Dry skin

Phew! I just finished a quite long assignment in which I basically ended up writing a five page paper about this book. Granted it was basically a book report, but I just am not a fan of analyzing books!

Anywho, I am no longer sick! Woohoo! Though, my throat doesn't seem to want to cooperate, and I am still coughing and have a groggy deep voice.

I did my laundry yesterday while studying for my phonetics test, i.e. I attempted to phonetisize all the signs in the laundromat.

Quoi d'autre... I made some rather delicious green beans this evening. Nothings special about them. They just happened to be cooked just right, and seasoned just right. Yum.

I'm excited for the weekend. I love being here. But I feel like when I am in class or doing homework I am wasting precious time. I know, I know: I am here for school, not vacation.

Oh, last thing: I discovered that from my kitchen window I can see Sacre Cœur. Super! This is all because I decided to eat my yogurt standing up today, not sitting down. Oh right, I was supposed to buy some more yogurt... I guess I'll have a small breakfast tomorrow!

-Dave

Up a wee bit early

Following my sister's advice, Taylor and I ventured to the pharmacy during our break yesterday to get some medicaments for our various symptoms. The pharmacist was very nice, and gave us both a different regiment: Both Taylor and I are to drink a spoonful of this liquid three times-a-day, while I, in addition, need to take Sudafed. We each bought our potions, went back to NYU, and took a shot each of the liquid. I took the Sudafed.

What a bad idea. I could not focus in class to save my life! I'm sure Patrick thought I was being a dunderhead, but I just could not keep both of my eyes on one thing! One would look left, one would look right, no happy harmony. Though, I could feel the expectorant working, loosening up my lungs and throat.

After class, we had a group meeting at Notre Dame de Passy, where NYU told us about the various cultural activities that would be happening this semester. Afterwards, they presented us (when I say us, I mean 95% of the program, so probably close to 200 people) with an enormous buffet on 3 long tables. They said "Bon Appetit," and everyone rushed the tables. Somehow, in the chaos, all I ended up getting was on piece of baguette. Boring. Oh well. I gave up, and sat down to watch the madness, the whole time considering how this scene would be different in Britain: There would be a single file queue from each row, no pushing, no free-for-all. I like rules.

Then some of us headed down to the Pont Neuf to catch a boat cruise on a bateau mouche, paid for by NYU of course. It was very nice, very enjoyable. However, to get the best views, one really needed to position oneself on the roof of the boat. Nothing like standing on the roof of moving boat that is heading down the Seine in the middle of January. Brrrrrr. I'm getting cold just thinking about it. In order to speak to anyone, it was necessary to talk really loudly, which, in the end, was not great for my throat. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

I came home, made some dinner, did some homework, played a little "Street Fighters" for Sega Genesis, took another shot of liquid and a Sudafed and went to bed. Oops. Another bad plan. Yes, I had no trouble getting to sleep, but I woke up somewhere around 4:45. Again, oh well. That just means I will have plenty of time to eat breakfast! Yum.

I feel much better today, thank you for asking. I should have just gone to the pharmacy on Sunday when I started feeling sick.

Off to eat some coco-krispies!

-Dave

Great Start

After my adventures on saturday and saturday night, I found my way home, exhausted, and threw myself in bed. Unfortunately, life caught up with me. When I the cooing of the pigeons woke me up at 10:30 AM, I swallowed and realized that my throat had decided to die through the night. My head was pounding and just full of fluid. I did not leave my bed until 3:30 in the afternoon, at which point I decided that it was probably necessary to go to the bathroom. Lindsay came over and brought me Advil. The combo of pain killers and good company really helped me feel better.

This morning I woke up to the same feeling. I took some Advil and a really hot shower, and felt much better. Only once or twice during the day did I feel sick, i.e. I coughed and didn't eat any lunch because of a lack of appetite. I finalized my schedule/classes with Patrick (woohoo!) and then sat through one of the most boring lectures ever! "Blah blah blah Turkey blah EU blah blah Islamic birth rates."

Now I am home, and feeling oh so sick once again. I am not hungry, but I know I should eat something. Plus the idea of getting up, going to kitchen and preparing something seems so daunting right now.

Speaking from nearly two days of experience, I think it is easier to be sick in New York than in Paris. You can get anything you need whenever you want it in New York. So you want chicken noodle soup at 2 AM, because that is when your body decided to be hungry. No problem: there is the soup place on the corner, a grocery store one block west and a Duane Reade just up the street, all of which stay open. Here, at least in my neighborhood, the pharmacies close at 5 PM, the grocery stores at 6:00 or 6:30, and good luck finding feel good take out. The only place that I have found that offers take out in my neighborhood is McDonald's, which is 100% unappealing. Don't get me wrong, I am a good American, and I love McDonald's. However, I am not a fan of Parisian McDonald's. Yuck.

Oh well, those are my mucus-y ramblings. I should probably decide on something to eat.

