Discobitch

Ok, I've gotten lazy. But here's a funny song that I really like. I love the way she says champagne

vday promenade

Obviously, being in Paris, I had a super romantic valentine's day, filled with champagne, quirky, sweet gestures in dingy but somehow romantic places, an elegant meal, sprinkled with truffles. Oh, and the diamonds and fur. That's how we all do it here in Paris.

But before that, I was a little mopey. It had nothing to do with the fact that it was Valentine's day, I swear! I'm just a natural-born moper. And it happened to be a Sunday, a day on which nothing ever happens, and I tend to stay in bed way too long, lazily think of half-assed ideas to get out of the house, and in general think to much about most things. Then I usually take a walk.

I took a really long, cold walk. I found this Caribbean restaurant I went to once that I had been trying to re-locate. then walked along to La Chapelle, a neighborhood with a lot of good Indian and Sri Lankan restaurants. I ate a tuna roti that I bought from a carry-out window.

Eventually found this really funny little shop and spent a while talking with the Egyptian man who owns it. I liked it because it reminds me of me, or of other things I like; a little shop filled with too much stuff. Some pretty or interesting, some just ridiculous. It also reminded me of Khan el Khalili in Cairo, sort of for the same reasons. I'll go back someday soon and take some pictures (what is better than pictures of junk?), chat with Yusuf while ignoring the potential old man quasi-hitting on me vibes and maybe buy a tiny blue fake crocodile purse. Anyways, for now I took a lil' screen capture of the google maps streetview.

I don't really know why the shop is called epicerie, which is usually a little grocery store. This place is at 92 rue Maubeuge in the 10th if anyone is interested in checking it out.

Getting situated

Well, I live in la Goutte d'Or according to this site (you have to click on the "visiter" link on the left to see the map of the neighborhood). But yesterday, my little heart was bruised (and so close to Valentine's day!) when a guy from the neighborhood association told me that where I live is not actually considered part of la Goutte d'Or. It's just "Marcadet."

I sort of had a lurking feeling that this might be the case, because rue de la Goutte d'Or is not that close to where I live. Plus the vague notion I had of the neighborhood told me that my apartment complex is just not part of that sweetly-named little neighborhood. I could just sense that, in the hearts and minds of the people who live there and are into the fact that the Goutte d'Or is a real neighborhood, we're just not quite part of it. I know, it's tragic, I hope no one feels too let down.

Marcadet-Poissoniers is my metro station and the name of an intersection. As far as I can tell, it's just a little buffer zone between neighborhoods- La Chapelle to the West, la Goutte d'Or to the South and Montmartre to the East, without a real neighborhood identity like the surrounding areas.

I bet if I hadn't shared, no one would have noticed, since you probably don't know where I live, but whatever. So I guess there's no point to this blog anymore. Just kidding! I'm still going to appropriate this neighborhood because the Internet still says I live there. Plus, where I live is kind of considered part of the neighborhood as far as renovation purposes are concerned... Legit.

Ok, I'm going to stop now, because my coworker made fun of me for how boring this is. Here is a google map of where I live. Right next to train tracks.


Agrandir le plan

Aack.

The worst dog ever, I used to see it all the time this summer, when I lived a little bit to the north of here. Unfortunately this picture doesn't give you a great idea of just how creepy and footstool-like this dog was. If you say it's cute I'll kick you.

Why

I came to Paris. It was summer, I drank wine by the canals, I sat in parks and watched kids play badminton. Then winter came, I went home, got sad, came back, got cold. And needed a project. So I decided yesterday to start a blog. Though I plan to go out and learn stuff and then post about all of the fabulous experiences through which I learn so much about other people and myself, this is probably just an excuse to spend even more time on the internet than I already do (which, if we gchat, you know is already so much).

This blog will probably taper off once it starts getting nicer and my enthusiasm for this idea wears down, but now I have a little catching up to do, so at least it might start out strong!

Hmmmmm

I'll start with a picture I took yesterday, right across the street from where I live. Yesterday was Valentine's day, and this made me laugh because it seemed too fitting. A dying bouquet of roses in an empty lot on Valentine's day. This picture goes right along with the (unfounded) stereotype I have of french people being fickle but excessive lovers, who exaggerate their feelings because pain and brooding look so good on them.

This also probably proves that after 7 months in Paris, I still don't actually know anything much about the French.