i couldn't quite perfect that nonchalance; paris and champagne with one brown sugar cube

shout out to ilam and ashu for being amazing, delightful people :)

wednesday: woke up, got ready, caught a train for montpellier. everything went oh so smoothly. i didn't have to wait long for anything, it was as if the world was on my time. met up with jules and headed straight for diagonal, the theater that plays all its films in vo (version originale) which means that harry potter was playing in english!!!! i had missed the 4:15 showing so i bought a ticket for the 9pm one. and i had all day to get very excited about it. jules is not a harry potter fan. to each his own but i am still incredulous whenever i meet a non-fan.

headed back to jules' place and talked and chilled (literally, the weather was ridiculously cold). i texted the few acquaintances i knew in the city to see if anyone happened to be free to watch the movie with me. antoine, a juggling aficionado we met in the park a week ago, agreed to keep me company. there was actually a line outside the theater when we got there! and i hear a lot of people speaking english in various accents but i was too excited to pay attention.

the movie was SO good. and i am so glad they stuck to the book so well. overall it was a very satisfactory viewing experience. i can not wait for the next one to come out. and i already want to watch this one again.

thursday: the next morning, i made sure to make it to my meeting at the ofii early. i waited forever anyway. it was for a medical exam, but i didn't know what that entailed. all it was, was a lung x-ray. the nurse who directed me through the whole thing was nice but in a great hurry. the little booth thing was freezing. and it was a considerably awkward position they wanted me in to snap the photo. it was over quick but that was followed by over an hour of more waiting. all to be called into another room to be told that they forgot to print my card. the lady (who's last name was lion, irrelevant) told me that it could take anywhere from up to 3 days to a week for them to get it processed. and so i had come all the way, paying a total of 17 euro for my return train fare, for essentially nothing other than to push my boobs up to a freezing plate in a tiny booth and carry around proof of my impeccable lungs. i wasn't that upset actually. it was an excuse to watch harry potter!

so i caught a train back and when i was almost at beziers, i got a phone call telling me that my card was ready! great. so i told the lady that i'd be back next week to collect it. but seriously, why?

friday: i woke up and went to the market to buy veggies for the weekend. i came home and made guacamole and garlic butter with parsley to take to a thanksgiving dinner party hosted by elaine in beziers. i caught a bus a little hectically, forgetting my toothbrush, but i made good time. the weather was below 2 degrees outside! i picked up tortilla chips and a loaf of bread for the guac and garlic bread and walked to elaine's to help prep.

she had a turkey going and there was cranberry sauce (oceanside, her mom had sent it to her!) and sweet potatoes, and mashed potatoes, and stuffing, and green bean casserole and for dessert... pumpkin pie! people had brought over a lot of food and we were a huge group. all the people from the mexican dinner plus 3 more americans- 2 assistants and a professional volleyball player from san jose. it really is a small world.

dinner took 4 hours to eat and it was so so delicious. elaine and diane had made the pumpkin pie from scratch and it turned out perfect. it has motivated me to try it myself. but the pumpkin in my fridge is for tomorrow's green curry.

it was great talking to all the other assistants and sharing horror stories. i really had a lot to be grateful for, my experience here has been a delight compared to others'. as the night ended, and people trickled out carrying their sleeping or crying children, i felt overwhelmingly content. i really like being in a full, noisy place sometimes. and nothing beats good food and excellent company.

saturday: i spent the night and caught the noon bus back to serignan. i wanted to do a load of laundry but i couldn't get the garage door open. which sucks since gladys and jean pierre have gone to visit grand kids for the weekend and i still have other clothes drying in there.

all i've eaten today is leftovers from last night's dinner. and lots of clementines. i do not have any vitamin c with me, just multi-vitamins. so throwing off this sore throat will have to be done organically haha.

and now i must go wash my hair.

craving: some more of last night's sweet potatoes
currently listening to: paris nights / new york mornings- corinne bailey rae