Early Bird Special

Julie & Julia

Maybe the most comedic part of this movie was that when I walked into the theater, everyone was over 60. Maybe that fact that we went to the matinee had something to do with it... This theatre was not sparsely seated either; we had a lot of company. Well, there was a sliver of the under 30 demographic, but, that rare representation was either me and my friend Lou, or a grand-daughter accompanying her grandma. And it was funny to see these husbands dragged along with their wives to see a chick-flick on date night. Not even age can change that ritual. I felt very honored to share that moment with such a wise generation. I also felt very prompted to be on my best behavior, as to present the best reflection of my own generation.

Regarding the movie, itself, Meryl Streep is still the best thing since sliced-bread. The woman is genius...I love what she comes up with for her characters...all the mannerisms and little things. I am trying to think of a time when she has disappointed me... and actually, Momma Mia comes to mind... but besides that, she has an incredible record. A Prairie Home Companion kind of left me scratching my head too...but let's not dwell on it. Paris...Paris had some showtime in this movie, so that also made it pretty easy for me to love.

On the other hand, I could not appreciate Amy Adam's character. Maybe it was because Meryl Streep was so amazing... Most of the time, not all of the time (but still most of the time), I wanted to walk out on Julie, like her husband did (it only lasted a day, don't feel too bad for her...). That is harsh, but she was frustrating to watch. And I am a big fan of the Bell Jar and Girl, Interrupted, so that right there says that I appreciate intense emotional breakdowns. Not in this case though. And Amy Adams should have double checked with someone on the pronunciation of boeuf, because she got it wrong, and then repeated it 100 times throughout the movie. I will say that I was glad that in the end she found herself and her confidence...probably because I wasn't around telling her how pathetic she looked when she rolled on the ground in chicken stuffing. Mary Lynn Rajskub (that name is almost as wild as Mariska Hargitay) kept my head in the game though. She was pretty funny....and if you happened to see her interview on Conan O'Brien the other night, she looked like a downright foxy lady...and that is how I am going to put a positive twist to this ending.

goodnight

Match Made in Late Night Television Heaven

I am beginning to realize that Jimmy Fallon could make me as happy as Conan O'Brien...and I don't know why this is at all shocking when I reflect on his past work. His impersonations melt my mind they are so good.

Newsflash!

Anthro just did a great service to humanity and came out with a gazillion beautiful new colors for their latte bowls. I am frantic! Seeing as I am going on a mission...I do not have a whole lot of reason to buy these latte bowls, but I am the youngest child in my family and we babies are impulsive, addiction prone, terrible bread winners and rebelious by nature - just ask science. So really, one impulsive purchase of idylic latte bowls wouldn't be so bad, compared to that line up. I'd be doing pretty well compared to the rest of the crack smoking youngest siblings out there in the world. And...Is it wrong to buy the most beautiful thing you have ever seen in your life?! I say nay.

They now come in: Plum, Pine, Sky Blue, Lime, Currant, Ochre, Orange Motif, Teal, and Indigo -- I love every single one of them. And did I mention I already have a set of Cherry and Baby blue ... 'cause I do. Another reason why I could really hold off on the purchase....Go check it out.

www.anthropologie.com

as if you didn't already know...

Did I tell you lately ---

Provo...I don't mean to get awkward, and I never thought I would say this...but I kind of miss you...

XX

Seattle -

- Was awesome.

The people seemed a bit funky sometimes, mostly those in the older crowd. It must be because they have extra narrow streets or something...I don't know what it is, but they seem a little bitter about something. However, the city, itself, was beautiful. JK, BK, AK, EK, and I all had a picnic at a park overlooking the P Sound. It was great and there was a homeless man playing his newpaper like a flute in front of me so that was pretty fun...cool guy. We also went to Pike's farmer's market, which was awesome!! One of the best I have ever been to. There were homies throwing gigantic fish to each other, which was a really popular show. I didn't get why everyone was so into it...but it was entertaining, I guess.


