8 posts tagged “friends”
There is still all sorts of fall-out from the fire the other day, including my possible eviction and other fun topics. But I'm honestly so completely drained right now that I just can't talk about it. So I'm going to write about babies, instead.
Last Sunday Mike and Rion had a few friends over to meet their six-week-old bundle of love, Dante:
After snorgling Dante for hours, Rion and Mike told me that he smelled like my perfume for the rest of the night. I'm not sure that Opium is baby-proof, but I guess we'll find out.
I love this shot I got of Mike and Dante. Mike's all, "where did this thing come from?"
I know she was just trying to stay awake a bit longer, but come on! How could I not fall for it?
Last year, I played an April Fool's Day prank that many people believed. I said that I had met the love of my life, Jean-François, and that we were moving in together. Alas, the fact that it was so believable led to a bit of confusion when I was back in New York. A guy I had been seeing before I moved to Paris read the prank post, but not the follow-up confession. So he thought I was in a serious relationship, and we only cleared it up when it was a bit too late. He's planning on coming down to the city when I'm back soon, and I've just realized that I might have messed things up again.
So, to make things very clear, Nick: I am still single, and I will definitely be in New York in two weeks. Whoop! It'll be great to see you. :)
In other news, I'm in a good mood. I'm feeling really hopeful about finding a job for next year. Nothing concrete has happened, and I have a feeling that nothing will for several months, but the ball is finally rolling. I had an informational interview at a major publishing house yesterday, had a private session with the Hot Pilot to perfect my French CV and cover letter, and compiled a list of 38 companies to apply to. Surely out of 38 there'll be one who wants me . . . right?
I've come to the decision that I just don't want to apply to grad school. I know I could do it just to get the student visa, but it's not like applying is that simple here. I'd need to track down old transcripts and diplomas and recommendations, and get them all officially translated, and write a whole spiel about why I want to study X, Y, or Z degree at such-and-such particular school, etc. And honestly, I'd rather put all that time and energy into finding a job.
I wouldn't mind if I have to teach again to stay, but my first choice is really to find a steady office job. I'm shocked to hear myself say that, but after two years of my schedule changing vastly from day to day, I'm ready for a bit of routine and stability. Even if that means missing out on the blessed school vacations. Sigh.
Jenn sent the pictures she and Nick took while they were here, and they're really cute. Here's me and Jenn on the Seine:
The weather is finally becoming spring-like, thank God. March was just ridiculously rainy. It's still overcast at times, but most of the afternoon today was blue skies and fluffy pink blossoms and pale green leaves popping out all over the place. Spring has sprung!
I haven't written because I've been busy brooding. Despite knowing for a fact that a lot of you have read my blog in the past week, only one person commented! It was a reader poll, people! Contribute!
No, seriously, I just haven't been in the blogging mood. I think I was on houseguest-overload. I've had six guests over the past two weeks, and that's just too much. I love that my friends come to visit, don't get me wrong. And I really like having people at my house. It was just too much at once, and left me feeling a bit deprived of me-time.
But! I had so much fun with Sarah, Amanda, Evan, Gilda, Jenn, and Nick. Really and truly. And as soon as they all send me some photos, I will show you just how much fun.
In other news, I have a two-week lesson plan that's working pretty well with all my classes. Last week I taught them body parts vocab (knee, shoulder, ear, etc) and then played Simon Says. This week I'm doing body parts picture bingo, and then either more Simon Says, or hangman, or a questions race, depending on the class.
And because I am a sick, sick individual, one of my favorite things to do is tell them, "Simon Says, hit your face" and then watch all of my students smack themselves. Hey, I get my kicks where I can.
Today, though, one of my students made me practically pee myself laughing. The French word for butt is fesses, pronounced "fehss," and when I said "Simon Says, hit your face" this boy spanked himself with such enthusiasm and sass that I almost wanted to check for tranny glitter in his hair.
Also, look at my pretty flowers. I did it myself:
The past several years I've averaged one wedding a year. In 2005 I was a bridesmaid for Rachel and Matt; in 2006 I did a reading for Erin and Russell; and in 2007 I did a reading for Meg and Will. Somewhere in there was a second cousin's wedding in Chicago, but overall I have not been overwhelmed with weddings.
