March 29th

Waking up early is the ultimate sacrifice for the ones I love. Why must I love so many people?! Whatever, I ODed on Panic on the way to Paris which made the time infinitely more bearable. There was just one small nagging notion on my mind, I was broke.

I had exactly one hundred Euros to my name; fifty of those would be going towards spending the night with Natalie and twenty-five towards a ticket going home. That left me with fifteen euros to spend in Paris. Fortunately I had some small squeezable amount of funds on my LCL card to use towards a metro and RER day pass otherwise I would've been royally screwed. The realization that I was truly poor for a day in Paris withered a certain area of my mind. It brought forth responsibility with money which I detest. I'm at the age where I know money doesn't grow from the ground and am terrified by that fact. Yes sir, those thoughts stayed with me the entire train ride to Paris. Panic, thank my sanity that you're around.

I arrived, I moved, I took a metro line, and I arrived at the said meeting point perfectly on time. During some of that journey I received a call from my brother Pete who was London bound that day via the Eurostar train. Apparently Gare du Nord (North train station) had a bomb threat. Charming. Pete told me that they had shut down the Eurostar area and that he would keep me posted. That added some paranoia to my mind. No one (least I hope) would want their brother blown to bits. Sadly I was in the metro the next time he tried to reach me. I called back but had no answer. Huh. I sent a text. No answer after ten minutes. This whole thing was going on while I was waiting for Natalie at the meeting point. Hint, she was a bit tardy oh my darling Nay.

Back to Pete, I tried to call him again and was greeted with his answering machine. At this point I started writing his eulogy and prepared to live the rest of my life knowing that my brother exploded in a detonation. Then, from nowhere hope was given. I looked down at my spazzing phone to see the name "Pete" flashing on the eight-bit screen. Could it be him? It was, he was on the train and was fine. The bomb squad did blow something up but no one was certain that it had actually been a bomb. I was more or less relieved that my brother was fine and was on his content way to London. Phew. Time to find Natalie.

She never actually met me at our rendezvous point, damn. Rather she and her sister Jen plus RT Jen's beau were at a café at the bottom of Sacre Coeur. Good thing I had a map on me and that I was relatively close by. I walked maybe two blocks and found my trio of Americans. We all embraced and said hopping hellos before I asked why the hell they didn't meet me at the original area. Apparently they (RT and Jen) thought the metro lines were bus lines. That would do it. Didn't matter, I found them and all was good. I then gave RT and Jen directions to the metro stop as well as instructions on how to purchase tickets. They left and I was finally alone with my beautiful lady Natalie. We went slightly crazy and completely happy together.

First stop of the day, Sacre Coeur cause we were there and stuff. Nay was sweet enough to buy me a nutella crepe which my broke ass gratefully accepted. Mmmm crepe and climbing stairs. I guess I'm in better shape than I realized because while Nay was wheezing a bit (she has always hated stairs even in gymnastics) I was munching away at my crepe while we scaled the walkways up to Sacre Coeur. We didn't stop, hell we're in our twenties, and made it there just fine.

The view was stunning. I often forget how amazing heights are especially in urban areas. True in the country you can see for miles but those miles are filled with corn. I'd rather see buildings and constructed history lay before me in a wonderful maze of technology. I could never be on a farm.

Since we were up Sacre Coeur we decided to go into the actual church. It was churchy otherwise known as vast and quiet. The silence is what bothers me because it isn't absolute silence. Rather you hear a murmur constantly in the background like a seventeen year cicada drone. Really that's all I have to say about the inside of the church. Well that and I avoided the holy water. I have this fear of it burning my hands, best not to take the risk.

We existed and had no idea what we should do next. Coffee sounded like a great idea but lunch sounded better. Nay and I decided to go back to her hotel since it had a shopping mall across the street with decent coffee but stop for lunch on the way. Well, Saint Lazare happened to be on the way. A score for MareBear. I was able to grab a jambon buerre sandwich (I am seriously addicted) and a coke to boot. Nay and I sat together outside of the indoor Starbucks and finally did what I had been craving. We talked.

Oh to hear English at its proper speed was wonderful. Natalie and I (plus Suzy) can talk at what my brother describes as a supersonic haste. I admit I can speak English fast (not as fast as Nay) but such suits my age. The surrounding people stared at us. I doubt they had ever seen two hyped American girls gossiping and discussing their lives. Unfortunately for you audience I cannot tell you anything that we talked about for three reasons; I don't remember it word for word, it was a private conversation, and you wouldn't know whom we were talking about. Audience you'd be lost. Anyhow we did that for a nice long time before leaving for coffee.

Nay and I hopped the metro, rode the RER, and arrived at Laplace where her (soon to be mine) hotel was. After some confusion of not knowing exactly where the hotel was we found the shopping center across from it; the very shopping center that had coffee within. Well first we stopped by the Monoprix for some booze. Nay had seen Jager there and due to Monday's events I was plum out of alcohol. Sadly so was Monoprix. Damnit, guess I'll have to buy some later in Le Havre. Nay grabbed a pack of Heineken instead and we made our adorable way to the coffee café in the middle of the mall.

I helped Nay order her espresso but by helped I just said "c'est tout" to the employee. She did everything else on her own. We then sat with our coffees and talked even more. It was epic. We then grabbed two more coffees. Guess what we did? Well we drank them and stared awkwardly at some kids then talked then chatted then babbled then squealed then sighed then laughed. It was great times.

The hours past and we returned briefly to the hotel. There I dropped a few things off (the beer) and regrettably was exposed to a brie cheese that Natalie had purchased. Two thoughts entered my mind when Nay had me smell the cheese; rotten and Decatur Illinois. That memory of that brie still causes me to gag even whilst writing this blog. It was scarring. We left the room (I ran out) and headed for the RER station. I had persuaded Natalie to go with me to Notre Dame since she had yet to see the gothic cathedral and because it is beautiful at night.

We lucked out severely because we walked in on a service. It was in Latin and French (the singing mostly Latin) which was pretty dope from my perspective. Nay took some footage and I absorbed Notre Dame in function. The church is amazingly somber and mysterious at night with the Latin chants ringing throughout the halls. I felt as though I were in the Twilight Zone except no one was trying to screw me over. We stayed for a decent while before leaving for dinner. Hey, hunger controls my life.

Nay and I ended up dining at the Hippopotamus restaurant. I was later informed that it is in fact a restaurant chain but I could care less, it was my first experience which makes it special. I had a burger (surprise there) and Nay ordered some steak. I forgot to warn her that the French undercook their meat. Her medium came out more medium-rare but she ate it with a smiling face regardless. Good for you Nay, I personally can't handle a mouthful of blood. We ate and drank fruity alcoholic concoctions and laughed here and there. It was a good meal and I was relieved to have the hotel right across the street. I didn't become lost this time. Miracles happen audience.

Before we headed off the hippo way Nay and I had reserved another room at the hotel. It happened to be right across from Jen and RT's room which was a convenient stroke of luck. It was a twin bed room meaning double the pillows. Audience this girl is one of my best friends whom I've known from my freshman year of high school. We had a pillow fight in our pjs. These pillows were perfect too. They were slim, soft but also held their shape. I smacked the crap out of Nay and she did the same to me. It ended with her belly flopping on top of me (Nay is much taller) and beating my face with a pillow. We both were laughing our asses off the entire time. It was a great way to end the night. Laughing, drinking, singing, and being with my bestfriend. All in Paris.

P.S. We became lost on the RER going back to the hotel after Notre Dame. Thought you should know.

March 28th

I am amazed I made it through today. Rather than the normal busy three classes on Thursday I had four. Nursery Rhymes included a makeup session that occurred just before Language. All I can say about class is early, boring, funny, and I don't get it Ardouin! Dats it. Now after class was more interesting.

Kate and I swung by the supermarket for some regular groceries and some goodies to bring to a dinner party that we were attending later in the night. We returned to the dorm, I picked up my mail, we agreed when we'd attend the party, and I went on my merry Mary way to my room. I entered, all was good. I put my keys down, still good. The bag I was holding with my right elbow hit a nerve causing the box of Heineken bottles to flip out of my right hand and crash onto my floor. Not Good! Fortunately for the beer only one bottle broke. It shattered itself very well too. I sighed, mentioned how I had cleaned up worse working at Kum and Go, and set to work gathering the bits and pieces.

Once all was clean I sat down to open my mail. I had a few spicy pringles out and was munching when I noticed my letters had a few red splotches on them. I figured it was a pringle dust til I realized that my left hand hadn't been touching the pringles. Sure enough sticking out of my left index finger was a fine shard of green glass. I carefully removed it causing a decent stream of blood to emerge. Great. I cleaned the wound and slapped a bandage on it. Problem solved, well not quite. A bandaged fingertip makes it slightly more difficult to type. Oh joy. I made do.

