Bonjour!

One day I will look back on this summer and ask, What were you thinking? It's fun and exciting to try new things, but maybe I should have spread them out a little bit.

     First new thing this summer was, of course, The Class. It's been a fun experiment. I'm teaching again next year, for some reason I'm not quite clear of--a combination of money lust, determination to do better the second time around, and hating to say no, ever, to anything. I may regret it when February rolls around, but at least this time I'm already somewhat prepared and I'll have two separate weeks off in the middle of the course.

     Second, I attempted created writing. I was successful in my goal of writing something and letting someone else read it. I started the novel (which I haven't worked on this week, bad girl) and I really do intend to finish it this year. If it means I type until my fingers swell and stay sober on New Year's Eve, so be it.

    Third, there's this thing. Not exactly new; I once had a Myspace blog. But it's a new blog. So whatever.

    Now I've added a French class to the pot. An accelerated French I class. Twice a week for six weeks, this is not what I needed at the moment, but I was too tempted by the faculty audit perk to resist! (I didn't factor a $228 textbook into the "free" faculty audit thing, of course, but I am ignoring that bit.) French is hard. Really, really hard. I took Spanish for four years; Spanish makes sense. French is weird! How are you supposed to learn a language that you have to slur together into nasally nonsense, dropping most of the letters as you go, but saying the vowels juuuuust right? Non, ne parle pas francais...

     Yet. 

     But I really do have to learn in five weeks. Because we're going to the Frenchiest place in North America! That's right, we're going to le province de Quebec on vacation this year. I'm really excited. I want to plan a few days in Quebec City, a few days in Montreal, and then two days in a lakeside resort. We're flying Porter, an airline that I'd never heard of until I Googled "flights New York to Quebec City." Porter is apparently the JetBlue of the North, except instead of tiny pouches of blue chips, they give you free beer and/or wine! Oh boy! I hope Kirk wants to drive the rental car once we get there! 

     Did I mention I plan to read Pride and Prejudice this summer, too? And learn how to ride a bike (finally)? And drink much more delicious beer before the heat of summer fades?

     Time to put on the French Ecole podcast and head home to study. Au revoir, mon amis.