Until now. In 2008 I have a grand total of SIX weddings I would love to attend. If I were still in New York, I would be going to all of them (except the day when there are two, of course). And now, I'll most likely be able to make it to only one of them. There's simply no way I could a) afford all the plane fare or b) take that much vacation time. The first one I'm definitely missing is my first cousin's wedding in April. Then, on the same day in August, there's both my second cousin's wedding in Pasadena and my Brown roommate's wedding in Boston. September will have me missing out on Grant's wedding in Nashville (I think?), and October is my friend Alexis' wedding in New York. Then my very close friend Adriana had to go get engaged this past Saturday (whoop!!!), and it looks like her wedding might possibly be in October, too.
So I have an idea. I'll go to one wedding. And I'll let you pick which one. Here are photos of all the couples. Leave your vote in the comments section, and choose wisely!
Jeremy and Lisa: Jeremy is my first cousin (Note that there's no way I can go to this one, as it's very soon)
Pammy and Michael: Pammy is my second cousin (I don't have a picture of Pammy and her fiancé, so here's a picture of the two of us at the aforementioned Chicago wedding)
Kira and Jon: Kira is my college roomie, and Jon is a friend
Grant and Jennifer: Grant is a friend
Alexis and Jesse: Alexis is a friend (again, no picture of Jesse so here's Lex looking hot on her lonesome)
Adriana and Ben: Adge is one of my besties
I realize that this is the price I pay for living abroad. But it still sucks.
Of course, all of my friends are brilliant and do amazing things with their time. But a few of them have exciting projects, new or otherwise, that I want to share. In no particular order . . .
Jon: The Lone Ranger and Tonto comic
My dear friend Jon Abrams has just published his first comic book. Jon wrote a very funny strip for our college paper, where I once made a very small cameo. But that has nothing to do with The Lone Ranger and Tonto! Jon wrote it with his college roommate, Brett, and considering I was dating their housemate for a year, I spent a lot of time eating their food and watching their TV. So now it's payback time! I've already bought my copy, and I live in France. Now it's your turn! Rumor has it that if you buy before the 19th, it's even more enjoyable. Seriously.
Pauline: Santorini Super-8 Film Festival
Some of you know that I will be spending the month of June on a Greek island. More to come on that later, but the basic details are that I will be working and living at Atlantis Books, on the island of Santorini. My friend Pauline got me involved, and she is hosting a HUGE Super-8 film festival from June 20th-23rd that is going to kick ass. In my head it's going to be like Cinema Paradiso come to life. Without the fire and blinding, hopefully.
To submit your film, email Pauline here. It's going to be amazing, and you're all jealous.
Matt and Josh: American Madness
Matt and Josh have been writing American Madness for a while now. Because it seems to be important, I would like to point out that Matt has written more than twice as many posts as Josh has. They write about any and everything, from food to pop culture to politics and memes. The most impressive thing about the blog, in my greedy opinion, is all the free stuff they get. I need to get involved in the swag market . . . . Bonus points to anyone who can find my sole contribution, made sometime last summer, I believe.
Lin-Manuel: In the Heights
Okay, Lin hardly needs any more press. I mean, he's had a whole lot of articles in the New York Times already. But it's just so damn cool that one of my friends is on Broadway. I saw In the Heights off-Broadway last year, and cannot wait to go see it again. The music and dancing are incredible, and Lin has such a powerful stage presence that you can't help but smile the whole time.
Buy your tickets here!
Fun fact: Jon, Lin, and I all met when we were in a student production of a Maria Irene Fornes play back in 1998. See how far we've come!
My trip to the sauna, while enjoyable, did nothing to ward off my cold. I missed two days of work this week, and slept more hours than should be allowed. I still have a pretty nasty cough, and am congested, but I think the worst is over. I hope.
While the cold slowed me down, it did not prevent me from hosting my first-ever cocktail party. Or I should say, my first-ever party that I've hosted alone, in my house. My apartment in New York was so small (180 square feet) that I could never have many people over, so my parties were always in bars or lounges. And my going-away party last year was at my parents' house, but my parents helped out a ton.
So I was nervous. I worried I wouldn't have enough food, or alcohol, or guests, or that the music would suck. But as Anna said, "None of those things are going to happen. Because you're not lame. You're super cool. And those kinds of things only happen to lame people." And she was right! I AM super cool. And the party was lots of fun.