After I worked on a few blogs it was time to attend the dinner party. I grabbed the box of coconut macaroons and headed over to Claudie's room a whopping ten feet away. There we all partook in a glorious feast of potatoes. I really love my taters. We had this fried tater and onion dish and then some Greek tater salad (I had seconds). So freakin' awesome! Dessert was a melange of assortments but started with apple strudel. I ended up with whipped cream on my face (I attack food) which caused all my friends to laugh and squirt more cream on my face from the aerosol can. If my eating makes them happy have forth with the whipped cream.

We all then sat around with various forms of wine in our cups and enjoyed the rest of the gathering. My friends were disappointed to find out that I would not be joining them at the bar afterwards but they understood that I had an early morning planned. What, you don't know audience? Why I'm going to Paris tomorrow to visit my darling best friend Natalie. I haven't seen her since Christmas and miss her immensely. Better go off and start my sleep, it will be a long day for sure. 

March 27th

I decided to ignore life today, it was awesome. I spent my day (besides school) dancing around my room, watching Jackass videos, reading articles about heart disease, and eating everything smothered in yellow mustard. If there is a condiment I love more than ketchup it is mustard. The bitter tangy taste is too much to resist. Eggs, apples, chips, chocolate, straight up in my mouth; all of it with mustard.

I also cleaned my room more. I had done a decent first sweep yesterday but today my table and sheets regained their former glory of neatness. The floor still has a few sticky areas (I think) but those will be broken done upon discovery. As usual I groomed and cleaned myself. Just because I'm ignoring the reality of life doesn't mean I neglect my internal idea of life. Being clean and happy are too important to me. Plus steamy showers are irresistible.

The rest of my night involved blogs (happy now?) and drawing an angry duck. He has (with Jonathan's help) been dubbed a Ticked Mama Duck with his arms crossed and the word bubble "Well?" stamped nearby. I honestly didn't make the Mama Duck connection. The reason I even drew a duck is because ducks are one of the only things I can draw well; the list goes as ducks, bunnies, wolves, turtles, and cats. It is a cute drawing though.

Afterwards more mustard was consumed then STOPPED. Then a lil more consumed. Then stopped for the night. I have to conserve this stuff but it's hard. Wait. I know a solution! Double power!!!!

I am adorable and disgusting. These moments make me want to marry myself. If only if only. Well til tomorrow audience, it will be more sane. 

March 26th

I woke up hungover. Well I was woken up by a phone call from my mother. Since I had drunk my weight in alcohol the night/morning before I was not entirely ready to face the day. I passed out after ending the conversation with my mother and woke up feeling tired. That was an improvement.

I prepared myself for the day with all the usual grooming habits. I might have been hungover but I always make a point to clean up in the morning. The time passed and the haunting hour of one o'clock appeared. I met Kate outside my room at 1:25 PM and we headed over to the hotel. I found my father and snoozing brother in the lobby. Their bags were there. I knew they'd be leaving but I felt it should've been later than Tuesday. I don't react well with heavy emotions.

All five of us went to the station and found the train to Paris ready and waiting. I hugged my parents and told them to enjoy Paris. Then the difficult part happened. I hugged Pete and refused to let go. Tears fell as I clung to my older brother. Come June I'll see my parents, I'll see my friends, hell I'll even see my old classmates. The one person I won't see will be him. Pete lives in LA now. Although there are planes and trains it's still a long way from Chicago. It finally hit me that we're grown up and aren't all living together anymore. He petted my hair and didn't let either.

Somehow I was separated from my brother's coat and smiled through a red face full of streaky tears. I sat with Kate and watched them leave. I waved and waved til the train was out of sight. Wiping the evidence from my face I followed Kate back to the dorm.

We feasted on Tour les Docks and watched Matt Damon. I slept restlessly and dreamed of my brother waiting for me at O'Hare. That reality really bites. I sound so whiny and bratty but I just hate the knowledge that I'm no longer living in childhood. Being an adult sometimes sucks. I hate heavy emotions.

March 25th

You feel like playing a video game on the SMES (Super Mary Entertainment System). What's this? Monday March 25th? Sounds exciting. Alright let's go.

Crap, the cartridge won't load. Alright take it out, blow on it, smack the system, and load again. Ah, there we go. Let's play this multilevel party game.

Level one booze it up. You and your brother along with the help of your friend Kate decide to go buy proper sustenance for the party. In order to pass you must have at least three different kinds of alcohol type. Ready, set go!

You make a good start by entering the supermarket but are hastily delayed by university friends. Press B to perform greeting. Press A to perform greeting again. Press X A R L A to perform greeting several more times.

Time is ticking, you end the conversation and run to the liquor aisle. Decisions decisions. Ah ha you spot a bottle of Jack Daniels. Can you afford it? No. Putting the bottle back you move aisles to discover a lane of beer. This is better. The dilemma of choice hits once more. Ultimately you grab the Heineken case! Good choice audience. Next stop, mixers. Kate has returned with orange juice and some sort of heavy bottle of liquor (MareBear forgot the name). Bonus points for friend assistance. Peter spots red bull not far away. Jager bombs are mandatory tonight, two cans of red bull are nabbed. The clock is ticking on you! Quickly you run to wine cellar dodging people and shoving children out of the way. You make it and discover that Kate has already selected a bottle. Wondrous! You have scored wicked 2000 points. Fade as checkout commences.

Level two Disney playlists and chips. Time to set up the party area. Fold blankets and cover bed in cheap sheets. Protection has been granted to sleeping area, nice job. Kate knocks and brings forth more blankets. Now the powwow setup is coming together. Peter scours iTunes for Disney but does not realize that you have made a playlist for the occasion. Press Z to inform Pete.

"Pete there's a playlist on the left I just jumbled a few Disney albums together so you might-"

"Shut it I got it."

Fifty points for sibling assistance! Pete and Kate are becoming bored with waiting for other guests. Quickly use your host skills to entertain! Mary uses bowl of chips. Boredom is defeated. Winning music.

Level three circle of death. Everyone has arrived and is drinking except for Fabian and Jaimie. You respect their life choices and do not force them to drink alcohol. You do force them to play circle of death with cola instead. The game is explained (use google if you are curious) and card values written down. You use crappy Tabac cards because you know what happens when people drink and use playing cards. Responsible foresight earns fifty-five MareBear points. Throughout the game rules are created and suddenly Fabian appears. He offers you his hand in mateship. You eagerly accept because it enables you to drink more. Hidden Binge level! Music all around, fun is never bound, no one yet has browned. Bonus round over. Unlocked drunk vision.

Level four Disney blatherings. Try to avoid falling out of the chair as you play and sing along to Disney songs. "I can go the Distance" merits thirty rad points. Drunk singing causes ears to bleed. You have lost one life.

Level five anger. You take two steps forward and are met with a spinning room and random battle music. A wild Crous Guard appears. The Guard uses pointless threats to dissuade Mary's guests. Mary runs over the door but Guard's influence has been placed upon her friends, they slow her down. Finally MareBear reverses the effect and reaches the hallway. MareBear uses shout, "Hey jackass you wanna go? I'm being too fucking loud for you? Come ‘ere and I'll fix the problem by giving you a screw driver to the eardrum." It was super effective. The Guard ran away.

Level six memory fading. Final Lap! MareBear drifts ahead of Pete but is met with an oil spill from Lucia. Mary spins out of control and crashes off the course. She quickly drops into 6th place and finds herself far from the competition. No no, wrong way. Luckily Mary has a turbo power second level up in reserve. She let's go of the accelerator on the boost and presses Z right after causing a Mach Five Turbo Blast. She speeds ahead and makes it to the finish line. 4th place. Try again? No, game over. Damnit I just needed one more balloon to challenge Wiz Pig too.

March 24th

Alright this blog won't be as long as the other simply because I'm tired and find it difficult to type accurately with a bandaged finger. Go to March 28th for details on the injury. Ok then, let's do this.

I woke up via a nice sharp knocking on my door. Apparently Jonathan is punctual, more than yours truly. We had agreed the night before to meet my family at 11 AM in their hotel lobby. I looked at the clock and it read 9 AM. The hell? I was more or less not pleased to have been jipped of an hour of sleep and greeted the door with my famous morning sarcasm. Jonathan apologized and asked if I'd be willing to go for some breakfast, in a half hour of course. I sighed and said sure. He nodded and left (I'm assuming for Scott's room) and gave me the full thirty minutes.

Half an hour later we walked to the bakery that Kate had taken him to the day before. It was Kate's and mine favorite brioche and pain au chocolate bakery in Le Havre, the one just by the station. Jonathan loves brioche too and ordered a chocolate one. I opted out, 9 AM is too early for food. The whole point of me going was to show him where the place was. I know audience I’m too kind.

We then returned to dorm and listened to some music before leaving for the hotel. I was still a bit groggy on arrival (as was Kate) but that wasn't a problem since my family wasn't in the lobby yet. After about five minutes I went upstairs to their room to discover that none of them were ready. Apparently this was the one morning my mother decided to sleep in. Huh, oh well.

