After a month, I'm BACK!

Well ladies and gents, today is my one month anniversary of living in France. I'm finding it absolutely ludicrous that it's already been so long. At times, I really felt it. But now.. It's amazing how time can just pass you by.

Today I was decently productive. I really REALLY needed to do my CV, and I did! YAY! In a CV you're supposed to put a picture of yourself, but it should be of good quality. Obviously, I'm waaaaay too cheap to go to a professional photographer- so I did it myself. I set up my tripod, hooked up my ah-maaay-zing camera, set up the lighting, got all pretty, and had myself a nice little photoshoot. I edited it afterwards, and baddabing! Insta-professionalquality-photo! Alright, so it's not that great... but it works!

Let's see.. What's been going on? Well, for starters, I had made tentative plans with some new friends to go to Paris to see the Michael Jackson movie. Off subject, but people must think I'm from another planet- I've caught myself being waaaay too overly obsessed with MJ. I may need to tone it down a few notches... Naaaaaaah. So, anyways, we were all going to go to Paris to see the movie, because I thought that it wasn't playing here. WRONG. It is. It actually works out well because both of the girls cancelled on me because their parents are coming to town. Totally fine with me- I'm just happy that I can see it locally!

I've come to realize that a lot of my blog is about food. Interesting.. I think it's because food is such an integral part of culture. It's strange and difficult enough being someplace else but home, but when most of the food is different- it really becomes unsettling. That is, of course, until you start to make your own habits. I think that I've been so brain-dead because of this big transition I have made, that I had lost my cooking creativity for quite some time. But alas, it has returned!

I feel that this is so monumental because my brain is finally allowing itself to be comfortable in a completely foreign environment than how it's programmed to think. I now must think outside the box. For a while, I was stuck on the fact that I didn't have an oven. "That's how I cook! with an oven! What the hell am I supposed to do without an oven??"

I don't what triggered it, but something has caused me to just.. move on. I ain't gettin' no oven, so I better start being inventive or else I just keep on eating the same old, quick and easy shit (aka pasta and soup... great in moderation, but they'll destroy your palate if you have them everyday). It could be that I'm finally starting to feel well rested. That's big too.

So, my big, creative, wonderfully satisfying dinner (that I'm eating as I write):

Appetizer: An eggplant sliced thin, sauteed in olive oil with sea salt and black pepper- what's funny is, I never eat eggplant. I went shopping the other day and they were just so pretty that I had to buy one. I ate the whole thing. Granted, it did mostly taste like olive oil. I can picture what my dad would say if he ate some of it: "Hey. Deen. How 'bout a little eggplant with that olive oil?" Eh, it was perfectly greasy, salty, and toasted perfectly brown.

Main dish: Quinoa, topped with-- sauteed haricot verts (I would say green beans, but they're thinner..), red onion, yellow bell pepper and kidney beans, seasoned with cayenne pepper, curry, basil, salt n peppa, and garlic-- with a dollop of creme fraiche (sour cream ain't got nothin' on creme fraiche).

Dessert: Maybe an apple? or perhaps a pear? Of course followed by a wonderful camomille tea and local, crystalized honey.

I'M BACK!

I can already feel my creative juices flowing! Maybe I'll finally get out and do some photography, weather depending of course.

I find it odd that I'm just so at ease right now. I've never spent this much time by myself before, but I'm so completely happy with it. I like the tranquility. Don't get me wrong, I'm making friends every day, and they're all wonderful. I think it's all due to the fact that I have my own place. I've never really had my own place before. Sure, I've moved away from my home into an apartment- but I've always had roommates that I'm good friends with. (shout-out to Nicky, Julie, TJ, and Amanda! hahah). During the transition of moving from school to home, or vice versa, I always find myself feeling so lonely. Maybe it's because I'm accustomed to constantly having friends around- that when they aren't there, I feel completely alone. Now, now it's all different. I expected it to be very difficult to live by myself.. guess I was mistaken!

I wonder how I'm going to feel in a month from now. I've already been through such a dramatic, roller coaster ride of emotions. I'm kind of liking this whole blog thing because I can track my emotions.

Well, I'm definitely in a good mood for no particular reason. I think I may jam out to a few tunes, finish formatting my CV, have me some tea, and watch a good movie.

Always remember, no matter where you're going, there you are. Thank you Buckaroo Bonzai.

Goodnight to all, and to all a goodnight.