The Airborne Toxic Event

Anyone who knows me knows how important music is to me. Not just becuase I love to sing to really cheesy songs and dance around but because it keeps me sane. There are some songs that have special connections to certain parts of my life - good and bad. It helps me focus at work, keeps me motivated when I am cleaning my apartment (which I hate and am looking for a cleaning lady if you have any suggestions...), it makes me happy when I am missing home or having a bad day and it really just brings me to a place that nothing else can. A few weeks ago I had the fantastic opportunity to see a fantastic little band called The Airborne Toxic Event at a nice and intimate venue called,  La Flèche d'Or , in Paris SIDENOTE: I went to this show with my good buddy Fred - who also has a similar passion for music (almost daily we bust into song at the coffee machine) and he continues to enlighten me with new songs not only from this band but others as well. Since the show I have simply been addicted to their acoustic Bombastic videos that are on Youtube. This is for multiple reasons, one being we met the lead singer (and then the rest of the band) after the show in Paris and were able to actually chat for a few, so I feel a bit of a special connection to the music now. Second I am a TOTAL SUCKER for a guy playing the guitar and the words to these songs are just so well written.  Today in particular Fred passed along a few beauties that I can't stop replaying so I thought I would share my right now favorite with anyone who may stumble upon this post today...

ALL I EVER WANTED:


And a few photos from the evening of the conert - just because!!!

A sea of black...

Ok so for the last, oh I don't know 6 months or so, it has been close to impossible to leave my apartment without a jacket on. Not a huge problem for me I suppose because anyone who knows me knows that I have quite the jacket collection. But the thing here is that people LIVE in black jackets. It's unreal. I have had this thought before but with all the flowers blooming and the trees sprouting pretty green leaves it is seriously depressing. Now I have to admit I did cave slightly to the black jacket thing rotating two (ok maybe three) different black jackets with a gray one thrown in here and there. But enough is enough. It is time to swim away from the dead black jacket sea and onto brighter spring colors. So tonight I ventured out in a beautiful (if I do say so myself) coral/ pink colored rain coat and let me tell you what... I am currently sticking out like a soar thumb as I sit on the metro. No matter though because I know that everyone is looking just wishing they could trade in their blahness for a nice change of pace. So to all you black jacket lovers out there - switch it up - I bet you'll like it ;)

Joyeux anniversaire a moi!!

J'ai habité a Paris depuis dix mois!! C'est incroyable comment vite le temps passe.

Sometimes I think about it and it feels like it was just yesterday that I was standing at the gate in Boston crying as I waved goodbye (and got yelled at by the security agent for not paying attention), or waiting outside of the boulangerie until there was absolutely no one around so I could go in and buy my bread without peeing my pants from fear!! It is a little unreal how much change can come and how much progress can be made in just 10 short months. Although I came here for work and to experience some of life’s crazy ups and downs I promised myself before I left that I would speak French no matter how long it took. Even though some days I feel like I should be fluent in this silly language I know that I am getting just a bit closer everyday. My goal is to be able to carry on most conversations in French before May 15th. Why that day you ask ... just because ; )

In honor of these last ten months I have come up with 10 things I am very happy about right here -right now:

 1. The fact that my family and some of the very best friends a girl could ask for have supported me being gone and growing, especially through all my tearful calls home, my stories that probably make no sense because you have no idea where I was or who I was with, my drunk dials and my always present indecisiveness about when I will be home next. Being gone makes you realise who really will be there - bottom line. Thank you.


2. My fantastic group of friends that I have made here. These people have truly become my "French Family". They help me with everything from setting up my cable and internet,  to sharing recipes and little known restaurants, singing cheesy songs over coffee with me, inviting me to meet other people and see things I would never imagine finding if I was just exploring on my own and they always have stand up advise when it comes to being homesick, work and all the other little things that may come up... (including but not limited to shopping dilemas, Mr.Cocktail, interpreting textos and deciphering what they maybe serving at the cafe for lunch...)


3. Coffee. At first this incredibly strong black stuff just kept me up all night. Now I wake up craving it. Two in the morning (usually with some tasty little biscuit or cookie) and one after lunch. And if you throw in sitting outside on a gorgeous spring day you can't go wrong.