The trio of students (Kate, Johnny and I) decided to just sit in the café lobby until my family was ready. Man those leather chairs are comfy! About twenty minutes later all three family members emerged dressed and ready to go. It was time to go to the beach! Of Le Havre. Which is again grey stone...Whoohoo beach!

My parents and brother were not exceptionally thrilled that the beach we were going to lacked sunlight and sand, again, but too bad. There we skipped stones and watched the waves. After that ran its course we decided to grab some fries. Remember victory fries audience? Maybe not, that was a while ago in September. However Kate and I remembered them. Fortunately the stand had just opened for the season and we were able to share the tasty potatoes with my family and Jonathan. They all agreed that the fries were frickin delicious, especially with ketchup. Well Jonathan the tomato hater didn't say that but the rest of us were in agreement. After fries comes lunch. Sweetness.

Since the temp shore restaurants were up and running we decided to eat at one of them. How quaint of us. Plus my dad and Jonathan were starting to become moody with hunger. They need to try the gamer diet. We all sat down at this place and ordered various foods. The best order by far was Pete's. The menu had an option of building your own pizza and specified that any condiment could be used except shellfish. Well Pete is a fan of Hawaiian pizza or ham and pineapple. Pineapple was an ingredient (in the salad section) and I told the waiter that my brother wanted ham and pineapple. The guy asked me three times "Ananas?" to which I responded with three "Oui." Oh the joy of being strange. Pete's pizza turned out really well too. The chef had probably heard of it before but the waiter had no idea. The meal overall was very good and I myself enjoyed a pizza smothered in bell peppers. Mmmm peppers. It was great and the waitress was so patient with us. My mom tipped her well and the girl was beaming from it. Good deed for the day done for Mom!

Afterwards we walked back to the hotel and relaxed in the lobby with some hot chocolate. Jonathan would be leaving soon so we couldn't return to the dorm for anything. All of us just enjoyed the warmth of our drinks and the relaxation of company. When the time came Kate and I walked Jonathan to the station which admittedly is about 100 feet from the hotel. His train was ready and Kate gave him a big hug goodbye. My goodbye was a bit more personal and caused a "get a room!" from Kate. Guilty as charged of publicly displaying my affection for Jonathan.

He left for Paris and all was quiet. That's when the suggestion for a movie was made. Fortunately I had one of my favorite films on hand and a cult classic, Pulp Fiction. My mother and Kate had never seen it before so I simply had to show them. I fought to stay awake the entire film for the weekend of barely sleeping each night had caught up to me. When the movie ended at 8 o'clock I passed out in my bed. My family and Kate left me asleep on my Blackhawks blanket with thoughts of Butch and a samurai sword dancing in my head. Til Monday audience!

March 23rd

I love my family enough to wake up early for them and I mean early. After about four hours (more like three) of sleep I arose to meet my mother at the hotel at 9:30 AM. She wanted me to show her the Saturday market of Le Havre which I was fine to oblige to do. However, being young and stupid I drank more than planned the night before. My morning was a struggle but I prevailed and was there on time. We walked around the market together and I even purchased a small vine of tomatoes. My mom just loved seeing everything all the fresh food and produce. I enjoyed smelling the rotisserie chicken but growled since I couldn't buy one. As much as I'd love the challenge of eating an entire chicken by myself I simply didn't have the time.

We returned to the hotel and met my father and Pete. After about twenty minutes of relaxing in their room we all left to grab the bus to Etretat. Now the weather forecast lied to me. It said that it would be sunny today, load of bullshit. It was misty as all hell. Though (though audience) this actually proved useful at Etretat, no wind. The ride was fine and I actually didn't sleep on the way there. Rather I talked to my brother about what we would be doing. He had trouble imagining the cliffs but he would see soon enough. We arrived to the quaint town of Etretat covered in a silver haze. The fun began.

At first my father thought the stairs to the beach were the stairs that I had mentioned going up the cliffside. The beach stairs are maybe ten steps, the cliff stairs are easily one hundred or so. Before we even set foot on the beach my father purchased a beret from a local hat shop. He wanted one and actually he pulled it off rather well. I've never been as gifted with hats as my father, somehow I'm alright with that. Anyhow we hit the beach which surprised my family.

In the States a beach has soft sand and sunshine. In France a beach has grey rocks and somber clouds. I suppose I forgot to mention those minor details. Regardless the beach was much bigger than it had been for Kate and me a month earlier. The tide was out exposing more of the sea floor to the surface. My brother and I skipped stones and climbed over chunks of sandstone sticking out of the grey rocks.

After about twenty minutes we all decided to hit the cliffs. I beat the rest of my family to the top and only accomplished this because of two factors; I didn't wait for them, and Pete stayed behind with my mother. Still, first! Once at the top we had an amazing view of misty Etretat and the sea. Pictures were snapped and some feats of minor daredevilism were performed. Seriously, it's a surreal rush being so close to the edge.

After that my brother, mother, and I took a winding path down to the bottom of the cliff. My dad stayed behind (he's not fond of narrow descents) and observed from the spongy tuffs of green grass. You can honestly jump on that stuff. How I wish I could tumble there, if only it were more smooth.

Anyhow the walk down was more complicated than it had been with Kate because recently there had been a rock fall. Nice chunks of sandstone created obstacles on the already steep staircase. Guess that's why they have the warning sign. We reached the bottom relatively fast and were able to explore much of it. I finally was able to go through the small cave I had seen before. That was a big deal for me. After spending about forty minutes to an hour on the bottom we made our way back to the top. There was one problem, my dad was gone.

He had figured that we would have walked along the bottom beach back to the town rather than go back up the cliff. He didn't think that my brother and I would "force your mother" to scale the cliffside stairs. Uh oops? We didn't force her and she did wonderfully. My dad was a little ticked though (he was hungry) and I received an earful for being irresponsible with the time. I bought him a vegetarian sandwich peace offering and all frustration was broken.

It had been a great few hours and we all were ready to take the bus back to Le Havre. While waiting for the bus we witnessed two things; a parade and a mild car incident. The parade was the Grand Deballage Printemps which included a live band, costumes, and huge wooden witch float. The concept was to burn the witch on the beach a few days later which I'm sure is quite a sight to behold. The car incident involved a man backing into a pole. Normally not a big deal, the crack can be repaired and the light replaced. The issue was this car happened to be a Bentley. Everyone's jaws dropped that this man had so carelessly crashed his Bentley into a metal pole. Sucks to be him.

The bus ride back was fine and one also in which I didn't fall asleep. Where I had the energy I do not know. Pete and I passed the time by talking, taking pics of our parents, and drawing inappropriate images on the window. My design was the shocker.

We reached Le Havre in perfect time and swung by the hotel for a few minutes before Pete and I left for my dorm. There we met Kate and surprise, Jonathan as well! Yup he had spent the morning with Kate and planned to see Pete and me before going back to Paris. That was at least the original idea. Instead I found out that he didn't have to teach the next day and told him to just stay the night in Le Havre. I checked with a friend of mine and he okayed Jonathan spending the night in his room. Sweet, now I was able to hang out with my brother, my best friend, and my European boyfriend. We started the evening by grabbing some dinner.

Pete told me that a mandatory part of his trip would be trying French McDonalds. Apparently many people say that the burgers are fresher. They're more expensive but no the burgers are the same. He found this out. The only difference is the condiments. The ketchup here (in France) is sweeter than Heinz and they have a mayo fry sauce rather than sweet and sour. Regardless of ketchup changes we all enjoyed our Mickey D's dinner and spent most of the time talking away. I sadly only had two burgers. I know, crazy of me! I just wasn't feeling up to my regular intake. To make you feel better audience I just downed a bottle of Heineken and half a tube of pringles while writing this. My appetite has returned and won't be leaving me, ever again.

The four of us then returned to my room and stayed there for the remainder of the night. We had offers to go out but none of us (sept maybe Pete) were feeling the effort to socialize. Thus we stayed in my room watching various videos on youtube primarily stand up. A few times when Pete and Kate weren't looking Jonathan and I stole a kiss or two. I'm not into PDA but a little kiss here and there won't kill anybody. Sides I don't see him everyday audience. Wait, are you surprised? Well then SURPRISE I have told you all now (mainly for my aunt and uncle in Roatan) you can confirm any suspicions.

Anyhow, like I said before, the four of us really just chilled in my room together watching various standup routines online. We all responded well to Jim Carrey (no shock there) but Pete and I had trouble with a Scottish comedian. His accent was too unfamiliar to us and we couldn't understand him. Jonathan and Kate could but then again they'd have trouble with southern miners. No saying I understand southern dialects perfectly but I'd (forgive for using this word) get them a lot better than they would.

After a few hours of comedians the lot of us was ready for bed. I wished everyone a good night and fell into a soft heap under my covers. It was a long day but one that was filled with a lot of happiness from beginning to end.

