lil' shortie

today i'm sick. BLAAAH! yesterday, too, but i couldn't go to the pharmacy because almost EVERYTHING is closed on sundays or closes before i venture out into the world. i almost never get sick *knocks on wood*. i think it's just a head cold, ya know, sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezy, etc. but yesterday i had a little chest pain and today i feel a bit achy, warm and tired because i didn't sleep well last night. it's kinda hard to breathe through a stuffy nose and a sore throat, ya know? don't worry, though - i went to the pharmacy FIRST THING this morning and they gave me an armful of sprays, drops, tablets, lozenges and other goodies. i'm starting to feel a little better already and my appetite is back. finna heat some of these bad mothers up for lunch:

they're called 'pommes duchesse' and i got them from the frozen food store, picard. yes, there is a store here for JUST frozen foods. i love it! they taste like french fries on the outside and mashed potatoes on the inside. oh my YUM! gonna have some soup, too.

on friday, my roommate megan was kind enough to offer me an extra ticket to a viewing of tod browning's 'dracula' that she was taking some of her english students to see. the film was shown at a performance theatre as part of normandy's music, dance and theatre festival in autumn. they played the movie in its original english form but the theatre had also set up 2 monitors on either side of the stage which displayed the french subtitles so the rest of the audience could follow along. THEN, they had a small musical ensemble on stage who played the original score of the movie live throughout the whole thing. it was really cool! the movie was good, but in terms of classic horror films, i think the 1931 'frankenstein' is still my favorite. i was even the bride of frankenstein for halloween in 8th grade and won a prize in the costume contest at school...c'mon, let me have something!

thanks(?) to the private lessons i've been giving each week, i was able to join a gym here (sorry, eliot!). it's right by my apt. and has exercise and weight machines, free classes, a pool, a jacuzzi, a sauna, a steam room, a tanning bed (extra) and really killer techno beats playing during operation hours (freeeee!). so far i've only gone once (my membership started yesterday!) but i hope to get my butt over to the gym as much as my schedule will allow. i think it's going to be a good way to quit smoking and to balance all the delicious food i've been shamelessly enjoying! also, i think it'll be a good stress reliever because we all know how stressed out i was before leaving. it's definitely not as good as depaul's gym but it ain't bad! each week i'll post a photo of my abs to show you my progress. except that i'm busy this week. and i think i'm going to be busy next week, too. probably the week after that as well...

welp, c'est tout pour aujourd'hui. à la prochaine fois! -Lauryn

better days.