I couldn't sleep last night so I was less than thrilled to be awake this morning. I had just turned on my laptop and put my water in the microwave when I heard this really weird noise. I thought that it was some kind of weird fire truck outside until I realized that it was actually the fire alarm. I assumed that the building must be on fire so I opened my door to see if there was any panic. There were no flashing lights like I'm used to, but the noise was even louder than better. I tied my hair up (i still looked like a hot mess), turned off the microwave, grabbed my coat and scarf, threw on some sweatpants, and somehow managed to find my boat shoes while also grabbing two different boots before I ran outside. I was in that weird, half awake panic that sets in when you're pressured to do something right after you wake up.
I went to the hallway and Francisco and two other kids were standing out there. I asked them if we should go downstairs and they said yes. One of the kids standing there was the same girl who had woken me up weeks ago at when she was on skype in the hallway. She's just a bad person. Before her snotty comment "it's actually not 6am, it's 7:15"; suck it. Today she was self-centered and whining about how she had an interview to go to and that she didn't have time for this. I wanted to strangle her. Later I saw her at Accent before the 8:30 classes started and again at 1ish so I'm not sure what interview she was talking about. She even made sure to tell everyone that her alarm was going off when we were downstairs. Having to be in the same hemisphere as that girl really made the fire drill worse.
What also made it worse was taking the six flights of spiral stairs down to the ground floor. I was dizzy by the time we got down there. Kate and two other people I had never seen before were all dressed and smiley; bastards knew this was going to happen to us. They crowded us all into the first doorway (the one right after you open the outside door but before go through the second door to the rest of the floor) and told us to wait. Fewer than 30 people came downstairs. After the alarm went off about five minute later, we filed out while Kate counted us. I was not in a good mood.
I took the elevator back upstairs and rushed to get myself together. I also had to leave five minutes early to print my french composition and it was already about 7:40ish. I made my peanut butter and honey (i'm out of peanut butter. what am i going to do?!) and finished my coffee and had breakfast while I got ready. I threw on a sweater and leggings with just enough time to run out the door. I rushed to school with just enough time time to print my composition only to find the internet wasn't working. I moved to another computer that thankfully worked. I printed the composition and ran upstairs.
Class started about 8:40 and somehow the topic of the dictation came up. My professor had told us a different page number than the dictation was actually on in her email last night. I was only able to find the right page by looking at the page heading that she sent us. It turns out that a few other students have done the same thing and were fine. My professor really freaked out about this and had us open our books so that one of the students could read it to us. When I heard her reading the first paragraph, I immediately raised my hand. She told us last night that the dictation would be the second paragraph. I told her this when she called on me and then she had the second paragraph read. She then decided to stick to the second paragraph. The second paragraph was read by another student and then she gave us five minutes to study the dictation before the quiz started.
The quiz went terribly so we can just skip except for one little thing. We had to name 15 parts of the body so, of course, there was a drawing of a man with arrows pointing to the different parts. Another student had asked where some arrows were going to so my professor wrote some instructions on the board. I then got confused about what I had written so I went up to ask her a question. Her response was "that arrow is pointing to the back, but if you want to label something else just move the arrow." I have the best french professor ever. The back is "le dos" by the way....
After the brutal quiz, we took a break and then watched more of "Entre Les Murs". Blah. Blah. Blah.
After French I literally ran home as to avoid the mass of other students walked behind me. I came upstairs, put on some "wine and bubble", and made myself a cup of sweet coffee (don't forget the milk). I then settled in to edit my histories monument paper. Since it's a holiday, I took the day off except for that one bit of work. The paper is okay, but still not fantastic. I finished my editing for the day and then started watching some People's Court before pop. I left the house eight minutes early because I wanted to pay for, and print, my cruise on the Seine this weekend. Also, the Accent center had a thanksgiving luncheon for us so I wanted to grab some food.
I got to Accent and the lounge was packed. I made my way to a computer but had to stand and use the keyboard sideways because people had put their coats on the desk. I tried to pay for the cruise but my card got declined...again. I gave that dream up and went to read against the wall while I waited for my class to start. When class was supposed to start, I wandered over to the door but the other class was still there. I put my stuff onto a desk and went to get some food. Earlier in the day, I had seen Coraline and Adrian putting out sodas on the windowsill to chill before lunch. I saw the sodas as well as roasted chicken wings, baby potatoes, potato chips, and salad. I got some potatoes and went back to where I had left my stuff. The potatoes were delicious. They were peeled, new potatoes that were covered in this turkey gravy sauce. To die for. I even went back to get a second helping.
Today we talked about EDM in pop. It was no "wine and bubble", but I did like our discussion about the production aspects and rave culture. The music selection was terrible though.
