School's out. For. Ever.

 

Today, I teach from 4 to 6 p.m. & then have a week + Monday off. For most of my students, this is an extra long break–they've been unable to come to class due to public transportation strikes & "manifs" that cause traffic jams. I'm hoping after the break, the civil unrest will have slipped into the silent resignation I'm more accustomed to, and we'll move ahead with class plans.

Because of the break next week, my mind has already been running at half-speed. "Oh, I can just wait on it until next week," I find myself saying all too often. This does mean...
1. that the apartment is very clean;
2. I've listened to a lot of French radio;
3. I've hung out with French friends (yay, language skills!);
4. the pile of laundry is dying.

It also means that I've been able to give the blog some needed cleaning. I've been distressed by the lack of followers to the blog, because it is not really reflecting the lovely people that read the blog. I know that many of you have your own personal projects, and I would love to do more interactive posts featuring the wonderful things you're all working on.

A friend getting her own blog going finally brought to my attention that the "Follow" button was no longer on the blog. I know that there was a crisis a while back where the template got reset (equaling more time not doing homework & playing on the Internet than I care to admit). Apparently, I missed the glitch & never added it back on. So please, "Follow" the blog if you enjoy the posts & look for more ways to become a part of what happens on francofile.

In other blog news, Joe has had even more success publishing his poetry: Portland Review took one poem for their online journal & one poem for print. This has spurred Joe to finally get the blog we opened for him up & running. (I can't wait to attack the HTML on that bad boy. See? I'm insanely good at wasting time even before I get to my actual vacation.)

Since we've had a lot of living expenses this month... & since we've only had my paycheck this month... & since we're not sure when the next paycheck will plop into the accounts, we're not doing anything big for break. This is a bit out of the norm for my students who are heading to places like Nice, Paris, Amsterdam, Brittany & "home," where ever it happens to be for them.

I'm actually looking forward to a quiet week in Nancy after our weekend away at our landlord's house. We're going to see some of the Nancy museums, read a bunch & finish the remaining graduate school applications. I'm also going to attempt my first French desserts using only two hotplates, since I found a vegetarian substitute for gelatin (agar). If you're looking It opens up a whole world of possibilities!

There are also multiple issues of Brevity that I need to get caught up on. If you're looking for some really great nonfiction (all under 750 words) or wondering what kind of writing I'm trying to push myself toward, this is my favorite example. Creative nonfiction is a genre that's really reached it's Golden Age, & it's so much fun to see how many different worlds can be created without leaving "reality."

I've obviously already started my Break To-Do List & had too much coffee this morning.

The rest of the morning is set aside for entering test grades, reading student e-mails that explain which train they couldn't take to get to class & how much longer they expect it to be on strike* & continuing the laundry. I may even get back to doing yoga, since the mat slipped under the bed & has stayed there for two weeks. What I'm most excited about for today though is researching some statistics on French marriages. Last night I had this conversation, which is almost a daily occurance:

Student: Is it true you're married?
Megan: Yes. Why?
Student: [blank stare] Why?
Megan: Because we realized that we don't want to be without each other. Because we've been through a lot, & we were poised to do a lot, & the time was right. Because we wanted to.
Student: You're young, though.
Megan: Yeah. I know. We've heard that.
Student: I like your sweater.
Megan: It's my husbands. Reason enough to marry him.

*One student hasn't been able to come to classes since Oct. 12, which is very difficult since they only have classes once a week.