AHHH!
Scott's aim is true.
Even an ocean away, and 8 or so years past my purchase of his seminal first album, my heart goes on for one Mr. EC. If he didn't exist, someone would try to invent him, holla!
Scott is a daring papparazzi-type-hero-of-mine!
It was enough when I made him dress us as Mr. Costello as a condition for getting to escort me when I was on the Winter Dance Court senior year of high school...or so I thought! Though Lindsay Lockhart won, and she is lovely, I feel as though Scott and I are well on our way to winning the Winter Dance Court of life, as chance encounters with bad-ass rock&roll pioneers could only indicate.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
4 Continents!
Just got news today that, thanks to Jennie -- my suprisingly bilingual friend, currently tangoing her way through all the garages of Lima, Peru -- Fleur de Lori now boasts a 4 continent readership! Sure, I think whoever read it in Australia only stayed on the site for 2 seconds, but just the same! Its exciting, people!
Just another way the internet is awesome.
Speaking of worldliness and awesomeness, perhaps you'd like to send me a letter?
N'hesitez pas! as they say in froggish.
Lori White - Assistante d'anglais
La Martiniere Duchere
300 Avenue A. Sakharov - CP 417
69338 Lyon CEDEX 09
FRANCE
Tag on a little "airmail/par avion" to ensure its speedy delivery.
Just another way the internet is awesome.
Speaking of worldliness and awesomeness, perhaps you'd like to send me a letter?
N'hesitez pas! as they say in froggish.
Lori White - Assistante d'anglais
La Martiniere Duchere
300 Avenue A. Sakharov - CP 417
69338 Lyon CEDEX 09
FRANCE
Tag on a little "airmail/par avion" to ensure its speedy delivery.
Monday, October 16, 2006
The "Spirits" of Cherokee -- a BYOB solution?
Sometimes I'm tired of thinking in croissant and frog-leg, and -- due to substantial drinking or excessive blog reading (I have yet to combine both) my mind floats across the pond.
Having some thoughts in France about this whole Cherokee Street Situation.
Mr. The Royale should just make his little place that he clearly wants to start up on Cherokee a BYOB until the aldermen stop the silly close-mindedness and have it be a bar full of excellent mixers (juice, duh?), and the civic-minded citizens bring the booze themselves! Brilliant!
It could be suuuuper fun, and quite glamorous. Cost effective; too?
I already want to go to this bar.
I used to live in Philly, where they overcome creepy Quaker Society of Friends (sober ones) drinking laws with the BYOB option. I don't know, it just sounds cool - and all this alcohol availability over in the EU seems to result in very little of the apocalypse predicted by a certain alderman... and the "residential character and the neighborhood serving commercial business" seem only to benefit from a few classy watering holes...well hey.
One such watering hole here in Lyon even has WIFI - a very enterprising and kind man from Valencia runs it, and thank GOD for him b/c WIFI is something I need, and france needs more of. (not as bad as france needs to learn how to make websites ... check out http://www.petitpaume.com hello! there's no blog, and the website is incomprehensible, even if you speak french...and guess who does? me. and Lyon, France. and we both need that website and its city guide goodness. STL could use the city guide festival - and the festival attendance - ... that all was amazing.)
A wise man travels to learn about himself...did someone say that? I'd like to learn about myself, but for Missouri (and elsewhere).
sidenote: I wonder if I could talk to the irish catholics I know about this alderman business - i know I'm like, only 3 degrees away from the policeman who worked the Cherokee Street Beat (and hated it and told his daughter never ever ever to go there because she would die in nasty ways). I suppose I have little cred, being barely irish and totally Methodist. If 95 theses couldn't convince'em, how do I stand a chance!?
Somehow I managed - through the generous and zen disciplinary spirit of one Ms. White, mom-extraordinaire - to go down to the "fun" (I believe it's sometimes called) part of Cherokee street at least once a week starting when I was like, 16...chaperoned only by The Blue Wonder- my swell car, and the genial owners and patrons of the corner of iowa and cherokee, more specifically of Casa Loma Ballroom... to survive quite well on that side of Jefferson.
And look at me now!
Could there be a way to rally support of pre-patrons for a new cherokee street bar through the wonders of http://www.barjax.com or even MySpace ?
These are things I think about when I'm in France. I also think about the typewriter cafe that's happening on Cherokee. I wanna go there!
French things have been happening, too -- expect to hear about those soon, too.
Having some thoughts in France about this whole Cherokee Street Situation.