I mostly liked rooting for the crawdads attempting to excape from these big barrels. I wanted to free them, but the fish throwing homies on guard looked pretty tough. Also, there was a jam/preserves stand that let little AK taste all the different flavors of jam that she wanted, so I thought that was pretty rad. And, I wouldn't ever say that I am a true-blue flower person...I don't really get the whole dozen roses thing, but I am a sucker for peonies, and then when you wrap them in that brown industrial paper, like Meryl Streep in the Hours - whew baby , I am down for the count. And this farmer's market had the best looking peonies arranged in just such a manner for only $5...rediculous. I was in heaven. I wish I had my camera on me at the time because the whole place was full of color and interesting things and people.

As far as my B-day went, seeing the K crew made for the best anniversaire ever. The day started off hot, with us getting our blood pumping to Carmen Electra's workout video. I even got to see Harry Potter. It wasn't easy, but we got the job done, and I wasn't dissapointed. The film was a little crammed and rushed at the end for my taste...but let's be real ya'll, those books are super long. Then, to top off the B-day week, Jana made me the best dinner surprise ever! The meal for the evening was Cafe Rio burritos...delish. She rocked it. And it even came with a cupcake topped with 21 candles. Not actually 21 individual candles, because that would have been a lot for a cupcake to hold, but a "2" and a "1" candle which, when joined together, make the number 21.

Two regrets on the trip, though.

Regret Number One: I ran out of time and we were unable to do the Underground Seattle Tour. That sounded pretty wild. It is a city...under a city. Like a lost world...

Regret Number Two: I fell asleep at around 4 pm or so on the last day I was there and I am pretty sure that AK tried to wake me up about 4 times to come play, and each time I was like,
'Holy smokes little AK, what are you doing? Auntie M is trying to take a siesta!" Not cool. And when I awoke, realizing what I had done (because I had been in a very groggy state), felt like the worste aunt in the world. Hopefully she forgives me.

I wish --

Every night was SYTYCD night.

It is a full on addiction now. Phillip, I am going to miss you...Jason...you look like you are twelve. One of my regrets right now...I am going to miss the next season, this fall, and probably a season or two after that. Insha'Allah because I pray that the show will carry on for many moons. I am so happy that Jana was so blessed to have met Dominic and at the same time, I may never forgive her for it. Did anyone see that Argentinian Tango?? Oh man! Steamy. Janette is awesome. The only thing is...I really wish that she would stop talking to everyone like they were a dog or a baby. Has anyone else noticed that? Everything she says goes: "Oh, you danced that incredibly, yes you did!!...I thought that was beautiful, oh yes I did!...We loved every minute of it...yes we did" It bothers me more than the shreiking, but they both aren't my favorite. If anyone wants to have SYTYCD parties, I am down.

P.S. I can't stand Evan. Each week that he is still on makes me die a little because all he can do is Broadway. I am sure he is a nice person, but definitely not my fave...

P.S. --

I have been called to serve. As of September Second I will be putting on the badge and reporting for duty to the Houston, Texas (South) Mission. I will be speaking Espanol, so French, I will miss you, but this is the way it has to be. That means for 18 months I will be gone to the state that loves to talk about being it's own country...be real with yourself Texas. Don't get carried away.

So I am super excited

I will always have Paris

It is hard to blog when I live at home because I know that my main reader, my mom, is sitting in the same room as me while I blog...and she already knows about anything I would blog about. If anyone else does read this blog, you should leave a comment so that I don't feel as lame. I feel like the 40 year old living in the parents basement and it makes me a little depressed. This is my one grasp out to the world... and world, I hope you grasp back. Since I am house sitting at the moment, I am not at my parents house, and that put a tiny bit of life back into my blogging motivations. But, if I wake to find that my mom is the only one to have acknowledged my cyber existence, so be it.

