the real perk in living in the woods here is that you can randomly go into the bathroom, brush your teeth, and THEN see a slug the girth of 2 fingers and the length of your entire hand standing next to you on the bathroom floor.
I'm too tired to face the slug right now, so I'll just let it stay there, and if it makes into my wordrobe by the morning..oh well too bad for me.
I just got home from hanging out with a chinese-speaking, Jewish Alaskan-Angeleno, and a chinese-speaking Parisian orginally from Ile de la Reunion, both messaged me from Couchsurfing last week. After 10 hours at the prefecture in Versaille to get my carte de sejour, (only I still don't have it), I'm surprised I even made it through ballet classes and socializing with multilingual humans let alone battling a crawling slimy creature.
paris fashion week preparations are pretty stressful, but definitely real, which is why I'm not afraid to post the words here now.
samedi 29 septembre 2007
dimanche 23 septembre 2007
ICE SKATING COACH
I'm going to be one!! hahaha!!!
I finally took Ariane ice skating, after not having skated for over a month!
I was teaching Ariane, which must have fooled some people into thinking that I was actually good, little did they know I was only pretending. I always can act like I know what I'm doing. =)
so 2 people asked me to teach their kids, I turned one down because she's about my level, her posture and control isn't that good, but I'm definitely not qualified to teach her. I agreed to teach the other 2 kids because they're little, they're 3-5 ish, one of them is semi-blind though, so I with the language barrier, I don't know how well that's gonna go. but we'll see.
I'm most def. going to skate more! it's so cheap compared to the States! only 5 euros! and the winter, the outdoor ones are free!!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Ariane was a really fun bunch to hang out with today, yes, a BUNCH--being with her is like being with 20 kids, she's that entertaining/difficult/exhausting!
I finally took Ariane ice skating, after not having skated for over a month!
I was teaching Ariane, which must have fooled some people into thinking that I was actually good, little did they know I was only pretending. I always can act like I know what I'm doing. =)
so 2 people asked me to teach their kids, I turned one down because she's about my level, her posture and control isn't that good, but I'm definitely not qualified to teach her. I agreed to teach the other 2 kids because they're little, they're 3-5 ish, one of them is semi-blind though, so I with the language barrier, I don't know how well that's gonna go. but we'll see.
I'm most def. going to skate more! it's so cheap compared to the States! only 5 euros! and the winter, the outdoor ones are free!!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Ariane was a really fun bunch to hang out with today, yes, a BUNCH--being with her is like being with 20 kids, she's that entertaining/difficult/exhausting!
TODAY I HAVE....
EATEN musqat! or I think it was, I never wouldn't imagined the grape would be so big from tasting the wine, but when I ate the grapes, I thought they had to be musqat, so I asked Sabine what they grapes were called, and she said "well..uh...grapes?". Amaury guesses that they're musqat and I agreed.
SEEN a poi performance in front of Notre Dame! It made me want to learn poi again (want again, not learn again, since have never done in life)! He ended it with the poi being fireworks! I sooo wish I had a camera! ok, I'm buying a small camera in 3 hours and 38 minutes. and I will bringit with me everywhere I go! but I saw the same guy last year at the exact same spot, so I'm sure I'll see him again.......oh crap...now that I've said that I'll surely face the curse of Murphy's law! grrrr....
MADE a globe puzzle with Ariane; she loves round puzzles. this is her 4th one.
SEEN a poi performance in front of Notre Dame! It made me want to learn poi again (want again, not learn again, since have never done in life)! He ended it with the poi being fireworks! I sooo wish I had a camera! ok, I'm buying a small camera in 3 hours and 38 minutes. and I will bringit with me everywhere I go! but I saw the same guy last year at the exact same spot, so I'm sure I'll see him again.......oh crap...now that I've said that I'll surely face the curse of Murphy's law! grrrr....
