Paris

Last Wednesday I went on a short day trip to Paris with a friend of mine. She just got a job at a cool English bookstore W.H. Smith, on rue de Rivoli (next to the Louvre) and needed to do her required medical exam. So I said I'd join her and we'd make a day of it. First stop was lunch, we wanted to go to a sandwhich place she had talked about but couldn't find it so we went to my favorite Japanese noodle shop. Its tucked in a corner right on a main street next to the Opera but has the best (and biggest!) lunches for a good price. I got a HUGE plate of yakisoba and 5 gyoza for 10 euros!

Then we stopped by her bookstore so we could take a look around... I felt like I had stepped into America! I never realized that French bookstores just have a different feel about them and this one felt like home. It was nice and although expensive she gets an employee discount ;-)

Then we got to do something I had been wanting to do since I was a study abroad student in 2002... visit Monet's waterlilies in l'Orangerie! It had been closed for construction for the last 6 years and finally reopened!










The paintings are stunning and although there are other works of art downstairs I prefered the waterlilies and could have just spent my time there. The rooms that the paintings are located in are oval shaped and there are 4 paintings lining the room which is lit by natural light from a skylight above. It is beautiful and very calming and after 6 years I can say I've been there!









Then we made a quick stop at Starbucks by the train station for some Frappachinos (Banana Java Chip thank you very much!) and cheesecake before hopping on the train to go home.









It was a quick trip but good fun!

surprise!

My bestest friend Natalie just got back fromt the States with tons of presents for friends. Since I didn't request anything (normally I put in a request but I'm going home in September so I can do it) she surprised me with a box of Cracker Jack! Yum!!

As I was chowing down in her appartment, the Scottish roomie asked what it was...!

We figured out the best way to explain Cracker Jacks...

They're Kinder Surprises for Americans!

more rainbows!

I'm working on my thesis and isn't it funny how you look up one thing on the web - say Wikipedia - and then oh, that's an interesting link and click on that and end up finding yourself on YouTube listening to the Reading Rainbow theme song...?

of rainbows and sunshine

Yesterday there were non-stop downpours all day long, it was horrible running around trying not to get soaking wet. But when I came back and looked out the window I saw a beautiful rainbow stretching over the whole city. Looking out the other window I saw the church Saint Pierre in the distance, there was an after the storm light that when combined with the sunset and the last rements of the rainstorm producted a beautiful sight to see that even my camera couldn't catch quite right...











This morning the sun was out and while I drank my morning coffee I could hear the bells at Saint Pierre tolling and the Sunday market getting ready for action on the streets below. So I ran out and bought some summertime treats, local strawberries (les maras des bois), cherries and nectarines. I hope this time summer is here to stay! I've had enough rain!!!


Happy Father's Day to all those dads out there, especially mine!

... I'm back

I'm back in the blogging world... There have been lots of things going on recently, none of which I'd like to go into more detail on my blog, but needless to say I've been a bit stressed but am doing a bit better.

When I was talking to a friend of mine about this stress she suggested that I try her acupuncturist doctor. She has been going there for the last 6 months or so and says that the woman is very nice and the treatment seems to really work.

Being from the States I've never really gone to any alternative medecine, but I thought why not. The woman is also a regular GP and so not only does she do acupuncture but regular healthcare as well. I think the combination of Eastern-Western medecine can be really interesting. Not only that but because she's a regular doctor I just had to pay the regular 21euros fee, plus a couple extra for the needles. So even if I didn't like it, the whole thing is almost completely reimbursed by the state healthcare system :-) Cool eh?

So I went there this morning and my friend was right, she is so nice. She's very insightful and asked me questions that I would never have thought relavant or connected to my stress. The needles hardly hurt at all, just the lightest of pricks, not even like those little pricks at the end of your fingers to sample blood (god those hurt!) probably because these needles don't even draw blood. She put several on my feet and lower legs, a couple by my wrists, a few on my back and two or three on the top of my head! The strange thing is that these needles are bendy! She put them in my back and then asked me to lay down!

The whole thing was a very relaxing experience and she asked me to make an appt in 2 weeks for a follow up and to see how things are going. I asked for a perscription for allergy meds since I'm all out and can't wear my contacts my eyes hurt so bad, she also gave me a perscription for some minerals and stuff to get my immune system back up. I went to go fill these perscriptions and was surprised when the pharmasist brought a box filled with glass tubes that looked like this:

I had seen them before and they always creeped me out... They are little glass tubes with medication inside, called ampoules. Basically you break (yes break with your fingers!) the glass tip and then as the liquid is suspended inside by some force of physics, you break off the other tip and all the liquid drains out. Now I've seen people do this directly into their mouthes but me, no I couldn't handle it so I put it in a glass and then drank it. Its just too weird hearing the crunch of the glass...