Spoiler alert: this post will be random

I have finally settled into a routine, which is both good and bad. Good, because life is a little more predictable, and bad because it means I have very little in the way of interesting doings to report, as I tend to spend the times I don't have class (Wednesday mornings, for example) catching up on my sleep, my homework, or my neglected laundry rather than doing anything noteworthy.
I have however, bought a couple of sets of plane tickets: I plan to spend the week-long holiday for Toussaint (all Saint's Day-November 1) in Spain and Italy, and am going to visit Craig in Edinburgh for a weekend in November.
Classes are going well, I'm starting to get into the rhythm of things. It's a strange mix of easy and difficult. My classes are not necessarily more challenging than in the US, and since I'm mostly taking introductory courses there is a lot of time spent on procedure and introduction. What makes it difficult is that I have to pay attention. Every single second. Sounds easy enough, but what you don't realize is that when you take classes in your native language you tend to tune stuff out, let words just glide over you while you doodle or whisper to your friend or check the time on your cell phone. Or, you know, take a nap. Here I have to pay attention to every single word, because you can get lost and it's much more difficult to get back on track since you don't have the same familiarity, the same anticipation of where the phrase or the sentence or the train of thought is going to go. And that gets tiring.
Observations of French society: They are relaxed. They take their time, even in the city. Even when my host mom is running late, she sits down and eats her breakfast. Classes don't start exactly on time and nobody seems to really care. And yet they still get done what they need to get done without any difficulty. I knew already most things in France are expensive: restaurant food, nail polish, clothes (they have huge sales like twice a year but not otherwise), etc, but strangely not books or random things like qtips.
Things I miss: certain foods: things with cinnamon (french toast, pumpkin pie, cinnamon rolls), spicy food, peanut butter (although I did recently buy some), bagels, fried things (ie clam cakes). Libraries and stores that are open on Sundays (and Mondays. And before 9 am. And after 7 pm.) A campus bookstore that has the books you need. Tennis. The sun. You people (sappy, I know, but I had to put it in there).
Things I do not miss: the constant, repetitive election coverage all over the newspapers and TV. Loud Americans on their cell phones. SUVs. Subdivisions. Crocs and sweatpants as acceptable formal attire. Supermarket bread, fruits, and vegetables (as opposed to the fresher ones found here at the little stores). Jello. Kraft American cheese. Expensive textbooks.
One of my goals for the semester: try every French pastry I can find.
Other things that may astonish you: I have discovered myself to actually kind of like coffee, peaches, and ham.
Final note: I have given my address to many of you, but I'm afraid I haven't given you all the information. On the off chance you send a package, you must write "air mail" or "par avion" or "prioritaire" AND "no commerical value" (and then do not declare any value when sending the package). Do not send electronics (or food, either, I don't think. I'm checking up on that).