characters of my new novel

I spent the last 3 wonderfully hectic days with Mark Edward Harris and his people. This is what I think of them-- I'll start the gossip with the youngest person in this crowd.

Océan Spiess-- cutest boy I've ever met! He shared his room with me the last 2 nights when the metro strike kept me from going home. He celebrated his 5th birthday yesterday. He's well-behaved and mature (other than his favorite conversation being of poop! ha!)

Laurent Spiess-- Océan's dad, whom I didn't think much of him the first time we met--he was simply Nahoko's husband. But yesterday morning, he really impressed me and I don't think he even knew it. He's the best dad I've ever met (other than my own of course), besides his day-to-day parenting methods, it's really special when he's traveling for work: he makes Océan a video for everyday that he's gone, and sometimes hides treasures around the house and gives clues to those treasures on those videos; so everyday, Océan would be able to see his dad on screen.

Nahoko Spiess-- I adore this woman! well I already knew that before, but now even more than before after having chatted for hours last night. [content of conversation not to be disclosed, wink wink]. she just landed an ad (I think) job on tuesday--yay!!

Kayshonne-- Nahoko's muse, she's the model in the last picture in this blog from september: http://cherpar.blogspot.com/2007/09/my-other-career.html She seems very creative herself. I wish I had a chance to talk to her more, but we had a large table and she sat far away.

Romain-- super friendly; has ghetto-ish American accent; has family in Morocco (yay!); business partner of Kayshonne's boyfriend; sat too far away from me, but hopefully I'll make it to his birthday this friday.

Tatsuki Takino-- Kayshonne's fashion designer boyfriend, whom I did sit next to and had a chance to talk to. He blew me away as soon as he started talking. He's Japanese French, spent the last 14 years in France and has a British accent (when speaking English). Oh AND he's friends with Daisuke Takahashi, subject of my last blog in October.
I learned from him: "thank you" in Japanese, "arigato" came from "obrigado"--who would've thought!! and many such language-culture-history links.
also learned: you don't say the subject in Japanese!! so "I love you" "he loves you" "do you love me?" "do you love her?"... are all the same sentence but said in a different tone! The last of the above created a most awkward silence during which I should've said "of course! everyone in the world is in love with me! it's to be expected!"; but with all hope of comic relief resting upon my shoulders, I only managed "err...awkward turtle" which Mark turned into a political debate over the feelings of turtles being called awkward. I feel so verbally inferior amongst these masters of the rhetoric.

Mark Edward Harris-- He was one of my favorite teachers at Art Center; is an AHMYCING photographer; and is a wonderful person. He is so passionate about life and really believes that everything is attainable for the tireless. I have nothing but the greatest admiration for him. Although sometimes I wish he wouldn't confuse Nahoko so much with all his joking around!

eating more than an american

While busy feeling guilty about eating at midnight instead of sleeping, I observed some packages from Amaury's after-dinner snack:

1 wedge of comté(cheese, almost 1LB (375g))
5 yoplait yogurts
1 box of Special K Apple Crumble
1 large bottle (1.5 liter) Coke Light Lime
1/2 loaf of chocolate walnut cake
1 package of Krab (fake crab) sticks with cream center (350g, still almost 1LB)
these packages were sealed in this morning, and are things that Sabine and Ariane never eat.

No wonder Ariane never eats any produce!

Now I feel worse about being in the kitchen, because I just wasted time doing this instead of eating my carrot and humous (french pronunciation: oo-moo-ce) so i could go to sleep.

EXPENSIVE FLEAS

I went to the very famous flea market today at Porte de Clignancourt; for the size of it, it should be called a flea city!

The clothing of course, was mostly crap, I didn't expect otherwise, but there were a couple of stores with the skirt/pants that I wanted (the ones with the crotch on the floor) but they were 50 euros, and I can't buy unnecessary clothing for $75 right now, I'd rather buy a book.

The section of the flea city that I fell in love with, which I didn't expect at all, was the antique section. I never even knew that I had an weakness for antiques and I wanted everything in every store! fortunately, I'm poor enough that I don't even have the price of any one object in my french bank account, so I couldn't commit any rash acts of acquisition.

Newly roused desires aside, I could write a novel on those; I've been searching for the perfect cardholder and chainmaille purse since I was in NY, and today, I saw THE purse of my dreams: hallmarked-sterling 945-ruby clasps-fine maille-ornate frame-perfect in every aspect except the price tag: 950 euros. I went back to the store 4 times! the proprietress was nice enough to take it out of the case and let me examine the hallmark with a loupe even though I wasn't going to come home with it. I took a picture of it on my cellphone. I also came across quite a few cigarette holders that I wanted to use as a cardholder. They ranged from 200-500 euros. yea my budget for a cardholder is 10% that.

I wish I were an antique dealer, then I could buy all these things without feeling guilty.

forecast: LIGHT SNOW

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! according to weather.com, it is currently 36 deg. Farh; feels like 27; light snow! althought it's actually currently raining, not snowing, it's means that Sabine and Amaury are right! there should be snow this year because it's only november and already freezing! YAY!!! I saw frost for the first time the day before yesterday, it was like someone took a can of glitter graffiti and sprayed it all over the lawns and cars and rooftops.
lawn chair

lawn chair detail

looking out of my front door

car in front of my house

a bamboo leaf in my yard

my kids

It's so horrible and selfish of me to feel a slight tinge of pleasure when I see Juliette cry in other people's arms and smile when I take her.

No matter what I tell her, she still thinks my hand is food. But then so is everything else in the world.

She likes having her feet in the air.

Ariane has the worst ADD I've ever seen. She can never do one thing or talk about one subject for more than 1 whole minute.

Ariane hides Kinderbars in her drawer so that 1) her dad doesn't eat them, 2) she can eat them while we do yoga.

Yes, Ariane is cross-eyed all the time. except when I'm not taking pictures.

model language

I just realized a technical difficulty with my photoshoot tomorrow.....(other than the fact that nothing really is working)
--I'd already decided to talk in French and only in French. so how am I going to direct my model?? how will I direct models in the future???
ugh... and my french friend Van is helping me with the shoot, and I'd already denounced all use of English with him, and if i talk to the model in English, that's going to loosen our French Only Pact, which was made yesterday and already broken today, no need to break it further tomorrow.