Friday, March 31, 2006

Finally, some time to myself

Today we have a "free day." This was at my insistence. I may be just as difficult as the others, but I was at the end of my rope. Spending 24 hours a day with two other people is trying at times. Katrina, who speaks French fairly well, is also rather bossy. We have to do things her way, go in the direction she says, and eat at the restaurants she insists upon. Okay, we don't HAVE to, but it's what's been happening. Of course, it's easier for her to navigate, because she doesn't have to look up every other word she says, but still.

I needed to be on my own. I get overloaded with museums, and it seemed that was all we were doing.

Not as cranky as I sound right now, just tired.


Found the French equivalent to Pic' n' Save today; it's called Tati, and I found all kinds of fun stuff there, mostly for gifts. The "kiss candy" you will have to see. It looks obscene. Very funny.

We're meeting up in about half an hour in front of Victor Hugo's house in the Place De Voges (not sure I spelled that correctly). Hopefully we can slow down and have tea or a glass of wine or three. Katrina also walks very quickly, where ever we are going. I like to stroll, check things out, browse, window shop... all that. Our other friend, Cynthia, she just goes along with whatever we are doing. Never puts in her two cents, which most of the time is probably a good thing, but she can get a bit passive aggressive about things at times too.

Again, I'm not focusing on all the fun stuff.

Some observations:
The boots the women wear here are marvelous. They inspire me to keep looking for my own pair.

Scarves are big here. Really big. Everyone, male, female, young, old, all wear scarves. It's not even that cold.

People cut in line all the time. Nicely dressed people, 50ish looking people, not just teenagers.

I forgot the scents from last time. Everything smells a little like amber to me, which is one of my favorite scents. Cigarettes are everywhere, and I don't like that odor at all. The subway doesn't smell at all.

Everything takes an hour longer than one thinks.

Shoot. Speaking of which, I have to go. Still have to track down the girls.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

The girls are breathing down my neck

so I can't write very much right now. We have wine and cheese waiting for us at home, which is the apartment we are renting.

There was a general strike yesterday, so I have lots of pictures of signs stating that the monuments and museums we tried to go to were closed. I have already taken 100 photos on my digital camera. Some will never see the light of day again, but that's the beauty of digital. We've been all over the place, and the Cordon Bleu cooking school is tomorrow. The weather's been not so fabulous, but not so rotten either.

Even though there is a sweet Rottweiller here that my friends are loving up, I have to go. This might be all I get to write whilst I'm here, so I'll write more when I get home.

A bientot, mes amis!

Sunday, March 26, 2006

At tthe double tree

waiting for the shuttle to take us to LAX. And then to Toronto and then to Paris!

Of course, my stomach started acting up last night, so I'm fully Vicodon'éd for my trip.

(Why there is an accent over that "e" is beyond me, by the way.)

Went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory last night; god, what a zoo. Sometimes I'm very happy living my little quiet life in Santa Barbara.

Okay, does this count for an update?

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Packing

Damn it.

I haven't packed like this for a while. Most of my trips the past few years have been 2-3 day affairs during the summer. A skirt, pair of shorts, a couple of cute tops, and I'm good to go.

Not this time. First off, there's the size problem. I'm now down 37 pounds (that's a hell of a lot of potatoes). Happy happy joy joy, all that of course, but... nothing I already have fits. I bought a pair of pants at Ross yesterday, specifically for the plane ride. I washed them,and they shrunk. Only in the length. I am not particularly tall, but I have legs just on the taller side of average. That means most of my pants are just 1/2-3/4 of an inch too short. Not short enough to be considered "cropped," just short enough to give me displeasure. I hear some of you, "Who cares? just wear the pants." I care. I am looking good these days, and want to wear clothes that continue to make me look good.

Okay, whatever. I did find three turtle necks at K-Mart of all places. $2.50 each! Yowza. I need turtle necks because it's butt cold in Paris right now. Oh yeah, not Montreal cold, but definitely cold by Santa Barbara standards. It's going to be in the low 50's high 40's most days. Oh yeah, it's supposed to rain every day we're there too. We'll be out and about, walking around, and need to be somewhat bundled up.

My portable umbrella got destroyed somehow at school. I picked it up Tuesday and it was all bent and broken to hell. Sheesh.

We're leaving late this afternoon for LA, then flying out tomorrow morning. My last load of laundry is in the dryer, and I'm still trying to figure out how not to bring too much clothing, but enough so that I'm not unprepared.

Black pants, green pants, jeans, brown pants, plaid dress pants. Already that looks like too many.

Black sensible shoes, brown sensible shoes, black pumps. Should I bring sneakers? would I even wear them? What about a dressy brown pair of shoes?

Blue cashmere, brown cotton, Navy wool, brown cotton stripe, thin brown wool sweaters... again, looks like too much.

blue, white, brown, pink, black, green turtle necks. One long sleeved polo shirt. Plenty. Like a uniform every day.

Pretty dress for the Opera house. One sexy shirt for going out. Yep. I need to figure something out in this department. All my belts are too big. Maybe another skirt? I don't know. That means hose. I know, I know, I don't HAVE to, but when it's 40 degrees outside, one wears hose.

