French Friday: My brain is fried

I promise I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.

For the past few days and over the course of the next week, I'm knee-deep into grad school and TA orientation. During the academic year, I'll be teaching introductory French courses and pursuing a master's in French Comparative Literature (maybe modern/contemporary literature through the Italian and English departments as well).

Orientation is going very smoothly. I'm FINALLY meeting people. Foreign people. International students. Multi-lingual people. And it's making me so, ridiculously giddy. I've been speaking a strange mix of franglais (English-French hybrid). My brain doesn't even know what language to speak. I'm accidentally speaking French to the German and Spanish TAs and vise-versa.

IT.IS.AWESOME.

So, I leave you with some scenes from mon film favori: Amélie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain)

Enjoy!

@+ (à plus...or see you later),

French Friday with a guest!

This week's French Friday features a very famous American actor, speaking French. I know I'm slow with this, as everyone and their mom has already commented about it. I even Tweeted it awhile back.

Generally, I'm not not a huge fan of Bradley Cooper. He's played a-holes in most of his roles and I didn't even like the Hangover. BUT, now that I know he's fluent in French, I'm kind of in love. See for yourself:

Bradley Cooper : la coqueluche de Hollywood sur le plateau de TF1 Vidéo jt_tf1_20h sélectionnée dans Actualité

This comes from one of my favorite French news stations, TF1. I linked my favorite sites for watching French news in my last post, so here they are again: FRANCE24 | BFMTV | iTele | TF1

From the interview, we learn that Cooper learned French in college when he studied abroad in Provence and stayed with a family who only spoke French.

What most impresses me is his intonation. I find that French is a hard language to speak. Not so much pronunciation and accent, but as far as intonation is concerned (if you're curious, you can read more about it). While he does botch a bit of the grammar, I am impressed because he speaks quickly, understands most of what she is asking and his intonation is impeccable for an American speaker.

Even if you don't speak French, I think you should still watch it! :)

I'm Eight Again :)

I keep seeing commercials for a DVD that just came out this week.

And it takes me back to when I was eight years old and LOVED BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

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Seriously, I went crazy for this movie. I think I watched the VHS so much, it skipped in parts where the tape got messed up. I had a Beauty and the Beast sleeping bag, I think a tent, stickers, wall posters, you name it. I had it.

(I was even Belle for Halloween one year)

And now that the DVD is out and I don't have any Disney VHS tapes from my childhood (or the capability to play any of them), I kind of want this movie.

I might buy it and watch it soon :) ....Or steal it off the Internet....

What's your favorite Disney movie?

Duh, Monique!!

Oh wow, I just had a brain fart moment today. J.D. and I have been saving our cans and bottles to recycle and make some extra money while down here.

Except, the state of Arizona doesn't reimburse for bottles and cans!! In California, we paid a little extra per can in 12 packs, for example, in addition to the ticket price. The hope is that you'll pay the extra 3 cents per bottle (CRV), or whatever, then get it back when you take it to a recycling center. But I think California is the only state that actually makes you pay CRV!!! After today's lunch (see below) I was going to save my tea bottle and then noticed on the label it said CA CRV. DUH!!! So I went to go check the receipt from a grocery run this weekend and noticed that we did not, in fact, pay CRV. Just the $2.99 for a 12 pack of soda. So we can dump our bottles and cans in the regular ol' recycling bin and not have to worry about scrounging around and hoarding all our leftovers for a little extra cash. Which begs the question, are we not going to see homeless people carting around bags of cans here like we did in CA???

Lunch was leftovers from Friday night's dinner: pesto pizza with chicken, artichoke hearts and green olives. Quite a green dinner! J.D. took me on our first "dinner date" in Arizona and we went to Grimaldi's Pizza, a New York style thin-crust pizza eatery. It was really good, family style food. I also enjoyed a glass of red blend wine from my favorite winery, Coppola.

After my big realization, I went to the kitchen and tossed allll the bottles/cans we'd washed out and had ready to take to a recycling center. And again, just tossed them into the recycling garbage can. It felt liberating. Almost as spending all the money I have this weekend on restocking our pantry/fridge/freezer/cleaning supplies without having any source of income to replenish that spending. Oh well, our little house is starting to come together :) I feel like a housewife housegirlfriend, because while J.D.'s at work, I'm tending to the baby (Woodstock), painting walls, hanging pictures and watching trash TV. I've recently discovered Cake Boss, which I think I like the concept of more than Ace of Cakes, except it's just a little too Jersey Shore for me. I will NEVER, EVER in my life watch that show (Jersey Shore, in case I've lost you). Another interesting show I came across that kind of upset me a little is something called Whose Wedding is it, Anyway? The idea is that the boyfriend proposes to his girlfriend and -- after having planned their wedding over the past week -- marries her the very next day!!! How crazy is that?!?! The girl on it was super controlling and said she'd envisioned her wedding day down to the very last detail since she was a little girl. After he proposed, she said if anything wasn't perfect, she'd break up with him!!! I'm sure this is semi-staged. Seriously. Also, what if she says no??? Then you're stuck having paid for an entire wedding with no bride. Weird show.