March 22nd

I sorta slept in this morning. It was sleeping in for normal people with jobs and work and responsibility; for me 11 AM is early rising. I woke up and sent my family a text message asking when they wanted to meet up. Not even two seconds later (how can people text this fast?) a message from my brother appeared. It read, "right now turd." Alright, I would meet them right then thirty minutes later; morning grooming and washing are mandatory in my book. Around 11:35 AM I met my family in their hotel lobby. Pete called me a turd again before all four of us left to go explore the town that is Le Havre. Starting with the Docks of course.

My family was finally able to see the warehouse of a shopping center that had dominated my life first semester. I remember that free Docks internet that Paula, Kate, and I would monopolize almost every day. My parents couldn't believe I used my laptop there during the beginning of winter. I reminded them that the weather change inspired me to buy some fingerless gloves just for the purpose of keeping my hands warm while I typed away. Oh memories. We spent a good deal of time walking around the center about an hour actually. We then, after using their restroom facilities, made our way to the downtown for further exploration and lunch.

Town center was avoided (for the time being) and my family and I made a beeline for the mall. There we had a rather sugary lunch (the savory menu was not available yet) of crepes. Pete opted out since he isn't much for sweets. We all chatted until flagging down our waitress for the bill. My mother paid and we left so that Pete could have some real lunch. Not too far from the mall we bought two sandwiches from a corner bakery. Pete had seen many French civilians eating this sandwich type the day before in Paris as well as all over Le Havre. He was starving and in the States when in doubt grab a sandwich. While Pete and my father were eating their bread and butter my mother and I went into the kickin' chocolate shop that I had visited last semester.

The chocolate was even more spectacular than before because spring is the season of Easter! Bunnies, chicks, eggs, fish, they all were there. My mother adores everything dark chocolate. Needless to say she was in heaven. I enjoyed just looking at all the shapes and forms of the chocolate while my mother selected a box of truffles and other sweets to buy. My favorite chocolate creation was an imitation of a mussel with fries. Something about taking a savory image and creating it out of something sweet is fantastic to me.

After the chocolate shop we visited its sister shop of macarons. Again my mother loves sweet things and bought a sampler box of the macarons. The woman then gave us a booklet with all of their flavors (even their seasonal ones) as well as wedding platters. That is an idea. I really can't handle cake (I love cake just not what happens later) and have been pondering what I'll do in ten years when I decide to bind myself to some dude. A tower of macarons sounds both beautiful and delicious plus I can still have some molded ice cream at the side. Screw cake, I prefer cookies and cream.

Once all sugary concoctions were bought and bagged we headed off to an area I visit almost every Tuesday, the Racadot residence. Now this was somewhat stalkerish of us but I wanted my family to see where I tutor my French kids. They were amazed that I walked the hills every week and thought the neighborhood was lovely. It is, their home is very fine. My mom insisted on pictures to which Pete and I responded with silly poses and faces. Scale siblings almost never take a "nice" picture first. Where's the fun in that?

We all then headed back to Town Center and sat down on a park bench near the metal flamingos. It was a mild afternoon and we all just wanted a small relaxation break. The people-watching was accompanied by chocolate and candy. Not a bad way to spend some time on a bench. We all then motivated ourselves to find an open restaurant for drinks. Who says that 4 PM isn't the new 5 PM?

Only five minutes from the hotel we stumbled upon a bar restaurant called the George V. There, all four of us split a bottle of red wine over a nice lazy two hours. I still became slightly buzzed. Damn my small liver. Oh well the walk to the hotel for actual dinner was not far, like I said five minutes. There a wonderful meal occurred. We happened to be the only people at the restaurant (6:30 PM is early for the French) but were served nonetheless. After a few exchanges of French we all successfully ordered our desired meals. I had fresh cod with fries, perfect in my book. I did steal a few of my mom's scallops (it's dangerous having seafood around me) but otherwise kept to my own plate. We were laughing and drinking but not singing. Rapidly the time flew and Pete and I had to hurry back to St Nicolas to meet my friends before setting out to the bars. Don't fret, I drank water at dinner.

Alright break for intermission. I was thinking about doing a video for you guys but my videos tend to involve me eating odd foods. I wouldn't want to make a trend of that (only as an break) so no video for the intermission. Instead grab any snack you like and listen to this wonderful track. Do it. If you don't, well we're not friends anymore simple as that. I revoke your friendship membership unless you listen to the track.

Ah simply lovely song. The ending is my favorite, I often laugh along as well. Now back to Friday March 22nd. I believe we stopped just before the night began. Shall we?

Just going to say, best night at Trappiste (for second semester) ever! So many of my friends were there with me, over fifteen actually, and my brother happened to be in attendance too. It was just a night of socializing like crazy with beer, lots of beer. I drank a pint and half before the night took a switch. Suddenly out of the blue my favorite theme song began to play, "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

Now last semester Paula and I would frequently rap this at Trappiste after downing a few pints of beer. It would usually started after one of us would say the word "chillin" followed by the other saying "and maxing and relaxing all cool?" The deut would then commence with much staring from the rest of the bar. The fact is the bartenders actually shuffled for this song on their I-pod, it wasn't a coincidence. Never have I heard them play the song before so I thank them for playing it for my friends and me because we all enjoyed rapping it together.

After some Fresh Prince the entire bar began to sing happy birthday to one of the bartenders. The funniest part was that were singing "Happy Birthday" not "Joyeux Anniversaire" which confused the hell out of Pete. The moment the song ended the birthday bartender was showered in champagne. They popped open at least three bottles to ensure that he was completely drenched. The other bartender opened a bottle, took a swig, and handed it to my friend Victoria. Free champagne and Fresh Prince, sick tight man!

The bar then closed, damnit. I did give the birthday dude a hug before leaving, after all he's always been very cool to my group and me. Three of us and a leech then walked back to St Nicolas because I needed to drop a few things off and Jaimie wanted to go to sleep. I was so happy that she hung out with everyone because she can be a bit shy at times socially. Once she's out she will talk and I even had her dancing a bit. We then went to leave the dorm but became distracted again. Sammy was in the hallway with a friend of his (known as John) and Kate and I started chitchatting. Finally we realized we had to leave for the club. We did, we arrived, almost all my friends left, we went in anyways. Lucia and Betzy were there as well as a few others meaning our delay wasn't a total bust. In fact dancing with everyone was great and really worked out the alcohol. Pete cut his hand on a red bull can, but being a Scale he took it with a grain of salt.

What a Friday for me! To think that tomorrow morning will be Etretat and more. Stayed tuned audience the adventures continue.

March 21st

This Thursday was possibly one of the longest days I've ever experienced while being abroad in France. I had my 8:30 AM as usual and discovered that my 11:00 AM was cancelled, as usual. This was alright with me because it meant I could relax at my dorm room for a few hours before my family arrived in Le Havre. That's right audience, today is that day; the day when I am temporarily reunited with my parents and older brother. To calm my nerves I rewatched the Big Lebowski. Only issue, I started craving In and Out burgers.

Three o'clock occurred and I was there at Gare du Havre ready to receive my family. I was nervous because my brother Pete was supposed to have sent me some text messages earlier that day assuring me that they had landed safely and had made their train. My phone was empty of messages. Every paranoid sector of my mind went to work on how my family had become hopelessly lost in Paris, how their luggage had been destroyed causing them to stay at the airport, how the train had left too soon making them wait at St. Lazare for another. I had some fantastical paranoias too but cyborg spiders that attach themselves to the lower spine seemed a bit farfetched. Interesting concept though.

My family arrived on time and all was merry. Sept for the weather. Le Havre had decided to greet them with a beautiful grey sky that spat rain and wind. Typical Le Havre weather. Not that I was in control of the weather but my family was slightly ticked that I had played off the weather as being mild. They seem to consider it colder here than in Chicago simply for the wind. They need to spend some serious time

in Iowa City.

After checking my family into their hotel and answering several questions we all decided to grab something to eat. Only problem, it was about four o'clock. In the States you can eat any type of food at any time, not the case in France. Here restaurants don't open until around 6:30 PM and don't start serving until 7:00 PM. Such is life. This didn't fly with my brother. Luckily Kebap places are generally open all the time and we went to my personal favorite. The owner is really chill there and makes a good Rome panini. My family enjoyed their early dinner and it wasn't long until we all walked to my univeristy campus. There I showed them library and the AI building before leading them to my classroom. Best part of the day happened soon after.

Language at 5:30 PM every Thursday with Ardouin, life can bite. My parents and brother met most of friends and we were chatting when all of us realized Ardouin wasn't there. Emma wasn't either (cough cough) but after waiting fifteen minutes no teacher. A score for MareBear! I love it when I don't have to see him during the week. Just a small ray of moonlight for me Ardouin free.

My parents returned to their hotel to sleep off some jetlag while my brother and I hung out in my dorm room. We decided that we would go out that night with some of friends but had to wait until nine or so. A decent group of us went to a bar that I had never been to before, QG Traders Bar. It is a bar that functions like quick stocks except instead of shares changing the price of beer fluctuates every 100 seconds.

