just absentmindedly hungry. I think it was tripe or something. They said they would switch it for me if I didn't like it which was nice of them. I was really prepared for a bowl of animal guts and chick peas... It wasn't hot enough so I took it back up and decided to have them just change it. They laughed at me and said it wasn't for kids lol. It was really nice of them to switch it for me free of charge like that. Most places would have just watched you choke it down. I was leaving and the one who wasn't ringing me up said, "so TWO plates right?" and the other said, "No no she was the entertainment" haha :D Anyhow it was pretty good couscous when I finally got down to it lol and quite reasonably priced.

flash back!!!

so I didn't go to Marseille right? Well two seconds after I wrote that blog and was in the middle talking to one of my collection of Brians the owner of that net joint came in and it was a good thing my computer had sort of stopped working cuz I had just logged off. Gloria had been letting me sneak around if you remember...

They all think he is creepy and with Mafia ties.

Apparently there is a Mafia in Aix and they bombed some bar last year and took it over.

I dunno lol.

Let us recall what happened for the rest of my stay:

I'm gonna stop pointing out where I talk about food because to be honest we cooked a lot and it involved lots of onion cutting, chicken/salmon marinating, potato mashing, broccoli steaming, grocery shopping, cheese smelling, bread slicing, and teabag steeping. (Steeping right?) ETC lol Stephanie and I had a LOT of fun cooking together. Everyone morning we would go out shopping at the open market for vegetables and maybe some fruit. The day we did the salmon the fish market was closed and we bought our other meat at the grocery store too. It always depends on what time and day it is for where you go shopping. They have this great bakery called Banette. There were other bakeries too tho, equally good. Also a really sweet veggie store called Jardaniers.

So the plan had been to go to the beach that next day but that isn't what happened. It ended up that everyone slept in pretty late after the party and the bus ride was two hours each way, not to mention 8 euros (each way!!!) so we decided to skip it.

Did I write about that all ready? If I did I will laugh. I honestly don't remember when I wrote last. lol

donc euhhhhh voila

no just kidding

uhmmm...I guess the time sort of melted together. I do remember not calling my mommy on mommy day cuz I didn't have a phone card ;_; but I called her twice before that and I'm calling her when I get home :D

Oh and last night (my last night) after the salmon we went to go see The Taste of Tea. You know I think I enjoyed it even more the second time? I was so excited to see it again. Stephanie and Brian both liked it too. We laughed so loud. I bet the whole theater thought we were totally obnoxious (or just American...I dunno which is worse...perhaps they are synonymous...is that how you spell that?)

This morning I took some pictures somewhat halfheartedly before leaving so I could show everyone a bit of Aix. I'm really not much of a picture person. I mean I like having them, but the taking them is a bit of a pain.

Hmm...oh I did enjoy first class TGV. :D My seat was much better this time. I had a nice big window, spacious chair with a button to recline a bit, a boring magazine. Then there was a bar down the hall where I ordered a truly overpriced bottle of orange juice. It was sort of funny because all the people in first class seemed very businessy or very rich. I suppose tho that that is usually the case. Because even if you HAVE the money for first class, wouldn't you rather save it? I only got it because the ticket cost the same as my second class on the way down. Oh oh and the other cool thing was that it was a double decker train and I was on top :D I guess the other thing that I noticed was that it was much quieter in first class, probably due to the complete lack of children as far as I could tell...

Tomorrow is Rufus (wow xav and dion I am jealous of your Killers concert lol) and apparently I have to change something on my Grinder-Man ticket. They gave it to me without a seating arrangement and then called my cell to tell me to come in and fix it the day before I was leaving for Aix RIGHT after I left the MCJP. 6_6 The website is just http://grinder-man.com For this of you taking Japanese you can see that they will be in Paris, which is where I am seeing them ne? I felt so happy that I could read the Japanese and use it to see where else they are going. Small pleasures! Baby steps! I love Japanese!

I have a hard time figuring out when to move on...in my studies I mean ne? Japanese...subject change! lol Because since there are no tests or anything it's hard to figure out if you really know the stuff. Then of course even if you know it one day you probably won't in three weeks or maybe even the next day. I do remember how to say alien tho :D uchuujin! kowakute, roketto de tsuita uchuujin! seikatsu ga suki dattara, hashirou! (alien! a scary alien that came in a rocket! run for your life! <---my very loose translation lol how did i do?) i love japanese but i still have a lot to learn...anyhow my point was that i wasn't sure if i should move on...but i realized that if i never move on i will be on chapter twenty forever so i had to continue. there is always room for review!!! i did the exercises! i am genki! rar!! lol And let's all remember how to conjugate the passive because I'm really excited about it! I read an article about learning Japanese that said it is like playing with legos. While the article oversimplified a bit I do sometimes think of this simile fondly because it can be sort of like that. You take your verb stems and the conjugations are so easy!

In theory anyhow...

lol

That reminds me of how it took me like seven tries to get my verb right the other day at dinner. That was the other thing! We spoke so much French in Aix! It was so cool! I also decided that I need to get out and do more things. How much that will actually be followed through in is questionable at least till my dad shows up, but I'd really like to see some more parks and one day I would like to rent a bike...

OH

lol

My poor poor swimming suit has gone unused thus far. You may recall I didn't end up at the beach. To swim in the pool tho I need a cap...grr grr grr. It just gets so complicated. Amy said she would go with me but I would like to go early in the morning. I think that swimming at seven am would be a good way to wake up. I dunno if Amy would think that though...x_x lol Also I dunno how long I would keep thinking that for. And you know they charge you to swim as well. The whole thing give you a rather good excuse to just scrap the swimming. But it would be so healthy!!!!!! grr!!! I think I should go and at least try it. Even if it means buying a swim cap. Maybe it will clear my mind and enrich my soul...

Or I could just get chlorine in my eye...

lol

Hope everyone is doing well. The last thing I will say is that I have purchased a metal colander collander? DRAINING THINGY!!! :D not to drain things with, but to steam veggies and it better work because I could so not afford one of those big things they had for steaming stuff. I figure when I get back to the states I can get a real steamer but for now I just hope this will work. I got all spoiled on steamed carrots, mushrooms, snow peas, broccoli...yum yum yum...

OH and dude Stephanie has some really hardcore Japanese music and she gave me all the artist names. I may compensate for not going to the anime convention by hitting the local chapter of Book-Off...but only lightly I promise lol It's educational! Listening practice!! Yes! Culture enrichment studies!!! or something!

Oh wow I just remembered I am supposed to be doing my history paper! lol (I call it a paper...it's not really a paper...won't take very long...just a page...on a metro station...well i'm writing about a metro station anyhow...)

ok

tiz all

see you all soon! can you believe it's almost half way through may? some of my friends are going home in less than three weeks!!! o_o