This is going to be a somewhat happier post than last week's, I believe. So. I had my big presentation in my literature class on Tuesday which went pretty well, although it ended up being Way longer than originally expected. We had been aiming for, oh, you know, 20-25 minutes. How long did it end up being? Nearly an hour, and even when we left the front of the class, we were still talking about the passage. Wow. I think that the main reason for this was that my partner had timed her piece with her speaking at normal speed: not presentation-in-front-of-a-class-full-of-foreigners speed. Ah well. I got to feel like a good little MoHo, though, because we were talking about how there were all these feminist themes etc. and also, we were asked a question to the effect of "does it just seem like a feminist novel because that's how you want to see it?" to which I answered No, in fact it Was a feminist novel, so there. [Take that, French man!] Also managed to make 'em laugh a few times, which felt good. Anyways, thank god that's over. Now I can worry about all that other work I need to be doing... Frak...

Wednesday was a national holiday, in celebration of the Armistice of WW1 (although, of course, it took me half the day to realize that that was the cause, not some bank holiday. I felt rather silly when I found out). Took ballet in the morning, and went out to a wonderful restaurant called La Tomate in the evening. It felt really very French, and had this great atmosphere--very cozy, with a fireplace and everything. I even got to see frog's legs, for the first time. They really don't look all that appetizing. Thursday contained yet another culinary adventure: the veggie gratin to end all veggie gratins... but, of course with half of the ingredients changed around. It ended up being cauliflower, onions, shallots, an apple and some spinach cooked in wine then with cheese and eggs added. Not bad, not bad at all. I think I added a bit too much liquid, though, as it was a bit soupy.

This weekend was really one of the best on record. Like, seriously. I got a fair bit of work done (for once), went to a knitting store that I found a few weeks ago with Sophie and bought materials with which to crochet a hat to match my scarf, spent a good deal of time in cafes hanging out with my lovely friends and working, and had a most epic dinner party on Saturday evening which included: wine, salad, bread, eggplant parmesan, pasta, sauce, chicken, and a cake. My compliments to the incredible chefs!! Friday night was the Irish session at Fitzpatrick's which was a blast. I knew/kept up with maybe 6 or 7 of the songs, which may not seem like much, but it was enough to make me really happy. I even earned myself a free Guinness... Which I promptly gave to Brian. A whole group of the girls came to see me play which was really sweet, too :) Anyways, it was pretty awesome weekend, just what I needed--a balance of productivity, friends, music, sleep and just plain relaxing. I do have a whole ton of work I need to get to, though, and sharpish. I think that's the main thing I hate about this system, that you have no work for the first 2/3 of the semester, and then Everything is crammed into the end. It's kinda terrifying, actually. Hm, maybe I should stop whining and start working? Quelle idée!