Needless to say this idea is awesome and could go far in the States. The bar was cute but very simple in its design. A few uniforms, some better lighting, and more complex graphics would benefit. Everyone had a good time for the most part. There was some slight drama between a girl I know and her boyfriend but it was sorted out in the morning. Tomorrow morning, man it's going to be an awesome long weekend.

March 20th

Today I am going to focus on one class alone, Nursery Rhymes. I've mentioned this class a few times in the past because not only is it an interesting class but I generally have fun in it too. Two things that were different this week before class began, Scott and Jessy. Jessy has finally showed up for class and Scott has just switched his major so now he is a part of the class. They add to the fun.

So what happened? Well this. Kate, Jessy, Scott, and I (nice slew of people) all sat in a neat row in Nursery Rhymes, just fine. Jessy then somehow (I missed this conversation) felt the need to show Scott and me his boxers. Well they were colorful I'll give him that. The timing was perfect because our professor entered just as Jessy's ass was out of his jeans. Exciting moment all around.

The next humorous detail would have to be the animal noises. See audience, pending on your native country and/or language animal sounds are different. In English our cows make a "moo" sound, according to us. Well French cows are apparently hipsters or the apathetic cow. They go "meh". The giggles started when our teacher asked us noises "in English" and Kate and I responded with just sounds. Example,

            "Alright cat in English"

            "Meow"

            "No what's the sound?"

            "Moew?"

            "How is spelled?"

            "Oh, meow."

Ah very satisfying for me. The last piece of the hilarious puzzle was when my professor started to explain Hickory Dickory Dock. Ok we've all had thoughts as adults bout the words Dickery and Dock. Penis jokes galore. Anyhow our teacher asked the class, "What is the slang meaning of Dick?" right after explaining that Dick is a nickname for Richard. Jessy (bless him) answered, "Penis." Good Jessy, very corrected. Our teacher agreed then wrote on the board (I'm not making this up) "Dickhead." Her words, "now ladies if a boy is ever cruel to you, you may call him a dickhead." Oh how I love this class.

That sums up our shenanigans, least the major ones. We were snickering at some of the rhymes and cringed at a few racial origins and cartoons. It's all part of the class. I also bought this sweet mouse pad today.

So adorable and accurate

Totally reflects my personality (morbid with a dash of madness) and the weather in Normandy (rain). Enjoy the rest of your week audience, see you tomorrow.

March 19th

Know that feeling of being stood up? Yeah I received a dose of that today sept it was different from all the other times. This wasn't followed by meeting my friends for a full on rant session about a guy, no not at all. I just walked home. See today there wasn't a lesson.

I had a good day just relaxing and cleaning up around my room. Seeing as my family will be here soon I need to have the appearance of only partially messy. They know my habits (throw it on the ground) but I did my best to fix and rearrange the disorder of my floor. That went well and I had a solid hour to become ready before leaving for lessons. I did have to avoid hitting my jeans with water (hanging on my shower rail to dry from laundry) but I wasn't too concerned if they were splashed a lil bit. I was ready to go and left on perfect time for the Racadot residence. So happy was I for the good weather that little did I expect it to change with my luck, again.

At first I was worried that I was late when I reached their doorway. Not immensely late just about a minute or so. I quickly rang the door and waited for Anne and Louis. Nothing. I waited a minute and rang it again. Also nothing. This is when I decided to wait for about ten minutes (everyone has late moments) before once more ringing the door. And nothing. I decided to call my mother to see if she could check my Iowa email for any messages from Mme Racadot. My mom was kind enough to oblige but nothing had been sent my way. There I was just standing alone outside their home with no one it seemed behind its door. Crap. What to do? I just left, that's literally what my next action was. It wasn't all bad sept it did start to rain. The sky did look cool all dark with black clouds. My kind of weather.

I returned home after swinging by the super market in a very good mood. Even though I had been stood up I was alright with it. Things happen and sometimes you just have to cancel an appointment. Plus it meant I wasn't starving by 7 PM. Honestly I'm doing a decent job of letting things slide lately, less stress. Time to study for a quiz audience. Check ya later!

March 18th

I love when Mondays are not Mondays. This Monday had class like a normal Monday but it also had something else that other Mondays almost never have, socializing. Yes this Monday acted as a Friday or Thursday (possibly a Saturday) where MareBear went out with her friends. It was decently sweet.

Since St. Patrick's Day was on a Sunday many bars were closed (such a shame) and decided to celebrate the day after otherwise known as this specific Monday. The turnout was rather impressive too. Scott and I walked to the university campus where we met Ximena and Oskar. We all then waited for Alex who appeared with essentially everyone else. The whole lot of us then walked to B&B (the bar) together and the night really kicked off.

It happened to be one euro shot night which I didn't abuse. In total I had two shots and half a pint of beer, a good steady amount. I would've had more shots but the bar ran out since they severely underestimated their costumer count. Remember audience I don't have classes on Tuesday; all of my friends hated me for that. It was a night well spent just chatting away with my peers (Jessy even made an appearance) and not having to worry about waking up before noon the next day. Now the return home proved challenging.

This is the summary of what happened when a group of us who lived in the same dorm began our walk home. We had an extra girl whom some of my friends knew (I had seen her before) who needed to be guided home. Plus Fabian had his bike near her apartment, onwards we went. The issue was that this girl was too drunk to remember where she lived. According to Fabian and Victoria she lived five minutes from the bar.

It took us in the end half an hour to walk her home and then start our twenty-five minute walk to St Nicolas. This didn't test my patience with walking (I actually enjoyed the night air) instead it tested my patience dealing with my friends. I love them but when people are constantly complaining about trying to go home, well I become frustrated. Fortunately for the group the girl made it to her apartment and we were on our way. Fabian did stop to pick up some pringles but hey, pringles are good. He did make a mistake when he threatened to do his laundry when we returned home (this was my plan). MareBear's response, "I will break both of your legs." Such friendship.

I did in fact do my laundry (well some of it) once I was finally back in my room. The walk home had completely sobered me up which was both good and bad. It was good because it meant I function and actually wash my clothes. It was bad because I was then just tired rather than buzzed and tired. Ah well it was a good night for me and the trek home was something of a misadventure. 

March 17th

Noon is such an early time of day. I woke up and barely moved for about twenty minutes, really could've used a hot tub. I forced myself out of bed and went to work regaining the mobility in my body. Versailles you completely kicked my ass. Good thing it was Sunday.

I looked at my pile of laundry today audience. Yeah that's all I did to it look at it. Somehow I haven't had the kick to actually haul it down the machines. Something about that seems annoying but I have to clean them either late tonight (didn't happen) or tomorrow (is happening) because I only have two clean shirts left in my closet.

Obviously the coat doesn't count as a shirt

Solution, go shopping. Alright it wasn't exactly planned that way. Kate and I were stumped for dinner and didn't feel like rice, pasta, or soup. It was a sandwich day but what do two girls do when they have no bread and the supermarket is closed? We go to Subway. Nothing like a six inch teriyaki chicken sub to simmer down my hunger.

Kate and I chilled there happily chowing on our dinner for a lil while til we essentially became bored. Also the people in line were glaring at us for hogging the booth. It was bout dat time that Kate and I swung into H & M for some light shopping. It was seriously light, I bought one shirt. This is great for two reasons; it was cheap and now I have something to wear tomorrow that is both black (white is for summer) and covers my stomach (club/party shirt). I am so frickin' lazy.

After we returned to the dorm I spent my time on the phone with my mother and online with my friends. Holding four conversations at once is a challenge and I did flake a bit on it at points but survived in the end. Most of my friends in the States are having/starting/ending their spring breaks which rocks for them. States kids don't have two separate breaks before summer during their second semester. Rather we have one (some colleges do two) week off at some point in March. The thing is that schools never coordinate (sucks for seeing your friends) which somewhat makes sense. Imagine if every college in the States was off at the exact same time. Actually that image is too graphic, even for me.

That was my Sunday. Yeah I know, yesterday was more exciting. Fingers crossed for tomorrow and happy St. Patrick's Day!

P.S. I did wear green.

March 16th

Guess who went to Paris again? I love asking you guys questions audience seeing as how pointless of an action it is for you; I never hear the answer. Anyhow I did in fact spend my Saturday in a little house near to Paris. I'll give you a hint, it's covered in gold.

Ha ha stole your picture Johnny

Versailles the Sun King's palace. I must say Louis (number 14 of course) you love yourself more than I love myself. I have yet to build a dazzling mansion that screams wealth in every room while donning my emblem everywhere. That truly is an accomplishment. However I would've gone for less gold and more black, adds to the darker sense of power. The day trip was one that I spent (again) with my British friend Jonathan. He's useful to keep around audience since I often have no idea where I'm going. Although this time he didn't have a guidebook, tsk tsk. Don’t fret we still found the palace alright.

Europe although I admire you sometimes you piss me off. For instance causing me to buy a fifteen euro ticket to see a guy's ego while allowing anyone in Europe under the age of 26 free access is a critical offense to my wallet. As an American I demonstrated my right to free speech by uttering a few "aw fuck" while buying the ticket. Welcome to Europe MareBear, they want you to learn their culture but pay for it at the same time. Yes audience I'm making a deal because of a mere fifteen euros. Least the ticket was pretty.

