I gotta have more accordion!

Why does no one play the accordion in the US?



I know it looks kinda dorky, and by extension you could risk looking dorky by playing it, but if you close your eyes and just listen, it is really sort of miraculous.



I propose that the accordion become the official instrument of hipsters everywhere. It should be lovingly adopted by them, and thus spread throughout the cool neighborhoods of the world, just like fixie bikes. It's a win-win situation: hipsters get to claim a strange new hobby, and I get to hear awesome accordion music.



Who's with me?

Baguette boycott?

At the risk of sounding like a total asshole, and possibly being deported for heresy, I have to say it:



I'm so sick of baguettes.



I know, right? I sound like a total douchebag. Plus, I never thought it would be possible. But it has happened. I am seriously pining for a taco right now, or a veggie sandwich on -gasp!- wheat bread. There just aren't that many options for a quick lunch here in Paris. You've basically got your crepes or your baguette sandwich. Unfortunately, when you buy one of these baguettes-to-go, the baguette part of the sandwich is usually of pretty average quality, and let's just say that the French seem to prefer restraint when it comes to the toppings. And by that I mean like two slices of ham and cheese, or three slices of salami and a chopped up cornichon. It's more like a faint sprinkling of toppings - a slight hint of sandwichy flavors.

I'm sure this lack of mountainous toppings and sauces is part of the reason why the French are so slim, but even though I tell myself that, I still find myself wishing for maybe just a second layer of salami and or a handful of veggies? Oh well, as the French say, "c'est comme ca", which roughly translates into "that's just the way is". So I guess I'll quit complaining and eat my salami-scented baguette sandwich, since I'm sure that in a few weeks, when I'm back home, I'll be reminiscing about eating Parisien baguettes on the banks of the Seine.

220V + hair = cheveux brulés

Um... so I kinda burned my hair.



I'm still not quite sure what went wrong, because I checked all the technical specifications on my adapter before I left the US. But I must have messed up somehow, because things went terribly awry. I'll post a photo once I find someplace to upload them from my camera, but until then, here's the story:



My second day in Berlin, I woke up to find that my hair was pretty much standing on end. This happens from time to time, and maybe I should just leave my hair alone and be proud of myself for being the only person on the planet who is capable of having a straight-haired 'fro. But of course I don't do that. Instead, I try to tame the hair-beast with my trusty straightening iron. But on this particular day, this generally uneventful process failed horribly, as I watched my hair sizzle and curl up into thick bushels of hay. Have you ever curled ribbon with a pair of scissors? Or melted a plastic straw over a flame? It was kind of like a combination of those two: all the curl of the ribbon, plus all the burny, crinklyness of the melted straw. Not a pretty sight. Of course I quickly stopped using the iron, but it was too late. The damage was done, and I won't be rid of this mess on my head until it grows out enough that I can cut it off. Which I estimate will be about 6 months. Until then, anyone have any ideas for ways to put this stuff to good use? Maybe some sort of super-hip hairstyle? I'm all ears...

Un melange de langues dans ma tete

So I am currently in Paris, taking an intensive French language course for three weeks. It's been one week, and my poor brain is all discombobulated. I took French in high school, but haven't used it since then. That was 15 years ago, if you must know. Something about re-learning this language that has been hibernating in the back of my brain has also seemed to stimulate all the other languages that I have ever learned in my whole life. The strangest words and phrases pop out when I am trying to speak French:

Suddenly "luggage" is "bagagli" (Italian), "with" is "con" (Spanish), "very much" is "gerne" (German) and "I don't know" is "nemidoonam" (Farsi). First of all, let me tell you that if you try to order a cafe con leche in Paris they just look at you funny. Secondly, I find it strange that I can barely conjure up any of these languages when I am actually trying to speak them. But I try to speak French, for some reason all these other languages come spilling out.

I don't know much about the brain, but from my experiences here, I can pretty much guarantee you that there is some sort of language center in the brain, and that mine has turned into a big 'ol mess, from years of neglect. All those unused languages have been slacking off for years, never called upon for duty, so they just sit around and drink all day long and get all up in each others' business. Losers. How can I possibly whip them into shape within three weeks? Ce n'est pas possible!