I do a lot of driving. I drive to pick stuff up, I drive to drop stuff off, I drive around in circles waiting for something to be ready to be picked up, I drive to Sherman Oaks, Hollywood, Burbank, West Hollywood, Century City and beyond. That means a lot of listening to the radio.

Usually, to keep myself from growing dumb, I'll listen to NPR, specifically KCRW, a local public radio station. Their programming gives me a lot to think about, from current events to world history to new music; and Lord help me if I don’t get my new music.

Sometimes that’s too heavy, though, and I’ll need something a little less thinking intensive. Sometimes I’ll listen to Ryan Seacrest make some vanilla joke in the charming way that only he can. I’ve been listening to a ton of KDAY, a station that brings me back to the old school cause I’m an old fool who’s so cool (Whoomp, There It Is anyone?). When I’m on my drive home after a really long day of Blah-Blah-Blahs, when it’s just Blah-Blah-Blah this and Blah-Blah-Blah that, my heart doesn’t drag its feet so much when Keep Ya Head Up by 2Pac comes on my radio.  And on very special afternoons, I’ll listen to Love Songs on the KOST. You’ll find me singing at the very top of my lungs to Truly, Madly, Deeply because no one can hear me with the windows rolled up. And if they could, who cares? It’s Truly, Madly, Deeply, followed up by Dreaming of You by Selena. Joy and rapture!

Even that can become tedious, truth be told.

So what does one do in that situation? When day after day, hour after hour, is spent in the car with only your radio for company? I’ve stopped taking my iPod along with me because listening to my own music is like hanging out with myself. Boring! So what do I do to shake up my routine?

Solution: Learn French.

For my birthday, I had a big gift certificate to Amazon, which I used to purchase a set of French Lesson CDs. It was my goal at one point to make a small animation and do the voice over in French. I have embarked on a journey towards reaching that goal, and now there’s no looking back. I popped the first day’s lesson into my CD player in the morning and listened to that bad boy all day. I’ll bet I look like a crazy person shouting in French at my radio.

Voo-lay voo man-jay kel-kay-shohz. Je voo-dray ah-lay ah-veck voo man-jay. Ooo voo-lay voo dee-nay?

No, that’s not the correct spelling; yes it’s phonetic. I don’t mind being an illiterate French speaker. As long as I sound cool when I order a drink.

Seel voo play… je voo-dray un encore ver du vah-n blanc. (But you don’t pronounce the “c” sound at the end of blanc.)

At the end of the lesson, I’ll imagine myself as something else, not an assistant, though. I’ll imagine that I’m in Paris, and I’m on my way to the Champs Elysee, and I’m looking to buy a dress. Not just any dress, the perfect dress. I’ll park my car along the Seine and I’ll walk to my favorite shop, where the shopkeeper will be happy to see me. She’ll know that I love vintage CoCo Chanel and she’ll grin a mischievous little grin while she leads me to her personal private collection. She’ll show me the perfect dress and I’ll gasp.

“C’est si belle!” I’ll say as I hold it up against my body, studying the way the color complements my skin, like chocolate and cabernet.

The shopkeeper will insist I try it on. I am wearing adorable lacy underthings, which is just what a woman should wear at all times. I worry that my rose perfume will somehow get on the dress and destroy it, make it less magical. Over the perfume, and over the adorable underthings, the dress is perfect, fits like a glove. I have to have it.

So I do! I purchase the dress. I take it home with me to love and enjoy and I plan an outing with my friends. It will be perfect to wear to the little jazz bistro on the edge of Montmarte and I can share the details of my new animated movie with my friends over wine. In a fabulous vintage CoCo Chanel.

And then I snap back to reality and realize I've never even seen what a vintage CoCo Chanel looks like.

I don’t know if these French lessons and daydreams will ever get old. But I guess if they do, there’s always Love Songs as a backup.