4. My Franglais. Yes that is my mix of French and Anglais. This is something I have been working very hard at - as mentioned above and there are days when I literally want to jump up and down and scream YIPPEEEEE when I understand entire conversations... you can't even imagine my enthusiasm when I actually speak in a complete and proper sentence. It's a beautiful thing.


5. My ever-growing dictionary of inappropriate French Words... This actually factors in from Number 4 - but now I will be able to go home and use all the bad words I want and no one will ever know. Sorry Ma but it's going to happen ;)


6. Pain au chocolat - enough said. Seriously how I have lived for 27 (oh snap almost 28) years without this buttery chocolate filled delight is beyond me.


7. Euro Disney - yes maybe this one sounds strange. But I had one of the best days of my life here when ma seur et son copaine were here visiting. My face honestly hurt from laughing at the end of that day. Between the rides, the princess crowns, the crazy people we saw and hearing Disney characters in French - I couldn't have asked for a better day with two more amazing people.


8. Vin Chaud - another one that maybe a bit odd but I have MANY happy memories attached to this cheerful little winter drink. Especially walking around the bitter cold land of Strausbourg with my parents, exploring Hambourg with a very dear friend and of course daring to battle the winter cold still sitting on a cafe's terrace (I live in Paris, I can't say no to a terrace). It makes for a happy little pick me up. This one can also just include all of the other delicious wine I have been lucky enough to experience here in Paris as well. Because let me be honest - I have tried a lot and I have liked a lot...


9. My boot collection - yeah yeah yeah - you were all just waiting for this one. My shoe/boot collection has "matured" quite nicely since my arrival in Paris and yes that makes me a very, very, very happy girl


10. Last but not least - knowing that I still have an incredible amount of experiences to look forward to, more friends to make, laughs to laugh, wine to drink, tasty treats to eat, French to speak without the Franglais, and relationships to build and grow in- with people both here and back home. I am incredibly excited about the last one in the list of many but then again I would be lying if I said I was not excited about the rest of the list ...

Tis the season

For sitting outside at a cafe with a delicious cappuccino and a wonderful and tasty little treat. There really is nothing to complain about when it comes to Spring time in Paris. Being able to sit outside is not only refreshing but makes for very interesting people watching... and that is always a good time. If you are in the right area at the right time you can see just about everything. Today, while enjoying a Sunday Funday cafe break and a little girl time, we were lucky enough to be serenaded by a lovely marching band. Not a bad setting at all especially when you factor in the amazing new dessert I tried today.  It is called a millefeuille. It has jumped up to the number one spot on my FAVORITE desserts I have had here so far. I think I may be in love...

 

Millefeulle @ Cafe de la Paix

Burning Rubber...

And not because I was driving!! Last night was one of the strangest nights I have experienced here and I am pretty sure that there wasn't even a full moon. Around 130am, after a few good hours of sleep I heard quite the commotion outside of my building. Side note: this was loud and clear because it has been so gorgeous the last few days I had all of my windows open. I went to take a peek and what do i see but a girl in her pajamas wrapped in a blanket screaming at (well what I have to assume is) her boyfriend. While she is yelling and crying he is trying to escape on his scooter. He managed to get on the bike but his sweetheart was not moving out of the way. This played out for about ten minutes and he eventually was able to maneuver around her and take off rather quickly - this being the first time rubber would burn on my street. About 30 mins later I was back at the window trying to see what could have been the cause of a very loud bang. I was looking for a guy with a gun running away or something that exploded. But all was clear. Thinking things were finally going to calm down I settled back in and was almost immediately greeted by the delight aroma of burning rubber. I don't mean a car peeling out, I mean a pile of rubber that someone set fire to. At the window again I start searching and see a firetruck at the end of the street and the pompiers all getting out but nothing on fire... Yet. That is until I look straight down and see a car right below me in flames and smoke pouring out of all the doors. First time for everything I guess. After assessing the situation the pompiers eventually put it out and that was that. The police looked around for a bit, it didn't look like they found much, everyone left and the charred car was left for the poor owner in the morning. Imagine having that to walk out to when ae are ready to leave for work... Oh la la not a delightful way to start the day.

