November 28th


I often read
Reading varied books
Books about IT
It is strange
Stranger than most
Most tastes flow
Flowing isn’t me
Me, I’m different
Different is good
Good is Dickens
Dickens has tales
Tale of Two Cities
Cities in history
History is fascinating
Fascinating stories written
Written by Dickens
Dickens’ novel of Oliver
Oliver Twist entertains
Entertaining is the ending
Ends with a Twist
Twist is Cinderella
Cinderella in rags
Rags to riches
Riches are better
Better than thieves
Thief isn’t Oliver
Oliver is kind
Kind isn’t Fagin
Fagin is a bastard
Bastard like Sykes
Sykes killed Nancy
Nancy tried escaping
Escape she couldn’t
Can’t erase history
History always repeats
Repetition is useful
Useful for memory
Memory is strong
Strength enables quotes
Quotes from books
Books are read
Reading I love
Love rereading Dickens. 

November 27th


Today was an awesome Tuesday. First awesome part was that I was allowed to miss class. I emailed my professor and she responded that it was fine. Sweet. Why was I missing class? Well Mama Duck, M. Hauchecorne, emailed me last week about how he was having interview sessions with some French students about studying abroad with the ISEP program aka in the States. He asked if I could join him and perform the English speaking area of the interviews. I asked my professor first and then promptly told Mama Duck that "I'd be happy to help" once I received my prof's a-ok. Well today is the day of the interviews! I found the room, after some help from Martine, and made myself comfortable. Mama Duck was soon to follow, he was a little delayed due to his daughter being sick. The first interview went wonderfully; the girl was just fantastic. She had exceptional confidence and had experience living away from home, even in a foreign country. Both Mama Duck and I approved of her. The other interview candidates were not as strong as her, good thing too. Out of seventeen options we had to pick seven. Talk about pressure! Hey this wasn't in the email, Mama Duck tricked me. Oh well, it was interesting to see what ideas of the States these kids had. One girl wanted to study in Mississippi. I was more than shocked about that choice. She didn't seem to grasp that although yes the culture is very different there than other "typical" areas of the States, the accent is near inaudible. Another girl loved to dance and had her heart set on L.A., her backup plan was New York. I had a lot of fun doing the interviews, it was neat to work with Mama Duck that way. Actually I learned that Mama Duck does not like the word "cake". I have no idea why but to him it sounds very harsh and not tasty. Guess the cake really is a lie, least to him. After the interviews I chilled at the library until it was time to leave for the Racadot residence. This session went well, but there was a surprise at the end. I had brought my camera and was able to take some pictures of my adorable tutor children. Something else that happened today was Lycamobile. Oh how I laugh and shake my head. Lycamobile is my cellphone service provider. I currently have no credits on my phone, zip, so I am unable to communicate with anyone. It is very one-sided I must say. Mary, audience says, why can't you just buy more credit? Well I've tried, I really have. Every time I try to buy credit online, or today over the phone, my card doesn't go through. Mary, audience says, why not use another card? Does using four different cards, different providers by the way, count as using more than one? Aight Mary, audience says, surely you can have your parents try with one of their cards. Tried it, their cards were blocked too. On the phone the woman was shocked that all of my cards were blocked, even the French one. I finally figured out why as well. The genius that I am realized that every time I try to buy credit, the website redirects me to verified by visa, master card secure card, or LCL online security. The redirection depends on which card I am trying. Well, once I am redirected a blank screen stares and me before telling me that my payment did not go through. What's the problem here? The fucking redirection keeps blocking my cards and nulls the transaction. I swear I am going to kill whoever started this process. By the way, I tried to register a card on Verified by Visa, sorry I didn't try all of them but I'm a bit suspicious of these types of "security" websites, and it rejected it. The site said that it "could not accept this card" or something along those lines. I really was hoping that I would be able to "Top-up" over the phone too. Guess it wasn't meant to be that way. My last shot is to find a tabac that sells Lycamobile minutes. Great, another wild goose chase of an adventure. Whatever, it is time for bed. Fingers crossed for a more relaxing Wednesday.

