October 20th

Today was also not my day. Actually there are two reasons why it wasn't; The first half was a massive struggle and the second half was Spanish Paula's birthday. So yeah, not my day. I woke up around ten thirty and sighed. Yesterday's misfortunes were still a fresh coat of paint in my mind. But, that was yesterday. This day was the trip to Rouen and then Paula's surprise party. Well it should've been a trip to Rouen. Apparently, while I was passed out last night, Kate and Paula had decided to change the departure time for Rouen. Aka they made it earlier. Since I was asleep, I was not informed. So when they rang my bell at eleven twenty, all ready to go, I felt both surprise and somber disappointment. I was in no state to leave, shower was a mandatory need, and told them to go without me. That feeling sucked. I could see how awkward it was for them, I mean they weren't expecting the crypt keeper of Tales from the Crypt to greet them. Well shit. What was I to do with all this new found time? Fix myself up. One good thing about breaking down the day before, it made me not want to sulk. Feeling pathetic, literally feeling as though the world pities you, ticks me off. My response is to always prove them, in reality myself, wrong. So I showered, groomed my hair, slapped on some killer eyeliner, and the hit the docks for window shopping. I know, so dramatic of me. It turned out really well. I nabbed a cute top from one of the clothing boutiques and a very much wanted book from Le Plein Ciel. I don't say this often, typically when I do I'm being a smart aleck, but I'm a writer. Over the summer I became very interested in the Beatnik generation and began to work on a story in that setting. The plot is cliché and simple, tragic love story, but the setting is fascinating. I was inspired by a book about Beatniks while listening to the "Some Nights" album by Fun. in O’Hare airport. I know, such an exciting creation story. Anyways, the point is I am still researching the Beat generation, especially the cultural details. Thus when I found "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac in the "Livres en Anglais" section of the book store, I bought it without hesitation. That was the first half of the day, the struggle over and solved. The second half was a lot of fun. A bunch of us, the international students, greeted Spanish Paula at her door with a giant "Happy Birthday". We then brought in a collection of goodies, including a small cake, and had a small party in her dorm room. She was really stoked and thanked all of us over and over. I found out that she was turning twenty, such a youngling, and casually told her congratulations. She asked for what? I replied, "Paula you're not a teenager anymore. You beat teen pregnancy." Fortunately she found it funny, so I still have friends. Even though it wasn't in my favor, this day turned out alright