Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

I find it funny that after a whole year (and then some) that I have yet to share some of my favorite things in Paris.

Here they are, in random order...

Enjoy a brief tour through my eyes! :)

Breakfast in America
My favorite spot in Paris for homesick days...nothing that a pint of Stella, plate of Nachos and fun friendly American wait staff can't cure!

San Francisco Books
This is where I buy and sell all of my English books.

UGC Cinemas and my unlimited movie pass for 18 euros a month!!


L'As du Falafel
Totally old article but informative since there is no official website. Usually there is a long wait, but totally worth it. Plus, the awesome sandwich only puts you back 4.5 euros. YUM!


Pierre Herme
My favorite place for sweets and treats. DELICIOUS!

Jardin des Plantes (Garden of Plants) and specifically the ZOO
The site's in French but you'll get the idea...The primate exhibit is AWESOME and it's a 5 minute walk from home.


Frog Pub
A perfect spot, with free Wifi and GREAT homemade beers.



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**** List in progress ****

Gotta run :)

Saturday

Well, after finding out some bad news yesterday I am a bit crazy today....for a year now I have been living under the assumption that my end of school thesis and report on my internship (memoire et rapport du stage) are due at the end of December. So, I have been very lazy about it knowing that come Halloween I will be unemployed with plenty of time to research, read, write and be a good student.

I got back to my desk from lunch yesterday and opened the email that will change my life for the next month or so....it read somewhat like this...(in French of course)

"Dear students, Please be advised that your complete projects are due at school no later than COB November 26th!"

WHATTTT????

So, a few freakouts later, I am on track, albeit a bit frantic. However, I went to the library today planning to work and research a little bit only to discover that you have to PAY to use the library in Paris. WHAT AGAIN? Thirty-five euros for a year-long card, knowing I may very well be kicked out of the country in a few months?? No thank you. So I left.

Now, of course, knowing me, I will be back there tomorrow, 35 euros in hand, ready to pay for the card as the convenience of the library and allure of "free" research is a big deal.....but for now I am wallowing in my disbelief and annoyance and enjoying the pint of beer and free WiFi in the British pub next door. :)

I'm still alive...

....but a HORRIBLE blogger.

Life lately has consisted pretty much of the following :

* Riding the bus, the train, the bus again and walking to and from work...
* Being a happy homemaker in my spare time...
* Looking FAR AND WIDE for a job in Paris (my internship ends October 31 and the clock is ticking)...
* Stressing out, sometimes to the point of tears (see above)...
* Seeing movies with my UGC Carte Illimite (PERFECT for a student with dwindling means...best 18 euros a month I could ever spend!)...
* Missing the U.S. a little bit...anyone want to FedEx me some good Mexican food? Some magazines? Some books? Some friends? ;)

I will do my best to be better at updating (if anyone is still reading) and will definitely have TONS of time after Halloween when I am officially unemployed.

Rain, rain, go AWAY!

It's raining in Paris.....

......again......

It's always raining - July and August have shown me the rainiest summer in life, and it's not over yet!

Looking SO forward to my first trip to Spain this weekend, where I HOPE to catch some sunshine!!!!

YESSSS!!!

On a non-Paris note....

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-rosacea6aug06,0,1305081.story?coll=la-home-center

SO happy. Please note this was discovered at UCSD! Of COURSE! :)

I miss summer in L.A......

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke27jul27,1,2792757.column?coll=la-headlines-sports

WISH I could be there, but I still would have no idea what to do....

Heard on the train this morning...

"Si vous decidez de me donner une carte bleu, n'oubliez pas de me donner le code secret...."
("If you decide to give me your ATM card, don't forget to give me the pin number!")
- A beggar on the train this morning

Nothing like a little laugh in the morning....I take what I can get. :)

A week later....

Bastille Day was last weekend - July 14th, and I celebrating by braving the crowds and heading towards the Eiffel Tower to watch the fireworks across the river at Trocadero. To be honest, the fireworks show was up there with the ones that I praise at Dodger Stadium...but the musical selection, not so much. I mean, they played the theme from Star Wars and songs from the Baz Luhrmann film Moulin Rouge to celebrate their national holiday...

I mean, could you imagine the uproar at some celebrations in the U.S. if "La Vie en Rose" started blaring out of the speakers amid hot dog eating contests or apple pie tastings???

View from the Balcony...

Well, after months of awful weather (I'm talking DAILY rain...what is this, Seattle?) it has finally become summer in Paris. Here's a view from my balcony to commemorate the occasion. :)

Amazing Street Art

Please note the awesome street art I happened to notice yesterday on Rue Moufftard. Amazing!

I have yet to share it with the fam, but I have a feeling we are going to get a good laugh!

Back in Paris

Well, after a crazy, hectic few weeks all over the U.S., I am back in Paris today and I feel so strange, to be honest...

For the first time, I kind of feel like a visitor in BOTH countries....like I was not fitting in the way I used to in the U.S. but I do not feel 100% at home here in Paris.