Jonathan (free loading European) and I began the overall tour of Versailles which would be I believe my second (or third) time taking the tour. Hold up audience, yes I've done this before but not really. Versailles is often under restoration and both times I was jipped on the one area inside that I wanted to see; the hall of mirrors. This would the first time that I would see it. Plus I don't remember the place in precise detail due to me being around the age of fifteen the last time I was there. At the time I was more concerned with foreign male eye candy than museum tours. Let's now talk about the actual tour. Take my hand audience!

The tour began on the bottom floor and was of several notable paintings of Versailles. This was a "temp" exhibit since many of the rooms have yet to be restored. Regardless of the plaster walls it was an impressive tour of paintings. I do appreciate most arts forms (abstract postmodern can bite me) and oil paintings that have survived a few centuries always amaze me. I also see things that most art lovers would cringe at. This painting happened to be my favorite, Bataille de Marignan.

Note how the feather plumes resemble a pimp hat

Blame Fable Lost Chapters if you like since they introduced a pimp hat into a fantastical setting. Comments like that often flow through my head and often I am wise enough not to say them. Least not to the other patrons around me. Once the paintings were looked at and admired it was time to climb to the upstairs.

The bedrooms and parlors were decked with crimson vein marble and gold. Louis never let go of the gold obsession. It somewhat clashes here and there but if you're king then your sense is the only sense. However the ceilings are incredible in Versailles. They are painted after the Roman (Greek) gods complete with a dome texture making the spectators like yours truly almost fall into a back-bend. I'm seriously going to have to treat myself to some Bengay once home. Worth the pain to see Hercules adorned with armor running across the ceiling.

I finally saw it audience I finally saw myself in the hall of mirrors. That is one room where light is necessary and the only one where I prefer it be present. It was just, crap I don't have the word. All I know is if I ever come across an incredible sum of wealth I might build one in my own home. Endless reflections of Mary in a giant hallway of light, sigh. Alright Louis, we at least have that in common.

Once Jonathan and I had seen the rooms (plus the hall of mirrors twice) we left to explore the outside garden area. This was also something I was cheated out of when last at Versailles. The problem with tour groups is that they are impatient. They need to learn to drift and allow people to just relax somewhere rather than rushing them off to another site. This time I was free to walk around the gardens without having to return to a bus before lunch. Actually lunch happened before Jonathan and I saw the greenery. He's not a gamer so he isn't able to handle hunger all that well. Worked for me, I can almost always use a sandwich regardless of famine.

We sat down at a restaurant just on the skirt of the gardens. It was a bit classier than the indoor cafeteria near the entrance to Versailles and had a better view. We had agreed that I would pay for lunch since Jonathan had spotted me for the all-day metro ticket. Audience the deal held strong which boosted my American pride. My lunch consisted of a sandwich (surprise!) and Jonathan had a decent meal. The best part was that we weren't sitting alone.

A family of Texans was herded our way and forced to sit at the long table with two strangers; well a fellow Yank and a European. I listened to their conversation and snickered at their opinions of France. It was a great reminder of all the things I felt France has skewed (fast food prices for example) and on how things worked in the States. Jonathan cringed the entire time which in turn made me smile more. Being me I then politely interrupted the family and asked where they came from in the States. They answered with “Texas” and while donning my winner smile I told them that it was just funny for me to run into other Americans out here. What followed is still making me laugh. The Texan said, "I know hon just nice to hear American English rather than the British stuff." Pretty sure Jonathan was about to die whereas I just laughed. Good lunch audience.

After the meal was paid we then left my Texan brethren (loose term since, well Texas) for a trip around the gardens. I know I'm not in terrible shape but damn I wish I were home to soak in a long bath. My calves were absolutely blasted by the time we made our way around. Props to all the joggers who do this for their morning run, I will never join you. The gardens were not in bloom but they still had a charm to them. Something about the transition from winter to spring has always looked beautiful in my eyes. Everyone else depends on flowers and blossoms for the pretty, I prefer the color green.

While walking Jonathan and I talked about many topics but one still stands out. I know virtually nothing of the game Cricket (capitalized simply cause I have that power). Literally zero. America's favorite pastime is the sport I watch which shouldn’t surprise anybody. Turns out Baseball and Cricket could not be more different.

Jonathan took the time to explain to me the concept, rules, positions, and field format of his country's sport. It does sound like an interesting game with the pegs and all but for a match to go on forever is just something I cannot grasp. For me sports games end, they torture you with stress and anticipation but they end. Always a winner and a loser. Infinite games, what is the point? Whatever, it may be something I will never fully understand but at least I now have a basic idea of Cricket. Also we made a deal that I'd take him to a Sox's game and in return I'd see a Cricket game. Fairly certain their stadiums don't serve curly fries which might pose a problem.

By the time we finished our leisurely "walk" I was near to passing out. Even though I bought a return ticket for the last train I ended up using it on an earlier departure. I was that exhausted. Sunshine and waking before noon really do me in but it was a day worth it. I wished Jonathan good bye and an early happy Saint Patrick's Day before boarding and simultaneously falling asleep on my train. I guess the conductor didn't feel like checking my ticket because when I woke up we had already pulled into Gare du Havre. 

I made my way home with Panic! which acted as my only source of consciousness (Nails and Tacks). I opened my door, kicked off my boots, dropped my coat, and fell onto my bed into a long sleep.

P.S. congratulations to my Blackhawks on an amazing win against the Stars. 8-1, eat it Texas!

March 15th

Audience I feel as though I owe you an explanation for yesterday's post or sentence at that. You all know that I have an older brother named Peter whom I'm very close to. Last night was a short Maple session mostly gathering new monster companions (I nabbed a flaming pig and dubbed it Pork Buns) and grinding (farming) with enemy CDs.

During this repetitive gaming style (simply for levels) Pete and I began goofing off more than normal. When that happens, well silly (funny) notions occur. I mentioned that I was tapped out of blog ideas because nothing had happened out of the ordinary that day. I wasn't up to edit a video and not in the right mood frame for a poem which was troublesome since those are my two fallbacks. Pete had a simple answer for me, "give them a stupid sentence like 'I went to the bathroom' or something."

At first I hesitated since that would be highly irregular for me to do something so short and nonsensical on my blog. That is what intrigued me; plus I was laughing about it the whole time. So for my brother and myself I decided to stick with the one sentence entry so long as he commented on it. Hey I wasn't going through with it for free, you know me better audience. Right, let's go to what happened today or more so this morning.

Tattoo tale of MareBear.

Well now I just about jumped out of bed this morning I was so excited. The only mornings I enjoy are the ones when something wonderful is about to happen. For me tattoos are such moments. I groomed and dressed myself rapidly under the pure energy of childlike enthusiasm for a new permanent design. Kate met me outside her room and we took off, first to the bank. We had plenty of time before my appointment and it was just as well. The weather was mild and fair, a good start to this joyous day. We arrived at the tattoo parlor with minutes to spare and sat outside for a little while enjoying the moment of spring.

When it was time for the actual appointment we were met with a surprise, the artist wasn't there yet. Apparently he lives far away or something anyways he bumped me down by about an hour which I took with a smiling shrug. I was kinda hungry and perfectly fine waiting for the tattoo if it meant I could have a few bites first.

After a burger run Kate and I returned to the parlor and were greeted by the artist. He apologized for being late but I told him not worry. We then, all three of us, began discussing the location, size, and font of my tattoo. The font was a tough choice but I landed on a flowing cursive style a bit more rustic than my written work. The place was to be more on my ribs than my back which I smiled at. Somehow ribs are a bit more daring to me and this design would wrap onto my back stopping before it hit my previous design (the webbed spade). The artist then drew his copy of the design and showed me to the back room, with Kate of course.

I was a bit fidgety with my shirt and unsure of how he (the artist) wanted me to stand in order to put the temporary outline on but with Kate's help (especially her hands) everything moved along. I was perched upon a chair like a monkey which was suitable since Gorillaz was playing in the background. Nothing like Gorillaz to relax the mind and body. The actual inking went just as it did for my first one, with me so relaxed that I could have fallen asleep. The pain was no worse than a mild scratch with a soothing vibration like a massage. Ok I'm weird but needless to say Kate's hand was not crushed. In fact due to the position I was in she had to warm my hands since I began to lose blood circulation. Again I'm weird.

The tattoo was finished in about half hour which was far shorter than my first, understandably. I was cleaned and sealed up with only the payment left to go. The total was 80 euros but since I had a down payment of 30 I only needed to give him a fifty. Fine by me. The artist took a picture of Kate's tattoo for his records and sent us on our way. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and telling everyone I could that I just had my second ink. I am such an adult child. Below are some pictures (both preliminary and post) for you enjoyment audience. Beware, with flash I am extraordinarily pale.

