Shopping
Showing posts with label Shopping. Show all posts
LOVING this!
hehe...Kanye says "rubbish."
J'aime my new shoes!
While we were in San Antonio, I found a pair of the cutest flats at Gap and decided to get them because I figured if I found something better in Austin, I could always take them back. I don't know why, but I'm always really skeptical about buying something at the first place I see it...it worries me to think I'll find a better bargain or a higher quality items somewhere else. Anyway, I held on to these shoes - tags and all - until I got back to France (I had no need to wear them in Austin where the 100-degree temps called for strictly open-toed shoes). So, after a rainy day, I slipped these babies on and took to the streets, and found that they were totally worth the wait to wear them. I absolutely love how they feel and they go with practically everything I own. And, I know I could never have found a better or comparable deal here in Paris, so I'm a very happy shoe-wearer these days.
Getting there
So, we're on the right path to being organized and settled in our new apartment. We're still missing some of the essentials, like curtains, rugs, lamps and space for our dishes, but we've got the really big stuff out of the way. Gui and I had fun constructing our bed, which we're both really happy with (you've done it again, Ikea). We had it built and ready for use just in time to stay in our new place from Sunday night. On Monday, while Gui was at work, I managed to finish constructing the rest of our Ikea buys - our table and four chairs (nearly rubbed the skin off of my thumb doing that) and the dessert cart that we're using in our kitchen. It's been fun putting it all together, but I'm really anxious to finish it up now. Hopefully, after one more shopping trip, the place will be in good enough shape to share pics with everyone before we go on vacation.
By the way, the only thing that I keep thinking about is what and where I'm going to eat while I'm in Texas...I think I'm a little homesick.
By the way, the only thing that I keep thinking about is what and where I'm going to eat while I'm in Texas...I think I'm a little homesick.
Smuggler
So, I've started a list. A list of things I must bring back from Texas. They mostly consist of sauce or other bottled and jarred goods that I can't easily (or cheaply) get here and that I'm already starting to miss or know it's only a matter of time. Besides the few bottles of yellow mustard (a la French's), peanut butter (especially with honey) and BBQ sauce, Guillaume and I are hoping to pick up a few household items we can't find here (or can't find cheaply). Most important, and perhaps most interesting on that list is the Roomba, which is sold in France, but for the not-so-bargain price of 300Euros (that's like $450!!). I've seen them as cheap as $200 at Target, and I hear Costco has 'em even cheaper. We'll have to find a plug converter, but I think it'll be worth saving a couple hundred bucks to get it in the States. I think every single friend we have owns a Roomba or two, so we know it's tried and tested. I just hope we don't get stopped at customs!
Everything's bigger in Texas...
...especially compared to Paris! I finally got out of the house today when I took a trip to the local Kroger for some peach pie, Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, and other various necessities my mom needed to replenish. I'm heading home to Paris tomorrow and the nostalgia set in as I pushed in the industrial-sized shopping basket toward the produce and bakery sections. It's so nice to know where everything is in a grocery store, or to at least have an idea of where to find it. And So. Many. Choices!
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to grocery shop. LOVE IT! It's so much fun walking up and down the aisles, dreaming of the delicious dishes that might make it into my belly from the plethora of ingredients in this 30,000+ square foot box. And, after spending some time shopping at Monoprix, Franprix and Auchan over the past few months, it sure does feel so great to leisurely push around a cart in a wide-open space where other customers smile and politely excuse themselves for having their cart slightly more than halfway into the aisle you're trying to get through. Not to mention the oh so pleasant odors of freshly-baked bread and cakes that hit your nostrils just as the big, sliding glass doors swoop open. Kroger is no Trader Joe's, but it was still able get me excited about grocery shopping again. I think I'll have to dig a little deeper than my neighborhood Monoprix back in Paris to get that feeling when I'm back, and after doing a little searching, I'm anxious to check this place out. And this one, too.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to grocery shop. LOVE IT! It's so much fun walking up and down the aisles, dreaming of the delicious dishes that might make it into my belly from the plethora of ingredients in this 30,000+ square foot box. And, after spending some time shopping at Monoprix, Franprix and Auchan over the past few months, it sure does feel so great to leisurely push around a cart in a wide-open space where other customers smile and politely excuse themselves for having their cart slightly more than halfway into the aisle you're trying to get through. Not to mention the oh so pleasant odors of freshly-baked bread and cakes that hit your nostrils just as the big, sliding glass doors swoop open. Kroger is no Trader Joe's, but it was still able get me excited about grocery shopping again. I think I'll have to dig a little deeper than my neighborhood Monoprix back in Paris to get that feeling when I'm back, and after doing a little searching, I'm anxious to check this place out. And this one, too.