MADE a globe puzzle with Ariane; she loves round puzzles. this is her 4th one.
samedi 22 septembre 2007
SWANS in the SEINE
Last night I went to an art exhibition with Sabines coworker Van. The exhibition was on 3 boats, Van's friend Yann lives in one of those boats--so cool!!. The work wasn't amazing, but the place was sooo cool! The ambience reminded me of Ernie's shows in his loft, with friends-artists, except the Seine is prettier than downtown LA. The view from the boat's rooftop was beautiful with all the lights of the city reflecting in the water. and a SWAN SWAM BY US!! I wish I'd brought my camera. I should really start bringing cameras around with me. Yann says there are fish in the river that are a meter long, he fishes sometimes. I didn't know there was one living creature in such an industrial river before this!
---commerical break---Ariane is chucking corn flakes at me, and I'm throwing them back in her mouth, well...trying to... have mostly hit air....
---commerical break---Ariane is chucking corn flakes at me, and I'm throwing them back in her mouth, well...trying to... have mostly hit air....
jeudi 20 septembre 2007
baby bottles and diapers
TONIGHT I just changed my first caca-filled diaper. it was green!! thank god they have this super high-tech diaper dispenser, where you push the diaper in the whole, twist the top, and it seals that diaper in the bag and rolls down more bag as it releases a gast of perfumed air.
MONDAY I baby sat for for the forst time. Finally felt like I was getting paid for a reason, other than just eating. It was really difficult but exciting! The parents had their band rehearsal down in the basement from 6pm to 10pm, which is the crankiest time for Juliette. I held her and cooked dinner for Ariane at the same time. I thought having Ariane around would make things easier as Juliette started crying, but it was actually harder! Ariane wouldn't hold Juliette whenever Juliette isn't smiling, and she was annoyed with me for not listening to her tell me about her gazelle having a baby in her video game! all the while I was juggling a real-life, human baby in my arm, a real pot of boiling pasta, real onions in a real pan, real tomatoes being cut with my free had, real baby formula to mix with my 5th hand, and another hand to feed the real baby.
But everything calmed down after I cooked: the real baby fell asleep; the video game baby died. Ariane even ate the speghetti with the sauce I put on her plate! (she normally eats plain naked pasta with bread)
MONDAY I baby sat for for the forst time. Finally felt like I was getting paid for a reason, other than just eating. It was really difficult but exciting! The parents had their band rehearsal down in the basement from 6pm to 10pm, which is the crankiest time for Juliette. I held her and cooked dinner for Ariane at the same time. I thought having Ariane around would make things easier as Juliette started crying, but it was actually harder! Ariane wouldn't hold Juliette whenever Juliette isn't smiling, and she was annoyed with me for not listening to her tell me about her gazelle having a baby in her video game! all the while I was juggling a real-life, human baby in my arm, a real pot of boiling pasta, real onions in a real pan, real tomatoes being cut with my free had, real baby formula to mix with my 5th hand, and another hand to feed the real baby.
But everything calmed down after I cooked: the real baby fell asleep; the video game baby died. Ariane even ate the speghetti with the sauce I put on her plate! (she normally eats plain naked pasta with bread)
samedi 15 septembre 2007
Bathroom Break with a Bang!
Paris bathrooms must really enjoy my company!
I'd already spent a calm 3 hours and 46 minutes in my own bathroom on Wednesday, and tonight I had a lovely 1 second speed nap in a restaurant during dinner!
Brigitte, a lovely girl whom I'd met last year, finally met up with me and had dinner. We had sushi (though I don't think that's the culprit, because I eat raw fish all the time). However, for some reason during dinner, I started feeling a bit sick at my 9th piece of sashimi, and by the 10th piece, it was really hard to swallow, and just before the 11th piece, my stomach hurt without warning as if it had suddenly imploded.
I got up to go to the bathroom, just at the end of the hallway, no more than 15 steps away. I started feeling dizzy at the 5th step, and I was 2 steps away from the bathroom door when I could barely see, and knew it was the bathroom only because I had been there 10 minutes before.