November 26th


Le Havre has a lot of construction going on. Some examples are the tram tracks, St. Nicolas residence, and a bridge near Les Docks. This bridge is very important because it has the potential to cut an extra five-eight minutes off our walking route to school. Sadly it was not completed for a long time, until now. Finally I have an easier route to school! I honestly hated walking all the way around the docks, it's very empty and there's usually a lot of dog crap. Now my path is nice and shit free. Also it goes right by the station meaning if I want a little snack I can easily drop in and grab a bite. Class was odd today. This was the Monday when I was supposed to do my presentation on the differences between French and American film. However, I wasn't able to do it. I was going to go last, but Kate wanted to do hers. I was a bit shocked when she went to the front of the room, I even said, "Kate what's going on?" She told me that it was fine and gave her presentation on British and French cuisine. She was able to convince most of the class, especially M. Martel, that haggis was a creature with four legs, one that is shorter than the others, that runs around the hills of Scotland. Joy to ignorance. It's alright that I didn't go, I'll just be the first one next week. I hope I don't lose my nerve, giving speeches isn't exactly my strong point. The French aspect doesn't help either. Oh well, like Mrs. Bennet I have poor tired nerves. Have you all no respect for them?

November 25th


Two movies in one day again? Hell yeah audience! Kate and I had an encore of Singin' in the Rain, why not? The movie is even better a second time primarily because we know more of the songs. Also you tend to pick up on secondary characters more as well, for instance Zelda. She is a jealous actress, literally that's her role. I hate it when the name Zelda is used that way. Zelda should always be used in a proper princess or dignified setting. For example Sabrina's aunt Zelda is a classy witch with strong education and common sense. The Zelda from Singin' in the Rain is a dimwitted actress. Meh, why screenwriters why? The name Zelda has a lot of weight, especially since 1985. Couldn't you have foreseen this in the past? Oh well, worse things have happened in history besides a bratty character being named Zelda. The next movie was a Marilyn classic, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I really enjoyed this one, though I often enjoy Marilyn flicks. The character of Piggy was a bit too old-fashioned for me, I'm just not into the sugar daddy persona. Besides him the characters were a smash. My favorite, besides Marilyn, was her best friend Dorthy Shaw. This girl was sassy and more interested in true love rather than money. I agree with that statement, money isn't everything. Although I also agree with Marilyn, diamonds are a girl's best friend. Well for me it's emeralds, more suited for a Taurus, but precious gems do have a charm to them. Movie nights, they really bring out the strangest sides of me. Time for bed though, tomorrow brings a Monday.

November 24th


Guess what audience? Hmmm, you're answer is "what?", well that's not an answer that's a question, I'd rather not play the question game, aight? Ha ha contradictions. Right, now guess what I did today? I went ice skating with my friends and it was kickin'! These mysterious people whom I call "friends" were Kate and Demetrius. We met at the town center and took the funicular or Funi up the Cliffside of Le Havre. Ok it's more of a giant hill, but cliff is a more badass word. From there we walked in the rain, I walked under an umbrella, to the ice rink. Demetrius was convinced that we were lost even though we were on the correct road. He insisted on asking a random woman on the street. I'm smug to say that she ran away from him. Demetrius you are a random dude and random dudes are scary to girls thus she ran away when you approached her. We found the ice rink perfectly fine and through the use of a map. Take that Demetrius, who needs local help? Once there it was hilarious and wonderful all in one. Kate hasn't skated much before so she was pretty nervous. Actually she hugged the wall for a good twenty minutes before switching to a small training rail. I would take her hand and skate with her in order to help kill the fear of falling. Fortunately I was the first one to fall and fortunately for my pride it was not my fault. I was standing on the ice nearish, about seven feet, to the wall of the rink waiting for Kate when two young boys crashed into me. Actually it was pretty comical since we all fell to ice in unison. My first reaction was to help the boys up, I even asked in English "Are you ok?" They seemed shocked that I wasn't yelling at them. Hey, they're kids and just lost control of their speed. It happens. Unfortunately I was injured slightly more than I initially realized. My right wrist had landed on either the ice or one of the kid's skates, regardless it was deeply bruised. Ah internal bleeding, charming. Better me than Kate. She actually did wonderfully and was able to skate in the open rink after a little while. Demetrius and I were so proud of her. Once we had skated for about two hours we decided it was time for a hot chocolate break. In the rink cafe we found out that there was going to be a hockey game around six. Since my Blackhawks aren't allowed to play in the locked out NHL, I was down for watching some stick action. I have been deprived of the beautiful violence that is hockey. There aren't many sports where it is legal to smash someone into a wall and where brawls are an expected part of play. Kate had never really seen hockey before and Demetrius was interested. Thus, the three of us stayed for some hockey, French style. It was satisfying for sure. Sadly our team lost 2-4 in the third period, but they played well throughout the game. Of course if I was their coach they'd be way more aggressive and have better stick control, but not everyone is blessed like the Blackhawks to have coach MareBear Scale on their side. The game was a pleasant surprise to an already pleasant day. Next time, we will crush our opponents with HAC glory.

