The Bread Decree of 1993 (It RHYMES)

This is old. I am behind. Sorry.

Rediscovered a packet of instant [Chinese] coffee. As awful as I remembered. Drank it anyway. Take that, crappy coffee mix.

Three dancing monsters ...

France would have a "Bread Decree of 1993" to dictate the correct, traditional way to make bread.

Even got to meet up with my friend Karina while she was visiting Paris with other friends!!! Unfortunately, it was a Chinese restaurant. I can't believe how emotionally food-scarred I am from just ten days. Good thing I didn't decide to go live THERE.

These people clearly subscribe to the Ariotti Family Holiday Decree -- The holidays aren't over until we SAY they are. Christmas tree finally leaves on January 24th? No biggie.

Political Commentary?

Last week, while making dinner for the kids, I took out the bag of "smilies." Imagine my shock when I actually read the label:

MCCAIN? KID SMILE? I don't remember seeing McCain make any kids smile!

It gets better:

'Make your kids happy and treat your whole family to a delicious meal with McCain!'

SERIOUS?! Died laughing. Impossible to explain to others. I'm such a poli sci nerd.

Then one day (must be like weeks ago, oops), when I actually bothered to do laundry (now I'm playing closet Jenga until I some item of clothing becomes the limiting factor), I popped into the bookstore next door to kill time. I'm not ready to see things about China yet ... Especially not about their food (the title means 'Taste of China').

Because I have the greatest friends ever, I thought I'd share one of the best gifts I have EVER received: Melissa's chef d'oeuvre (masterpiece), if you will. Complete with its own presentation easel. AWESOME. Made my day, nay, still IS making my day. Everyday.

I'd love to see a post-modern, feminist, Marxist analysis of this painting.

I know; 2011 is off to a rough start ...

SORRY, I know I'm delinquent, I promise to catch everything up soon. I was waiting for friends to put their pictures on the book of face so I can steal them.

Catching up on American politics at the moment ... Between snowstorms and shootings in the US, massive floods in Australia (Brittany got evacuated), flooding in Brazil, and revolt in Tunisia ... Well, France is looking like a pretty good place to be.

This weekend I'm meeting up with my dad's cousin Dale, who's passing through Paris on his way out with his wife! It's always fun to see more family :)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Last night I stopped in the grocery store to pick up a few last minute things (cheddar cheese for macaroni and cheese, sugar and a spatula for pancakes) and I came across the HOLY GRAIL of grocery store aisles : FOREIGN FOODS.

Apparently Bran flakes, grape-nuts, kettle chips and Hellman's mayonnaise are British. Who knew?

Then I saw these. I thought they were mythical, but apparently somebody is still buying them. Crazy Brits.

HI AMERIKA. Please note, apparently we have Aunt Jemima pancakes, syrup, peanut butter, and then two full rows of the chunk cookies. Excellent.

They also had mini marshmallows, so I opted for a pack of those.

The reason for all of this shopping right before I leave the country for ten days is actually quite simple : I'm hosting my first Christmas Eve party :) A few friends from orchestra are coming over, we're all celebrating together and attempting to stay up all night, so as to better sleep on the plane (12 hours of plane time, plus another 5 of bus once we get there). This could be rough.

To at least take advantage of being in France for the holidays a LITTLE bit, I ordered a Bûche de Noël at the boulangerie nearby. If you can't tell, Santa is serenading us. So cute. And chocolatey. Yum.

And then, if all goes well, early tomorrow morning we're off to the airport en masse -- My flight details are available here if you get curious ...

I'll try to get on someone's computer while we're there, just to check in (I'm not bringing mine and I'm not going to use my Blackberry because my phone bill would be ASTRONOMICAL), but otherwise I'll be back on January 5th and OF COURSE I'll be posting pictures and stories ...

You can try to follow us a little on the Musique en Sorbonne site as well -- They say they'll be trying to post updates and pictures (if you watch the slideshow that's already up and running you'll see me!).

Love to all of you, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and best wishes for the new year!

To be continued ... In 2011!

Hello, weeks. Where did you go?

So I'm not really sure how it's suddenly December 22nd, but my clocks all seem to confirm this. I guess the stress of worrying about whether or not I'd be going to China distracted me quite a bit! And for the record, I'M GOING! I went and picked up my passport, complete with visa, on Monday afternoon.