I have returned to my motherland. The U S of A is once again my residence. Right now I am at Teaz Me, Tea Bar in Chico for the free WiFi. Somethings new about me that you might be surprised to find? I haven't combed my hair...since I left (over 2 months ago). It's super rad. Now I am sporting the dreads...but it is not because I got euro-lazy, I just wanted Chico to welcome me back with open arms. It worked like a charm.

Right now my summer job is baby-sitting sheep, on Sue Rueser's Cormo sheep and wool ranch, with a few dogs, siamese cats, and goats thrown into the mix. My favorite part of the gig - her blind cat Purl hurled on my car last night. Sue said if she eats to much, she tosses her cat cookies, but I gave her the advised amount (one fist-full of cat kibble) and she still could not hold down her meal. It should be annoying, but every time I repicture it in my head, it makes me laugh. Thank you Purl for some comedy in my life. My second favorite thing about the job, there is a goat named S'more...she's a total snob, but I love sass. She, relatively recently, was weaned of her kids. This means there is still milk in the tank. I just came back from France, where I was able to eat delicious chevre (goat cheese) and it became my cheese of prefrence...It is seriously to good for words. So lets put two and two together here people, I have a goat with milk and I have a love for goat cheese. Goat + Heart for Chevre = me milking this goat and using said milk to make my own goat cheese! I kid you not. I already won the goat over by giving her nose scratches. I actually attempted the milking process this morning...turns out milking takes technique because I had my jar ready, but try as I might...I could not get the milk from teete to jar! ... I think I'll look up the ins-and-outs of goat milking on wikihow....

Other things...Harry Potter. Can I tell you how excited I am, because I am like I little kid on Christmas. Jana and Ben, I am so happy to share this important moment in my life with you. It's is going to be the best birthday ever. I think if it ends up being terrible, I will be pretty crushed, like rehabilitation type crushed, like I eat Ben & Jerry's and cry as Rhett tells Miss Scarlet "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" crushed, like depression hurts everyone crushed. That's probably taking it a little to far, and I am expecting there to be some disappointments, but please David Yates, do us, J.K, and her baby book some justice...don't make people fly that aren't supposed to and don't let bad actors ... be bad actors.

And I hope it is ok, but I think I am going to end this post with a shout out to a special someone very precious to me -- Paris, I miss you.

Let's close with a few of our moments together.

---

CDC fo' eva' -

Our Madame an

d her daughter told us to do anything in our power to not have to go watch this play with our class..."Say there are children in the home who got you sick!! Say anything...and if all else fails...take a video ipod." Her husband said - "No it's a classic!!" and she retorted "Just because it is a classic, doesn't mean it's any good!!

" ... It wasn't half bad and she thought we were crazy.

Give peace a chance Kylie...just give it a chance.

The Dublin 5 in Giverny Gardens. Home to Monet and his many works of art...I couldn't get Laura Veirs' song Rapture out of my head.

Wild golf cart ride with the ladies: Kylie, Kristen, me ... and (not pictured) Emily.

Versailles has to be one of the best places on earth.

The very sad moment in the middle of a very good day. Earlier I had been canoeing down the same river which Johnny Depp had played the role of a gypsy in the movie Chocolat and enjoyed tanning and visiting a castle that was used in the movie Ever After...such a dream right?? Since it has been such a great day, I am feeling like "Danger" is my middle name. It's like I have drunk Felix Felicis or something. So I think what the heck...I am going to pick the craziest named gelato...bad news, it ended up being some sort of strong liquor and in my distraught taste I spilled it down my shirt.

Les patisseries that made me gain my Paris 15. I love them, even still...

Best Day Ever

A perfect day in Paris starts with a perfect nap in the park.  This is one thing Kylie and I are super good at.  Give us a soft patch of grass and we will sleep like a homeless person's drugged cat.  But to precede the napped, we needed to pick the perfect place and the perfect baguette. We found both in front of Invalide.  We also went to the open air market that morning and bought the best strawberries of all time.  While finding the best strawberries, we stumbled across some really nasty smelling fish.  No thanks.

