Jesus plays chess too

This was a chess board in a café.

Jesus is funny for 2 reasons.  (Did you know Jesus is funny?  It's true.) 
Jesus is funny because he is playing chess 
AND
because where does someone get a mini porcelain Jesus to play in their game of chess?  Well, I can tell you -

This tiny figurine was in a tarte. This tarte is eaten at the beginning of January in celebration (but really in more of a bakery tradition) of the 3 kings.  The youngest person in the room decides who gets each piece of tarte and whoever loses their tooth because they bit into a solid porcelain Jesus gets to be the king for the day -crown included!
I have been the king 4 times.
I am not only smart, but lucky too. 

But I have never gotten a Jesus.
If this was my house, we would be playing chess with a solid porcelain briefcase.
or a star
or a mini dog
mini Jesus eludes me.   

Spring Salad

Spring is the best time to come here.  Consistently for the last 4 years, Yes I have now been living here for 4 YEARS!! And oddly, the people just seem less cranky - and don't we just know what that means.  Assimilation. 

That or the spring weather is making everyone happy. 

So perfect weather in April/May September/October.  Gray miserableness in November-mid March.  June-August - roulette.  Yes really - you could have miserable gray cloud cover or perfect blue skies.  But spring...

Tulips - if I leave them alone they last 2 weeks

Warm spring sun

Lila (leee-lah) Lilac.  The lone survivor.

AND

Salad

Plants don't survive - but people do.  

First lunch on the balcony

Mixed greens/Spinach, shrimp cooked in garlic/olive oil butter, onions and paprika.

grapefruit, carrots, tomatoes

lime vinagrette.  

Spring...so good

 (+ cheaper airfares! totally a win-win) 

Plan your Parisian vacations accordingly

 

I think I have a problem

I actually went to two different stores to get this 'Breast Smoked' - Pwoi treen  fuu-may

I was never a big fan of bacon.  As a kid I found it too salty and oily. 
I can't think of what would have changed my mind. 

Maybe Magical Frantasyland has special bacon with Magical Frantasyland crack in it that makes it addictive. 

Or maybe I am just getting older and the full fat ice cream on my ass wanted company. 

Pinch Hitter

You remember we went to a wedding up in Oslo, Norway? 

Where I got this little pearl

(bacon in a tube!)  

You can imagine the other treasures I found in Oslo.

 

Well I have been to my fair share of weddings.  Crazy last minute necessities, missing hair pins, unruly family. So I offered my helping hand  to the bride.  I told her I was a pinch hitter and just to let me know.  She thanked me and said she'd keep it in mind. 

The bride (Norwegian) having spent more than half of her life in foreign countries, including 1 year in the U.S.,  had clearly not come across this saying - she was recently talking to b on skype and I overheard the following

b: Dinner was great, but that part of Paris is not nice at night.

Norwegian:  but you had KB with you.  She told me she is a pinch hitter. 


Hm.

No.

 

 Yes!

She thought I offering to take down her weird uncle instead of distract him with conversation and booze. 








 

Amiens

 This is regular winter sky.  It is miserable - especially after 4 months non-stop.  We have to entertain ourselves through travel. 

A short hop, skip and a jump from Paris is Amiens

 

 

 

Amiens also calls itself the "Venice of the North".  Watch out for places that call themselves "Venice" if they are not Venice. 

 

I love cemetaries - creepy but true

They are quiet like parks and full of beautiful hommages to people

 

The Amiens Cathedral

Built in the 13th century, it is the LARGEST in France.

(notice extra mini-boy on scooter, bottom left)

The sun came out for our last 3 hours and we went up to the ramparts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 passing the enormous rose window on the way up.  

The cathedral deserves a post of it's own. 

Weird but true...

I had never seen a dog with balls until I arrived in France

I find this strange only because it means every dog I had previously seen had been altered.  Which means that when I first saw the dogs here I was shocked and slightly embarassed for them..having their balls...just right out there...in the open.
Not hiding* like all the other dogs. 
Which then also strikes me as weird that I would even say that. 


In short, I was embarassed for this animal being in its natural state.

yea, something is not quite right about that.


(*And by hiding I mean chopped off by a licensed physician.) 

  

Bon

Bonjour Madame at the Boulangere's (Bakery)

Bon courage to b for his project and going to work in the rain


Bonne journée from the Primeur (produce man) after I pay him and leave to go home



Bon appétit before eating lunch 

Bon shopping to friends stopping by the the Grands Magasins before heading back to work

Bon yoga from b over the phone as I hang up to go to my yoga class

Bon chance and Merde! to R going into a job interview

Bon film to friends going to see The Artist at the cinema

Bonne soirée when leaving a restaurant

Bon continuation to the crazy from AttractiveWorld.com that A blocked because he wouldn't stop texting


 and finally, Bonne nuit

make handsome dreams

Bad photo, fun boots

Window shopping

The QUEEN of the Rodeo Queen's boots.