I must have plunged into the door thinking that I would be safe once there, but next thing I knew, a waiter was hovered over me saying "c'est bon? c'est bon? c'est bon?" and I became completely alert and with the 2 bangs of my fall replaying in my ears, I replied "oui oui, c'est bon, je vais à les toilettes". The banging sounds must of been when I plunged into the door and when I fell. I'd probably hit my head, either on the door or on the sink because my neck hurt, but there wasn't a spot on the exterior where I could locate the impact; then a small piece of flesh hanging on my lip told me that I'd either bitten my upper lip or hit my lip on the door/sink.
When I sat on the toilet, I was shaking and still a bit half dreaming(yes I dreamed the instant I was unconscious), and the waiter was still asking me outside "ça va?". For a minute I didn't dare lock the toilet door, if I'd fainted again, nobody would've been able to get me, and that would've been very different from being locked in own bathroom a few days ago. I wondered how I was able to even get inside the bathroom door; I wondered whether I'd fallen on the ground or just caught myself on the sink, because I didn't remember getting up from the floor at all after waking up; I wondered how I'd even fainted in the first place!
I came out of the bathroom feeling completely normal! When a woman advised me that my shirt was inside out, I'd even been alert enough to explain to her in French that it was a joke--a Dyslexic shirt (my old roommate's label), like I don't know how to put on a shirt.
When I returned to my table, it felt like a century ago when I left, but Brigitte still had the same amount of food on her plate, and didn't seem to notice that I was gone. I felt a century away from feeling sick! When I told her I'd fallen, she didn't believe me, and neither did I. Thank goddess I have my battered and now swollen lip as evidence.
I'd already spent a calm 3 hours and 46 minutes in my own bathroom on Wednesday, and tonight I had a lovely 1 second speed nap in a restaurant during dinner!
Brigitte, a lovely girl whom I'd met last year, finally met up with me and had dinner. We had sushi (though I don't think that's the culprit, because I eat raw fish all the time). However, for some reason during dinner, I started feeling a bit sick at my 9th piece of sashimi, and by the 10th piece, it was really hard to swallow, and just before the 11th piece, my stomach hurt without warning as if it had suddenly imploded.
I got up to go to the bathroom, just at the end of the hallway, no more than 15 steps away. I started feeling dizzy at the 5th step, and I was 2 steps away from the bathroom door when I could barely see, and knew it was the bathroom only because I had been there 10 minutes before.
I must have plunged into the door thinking that I would be safe once there, but next thing I knew, a waiter was hovered over me saying "c'est bon? c'est bon? c'est bon?" and I became completely alert and with the 2 bangs of my fall replaying in my ears, I replied "oui oui, c'est bon, je vais à les toilettes". The banging sounds must of been when I plunged into the door and when I fell. I'd probably hit my head, either on the door or on the sink because my neck hurt, but there wasn't a spot on the exterior where I could locate the impact; then a small piece of flesh hanging on my lip told me that I'd either bitten my upper lip or hit my lip on the door/sink.
When I sat on the toilet, I was shaking and still a bit half dreaming(yes I dreamed the instant I was unconscious), and the waiter was still asking me outside "ça va?". For a minute I didn't dare lock the toilet door, if I'd fainted again, nobody would've been able to get me, and that would've been very different from being locked in own bathroom a few days ago. I wondered how I was able to even get inside the bathroom door; I wondered whether I'd fallen on the ground or just caught myself on the sink, because I didn't remember getting up from the floor at all after waking up; I wondered how I'd even fainted in the first place!
I came out of the bathroom feeling completely normal! When a woman advised me that my shirt was inside out, I'd even been alert enough to explain to her in French that it was a joke--a Dyslexic shirt (my old roommate's label), like I don't know how to put on a shirt.