 

I have absolutely no use for spices out here, but I wanted to buy some from this man because he rocked the display.  

So the picque-nique in front of Invalide consisted of cheese, une baguette and strawberries.

 

Perfect...then we slept for a few hours and woke well rested and sun burned.  My sunburn has already turned into a pretty awesome tan.  I wish I could say the same for Kylie.  All I am going to say is Barcelona is going to be awesome.  

After nap time, we realized it was too late to go to Invalide and see Napoleon's tombe, so we walked to a different park instead.  This time the Tuilerie gardens, our frequent stomping grounds.  The goal was to get some homework done... Kylie and I pretty much just held our journals open in our laps, but I think the fact that we just made the effort to get them out at all, made us feel pretty accomplished.  However, we were really just passing the time checking out EuroHotties and enjoying the sun.  Due to a series of unfortunate events and lots of things blowing into the foutaine, the EuroHottie from across the way from us decided that 2 seconds of eye contact was an invitation (typical french) and came over to talk with us.  Only, unfortunately, EuroHottie was a EuroNottie.  Somehow that small distance from across the pond made him much more attractive than he really was... so that was disappointing. Fortunately we needed to meet some people for a play, so we had an excuse to get out of that one.  EurNottie was not great, but he was still no competition for the crepe stalker of the Bastille.  I'll still be looking for you on facebook Mr. Fyfe, the picture with your scarf held seductively over for face... who know to which one I am referring.  

After leaving EuroNottie, I was walking down the Rue de Rivoli and ran into Napoleon Bonaparte, so I had to take a picture with my favorite imperialist.  He was a saucy one.  He started off by asking if I wanted to take the picture with his clothes on or off?  ON is just fine Napoleon.

  

He was from Argentina, so his Napoleon gig is only temporary, but I think he did a pretty good job.  I am sure Napoleon was pretty cheeky himself.  In one letter to Dear Josephine he wrote, "I'll be home in three days...don't bathe."  What a dirty little bloke.  

But Surprisingly Upbeat

Today was visit Frances largest cemetery day. Père Lachaise if you were wondering.  To make things extra dreary, they were having the memorial services for AF 477 at the Notre Dame. Very tragic, but cool to able to be here and see it. 

So to make sure that everyone was in good spirits before heading to Père Lachaise, we went to get some of the best gelato... known to man

me.

I love Amerino's.  It is such a tender mercy in my life.   If you get it in a cone... they make it in the shape of a flower!!

Not only does their gelato taste amazing, but it meets all my other needs.

Free water: Check

Clean bathrooms: Check

Seating without extra charge: Check

Ascetically Pleasing: Check

so good

At last, we ended up at the cemetery.  

(Kylie, Ryan, and I)

Talk about a ghost town... har, har, har... ah kills me.  I am too punny for my own good.

I live on the street named after them... so that is the relevance of this picture. Kylie and I had to show our respects.

And then Oscar Wilde... where would I be without all his witty quotes?  That definitely is les bises worthy.  

This tree was bleeding.  The tree was BLEEDING, PEOPLE!!!

Oh, you could cut the tension with a knife.

This one was just funny.  It reads "Finally Alone".  

This tomb was open a little bit and I wanted to see what was inside... It was a lot deeper than I expected.

Here we have they Bigot family...I am sure they were really popular.

This cat, I don't know where it came from or what agenda it had... but it really creeped me out.  Maybe it really did just decide a sieste in a cemetery is just as good as anywhere else, but I never see cats just walking around Paris unless they are drugged up, sitting next to a homeless person and this one was just lounging next to Chopin's grave...very curious.

So emo... So Pere Lachaise...

 

The End

So French, So Roland Garros

Today, two beautiful things happened:

#1 Hyper cool thing - The Pompidu Modern Museum of Art

They had posters by the Guerrilla Girls. I loved this.


When I have kids...they will only be allowed to play with cool vintage things like this.