Mr. The Royale should just make his little place that he clearly wants to start up on Cherokee a BYOB until the aldermen stop the silly close-mindedness and have it be a bar full of excellent mixers (juice, duh?), and the civic-minded citizens bring the booze themselves! Brilliant!
It could be suuuuper fun, and quite glamorous. Cost effective; too?
I already want to go to this bar.
I used to live in Philly, where they overcome creepy Quaker Society of Friends (sober ones) drinking laws with the BYOB option. I don't know, it just sounds cool - and all this alcohol availability over in the EU seems to result in very little of the apocalypse predicted by a certain alderman... and the "residential character and the neighborhood serving commercial business" seem only to benefit from a few classy watering holes...well hey.
One such watering hole here in Lyon even has WIFI - a very enterprising and kind man from Valencia runs it, and thank GOD for him b/c WIFI is something I need, and france needs more of. (not as bad as france needs to learn how to make websites ... check out http://www.petitpaume.com hello! there's no blog, and the website is incomprehensible, even if you speak french...and guess who does? me. and Lyon, France. and we both need that website and its city guide goodness. STL could use the city guide festival - and the festival attendance - ... that all was amazing.)
A wise man travels to learn about himself...did someone say that? I'd like to learn about myself, but for Missouri (and elsewhere).
sidenote: I wonder if I could talk to the irish catholics I know about this alderman business - i know I'm like, only 3 degrees away from the policeman who worked the Cherokee Street Beat (and hated it and told his daughter never ever ever to go there because she would die in nasty ways). I suppose I have little cred, being barely irish and totally Methodist. If 95 theses couldn't convince'em, how do I stand a chance!?
Somehow I managed - through the generous and zen disciplinary spirit of one Ms. White, mom-extraordinaire - to go down to the "fun" (I believe it's sometimes called) part of Cherokee street at least once a week starting when I was like, 16...chaperoned only by The Blue Wonder- my swell car, and the genial owners and patrons of the corner of iowa and cherokee, more specifically of Casa Loma Ballroom... to survive quite well on that side of Jefferson.
And look at me now!
Could there be a way to rally support of pre-patrons for a new cherokee street bar through the wonders of http://www.barjax.com or even MySpace ?
These are things I think about when I'm in France. I also think about the typewriter cafe that's happening on Cherokee. I wanna go there!
French things have been happening, too -- expect to hear about those soon, too.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Dance off
Yeah, I had a dance off with a french. These are things you need to know.
Yeah, I pretty much won, too...and he got my number. Alas, I checked my phone at the door, so I cannot send him a "texto."
He was rather impressive, v. Justin Timberlake-esque in his dance moves, and he slightly ressembled Noah Calhoun (the notebook, anyone?) so that is not bad.
The gold chain necklace however, that was bad.
Miss Rebecca, who is kickin' it bad-ass style at White Flag Projects in the STL these days, comments:
And you had a dance-off??! I HAVE to hear more about that. I picture it aslike the quintessential Lori in France moment. You, with yourragtime-inspired, soulful American moves and the frog with like Euro-fied pop and locking moves.
What a showdown it must have been.
Indeed. 'Twas. Though I was impressed, I'll say it again.
Yeah, I pretty much won, too...and he got my number. Alas, I checked my phone at the door, so I cannot send him a "texto."
He was rather impressive, v. Justin Timberlake-esque in his dance moves, and he slightly ressembled Noah Calhoun (the notebook, anyone?) so that is not bad.
The gold chain necklace however, that was bad.
Miss Rebecca, who is kickin' it bad-ass style at White Flag Projects in the STL these days, comments:
And you had a dance-off??! I HAVE to hear more about that. I picture it aslike the quintessential Lori in France moment. You, with yourragtime-inspired, soulful American moves and the frog with like Euro-fied pop and locking moves.
What a showdown it must have been.
Indeed. 'Twas. Though I was impressed, I'll say it again.
You guys LOOOVE scarves.
This is what I tell the french children when they as the difference between american and french fashion. Difference between french food and american? Yogurt. You guys love you some Dairy, I say.
I've also been talking a little bit about politics, which is nice. Props to Meredith for working for the good guys!
I just got this quote about the little war that could on terrorism emailed to me, courtesy of Jonny Stewart (Jon without an H, you will always be my guy, hehehe) and the Daily Show news desk:
"Let's pretend this plug is 'Iraq' and you're trying to connect it to the 'war on terror,' which is this avocado. You can do it... but here's the problem: THE AVOCADO STILL DOESN'T TURN ON. And now your plug is covered in guacamole."