A Parisian Weekend

This little weekend recap post, should have gone up yesterday but in evidence of a VERY good weekend. I fell asleep, computer on my lap with not much typed at all. So here it is today. After being here for almost 10 months I am still having lots of firsts. Including my Friday night adventure to my first Parisian nightclub… interesting and awesome to say the least. I had to dig way back into my college days of not even leaving to go out until after midnight, but I pulled it together like the champ I am, got myself dressed up and made it happen. We then spent the night in the VIP area with our own bottles, mixing our own drinks and dancing the night and the morning away. The music selection was a bit interesting for me – at one point the DJ really had me concerned when he began a medley with “We Will Rock You” not at all what I expected, but I think it was just to get everyone warmed up and that it did. I think one of the craziest things was the fact that this little club (ok, it wasn’t little at all but… ) is pretty much underground and so there are no windows, making it very easy to not pay any attention to time. What I am trying to say is that it was actually light outside by the time we left to have our nightcap (I guess it was technically a morning cap at that point). Yup – that is right, no last call at 1:45 for these crazy Parisians. It really was a lovely way to kick off what ended up being one of the best weekends I have had since my adventure in Paris began. After a brief nap – because there is no way you could say I went to bed at 930am on Saturday… it just sounds wrong – I woke up and made my way to a basketball game with some friends and ended the evening feeling about as Parisian as one could by going to the movies on the back of a little scooter. Yes my dear family – I had a helmet on and no it is not as scary as it might seem, buzzing in and out of the cars and busses on the incredibly busy streets of Paris.  I wrapped it all up by soaking up the sun reading all day Sunday in front of my huge windows with the pigeons happily chirping in the streets. It is funny how the littlest things like dancing all night and cruising around on the back of a scooter that make you feel like you have finally accomplished things the same way someone who is from here would.

I'll Take It ....

The gorgeous weather that is! The last few days in Paris have been unbelievable (aside from the fact that I can not stop itching my eyes because everything is turning green and blooming and prospering like it should be). But there is no comparison to a gorgeous Spring day here. It is like the entire mood of every Parisian changes ... this morning on my walk to the office I actually saw some people smiling with a slight bit of happiness in their step. Not to elude that all Parisians walk with a frowny face BUT they do tend to be much less expressive then people cruising around the streets of new England! Keep the sunshine and warm weather coming...

And we are back in action...

This entry is dedicated to my friend Nina <3

It has been brought to my attention that I have been a serious slacker on this little blog of mine and I need to change my bad habits and get back on updating it. Especially since the last month or so has been one of the most intense I have had since I have arrived in Paris. Not only is this small documentation interesting for anyone of my family and friends to read, but I am hoping that one day I can print it all out like a nice little diary and have it to look back on. So again with that said… it is time to get back into the swing of things. In order to quickly recap the last month I will do a Top Three most interesting things list… starting now:


1. Riding Elephants in Kuala Lumpur – while in Kl for an Alstom University event, we had the opportunity to spend a weekend there and travelled out to the jungle to visit an elephant reserve. Not only did we get to meet the elephants, feed them and ride them, we were able to take a quick dip into a river (which on any normal day I would have said HELL NO to going into) where the elephants rolled over with us on their backs and we got to play and splash around with them.


2. Exploding Curling Iron – So after many months here ( I can’t believe it is at almost 9 to be exact) I decided that I needed a little change in my hairstyle, mostly because it is getting really long and I am sick of it being all boring and straight. So I purchased a nice little curling iron from the BHV (the one stop shop for ANYTHING you could ever need). I immediately took it home and plugged it in ready to play around. About ¾ of the way finished with my hair – it was delightfully curly and cute- I heard the most awful popping sound and felt quite the surge in my hand and all of this happened as every light in my apartment went out and all of my music stopped. After spending about an hour trying to figure out just how to turn my electricity back on I managed to find a small orange knob that had to be turned behind the multiple fuse boxes in my apartment. Needless to say the curling iron was shot and so the remaining straight hair was tied in a knot on the top of my head to be hidden from the curls. No worries the burning smell in my apartment was taken care of with a splash of perfume and a nice breeze from the windows and my date had no idea that I had almost electrocuted myself just an hour before he picked me up.