This horizontal urinal was entered to the New York Society of Independent Artist 1917 show by Marcel Duchamp. It is titled - Fontaine. His motive behind it was that he wanted to test a modern art committee (of which he happened to be a member of) that said they would accept anything as art for their show. So to trap them...he tipped over this urinal, signed his name (with the code name R. Mutt) on it and entered it into the show (He and Jackson Pollock would have definitely been friends). They refused to accept it under the grounds that he didn't actually make the urinal itself and therefore he could not take credit for the piece. It has had a large impact on modern art, making it so that artist did not need to be responsible for the complete creation of their finished product...more just the person behind the thought and manipulation. ... And it all began as a farce.

This is just a cool art video projection from the Pompidu. It is nearly as cool as in Gossip Girl, when Serena sets up the projections of trees for Dan's Christmas present...almost.

#2 Hyper cool thing - I went to the French Open!

Some years ago, I went to many a tennis tournament with Kristin Panarra and enjoyed absolute displays of sport etiquette and manliness. I have been missing those days, and after seeing the creme de la creme in tennis, I do not ever want to go through another tennis tournament drought.

Just look at that beautiful tennis pirate...

Fate has set me living, no more than, 3 minutes from the location of the French Open, so today I went and experienced it first hand. It was incredible. First, we had to wait in line for a very long time. Then, when they finally released the line to go get tickets, there was a literal stampede and I heard screams of pain and horror coming from the front...but I really wanted to see some attractive tennis players / pirates, so I was not deterred. When I first walked into the complex, guess who was there to greet me ... Maria Sharapova, herself. She had just finished up her match and was looking glamorous. I was unable to get a picture of her because my camera did not open quickly enough and she had just finished her match so she was heading out, but it was still pretty cool. And can I just say that she is really hot...because she is. I had initially planned on seeing Sharapova and Nadal (they played in the same stadium), but by the time we got in, Sharapova had already won and Nadal was half way through slaughtering some poor soul. So we decided to go to the main stadium and watch Safin (Russian stud) vs. Ouanna (the pride of France).


Venus was supposed to play after them but there game was so incredibly long and intense, it was already dark by the time her turn came around. I was so bummed I did not get to see Venus. But no need to worry because when we started to leave the stadium, who else walks by? VENUS WILLIAMS in the flesh!!


Again...I was not quick with the camera, so she is kind of in the distance at this point, but you can still see her. She is center stage in the white visor. And I am not saying that Venus or Sharapova ever came off as ugly or anything...but they are even more beautiful and fit in person.

This is a video from the match. I don't think you can even really see the ball on this small version, but whatever. It was just so intense. It lasted about 3 1/2 hours and they were still hitting the ball at up to 206 km/h. So many cool plays went down. And I am telling you, if you ever want to see the French get sassy, go to Roland Garros. I wish I had a real video camera and could have recorded all the mind blowing plays, but my little powershot (which Sharapova endorses, by the way) made due.

And if anyone would like to spot me 32 euro, I would love to have an excuse to buy a Roland Garros tennis ball ... that is the size of a basketball. I saw a lot of 5 - 14 year olds running around with them and I was really jealous.

At the end of the day, It's another day over

Breakfast at le train blue.  

On the menu... du petit pain chocolat.

By lunch we were at chez Victor Hugo.

This is a table Hugo had made with a place dedicated to each of the four best writers of the time.  Of course, he included himself.  I love romantics. 

Much Needed

Today I took a long overdue run in Le Bois de Boulogne.  Very pleasant experience... 

The woods are conveniently close to my residence so it is a pity I have not been going more often.  Before my run I discovered that my socks were M.I.A., but I put my shoulder to the wheel and just ran sans socks.  When I ran St. George, I saw a man running without shoes or socks, so really, I was doing pretty well for myself.  However, the trails in Le Bois are sand...and pretty quickly the sand was in my shoe and the blisters were on my feet.  Then towards then end I caught the sent of weed and I knew it was about time to clear out before the prostitutes infiltrated the place.  The park takes on a new life when the sun goes down...