Ha.
This is sorta what I thought when it all started - though now its like, weelllll? When the frenchies ask me if I prefer American or French politics, I of course remind them that their last election was between a liar (Chirac), and a neo-Nazi (Le Pen), and then say hey, maybe I prefer America's way, blah blha, and this is how THIS american feels about this and that. I'm not afraid to represent, and I did have the occasional friend who lost family in 9-11 so maybe french kids need to know about that. And maybe if they have relatives who partied after 9-11 (just another CRAZY, and hopefully exaggerated rumor circulated among the expats), maybe they can see that I did not party, no no, not at all.
I had someone ask me what I thought of the patriot act today - way to be on the ball, french girl! This is all coming on the news yesterday that N. Korea verified that they'd had a nuclear test.
Um, )&%*&%_*()#?!?!
Yikes. So needless to say, I was like, wellll, when it first happened, I was like, "not cool" - but now, I'm like spy on me all you want, just let's not have a nuclear winter.
May the magic karma of The Constitution get us through this one, right?
Yesterday I did the Old Lyon Pub Crawl, and I drank 7 buds in 3 hours and got up this morning fresh as a daisy at 8am. It was a blast. In order to catch our buss at midnight, much in the way Cinderella would have to behave were she on a pub crawl - Holly, Silvia and I speeeded through the crawl and won some major street cred with all the Scottish dudes we totally beat. UPenn, you have prepared me for so many things, not the least of them drinking late and rising early.
I got a t shirt!
I must say I was saddened to not see "St. Louis" emblazoned somewhere on my bottles of Bud. I mean, can't Bud rep its birthplace even if its brewed elsewhere?!?!? It felt somehow wrong to be drinking a bud that was so ashamed of its heritage as to not REPRESENT.
Schalfly would represent. They support the arts!
Oh, i read an article on the RFT blog about O'Fallon brewery -- they're trying to be legit or something. It reminded me of the time that Blythe and I went to the Chocolate Bar had an Ofallon summer brew and subsequently called the number to tell them that their beer tasted like White Rain Almond Shampoo. Since I see now that they're sortof legit, I think to myself, "I bet someone got that message."
I wonder if they thought it was constructive. Maybe they acted accordingly!
Anyway, its getting to be time to go to lunch.
Thanks for emailing me, and join my wiki!! (Can you tell I'm excited!)
I've also been talking a little bit about politics, which is nice. Props to Meredith for working for the good guys!
I just got this quote about the little war that could on terrorism emailed to me, courtesy of Jonny Stewart (Jon without an H, you will always be my guy, hehehe) and the Daily Show news desk:
"Let's pretend this plug is 'Iraq' and you're trying to connect it to the 'war on terror,' which is this avocado. You can do it... but here's the problem: THE AVOCADO STILL DOESN'T TURN ON. And now your plug is covered in guacamole."
Ha.
This is sorta what I thought when it all started - though now its like, weelllll? When the frenchies ask me if I prefer American or French politics, I of course remind them that their last election was between a liar (Chirac), and a neo-Nazi (Le Pen), and then say hey, maybe I prefer America's way, blah blha, and this is how THIS american feels about this and that. I'm not afraid to represent, and I did have the occasional friend who lost family in 9-11 so maybe french kids need to know about that. And maybe if they have relatives who partied after 9-11 (just another CRAZY, and hopefully exaggerated rumor circulated among the expats), maybe they can see that I did not party, no no, not at all.
I had someone ask me what I thought of the patriot act today - way to be on the ball, french girl! This is all coming on the news yesterday that N. Korea verified that they'd had a nuclear test.
Um, )&%*&%_*()#?!?!
Yikes. So needless to say, I was like, wellll, when it first happened, I was like, "not cool" - but now, I'm like spy on me all you want, just let's not have a nuclear winter.
May the magic karma of The Constitution get us through this one, right?
Yesterday I did the Old Lyon Pub Crawl, and I drank 7 buds in 3 hours and got up this morning fresh as a daisy at 8am. It was a blast. In order to catch our buss at midnight, much in the way Cinderella would have to behave were she on a pub crawl - Holly, Silvia and I speeeded through the crawl and won some major street cred with all the Scottish dudes we totally beat. UPenn, you have prepared me for so many things, not the least of them drinking late and rising early.
I got a t shirt!
