Return from the black hole that is January vacation

Seriously.  We've been back in St-É since January 5, and what have I to say for myself?  Well, I've slept in, grown a year older, slept in, done groceries, slept in, hung out with Melissa's mom and brother, slept in, and then started courses.  Oh wait.  I haven't.  There's a strike.  So now I sleep in, check if the prof is striking, then to to a strike meeting.

I knew you'd be proud.

Anyways, with nothing to do, we're planning a vacation in February, about which I'm sure you all heard on Melissa's blog four posts ago (ummm... sorry?  Sleeping in interferes with blogging.)  So Strasbourg and Metz are beckoning, but we still have to keep busy for two weeks.  We might be spontaneous and make some day trips to nearby cities, but after a while, all these French towns look the same.  And being rather solar-powered myself, holding an umbrella in front of medieval cathedrals loses its charm quickly.

Aside from my whining, good things have happened in St-Étienne.

1) I was planning to have a lame birthday, but then all my friends went and surprised me with a ticket to Swan Lake (opera), presents, cake, hot chocolate, and my all-time fave meal - mashed potatoes, beans and haakballen.

2) Melissa's family arrived with a short burst of sunny days, and we basked in the thought of an early spring.  It's neige-ing again, but the sun was good.

3) My pantry is full.  During times of boredom, grocery shopping is always a justifiable activity.  While it does involve spending money, food is necessary, fulfilling the basest of human need.

4) I made a new friend!  Actually several.  There's a whole new wave of foreigners in the city, and there's a South African girl we met at church who lives nearby.

5) Today we bought backpacks!  Summer feels closer when there is a ginormous, professional-looking contraption on my floor that will carry all our possessions for two months.  We'll use it in the next vacation to get used to packing it.

Joy, peace and love