Tomorrow is Monday, and Christmas is over.

With freshly-darkened roots and a fig seed jammed between my teeth, I picked Patsy up around 1 p.m. so that we could sign up for another session of belly-dancing classes and enjoy a decadent lunch at Antiquarius. Don�t worry, I got rid of the offending seed before I had to actually smile at anyone, but Patsy thought that having a fig seed lodged between one�s teeth was rather poetic. We signed up for the Technique et perfectionnement II class on Mondays from 17:00 to 18:30, which will be a bit of a hardship for the folks back home, considering that Monday is also karate night and all that, but I think everyone will survive.

Lunch was a gastronomical extravaganza that started out with a shared appetizer of a round of toast on which lay a slice of roasted pear, topped with a dollop of creamy hot ch�vre sprinkled liberally with crushed hazlenuts, and dressed with a cranberry coulis. It was divine. Patsy then had a pannini and I had the salade saumon paysanne, or country salmon salad, which consisted of creamily-dressed baby greens under a slice of perfectly-grilled salmon. I had to pick off the sliced onions and leave them on the side with the capers and sliced black (canned) olives, but nonetheless it was delicious. We then shared a pear, chocolate and creamy mousse concoction in a shortbread crust for dessert, and I washed it all down with a cappuccino. It was excellent. The conversation was scintillating and adult while we discussed Ovid and Catullus as well as the Harry Potter series. Yes, folks, grown people do read and enjoy Harry Potter.

It�s back to getting up early tomorrow: Buddy Boy starts school and I have to get back to some routine. As well, I have new music to learn for a concert on February 5, less than a month away, and one of the pieces is wicked. Then I must get started on the next movement of Hubby�s symphony--he�s nearly finished the thing--and Latin and choir start on Tuesday. As soon as my students get me their revised schedules, I can plan my teaching around them, and all will be right with the world.

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