Yesterday I apparently used a number of idioms that I hadn't heard before. I didn't know any of these phrases existed. So here's a useful French-French guide to getting a haircut (translated into English):
"About five centimeters. Or a bit less."
Means: "At least ten centimeters. Actually, just cut off all my hair, please."
"My hair is curly."
Means: "Make my hair so short that it won't be curly any more."
"Yes, that picture is the right length."
Means: "No, make it significantly shorter."
"Something that styles itself? Yes, that's what I want."
Means: "Something that styles itself? No, just make it so that I can no longer style it."
"No, you don't need to style it."
Means: "Please. I'd love to pay you for something I'm going to go home and change anyway."
I've never before gotten a haircut that made me cry. This one did. It'll take about four months for my hair to get to the length I asked for. One benefit (?) though: haircuts are expensive in France, but this one will save me money: it cost twice what I usually pay, but I won't need a haircut until October.
Now I'm on day 2, and it certainly does not style itself. My curls look ridiculous this short (since my hair is naturally just wavy in the back and very curly in the front), so it takes a couple minutes with a straightener to fix them. It's barely long enough to put barrettes in. But at least I don't have to think about it unless I come across a mirror.
There were good parts of yesterday too, though. I met up with Judit downtown to explore the January sales a bit. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but... uh... accidentally bought three more books. The first is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (in French), which is great because I already had found the Quidditch book. Also from the kids' section is La chasse aux sorciers which is called Witch Week in English and is one of my favorite kids' books. I was surprised to find it, because last time I had looked they didn't have anything by the author. Why? They'd put her in alphabetically under W for her middle name rather than J for her last name. Good to know. Last is Stardust, which is the book the movie was based on. I didn't get a chance to see the movie, although lots of people recommended it to me. I'm glad it was a book first!
After our shopping we went to see the film "Le Renard et l'enfant," (The Fox and the Child is a literal translation) a nature/coming of age film. It's a gorgeous film: every moment is beautiful to look at. The music complements it very well. The story is good, though not brilliant. I'd recommend the film if you can find it, but I'm not sure if you'll be able to...
And finally we went to choir practice, which was lots of fun. I admit that I spent the first half putting together an awesome puzzle Christmas ornament (only when the altos weren't singing, I'm a good choir member). We're starting to put together our next concert, which is English music from the past couple centuries. Overall the choir does very well with English pronunciation, but they just can't get the word "the." Which is unfortunate because it's so common. It's pronounced "theuh" instead of "thaaa" like it should be sung. I'm going to have to figure out a way to cure them of that, as a whole. I've gotten some people to do it right.
[By the way-- Mom and Dad, most of the choir says hi and hopes you enjoyed France.]
Today I'm going to another movie, and I might see one tomorrow too. It's weird how the theaters either have lots of good things to see or absolutely nothing worth considering.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment