Paris: Day 13 & 14

Whew! So much is going on!

Yesterday I had a test in my French class and when I got up to turn it in, excited to go grab lunch before phonetics, I was told (in French of course) that class was not over and would resume in promptly 15 minutes. Bluh.

So I spent my time on my new book (well borrowed from my roommate in Orlando), The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I just finished Super Freakonomics and it was awesome. Just as great as Freakonomics. Such an interesting read and I always bring up the different topics discussed in random conversation. The Happiness Project is a task set forth by a writer who wanted to find and strive for happiness over the course of the year. She is well read and ambitious and needs to know she is meeting goals and how well she is doing constantly. A lot like me essentially (maybe minus the well read, lol). And all the struggles and flaws she has are so closely related to major ones I worry about myself. Thus I have been able to truly understand every aspect of her writing and appreciate her organizing happiness down to essentially facts. Of course, it cannot be lived by facts, but by organizing the project according to the vast amount of research she has had, helps me to understand and respect this project. She organizes her year with a giant factor of happiness goal.

January was energy. I love that because we never seem to have enough and it is something I have been focusing on more with my running. She also cleans out her life so to speak of all the clutter in her house. I am actually in the process of that (well whenever I finally get back to Memphis, moving around so much definitely helps you get a grip on what is important and what should be left behind). She also targets nagging tasks (like finally answering that e-mail or simply working on that project a bit at a time). Something I truly struggle with. But she makes note to do immediately anything that would take less than one minute to do. It sounds stupid, but how long does it really take to answer that e-mail or hang up my coat? I have the time in the day, I just need to commit and stop wasting it.

February was of course Love. Sore subject right now, but regardless it had some good points. Like don't expect praise or attention. I'm really bad about that. I feel like I have taken on so much in life and I expect people to go "good job Madison, you are doing really great for yourself." Do I really do something because I love it or because I need my life to be legitimized.

Like a career, which was March.

She gave an example of going to law school and working in law forever. She talked about people who she worked with who only talked about law and read about law, nothing outside of that. She said she hated it. And then she realized. Why do a job that she wouldn't do in her spare time.

It made me think, what do I do in my spare time that I love? Travel? Yes. But do I really love working in Hospitality. I'm really not sure. Leaning towards no. More so, burned out. I really love music, but I could never produce it or anything. What about art? That's cool, but I don't have a portfolio.

She had the same fears. How could she just switch from doing something she was already good at and spent so much time on to something where she had to start all over?

I think I just decided to go back to school after I graduate. I really do appreciate design and photography. And just art in general. I was shot down by one stupid high school art teacher and never got over it.

So I love graphic design and photography. But do I really love the other things I do? Do I actually love running and learning french or am I just doing it to get over a breakup? Or for the attention of running a half marathon?

I guess after the next breakup I will take up biking and Italian. Before I'm 25 I should be triathlon ready for a good chunk of the countries in the world. Ha.

March also had launch a blog.

Check.

But it also had enjoy the fun of failure. Something I will admit I am hesitant to put on the blog. I fear a lot of things that I put on here because I am scared of what people, many who I don't even know, but especially those I do know, will think of me. In fact, that filters a lot of things that I want to put on here out of my writing.

I guess I need to learn to be a more honest blogger and remember why I started this: For me. To remember great trips and experiences like these. To get things off my chest and analyze them later with a clear head. To bring together things I love into one place.

Right now I am on April which highlights: Sing in the morning, Acknowledge the reality of people's feelings, be a treasure house of happy memories, and take time for projects." All under the big umbrella of children. Also an unknown subject right now. But I am loving it regardless. I have so many great pictures and things I never see because I haven't taken the time to organize them into something I can reflect on or enjoy. Be it a scrapbook or whatever.

I can also fail to point blank understand someone's feelings and tell them what I see and understand, too. This makes a huge difference in how to handle any negative emotion with others. Definitely something I'm going to try and work on.

Sorry that speil was a little random, but I really felt I should share. Go buy the book. It is great so far.

Yesterday after class I ate at a boulanger near pompidou called Legay Choc. That was the best BBQ chicken wrap I have had outside of Memphis. It was WONDERFUL. And I needed a taste of home.

