Clowning Around

This is the dress...

that I got stuck in at Manoush.

It doesn't look that tricky, but I assure you it is.  There is no give in the shoulders and that was my downfall.  It fit like a glove, but when I tried to get it off... off... OFF!!!  OFFOFFOFFOFFOFFOFFOFFOFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.......

PANIC ATTACK!  It wouldn't budge.

Seriously, panic attack.

I had half a mind to rip the damn thing and pay for it just to have it off my body.  I was sweating and sore and trying to figure how this situation was going to end.  My shoulder muscles burned from the contortions I commanded of them.  And still nothing.

Thankfully, Elizabeth happened to be in town.  (Oh, thank god for Elizabeth!  In my whole life, thank god for Elizabeth!)  What seemed to be a polite pop-out to show her the dress turned into a frantic wave to the dressing room, where she assessed the angles and calmly (she was calm, me not so much) pulled me out of the dress.  It was not pretty, I know that, but that's what friends are for.  What happened in that dressing room is between me and Elizabeth, and that's how it will remain.  The moral of the story is--as she put it--always make sure you have on clean, opaque undergarments in case a friend needs to remove you unexpectedly from Parisian circuswear.  Life lessons, indeed.

Back in Brussels

Where a cold one does the trick, even when it's f-f-freezing outside.

We found a bar that looks like it was airlifted straight outta South Philly and plopped down by the Jeu de Balle.  It's called Le Petite Lion and look!, it's totally South Philly!  And, oh yeah, this is a serious ashtray.

Creeeeepy.

Sheeeeepy.

More building innards.  I just can't get enough!

A new "friend", who emitted the most disconcerting low growl/moan the whole time I was trying to get a good shot.  I gave up after this, scared he was gonna turn it up a notch and bound down at me.

Our metro station (Albert) has the craziest art.  There's a "moth" theme running throughout with giant moth eggs in some parts and this giant bat-moth in the main hall.  (We always call him "the bat" even though he's totally a moth.... and probably a she-moth at that, what with the babe-in-arms.)  Thought it was super-weird to take B's pic by it... and it was.

They showed me their new tricks...

which didn't amount to much more than this and some serious snuggling.

Look! It's An Outfit Post!

I ain't even been photographing the outfits in Paree.  So here's some Brussels business for you...

Denim jacket Levi's (love, love, love this new gifty!  I haven't had a denim jacket in YEARS, and this one is so good.), dress See by Chloe, fox leggings Tsumori Chisato (freaking out about these!!!), boots Opening Ceremony (the uniform).

I mean, can you even??  Have you ever???


Genius.


This is why working on the same street as the Tsumori Chisato store is dangerous...  I can't resist this stuff!

Denim-ing.

Regarde Le Ciel

More Recents

A-falafel-ing we go... OK, this is a shawarma and I instantly regretted not getting the falafel once I bit into it.  Which isn't to say it wasn't good (it was), but that just tells you how good the falafel at L'As du Falafel is.

Biro can't even get over it.

Permanent ping pong tables in the Marais.  Yep, those guys are playing some ping pong.  Wonder how it's called in French...?

Jamie and Frida on the metro.  So cute, those two.

Melikey.

An "oops" shot turns out arty.

Berko  has...

the best (look at those vials of fruit syrup!)...

cupcakes.  And it is dangerously close to work.  Uh-oh.

Holdin' it down.

So regal, not at all like most of the dogs strolling around in Paris.  My favorite is "The Roper", a total scruffer who's the honorary mayor of the Marais.  That dog is everywhere in my neighborhood, and his dad keeps him at the end of a raggedy old rope.  He is some sort of unkempt terrier mix and I just love him.  I will have to take his picture one of these days.

Not a cup receptacle, I'm pretty sure....

So it is the month of the sales in Paris and that shizz is bananas!  The sales are regulated by the government (same as in Belgium), so everything is on sale during the same period.  You don't even have to know the day they start, you can just feel the energy in the air.  The promise of discounted merchandise is almost too much to handle.  You can hardly find a person walking around WITHOUT a bag of purchases.

And on the weekends, forget it.  I threw an elbow in Colette.  Survivalist tactics kick in.  I mean, look at this scene in Sandro.  No, thanks.  Luckily, my work is right in the middle of one of the best shopping areas in the city, so I've been kicking it at lunch.  I must tell you, my plan to befriend the girl at the Tsumori Chisato store seems to be moving along.  Come to find out, she likes Tatty Divine as much as I do.  This shouldn't be hard at all...

Urban barn.

A Weekend With Byronius

Nice script.  And good food, too.
Try the snails!

Always with that one.

Pretty.

Building guts.

Or rather of a respect for public property...

Just try this guy;  you ain't gettin' in.

Cows and princes.

Methinks those are ionic?

 The guys above La Perle.

Waiting for the real thing.

And ta-da!

 Getting a picture taken like a couple of tourists.

Opera!

These mice (or souris, as I ask for them) are the most deliciously adorable sables, which are French butter cookies made with hard-boiled egg yolks.  The orange are, well, orange-flavored and the green are pistachio.  The swirly cookies at back are also sables, with each color of dough being a different flavor.  YUM.

 More scenes of the Marais...

Week #2

Week #2 on the job was good.  Felt much more in the swing of things working in the office than I did working in the store.  The work environment is different, and not only because French is heard predominantly.  (It's pretty cool... most people speak French but cut right to English when, say, I'm around or there is a meeting.  So I'm able to listen and work on my French a bit, which is a big help.  The front desk woman had me fooled into thinking she spoke better English, so now I'm learning the ins and outs of asking about mail delivery, etc. in French.  She also rolls her eyes quite a lot, which seems ultimately French to me.  I love it!)

No one seems to play music at their desks, which makes things seem quiet at the office, but I'm fine with it.  I need to be listening in on the French, really.  And there is a decreed lunch hour--everyone goes from 1 to 2 pm.  Like, the place clears out, sorta like school.  I was used to going to lunch whenever I was hungry, but now this piggy American's got to keep her hunger at bay until 1 pm!

What else?  I will write more about the job as I think of it, but I'm liking it so far.  I was quite busy in my first full week in the office and my boss is pretty hands off.  I've come from an environment where everything I wanted to do had to be approved and scrutinized (more than once, in most cases...) and--sorry to be frank--pissed on, so it felt strange to be empowered to just get in there and DO.  Of course, I check in with my boss, but he's most often too busy to go through things with me, so I just get to work.  It's amazing to feel a level of trust in such a short time.  And the other thing that feels really new for me is that he is always challenging me for new or better ways of doing things!  Imagine, being empowered to say what you think, especially when it's a new/different way of doing things, and not feel like your words turn into vapor.  I am excited to write the process and figure out how to make the company more efficient in regard to fabric.  I am really grateful for the start things are off to.

Of course, it's going to be challenging.  It's going to be long hours and I will mis-step on some things, but I am excited to do and try and give my best to this company.  I am happy to be here.

All that said, here are some scenes of my day-to-day so far in Paris.

 My dinner partner at my local wifi joint.

Walked to the Sentier area the other day with Jean-Michel from work, turned the corner, and THIS appeared!  It is dedicated to the Sun King... but then, isn't everything?

On my way to work, there is art...

 and fancy doors...

and tempting mallow treats...

and security cameras that don't really secure anything.

And that's all just on my 5-minute walk to work each day.  Not bad.