I must say I was saddened to not see "St. Louis" emblazoned somewhere on my bottles of Bud. I mean, can't Bud rep its birthplace even if its brewed elsewhere?!?!? It felt somehow wrong to be drinking a bud that was so ashamed of its heritage as to not REPRESENT.
Schalfly would represent. They support the arts!
Oh, i read an article on the RFT blog about O'Fallon brewery -- they're trying to be legit or something. It reminded me of the time that Blythe and I went to the Chocolate Bar had an Ofallon summer brew and subsequently called the number to tell them that their beer tasted like White Rain Almond Shampoo. Since I see now that they're sortof legit, I think to myself, "I bet someone got that message."
I wonder if they thought it was constructive. Maybe they acted accordingly!
Anyway, its getting to be time to go to lunch.
Thanks for emailing me, and join my wiki!! (Can you tell I'm excited!)
Monday, October 09, 2006
I have a Wiki! Its so cool!
If I havn't invited you to my wiki - found at http://lolololori.pbwiki.com - ask me!
It hasn't really taken shape yet, but I'm going to use it to plan my Barcelona trip with Emilie, 1/3 of the Lampshade Choir .... and I'm gonna post links and whatnot, and when you post on it (the password's "boogie" - if you're savvy and know how to sign in) I'll be able to get your savvy advice 24/7, and you'll be able to see the crazy planning, not to mention the fact that I will get to give you e-props! Dudes, the internet is awesome.
I'm at the Black Lion in Vieux Lyon on their internet. One coffee get's ya all the wifi you need.
English pub crawl tonight, 9am class tomorrow. UPenn style = no prob.
More posts soon - I'm going to put a link to my wiki asap on the blog!
It hasn't really taken shape yet, but I'm going to use it to plan my Barcelona trip with Emilie, 1/3 of the Lampshade Choir .... and I'm gonna post links and whatnot, and when you post on it (the password's "boogie" - if you're savvy and know how to sign in) I'll be able to get your savvy advice 24/7, and you'll be able to see the crazy planning, not to mention the fact that I will get to give you e-props! Dudes, the internet is awesome.
I'm at the Black Lion in Vieux Lyon on their internet. One coffee get's ya all the wifi you need.
English pub crawl tonight, 9am class tomorrow. UPenn style = no prob.
More posts soon - I'm going to put a link to my wiki asap on the blog!
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Le Fish
Well, me and the ladies all tried to go to "Le Fish" at the reccomendation of lovely Becky from California. Well, "Le Fish" doesn't exist anymore, but we did have a lovely time drinking Emma's tequila and various other sundries as l'aperatif. Gonna have to opt out of the aperatif food, b/c its like, bacon flavored cheetos, as the tradition goes.
Emma has introduced me to putting chilli pepper on the lime when you're takin the tequilla.
V. wise! I have a new preference.
May I introduce you to my international clique? From left to right is Silvia (Italy), Me (Missouri - USA...everyone calls it "The States"), Holly (UK), Emma (Mexico), Doris (Austria). We are fun ladies, and we are tough.
Anyway, I'm off to find out if swing dancing is legit here in Lyon.
Check out my Flickr button over there to the right! How cool it that? It's so flashy and glamorous!
Friday, October 06, 2006
On peut voir les alpes! - Agnes
Much ado, much ado - not a lot of time to blog! Good sign. Though its a lot of busy work, schmoozing, maintaining the Lyon hub.
My excellent teacher-friend Agnes called today to tell me that i can see the alpes "On peut voir les alpes!" from my school b/c she's cool like that. Seriously, she is cool. I was on the bus when I got her call - which means a rooster starts crowing from my purse. But I'm standing in the middle of this accordion long-bus thing...it was like being on a really not fun carnival ride - me and the old french lady were like, j'ai peur! = I'm scared! and I really could just not answer, as I was trying to balance I giant Tower Grove Market bag (that I bought from a guy who knew Mr. McCallie! Points to him/the market) full of wine and little bacon flavored cheetos that you're supposed to have before dinner if you're french for "l'aperatif." Anyway, I got to school after there were millions of scary, debatably sanitary - but full of potential nonetheless... ganas! I channel my inner Jaime Escalante, always - schoolchildren running in and out of the bus (I wouldn't be suprised if some were underneath it) and there they were - ALPES! V. exciting for this lady. So I texted Agnes, "j'ai vu les ALPES - HOURRAH" minus any exclamation point, not because I wasn't exclaiming, but because my phone doesn't have exclamation point capability. Its cool though. Guess where I learned "hourrah"??