Speaking of hanging up wall art, take a look at some of what I've done (with the approval of Mr. Fox) to the living room/dinging/kitchen area:

It's not much, but it's a start! Maybe when I start getting a steady flow of income I'll treat us to more wall art haha. :)

And now let's back up a few steps. Breakfast yesterday was an ordeal at best, but still pretty good. I took my first swing at our hand-me-down waffle maker, which actually is a panini press/grill that has an extra attachment for waffles. Oh man, the batter stuck to the attachments soooo bad despite buttering and spraying the crap out of the plates with oil.

See??

Although it didn't turn out so pretty, it still tasted wonderful!

Especially with a side of fresh cut mango :)

Someone sat at J.D.'s feet, eying his plate hoping for scraps the entire time (none were given, sorry boy)!

After breakfast and lunch (another slice of the massive "personal pizza" from Grimaldi's) we went out to see Dinner for Schmucks at the early bird price of $5/person! I really enjoyed the film. It was awkward and made me feel so uncomfortable the entire time. Well, not as uncomfortable as the family of four (with children under 10) who left during the dominatrix scene..... haha, awkward for all involved. Ever since hearing about this movie in the previews, I've been wanting to see the original, French version of the film! As a connoisseur of French cinema, I wondered if the American version would be as bizarre as most French humor tends to be. French films take huge leaps, with no apparent reason or indication. They're sooo strange! And the addition of Zach Galifianakis's character kind of helped add to that. Especially the weird, abrupt ending. Very français, if you ask me! Lucky for me, I'm used to that kind of film, so the moving ending up sitting well with me. J.D. loved it as well. Next up, I'm hoping to catch Eat, Pray, Love! I read the book and the travel bug bit me in a big way again. And who doesn't love Julia Roberts?!?!

Then we came home after a successful Costco trip (the first account not on my parents'.... I'm growing up!) and tried out another experiment. In the mood for some stir fry, I tested out our new sauce purchased back in California.

It ended up being a bit too spicy for my taste, but hey, maybe that was the pepper flakes I added in for a tiiiny bit of kick. Then I tossed the sauce in with stir fry veggies and shredded chicken.

And topped it all on a bed of white rice. An excellent meal and the first decent culinary experiment of the day!

I hope you all enjoy the final hours that remain in your weekends! I guess mine will go until Monday... because on Tuesday I have a SECOND job interview with the same company I interviewed with last week. Maybe it's getting serious?! We'll see :)

(P.S. DON'T FORGET: You have one more day to enter my Gracie's Gear running top giveaway!!)

Tiny puppies love tiny bananas!

They do! See?

My little 11-pound Woodstock was curious at this banana sized just for him!! We went grocery shopping last night -- finally!!! -- at Raley's and when I spotted a bunch of mini bananas grouped in the basket of regular-sized ones, how could I not buy them?!??!?! I only snagged two because J.D. wanted five very green bananas :) so we came back with the equivalent of six really.

Now I don't know if you guys are aware of this or not, but I've been bitching sad about not having a Whole Foods around, even though we do have a Trader Joe's. However, two aisles in Raley's are dedicated to "organic, natural" foods and it's almost like being in Whole Foods!! They have vita tops there, coconut water, bagel thins, Annie's crackers, really ANYTHING you'd want in a WF! I didn't go too crazy there, however. Since we're 100 percent unsure of where we'll be living on Aug. 1, we're trying to use up foods in the pantry and buy week-by-week or less.

After a very productive trip to the grocery store, we rushed home to make dinner at close to 8 p.m. I really wanted to make our game hen with that citrus basil recipe I found earlier this week, but alas, the hen wasn't fit for consumption any longer. Instead, we grilled chicken cutlets (without a BBQ!!!) in the same citrus basil marinade along with some quinoa and salad.

J.D. was so proud of his grill marks :) And the citrus marinade was so simple! It was light, tangy and delicious :) After dinner, Woodstock was still going nuts! He was biting everything he wasn't supposed to be, including us. So we decided to take him for an evening stroll. Knowing it was going to be a challenge, due to the fact that he hates walking with us unless there's another dog along, Woody surpassed our expectations! He practically RAN the entire time. We went on a mile-ish walk with him and he barked playfully at every person, car and dog that passed by. He even tried chasing cars down the street... little punk!

Since it was still a warm night, I was up for a cold beverage after the walk. My mom found this at Marshall's the other day and I had to have it!

Tazo Vanilla Roobios Tea Latte! Oh man, guys! It tasted kind of like an iced chai :) I just poured some of the mix over ice with some water and milk and it hit the spot! I'm going to continue making this stuff and will be pretty sad when it's gone. Also, notice my new tumbler I got at Bed, Bath & Beyond?? :)

After my drink, I loaded up on my meds and FINALLY SLEPT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THREE DAYS!!! And it was glorious. This morning's meal is where that mini palm-sized banana comes into play.

I treated my irritated throat to a cool smoothie and a bagel thin. On top of the whole wheat bagel I mixed almond and peanut butter, with mini banana and some raspberries.