Blogglessness
Man, I just realized I haven't really blogged so much lately. I guess I've just been concentrating on getting everything ready for the arrival of my dear friends - all 6 of them!! They'll be here in 2 days, so we've been sorting out the final details about where we'll be staying on our little side-trips to Brussels and Amsterdam, and what we'll be doing while we're in Paris.
But, Gui and I have still been enjoying our time in Paris. The great news is that Gui signed a contract for a job, and he's very happy that it's in a position and company he likes and, thankfully, it's based in Paris. He was lucky enough to be given the option to start the job on the 11th, so he'll be able to join in on all of the fun while our friends are visiting. The cool thing for me about him finding a job is that we got to go shopping for him - for nice clothes. Not that I don't appreciate and love his regular mode of fashion, but it's nice to see him all dressed up for a change, too. And, it was fun shopping for things we don't usually look for - like ties and jackets.
We've been visiting with friends, too. I got to meet some friends that Gui knows from his young, engineering-school days, and it was fun listening to them talk about their old professors and the times they spent "studying" together. Boys will be boys. We also enjoyed a nice French dinner at a really great restaurant (suggested by Gui's aunt) called Memere Paulette. It was really wonderful, but the unusually gargantuan portions were way too much. The chef came out and suggested a wine for our meal, too, which was pretty cool. The experience was definitely a treat and we'll be recommending it to everyone. The menu is a book about 15 pages thick, with a freshly printed menu every single day, and an enormous wine list. As the chef's a sommelier, he has his accreditations printed in the menu along with an index of various terms used to describe wine. They even have a menu of other drinks, with Coke priced at a whopping 30 euros!! Really funny. The place isn't chic or fancy at all, but it's really authentic and certainly my favorite dining experience in Paris so far. Although, we did have a very nice boeuf bourguignon recently, too, but in a much less authentic setting.
So, that's pretty much what I've been doing since I haven't been blogging....eating. I've also been following the US Primaries, playing Cerebrale Academie & Super Paper Mario, checking schools and jobs, oh, and watching the NFL playoffs (while eating hot-dogs, of course).
But, Gui and I have still been enjoying our time in Paris. The great news is that Gui signed a contract for a job, and he's very happy that it's in a position and company he likes and, thankfully, it's based in Paris. He was lucky enough to be given the option to start the job on the 11th, so he'll be able to join in on all of the fun while our friends are visiting. The cool thing for me about him finding a job is that we got to go shopping for him - for nice clothes. Not that I don't appreciate and love his regular mode of fashion, but it's nice to see him all dressed up for a change, too. And, it was fun shopping for things we don't usually look for - like ties and jackets.
We've been visiting with friends, too. I got to meet some friends that Gui knows from his young, engineering-school days, and it was fun listening to them talk about their old professors and the times they spent "studying" together. Boys will be boys. We also enjoyed a nice French dinner at a really great restaurant (suggested by Gui's aunt) called Memere Paulette. It was really wonderful, but the unusually gargantuan portions were way too much. The chef came out and suggested a wine for our meal, too, which was pretty cool. The experience was definitely a treat and we'll be recommending it to everyone. The menu is a book about 15 pages thick, with a freshly printed menu every single day, and an enormous wine list. As the chef's a sommelier, he has his accreditations printed in the menu along with an index of various terms used to describe wine. They even have a menu of other drinks, with Coke priced at a whopping 30 euros!! Really funny. The place isn't chic or fancy at all, but it's really authentic and certainly my favorite dining experience in Paris so far. Although, we did have a very nice boeuf bourguignon recently, too, but in a much less authentic setting.
So, that's pretty much what I've been doing since I haven't been blogging....eating. I've also been following the US Primaries, playing Cerebrale Academie & Super Paper Mario, checking schools and jobs, oh, and watching the NFL playoffs (while eating hot-dogs, of course).
Nearly freezing
So, it's cold in Paris. Luckily, it's not raining, but it's still freakin' cold. Guillaume and I attempted to finish Christmas shopping today, but besides the fact that I have some sort of stomach bug, we could barely stand to walk around for 15 minutes in the nearly freezing temps. I think I'm going to try to finish the rest of my shopping at home, online. I expected this weather, but it still doesn't make it any easier. At least it's still mostly sunny.
Un bon apetit
We've been pretty busy the past few days - mostly with Christmas planning and shopping, meeting up with friends and family and spending time with each other. On Sunday, Guillaume and I met up with his aunt for a drink in a really famous area in Paris. We had spent some time in Bastille the night before with a friend of Guillaume's, having a bottle of wine and some tapas before heading out to a crowded Parisian bar where we met a few cool peeps and sipped our drinks. I made the mistake of letting Guillaume order my drink and I ended up taking 20 minutes to finish 2 ounces of alcohol!! I still had a good time, trying to speak some French without being made fun of and watching the bartenders crush ice from a small bucket with a wooden mallet.
