un diner presque parfait

I don't think I've mentioned this much, but we live in a pretty awesome, beautiful, picturesque area of Paris. It's quiet, green, full of trees, and now a days the flowers are in full bloom and it is just wonderful! (Here's Celia totally taking advantage of the sun and beautiful location...I'm sure this picture was taken while Sleeping Bleauty was playing on the computer in front of her...I'm surprised she was able to look away long enough to somewhat acknowledge my presence!)

Being such an amazing location, the Cite is home to many many movie, commercial, and TV sets. And it's always interesting to watch scenes being filmed here. So much action and excitement comes with seeing camera crews, all their fancy stuff, and of course, the snack tables, (they always have a crepe pan and Nutella! Awesome!). Plus, I'm always wondering if I am just 10 meters from the Brad Pitt of France. These actors could be huge stars for all I know and they are hanging in my backyard! (Dang! I should have spent more time watching french TV!)

It's pretty cool to watch all the action behind the action. We've witnessed some great fights, puppet movies, car acciedents, and Saturday was the mother of all shows: Un Diner Presque Parfait! It's a cooking show competition among three two-person teams. And from what we gathered while watching the filming in our courtyard Saturday afternoon, the individuals from each team get a chance to cook and create while being timed. Once time is up, the partner comes in and finishes whatever his/her teammate started. Then I think they get to collaborate for another few minutes before turning in their final creation to the judges.

In the picture above are two of the three main kitchen stations. To the right of these cooking stations were three stations of fresh vegetables, herbs, eggs, cheese, milk, lobsters, and we're guessing some crab, (one crab got away and was hiding in our stairwell! It was quite a surprise)!

So, the competition was laid out all over the courtyard. From the kitchen stations, the teams had to run to the food stations and collect their ingredients for that meal. Then run back and cook it up while being filmed and timed. Below is the team that I think won this evenings showdown:

But here's the best part. While lounging on the grass and half watching the ladies, half watching the filming, Brian and I hear the crew people behind us rolling in a huge garbage bucket. A few minutes later we hear them tossing all the leftover fruit, vegetables, herbs, and cheese into the bucket. What???!!! We raced over to investigate and then asked if there was any way we could have the totally fine, beautiful looking, fresh, delicious leftovers versus them throwing it all away. They were totally fine with us collecting as much as we could and thus, we scored enough eggplant, zucchini, peppers, herbs, strange containers of cheese, and this thing...

....to last us through our remaining time here! It was so cool! And so fun! Last night we cooked our fresh artichokes while learning about the celery root, (pictured above). Not sure exactly what we're going to do with it, but how fun is that to learn about something new to cook with! Let the adventure begin....

Yeah, we scored lots of great food. We were able to take down half those mushrooms yesterday and hope to finish off the rest tonight. Our only problem is time: the carrots are withering away and the mint I used up today in the Tabouli was almost near it's breaking point. We gave Andy a bag full of eggplant and zucchini and now I have the wonderful task of trying to figure out what to do with this bucket of cheese: Brousse de Brebis...

Either way, dinner is almost perfect and it was a pretty awesome weekend!

Shared space!

So I can't take it any more. Maybe the heat is getting to me. Or perhaps with my mind being preoccupied with thoughts of jobs and moving and all the stress that comes with it I have little or no patience. Or maybe I've been here too long and the romance of this life has worn off. Whatever it is, these people are really getting to me!

For example, (since you asked, here is the first of many....), Celia and I were coming out of the metro on the escalator this morning behind a normal looking french couple. I've got a folded stroller over my right shoulder and a tiny hand in my left and as I look up to step off the escalator, BAM! I hit the lovely couple square in the back. A quick, "pardon", French shrug (more on that another time), an annoyed look that I have done something wrong, and they are off. Yes, how dare I expect to be able to walk off a moving escalator with my young child, (or single or with 50 young children, I mean, does that part even matter?), without dying. These are narrow, tiny escalators with no movement on either side at the top if the people in front don't do their job. The job where you move away from the top! Who am I to have the nerve to expect to be able to walk off the escalator without having someone stop right in my way. I mean, who stops at the top of an escalator? Really? Where do you want me to go? Awesome!

Thus, this is my life. My rant for the day. I can't take it anymore and these people driving me crazy...

Another one of my favorites is the move where a group of friends or runners form a wall of bodies. You can't get around them or through them and they are totally "oblivious" to everyone else in the world. The fireman, (well known for their good looks and fabulous bodies...not so much for their running courtesy), take up the whole Montsouris walkway every morning during their workout run. Now yes, they deserve my respect and space and yielding. But really, do you need to run as a horizontal line across the way? Can't you all double up?