Some of the things I LOVED about the U.S.:
Family
Friends
The freedom of my car
Seeing the ocean
Food
Space to spread out
Customer service!!!! (This was huge)
Not being pushed (haha!)

Some of the things I MISSED about Paris:
Friends
The scenery
Food
Metro
Walking
My "routine"
Being complimented on my language skills (haha!)
My balcony

I could go on and on but I know that while I am happy to be back I also am missing L.A. in ways that I don't think I have before...maybe it's because I've never been away for this long?

My cousin's wedding and grandpa's birthday were both SO much fun...pictures to follow once I get over this jet lag. :) It's back to work tomorrow!

Lazy Saturday at the Louvre

I spent yesterday at the Louvre and had such an amazing time- it's been literally almost TEN years since I first visited the museum, which is crazy, and it was a wonderful trip.

It made me want to go back more often, and I think I just might....

The weather continues to be absolutely gorgeous so it was almost a shame to spend the Saturday inside...

Here are a few of the highlights of what I saw, without overwhelming you with photos. Enjoy!

More views from my walks...

P.S. I GOT AN INTERNSHIP!!!!

Just wanted to keep you all up to date!

Although I am not going to post exactly where I will be working on the blog (see www.petiteanglaise.com who recently got fired from her job and went through extensive legal proceedings because of her mention of her employer on her blog) because in France you can never be too careful about this stuff......but let me just say that I am sooooo excited! It's from late April to late October, a HUGE American company, a marketing job, they hire Americans, and I will be SO thrilled to be getting a discount on their products!!!!

Email me to find out the company- I am so glad the search is over!

New Space Invaders

The Oscar the Grouch one is probably my favorite of all time!!!! I found him over by Les Halles, near the HUGE crazy mall that I tell everyone about. :)

P.S. I recently discovered that there are TONS of Sesame Street clips on YouTube. I have been having a FIELD DAY watching some of the old favorites! SO awesome!

Walking in Paris

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous again (although borderline too-hot) and I have started trying to walk EVERYWHERE.

Not only is the scenery amazing, but I am enjoying learning my way around town ABOVE ground and out of the metro, and I have been enjoying the exercise too!

The other day I decided to walk to the movies- about 45 minutes away, and the view was gorgeous.

Just thought I would share some of what I see....

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!

Some scenes from Pere Lachaise

I finally took the time to visit the beautiful Pere Lachaise cemetery in the 20th arrondissement in Paris...it's well-known for being a place where famous Parisians are buried but it's also where Jim Morrison from the Doors is laid to rest.

The whole thing was absolutely gorgeous and the dark rain clouds that were looming over the city just made the setting even more perfect.

I took a TON of photos but here are a few that I wanted to share....

NEW Space Invaders...

Boy, have I ever had a Space Invaders FIELD DAY!!!! Seriously, it seems like now that I am looking out for them, they are everywhere I go!

Here are a few from my walk in the 5th and 6th arrondissements last week with old friends L&L. One was above a video game store near the Sorbonne and the other over right by Luxembourg Gardens.

Enjoy!!

By popular demand....

Just a little post to let you readers know that I am still alive, happy, well, and having a BLAST with three different groups of visitors here this week. Plus, the weather is absolutely gorgeous- almost dream-like, and I am really enjoying being outside.

I have been taking a TON of pictures so please check back in a few days...as much fun as it is to have visitors, I am all over the place (literally) and don't have much time to be online.

Can't wait to catch you all up with everything!

Bye for now. :)

New hobby...nerd alert!!!

Okay, so I will begin the post by making it clear that I in no way wish to dispute that I am totally nerdy about some things....geeky even. For example, when I lived in D.C. a friend came to visit and we spent the entire weekend in 100 degree + 100% humidity chasing around town to find and photograph the donkeys and elephants (50 of EACH)!! (No that's not me and D in the photos...ours are better!)

Needless to say, I am a big fan of street art.

So, here in Paris we have "Space Invaders"- basically little mosaics that look like they come straight out of a Nintendo game that pop up everywhere on the side of buildings. I have been seeing more and more of them lately so I have decided to take pictures and see how many I can find! Looks like someone has beaten me to it, but it will still be plenty of nerdy fun for me!!! Woohoo! Do I have too much time on my hands??? :)

Here are a few to start...

Gorgeous!

The weather has been totally amazing lately and I have been enjoying it by walking around a lot more and enjoying the scenery. Here are a few photos of my everyday surroundings...enjoy!!

Amazing!

A picture's worth 1,000 words....

"I bought a ticket to the world...."

"....and now I've come back again!"

I miss Boardwalk 11 and karaoke soooo much.

It's nearly been five months since I moved here and I still have yet to meet a karaoke partner.

Anyone....?

Trop malade!

Just when I thought I was getting better, I am awakened this morning with MORE of the heinous flu-like symptoms I have been battling for now nearly a week. I have pretty much exhausted the last hangers-on from my American "pharmacy" and now have only one packet of TheraFlu left. What I wouldn't give for some NyQuil....