When I returned to my table, it felt like a century ago when I left, but Brigitte still had the same amount of food on her plate, and didn't seem to notice that I was gone. I felt a century away from feeling sick! When I told her I'd fallen, she didn't believe me, and neither did I. Thank goddess I have my battered and now swollen lip as evidence.
jeudi 13 septembre 2007
Bathroom Break
Between the hours of 11:26 am and 3:10pmg, if anyone was trying to get a hold of me by phoning/messaging/emailing to get me to see you/feed you/talk to you, I'm sorry I couldn't answer your requests. I was too busy doing yoga in the Bathroom.
lundi 10 septembre 2007
the importance of buying tights
I'm Here!
When I first stepped out of the Metro at St. Michel this evening, it was the first time it occurred to me that I'm in Paris! Whatever gave me such a bizzare idea! Maybe it was that perfect combination of cool air and the heavy sky and touchable clouds with the setting sun just spilling out of them onto ile de la cite; just like when I first fell in love with the city last year. Only this time, I can really own this place.
Or maybe I was just giddy because I'd been having such a great day...
Nahoko Spiess
I went to Mark's friend Nahoko's house for lunch today. She has a beautiful 4-year-old son whose name is Ocean. He drew me a blue train, cute huh! Nahoko is super cool and funny, no wonder she comes highly recommended by Mark. We have a lot in common--like eating rockets (arugula in america and france, rucola in italie, I don't know why the english call it rocket) and grapefruit/green tea sorbet (1 flavor)!!! well not that I'd ever had grapefruit/green tea, but it's something I'd be into and it's really heaven! and her cups are humpty-dumpty with a point at the bottom! so funny! and all her furnishing has a lot of flavor.
We had a great chat about how she moved here, and she gave me a lot of useful information, just for the logistics of living/working here.
After lunch, we did a photoshoot!
Mark wrote an article about her in American Photo, and needed a portrait, and the ONLY photos she had of herself were from her wedding (in gown) and pregnancy (in own skin), and she wasn't going to use either of those, so I shot the 3rd bunch of photos of her life! amazing! I genuinely thought she was a fun subject to shoot, but she still thinks I was just being nice.
When I first stepped out of the Metro at St. Michel this evening, it was the first time it occurred to me that I'm in Paris! Whatever gave me such a bizzare idea! Maybe it was that perfect combination of cool air and the heavy sky and touchable clouds with the setting sun just spilling out of them onto ile de la cite; just like when I first fell in love with the city last year. Only this time, I can really own this place.
Or maybe I was just giddy because I'd been having such a great day...
Nahoko Spiess
I went to Mark's friend Nahoko's house for lunch today. She has a beautiful 4-year-old son whose name is Ocean. He drew me a blue train, cute huh! Nahoko is super cool and funny, no wonder she comes highly recommended by Mark. We have a lot in common--like eating rockets (arugula in america and france, rucola in italie, I don't know why the english call it rocket) and grapefruit/green tea sorbet (1 flavor)!!! well not that I'd ever had grapefruit/green tea, but it's something I'd be into and it's really heaven! and her cups are humpty-dumpty with a point at the bottom! so funny! and all her furnishing has a lot of flavor.
We had a great chat about how she moved here, and she gave me a lot of useful information, just for the logistics of living/working here.
After lunch, we did a photoshoot!
Mark wrote an article about her in American Photo, and needed a portrait, and the ONLY photos she had of herself were from her wedding (in gown) and pregnancy (in own skin), and she wasn't going to use either of those, so I shot the 3rd bunch of photos of her life! amazing! I genuinely thought she was a fun subject to shoot, but she still thinks I was just being nice.
After Nahoko's, I went back to the city, which was when I realized where in the world I was.
All in the Tights
I walked from St. Michel to Les Halles in search tights. I felt like I was treading time as I walked past the pole in front of Shakespeare&Co where Michelle and I posed for our romance novel cover photo, and past the cafe where I had the banane/raspberry crepe one morning and Kristoffer had his usual cappucino and croissant, and the tattoo parlor where Meris took me to pierce my nose (which has closed since the S&Mother incident, my nose--the place is still open).
I saw my favorite crepe cart (fav. because fresh and not paper masquerading as food), but it was closed. And so was Les Halles.