And it was delicious! On a sad note, the mango berry smoothie broke my blender. But that's ok because it's dirty and gross. And it had no power anyways. So the exciting news here is that we're going shopping for a new one this afternoon!! Any suggestions?!?! After, the puppy gets to go to the doggie park :)

And then.... laundry awaits, again. Dang laundry, it's always taunting me.

Or I could pull a repeat of what I've been doing all week long:

And eat junk and watch movies :)

Last night's selection ended up being Edge of Love streamed on Netflix through PS3. It was a toss up between that and The Constant Gardner. So maybe that's in store for this evening...? Speaking of Edge of Love, did you know Keira Knightley actually SINGS in the movie? And she does it well (even if it's audio-enhanced). I adore her, she's so cute. And my age, which is crazy to me.

What's your favorite thing to eat when watching movies?? I don't usually like Dots, but we had some that needed to be finished. But I looooooove those Pop-Secret 100 calorie bags of KETTLE CORN! Oh yum.

Looks like somebody's got a case of the Mondays

I really liked Amy's post on the Friday Five. So I'm copying it ;) thanks for the great idea!

1.) Mine starts with a case of the Mondays. Even though it's Friday.

First, I just plain love this movie. Second, on Monday (or maybe Tuesday at the latest) the wait will be over! We will know whether we're moving at the end of the month or staying here another year. This is the ENTIRE reason I haven't signed up for a half marathon yet. Well, that and my training hasn't officially begun, but it will soon! So Monday, I'll know if I should sign up for a halfy in the Phoenix area or in the San Francisco/Sacramento area :) I'm also working on trying to find myself a job down there, if J.D. does in fact get this job!

2.) Have you ever had cabin fever before? Do I have cabin fever? I certainly don't have Bieber Fever. Ew. But I am still cooped up in my house! With directives not to go outside, be in the sun, exert too much effort. I'm going crazy. I want to get out and run again, but my cough still lives on.

Kind of related to this, I watched an interesting movie yesterday while I stayed in the house: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. It's this crazy (true) French story about the editor of Elle magazine. He had a stroke that left his entire body paralyzed, save for his left eyelid. So the man narrated an entire memoire by blinking to his nurse/assistant. I really want to read the book!

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It's CRAZY, and not because of what he did, but because it's French cinematography. Have you ever seen a French film?!? I majored in French lit/culture, so I've seen plenty in my day. Some of my favorite movies are French (Paris je t'aime, Amélie and Jeux d'enfants). But, there's no denying that French réalisateurs (directors) are crazy. Or on drugs. Or both.

Now, I'm not being ridiculous and comparing myself to a man with full-body paralysis. But there is a neat line in the film where his father claims they're like two peas in a pod because he's stuck in his apartment. That is the only comparison I can make. The main character tells the audience that when you're trapped, all you have left is imagination and memories. And I have been fully living out my imagination through books and film whilst stuck in my house this week. At least I've got a long list of movies I can choose from today, and am not sure which: Pan's Labyrinth, The Constant Gardener, Les Mis, Amélie, or whatever else Netflix has on demand through PS3.

3.) That's a nice lead in to my health. Big question mark there! A second opinion (and $75 later, I'm not going to be able to afford a third) suggested I have allergies and not bronchitis. The Valley is notorious for causing allergies to flare up here, but I've never had them before. So supposedly, I'm developing my first case of allergies. Still unsure about the rash though, which I'm happy to report is clearing up. One thought is that I'm just flat out allergic to amoxicillin, which makes sense given my history of allergic reactions to sulfa. Another though is that amoxicillin causes crazy rashes and measle-like symptoms when the person taking it has mono. I'm not sure how likely this is, since I had mono when I was in college. Pending blood tests will reveal if that is the case or not.

4.) And because of all these diagnoses, my house looks like one of these:

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Yup, a pharmacy. I've been buying over the counter with every suggestion my doctors give me: cold meds, cough syrup, Halls throat losenges, benadryl, calamine lotion, Zyrtec and Aveeno oatmeal baths. Plus the several prescriptions I already possess. One of which is going to be tossed out since I may be allergic!

I'm just hoping one of these diagnoses is correct and the prescriptions make me good as new again! One positive about maybe moving to Arizona... they don't have pollen and allergens in the desert.

5.) And finally.... food. I've been eating out a lot. I haven't felt up for making a run to the grocery store after being with family for the 4th. My fridge is bare. We might be making a run tonight finally to stock up! But that darn game hen still is there, starting at me every time I open the fridge. So I might have to cook him up tonight. I even found a recipe for some sort of basil citrus marinade. Is that a sign? Maybe.

But I have been eating some ice cream now :) Best cure for a sore throat/rash/cooped up patient! Everything's better with ice cream. This is the first time I've had honest-to-God full-fat ice cream in a long time. It's awesome :)

Seriously though, I'm hoping to ease back into running the minute my health returns! And then..... sign up for a half-marathon in CA or AZ!! So my training can finally begin :)

Wish me luck! xx