Even with a few last-minute cancellations there was a very good turn-out. About 25 people, maybe? The food was all gone by 12:30, so maybe next time I'll make more, but I don't think anyone left hungry. And my goat cheese-fig jam spread with nut bread rounds was fantastic. Yum. I have plenty of booze left over, thanks to Claire's bringing a magnum of champagne (thanks again, Claire!). I had bought creme de cassis, and drank kir royales all night. Amazingly enough, I had zero hangover. I guess cause it was good champagne?
And now, it's time for some pictures:
The night ended with us rolling up the rug and dancing, as all good parties should end.
There was not a peep from the neighbors, perhaps because I warned them ahead of time and the building has super-thick floors and walls. The last guests were out by 1:30, and I'm not really sure what I did until 3, when I finally went to sleep. Whenever I'm drunk I do the weirdest shit, like reorganizing my bathroom shelves. Useful, I suppose.
I spent several hours cleaning up yesterday, and still have to recycle all the empties. I was planning on staying home and recuperating, until I had a faint memory of Steve inviting me to something fun. I couldn't remember what it was, but I know it sounded good at the time. And that's how I ended up singing "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" on stage, with back-up dancers, for a crowd. Story and photos to follow.
It has come to my attention that my blog is currently a bit depressing (thanks, Dan). It's true that I'm having a hard time right now. I got sick again this weekend, and despite seeing tons of people I still feel both lonely and bored. I'm hoping that this will pass once I get into a routine that involves doing more than just 12 hours a week of teaching.
I spent the whole morning today updating my French CV in preparation for sending it out to English/bilingual schools and publishing houses. Being productive helps. But I want to feel good, not just okay. So I'm posting some pictures of my last few weeks in New York, since looking at happy times makes me happy.
At Jenn and Nick's housewarming party:
So for the past two weeks I've been doing a Valentine's Day lesson in my classes. I introduce the holiday, and ask the students to tell me some words that are associated with it: love, flowers, boyfriend, commercialism, heart, etc. Then I ask "what about people who are alone on Valentine's Day?" and they tell me that you stay home and cry and eat chocolate. I then introduce the idea of personal ads, and ask for an example. Then I hand out photos and have each student write a personal ad from the point of view of the person in their picture.
To make things a bit funnier, I used pictures of all of my friends. I tried to pick funny pictures, and then had the students make couples based on their profiles. After they realized, with horror, that these people were my friends and not just some random strangers, many of them tried to take back their papers. But I resisted! The following are the funniest exceprts for each of my friends. Really, I'm not sure where they get some of this stuff. Enjoy!
Adriana
I'm Jany. I enjoy having parties with my friends, and, as you can see on my photo, I'm quite naughty.
Anna
My name is Judith. I search a pretty girl, a green eyed and blond haired girl. I don't care about the age. She must like entertainment, sex, and fun. She must not be jealous. She must respect the fact that I have relations with other girls. It would be better if she was interested in ergonomy and agroeconomy. She must be fond of playing curling and playing sitar. I want to play ping pong and it would be ideal if she was a photographer. She could take photos from me naked with other girls.
Bekah
I don't want a junkie.
Craig
And because this one is too funny not to include:
My name is Pablo. I haven't never had a girlfriend also I'm 55 years old. I'm very desesperating. Girls hate me! But it's true, I'm a little pretentious, however I'm very nice. I don't understand. I chearch a serious relationship with a old woman.
Dan
Erin
Watch out: I don't want nor dealers, nor indebteds, nor video games maniacs.
Grant
I work in biologie (particularly with frogs).
Call me, it's urgent!
Jenn
I'm looking for a rich very good looking men then we'll be a pretty couple.
If you think you can love me, call me and enjoy!
Julien
I hate give presents because I hate spend money on the other.
Matt
I'm the boys that you waiting for a long time. My name is Lucas but all my friends call me Luke. I love sex.
I'm open to all propositions for a fun relationship.
Matt
I don't want a realy relationship, just relations. Who wants this marvelous man?
Meg
Pammy
Rachel
I'm hungry (of love).
Steve
I'm a mysterious boy and I'm looking for a girl who will able to discover all my secrets . . .
I like action and crazy girls.
I have two kittens and one pitbull.
I also have a little problem on my right eye but I'm really good-looking don't worry. I'm a professional sky-diving boy and I only live for that. And you.
Tessa
I'm always hot even if it's in winter.
I look like a nice girl. I wear slim jeans.
Will
If there's one thing I've learned from doing this exercise at least a dozen times it's that teenagers think lesbians are funny. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!