I feel lighter.

Yesterday I had my hair trimmed at Jeanny. M. Here are some things I said to Jeanny.

I have too much hair. I need to mince it.

Pointing at my bangs, Maybe more of this.

Yes, I saw the Chinese New Year parade. I was happy to see it. Celebrations in Texas are not like this. Well, because the president Bush comes from Texas.

Pointing at my bangs, I prefer round.

When I shampoo, I lose a lot of hair.

I may come back soon, to cut my hair short. I leave my hair long because I think men like long hair, but I've had enough!

What is your first name?

Self-portrait

This is my first video, Restez en contact (Keep in Touch), for Luciano Rigolini's class.

Things to remember, in Paris

4. An afternoon snack should not consist of two pastries, such as a tarte tatin followed shortly by an éclair. Just because your friend is going to the pâtisserie does not mean you need her to bring you back something.

Picard is the coolest!

After the trip, needless to say, I was excited to see Candy (the washing machine). But before I could say "faire la lessive" she died, and she took the power with her! I looked out the kitchen window to see if my neighbors had power; they did. Luckily, J assumed his gender role and flipped a switch that brought the power back. Since then, our landlady and her husband have come by, only to declare that Candy is, in fact, dead. And she will be replaced, in a week.

Maybe you're wondering about my laundry? A large part of Friday afternoon was spent at the laundromat up the street and its neighboring establishments. And how much did that cost? 3,50€ per load, and 0,50€ for five minutes of drying. Which cost me a total of 9€. And that doesn't include my visit to Picard, conveniently situated two doors down. If you like the freezer aisle, you'll like Picard. It is one big freezer aisle with everything you could want! Maybe you're thinking, "Frozen food? No, thank you." Well, see, you're wrong. The food is good! And if you're the kind of person who burns popcorn, each package has a small picture of a microwave, and/or an oven, and/or a pan, and how long you should nuke it, bake it, fry it.

On est toujours mieux chez soi

According to my favorite online English-French/French-English dictionary, "home sweet home" translates to on est toujours mieux chez soi. It doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

Anyhow, I'm glad to be back in Paris after a six-day study trip. I'm no good at summarizing such trips, so I'll describe each city in three words, and then you can have a look at my photos on Flickr. Pictured above is a canelé, a specialty of Bordeaux.

Lyon
forgettable, forgettable, forgettable

Eveux-sur-Arbresle
crisp, eerie, peaceful

Marseille
bouillabaisse, croutons, rouille

Bordeaux
fog, freezing, tramway