I took a trip to Lower Normandy and Brittany, music has been way above par, I've had more time and better weather for running, and I found a summer internship.
Here it goes
Travels
At the beginning of the month was our first spring break, and I was lucky enough to spend a few days seeing Mont St. Michel, Cancale, Dinard, St. Malo, and Dinan. The architecture was very different from the rest of France, and the landscapes reminded me of Ireland. It was cold, but great.
I also got to stuff my face with crepes.
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| Inside Mont St. Michel |
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| Along the coast of Brittany |
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| Dinan |
NPR Music's The Austin 100 74095405 lovely cheese pizzas just for me (or you)
Just before the festival last week, NPR decided to spoil its Internet nerds with a mix of 100 songs from artists featured in South by Southwest. Do yourself a favor:
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/01/147637518/the-austin-100-a-sxsw-mix
Dormarion by Telekinesis 439347 Ethiopian coffees
Dreamy but edgy. The first song blew me away. I found myself earbuds stuffed-in, beat-nodding in the middle of the library. The stares indicated that I gained a few fans with the performance. And Telekinesis gained at least one in me.
You can stream the whole album on First Listen. This should be done immediately.
Mala by Devendra Banhart 87 wheels of Tomme de Savoie
This guy is a weirdo, but a very talented weirdo.
The Next Day by David Bowie 366 Bowies (there are no comparable units)
It's like Bowie never left.
Running
So, I read on Life Hacker that scientists had found the tippity-top, most fastest ever way to mega burn calories. I am not a scientist, but I've been doing interval work along these lines lately, and I've noticed more of a burn at the end. (I think my long distance runs have gotten a bit faster too).
Summer
I've managed to dig up a pretty cool internship here in France for the summer. I'll be working at a 3-star camping facility, not too far from my university. 3-star means all of the amenities, but also wine and cheese tastings, bike trails, canoes, and mini-festivals. It's also pretty eco-conscious with zero pesticide, solar panels, composting, etc. And: I'm not going to be shackled to a desk in a sad Paris banlieu. WIN!
Learning?
It's nearing the end of the semester, so I'm trying to prepare for finals. I've decided to try to make my French practice more enjoyable by writing about things I care about, rather than just academic crap. I plan to translate some of these posts onto my foreign language blog. If you feel like paining yourself along with me, you may do so here: ÉtrangèrErica.
À suivre ...