The wall of bodies across the stairwell leading down to the metro is another great one. How can you NOT be aware of all the other people in the world trying to enter and exit that same space? Seriously! Move! But no, something has come up! Should we get on the metro or walk? Go back to the party or grab some food? Is it time for bed or do you want to hang out? All this MUST be discussed on the stairwell, in a line, perpendicular to the entrance, thus blocking all reasonable traffic.

Let's not limit ourselves to the metro. I can do some good sidewalk trash talk....

1. There's the guy that walks in a zig zag. You try to bust right and make a pass at the exact time he's feeling more favorable to his right. Try left and ditto. You are stuck behind this zig zag genius that should have been a race car driver! No one can pass him!

2. Texting! Arnold made it illegal to text while you drive and we need his services here. I mean really: can you just pull over for a second and finish that message before moving along? You almost nailed my kid!

3. Which brings me to 3: The Sudden Stopper! We're moving, we're grooving, I'm pushing the stroller and then BAM! The lady in front of me decided to stop and text/answer her phone/look at the map/check out the shop window! (Okay, you got me here...I asked for the text pause. However, I did say pull over, you know step aside to a reasonable stopping point. Not right in the middle of the sidewalk!) I get nailed by the sudden stopper at least twice a day! (did I mention SS at the top of the escalator???)

Okay, so it's been a tough day. I mean, not really, it was fabulous. I dropped Elise at school, had a great run, and Celia and I headed up to Cimetière du Père-Lachaise for a great stroll through the cemetary before strolling through the streets of the 11th and stopping for lunch at a new falafel place. It was so so great.

But I just can't help but get annoyed with annoying people...

Am I going to miss this? Heck yeah! All my life I have wanted the urban experience. Who'd have thought I'd get it with a french twist? Just last night I got out with a group of friends for a drink and a movie. We watched Woody Allen's latest Midnight in Paris and relished in this amazing life. The movie was fabulous and was so fun to watch while living in Paris! It was so fun to enjoy this great movie of our own lives. Now granted, I'm not hanging with Salvador Dali, (Rhinocéros), or taking trips back in time but I am living in a great great city that is still great even when it rains!

I love it! And I know I am as guilty as the next guy when it comes to stupid decisions while out on the street. I'm a sudden stopper all the time. Granted, I've got two kids that distract and want and need and I have tiny excuses for being annoying. But who can resist the need to walk and text once in a while...

All I'm saying is I think we can do a better job of sharing this space. And for the most part, the people here are kind and caring and will go out of their way to help carry a stroller or help a tiny lady off the bus/train/tram. I've had a number of very positive encounters walking these glorious streets and riding the public transport. It's just these silly annoying space stories that are just too fun to share!

Ma belle-mère et beau-père

My in-laws came to us in Paris this week and we had a wonderful visit. We took them all over the city and they did a fabulous job mastering the metro and were great tourists. It's not easy to visit the Fischers in Paris: we are very excited about this beautiful wonderful city and squeeze in all the greatest hits over a few days. Brian really worked them and I'm proud with how well they did with his busy schedule.

I think they saw some of the best that Paris has to offer. We took them out for some of our favorite foods and it was really fun to share with them our Paris.
The ladies especially loved having the grandma and grandpa here. The grandparents did an excellent job of loving and spoiling them silly and we ate lots and lots of chocolate and ice cream.
But now they're gone and it's back to our quiet Paris life. Brian is back to work, Elise is back to school, and Celia and I have returned to Celia Boot Camp 2011. We're working on her feisty attitude, (I don't know where she gets it!), and the potty training. And I can happily report that we are 1 for 2! She's still feisty, but giving attitude in underwear! I'm so proud of my lady. I thought potty training her was going to be a beast but the lady has come through. After about 2 days of accidents and lots of paper towels, she is a super star!

So, here we are. We've got two plus months of the Fischer Paris/Euro Adventure left. It was great to have the grandparents visit and help me appreciate Paris again. I love taking people around the city and the sites just never get old. I could sit at the Sacre Coeur every day for the next two months and never ever get bored with it. I love the Seine, strolling through Lux Gardens, and sitting at the steps of the Pantheon looking down the Rue Soufflot at the Eiffel Tower. It's just such an awesome place and we're living the life here. It's simple and fun and with the weather being absolutely outstanding, I almost want to stay here forever.

But alas, our time will end here soon and we will be following ma belle-mère et beau-père back to the States. And I'm okay with that. I'm going to live it up for 2 plus months: I'm going to eat lots of bread and cheese, drink super cheap fabulous wine, explore the city with my feisty beast, and enjoy the easy life. And sercretly I am hoping that one of the ladies will marry a frenchman one day so that I too will be refered to as la belle-mère, literally translated as beautiful mother.

And now, back to the sun and Paris and the life!

C'est la vie!