Sunday, April 22, 2007

sunday in the park with ed



this was my last week of my three week vacation. fittingly, it was spent being a tourist again. nick and i went to the eiffel tower where, believe it or not, nick had yet to visit.



sipping expensive champagne straight from the bottle with a view of the sun setting over the city, we quietly observed all of the student tours waiting in line for the elevator to the top while relishing in being a perfect balance between being decadent and trashy.



today being the last day of the break, was spent sun worshipping at an informal picnic with becky, ed, aron and nick at sacre coeur.



this was becky's idea. so, with beer and potluck dishes in tow, we made the trek up the steps and picked a perfect spot with a hot, hazy view of the city and planted ourselves for a number of hours before heading back, pink skinned and sunstroked, to the moldy apartment (which now also smells like cheese for some reason or other) for late afternoon mojitos. (note - don't make mojitos with mineral water as they will be salty rather than sweet).



all in all, this was a brilliant end to a great, low key vacation. though perhaps not as brilliant as the neon yellow short suit ed purchased at Barbes for 8 euros earlier this weekend.



now i sit in anticipation for not only the potatoes nick is cooking for dinner (which will be eaten while we finish watching the last three episodes of season one of Deadwood - also much anticipated) but also for the next and final ten weeks at ecole philippe gaulier and what i can bring to them.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

the year (and a bit) in hair... a retrospective

fresh new year - january 2006


party pretty - april 2006


carefree in the country - may 2006


summer updo - june 2006


straightened in seattle - september 2006


parisian schoolgirl (aka bob on a budget) - october 2006


seeing red - november 2006


pixie perfect - april 2007


have a fave? our beauty editors are dying to know!

Monday, April 16, 2007

change your shoes, change your life!




it is currently vacances here in France - a time when the majority of the population takes 2-3 weeks off of work or school in favour of some much needed down time. this just happens to coincide with the time when the first major influx of tourists invade the city of Paris. let me tell you one thing about tourists - they are lovely but you can spot them a mile away. especially anglophone tourists. and especially, especially if you have had the experience of being one and then not one.

there are two kinds of tourists - the ones who try to disguise themselves as locals and the ones who don't try to disguise themselves at all. i have a special respect for those who don't disguise themselves - i like to imagine that they have chosen comfort over style, rationalizing that they will be spending the majority of their parisian vacation in the touristy areas with other touristy types or at least those accustomed to touristy types. trodding around in 26 degree heat as we have these past few weeks, i can completely understand their choice.

i also have a special affection for those who make such a great effort to disguise themselves - in particular those who have chosen a comfortable, sensible shoe in the colour black (a.k.a. runners or walking shoes) thinking they could pass it off as something stylish. they seem to imagine that no one will know that they're not european (even though their kids are dressed head to toe in nike or lululemon). however, i know. how do i know? because i was one of those people when i first traveled to Paris in september. within one week i rid myself of the shoes i'd brought when i realized how ridiculous they looked and that i wasn't going to fool anyone with those things on my feet no matter what i wore on my body. a pair of Clarks! slip ons no less! like, neoprene runner types with no laces. i would never be caught dead in them at home but somehow i fooled myself into thinking they would be passable in the fashion mecca that is paris. as if i'd just picked them up at a jaunty little boutique somewhere in Montmartre. having spent a bit of time here i now know that no one (at least no woman) wears comfortable shoes in this city (except perhaps birkenstocks when it's really hot).

as much as i'd like to be one of those people who chooses comfort over style, i just can't be. particularly when it comes to footwear. this is not to say that i in any way try to consider myself a local, i like to think that i've just adopted a craftier disguise.
 
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