3. Disneyland – WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO that pretty much describes that one in a nutshell. My lovely little sis and her boyfriend came to visit for a week and aside from all of the normal sightseeing we did – we dedicated an entire day to acting like 5 year olds at Disneyland. It was beyond awesome. Although the park has many similarities, it is a bit smaller and the colors a bit brighter – I have been told this is because the sky is always gray so it is to make it look more appealing. Space Mountain 2 at Euro Disney – can not be beat though. I would and will be going back as soon as I can…


Other super interesting things:


Singapore – this city is unreal and I highly recommend that if you have a chance you make the bes to fit and go. I will be returning for some vacation time… there is such a great mix of cultures plus for me being American I had everything I could have ever missed – Burger King, Hooters, Tiffanys, Palm Trees and beaches all in one place. Not to mention the airport, which you could spend an entire weekend in getting massages, shopping and eating. Try it out.

Catacombs – Creepy yet really interesting. This underground city of bones is really just something that you should do at least once. The story behind it will give you goose bumps.


Falafel – No matter how many times you eat it, going a Sunday without some is tragic ; )

Superbowl? What....

This time last year and this time for many many many years before I would be cooking, cleaning and getting the beverages cold for one of my favorite days - the Superbowl. This Sunday has always had a nice warm fuzzy place in my heart. A day you can get together with friends, family, eat, drink, laugh at commercials or groan at how awful they are, and yell at the tv. Yet as so many things have been this year - this Superbowl Sunday - just won't be the same. Actually to be totally honest I didn't even realize it was Superbowl until I was reminded while talking to my mom on the phone the other day. So on this lovely Parisian Sunday I am catching up on True Blood and practicing my passé compose and imparfait tenses of Francais, while remaining in my comfiest clothes ever. Yes that's right french homework on a Sunday afternoon, maybe surprising but.... Somedays this language thing ALMOST makes sense and I have found some good motivation to really start speaking French. Go - ha wow realized I don't even know who is playing the big game today- so go whichever team you want!!!! And please feel free to pass along the best YouTube clips of the commercials this way.

I am not sure...

That I actually love Ikea as much as I initially thought. Ok so maybe that is a bit exaggerated because I spent hours yesterday constructing various things from there but some of those products I was raving about were a bit more difficult once I saw them in lots of pieces, in lots of boxes all over my friends new apartment yesterday. See the thing with Paris, and I am not sure how it is throughout the rest of the country, is that when you move into a new apartment here unless it is furnished it has NOTHING. And the NOTHING is not an exaggeration. No sink, no fridge, no dishwasher, no washer, no dryer just a whole lot of nothing. In a way it is exciting because you have the opportunity to really customize your space but then there is the whole process of putting it together. Case in point - yesterday. I am not sure I have ev seen so. Many boxes, screws, and styrofoam ever in my entire life. But with a few sets of hands, some pizza and a lot of swearing - everything came together quite nicely. The work yesterday has also lead me to a day of nothing today. Movies, couch, Francais homework and trying to make all the nails I broke yesterday look somewhat pretty again....

Jammin.

Woke up in a lovely mood today and when trying to figure out how to say it in French, a friend was instantly reminded (SIDENOTE:: and he is very often instantly reminded when someone says a word or phrase that just so happens to be in a popular song... take "hello ... is it me your looking for......" It's classic and one of the most hysterical things ever) of this little tune:

So not only was I informed how to say "Good, good mood this morning (bonne bonne humeur ce matin)" in French, but I was introduced to a little piece of French pop cultural and who doesn't love the awesome Batman shirts??!!!

Sunday in Paris

I have no idea why but I woke up this morning with this overwhelming feeling of "I cant believe I live in Paris!" Nothing significant or life changing happened in the last 48 hours to cause this revelation it just sort of set in and woke me up thinking. Maybe it was the exploration of a new area last night, filled with restaurants and jazz clubs, maybe it was the sun coming through my bedroom window this morning, or the sound of the pigeons fighting outside (the big one definitely won) but whatever it was it just reminded me how lucky I am to be HERE!  So to celebrate that this morning I am lounging on my window seat, with the windows opened, sun coming in, drinking my coffee and reading my new favorite book "Dirty French". I am sure you are wondering what exactly Dirty French is and I have to be honest it is exactly what it sounds like. The guide to every bad word, French pick-up line and insult you could ever possible need in this pretty little city. Who said studying French had to be serious????

