Complex Numbers

Quelle Surprise

PROMPT November 4th

Would you rather be surprised or surprise someone else? Write about it!

Confession time:

I always wanted a surprise party.

I've been to other peoples' surprise parties, even though they never seem all that surprised to me. It's always been on their birthdays, though, so I'd expect it wouldn't have been all that surprising. "Hm, it's my birthday and my friends are all acting weird around me. I bet I'm getting a surprise party!" I never arranged one, because I suck at that sort of thing, so that might explain why no one has ever done it for me.

But that's being pleasantly surprised. Clearly, if it's a negative surprise, I don't want to be the target of that. On the other hand, I'm not a big fan of giving people an unpleasant surprise, either. I mean, I think pranks can be funny if they're played on anyone who is not me, but a prank is one of those things that's funnier in theory than in practice.

With my philosophy of "always expect the worst," I try to avoid getting myself into situations where I'm surprised in a bad way.

I was just thinking today, before I saw the prompt, of all the things that could go wrong if - I mean when - I go to Belgium and/or France. That is, after all, why I'm trying to learn French. Stranded in the Pyrenees (there are worse places to be stranded, I suppose), money stolen, trapped in the Eiffel Tower, that sort of thing. That's why I want to learn French - so I can say "help!" in the local language.

Turns out I've already learned many useful phrases. For example (keeping in mind that some of these might be wrong because, like I said, still learning):

Je veux une bière.
I want a beer.

Je voudrais plus bière, s'il vous plaît.
I would like more beer, please.

Je veux un verre de vin.
I want a glass of wine.

La bouteille de vin pour moi maintenant.
The bottle of wine for me now.

Je dois rentrer à l'hôtel.
I have to go back to the hotel.

J'ai besoin de dormir maintenant.
I need to sleep now.

C'est le matin.
It's morning.

Où sont mes vêtements?!
Where are my clothes?!

So you see, I want to be ready for surprises, even in France.