Bad Blogger

I'm sorry I've been such a terrible blogger, dear readership (i.e. Matt). It's been quite busy around here. The reading picked up again after the start of the next three-week mini-quarter (which has just ended - that's how bad a blogger I am). Anyway, speaking of that quarter has reminded me I haven't told you anything about it, so I'll cover that quickly before picking up more loose ends...

Anyway, this quarter was split between these two old French professors, who are married, I think. The first six days were spent with Andre Pessel, whom I believe I've discussed already. The next six were with his wife, Francine Markovitz, a very thin and proper old French woman with good elocution, which made her a positive change from Pessel (though I did like Pessel!). She seems to be quite the grammarian, as she would always point out her uses of the imperfect subjunctive with an almost perturbing sense of pride. Anyway, I had to write two papers this quarter, since there were two teachers. That was rough, though to make up for it, there was no final. That was....decidedly not rough. I'm not sure which I would prefer. A paper is agonizing, but without any real dread, whereas the days (and particularly night) before a final are always full of dread. Generally, I'm willing to take not-dread over dread, no matter how much more work it means, but I don't know...writing these papers is pretty brutal too.

Nevertheless, I feel I'm getting better. I can just start reading French now without really thinking about it, and I only finally realize I'm reading it when I come to something I don't understand (which, to be fair, usually occurs in fairly short order, but I nevertheless consider this progress). The writing also seems to be becoming more fluid. I dove right in to this third paper without the usual hemming and hawing (which, for the interested, may be observed at the state fair) that usually proceeds such matters. It's also easier to express myself now that I'm learning more of the necessary formulations. Nevertheless, I suppose if I were writing for a different subject of class, I would be around as fucked as I was before. But I do think it's getting easier, at least slightly...

Anyway, as I've stated, I'll now be heading off onto seventh-week break, which is exciting to say the least. I just finished packing my bags and eating the small amount of food left in my room so it won't go to waste, and, after posting on Faits Precis, I headed over here to tend to this, too. A lot has been going on over the past few days, but I've yet to even find the time to put up the pictures from Versailles two weeks ago, much less the pictures from this weekend, so that will have to be one of my many life-ordering goals to be achieved while I am reposing in Biarritz. I do promise I will get around to telling all of these tales soon, though, and I just ask for a little more patience as I get myself settled in my free week's digs.

Hopefully that was enough to satisfy the masses (Matt). I'll write again sooner; promise.