Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday

So there has been a bit of a gap since I wrote last. I am blaming it fully on the death disease that smacked me in the face around 11am last Tuesday. I woke up feeling happy and fine, went off to work, started my day and all of a sudden BAM!!!!!!! It was like death's cousin - whom I will call Almost death, makes you wish for your mom and to be out of your misery - arrived in full force. I spent the following three days in bed. I slept for a complete 24 hours and after that moved just enough to check email for work on my blackberry. I haven't been down and out like that in a long time. It was actually far enough down I made my first real doctors visit. It was quite interesting for a few reasons. 1. The office was in an old apartment/house style building so it felt about as as oppositebfrom a dr office as you can get. 2. Don't check in and fill out paperwork and hand over your insurance card. You sit and just wait. 3. The actual exam room was a beautiful old bedroom, completebwith a fireplace and huge bay windows - the exam table and desk thrown in there just looked like it was out of a movie. 4. The combo of Franglais the doctor and I spoke was good enoughnto get by BUT made me happy I wasn't trying to explain anything crazy!! After some antibiotics and cough syrup prescription were written, I was on my way back home to bed. Saturday morning - about 4 days after the lovely cousin of death( ok maybe I am being a bit dramatic) made a pit stop in Paris to visit me I was back up on my feet and ready to rock. Which was good news because Saturday was the start to yet another weekend of firsts in Paris!!!! More on that soooooooooooon :))))

The reason you stayed tune...

The weekend :: A beautiful (and quite honestly my favourite) part of the week, as I am sure most people would agree. I know I have said (again and again) that I had the most amazing weekend ever, but seriously they just keep topping the one before!! Although I feel like I could write pages and pages about this past weekend I will keep it to a quick review. I do call the right to have the possibility of a follow up post. Let’s start with Friday – a night in a new area of town I have never explored – The Zenith, a lovely little concert house in the 16th. Where I was given the great pleasure of seeing Ben l’Oncle Soul… anyone who knows me is aware that I have been in love with this singer since the first time I heard his music. It is an incredible mix of jazz and soul with a nice mix of English and French as well. Allowing me the opportunity to practice my French language skills (always a plus). The show was just unreal. The set up was like a big band show complete with dancers, guest appearances and a totally random crowd – making for great people watching… not only was Uncle Ben awesome but the opening act Imany was a great new discovery. Her voice is gorgeous and soulful and I highly recommend you Google or YouTube or whatever it is you do to find her music. As most of the things I do here in Paris are – it was also a learning experience. The first lesson was just a reminder about how important it is for me to improve my speaking skills – within minutes of being seated Annee had an ice cream salesman (I have no better term to describe him) going down to the floor to buy us a beer, he didn’t even ask for the money upfront – fantastic start to the evening. The most interesting part came next though., I was completely shocked that everyone stayed in his or her seats for almost the entire show. Even the people on the floor were just standing and sitting where they chose. It was crazy – especially with such good tunes blasting all around us!! Being the party package we are though Annee and I made it a point to get up and bust a move. Ensuring that we had nothing but a fantastic time. Now I said before that this concert was in an area I am not overly familiar with but the walk back to the Metro was filled with some serious characters – most of them being men trying to pick up anything that walked by. My favourite catcall/pick up line of the evening goes as follows “Mademoiselle your face is so much prettier than your boots” normally this being spoken in French would have me flattered and at my feet but after having three other randoms tell me their address to go sleep with them I just wanted OUT OF THERE. I will keep that gem of a line in my repertoire for a later date though… The rest of the weekend was simply filled with the typical spring/summer activities’ including shopping (for the two beautiful babies I am so excited to meet in a week!!!), drinks on a variety of terraces and lots of walking in the sunshine. Oh and an incredible little dinner with some very good company - which is the reason I was out past my bedtime last night... 

The longer I stay here and the more weekends that pass the deeper in love I fall with this city and the friends I have made in it : )

Stay Tuned

Sunday is always a good day for review but this Sunday was so gorgeous that I managed to stay outside until just now... a perfect reminder of why I loved summer last year so much and am SO EXCITED for this summer. The weekend was perfect weather wise and packed so full. Unfortunately "Responsible Heather" needs to go to sleep for a bright and early start to the work week. So recap tomorrow... like I said, stay tuned!!!