Bridget Jones in french of course! I'm pausing on Bridge for a bit though to finish The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida. I'm particularly inspired to read this book b/c france's educational system is so contrary to this book, whose concepts sing a lovely song of love to my heart and mind pretty much. Anyway, the Australian teacher here who teaches english agrees. He was like, yeah, I went to school for engineering, was a banker, then I went to get a degree in music, did composition at a school in paris, taught music there and now I'm an english teacher. I was like, hold on - I need a minutem b/c you are too cool for me to absorb all at once, mate! French kids can check out to secretary school at like 13 years old and there's no turning back -- that's the thing dudes. So if you're struggling with your useless degree - at least you could actually get to do whatever it is (outside of atomic physics/brain surgery, yuk yuk yuk) you want to do if you just like, get an internship.
Oh the french school system. A place for everything and everything in its place. Is that good? Don't fence me in - that's what I say.
So I've been talking about organic/free-trade farming vs. whatever else there is. I actually brought up the phrase "happy chickens" today in class. I like to imagine that these children are benefitting from my quirky-urban-farmgirl-mississippi-river-east-coast-intellectual-pom-pon perspective (and that maybe they can learn that it is possible to live in many dimensions?)...but the teacher said they were hungover and they are after all, in something like DeVry over france. Not to hate, but I am keeping it real for now. These kids (the post BAC kids at least -- meaning they've graduated and are technical training kids) have checked OUT - or france did the checking out for them? I think even the kids still in high school don't even have like, AP-takin' kids to look up to/hate/compare themselves to/talk about behind their backs.
On the one hand, if you are a genius magoo, you get to go to private-school level school for free I think, but if you take one year to slack off, suddenly you're on a track to become a lab technician the rest of your life. Not that that's not good. And you DEF cannot get a CompLit degree and then go into cool branding/Marketing like I wanna do. Oh it shocks them, my interdisciplenariness. I hope they think it is VERY american.
Speaking of americannness my friend Becky and I are in the beginning stages of shooting a mocumentary here in lyon. Its going to be funnyyyy, and if we are fo-real, it might just get entered in Cannes. I'm going to attempt to write it, but unfortunately for me I was not involved with SCTV, much less Eugene Levy - like Christopher Guest - so I'm a little behind. And I'm not thinking its going ot be improved, though we did meet a totally flaming french dude who's a member of an acting troupe. Do you do improvised satire, french actors? Rather not take a chance. We'll see.
I'm posting comments to my flickr pictures, get excited! I see the pictures, they are lovely and then I see all the graffiti - there's waaaaaaay more, and uglier than in that picture -- rowr...I will remember to take a photo of the graffiti that I think says, "The vikings vacation in the winter." b/c even I can appreciate the absurdity of its pretty cursive silly message.
I gotta attempt to find something to love in merit-less graffiti that has no street value whatsoever. I'd rather it were easier, like if graffiti were legit. This is a city of murals, hellooo! Someone needs to get Lyon a tag-wall, and some proper manners, stat. Even the riverside's tagging is in no way artful (not counting the vikings). And it would be COOL if it were like St. Louis' tag wall, that I think got shut down, but whatever! (wish I could find some better pictures of it - its cool! represent. )
Anyway, after our aperatif tonight, Me and the ladies (pictures coming of all the ladies, soon) will be going to "Le Fish" - which is some dance boat free for ladies before 11. Yeah, we'll just see!
Did I mention I hung out w 17 year old bakers (boulangers, and they were proud) last tuesday or so? And that soem guy grabbed my mexican friend - she is so awesomely firey...why not meeee? -- and she told him something bad about his mother in spanish and then my other friend screamed somethign totally scary and german while I just drifted into the background, west-philly street-smarts style. That boy was up to no good, for sure.
Anyway, french people distracted drunk grabber man by saying, "what is this!?" a lot and then DGM peed in some doorway and peaced out, but not without a bit of yelling.
It was exciting, and luckily I had trained the girls with meredith's lifeguard training to call for help specifically - "hey yellow shirt!help!" to avoid sad, altrusiticless crowd mentality.
