Le weekend:

1) Spicy food, sleep, and tea, plus a hefty helping of "Seinfeld" and Sudafed. Last time I had a cold, I attempted to kayak in the Hudson, thinking if I went about my business, it would disappear. That approach was less than successful.

2) Reading up the wazoo! To be combined with pastries, coffee, and maybe a bit more Sudafed.

3) Get tickets for the Stuyvesant 5th Year Reunion and the Israel Lobby-fest.

4) Track down a pair of black ballet flats and a gray-ish pair of the new "skinny" jeans, at grad-student-friendly prices, something very doable what with my extensive knowledge of this city's shopping options, still with me from back in the day when I cared.

5) Ponder but ultimately reject the possibility that black ballet flats and the new "skinny" jeans count as educational purchases if you find yourself in a French department.

6) Monty Python and the friggin' Holy Grail!!!

7) Ponder but ultimately reject the possibility that, what with the "I fart in your general direction" scene, tickets to this clearly French-historical movie might count as an educational expense.