After class I started walking home when I remembered that I had no bread for my thanksgiving dinner! I went to the boulangerie and looked at my options. I wanted a tarte tatin because it's still on the list but one was nowhere to be found. I instead picked out the same Normandie cake I had the other weekend with Caroline. I also asked for a baguette but changed my mind when I saw an olive role sitting on the counter. I got it all for 3,10. Score.
I came home to do nothing until it was time to cook dinner. It was so nice to not feel such pressure to be doing schoolwork on the time. I needed a day to totally lounge and not think about school. I think that's what holidays are for. I finished up my people's court and then finished my movie on netflix called "free birds". It's about turkeys that go back in time to stop the first thanksgiving from happening so that turkeys will no longer be on the menu. I thought it was a perfect choice considering the holiday. I finished that and then messed around for awhile before starting my dinner at about four.
I started by chopping the onions and celery for my stuffing. Then I cooked the sausage. That was the hardest part of the whole dinner. I kept cooking and cooking the sausage but it was still a pink color. I finally took it out of the pan and decided to cook the vegetables. After awhile I put the sausage back in the pan and continued to cook it. It still didn't look cooked, but I tried a piece and it tasted dry and overcooked. Damn French sausage. While dealing with the sausage, I boiled my green beans. Then I finished the stuffing according to the package directions. My mom had sent me cornbread stuffing mix that was a stovetop variety so all I had to do was coil some chicken broth (ohmygod that's why my stuffing turned out really salty. the recipe calls for water for a reason!!) with 1/4 cup of butter (I don't have measuring cups so I guessed) and then I stirred in the mix, added my sausage and vegetables with garlic and poultry seasoning mom sent me, and covered it with a plate. It looked and tasted like stuffing at home.
Then I turned my attention to the green bean casserole. I chose not the go through the trouble of baking it this year. I just mixed the mushroom soup mom sent me with milk and tons of garlic, emmental cheese, and the rest of the fried onions that I managed not to eat already. The green beans were crunchier than they normally are at home, but it tasted pretty much like the one at home. I was already at almost two hours of cooking at this point (!). I then turned my attention to my mashed potatoes. Mom sent me two packages of instant mashed potatoes. I chose the butter homestyle ones. Instead of following the directions, I used the evaporated milk mom sent me and then substituted the rest with water. I also put in like three tablespoons of butter. They were freaking delicious. The last few things were the gravy and the mac and cheese.
Just as I had put the gravy on the stove (another packet mom sent me), I got an email from mom so that we could skype. She called and we started talking while I finished the gravy (by the way, I used the evaporated milk can to measure since I don't have measuring cups) and then turned my attention to making the fancy mac n cheese dinner packet she sent me. That didn't turn out amazingly (too...salty processed cheese?). Mom and I chatted while I made my holiday cocktail (orangina and cranberry juice) and then made my plate. She was at home cooking thanksgiving for herself and Matthew; dad had to work. It was so nice to be there while she was cooking. While I was still eating dinner, Matthew came home! He has grown the worst beard. He really needs to shave. It was so nice to see him after all of these months.
Happy Thanksgiving! I have tons of leftovers
I ate my dinner and then turned to dessert while mom and I chatted about our past few days. Matthew took me to see my room (mom is washing my sheets!) in between making me jealous by eating popeye's, coldstone, and pecan pie. Rat. It was nice to argue with him like I was physically there in the states. It felt like I never left. While arguing with Matthew, I watched mom cook and she asked me to give her cooking advice. She showed me the béchamel (it was really yellow due to her use of irish butter) and I told her to stop using so much of it on the first layer. She was getting out of control. She asked how she should season the roasted chicken breasts with the fresh herbs she bought (they had chicken instead of turkey this year) and if she should put maple syrup on the candied yams. I yelled at her for not buying cranberries for cranberry sauce and advised her on how to make my special holiday cocktail. It was so nice to be home for the holidays. It was like I had never left. Like I was still right there in the kitchen with my mom. I needed to go home for a bit. We skyped for four hours until mom caught me yawning and sent me to bed. She can still mother me from thousands of miles away.
She's right. I'm exhausted. Right before coming to see you, I remembered that I didn't eat my chocolate turkey! I unwrapped it from its colorful foil and took a ceremonial bite out of it's tail. I didn't realize that mom bought me a see's candy turkey! C'est très cher! While writing to you, I finished off my olive roll. It was huge and the interior was so soft while the outside was perfectly chewy and the olives were perfectly salty. So good. I might be too tired, full, and warm to even watch tv before bed.
This has been the best holiday ever.
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