(I don't, by the way.)

Anyway, this weekend was a very strange one, and a very long one being as it actually began on Wednesday night. As I alluded to in my previous post, my friend Mathias, while attempting to do the lift from "Dirty Dancing" with our friend Mie, fell down and hit his head on the wall. Six minutes later, he woke up to find us staring at him and calling an ambulance. Through someone's terrible advice (I'm not sure who--there were many people in the room), the ambulance was cancelled. Needless to say, ambulance or not, a handful of us were convinced that he was concussed.

Mathias's concussion mildly affected some other events of the weekend, but all in all, things have turned out all right.

Thursday was an attempt at staying out in London late enough to take the first tube on Friday morning. The attempt failed due to misconceptions with closing times, bad bartenders, and an aggravated concussion. I did discover a new drink that I enjoy: Malibu and Coke. I will probably grab one of those next time we go to B@1 for cocktails.

Friday was pretty much uneventful, which was good for all of us. The mid-week partying needed to be offset by a relaxed start to the weekend. However, Erika had gone back to visit family in Sweden that morning, so things seemed slightly quieter. Bored, I picked up a few cheap DVDs at ASDA, leading to my seeing "Hot Fuzz" for the first time. I highly recommend seeing it, by the way. Quite hilarious!

Saturday started at 2p.m. and consisted of sitting on the floor of the kitchen discussing random things with the Gubbay crew. We decided on making "pancakes" for dinner, but I soon realized that "pancakes" referred to what we Americans might consider "crêpes." The plan involved a quasi-casserole with pancakes and leftover pancakes for dessert, to be served with ice cream and jam. Louise and I went to get ingredients while Mie and Mathias were in charge of making the food. Unfortunately, while we were out, Mathias began to feel sick (concussion repercussions) and Mie took him to the hospital to get checked out. This left Louise and me in charge of the deliciosity which was to become "Frenchiladas with Italian Sauce." Essentially, "Frenchiladas" are enchiladas made with crêpes instead of tortillas. The filling is a tomato and corn meat-sauce. All of it is topped with parmesan cheese and thrown into the oven until bubbly. It was done by the time M + M returned, and we all agreed that it was a culinary success!

Sunday was fabulous. Louise took me over to Notting Hill to go shopping at Portobello Road. It was very quiet and less than 50% of the shops were actually open, but it was fantastic none-the-less. We bought scarves, spent way too much at Lush, and bought student-made oil paintings. Mine is an exquisite black and white painting of Paris and la Tour Eiffel. Finally, I have something to put on my drab white walls.

Paris is slowly coming into view in the distance. I leave Friday morning to spend both Camille's birthday and Valentine's day in the city of lights. What an exciting prospect! My best Valentine's day in years, I'm sure of it. Plus, my friend Stephanie, who is currently studying in Pamplona, Spain, just happens to be venturing to Paris during the same weekend! Coincidences make Europe so much more fun.

Also, allow me to take this time to recommend a novel called The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. I read it for one of my courses here, but it is an absolute fun read. I will warn you that it starts out a tad slow, but once it picks up speed, it holds you at a steady pace right to the end. Tom Ripley, an American in Europe, provides a unique perspective, especially for another American in Europe. The crimes he commits are so atrocious, yet, because of Ms. Highsmith's writing, you can't help but root for him. It's a fun ride and a moral quandary all in one!