Besides trodding through the streets of Paris, my only other exercise adventure was a bike ride in Versailles Gardens.  Best thing to happen to me since I heard Britney was back.  It was very liberating.  

I saw Marie Antoinette's house and hamlet, which I was unable to experience on my original Versailles excursion.  M.A., you may have had your children stolen and been sent to the guillotine, but still... you were one lucky B.  The Petit Trianon is pretty much the classiest pool house you could imagine.  The Grand Canal, a cross shaped lake where Louis XVI used to entertain himself with live naval battles, was hosting a rowing competition, so that was fun.  ... The picture below is, as you might notice, not the rowing boats, but boats we were unable to enjoy because of the rowing competitions priority to the lake.  They were still photo worthy, though.  

Benedictions

Today was Bring-Your-Most-Pungent-Cologne-To-Church Day.  I don't know what the deal was...but every male on the metro formed a pact to wear a whole bottle of cologne.  This has never happened before.  Usually they have a pact against using any sort of deodorizer.   It made my nose burn.  Also, there was a lady who sounded like she had Gollum inside her throat. Paris, you should probably cut back on the cigs.  It's a real problem.  

To pass the train time I turned to my playlist titled "Holy of Holies" and listen to great religious numbers like Homeward Bound (by MoTab, not Simon and Garfunkel), Swing Low Sweet Chariot by Ella Fitzgerald, and Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing sung by Sufjan Stevens (It made me think of Andie.  Anyone who ties Sufjan into Relief Society gets beaucoup de points from me). Church was classic and lovely.  I love the ward.  It's an international ward and I am pretty sure every language is represented by at least one person in attendance.  Also, I like that the women in Paris are very sure, strong and opinionated... and it shows at church, as well. Other things I like about the church - it has a ping pong table, a bathroom, and  free water (the last two being nearly impossible to find elsewhere...I guess I haven't seen too many ping-pong tables lying around either).  

Usually on Sundays, you will find me napping here in the Tuilerie Gardens, but today, I went to a concert at L'Eglise Madeleine instead.  

And so now I am ready to get some Sunday Zzzz.  

Happy Sabbath

Au revoir

Chapeau!

I may be in Paris, but that doesn't mean I don't deserve some wind-down activities at night.  It may sound like all fun and games, and maybe it is, but a lot of fun and games can be tiring. So to relax at night, I like to watch an occasional episode of The Office or Gossip Girl (don't judge me).  So you better believe that, just because NBC and Hulu shows are blocked in Europe (online), I didn't miss the Office Season finally.  I just want to say ... I loved it, but hated that it was only a half-hour.  Big mistake.  You never do that with a season finale!  NBC...You've got some explaining to do.  But even still... there were definitely some scenes that I have been replaying over and over in my head. America...you may generally have bad chocolate, bad style, and bad table manners ... but you still make me laugh. 

FYI

It has come to my attention that not everyone is aware of the existence of Fainting Goats.  That's rediculous.  Educate yourself:

Wikipedia informs me that fainting goats are annually honored at the "Goats Music and More" in Marshall County, Tennessee.  Be sure to keep your calendars free for October 9 - 11.

Once Upon A Time, In An Irish Shire

You have all been wondering what lies behind the unique and colorful doors of Ireland...and I am here to tell you.  The answer is *magic*.  Spending some time in Irish countryside is probably the best thing you can do for yourself.  It was beautiful...and there were lots of sheep (LOTS) so I felt right at home.  Kara, Kylie, Kristen, Emily and I flew into Ireland on Thursday evening and we flew out on Saturday evening so we had to get down to business right away.  This was made easy because our hostel was right in the beating heart of Dublin.  I will also note that this was my first hostel experience.  It was interesting.  My conclusion is that men in Europe smell just as bad before they shower as they do after, probably worse.  It kind of made me sick to my stomach, but I didn't let it ruin things for me.  

