BrigitteGoesToParis

Joe & Bri in Paris

2006-05-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

Brigitte is neglecting her blogging obligation so I (Joe) have decided to blog on her behalf. Mainly because I'm too lazy to log off of her account and on to mine. Paris has been fantastic so far. Brigitte is very hospitabol and I'm currently drinking wine, eating cheese and listening to french music. We've done an incredible amount of walking in the city to see and expereience everything and I wish I could spent a couple more weeks here to get everything in. But I'll be back in Minneapolis and at work Monday morning. I'll blog and post some more pictures when I get back. Au revoir.

2006-05-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful day...too beautiful in fact to do anything other than be outside and eat some crepes. I started out with a banana nutella crepe and ended with a cheese, egg and mushroom crepe. I spent the day with Brian and Katie walking around, enjoying the sunshine, and laying on the seine. What a day.

I can't believe that in less than two months I have to leave this wonderful city. The Eiffle Tower and I had a long talk about it today. He really isn't taking my departure very well. In fact, the "talk" was more me trying to get him to calm down and stop crying. His tears are so big, and with all the tourists right now, it got pretty messy. After the second german family drowned, I said enough is enough, and I used a little big of tough love. He's so sensitive. After the mess we cleaned up, we enjoyed a cigarette and a good laugh, thinking on times past.

I promise soon I'll take some pictures and post them. But for now, here's one of the Eiffle Tower and me from Christmas time. Memories....

I heart paris

2006-04-25T03:31:00.000-07:00

This is just another post to say how beautiful it's been the past few weeks. I just got back from a walk in the gardens, and I must say, it's going to be very difficult to leave come June. I really wish I could just stay in Paris forever. Hopefully I'll be able to return sometime in the future, maybe while I'm working towards my PhD. I can't believe I have less than two months left...thinking about it makes me too sad, so I won't, haha.

Not much else to say, just j'adore Paris!

SPRINGTIME IN PARIS!

2006-04-22T03:40:00.000-07:00

SPRINGTIME IN PARIS!

IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL I CAN'T STAND IT. AND OVERNIGHT OUR QUIET LITTLE STREET HAS TURNED INTO TOURIST CENTRAL. THERE WAS A MAN PLAYING A CALIOPEE OUTSIDE MY WINDOW THE OTHER DAY!!

IT'S SURREAL. SO SURREAL AND SO BEAUTIFUL THAT I CAN ONLY USE UPPER CASE LETTERS TO EXPRESS IT.

HURRAY FOR SPRINGTIME IN PARIS!!!!

soo much homework! and no more strike!

2006-04-19T02:44:00.000-07:00

well, the strike is over...and the students won. there are still police everywhere....maybe it's never REALLY over.

in other news, spring is here, and i'll be inside all week doing homework. the luxembourg gardens are blooming and everything is wonderful. except for all the homework i have. curse you school!

yesterday i sent in my response to the university of chicago, so i am almost officially going there next year. hurray? hurray! it makes me very nervous to think about starting over at another school, after my year spent starting over in another country. but i suppose i'll be doint what i love to do.....and that's a good thing.

this post is kinda boring, my sincerest appologies. here's a poem:

spring spring spring spring
homework!
buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
(cow bell)
streets alive with the
abcdefg
paris. wow.

off to do more homework...

that last post was too serious.

2006-04-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

here's a funny picture bri sent me!!

it has something to do with anemia...

haha, look how cute.

here i go again on my own...

2006-04-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

Here i sit once again writing a paper on surrealisme and i can't help but think that this is not the best way to enjoy paris.

the strikes are still on, though today was not a grand day of manifestations like yesterday. the metros seem to be running smoothly and (for now) all is well in paris. with spring break coming next week Monsieur le President is running out of time to make his peace with the youth. Apparently this is the biggest thing paris has seen since the manifestations of 1968. the sorbonne is occupied, the people are chanting in the streets, and police are everywhere clad in full riot gear. something tells me a climax must be reached soon.....

i had my own run in with the paris police the other week. last tuesday, another "grand jour de la mobilisation", i was walking to my friend's apartment when i walked bytwo police officers, looking very scary with their guns and clubs and helmets. i was wearing headphones and avoided eye contact as we passed, but i heard one of them say something to me in a very commanding, serious tone. i didn't catch what he said but i heard the "mademoiselle!" and turned, nervously, taking off my head phones to see what i had done wrong. the two policemen were smiling at me as i looked back, and one repeated his command (in scary french of course) "young lady, tie your shoe! you wouldn't want to trip and fall down!" i nervously laughed, said "oh, uh, merci..." and tied my shoe.

