A new week

The Christmas season is officially over. On Jan. 7th Les Soldes started in Paris meaning everyone has gone shopping crazy. It is mad, but everthing is 50% off. I plan to buy a nice pair of boots, but have not been able to fine "the" pair yet. I found a really nice pair, but I hesitated, and when I went back to the store, they were gone. I can no longer afford to let quality goods get away! It is so hard to choose a good pair though, I'm still unsure what I want: brown or black? how tall? do i want a buckle? any heel? cut of the top? a zipper? ect. Any suggestions?

Beyond consumerism this week has started off well; volleyball started again and I FINALLY went swimming with a girl from Toronto. We met on election day and have been planning to go everyday since, but this weekend was the first time it actually happened. In Paris, there are a number of pools run by the city and you can buy a 3 month pass that is good at ANY pool. It is really a good deal. There is a pool about a 5 min walk from my house so I plan to go to it often. Now that I have started, it should be easier to continue. Plus, the weather has been -5 or worse the past few days, so running outside is not a nice option. This exercise is completely necessary after all the dining during Christmas.

Lisa and I bought Louis Vuiton purses!

So the first day I met up with Lisa we met at the Arc de Triumph, walked down the Champs Elysees, and bought Louis Vuiton purses. Real, and nearly 500 Euros a peice. I would definatly not have done it had she not been there. That is not due to pressure, coaxing or flattering though, it was due to her ability to speak Mandarin.

We did not get to keep them though, and we did not use any money. I suppose we purse laundered, and I hope I don't get in trouble for saying that here. It was perhaps a bit risky since there are things we realized later that could have gone wrong, but it was a fun experience. I doubt I will have another opportunity to go and buy a purse from there again. Not that I would want to. We both thought the purses were not all that great and had a hard time pretending to be excited about buying them.

If you want more explanation, I'll send an email. Speaking of the internet, I finally ordered it for my studio. My comp stopped picking up wifi there so I am ordering a Neufbox through SFR. This will include internet, TV, and telephone. I will get(in about 2-3 weeks) unlimited calling to all French landlines and all phones in North America and many other places around the world, however, if I want to call a French cell phone it will still cost me between 0.19 and 0.40 Euro cents. Crazy!