November 23rd


What do you do on a lazy Friday spent in the library? Well you go to the docks afterwards for pizza of course! I am so glad that margarita pizzas exist here because not only are they my favorite but they are also made with mozzarella cheese. Delicious melted mozzarella how I have missed and longed for you. Screw "gruyère", it blows in comparison. Kate and I, Paula is currently in London for a short vacation, enjoyed the Italian dishes at the local pizzeria in the Docks. Well, Kate sorta enjoyed her dish. She had a salad, trying to ease into the no gluten diet, and it unfortunately came with green peppers on it. I love green peppers, Kate does not. She was able to eat it though, after she scraped the peppers to the side. Once dinner was finished we were supposed to go home, but we decided to see a movie instead. At the movie theaters. In French. Oh my gosh! Ha, well the film we picked was not especially difficult since it was the latest Astérix and Obélix live action installment. All in all, it was pretty good. Completely cheesy and very stereotypical on its interpretation of the British, but somehow it had a charm to it. Though, Kate and I tended to laugh a lot more than the rest of the audience. I suppose we just couldn't believe how stereotyped the British characters were. The obsession with tea and the inedible food were only  part of the icing. Still, we laughed and enjoyed ourselves. Yay, I finally saw a French film in a French theater in French! That's three for three. We then returned home, but the movies did not stop there. They stopped for Kate, but not for yours truly. You see audience, I love Hitchcock films especially the psychological thrillers. Thus why I rented Psycho from the public library. Kate refused to watch it with me and I consented, after all horror is not for everyone. But, that did not stop me from watching it. Actually I created the perfect setting too; all the lights were off, a lone candle was lite, and I was cuddled under my blanket. Perfect for thrillers. I must say, I loved the film. Anthony Perkins did an amazing job as Norman Bates. Although the film is old, I still became completely absorbed in it. The all string orchestra, the mis-en-scene, the shower montage, just everything blended perfectly into an amazing movie experience. Hitchcock, you did well once more. Anyone up for The Birds or Rear Window?

November 22nd


It's turkey day!!! Though not really. Today I celebrated Thanksgiving by giving thanks for my friends; they've always been there for me and had trust in me for which I am thankful. How was that Linus? Pretty sure that grants me sincerity, even though I don't have a pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin. My dinner was sadly turkey free, but at least it wasn't cold cereal, toast, popcorn, and jelly beans. How I love the Peanuts. No, I had spaghetti with homemade garlic bread and green pepper slices. Kate and I decided to make it a movie night as well. Tonight's feature was "Singin in the Rain". Moses supposes he know-is his toes-is but Moses supposes erroneously, best song ever. After the movie my family called my phone, I'm currently out of credits, so that I could speak with my godparents and my godsister. Unfortunately the call was dropped, due to unknown reasons, and I was only able to speak/listen to everyone for about fifteen minutes. Darn it. Sadly they didn't call back, remember I couldn't call them since I creditless, so my holiday ended on a rather blank note. Oh well, I'm thankful for having a good time anyhow. Besides, I'll see everyone at Christmas and that is right around the corner. Happy 2012 Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble.

