Hot & Cold

French winters, like Belgian winters, are gray and drizzly. There is this humidity that permeates everything. I didn't realize how dry and temperate inland US is (Utah, Minnesota, Iowa). The land of 10,000 lakes doesn't sound like a potentially dry place, but in comparison to France, it really is.

So this humidity permeates the old stone walls of apartment buildings. Boyfriend came home last night and said "It's hot in here". I did have the heater up to seven (settings: 1-8 and no I don't know how that translates into thermostat language). But it's the kind of heat that is just in the air. Like if you had a pot full of 100 degree steam, but the pot itself was cold.

Now I understand why tapestries exist.

Does anyone have any left over shag 70's carpet that I can attach to the walls?

Gastronomy

So this weekend we will be going to celebrate the birthday of my boyfriend's mom. We are going to a nice hotel outside of Reims (back to champagne region) and we will be going to a starred restaurant to eat for, no doubt, 4 hours.

Michelin stars restaurants. Yes, we are talking about the marshmallow man. Michelin started giving stars to restaurants in their travel guides in the early 1900's. They have since become the standard in France. The system is so well recognized all over France that chefs have comitted suicide after losing a star.

Thinking of guides like ZAGAT, I did not give much weight to the stars in the beginning.

But, this is a summary of our first dinner:

amuse bouche (spoonful or spoonsful of something great to start)

entrée (appetizer)

palette cleanser (like the amuse bouche, just a taste of something)

plat (main course)

palette cleanser

dessert/cheese

coffee/tea/digestif (strong liquor aiding in digestion)

It is all artfully prepared with flavors that marry. It is what you see on top chef, but with tried and true recipes, and perfectly matched drinks.

I have eaten so much at a "starred" dinner that I literally thought I would pop.

So this weekend I am sure it will be good. I will bring photos if I am not to embarassed to take them.

Friendship in 30 words

What do you want in a new friend?

I want someone I can laugh with, do crazy things. Someone who is stylish with a meticulous and practical eye for clothing and accessories to help me in not looking like I stepped out of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Someone who likes to workout. Oh yea and someone who is gourmande, which translates to one of the 7 deadly sins of gluttony, even when they say it, the french look at you with a glint in their eye as if they were saying "oh you wicked little devil"

So, I found some ads for FRIENDSHIP in the english speaking journal of Paris.

Actually, I do this a lot. It is my comic relief. It reminds me how different all of our "ads" might be when looking for a new friend. And also because it is pure comedy.

Parisian German professor seeks

charming friend who likes music

and poetry for a nice love story.

or

Gentleman seeking a good

honest lady to share the

dance of life. You could be

the one :)

but the real coup d'état is this one:

Hello beautiful black lady with

long legs, your french doctor

is waiting for you in Paris.

nuisette

Did you know in France you can where your dress to bed?

Scheduling....

Do you ever, while scheduling for a Wednesday just look straight at the middle of the week of your calendar?

Me too!

But guess whose calendar starts on Monday(lundi) and not on Sunday?

Yes, that would be me.

And guess who has continually mis-scheduling dates because "26 years of scheduling on a Sunday-starting calendar doesn’t go away in an instant" (give or take two years).

Again, me.

At least I can use "culture shock" as my excuse instead of "old age".

Canal St Martin

A swanky artsy-hippi area with lots of Lebanese takeout.

Velib

Velib is the system of bikes placed around the city connected to electronic kiosks where anyone with a credit card can rent them. It looks like the bike rack at elementary school, only with all of the same bikes

French words of the day: bicycle = velo + libre = free

I like taking the bikes around the city on Sunday morning around 10 when all good Parisians are still asleep and there are no cars on the road. Then I do not have to worry about intersections with round-a-bouts or intersections that look like they should be round-a-bouts but instead have 17 different traffic lights in every imaginable direction but up.

But ,what I really love about velibs are the guys in suits with briefcases using velibs as a shortcut to bypass standstill traffic in order to get to their office after their 3 hour lunch.