Sunday evening was equally fun, and we ended up walking around Victor Hugo's old 'hood before tackling a pitcher of agave margaritas at a Mexican cantina. It was such a treat! I want to go back to this cantina to try out their tapas because the nostalgic smells of spices and herbs were totally teasing my full stomach. We had a really good time with Guillaume's aunt - she so super cool and I can't wait to hang out with her again, which will probably be around Christmas when we all get together.
Last night we treated Guillaume's mom to a choucroute dinner (with a fresh oysters appetizer) on the Champs Elysees, which was très magnifique!! Gui and I had been to this restaurant before and enjoyed the same meal equally as much the second time as the first, so his mère was very happy!
We'll be staying in Boulogne-Billancourt for the next 2 days, which is a pretty nice and trendy area in barely-suburban Paris. It'll be nice to be a little closer to the city, within walking distance of a metro station, too! We have a lot planned for the next couple of weeks - Guillaume's sister comes in from London tomorrow, there's a trip to the museum set up and a dinner party to attend next week, and there's still some Christmas shopping to be done! We haven't done anything extravagant (mostly eating, drinking and being merry), but I feel like we're go-go-go all the time! I guess that's the way it works around here, and I'm happy to conform - for now, at least. :)
Sunday evening was equally fun, and we ended up walking around Victor Hugo's old 'hood before tackling a pitcher of agave margaritas at a Mexican cantina. It was such a treat! I want to go back to this cantina to try out their tapas because the nostalgic smells of spices and herbs were totally teasing my full stomach. We had a really good time with Guillaume's aunt - she so super cool and I can't wait to hang out with her again, which will probably be around Christmas when we all get together.
Last night we treated Guillaume's mom to a choucroute dinner (with a fresh oysters appetizer) on the Champs Elysees, which was très magnifique!! Gui and I had been to this restaurant before and enjoyed the same meal equally as much the second time as the first, so his mère was very happy!
We'll be staying in Boulogne-Billancourt for the next 2 days, which is a pretty nice and trendy area in barely-suburban Paris. It'll be nice to be a little closer to the city, within walking distance of a metro station, too! We have a lot planned for the next couple of weeks - Guillaume's sister comes in from London tomorrow, there's a trip to the museum set up and a dinner party to attend next week, and there's still some Christmas shopping to be done! We haven't done anything extravagant (mostly eating, drinking and being merry), but I feel like we're go-go-go all the time! I guess that's the way it works around here, and I'm happy to conform - for now, at least. :)
Dangerous working conditions
So, this week I was able to see for the first time where I'd been training to work for these past few months. Although the store's not quite ready yet (and it's going to be SO awesome when it's ready), I've determined that the mall we're in is absolutely a dangerous place for me to be working in. It's home to 2 of my favorite places (besides the store I work for), Pinkberry & Target...yes, TARGET inside the mall! Not to mention, the foodcourt at this place is incredible; they've got Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French, Greek, a NY deli, a gourmet sandwich shop, burgers, and any kind of food you could want to have for your 1-hour lunch break, not to mention a creperie and gelateria for dessert. I was stoked when I realized how close we were to the Starbucks, but little did I know I'd have far more temptations to fight around the mall. They have an entire section dedicated to cosmetics...Sephora, Bare Escentuals, MAC...and shoe-stores galore! But, it's going to be only window shopping for me for now, at least until my commute to work stops costing me $140 in gas every week! Gotta love the California cost-of-living....boooo!
My first day
Today was my first day of training for my new job. I was so excited about it and left 2 hours in advance to ensure an early arrival. Well, Mapquest screwed me over and I got lost for 30 minutes before actually realizing it, so ended up being late by 20 minutes...grrrrr. So, despite my late arrival, I got thrown right into the mix of things and could see that this was going to be the fast-paced environment I had really been craving! Everyone was cool and calm, but definitely busy - just like I like it! I had the typical admin stuff to sort out, but then we got down to the nitty-gritty. My first 2 weeks of training will be on the sales floor. I absolutely LOVE this idea...in my opinion, there's no better way to train someone than from the ground up, even if the position is management or the like. You've got to know what everyone does that contributes to your job, and this style of training is such an asset for attaining success in any position. Anyway, my trainer was trés cool and incredibly efficient with the training bit. She was definitely a better trainer than I think I would have been, and I totally give her kudos for that! It's hard to remember all the things that you need to teach someone who knows absolutely nothing about your daily routine. And, indeed, I learned so much. The best and worst part of training on the sales floor is seeing all the new clothes that you want to immediately buy for yourself or someone else. I couldn't help staring at this cute yellow dress hanging on the rack, and made it a point to walk by it every chance I could, just to sneak a peek. I promised myself I wouldn't buy anything from the store for the first 2 weeks, so short glances and subtle hand-grazing are all I'll have to appease my craving, for now.