November 21st

I have finally risen. After one hundred years of deep sleep the spell has been broken! Who is the knight that has rescued me from my sleep? Surely he is fair and noble. Ah it is Brendon Urie, there could be no else. What's this? He has a bouquet of beautiful blue tulips for me. It looks as though they are bleeding and his tie seems to be an upside down raven. Makes sense! Plus there are hamburgers everywhere. Hold up, these hamburgers don't have pickles on them. What kind of hell have I woken up to? Oh crap, I fell out of bed again. Now I am awake. Time for medieval history class, joy. After my famous thirty minute prep montage I arrived on campus ready for class, sorta. Today there were just speeches, no lecture whatsoever. It was as if my eyelids weighed fifteen pounds each; keeping them open was more than just a struggle for me. Crap! Gotta stay awake and listen to French students mumble about old medieval poetry and its significance in history. Or, I could space out? Hmmm that seems to be the practical option. Yes let's space out. Ok what to think about. Hmmm what do I want to eat when I go back to the States? Friday's and BWW's definitely. Also have to have some spinach. Oh and hobo wine and cheese with a slurpee cup of ice water. Sweet. And for breakfast some poptarts and maybe a banana strawberry smoothie. God is it me or does medieval history always make me hungry? Damn, the kid wrote something on the board. Ok time to decipher his handwriting. Is that an "a" or an "r"? What is that word? Why can't any of them use power points! Times New Roman and Ariel were made for this problem. Screw it, probably a name or something. Back to food. Actually food thoughts make me hungry, who would've guessed? How about Skyrim thoughts? Heh yes. That new DLC is coming out and will only be available for x-box for at least a month. It's times like these I'm happy that 360 is my Skyrim system; sure the graphics are crap compared to PS3 and PC, but it does mean that I am able to have the DLCs first. Totally worth it. What? Oh class is over. Nice.

November 20th


The Next Day...

I finished the essay on time, but didn't sleep at all. Ok that's a slight lie since I had a thirty minute power nap at 2 a.m., but after that no sleep. It was familiar but insane. I became so frustrated with writing that I actually did some laundry at four in the morning. It was nice that no one else was there to use the washing machine, but it was still crazy. Well I felt like a champ when I entered that classroom and slapped my paper on my teacher's desk. I then prepared to do a Rocky pose and screamed, "yeah!!!!" at the top of my lungs. In reality I quietly handed my teacher my paper and slid into my desk. It was when class started that I noticed the world seemed different. Oh boy, here comes the real insanity. Laughter is supposed to be the best medicine, not when it's manic laughter that causes everyone to think that you're tripping on acid. Is it bad that music doesn’t stop playing in my head? No that's normal. So is smiling, smiling is very normal. So normal that when I do it all the time no one will even noticed that I'm there. Huh, my teacher looks like a coffee bean. A coffee bean with pilgrim shoes. And my left arm has a frog on it. OMG how could I have not noticed this before? Those freckles are totally its eyes and that skin is his body. Hey there mister frog, no wait. You're not a frog...you're a bulbasaur! Only your bulb is underneath your belly. Hmmm a bulbunsaur! Ha ha the world is so funny this way. Wait, I have to stay awake until seven thirty or whenever I return home? That's nothing it i-s d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y n-o-t   s -l -o -w -i -n -g   d - o - w - n...crap. Stay awake Mary. Happy thoughts, just happy thoughts. Alexis good thing that you are so adorable. I'll read you this storybook because you are so cute. I want a nap, an eternal hibernation from this world. Finished, bus, home, shoes, bed. Why hello Blackhawks blanket, you sure look dapper today. I'm going to snuggle under you and just...close...my...zzzzz.