Anyway, said bar where we met was called "WALLACE" (where they have a lot of whisky - anyone feel like researching just what the heck kind of whiskey is in a Senator? Which senaor, you ask? well, its not a joke. not really...hehehe. Though now that I'm thinking of it, i wonde what kind of whiskey can be found in what senator's well-fed belly? Hm. Tabletop book anyone?) I always think this bar is called, "WHISKEY" and that's probably just b/c I'm a tough broad and the like. Anyway, there's a pub crawl going on there on monday, and my friends from "La Martin" are all gonna go - though only a few dare to buy the 7 drinks it takes to get a t-shirt, and yes I am one who dares. That could be my indian name. One-who-dares. My buddy EbConn back in school (all of a year ago) nicknames me "girl who leans" -- as a result of a comedienne who said everyone their first week of college gets an indian name.
Its true, think about it.
I'm going to get that tshirt. Yes, yes I am. Even if my friends have to swear in multiple languages to get it for my 7-drink "plein comme un oeuf" (means "stewed to the eyeballs" which means, drunk) self.
Ok, this was really only meant to be a "hey, I'm commenting on my pictures" announcement! But like so many things, its turned into something else entirely.
I'm going to start reading "A year in the Merde" - if you'd like to join my book-club, I'm starting it soon! We can discuss the book, and then you can all tell me how much I am/am not like Oprah.
Peace.
p.s. I'm going to Barcelona with Emilie at the end of this month, yay!
My excellent teacher-friend Agnes called today to tell me that i can see the alpes "On peut voir les alpes!" from my school b/c she's cool like that. Seriously, she is cool. I was on the bus when I got her call - which means a rooster starts crowing from my purse. But I'm standing in the middle of this accordion long-bus thing...it was like being on a really not fun carnival ride - me and the old french lady were like, j'ai peur! = I'm scared! and I really could just not answer, as I was trying to balance I giant Tower Grove Market bag (that I bought from a guy who knew Mr. McCallie! Points to him/the market) full of wine and little bacon flavored cheetos that you're supposed to have before dinner if you're french for "l'aperatif." Anyway, I got to school after there were millions of scary, debatably sanitary - but full of potential nonetheless... ganas! I channel my inner Jaime Escalante, always - schoolchildren running in and out of the bus (I wouldn't be suprised if some were underneath it) and there they were - ALPES! V. exciting for this lady. So I texted Agnes, "j'ai vu les ALPES - HOURRAH" minus any exclamation point, not because I wasn't exclaiming, but because my phone doesn't have exclamation point capability. Its cool though. Guess where I learned "hourrah"??
Bridget Jones in french of course! I'm pausing on Bridge for a bit though to finish The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida. I'm particularly inspired to read this book b/c france's educational system is so contrary to this book, whose concepts sing a lovely song of love to my heart and mind pretty much. Anyway, the Australian teacher here who teaches english agrees. He was like, yeah, I went to school for engineering, was a banker, then I went to get a degree in music, did composition at a school in paris, taught music there and now I'm an english teacher. I was like, hold on - I need a minutem b/c you are too cool for me to absorb all at once, mate! French kids can check out to secretary school at like 13 years old and there's no turning back -- that's the thing dudes. So if you're struggling with your useless degree - at least you could actually get to do whatever it is (outside of atomic physics/brain surgery, yuk yuk yuk) you want to do if you just like, get an internship.
Oh the french school system. A place for everything and everything in its place. Is that good? Don't fence me in - that's what I say.
So I've been talking about organic/free-trade farming vs. whatever else there is. I actually brought up the phrase "happy chickens" today in class. I like to imagine that these children are benefitting from my quirky-urban-farmgirl-mississippi-river-east-coast-intellectual-pom-pon perspective (and that maybe they can learn that it is possible to live in many dimensions?)...but the teacher said they were hungover and they are after all, in something like DeVry over france. Not to hate, but I am keeping it real for now. These kids (the post BAC kids at least -- meaning they've graduated and are technical training kids) have checked OUT - or france did the checking out for them? I think even the kids still in high school don't even have like, AP-takin' kids to look up to/hate/compare themselves to/talk about behind their backs.
On the one hand, if you are a genius magoo, you get to go to private-school level school for free I think, but if you take one year to slack off, suddenly you're on a track to become a lab technician the rest of your life. Not that that's not good. And you DEF cannot get a CompLit degree and then go into cool branding/Marketing like I wanna do. Oh it shocks them, my interdisciplenariness. I hope they think it is VERY american.
