bonne annee

wow, has it really been a month since I last posted on this thing? I knew I'd been slacking, but I didn't realize it had gotten quite that bad...

...anyway, I am alive and back from Paris and sitting at my desk at work. there is a strange feeling of comfort and disappointment at the fact that all I hear is English being spoken around me (and very American English at that). I won't lie, though, it's nice to take a hot shower with a full shower curtain instead of the stupid half-screen found in most French hotels. it's also nice to have an unlimited supply of clean underwear/socks and more than three sweaters and two pairs of jeans (both slightly dirty) to choose from.

but what am I doing here? why am I in Austin when I could be indulging my inner Europhile by roaming the streets of Paris, stopping here and there for an espresso and a pastry while I practice my (surprisingly well-preserved!) French and envy Parisians' sense of style?

oh the mind, how it races...