The first night, we went and watched live Irish dancing, fo' free!  What a  gold mine.  Those dancer were out of control. And sweaty.  One of the male dancers had so much junk in his trunk!  He totally rivaled me, so that was pretty shocking.  

Some advice from me: if you ever make it to Ireland, definitely visit some pubs.  There isn't much else to do, anyways.  This is especially important if you ever have a case of the blues or are feeling unloved, because that can easily be cured by taking one step into an Irish pub.  This probably would only work for those of the female gender, but I promise you that in 5 seconds flat your self-esteem will increase ridiculously because drunk men love girls, and drunk Irishmen love girls even more.  And they love for you to sing with them... so go for it.  I have never been hit on my so many men (ranging from 20 - 50).  One time, I was scoping out the landscape, searching for some strapping young men and as I looked over the heads of people, trying to see across the room and around a wooden pillar, I suddenly noticed that a very aged and wasted man was in front of my face, moving in line with any direction of my vision.  When we made eye contact he smiled really big and raised his eyebrows.  At that point, I just stopped looking.  

We took a tour to Glendalough, it is a small town / village where there is an old monastery (when I say old, I mean medieval old)  So we hung out in a Celtic grave yard and saw some ruins. The best part was making videos in the graveyard...no regrets.  Along the way to Glendalough, we stopped at lakes and movie locations (think Braveheart and P.S. I Love You).  We also learned a lot about Irish history... so if you have any questions, I am your girl.  The tour guide informed us about current Irish events, as well.  Apparently, Ireland has been hit especially hard by the economic crisis and is experiencing a 20-30% unemployment rate (ouch).  They will probably be calling in aid from the IMF next year and are on the verge of being third-world status!  That's enough to make a man cry in his Guinness, so say a prayer, make a wish or find a four leaf clover and dedicate it to Ireland.  

Lucky Lucky (Twice)

Just some photo's to catch up on ...

This is me and the band in front of the Opera House.  I did what felt natural and played the air flute. 

Photo shoot in front of the Arc de Triomphe.  Sometimes looking like a tourist is unavoidable. 

I promised a special someone (you know who you are...i hope) an image of the Champs Elysees so here it is.

Pretty classy stuff..

Ciao

Je Blague

Combien des boulons sont dans la Tour Eiffel? (How many bolts are in the Eiffel Tower?)

Just un bout long! (Just one long point!)

An old man in Le Jardin du Luxembourg told a group of us that joke.  He loved it.  He was just dying laughing.  Aah...it kills me.  I love the French.  I don't know what people are talking about...they are hyper (pron. "ee-père" et pas "Hi-per".) cool.  

I'm telling you, they are very, very nice.  Maybe on the inside they think "stupid American"...but even still, they are kind enough to keep it to themselves and I appreciate that.  B

ut really, absolute strangers will go out of their way, even if they're obviously in a hurry, to stop and help you.  I've seen it many a time.  Je blague pas, and I have only been here a week.  One time I was in the metro and there was a girl having trouble with her metro pass.  There was also a lady who passed through at the same time and you could see in her face she was in a hurry.  The lady was absolutely torn between whether to help this person get into the station or reach her deadline.  The lady paused three times to check and make sure the girl was ok, and on the third time, she turned around and helped the girl, who was clearly a tourist, get into the metro.  It wasn't her job to help at all and she was not bothered to do it either.  Afterwards she gracefully said "Je vous en prie" and was on her way.  I was very impressed.  

(Notre Dame - It didn't click that Notre Dame means Our Woman until I came here. I guess I'm not always what you would call quick.)

Also, I am very grateful for how patient the French are with people learning the language (i.e - ME).  They are very encouraging.  If you don't know or aren't sure how to say something they say, "Well, just try".  And if you don't get it right, they correct you, but in a kind and respectful way.  So what I am trying to say is the experience is certainly worth it, even considering the pee filled subways and dog dropping filled streets.