2007-03-14 - 9:16 p.m.

I took today off because:
a) my project is FINISHED (well, sort of; for the moment; mostly)
b) I've been working too hard to study Polish and it seemed like I should since tonight was the last class.

And I did study Polish between the morning and afternoon naps which seemed warranted by my extreme tiredness. Sweet Jesus, but Polish is hard. Even my Polish friend says that. I can't believe I not only survived ten weeks of it, but that I am thinking that I will take level 2 in April. Level 2 will be worse because the 10 weeks will be compressed into 5 by having 5 hours of class a week. Good heavens, what am I thinking?

My self-professed goal for the class was to be able to say: does anyone here speak English? And, I can, indeed, say that (I think). Czy ktokolwiek mowie po angielsku?

My comprehension lags far behind what I would like though. I need to find a way to practice more. And learn far more useful vocabulary. I've made inroads into their dreadful grammar and I'm sure that will come in handy if I can just get more of a grip on it and have more to practice with.

I have even more respect now for all the immigrants who come here and live life in a new language.

Let's move now from Polish to hair colour. I could not find a smooth segue.

Last year or the year before my brother pointed out to me that I have red hair. I wrote about this somewhere that wasn't here. It was a surprise to me, though even before he said it I'd started to have some suspicions. I'd noted that when it was wet it was a russet colour. It took some getting used to. I've always been blonde - not even a strawberry blonde (in my opinion). It was odd to suddenly look at myself and see something different (that I hadn't gone into a salon and paid for).

I'm not expressing this well at all. It doesn't change me, but it changes how I think of me. And how could I never have noticed before? Did I really not see it for 40 years? Or has my hair colour really changed? You'd think it would be turning grey not red.

I don't notice it a lot anymore - or I've accepted that it is so. Except today. I don't know if it was just that I was home and thinking about less than usual or the springtime slant of the sun or what, but every time I saw myself in the mirror all I could see was these rivers of red running through my hair.

I'm not complaining. I've always wanted red-gold hair - like one of my favorite heroines from childhood.

previous - next