Speaking of americannness my friend Becky and I are in the beginning stages of shooting a mocumentary here in lyon. Its going to be funnyyyy, and if we are fo-real, it might just get entered in Cannes. I'm going to attempt to write it, but unfortunately for me I was not involved with SCTV, much less Eugene Levy - like Christopher Guest - so I'm a little behind. And I'm not thinking its going ot be improved, though we did meet a totally flaming french dude who's a member of an acting troupe. Do you do improvised satire, french actors? Rather not take a chance. We'll see.
I'm posting comments to my flickr pictures, get excited! I see the pictures, they are lovely and then I see all the graffiti - there's waaaaaaay more, and uglier than in that picture -- rowr...I will remember to take a photo of the graffiti that I think says, "The vikings vacation in the winter." b/c even I can appreciate the absurdity of its pretty cursive silly message.
I gotta attempt to find something to love in merit-less graffiti that has no street value whatsoever. I'd rather it were easier, like if graffiti were legit. This is a city of murals, hellooo! Someone needs to get Lyon a tag-wall, and some proper manners, stat. Even the riverside's tagging is in no way artful (not counting the vikings). And it would be COOL if it were like St. Louis' tag wall, that I think got shut down, but whatever! (wish I could find some better pictures of it - its cool! represent. )
Anyway, after our aperatif tonight, Me and the ladies (pictures coming of all the ladies, soon) will be going to "Le Fish" - which is some dance boat free for ladies before 11. Yeah, we'll just see!
Did I mention I hung out w 17 year old bakers (boulangers, and they were proud) last tuesday or so? And that soem guy grabbed my mexican friend - she is so awesomely firey...why not meeee? -- and she told him something bad about his mother in spanish and then my other friend screamed somethign totally scary and german while I just drifted into the background, west-philly street-smarts style. That boy was up to no good, for sure.
Anyway, french people distracted drunk grabber man by saying, "what is this!?" a lot and then DGM peed in some doorway and peaced out, but not without a bit of yelling.
It was exciting, and luckily I had trained the girls with meredith's lifeguard training to call for help specifically - "hey yellow shirt!help!" to avoid sad, altrusiticless crowd mentality.
Anyway, said bar where we met was called "WALLACE" (where they have a lot of whisky - anyone feel like researching just what the heck kind of whiskey is in a Senator? Which senaor, you ask? well, its not a joke. not really...hehehe. Though now that I'm thinking of it, i wonde what kind of whiskey can be found in what senator's well-fed belly? Hm. Tabletop book anyone?) I always think this bar is called, "WHISKEY" and that's probably just b/c I'm a tough broad and the like. Anyway, there's a pub crawl going on there on monday, and my friends from "La Martin" are all gonna go - though only a few dare to buy the 7 drinks it takes to get a t-shirt, and yes I am one who dares. That could be my indian name. One-who-dares. My buddy EbConn back in school (all of a year ago) nicknames me "girl who leans" -- as a result of a comedienne who said everyone their first week of college gets an indian name.
Its true, think about it.
I'm going to get that tshirt. Yes, yes I am. Even if my friends have to swear in multiple languages to get it for my 7-drink "plein comme un oeuf" (means "stewed to the eyeballs" which means, drunk) self.
Ok, this was really only meant to be a "hey, I'm commenting on my pictures" announcement! But like so many things, its turned into something else entirely.
I'm going to start reading "A year in the Merde" - if you'd like to join my book-club, I'm starting it soon! We can discuss the book, and then you can all tell me how much I am/am not like Oprah.
Peace.
p.s. I'm going to Barcelona with Emilie at the end of this month, yay!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Familiar (looking) places, no familiar faces
Its a bridge in Lyon! How lovely!
Check it out, I think I can upload pictures today! Flickr, here I come soon - though Flickr is a big coming out, so I'm toing to have to really take in the full weight of that decision. Flickr is a force for good, and I like joining those forces! But if you wanna talk about Yahoo, I must represent and say, hey yahoo - not cool what you're doing with China. Not cool, man.
So my friend and I were testing out our french cusswords on the river the other night, and some french dudes came over to us and were like, Hey ladies, you seem charming, how about sharing a glass with us? And we were like, hmmm. ok? Fortunatly, for the sake of cinderella-esque drama, our bus arrived just in time for a dramatic exit. Anyway, we're meeting them tonight - all 5 of us girls, so we will be v. safe, and I will throw down if necessary.
I'm losing energy talking about myself to all the french classes - I talked about how I felt about organic farming vs fair trade and how Starbucks is such a good example of corporate responsibility/force for goodness, and I'm wondering, do you care french children? Does anyone really care ever? I feel like I would, but I'm a nerd.