the SOLDES are back

It is that time of year again here in Paris. SOLDES!!! That’s right – this time for the goodies of Hiver (winter) and let me tell you they are in full force. It is actually crazy how many more people are packed into le magazines (shops) around town and the bigger stores are just a disaster waiting to happen. But when you think about it why wouldn’t they be?? When there are that many pairs of boots and jackets on sale – who wouldn’t want to be in the store reaping all of those benefits?? I have decided that since I have done NO shopping since I returned here after Christmas that I deserve a little treat. Friday – I have taken the day off and I plan on marching myself around this city to find the best of the best deals. I won’t lie I don’t have anything specific that I am on the market for but that will make this be a fun little adventure …. searching for the kind of prices and things (most likely shoes) that I cannot live another day without!!

Ikea

So. I am exhausted ( one too many late nights- sometimes I feel like I am back to my 20 year old self staying up all night here)and stuck on the Metro. I'm not sure what is going on even though the man keeps making announcements over the tin can they call an intercom. But some dude just tossed half a baguette and started swearing ( these are French words I picked up early on in my stay here). Of course I finished my book this morning so why not pass the time with a little update on life in Paris. Had my first Ikea trip this weekend and let me tell you: BRILLIANT. Simply brilliant. I left and haven't stopped thinking about that place since the automatic doors almost closed me and my giant blue bag filled with goodies in between them. It is like a giant playgroun with fake kitchens and bedrooms and bathrooms taking over the top floor. I can only imagine the bad ass game of hide and seek you could play there. The lower level is a treasure hunt of just about everything you could possibly want from candles, clocks, bedding, toliet brushes, kitchen appliances to candy!! unreal. I am still dreaming about everything I left there. The thought of lugging new dishes back to Paris by train, bus and foot was lessthan appealing. Why do we not have Ilea everywhere in the states?? I woulblike to think it would be beyond a lucrative business!!

Oh joy. Bread throwing and swear screaming man left and the train is back on the move. Bed here I come!!

The River Seine

Cofffee break time, along with lunch time and well just about all the times we have lead to very interesting conversations. Over coffee a few days ago I was chit chatting to everyone about the MONSTER blizzard everyone at home (well in the US, I've found myself refering to Paris as home a few times...) was experiencing. 2 feet of snow in some places, I don't remember the last time or if I have ever seen that much snow at once. And I digressed as usual but back on track, the snow conversation led to a conversation about how the Seine was overflowing here and flooding some of the banks in Paris. The river is quite big and along most places it is surrounedd by benches and pathways for people to walk. I am secretly hoping it keeps flooding over the weekend so I can go take some photos. For me when I think of a river or a lake or anythign flooding it is because of th esnow melting and causing a big rush of water. So my mind began racing and racing and I became curious as to why this river was overflowing, is there snow melting somewhere (it has been in the 40's here for days on end now) causing this normally calm body of water to take over?? So I asked and being surrounded by French I figured it would almost be a "silly" question. Turns out...it was a very good one!! Google quickly became our friend as we searched. Interested to find out where the Seine begins????

Click Here  --->  The Seine - How Stuff Works!! OR Click Here  ---> Bonjour to the Seine

Expat Expo

Confession - I love the Flag for Follow up option on our Lotus Notes email at work. Without this nifty little feature I think I would drown when it comes to answering important emails or remembering the emails I open when I am super busy but would LOVE to go back to. Now the other confession is that sometimes I use it to flag some very important maybe not so work related things... like the one I had set today. About 2 months ago I was forwarded a link to an Expat Expo that will be taking place in Paris during the first week of  February. Now two months ago this was definitely the last thing on my mind - exactly why the reminder feature is so useful - but today I was more than happy to see it pop up and did a little exploring. The expo will take place for three days in February and covers pretty much ANYTHING an expat here in Paris would want to know. You would think that after almost 7 months here (GULP - I just realised that by the time this rolls around it will be over 8 months since I arrived!!) I would know everything that I need to know but it simply does not work like that. If I had to break it down I would say I spent the first 3 months just trying to get adjusted to the fact that I live in Paris ( 1 month was spent just trying to sleep at night), the next three months I was finally comfortable enough to get started with my French lessons, actually go into a bakery when there were other people in line, start to go out with some friends, meet new people and even travel a little, that leads us to about a month ago when I realized that it is time to really get settled in because I am not going anywhere for awhile!! So after a little exploring on the website I think that this could be the perfect little kick in the right direction.