-Dave

Super Tourists

Today, after making my daily trip to Monoprix, I met up with Lindsay and Nikki to be touristy for the day. The following are some pictures from our journey through l'Île de la Cîté and le Quartier Latin:

The Palace of Justice

And so we began our journy with the Pont Neuf

The left bank from l'Île de la Cîté

Notre Dame de Paris

The interior

The rose window of the south transept

I can't take credit for this. It was all Lindsay.

A delicious Croque-Monsieur

Lindsay heading into Shakespeare and Company

A random street in the Quartier Latin

A tower in the Quartier Latin

The central court at the Sorbonne

La Place de la Sorbonne

The Panthéon

The capital of the columns at the Panthéon

Total and complete blog failure

It has been ... 2, maybe 3 days now since I posted. I need to be more committed if this is actually going to work out. Let's rewind:

Thursday:

I woke up at my normal time, but elected to take the RER (Réseau Express Régional) which is basically the Parisian version of an express train. I had two problems though: 1) I had to cross Porte Maillot to get to the train station, which takes a LONG time, and 2) the RER trains run less frequently. So, with the time spent walking to the station and waiting for the train, the actual commute time comes out to be essentially the same.

After class, I ventured to Lindsay's apartment. Wow. That's all I have to say. Afterwards, we went and were super touristy in the Louvre courtyard. Fun fun. This is a picture of Lindsay "holding" one of I.M. Pei's pyramids.

A bunch of us signed up to go to an opera called The Fairy Queen, which is based off of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I must say that I was super impressed with the production! It really was great. The music was beautiful (very Baroque), there was dancing, the sets were exciting, the costumes were fantastic. Overall, A+.

Before hand, some of us met up to get some din-din, so we wouldn't starve in the theater. We wandered for a while, but everything was super expensive thanks to the great locale. We finally ended up at a place called "Un Ami de George" or something like that. I was a bit skeptical going in: it wasn't the nicest place. While the waiter was reading us the menu (there was no actual menu, just a chalkboard), I was giving directions to Georgina on how to get to us from the Métro. Thus, I didn't hear any of the menu. So when it came to be my turn to order, I told him that I wanted him to pick something, and that's what I would have.

He brought out what essentially looked like a French potpie. He sat it down, cut open the top, and inside was a stew-soup thing. That's when I asked "What is this exactly?" - it was turkey and 3 fish stew. Sounds pretty gross, right? NOPE! It was delicious! Everyone really enjoyed their meals, although a little too much. We were almost late for the opera. I got home at 1 AM, and just fell into bed.

Friday:

Class again. Afterwards, my new friend Cait (pronounced Cot, its Gaelic) and I went on a walking tour at the Opéra Garnier. For those that have seen Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, the Opéra Garnier is where the big 80's ball takes place. (One problem though: the Opéra Garnier is about 100 years after said party).

Anywho, it was gorgeous. Absolutely enchanting. It definitely put me in the mood for theater. This is a picture of the main staircase, a place to see and be seen.

Last night, I was absolutely exhausted. But I hauled myself out of bed, and went to a party's at Rob's apartment in the 17th, near Porte de Clichy. It was a nice place, although, very different from mine. I would venture to say that the building was built in the 1960s and that his apartment hadn't changed since the early 1980s. Someone summed it up by stating that it looked like "Miami Beach, Golden Girls." I'm glad I went, I had a good time. Somewhere around 12:45, I got really tired, and decided it was time to leave. When I got home, I was so happy to get in bed.

Saturday: Who knows what today holds?

Coffee Parisien

Yesterday evening, Taylor and Lindsay came over to accompany me to a café called "Coffee Parisien." We walk in, and there is no table, so we wait at the bar. Then Lindsay points out "The specials are in English!" We turn around, and a waitress comes by with a cheeseburger and milkshake. On the wall is a painting of the American flag. Playing on the radio were songs like Gangstas Paradise and YMCA. We had ended up in a Parisian rendition of an American diner.

I suggested we go down to the square to find a real café. But everything was closed! So we found ourselves back at "Coffee Parisien." Taylor got water, Lindsay a cappuccino, and I got a "Docteur Péppeur." We split an app of tortilla chips and guacamole.

Ironic isn't it? I live in a tourist-free zone, and the first restaurant I tried was American!

Well, it's raining, and I should probably get ready to head to class.

À dieu,

Dave

Un-cellphone-less

I have my cellphone back! Super! I feel much more at ease. Why are we so attached to these babies?

What else is new ... My rose bush has little buds. Its really cute.

Went to the University of Paris VII today. The building reminded me of highschool.

Taylor, Lindsay, and possibly Lauren, are coming over in a bit to go to a café around the corner. It's always packed with young Parisians. Well, I guess they're not Parisians; they are Neuilly-sur-Seine-ians.

It's cloudy again. Surprise. I can only see the middle of the Eiffel Tower, not the top.

I'm very proud of myself. I've been here for a week now, and I've only eaten at a restaurant once.

Well, that was a dry post. Sorry!