I'm pretty sure that was Darth Vader that just walked by

So I think I've figured out the reason why Halloween has never really caught on here in France. It's because children here spend weeks thinking up the ultimate costume for Mardi Gras instead. Which, if you think about it, makes more sense than our holiday. Fat Tuesday festivities -- and all the masked revelry that accompanies it -- have been a tradition far longer than trick-or-treating. But apart from the masked toddlers I saw walking the streets of Lyon today, there doesn't really seem to be anything else to the celebration. And definitely no free candy (I definitely would have known about that).

Last night, I went to a concert that my French friend describes as plus branché que branché. It was a special invitation-only sneak preview concert of tonight's show at Grrnd Zero, the hipster venue of choice in this fair city. My friend is friends with the club's manager's girlfriend, so I was invited to tag along. We were there super early, so I tried to make friendly with one of the performing bands, Wavves, who actually hail from the good old US of A. Eventually, Lyon's hipster elite trickled in, filling the room with their enormous glasses and puffing on their cigarettes. Never have I been in such a tightly enclosed space with so much noise and smoke. Needless to say, my clothes smell horrible. And while it was certainly entertaining to watch hipsters bop their heads to non-rhythmic music, I couldn't stand it past 11:30pm and headed home.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to post last weekend from the small town of Bully, where I spent a few nights on the invitation of a friend from school. Her pseudo-boyfriend is woofing at a vineyard there, just short of an hour northwest of the city. I am not sure where that term came from, but it basically means he toils the fields all day in exchange for food and lodging.

I'm not sure it's worth it.

True, I'm probably the sissiest city girl you'll get, and the house has been inhabited by weather-beaten farm hands for the last three years, but would it hurt to mop every once in awhile? Aside from the claustrophobic and smelly bathroom, I really enjoyed seeing the countryside. The rolling hills and hamlets criss-crossed by cobblestone roads were exactly what I pictured. However, I am an idiot and forgot my camera. Hopefully I'll make it out there one more time before the end of the semester so I can show you what I mean.