The rest of the day was a blur, and it really flew by so quickly. I was told I'd have short, 6-hour work days instead of 8-hours since I'll be getting paid for my travel to and from work during the training sessions. That's such a cool benefit...and did I mention the others? I won't because they're so numerous, but anyone who's interested in working for an awesome retailer in SoCal, they are definitely hiring!
:)
The rest of the day was a blur, and it really flew by so quickly. I was told I'd have short, 6-hour work days instead of 8-hours since I'll be getting paid for my travel to and from work during the training sessions. That's such a cool benefit...and did I mention the others? I won't because they're so numerous, but anyone who's interested in working for an awesome retailer in SoCal, they are definitely hiring!
:)
The forces of the world are united against us
Yesterday I met up with the ladies for my going-away brunch at Taverna, where we gossipped about our jobs, gushed about our futures, ran into unwelcomed old flames, and toasted to new beginnings. It was a wonderful feast of food with friends that even a little rain couldn't ruin. After we were satisfied with the amount of food (and champagne) in our bellies, we made our way across the street to the local gelateria; I had a craving for gelato and coffee, so I was delighted to see a gelato cappuccino on the menu. Just as I was placing my order, I answered a call from Guillaume, expecting to hear some good news about finding a car or an apartment, but I was sadly disappointed when he gave me the news that he's going to be in San Francisco for the entire time I'll be in town to interview for jobs. What the heck?!! We knew he'd have to go to San Fran for work on occasion at some point, but we didn't expect him to be leaving for the Golden Gate City just 2 weeks into the internship! Grrrr. I was completely bummed that our reunion after 2 months is going to have to be consolidated into one measly day. Booooo. It just seems that everything is starting to go against us, and it totally sucks. Well, maybe I'm over-exaggerating a bit, but come on! Now I'm not sure if I should change my flight to come back earlier, if I should keep my flight and just hang around LA with out him, or if I should change my flight to come back later and spend some time in SF with him. Decisions, decisions. I'll have to make up my mind soon enough and will be sure to share it here when it's made.
So, moving on...the rest of the day was spent shopping (btw, the new Anthropologie store on Lamar and 6th is the shiznit!), shopping, shopping, shopping and having dinner with the ladies. It was a very long day, and when dinner was over and I was ready to head home, I decided to live in the moment and joined Irisa to hear our fave local band (well, non-emotional local band...hehe) play a free SXSW show, which was just divine! The open bar may have had something to do with it, but the music was certainly the high-point of the night. I know I mentioned this before, but I'm really gonna miss Austin and all it has to offer. I mean, where else is it common practice to hold a live music event open to the public with open bar all night? Not to mention that the bands playing (The Lemurs & What Made Milwaukee Famous) are some of cream of the local talent crop in Austin. While we were waiting for the doors to open to the party, we had a drink at the pub just down the street, where we chatted with the bartender who's an aspiring musician himself. He even gave us one of his CDs! I'm definitely going to miss this place, especially in March and September, when the great city opens its doors to people from all over the world to share some of its envied treasures. I really hope that when I return home to Austin that those same treasures will still be here.
So, moving on...the rest of the day was spent shopping (btw, the new Anthropologie store on Lamar and 6th is the shiznit!), shopping, shopping, shopping and having dinner with the ladies. It was a very long day, and when dinner was over and I was ready to head home, I decided to live in the moment and joined Irisa to hear our fave local band (well, non-emotional local band...hehe) play a free SXSW show, which was just divine! The open bar may have had something to do with it, but the music was certainly the high-point of the night. I know I mentioned this before, but I'm really gonna miss Austin and all it has to offer. I mean, where else is it common practice to hold a live music event open to the public with open bar all night? Not to mention that the bands playing (The Lemurs & What Made Milwaukee Famous) are some of cream of the local talent crop in Austin. While we were waiting for the doors to open to the party, we had a drink at the pub just down the street, where we chatted with the bartender who's an aspiring musician himself. He even gave us one of his CDs! I'm definitely going to miss this place, especially in March and September, when the great city opens its doors to people from all over the world to share some of its envied treasures. I really hope that when I return home to Austin that those same treasures will still be here.
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