A couple random shots

l'Arc de Triomphe et la Tour Eiffel à l'arrière-plan



deux amoureux à Montmartre

Une soirée typique à Paris

Here is a summary of tonight: Lauren and I went to Montmartre for a stroll and hot chocolate; we got accosted thrice by the same homeless guy for money; we watched a cat catch a mouse (directly under our feet in our chosen café!); we then watched fifty or so North Africans attempt to avoid receiving tickets for not paying to ride the metro; and then, we witnessed a near fight between and drunk and an old man over an alleged pick-pocket attempt. Paris, je t'aime.

Bonne Année!

Back from Scotland to celebrate the New Year in Paris.

We started off the night in Montmartre with hopes of seeing some fireworks from Sacré Coeur... but it was freezing cold, so we followed the line of people into the warm cathedral instead. The ambient organ music was flowing and thousands of people were already seated, waiting for the priest to come and begin the mass. Lauren and I walked around the nave and observed the beginning of the mass for a half hour or so. I was impressed with the reverence of some of the patrons, and the overall message of the mass (from what I saw) was one of new beginnings. Certainly, a unique cultural experience to have as we crossed over from 2010.

Afterwards, we sat down at a nearby café and got some hot drinks and a crêpe. We talked about the last year's ups and downs, our goals for the future, and just hung out. It seems like all the French people are either in mass, at personal parties, or out of town for New Year's because starting from the café on, we heard very little French being spoken. As midnight approached, we thought it best to head over to the Champs-Elysées, and do that whole thing for once in our lives--but, we never made it. We literally ran through the metro tunnels to try and catch the train up to the Champs, but they stopped running trains temporarily until the clock struck.

So, we kissed at midnight on the quai of line 9 at St. Augustin. It was still exciting though; people were screaming, singing, and everyone, but us, was drunk. It was funny watching the trains pull slowly by filled completely with wasted, noisy people.

The Champs-Elysées was overwhelming: people swarmed the large avenue in every direction. As we'd stop and look back over the whole street we could see hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people all in one glance. Holiday lights lined the streets, climbed the buildings, and flashed all around. There weren't more than four fireworks, which was disappointing, but we had fun. There were plenty of drunken Asians sinking "Ooo, Champs-Elysées!", tons of gross guys scamming on girls, and plenty of riot police. I'm glad we went; its one of those things that millions of people wish they could do once in their lives, and we've done it.

Mon Anniversaire

We headed over to Coquelicot, near Abbesses in Montmartre, and got some brunch to start off year twenty-seven. Twenty-seven.
It was snowing when we stepped outside, pretty but annoying and cold. Lauren had a meeting with a photo editor, Alexandra, so we mixed some business with fun. I got the omelette du jour and some hot chocolate: good birthday brunch.

We spent a couple hours chatting about the photo industry, technology, and the state of our generation. Soon, Margot came by, and her and I left to walk around and check out some little shops. We found a couple of cool record stores, and some kitsch shops. I got a Velvet Underground record and a little Asian toy for Lauren. It was freezing cold, so we kept ducking into stores mostly to warm up while we waited for Lauren to finish her photo consultation with Alexandra. We ended up all meeting back at our apartment and then heading over to Angelina's. Margot went home and Lauren and I watched the Social Network on the internet.

This is the first time in my life that I feel like I'm in the right place. Its scary, because its very uncertain trying to make your own way as a foreigner, but every week Lauren and I look at each other and are glad we're here. We're so used to looking over and simply complaining at how miserable Provo is... its weird thats its over with. Now is the time to make things happen for us. Already, we're more motivated and hopeful about the future. Although twenty-seven is daunting, I'm resolving to make this year, the first year in Paris, the one that kicks off my life in a better direction.

Six Minutes for the Mayor

I woke up Monday morning and Lauren was already gone at work. After breakfast, I went to the park to get internet (Parc Choisy, same place I'm at now) and then went off to work down in Évry.

I took the wrong train because I'm not good at figuring out the RER system (which makes me a retard) and ended up right next to Évry in a place called Grand Bourg. Its a really pretty little village right along the Seine. I waited there until my boss, Christine Cannone came to pick me up in her car. Luckily, I'd left an hour early because we had a pretty important video-conference planned for me. The mayor of Massy was to come to one of the classes and see the program in action. My bosses were putting a lot of pressure on me not to ruin there chances at getting more funding, and I was just nervous because I hadn't officially done one of these before--why not make my first one a big one?

The video-conference started late but went off perfectly… all six minutes of it. So, I ended up going down to Évry, which meant risking getting a train citation for not buying a ticket, for a six minute Skype call. It took me like three hours. Insane.

I actually like shopping in France. The nuances and differences of everyday life here make things funner. So, I did some grocery shopping at ED and Franprix, then I stopped by the boulangerie, went home and ate some dinner with Lauren.

At night, we decided to explore Montmarte a little more. We went to some vintage stores that were open late, checked out the Atelier Theater, La Cigalle and got some hot chocolate. Montmarte is gorgeous. Its the kind of place that inspires you to explore and create. Hopefully, we can find some more jobs and make a little more money in order to enjoy it more fully.