oh the french.

also, i was wearing a skirt that was just slightly above my knees today, and which elicited many dirty looks when walking from the metro to class. i even got an "oh la la!" from and old man who walked past me...

i have to say, for all it's feminist history, i have never felt as objectified in my day to day life as i do in this country.

back to surrealisme! or, surrealism...here's a picture of my street!!

This is what I look like now that I'm french.

2006-04-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Je suis francaise! This is pretty much how I dress everyday now.

I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!

2006-04-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!! REGARDEZ....

YES, CANDY AND COSTUMES CAN BE FUN. BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHAT TOO MUCH FUN IS HAD?

in addition to loving halloween, i'm not really that good at this format yet...how do i get the pictures to go AFTER the text?

this is what i do at school...

2006-04-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

...i write short stories.

Version Originale : Narration

Le week-end dernier, je suis allée au Jardin du Luxembourg pour jouer au tennis. En entrant dans le parc, j’ai remarqué à quel point le soleil brillait. J’ai regardé les enfants avec leurs petits bateaux, et j’étais heureuse. J’ai retrouvé mes amis et on a marché vers les cours de tennis pour en réserver un. Mais, malheureusement, on a dû attendre. En attendant, j’ai examiné de nouveau le parc. Il était clair que le printemps allait bientôt arriver. Les canards nageaient quand, tout à coup, un garçon a jeté son bateau vers eux, et ça a créé une catastrophe. Ils ont fait beaucoup de bruit. Un grand canard a volé vers les cours de tennis en créant un grand brouhaha parmi les joueurs de tennis. Un jeune homme a commencé de courir, sans regarder autour de lui. Il a couru vers le filet et il est tombé par terre. Le canard, qui était dans un état de surprise, a continué de voler vers le joueur de tennis, en faisant beaucoup de bruit. Un autre jeune homme, aussi en état de choc, a frappé le canard avec sa raquette de tennis. Le canard est tombé par terre, et après plusieurs secondes il s’est envolé au loin, vers la fontaine. J’ai jeté un coup d’œil vers mes copains, mais ils n’avaient pas vu cette catastrophe. Alors, un des cours de tennis s’est libéré, et on a commencé un match.

Style Minimaliste

Dimanche, au parc. Le soleil brille.

Jouer au tennis : l’attente. Surveillance de la vie. Garçon avec bateau : la violence innocente.

Catastrophe !

Un canard qui s’envole. Un match qui s’arrête. Je regarde.

La violence encore : une raquette méchante. Au revoir, Monsieur le Canard. Les autres n’ont n’en vu ; alors, je suis seule.

Enfin, notre match commence.

Version Dada

Canard, le canard, les canards « ouah ouah ouah ! »

le soleil beau, le soleil brille, le soleil beau, le soleil brille, le soleil beau, le soleil brille, le soleil beau, le soleil brille, le soleil beau, le soleil brille, le soleil beau, le soleil brille, le soleil beau, le soleil brille, le soleil beau, le soleil brille, le soleil beau…etc.

tennis, le tennis, les tennis, le match, le canard, « ouah ouah ouah ! »

strike!

2006-04-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

everyone's on strike! everyone except my school...boo!

i can hear the manifestations from outside my window, as i sit writing a paper on the crisis of representation in proust and the surrealists...i feel somehow, disconnected from the (real) world.

if i were a better blogger, i would link some sort of article about the srike (or as you americans are calling it, the riots) in paris, but i'm not a better blogger so look it up yourself, lazy.

let's see how i can upload a picture of myself...

vacation in paris

2006-02-06T04:57:00.001-08:00

this is called georgia font. pretty cool. i think i'll stick with georgia. so i'm in paris, for the year, and am on my in between semesters break. i'm not sure if having a blog is really worthwhile...but all the other kids seem to have them, so....here goes.

vacation in paris

2006-02-06T04:57:00.000-08:00

I have a blog

2006-02-06T04:51:00.000-08:00

i have a blog? technology still kinda scares me...