United Tastes of Real America?

I've started using the rental bike service, Vélib' , a LOT. It's really fun to bike when there are trails and you don't have to worry about being in the bus lane (and even if it takes a bit longer it beats sitting in the métro for hours of your day)! For you nonbelievers, I biked all the way from Victor Hugo, to Malesherbes, and then home to Ourcq! Multiple times now. Ha HA!

When I got off near Jaurès the other day, I noticed the rainbow chimney tops. You probably need to make this picture bigger to get a better look.

Last weekend I decided to use up the beat bananas that were lying around on banana bread. Googled to confirm that I could use baking powder instead of baking soda (note: that does not work in the other direction). It came out perfectly, although I probably should have taken it out of the oven a little sooner.

Walked past this on Rue de l'Ourcq the other day, cracked me up. Get this ... It's a translation service.

Now, there's no need to tell me how much of a creeper I am for taking this picture, but I did it for nerds everywhere. Or perhaps, more accurately, geeks. This guys satchel-messenger bag thing is made out of old disks wired together. I couldn't get THAT good an angle without being really, REALLY obvious, but it looked really cool. Good thing he had headphones on, maybe he didn't hear the VERY audible click of the Blackberry camera ...

Finally, when we were running errands the other day, I got sidetracked by American stuff in the 'Foreign Foods' aisle. Still seems weird. I almost bought the cranberry sauce to see if it was any good, but has anyone an idea what "Real American" seafood sauce is? I'm thinking cocktail sauce, based on the look of it? I particularly was amused (still am, who am I kidding?) by the brand name ... 'United Tastes of America.'

Alternative Careers

Today I clipped Simon's fingernails, and as you might notice, he doesn't seem particularly traumatized. This led me to think that perhaps I should put my child-whisperer skills to good use, and open a ritzy baby nail salon (locations on 5th Ave and Bd Saint-Germain?). Just doing my part to contribute to crappy parenting ;)

(As you might observe, now that his nails are finished, he decided it was Pirouette's turn.)

This got me thinking about other potential career options I have thus far overlooked. For example, I found this chocolate on the kitchen table (Johan doesn't like dark chocolate, WIN). I could sell 'gross' homemade chocolate. I'm sure if I try they would be gross, so there's no risk of false advertising ... (Although one of the fillings of these tasted a bit like celery. That was less than stellar.)

OR I could go work for the Cafe des deux magots (you know, at Saint-Germain-des-Prés), the one where all the great French philosophers hung out. Good hot chocolate, but for 7€ it had BETTER be.

Or perhaps the "medicalized" home for musicians is hiring. Not sure what this actually is, but just seeing the name on the building makes me giggle every morning!

Twinsies?

As Carrie once pointed out, these photos are sorta eerily similar ... And now that Mamma Mia is back in Paris, I get to see these all over the métro stations ...

"It's only a paper moon"

... Or "It's only a wire cable moon..." But that wasn't quite as poetic.

Awesome sunset from the train window (near Brussels), unfortunately there were too many buildings, so all I could get a picture of was the neat light on the clouds (but picture a fireball red-orange sun just underneath).

Liège

Quick trip (for me) to Liège (Belgium) so Johan could record for a cd ... Which left me with ample time for adventuring.

Big church ...

I think someone ought to write a design thesis on the mailboxes of the world. I think it says a lot about the society (better do it fast, before emails finally end letters).

Liège Philharmonic, where we were ...

I'm a rebel!

Except, not.

Inside the concert hall (but my camera doesn't have a big enough lens to fit the whole shebang in a single shot)!

Part two ...

Important Liègeois monument ... To I-don't-know-what. Wikipedia, anyone?

Leaving, from the really neat (I actually liked something modern?! Snap!) MoMA style train station.

Kind of hard to see, but an equally awesome bridge that leads cars into the station ...

When I got my ticket, they gave me CHOCOLATE! FOR EASTER. Also, geez Belgium, how are all of those languages working out? Makes the English/Spanish debate in the US look a wee-bit silly.

Pretty Paris

Party at a friend's house on Ile Saint Louis the other night ... (Nice balcony!)

Rue Tiquetonne, favorite Italian restaurant ...

The weather has been unseasonably awesome (even for Paris, where the weather is seasonably infinitely better than in NY), which means the terraces are packed. YES.

Simon takes Pirouette down a notch?

A certain someone decided that a certain Pirouette needed to be taught a lesson ...

Reminder: This someone is not yet two. This someone is a really smart little monster, as a general rule :)