In the meantime, I have been holed up in the aparment doing a whole lot of nothing. However, I am venturing out every so often to use my shiny new UNLIMITED MOVIE PASS! What an awesome idea- for the price of less than three movies a month, I can go as much as I want!

I've recently seen:

Bobby
Blood Diamond
The Holidays
Pursuit of HappyNess
The Last King of Scotland

I may go out again today to see either the Good German or the Hannibal Lecter flick (which may be too scary for me! Haha!) The weather is beyond gorgeous- I am so disappointed to be stuck inside!

Only on Al-Jazeera

101 East: An HOUR of televised broadcasts regarding American servicemen and their reputation overseas. Does the justice of another nation apply to an American servicemember while serving overseas? LOVE it.

Seeing as how I have only about 3-4 TV channels in English, and that sometimes I just don't feel like concentrating/don't want to work in French, I have developed an unhealthy obsession with Al-Jazeera English...sooo different from the news I'm used to from the U.S. and seriously has the greatest selection of topics....

Don't worry, I'm already convinced that my FBI file is so large that it will have to be delivered on a truck. I'm not scared. :)

I'm Johnny Knoxville, and this is Versailles.

I had a friend in town last week and had the most amazing time. Although much of the week itself was hilarious, perhaps the best time was the day trip we took to the Versailles castle. It was cold, rainy, and a bit dismal when we arrived....but we had no idea how fun it would be....

We first took a tour of the castle, which was so immense and gorgeous that I can't even describe it. Beautiful!

Anyway, after our tour, we went outside to look at the grounds, which went on and on forever. There was a little shack just outside the castle advertising golf cart rentals for 28euros an hour. We wondered if it was worth it, shrugged, and decided to go for it. What ensued was literally probably the funniest thing that has happened since I have been in Paris. There were a ton of potholes so my friend insisted on hitting them ALL at our highest speed. We were out of control and the shenanigans made me laugh so hard. For those of you who are Jackass fans, the afternoon was straight out of a Jackass episode. Seriously.

I highly recommend the golf cart rentals to all who may be going to Versailles. SO worth it.

I FOUND IT!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness......years after visiting my sister in the Czech Republic, I've found an imitation of what I've been looking for!!! For the uninitiated, in Prague there is amazing "street food." The sister and I not only enjoyed traipsing but she also taught me to enjoy such food...and by far the BEST thing was the "Smazny Syr," which I tend to describe as fried cheese with mayonaise in a white bun. Nasty, but oh so great.

Well, I am delighted to report that the French fast food chain Quick is carrying an imitation syr. No, it's not the same as the fried delicacies that I may or may not have enjoyed with the sister at 3 in the morning while finding our way home from a 25 cent beer paradise.... BUT, it's pretty darn close. I have to be careful to not devour them all the time!

Yessss!

Bobby

The movie "Bobby" about Bobby Kennedy just came out here yesterday and I am dying to go see it. I think that's going to be my outing for today because tomorrow (Saturday) I have an all-day trip to Angers planned for school. Literally- I have to meet at the train station at 7:00am (!!) and won't get back until 10pm. Ugh.

Anyway, I am having the hardest time finding the movie in VO (Version Original)/English and the thought of watching a dramatic story about Bobby Kennedy's assasination dubbed in French seems really odd to me...I may just have to try though??

I've been inspired...

So, you all are probably shocked- two posts in two days? Is she okay? What's wrong with KEF?

Well, after some great conversation with my most recent visitor Britt last week, I have been inspired to really put in an effort to write more here. Why? Because as my wise friend put it,(she spent a year overseas as well) a blog actually turns into a GREAT diary that I will be able to look back upon in the future. I really got to thinking about how pitifully I have been keeping track of my time here....I mean, who gets to a foreign country the day before her classes start???

I have been running around like a crazy woman since then and am just now finally feeling like I have my "sea legs" and beginning to have a sense of permanency. Also, my new school is a bit on the SLOW side compared to last semester so I am finding myself with more free time (which is SOOO much better than the NO free time I had last semester...believe me!)

So, all that is just to say that you will all hopefully be reading lots more from my end in the near future! It's my New Years Resolution- 25 days late....look at me- I'm turning FRENCH! :)

Check it out!

Wow....check out page eight!!

They really NEVER get new photos...do they?

For some reason I look photoshopped...either that or I look WAY different than I remember.

Funny!

Cool Merry-Go-Round Scenes from the Eiffel Tower

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! This is just a little taste of what I saw on New Years Eve...we went to the Eiffel Tower which was gorgeously sparkling, and I really enjoyed seeing everything there was to see. There were a TON of people out and about, and it was a great time.

In other news, I FINALLY have internet at home (after three months of waiting!! haha) so hopefully the emails and updates will become a bit easier and a bit more regular. :)

Hope everyone had a great holiday and a great 2007 so far. The time is FLYING!