I went into the mall anyway, just so I could look at the window of Sock Shop where my tights were (hopefully) housed. These were special tights-- THE cat tights that I so wanted last year but that had run out by the time I decided to spend $20 on a tube to cover my feet. I found Sock Shop easily this time, and screaming for me in the window (on some bimbo manequin leg with it's foot in the air) were my tights!!
If anything is a sign, the tights have to be an uber-sign that Paris and I are meant to be! It's maktoub.
samedi 8 septembre 2007
pre-ex-aupair
It is the evening of my 4th night now in Paris (well Vélizy-Villacoublay). A lot has happened, and I am still not fluent in French, I really wish the language would just hurry up and enter my brain, or my brain would just hurry up and suck it in, because being a deaf mute is not so fun.
Since am v. stubborn, I refuse to (or try to not) talk to anyone in English besides Ariane and Juliette, which makes me as talkative as a cherry tree in dead winter. The family is so awesome and does so much for me I wish I could be more animated (as in talk), but everytime I talk, it's either to ask a question or answer one, there's not much other conversation. I did talk to Ariane quite a bit when we went to the forest, and found out that there's a sound that she can't pronounce in her otherwise perfect English accent. she says "red" "wed" and "road" "woad", it's really quite cute.
Last night we went to dinner with Ariane's best friend Natasha's family at Hippopotumus. Isn't it cool or the kids' families just get together to have dinner? instead of the kid bumming along with the parents, it's the other way around! on the way home, Ariane showed me her cellphone/mp3player/camera, and played something by Amel Bent, which Sabine said made her want to vomit; so Sabine put on "Highway to Hell" by ACDC on the car stereo, and so started the mother-daughter fight to shut off the other's music player. Later they compromised on French hiphop, which was actually pretty cool, even though i normally loathe hiphop. Amaury told me that Sabine started dancing hiphop a few months before Juliette was born. I wish MY mom would dance hiphop during pregancy!
This morning Ariane was sad because the ex-owner of the house took away her cat. That and she had to go to piano class.
Amaury and Sabine took me to the Latin Quarter today--one of my favorite areas in the city! It's really cool to see the same streets I walked on last year, even the cool jewelry stores I saw with Michelle and Kristoffer. but the 300 euro tibetan necklace was gone. I'll just have to go to tibet soon. oh and they bought me the prettiest postcards for my room! well...I chose them, so obviously i think they're pretty. They wanted to buy me some posters, but the poster were all too big, and I didn't want them to spend so much money, so I went the other extreme and bought postcards. I did see some posters of Miles Davis and BB King by Jeff Sedlik! I shall email and tell him.
We all had pizza for dinner except Juliette and Ariane--Juliette, well, doesn't have teeth and doesn't know anything but baby formula; Ariane was not in a good mood, and threw a tantrum when Amaury tried to make her eat. I wish we were closer already so I would know what's going on. Actually, I wish I were Jessamyn. I'm sure Ariane misses her a lot. I'm a bit nervous about how it's going to go with Ariane, who's not quite comfortable with me yet. Well she needs time, of course, especially at age 12, and with so many changes in her life. I'm really glad/excited/relieved/worried that Jess is coming tomorrow to stay for a week. I'm looking forward to talkint to her; but I don't know if that'll make it even harder for Ariane to move on. well we'll see. I'm trying to sleep early so I can go to Mark's friend Nahoko's house tomorrow.
Since am v. stubborn, I refuse to (or try to not) talk to anyone in English besides Ariane and Juliette, which makes me as talkative as a cherry tree in dead winter. The family is so awesome and does so much for me I wish I could be more animated (as in talk), but everytime I talk, it's either to ask a question or answer one, there's not much other conversation. I did talk to Ariane quite a bit when we went to the forest, and found out that there's a sound that she can't pronounce in her otherwise perfect English accent. she says "red" "wed" and "road" "woad", it's really quite cute.
