So Friday. Along with the rest of the world I was obviously horrified and sickened and saddened by the news I started picking up online around five o'clock.  I went over to the woman for whom I work on Fridays and said "have you seen the news? Do you know what's going on in Paris?" We both started monitoring news web sites. I remember when just 66 ( Read more... )

Had kind of an awesome experience last night. I ran into one of my neighbors in the lobby-we’d chatted before at a building Halloween get-together. She and her husband are from Ukraine (I think, based on how they were talking, they are Russian-Ukrainian) and they were intrigued by my interest in and knowledge of Russian history. She invited me ( Read more... )

I saw Les Miz over Christmas with my Mom. I am not a huge fan of the musical, for a variety of reasons, but I'd seen the trailers and it looked very impressive. I came away thinking--the performances, for the most part, were terrific. The direction was decent (I do wish there'd been some more wide shots--the one of the rectory on the mount was ( Read more... )

Sports!  I had a softball tournament plus two soccer games.  The tournament was the annual one for the alumni league-- I played in it last year for the Duke team.  It was way the hell out in Red Hook again which I frankly find infuriating--Red Hook is a huge pain in the ass to get to (no direct subway line--you either take the bus or walk to get to ( Read more... )

I'm getting an iPad!  My stepmother bought a new one so she's giving me her old one--it's first generation but I WILL TAKE IT.  So, so excited!  Now I can read LOTS of books on the train and they won't be heavy, and I can read the newspaper and it won't get ink all over my fingers and I can play games and create lovely pictures--YAAAAAAAY.

Also, I ( Read more... )

So my soccer team won our quarterfinal on Sunday--and I actually played! This was moderately thrilling because although my leg seemed to be getting better last week, I twisted it AGAIN on Saturday and thought for sure I would be unfit to play. But one of the girls came out and Alyssa (teammate) urged me "just go in" and I did and I played GREAT ( Read more... )

Alors, hier soir Elizabeth et Andy ont venir a ma maison (actuellement, mon appartement) et nous avons parler en français autant que possible. C'était tres interessant--je comprends plus français que je crois. J'étais pouvoir sequitur la pluspart de la conversation d'Andy, meme pendant l'histoire de les tres petits cochons. (Par example: "Le Grand ( Read more... )

Anya avait un ami qui habite en France--it vient de Paris et il s'appelle Arno.  Il visite les Etats-Unis ce semaine et hier, il arrivé a notre apartment et j'ai lui rencontrer.  C'était une chance idéale pour moi de practicer my français conversationale, et j'ai faire mieux que j'ai anticipate.  Et maintenant je voudrais étudier ma français plus ( Read more... )

Je parle ( Read more... )

Since returning from Italy (full pictures and rundown later), I've been inspired to pick up my French studies again. I took French for 8 years--7th grade through sophomore year in college, and although I was pretty bored by it by then, I'd achieved a certain level of competence. I tried to learn what Italian I could before I went over there, and ( Read more... )