Everyone thought I was a very good girl

I'm sitting in my room trying not to fall asleep, it's 1:49 in the afternoon and I already feel as if I've been quite productive. I'm feeling a bit proud because I filled out some loan papers, mailed them off, went grocery shopping, and cleaned my room...all in one day. (Since living here and having so much time to do anything or nothing I find I've mostly been doing nothing so a day this productive is a rarity.) I may even write a few letters, go for a jog, finish up knitting a present and, gasp, still have time to do something else. After mailing my loan paperwork I went to the market to get a customary egg and cheese galette (like a thin pancake, the savory version of a crepe) and then browsed through a few shops. The sales have officially started today in France (they generally happen twice a year) and things are a bit more hectic then usual. There were a few stores I sought out to see what they were offering for the sales (notably Compotoir des Cottoniers) but found that I just couldn't get it up for the sales. I'm sick of shopping and buying and spending money. I feel like I've been constantly shopping since my winter vacation and, as much as it pains me to say this, cannot even be lured in by sale prices.

So instead I'm here in my room drinking apple cinnamon tea and glancing at my favorite Christmas gift, Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette: a Guide to Gracious Living, a silly and brilliant gift from my cousin. (Highlights of this little jem include: How to Serve a Sit-Down Dinner without a Maid, Business Calls on the President, General Procedure and Correct Dress for a Ship Launching, When a Woman May Remove her Hat, and Decorations for the Breakfast table and tray.) This wasn't the only gift a received, however, it appears that this year I was a very good girl and many people sent me presents...yay! Pal sent me a collection of crafty how-to books, my favorite being, How to Knit Woolly Jumpers, an Australian book with animal motif patterns. Abby-girl sent me some Beautiful hand-dyed yarn from Portland...yes Portland! Not to be topped by anyone my mother sent me the world's largest and heaviest Christmas package which was filled with presents, glorious presents! And, being a good daughter, I had also picked some good ones for them (the fam) too. It just so happens that I called them on Christmas day at the very moment that they were opening my package. The best way to describe not being at home during Christmas is for me to say that it felt foreign, which is a very inarticulate thing to say I suppose but it's the best I can do. Anyways that's about all I've got for today since this already feels like a long entry. Perhaps one day you can look forward to hearing more about my time in Normandie or when my Swede came to visit or my New Years Eve in Paris or my trip to Barcelona. All mostly good and some extraordinary things have occurred, but more about that later.