Last night we went to dinner with Ariane's best friend Natasha's family at Hippopotumus. Isn't it cool or the kids' families just get together to have dinner? instead of the kid bumming along with the parents, it's the other way around! on the way home, Ariane showed me her cellphone/mp3player/camera, and played something by Amel Bent, which Sabine said made her want to vomit; so Sabine put on "Highway to Hell" by ACDC on the car stereo, and so started the mother-daughter fight to shut off the other's music player. Later they compromised on French hiphop, which was actually pretty cool, even though i normally loathe hiphop. Amaury told me that Sabine started dancing hiphop a few months before Juliette was born. I wish MY mom would dance hiphop during pregancy!
This morning Ariane was sad because the ex-owner of the house took away her cat. That and she had to go to piano class.
Amaury and Sabine took me to the Latin Quarter today--one of my favorite areas in the city! It's really cool to see the same streets I walked on last year, even the cool jewelry stores I saw with Michelle and Kristoffer. but the 300 euro tibetan necklace was gone. I'll just have to go to tibet soon. oh and they bought me the prettiest postcards for my room! well...I chose them, so obviously i think they're pretty. They wanted to buy me some posters, but the poster were all too big, and I didn't want them to spend so much money, so I went the other extreme and bought postcards. I did see some posters of Miles Davis and BB King by Jeff Sedlik! I shall email and tell him.
We all had pizza for dinner except Juliette and Ariane--Juliette, well, doesn't have teeth and doesn't know anything but baby formula; Ariane was not in a good mood, and threw a tantrum when Amaury tried to make her eat. I wish we were closer already so I would know what's going on. Actually, I wish I were Jessamyn. I'm sure Ariane misses her a lot. I'm a bit nervous about how it's going to go with Ariane, who's not quite comfortable with me yet. Well she needs time, of course, especially at age 12, and with so many changes in her life. I'm really glad/excited/relieved/worried that Jess is coming tomorrow to stay for a week. I'm looking forward to talkint to her; but I don't know if that'll make it even harder for Ariane to move on. well we'll see. I'm trying to sleep early so I can go to Mark's friend Nahoko's house tomorrow.
below is my first email before I started the blog:
I'm got in France in one piece, yay!
I have an internet phone with a US number, it works great but isn't plugged in all the time. the number: 562-239-4908 my US cell also forwards to this number.
my family is fantastique!
baby juliette is tres adorable, she smiles and makes baby noises a lot, but she refuses to lie there when she's awake, you have to hold her so she's sitting up, otherwise she cries. Ariane talks in a perfect british accent, because her last aupair (and all her teachers i think, are english) but I have trouble understanding her most of the time because she talks way too fast. Her parents tell me they don't understand her french either! The parents are so cool, Sabine is on maternity leave still, so she's been helping me a lot with settling in and driving me around; Amaury doesn't have paternity leave, and comes home quite late.
The house is super cute! my room is painted a beautiful light peach/yellow. It's a tiny room but i did manage to fit all my stuff (including my clothes!) Apples fall on my roof every few seconds and it feels like being caught in a cross fire in compton (have had none such experience, pure speculation). My room has a separate entrance from the rest of the house, the house is pretty big, lots of rooms on different floors (seems like 1 room per floor or half). The basement is their music room with drumset and electric guitars and giant alien sound equipment; the parents' rock band has rehearsals there.
I went to Paris yesterday to register for my french classes, 10 hours a week, but it doesn't start for another month...booo... The train ride home from paris took 15 minutes, but this being my first time not being driven, I had a nice long walk getting lost in the forest; and it didn't help that 2 people gave me bad directions and sent me to another lake that was not near my house. Luckily I found 2 joggers that knew my street.
I'm going to try to meet up with Joanna and Ryan from school (art center) tomorrow. I'll post some photos later.
bises!
Cherry
p.s. I was in NY for a bit before coming here, and that was awesome, met with some photo editors, visited friends, randomly ran into some friends, did a couple of shoots, and lined up some work for here! yay NY!
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