"When in Rome do as the Romans do. When in France get a French tattoo." -Kate

March 14th

Today I went to the bathroom.

March 13th

Misadventure must be my middle name because it loves to follow me around. Least it had a happy ending this time. Onward to the tattoo tale of Kate.

Kate and I decided to start off early today to ensure that we reached the parlor in time. See normally we wouldn't allow an hour to walk somewhere that takes thirty minutes but we didn't know where it was. Back in January we made our reservations in person at their old location. Since that time they moved elsewhere, close by but elsewhere. And the hunt for Tattoo Valeurs began. The middle parts (being lost) were mostly frustrating and included several attempted calls to the parlor to ask where the hell they were. The woman finally responded right at noon (the time of Kate's appointment) and successfully guided us to the new address. The worst part, we had walked by it twice.

Once inside everything went well. Kate showed the man what quote she wanted and where. The artist did make a good suggestion on splitting the phrase into two parts in order to fit better on her wrist. Not before too long the temporary outline was pasted onto her arm (similar to a kid's temporary tattoo) and the artist began his work. Kate did wonderfully. Yes she felt pain on some areas of the wrist (pesky nerves) but did no more than an occasional wince and squeak. It was pretty adorable. I was there as both a hand holder and a distracting conversation. Kate told me that it was much easier concentrating on talking since it distracted her from the needle. It was over very quickly which is to be expected from three words. It looks like this.

For those of you unfamiliar with ink her skin is supposed to be red or slightly pink afterwards. It becomes irritated since a needle had been scratching on it. The design is clean and beautifully done. The artist went through the whole "after care" process with Kate (in French of course) but that wasn't a huge concern. She had me for any questions about how to clean it and how to take care of any scabbing. I'd been through the same with my back almost two years ago. I think I even have the care sheet at home somewhere though I remember everything just fine.

We then ran a good amount of errands complete with Chinese food and DVDs. At the dorm we attempted to watch The Fountain but the disk was so badly scratched it was truly impossible. Rather we put in Billy Elliot (a film I recommend) and drank a few milkshakes.

Kate congratulations on your first ink. Be careful though, they can become addicting.

P.S. If any Americans watch the film "fanny" has a different meaning across the pond.

March 12th

So today was awesome for two reasons; sport and dinner. Since there are only two things on the list I actually remember the order in which they happened. Amazing memory skills I know. Let us then begin with the sport (one of my favorites besides nerf ball) a snowball fight.

To any of you who have never participated in one of these events let me warn you; it is not for the weak of heart. You will be decked in all parts of the body primarily your face. The best thing to do (even if it hurts) is to just laugh it off and slug one back. I was possibly the most aggressive female player but it is a good thing I showed up.

When I arrived all of my girls were just standing together while the boys were spread out around them. Sitting ducks is no way to play war. I scooped up some snow and practiced (poorly) hurtling snowballs at the male enemy. I didn't make too many hits and decided that this needed to be amped up a bit. That's when the running occurred (which I have a lead on since I'm accustomed to running on ice). If someone throws a snowball at you (Alex, Miguel, Ignacio) the best plan of attack is to run at them and hit them close range. Once that's done laugh and run away while forming another snowball. This happened quite a bit between my friends and me.

Alex decided after I shoved his face full of snow that I should eat the snow as well. I put up a fight audience but laughter and size ratio were against me. I was thrown into the ground but wasn't seriously injured. My lower canine did puncture my lip so there was a small drop of blood in my mouth but a swollen lip is worth every part of the game. I actually used that to my advantage and convinced Alex that he had hurt me and then threw more snow at him. Faux sibling warfare has no rules.

This epic snow war continued until just before sunset. By that time I was covered in snow and probably pretty soaked. Any snow that slipped down my back was very welcome but I knew that the sun setting would bring on a far harsher temperature. Snow fights are all fun during the day however wet clothes at night in below freezing can cause a few problems. We all took a picture to remember the moment and the last of the snow balls were thrown. I waved goodbye to all of my friends and trekked my way home. I had left with a black coat and returned with a white one.

The second awesome part was my dinner which my darling Kate had prepared for me. She felt that it was a fondue night and I couldn't have agreed more. When I walked into her room after peeling each drenched layer from skin my jaw dropped. Before me was a glorious spread of dipping food from homemade garlic bread and ham to apples and chips. There was even a relish tray of pickles, green olives, and caramelized onions. Oh this was going to be a delicious meal. And I was ready for some food.

Sadly audience I haven't been feeling myself for the past few days and have had an extreme loss of appetite. Don't worry, I hate this. The reason I eat so much throughout the day is because I refuse to eat until I'm full (unless it's wings or crab night) since I don't like the feeling. Thus you can imagine how awful it is to know that you're hungry but to not feel hungry. The snowball fight helped jog this terrible restriction and I ate like a warrior.

Ok I wasn't that extreme but I did eat a good deal with Kate (chatting away of course) and we even shared a bottle of wine. Good thing I don't live far from her room because I was definitely feeling its affects once the meal was over. I did make it home audience but it is hard to screw up fifty feet of walking space.

Today was awesome but tomorrow morning will be historic. My Kate is having her first ink session done and I am blessed with accompanying her there. I myself will be gaining another tattoo come Friday (my second one) but tomorrow is Kate's day.

March 11th

The weather suited me just fine today. In fact it was better than fine. As though France realized how much I miss my home it gave me traditional Chicago March weather. There were globs of snow and frozen footprints everywhere. I felt so at peace as I walked to class in the minor storm. Everyone else was either grumbling about the snow or running in terror from the fearsome two inches. I was merry in it (one Merry MareBear) especially when I found a small drift of fresh powder. I actually stood in it for a few moments just smiling at its soft texture. Never have I enjoyed a walk to school so much in France. Herman's Hermits might have added to it.

Class was somewhat dull. Since only half of us were there the discussion was a drag. It was about the situations of women in our country but I feel as though it was on topics anyone could google; salary, careers, marriage, abortion laws etc. Not that those topics aren't important but they don't have much to do with French civilization when we are talking about our own countries. Also the snow was just so pretty outside. I caught myself daydreaming several times throughout. I did snap out of it in time to catch what people were talking about but it was one of those drifting days. Everyone else seemed to feel the same thus class simply slugged along.

Kate and I did walk together since her next class was cancelled and swung by the super market for a few things. I grabbed my essentials of course; box of cereal, soy milk, and orange juice. I did forget the carrots but I can buy those later in the week. I felt somewhat bad for the Docks staff because there were giant puddles throughout the shopping center. This is why airplane hangar styled markets aren't ideal for areas where it rains and occasionally snows. Kate and I walked together diligently across the icy planes which I enjoyed far too much. What can I say, Chicago born.

March 10th

This blog was written the day after (Monday) due to the fact that I could barely type yesterday. It wasn't a regular fatigue that prevented me writing blogs but rather such drowsiness that I couldn't actually formulate proper sentences. I am sorry to all those prepositions I left out, I never meant to not include you. Essentially yesterday was a long blur of talking to different people.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to game with my brother (Nexon I will die young due to you) but we did talk on the phone for a little bit. Afterwards I called my mother to wish her a happy mother's day (Britain) only to find out that my brother had done the exact same thing. I wondered why he asked which line I would be calling my mother on. He had tried to beat me in wishing her a happy mother's day but audience I prevailed. I beat him by ten seconds. How I love my family.

I did inform my mother over everything I had been doing and will do in the near future. She okayed everything which was a major win for me. Though it is March June isn't too far away. Part of me is not looking forward to leaving since I do have several friends here and have adapted decently to lifestyle.

But that quickly dies when I remember my home and Chicago friends complete with White Sox games paired with curly fries as well as sports, parties, and just everything under the moon. I also miss my van LT and the beautiful city of glass and steel. Sorry Europe but there's nothing that you have that keeps me from going back. Good thing the internet and skype exists, that'll make it easier to communicate with my friends across the pond.

Besides that I spent my time editing blogs (which was nightmare with my incompatible typing) and brain storming on my bed. Something about staring at the ceiling always seems to clear my head. Amazingly I passed out at the early hour of 1 AM. How I have no idea but it did mean that I had a long and deep sleep. Of course my dreams were as strange as ever but a world where John Lennon is king along with currency being match boxes and elephant feasting isn't too bad. Better than pythons.

March 9th

My alarm clock could not have been more perfect for today. ELO familiar to anyone?

That is what I wake up to everyday and it does in fact wake me up. I stumbled (rather hopped) to my fridge before even turning the song off only to grab a large swig of orange juice. After draining a pint of it I began my day. Bon Jovi was playing while I organized myself in the early hour of eight o'clock. For someone who often wakes up at noon or later this was a slight struggle. I made out fine and had everything that I needed with me when I left for the train station. Sept my camera, doh!

The weather was looking pretty good in Le Havre (fluffy clouds with sunlight) but the sky had turned grey by the time I arrived in Rouen. Guess someone (damn you Freyr) wanted to give Jonathan and me a scare because the rest of the day was bountiful with sunlight. Glad I wore some sunscreen!