This little expo offers everything from:

• Conferences on Successful Integration (I am working on this one but I am sure they will tell me to speak more quietly in the Metro!)
• The Challenges faced When Learning French (This one really caught my eye and I am pretty sure I could actually lead this conference)
• Cooking Demonstration (Ok.. this is obvious... We all know I will be at this one, need volunteers for taste testing? YES please!)
• A Guide to your Style Profile (This one is about as obvious as the one above - shoes, bags, jackets, shopping in general, I am SOOOO there)
• How to Make the Most of Paris (This one just seems like it would be silly to not attend)

 Now that you have seen all that I am sure you agree it would be incredibly silly for me NOT to attend. If not for myself but for everyone that has been dealing with me and my French lessons, getting lost everywhere I go and enteratining me : )  Anyone want to join?????

Blah

Why is it that I can be a fully functioning grown up who has been living on my own for years, works a full time job, I support myself and do just fine but when I start to not feel well all I want is my pj's, Mac and cheese and my Mommy? It is like every ounce of adultness leaks out of my body and I go back in time like 15 years. Someone should invent some sort of teleportation thing to send Mommy's to their sick daughters. Now I am not sure if this same digression happens in men (do they sneeze and all the sudden want their mom too?) but if it does then I'd be willing to share this teleportation plan with them too. The worst part about all of this is that it's my first weekend back in Paris and it is actually almost nice out (well it looks almost nice out) and I haven't moved from my bed for almost 18 hours. Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Bonne Année

Ahhhhhh. Back home after the first day of work for 2011. I have to be honest it actually felt really good to wake up and get back into my little routine. Especially walking to work. I didn't realize how much I missed using my two little feet (ok so they aren't so little but that is beside the point!) to get myself around town. Now when it comes to missing the metro and my seriously close morning encounters I can not say the same. Don't get me wrong, I loved being home and relaxing more than anything but I think I will keep those vacations as a treat. So anyway apparently along with kissing everyone hello upon a return from the New Year holiday you also should greet them with two little phrases. Normally I would be all for this but after almost two weeks of no French and some jet lag it just seemed really intimidating. The little expression goes as follows:

Bonne année et bonne santé !

The first part which I heard many,many,many times today honestly sounds like a person saying banaknees. Sort of part banana and part knee. I'm sure I won't forget that saying now!

Happy New Year

Ok. So it has been awhile. It is a New Year and I am deciding I need to get back in blog action. I am currently standing at the baggage claim of terminal 2 at the airport in Paris. Waiting and waiting and waiting to pick up my TWO incredibly over packed bags from my journey back to the states. I am fresh off of an almost two week vacation/visit. A very good time. The holidays were beyond fantastic and it was refreshing and eye opening to be back in NH. I guess I'll have to finish this one later. The baggage belt is a rocking and I want out, a taxi and my apartment!!!

Time is flying

I just realized almost an entire week has passed and I haven't updated a thing. I don't know if it is because I am getting older, am living in another country and am always on the go, or if I just never noticed it before but time is just flying by me. It is like they strapped the days on a TGV and then shot if off on a rocket ship. Seriously though - it has been almost 7 MONTHS since I arrived here in Paris and I look back and wonder, if those months went by so quickly are the rest of the months I have in front of me going to go even faster?? Eeeeek. I hope not because I am not ready for that at all. Or maybe time just feels especially fast over the last week since it has been so jam packed. Now that I think about it, it has been packed to the brim!! I gave my first speech - in front of people, not just at my reflection in the mirror, in French last week. Which was an incredible feeling, mostly because I was so nervous I hardly remember speaking and the rush after was almost exhausting. I co-hosted the first Alstom University AUtube Awards show, our very own, Oscar themed evening full of stars. Which I thought I would be just as nervous for but really actually had one of the best times ever on stage.  It helps my co-host is a pro at this kind of stuff ; ) AND I have been running around trying to get my life in order because in 6 days I am flying off back to the US, for my favorite holiday season (aside from my birthday and yes that is a holiday) to see my family and bestest friends ever. So maybe at least for tonight I will blame time taking off on all of the above mentioned.