Anyway, my new flickr account is here :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lolololori/
No, I don't have photos up yet, but I hope to be very legit sometime soon...with tags and blog links and everything! I've taken some lovely graffiti-meets-renaissance architecture pics, as well as some other excellent postcardy ones. We'll see if I can't make some artsy pics, too!
Right now, I'm just hungry I think, so doing anything, especially a charming blog is just not happening.
I do have some ideas for more posts, and my non-internet computer time should prove fruitful (especially now that I've watched The Notebook about 4 times -- Nick Cassavetes is one cool dude, ps - we could totally chill. I like the way he talks like he's in Guys and Dolls or something b/c he's from brooklyn/an old-fashioned fella. Anyway...)
Hope you're keeping it real - all you kids out there driving on the information superhighway ---with the top down, no doubt --- you 'll hear more from me soon!
Check out the picture below of Les Lyonnais Cafe... Look familiar to anyone?
Check it out, I think I can upload pictures today! Flickr, here I come soon - though Flickr is a big coming out, so I'm toing to have to really take in the full weight of that decision. Flickr is a force for good, and I like joining those forces! But if you wanna talk about Yahoo, I must represent and say, hey yahoo - not cool what you're doing with China. Not cool, man.So my friend and I were testing out our french cusswords on the river the other night, and some french dudes came over to us and were like, Hey ladies, you seem charming, how about sharing a glass with us? And we were like, hmmm. ok? Fortunatly, for the sake of cinderella-esque drama, our bus arrived just in time for a dramatic exit. Anyway, we're meeting them tonight - all 5 of us girls, so we will be v. safe, and I will throw down if necessary.
I'm losing energy talking about myself to all the french classes - I talked about how I felt about organic farming vs fair trade and how Starbucks is such a good example of corporate responsibility/force for goodness, and I'm wondering, do you care french children? Does anyone really care ever? I feel like I would, but I'm a nerd.
Anyway, my new flickr account is here :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lolololori/
No, I don't have photos up yet, but I hope to be very legit sometime soon...with tags and blog links and everything! I've taken some lovely graffiti-meets-renaissance architecture pics, as well as some other excellent postcardy ones. We'll see if I can't make some artsy pics, too!
Right now, I'm just hungry I think, so doing anything, especially a charming blog is just not happening.
I do have some ideas for more posts, and my non-internet computer time should prove fruitful (especially now that I've watched The Notebook about 4 times -- Nick Cassavetes is one cool dude, ps - we could totally chill. I like the way he talks like he's in Guys and Dolls or something b/c he's from brooklyn/an old-fashioned fella. Anyway...)
Hope you're keeping it real - all you kids out there driving on the information superhighway ---with the top down, no doubt --- you 'll hear more from me soon!
Monday, October 02, 2006
STL, I will scrap for you.
Yeah, so I had my first drunk french person getting mad at me for being american (strangely enough it was not b/c I was looking like/acting like an imperialist pig, unless you count staying in the bathroom for more than a minute imperialist and piggish.
Whatever, I totally called him/his mother a whore (I think) and when he tried to touch my stl shirt he got a nice american freedom slap.
I have since brushed up on my french cuss words. I am going to be a swearer in french.
I'm a little afraid to be an american, gotta admit. People are telling me not to act american where I teach b/c its not safe. I do not know what this means, but it sortof hurts my feelings.
Still, drunken (and short, i might add) french boys aside, people are nice, and so far the only trouble I get in the Duchere is some seriously weird looks. But they're not rioting anymore, so its cool, right?
It reminds me of Kathy Griffin.
I'm sorry, but this computer doesn't seem to want to let me upload photos. Flickr account coming soon.
More later, gotta go to the walmart of france.
Whatever, I totally called him/his mother a whore (I think) and when he tried to touch my stl shirt he got a nice american freedom slap.
I have since brushed up on my french cuss words. I am going to be a swearer in french.
I'm a little afraid to be an american, gotta admit. People are telling me not to act american where I teach b/c its not safe. I do not know what this means, but it sortof hurts my feelings.
Still, drunken (and short, i might add) french boys aside, people are nice, and so far the only trouble I get in the Duchere is some seriously weird looks. But they're not rioting anymore, so its cool, right?
It reminds me of Kathy Griffin.
I'm sorry, but this computer doesn't seem to want to let me upload photos. Flickr account coming soon.
More later, gotta go to the walmart of france.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)