I was happy to see Jonathan again. It's amazing but we've known each other since September and have become very good friends. I'm happy that I'll have friends in Europe when I leave because that gives reason for me to visit them and for them to visit me in the States. A message to my European friends, if you visit me in the States I will try to ensure that you gain at least five pounds.

After a quick French styled greeting we set off into Rouen. And damn, that city has more in it than I remember. First major stop was the Clock Tower or Gros Horloge in French. This was the monument (besides the Joan of Arc church) that I remembered the most from my high school trip. It is a beautiful clock face that tells the time, the day of the week via Greek gods, and the lunar phases. The moon is almost full though I accidently labeled the phase incorrectly. Sorry professor Lang, I really did enjoy your introduction to astronomy course though, swear it!

Anyhow apparently they have tours of the Clock Tower which weren't available at the time but would be later in the day. Before we left, both Jonathan and I commented on how many carvings of sheep there were under the Clock Tower arch. It turns out to be both the fertility symbol and religious symbol of Rouen and it is everywhere. It's even perched upon the hour hand of the clock. Talk about dedication.

We then attempted to make our way to the Notre Dame cathedral in Rouen but side tracked slightly, only slightly. We ended up by the river and the sun had decided to show its face in the sky. Being the Chicagoan that I am I removed my coat. Whenever the weather is over 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius, 283.15 Kelvin) before June we are without coats and sporting shorts. I did slightly betray that due to the fact that I was wearing jeans but my shirt was styled with slit-shoulders which was shocking enough to the French. Before leaving the river I dropped a penny over the side. I wanted to see how far down it actually was from the bridge. Too far to dive for me, I was never on the team.

Eventually from the help of Jonathan's guidebook we did find the correct cathedral. If you like churches then boy will you love Rouen, it is full of em! They all are beautiful in their own right and chilling inside. I loved that part. When we entered the cathedral the air was so cool that you could see your own breath in it. My basement back home is like that in the winter which is why I'm often slouched on my couch with a bag of Doritos playing Elder Scrolls in December. I'm always amazed at how massive these buildings are. They all were handmade stone by stone over decades and have stood for hundreds of years. Simply fascinating.

Following the cathedral was lunch time. Orange juice had been my breakfast (damn train station's bakery was closed) and needless to say MareBear was one hungry American. Jonathan and I stopped at a restaurant by the Jean d'Arc church that had been recommended by the guidebook. Since I love to brag about traveling to my father I thought I'd also have a meal that he loved before taking up veganism. My lunch consisted of scallops in an olive oil sauce with a side of vegetables. While I ate the delicious little pucks I just envisioned my father shaking his head at me. Jonathan and I also split a bottle of wine because he's fancy that way and I enjoy drinks. Rouen is the perfect town to just sit and watch the world go by. In the sun it's amazing to see all the people walking to and fro almost none of them rushing. There are a few drunks in Rouen who openly carry giant bottles with them but they keep clear for the most part.

Although lunch was delicious it didn't fill though that’s not the end of the world. I was slightly dizzy from the wine but as we college students say, "it’s five o'clock somewhere." Once the bill paid by Jonathan (something I accepted with gritted teeth) we moved on to the Church of Joan of Arch. It looks like a dragon but is supposed to represent flames specifically the fire that burned her to death. The inside of the church is an open chapel with impressive acoustics. One of their choirs was practicing and I compared them to the singers of Skyrim. I have never see a more terrified look on Jonathan's face than me referencing Skyrim for a musical style. Needless to say I was pleased with myself. In fact churches often have similarities to mythical worlds. For instance since none of the statues have pupils carved into the eyes they have the appearance of white walkers from beyond the wall in Game of Thrones. Sort of adds to the menacing feel of the Catholic Church. Bit glad I'm Methodist.

Intermission time. Jeez this blog post is long just like the Kaiserslautern Saga. Let's all just take a short break now. I'm going to go grab a little snack. Come now let's eat some together audience!

Wasn't that fun? Alright I am going along with a stereotype of Americans eating anything with ketchup on it. However it is tasty combination just like fries and a shake or bacon and peanut butter. Moving back to Rouen. Intermission over.

Sometime later or before the dragon church, I have trouble remember chronological orders, we walked around an open market. Apparently they had a decent variety of apples which meant I had to see for myself. Sadly there weren't any Fuji (June will be here soon MareBear) but they did have pink ladies. I nabbed two of them and ate one immediately. It was one of the best pink ladies I've ever had in my two decade life. The skin peeled easily and the flesh had the perfect texture. I was pretty damn happy to have bought the apple. Jonathan did bug me about wiping my face clean of the apple juice but it is similar to eating ribs; what is the point? I'm going to have juice on my face each time I take a bite. I scowled and used my sleeve but that was the only time until I threw the core out. He really needs to go to a Texas steak house or Rib Fest.

It was time for a tour of the Clock Tower. I was really enthusiastic about seeing the inner workings of the clock. Seeing how a machine works especially with cogs and levers is something I've been interested in since I can remember. Why am I in liberal arts again? Anyhow the tour was an audio tour that used a cross between walkie-talkies and remote controls. Better than the headphones that they often give you. Jonathan and I decided to be "those" students and take the French tour. I'm amazed that I actually understood the tour very well. Of course I was thrown occasionally by a word or two but for the most part I followed along.

One of my favorite parts about towers is that they often have spiral staircases. This one reminded me of the "endless" stairways that go to the roof of Notre Dame de Paris. It always feels as though you're an adventurer climbing in order to save some damsel in distress from a dragon. Hmmm I think I'd rather be a thief scaling the stairs in order to rob a princess and fly away on a dragon leaving nothing but flames behind. Yeah that's more fun.

Jonathan wasn't too keen on the stairs due to the risers being different lengths and the endlessness of it all. My ankle winced a few times but otherwise I was just skipping ahead as I often do when driven by curiosity. Plus I wanted to reach the top as soon as I could. Onwards and upwards we went seeing the cogs as well as two giant bells. Too bad we missed the ringing of the hour by ten minutes but such is a reason to go back someday. We reached the top and were met with a stunning view of Rouen. I honestly could've stayed up there for hours but time was limited and there was more of Rouen to see.

After the Clock Tower we headed over to another stunning church set in gothic style. I believe it was Eglise Saint-Maclou, let's hope google search is correct. It like Notre Dame de Rouen was wonderfully cold inside and made of massive walls. Part of me wishes I could've been there for the construction but we all know I'd probably have caused mischief. “I swear father I wasn't me who spiked the wine honest!" Regardless of what trouble I might have caused back then I did appreciate all the effort put into the church's construction. That and the indoor temperature.

Outside the day was waning and so was our energy. Fortunately there is a lovely park near the town center that has benches. I chose one under some sort of blossoming tree for two reasons; shade from the sun and it had a nice view of a golden mansion. Johnny and I sat there sat for a while mostly watching a father play soccer with his two sons. Seeing that reminded me of my childhood where I spent park days with my family throwing baseballs back and forth plus failed attempts to score a soccer goal. I have improved somewhat on my soccer skills but I have a ways to go. Hopefully my brother can send some pointers my way and my friends will be willing to play a few games with me. That's the way to spend a summer. Seeing those kids threw me back into my memories causing a good chunk of time to pass. Once my sense of reality kicked on Jonathan and I left to grab a few drinks before calling it a day.

What's better than just people watching? People watching with beer of course. Jonathan and I ordered two glasses and enjoyed the dawning evening of Rouen by sharing strange topics of conversation as well as enjoying the company of the locals rushing about.

The beer was decent too; a light brew with a smooth taste. We both ordered a second glass after the first round was drunk but stopped there. We had trains to catch after all. Successfully I convinced Jonathan that I would pay for the drinks. I ended up actually tipping the waiter seeing as he had every table to take care of (France and their fear of too many workers) plus I didn't feel like waiting for change.

Off to the station! Well we did screw that up at first by going the opposite direction but quickly corrected the error. I wasn't worried though my train was far from the last going to Le Havre. When it comes to being stranded I only fear it being in a country where I don't speak the language (Germany) or in a small town in the States (Sterling).

Rouen Droite station isn't massive so our platforms weren't far apart enabling us to say our goodbyes without the mere a wave of the hand. I do find myself adopting the French way (ahem Damnit!) in giving the cheek kiss deal for hello and goodbye. Jonathan surprised me with his goodbye but I should've seen it coming. Needless to say we left on good terms and both boarded our trains without trouble.

I fell asleep as soon as the conductor checked my ticket which fortunately for me was early on during the departure. I woke up in time to see my university campus shrouded in shadows before the train stopped at Gare du Havre. 311 accompanied me home and once behind my desk I did what I always do when I have time to kill; I played video games.

Thank you for bearing with me and reading this entire entry audience. Don't worry tomorrow's will be far shorter, I swear it father honest.

Jonathan's take on the trip for all those interested in his side of the story as well some lovely pictures.