**DISCLAIMER:: I was apparently so tired I didn't even manage to click on the publish post button last night... oops!!!

Things I have learned (so far) this week:

1. Don’t ever get too comfortable in ANY situation. It always seems that as soon as you (ok in this case, I) get settled and ready to just move forward with some control, a major curveball is pitched and we have a game changer… This isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing but it is something that I need to always keep in the back of my mind. It is the changes and challenges I have faced so far that I have gotten me to the place that I am at. So may as well make the best of the opportunity and spin it to be as positive as possible.


2. Always remember that when exiting the metro in the spring/summer months that your skirt is most likely going to become a victim of the wind tunnel on the escalator – ALWAYS wear adorable underwear when showing some leg during these two seasons, you never know who could be behind you when you experience this Marilyn Monroe type moment…


3. No matter what anyone says chocolate is an instant picker upper. I have leaned on those cocoa scented, steady shoulders a few times this week. Just when my faith in the good world was diminishing a delightful Kinder Schokobon or a square of Lindt can brighten any situation and mood.


4. A person does not always need 7 or 8 hours of sleep in a row. When managed properly, sometimes a little catnap, interrupted with a visit from someone who can always provide a smile then going back to sleep works just fine. This does have some exceptions and probably does not work for everyone BUT in my experience the mood picker upper and smile provided are always worth the interruption of my REM cycle.


5. Springtime in Paris is beautiful BUT my nose is not a fan. Between the leaves budding, the flowers blooming and the pollen making its rounds about the city, I have been experiencing the occasional moment of sounding like a dying carborator when I inhale. This is not cute…

Men ... French vs. American

Since I have arrived in France this topic has come up at least once (or twice or even three times) a week. Sometimes because I am surrounded by French and American friends, so it is an easy thing to debate, sometimes because I am trying to over analyse what a text or gesture actually meant, sometimes it is just simply because well French men have an incredible presence that I find rather intriguing. Now that I am exploring this world a a bit more, I find that there is always a question of culture, what to expect, what is considered normal here and what is simply American ... because let me tell you what, dating here is a whollllllllllle new ballgame baby. A few weeks ago during a rather intense conversation  my good buddy and I were discussing a recent encounter I had with a gentleman...  which of course lead to the always present question of who is better - French or American guys. Although I can not give a 100% answer currently, the jury is still out on this one. We did a little search to try and figure out why the French man is so irresistible this is what we found....

Why are French men so irresistible???

Don't be scared - click it and take a peek...

A few highlights for those of you that don't have time to read at this very moment:

•  A Parisian has no competitors for fashion sense. Ordinarily you would never buy an orange scarf for your boyfriend, until you see a Parisian walking along the Champs Elysees with an orange silk scarf complementing his "decontracte" style. (I never thought I would double take a man in a scarf and tight jeans, I am continually proven very, very wrong ...)
• It does not matter what a French man tells you, if he says it in French you will be at his feet. Their accent, pronunciation and who knows what else are so irresistible (Ding, ding, ding ... we have a winner)
• Attitude, French guys look straight into your eyes when they are talking to you. (At first this is almost intimidating unless you are talking to someone with gorgeous eyes)
• With French men you can talk about anything you talk with your girlfriends. ( Yup - it's true, anything and everything, periods, sex, clothes, shopping, you name it they can chat about it)
• A French man actually appreciates your selection of toiletries. They can even recognize your perfume by name. (This is for sure a true story...)
• French men are still gentlemen (mmmmhhhhmmmmm, I'm talking opening doors, giving you the jacket, and carrying your purse)
• Their life does not revolve around football matches.  - Ok this is the only thing I MUST dispute, even though I don't have much to go on from what I have seen, this quality is built - in trait, no matter where you are ...

In review...

It was quite the week not only here in Paris,but, back at home where two beautiful (and healthy) little baby girls have blessed us with their presence (thanks to two of the most amazing couples I have ever met). I can not wait to meet these two munchkins ... soon enough ; ) Let's see what else happened this week ... the team at worked was awarded the ISO certification we had been working towards (working very hard) and it was a great accomplishment. This was followed up by a spur of the moment shopping spree and dinner with my girlfriend (the spring wardrobe is coming along nicely, thank you). All topped off with a lovely weekend where I was introduced to a new card game and spent a gorgeous Saturday afternoon having a picnic in the park and laying in the sun. It was relaxing and more than enjoyable. I can't wait for summer to arrive so I can spend more of my time that way... The weekend is seeing itself out with a rainy Sunday afternoon, perfect motivation for some French homework and maybe even possibly a few bites of Ben & Jerrys (I stumbled upon a pint of Chunky Monkey - a rare and exotic find as I was leaving the grocery store, score one for me!!)...