Boots? Should I bring my boots? They're good for going out, not so much for lots of walking.

Then there's the coat, jacket, scarf issue. How much is too much? I have a great big Nanuk of the North down coat which is going, and I'm thinking my brown leather jacket. I have just one scarf right now that's along for the ride.

Must. Bring. Less.

But how?

Saturday, March 18, 2006

It was much brighter than this, but by the time I ran in the house, got my camera, ran outside, and realized I had no batteries in aforesaid camera, ran back in, got the batteries, and ran outside again, it was already fading.  Posted by Picasa

One week

One week from today I'll be driving to LAX to fly to Paris with my two girlfriends. We'll be there for a week, and I can't wait.

Of course, I have all kinds of nonsense to take care of before I go, and last week I started feeling a little run down. I started taking Zicam like it was going out of style (go for the nasal spray, the "strawberry" chews are horrid, AND you can't eat or drink for 15 minutes after taking one), and tried to get to bed early. But no, I bought tickets last August to Bocco Tango, a dance performance from Argentina for Monday night. Tuesday was a three-hour training for BTSA, Wednesday was Weightwatchers (it's coming off more slowly, but still coming off. 35.8 pounds as of last week), and Thursday night was the last night of my Adult Ed French class. I basically know how to say my name, and that I speak English. I also know how to say I'm lost, which is what I'll be most of the time if left to my own devices.

Wednesday I wasn't feeling any better, and my neck started to hurt. Weird, but I ignored it. Thursday the pain was worse and was both in my neck and starting up my chin. At 3:30 am, I woke up because of it, and the whole right side of my face was aching. The pain in the neck that everyone always refers to had happened.

Turns out I have a cold in my neck. My right Lymph Node, to be exact. Normal people get colds in their chest or sinuses, but not me, no siree. I gotta be different. I'm on antibiotics, and vicodon when I need it (which is not a bad thing), and I'm feeling better already. I just feel tired, but I don't really feel sick.

Anyway, I have to go figure out what I'm going to bring with me on my trip. I hear it's pretty darn cold this time of year.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

This fascinating article of clothing goes with the post below. Posted by Picasa

Walking shoes

Yesterday I drove to Ventura to try and find some clothes that fit. My friend, Ariana from school, came with me for moral support. I told her I wanted to find: mock turtlenecks, polo shirts, pants that fit and a dress to wear when I go to the Opera house in Paris.

I was fairly successful too.

The dress I found was a total score. I tried on about ten dresses, and four of them fit. That, in and of itself, was a miracle. The Macy's here in town doesn't have much in the way of dresses, and all that are my size are Mother-of-the-bride, flowing, glorified sack dresses. I'm a normal size 16 now, no longer in the "Woman's" section, and I want a dress that at least looks like I chose it for more than just fitting me.

It's off the shoulder, black, with a few sprinkles of beads and a cool little pleated detail. I'm not taking a picture of it for you right now because it doesn't look as good hanging on the hanger, and I'm not talented enough to take a picture of myself wearing it. You'll just have to wait until I wear it (only two weeks now!). And the score? It was originally $149, marked down to $54, plus I had a $15 dollar off coupon. Whoo hoo! I got it for less than 40 bucks. Jones New York, no less. Very proud I was.

Then, got two pairs of pants at, of all places, Sears. One's black, sorta velvety, but more like corduroy(I never know how to spell that damned word) without the wale. They're jean styled, so they aren't fancy shmancy. The others are cuffed trousers in denim. Very sharp. The price? Both were $11.99. Yea! I have pants now for my trip.

Then, got three long sleeved polo shirts from Kohls for $7.99 each. I love polo shirts. I'm always looking for them. They look more polished than tee shirts under sweaters, but not as fussy as button-down shirts I have to iron. My friend Katrina says every time I go shopping, I'm "looking for a nice polo shirt" and maybe it's true. Anyway, it was still a score.

I even bought a very Vegas-y halter top for my trip this summer with Tornwordo. That I will take a picture of. Just a minute. Okay. I just took it. Of course, I don't know how successful I will be in posting the picture in the middle of my post. I haven't mastered that yet. So, if there is a picture of an outlandish halter top above this post as a separate post, now you know why.

Before you start gagging at my clothing choice, I'll have you know that I bought it only for Las Vegas. I would never where it here in town where people know me, unless it was for a Halloween costume. And, again, it was a steal. Only $6.99. I tried it on as a joke, but it actually looked rather sexy, in a flashy, obnoxious sort of way.

Lastly, I tried on some Dansko shoes I've been eyeballing for some time. They're called the "Megan" and they are very comfy. I want some good walking shoes when we go to Paris, and for when I'm back here for teaching. Danskos are always really comfortable, but expensive. Frustrating because the 38's were too small and the 39's too big. I'll try again at the leather store here in town.

