Yo Snacka Snacka!

Top 3 Purchases in Paris

I've been meaning to write this post for a while, but since I've returned from Paris life seemed to start rolling faster and faster, and while I could barely keep up, before I knew it I had been back in the states for a full month. At any rate, I would love to get back into the habit of writing again. Even my personal journal has greatly missed my presence in the past few weeks.

In Paris, we were bombarded with bad luck every way we turned. But there were a few things that stood out; purchases which guaranteed goodness and dared to make our lives easier during our stay. If you ever visit the City of Light/Love, I wholeheartedly recommend sparing some change for these three particular items.

Purchase no. One:
A week-long pass for the Metro (or a few day passes if you won't be staying a full week...). The system is complicated. You're tired or hungry and confused and can't fully communicate with the people around you. On top of that, you have to figure out your route on the train system (or brave the nightmare that is driving in Paris... good luck with that!), to see your sights or return home for the day, plus figure out which ticket to buy, and how much of the fare you really should be paying. And if you manage to do that successfully, you have to figure it out again in a few hours when your ticket expires.

Having a week-pass I'm sure saved me from many, many tears. You show up at a station, wave your card by the entrance doors, and voilà! You're already half-way through the potential headache. If you know what train you need to be on, all you need do is board, then you have plenty of travel time to navigate the rest of your trip. Look at you, being all savvy and avoiding some unwanted attention!

Purchase no. Two:
A bike tour (preferably at night, which includes a river cruise and wine!). Actually, I wish I would have taken this trip more towards the beginning of my stay, because it locates excellent sites to go and explore further on your own time. We went with Fat Tire Bike Tours, which is filled with super-friendly folks, filled with helpful knowledge and all English-Speaking (our tour guide was a surfer-dude from Southern California who was in love with the Parisian culture).

Purchase no. Three:
ANY pastry. Not kidding. This people is famous for their baking for a reason! You owe it to your tastebuds (and your peace-of-mind) to sit outside a café, order up a pastry and coffee, and take in the sights. People-watching is, after all, their favorite passtime. There are a lot of interesting things happening in the streets. Sit back and enjoy it.

Hope I helped! I hadn't had really any advice before I had gone to the city. Just a few rumors on their attitude. If you can make it to Paris, go! Whether you have a bad experience or an excellent one, it will last you a lifetime, guaranteed!

I make'd a movie!

Favoritism

Today is a Thursday. I'm particularly fond of Thursdays. Good things usually occur on Thursdays.

I've been listing a lot of favorites, lately. But in all actuality, I'm not very fond of picking favorites. In a given-category (music, seasons, flavors, whatever...) I usually find several things to like about a variety of things and for a variety of reasons. I don't consider it to be a factor of my indecision, but rather a testimony to me being an open and appreciative being.

However, when asked the question "what is your favorite ____?" I feel like I'm pressured to have a solid answer for whomever wants to know what my preference is. On the other hand, when I ask someone of their favorite whatever, it's usually more-so because I'm curious as to how one will answer the question. I admire those of you that don't have straight answers, especially because I'm apparently not brave enough to face a favoritism query empty-handed. Kudos to those of you that are.

The best-laid plans... right?

My sincere apologies. I had every intention of providing a weekly recapitulation of my actions and adventures accompanied by every thought and feeling. And 'every intention' eventually turned to 'it's okay to slip occasionally, as long as I continue to produce photos.' Which lead, ultimately, to having no intention whatsoever to reproduce my journey for anyone, because it was mine, or maybe because the scale finally tipped from a healthy amount of ambition to an exhausting amount of 'busy.'

At any rate, I'm back. If I happen to finish the drafts I've started, great. If not, maybe I'll just publish them in their honest-yet-unfinished state.

Nearing the end of my "vacation" I'm realizing that new inspiration has been gained through treading the map, which is to say nothing of the gained perspective. Suddenly I want to design more, draw more, paint more and most of all, write more. I dearly miss the creative world.

Someday...

the Russian Ballet
a formal dance class (ballet, tap, salsa, ballroom... who knows)
Machu Picchu
clarinet (again)
an Opera
the symphony
Egypt
paragliding/hang gliding
sailing
skydiving
rock climbing
surfing

Birthday, happy

So much more has happened in the past year than I ever could have imagined. I did enter "23" with high expectations, and I was not even remotely disappointed. Quite without fail, every step taken backwards was a new chance to take another leap forward. Which means twenty-three was quite 'necessary' for me. I'm proud of myself for marching through it, even when the march was so slow I couldn't even see the passing of time. Although (as always), I do feel a tinge of melancholy to leave another age behind me. And now, moving onward, I think twenty-four feels like it'll be a year of transition, a year of seriousness, and a year to watch a few major prospects come into focus. Cheers to hindsight, foresight, foreshadowing, and forgiving (...why isn't it hind-giving?).