We fly out on SATURDAY. About that packing ...

As a result things have been a bit crazy. I've been going out with friends quite a bit, and last weekend was our pre-concert "week-end de travail." Incidentally, a major national French TV network, TF1, came and filmed us. Whom, do you suppose, just happened to be sitting first stand at that particular moment? THIS GIRL. The guy came to the center (next to the conductor) with an ENORMOUS video camera, and basically pointed it at me. I was just like "Uhhhhhhh, is it too late to move? Can I just smile?" Apparently a crew is going to film our first concerts in China as well, and some sort of report on us will be on TF1 either December 30th or 31st. SNAP. So I've been on communist Chinese television, and French television ... Have I ever even been on American TV? I think not ...

Here are some goofy shots with the boys ... I let them be the photographers for once. They were amused, but unfortunately it's hard to get everyone to hold still, and the Blackberry camera really demands immobility.

Maxime had a light-up martini glass that he was playing with, it's not that I'm trying to hide his radioactive ear or something :)

Saw this stamped on the street as I was cutting over to Rue de Lancry ... Do you suppose they mean some sort of play on "one another," or someone just messed up, or completely unrelated? Tough to say.

Monday morning. Snowy. I was unaware that according to the news media everything is a mess and the airports aren't working, etc. As snowy as this looks, there was no trace of it by 3pm that afternoon. Thanks for exaggerating EVERYTHING, news media. Granted, while the snow is there everything falls apart (it's as if they've never considered the possibility that snow would DARE fall on Paris).

Just after this, however, I did see a man squeegeeing the sidewalk. Seriously? SERIOUSLY?

Snowflakes!

Just the other day I got a letter from Potter and Molly (and Lin, by default?), and included were some snowflakes they had made me. These are ESSENTIAL to my winter decoration theme, so of course I have to document!

I love them ... Top left is from Molly, bottom left is from Julien, and the one on the right is from Potter. Scattered around them are snowflakes Lin sent me for Christmas last year :)

In theory a few of my friends and I will be celebrating Christmas Eve together here, since the idea is for all of us to herd each other to the airport on the 25th for orchestra's tour in China. Think me happy thoughts for my visa, please!

I could have danced all night

It was a busy weekend, full of the typical Parisian shenanigans. We had what felt like a heat wave, but upon further reflection was merely the 40s, which made going outside way easier on the layering process.

Saturday morning was a less-than-awesome orchestra rehearsal (between the cramped room and the high temperatures, the handwritten illegible music was the icing on the cake of my giggle fit).

Afterwards Guillaume and I went to our favorite café in the 18e, Chez Francis. Mmmm, went all out since we were starving (I had a steak and he had a burger, followed by an AWESOME lava cake with some sort of not sweet but creamy awesome sauce).

Sunday I tutored in the morning (rough wake-up call), then met Betsey for a flea market date. Couldn't resist buying a ton of pretty scarves ... And finally indulged in the pretty olive green Converse I've been coveting for months. They seem to be getting increasingly hard to find, so I figured it was going to be now or never.

I'm more the now type.

Then Betsey and I grabbed an afternoon hot chocolate on the Rue de Rivoli before heading toward the Opéra. We found this neat English/American bookstore. For Meg and Gennie and my my mom - little tins for making babas au rhum. It made me smile :)

As I walked up to catch the métro, the sun just happened to, you know, glance brilliantly off the Opéra's golden trimmings. No big deal.

Last night I went to see My Fair Lady at the Théâtre de Châtelet. [That's where I saw A Little Night Music last year, and where I'm seeing Sweeney Todd in the spring.]

The sets were beautiful, as were the costumes, and the show was wonderful. I didn't love the singing voice of the woman playing Eliza, but it was a great show. I'm almost tempted to go back ... I don't think I'll have the time though. The show was in English, with French subtitles playing, which was hilarious, since they didn't seem to do to much to demonstrate the extreme accents that make it so funny for anglophones. They did a little bit, but not nearly to the same degree.

Anyway I had a great time, and the man that played Freddie had one of the most phenomenal voices I've ever heard. I've never given 'On the street where you live' a second thought, until last night's rendition. It was also funny because there are a few choice references to the French, which were well-received by the primarily French crowd.

Stressed and tired in general, but trying to keep breathing. At a normal speed. Not into a paper bag.