Okay, so my rant about not liking shopping? Disregard that. I'm back.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Movies

I love movies. I'm not particularly critical of most of them; some are like a full-course, steak dinner and some are like potato chips. I enjoy both the heavy and the light. Of course, just as there are foods I don't like (Brussel Sprouts, Okra, Olives, Whipped Cream, Coffee-flavored anything except coffee, and anything that lives under water), there are genres of movies I don't like either. Horror is one of 'em. I don't see the point in being grossed out and paying for it. I have friends that are great at grossing me out, and it's free. I don't like war movies, or sports themed movies too much, but there are exceptions.


Anyway, Friday I saw Capote, and last night I saw Transamerica. Both great films. Seeing Capote in the second-to-the-front-row really sucked, but there wasn't lots of action, so it could've been worse.

(Hey, maybe that should be my mantra, "Things can always be worse.")

I loved the portrayal of Truman Capote. A vile man, but not one without a conscience. My friend kept saying he was a monster, but I wouldn't go that far. Great thinking film.

Transamerica surprised me. Why wasn't this more talked about? It was good. Really good. The transgender part of it was secondary to the human interactions. I could see it again, just to see Felicity Huffman amaze me with her talent.

Now, both films are quite, shall we say, "talky." Those of you who want action or sex or violence, not the movies for you. They are quiet and elegant films.

I've rented Walk the Line; going to watch it tonight. Reese Witherspoon is going to have to do an unbelievable job to convince me she rightly won the Oscar instead of Felicity.

I'll get back to you.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd think shopping wasn't fun

But yesterday? Not fun.

I spent the afternoon at Robinson's May and Ross (complete with screaming babies, careening toddlers, loud youngsters, messed up racks, and rude people). I came home with a pair of hoop earrings, a brown dressy sweater, and a pair of plaid pants. I bought the pants because I can wash them and dry them in the machine, and they fit, and they were cheap. I wasn't thrilled though. I'm trying to think ahead to my trip, and what clothes I'm going to bring. Very limited choices here.

As my close friends know, I'm very picky about the clothes I wear. Not that I need a designer label, but that I find all kinds of reasons why I don't like something. Let's see if I can list a few:

Acrylic - It doesn't keep me warm if it's cold out, yet makes me sweat if it's pleasant weather. It pills and looks cheap.

Backless slides/heels - I'm a klutz. These make me fall down.

Crewnecks (shirts or sweaters) - Make my face look fat. I prefer V-necks. but not:

Deep V-necks - I've got a big chest. If I wear something that's low-cut, it's not sexy, it's skanky.

Rayon - This stuff doesn't wash well. Even if the label says it can be machine washed, it can't. Looks worn out after one or two cycles.

Ramie - this crap is a cheaper imitation of Rayon. And it itches.

Linen - The wrinkled look? Just looks unkempt to me. Also itches.

Animal prints - I always think of Peg Bundy from Married With Children.

Applique - There's nothing else to say about this one.

Fussy strings, ties, buttons - if it takes longer than 10 seconds to figure out how to put it on in the dressing room, it's not coming home with me.

Cap sleeves - also make me look fat.

Super-low cut jeans/pants - along with bare midriffs, only junior high school students look good in these. And of those, only those with flat stomachs.

So, there's a few of my reasons for being "picky." How many do you agree with? Any to add for yourself?

Friday, March 03, 2006

Raining hard right now

And I have two dogs that need to um... "go on a walk" if you get my meaning. Charlie won't go outside when it's cold unless I drag him, and I'm not too sure of Harriet's prowess at keeping it in after the early morning gift she left on my carpet the other night.

However, I must shower and go forth. Kids are coming early today to make up quizzes they've missed.

Wish me luck.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Dogsitting

Charlie and I are doggie sitting Harriet, my friend's Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix. She is as cute as a button, but after cleaning up poop and pee on the floor at 3:30 in the morning, I won't be too sad when she goes.

She's a barker, which Charlie isn't. It's weird how used to one's dog a person gets. Even walking them out on the street is different. Charlie meanders along, never tugging on his leash, smelling everything, checking it all out. Harriet is all business, looking back at me as if to say "Com'on, what's the delay? There's something right ahead, I just know it!"

They both jump all over me when I get home, and there's nothing to make me feel better than being appreciated.

The pictures below I just took. I think there might be heroin in that rawhide, the way Harriet is going at it. Although, Charlie doesn't seem the least bit interested in his. Maybe he's just being strong.

I don't have much to talk about. Same old same old.

Oh yeah, I've now gone over 35 pounds. 35.4 lost to be exact. None of my clothes fit. Clothes I bought two sizes smaller when I first started losing weight are now too big. I'll have some altered, but most aren't worth it. I'm a bit concerned about my Paris trip. Honestly, I have one pair of jeans, and two pairs of dress pants left that fit me. Dresses and skirts are better, but the temperature over there this time of year hovers between 40 and 50 degrees. Not terrible, but not bare leg weather either.

I don't want to buy new clothes either; I still have another 35 pounds to go. On the other hand, my mother told me I looked like a sharecropper (not that there's anything wrong with being a sharecropper) the other day when I was wearing my far-too-large overalls.

ah well, it's interesting having this be a problem.

What to do, what to do?
Charlie is not amused. Posted by Picasa
The Vicious Harriet, our house guest for a couple of days Posted by Picasa