Afterwards I went to Palace Chaillot and saw La Cite de l'architecture & du patrimone. It was a really cool architecture museum. It was completely free, too! It was so crazy to see pieces of old architecture just moved into a building with blank walls. It is as if it defined it more, being against a plain wall rather than being with the rest of the building. Buildings have a tendency to be forgotten. Christo and Jean-Claude are two great artists who also exemplify things that we have a tendency to forget about, in several instances, buildings. The museum also highlighted the design of some of France's public housing, several in Paris, but also in other cities. These design concepts were all very modern and efficiently designed as far as space and utility goes. It was an incredible site. From modern architecture you moved into very old spanish cathedral like architecture, paintings, and art. Kind of random, but still really neat since they had set of rooms that you walked into as if you had actually walked into the church. It was so quiet in the museum and plus I was alone so I took a seat in several, admired the art, and said hi to God.

I took the metro home and stopped by my local boulangerie for dessert. A charlotte. This delicious little cake had soft crust around the outside and strawberry creme inside with strawberry jam, a strawberry and raspberry, plus powder sugar on top. Heaven.

I decided right then I would have a dessert every day there on my way home.

After some homework I went over to Mouffetard to eat at my favorite Italian place. On the way I stopped in a little shop to peruse and had a really great conversation, in French, with the sales woman about how great Ray LaMontagne is and how well he played at Bonnaroo. She loved him. I asked her if she knew that the Foo Fighters were playing at Rock du Seine and she had no idea who they were.

Ha.

Well you can't win em all.

She was really nice and the first french person who didn't get frustrated with my french and ask me to simply speak English. She also wasn't busy though. I think the French genuinely want to help us by switching to English, but I told her I was a student trying to practice and she helped me learn a lot of new words in just a 10 minute conversation.

I think the 2 guys that run the Italian restaurant are starting to recognize me and even smiled when they served me, very different from usual France. I don't like French food, but I'm used to the service by now. It isn't bad, it is just that is what French people want, a server that moves quickly and doesn't bother them with stupid questions. Since I was eating alone they were very kind and even spoke to me a little. One had his lady and baby there. Absolutely adorable. I enjoyed Panna Cotta for the first time at their recommendation and it was wonderful. I left them a note saying I would be back often and sorry for my bad french and thank you for the best meal yet plus a small tip (tip is included in every restaurant here, btw). I think I'm going back tomorrow with the roommate, ha.

Today wasn't much different. I visited Jardins de Plantes. And it very much lived up to its name. It had a huge array of different types of plants, plus this is also a hub for botanical and zoological studies with both buildings located on the outer edges of the property. It is also where the serious runners run. Not the family runners I feel like I have been seeing. There were girls who ran alone (and in shorts, gasp). And many runners had music. Double gasp. This park was bigger, allowing less mundane laps. If I am ever in the mood to ride the metro to run (hardly likely) that will be my spot.

Today's dessert was Mille Feuille. Comparable to a Napoleon at EPCOT's France Pavilion. It is several layers of thin crisps and creme with powder sugar on top.

After napping on that delicious snack I headed over to Monte Marte just to explore for a while. I went inside Sacre Coeur just to look around and ended up spending a half hour on a pew just thinking with God. Not that he is only in churches, but the moment really felt right. I reflected on a lot of what I had just read in the happiness project. That I felt out of place in a lot of ways in my life and I wanted my Disney confidence and placement back. Where should I go next? I know I am destined for more, but what?

We had a good time.

No definite answers. Just quality time with the big man.

On my way to the metro I discovered a cupcake place whose name currently escapes me (Miss Cupcake?), but it reminded me so much of muddy's with its decor and everything I had to go in. That raspberry cupcake and "Mr. Pink" juice (basically a smoothie) really made me feel at home. I thanked the girl and told her I would definitely be back soon.

I loved Monte Marte. If I ever moved to Paris, which I would consider more and more as each day passes and I have begun to kind of translate my life here, it would definitely be there. Less city more artsy. I'm going back soon to roam again.

Off for more homework!

Much Love!