I felt aloof and gloomy today for trivial reasons. Our teacher said I looked pale.

tums

This past weekend was satisfactory. On Saturday I went over to Jared’s place in the 11th and we drank Belguim beer, which tastes fairly good, goes down easy, and has a nice alcohol ratio. Jared but on Devo’s ‘Whip It.’ I had forgotten how catchy that song is. Emile and Lindsay joined us. I was feeling very jovial and I decided to tell the joke about the three men on the beach and the airplane. I can remember distinctly every time I’ve told that joke. Those are fond memories.

We walked around and searched for a bar and after a while just decided to go to the first one we found. There was some dancing going on, etc. etc. The bartender was a young woman with a tasteless outfit that showed her midriff. I confess, I like midriffs, but I think showing them is tasteless. Well she was a real ball of fire.

We didn’t stay long because I wanted to catch the metro. As soon as I stepped on I realized that I was thoroughly soused, and I nearly puked. I made it back, however, and took some tums and passed out in my clothes. Tums and pepto bismol can be very useful if you like to binge but have a sensitive stomach, before, after, or during the drinking.

On Sunday I passed the time by walking around the 13th and in the Jardin des Plantes. There were lots of couples walking around, alone or with their kids, and I thought that was kind of nice.

jesus bar

Last night I went out to get drinks with Jared and Daniel. The bar we found had walls covered with Jesus iconography. I was reminded of our mod at Hampshire. The bathroom wall was covered with porn. We got into a conversation about French culture and the definition of 'culture.' Jared wanted to stop the dialogue with some pomo bullshit. I said he was trying to have a different conversation. Daniel was frustrated too. Jared made the remark that 'you must have these kind of conversations all the time at Hampshire.' That was interesting. Maybe it was good to have a lively discussion.

first night out, etc.

Well, I deleted my last entry, because apparently I’m somehow connected to that girl and her blog, although I can’t figure out how. I also don’t know how I’m connected to the person who made some disparaging comments about the post. My initial reaction was that I didn’t want to cause a stir, but in retrospect, I think I should have just left it up there. In fact, it is gratifying that people I don’t even know are reading my blog. I still feel the same about travel blogs, but whatever.

The other day I went out with some of the other kids from the program for the first time. First we went to a bar in the 11^th called The Motel that was playing good music but, we decided, was too crowded. The next bar wasn’t as good but we found a table that had a good view of a small dance floor. There were a few people dancing but they gradually left until it was just one guy. We concluded that he looked like a gamer, but with slightly better style. He was really enthusiastic. I thought it was amusing that categories like “gamer” transcend nationality.

We went back to The Motel after a while. The crowd there seemed trendy and vaguely aloof, except a group of guys near the door dancing in a circle. Every time I walked through them to get a drink, they hugged me or shook my hand and yelled “bonne année!” I was reminded of what it is like to go to a frisbee party at Hampshire.

Today I watched Catherine Breillat’s Fat Girl with my parents in the living room and felt uncomfortable during the sex scenes. Then later I went on facebook and randomly looked at a ‘friend I might know’ and I noticed that she has a blog with less comments and a profile with less views than mine. That was gratifying. I’ve been going on the computer a lot lately, for lack of anything better to do, and it is generally unsatisfying. I’m going to go on a run momentarily. The activity will do me some good.

hair gel

Today I had to take care of a lot of things to get ready for next semester, and one of these things included a visit to the at&t store to inquire about global plans. A young, friendly guy in his early twenties with goofy, gelled hair explained the rates and fees to me and my mother. I realized that there is something about cell phones stores that attract these types. Quasi-nerdy (mainly because of their interest in cell phone technology) but with-it all the same men in their early twenties who, more often then not, have gelled hair. They’re helpful and friendly, but seem to have a slight aloof air about them, justified by their…superior knowledge about cell phones? Well anyway, they don’t respond well to my slightly ironic banter. Then again, that’s a common experience I have with salespeople.

I don’t understand why anyone gels their hair. After the visit to at&t, we went to the bagel store and were served by a young, petite girl with particularly unflattering gelled (or hair sprayed, I suppose) hair, and again I was baffled. When I went to radioshack later in the evening, I was on the look out for more of this, but luckily this time the salesman’s hair was gel-free, although I think he might have had some paste in it, which lets you shape the hair but is much less noticeable and more tasteful than gel.

ruptures

Lately I’ve been thinking about break-ups, because three different couples I know have had ruptures (I like this term, it’s what the French say) in the past week or so. But not me! I’m unattached. On New Year’s Eve, I spent part of the night with Ben, composing an e-mail to one of these people. We made the subject line, “Happy New Year—Existence is Ephemeral.” My writing gets a little more colorful after a good binge. We ended the e-mail this way: “The cold hard naked steel bat of the reality of romance sometimes slugs you in the back of the head when you least expect it, but you’ve got to take that bat and use it! You gotta whack that upstart pitcher in the head, give ‘em a good one in the kisser, and make ‘em piss blood!” I’m not really sure if that gets at anything important.