fiac 2011

So at work I won an invitation to the grand opening of FIAC (Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain) for myself and a guest at the Grand Palais.



In my mind I was going to be nibbling on horderves while sipping champagne with cool artsy "in the know" Parisiens. I wore the perfect outfit for such an occasion, complete with red lipstick.

What I should have gone for instead was this. Why? When we arrived there were two long lines wrapped around the Palais. And yes everyone had an invitation.

Reluctantly we got in the line. The bf started questioning if it was really worth it. Unfortunately at this point escalation of commitment had kicked in and I was still holding on to the idea of horderves and champagne.

One hour and half way through the line later some friends arrived so I told the bf that he was free to go if he wanted. He fled. Five minutes after he leaves we move up to the front of the line so I called him to tell him that we were almost there if he wanted to come back. When he finally called me back (he's not good at answering his phone) we were still waiting and explained to him the situation. He decided to come back.

Making his way back up the line was in his words "hard". Apparently people weren't buying his "Where are you guys I can't see you!" routine when he was on the phone with me.

But he made it and was there and that's when they made the announcement that there were too many people in the exhibition so they weren't letting any more people in.

People were not happy. It was a scandal! We had invitations! They had to bring reinforcements for the barriers.

As the other American girl there with me said, if this had been in the States she would have just left after the announcement. But she's been in France long enough to know that everything is a negotiation.

So we stand there for a while 20 steps away from the entrance cold and hungry but the laws of escalation of commitment will not let me walk away because at this point I was 2 hours in. Some people left in a huff, some people bitched, some people tried to get a side deal. Me, I apologized to the bf for calling him back into this mess.

In the end we got in. Was it worth it? Let's just say I didn't stand out in the cold for 2 hours in heels and red lipstick for nothing.



Actual piece was 3 inches deep



Pretty



Black thread



Someone left their bag?



How I felt an hour earlier



Art or bathroom wall?



Not a person (I hope)

3.1

911

So the bf and I decided to check out what was going on for the 10th anniversary of 911 at the Eiffel tower. When we got there we saw , as advertised, the replication of the twin towers. Underneath was an orchestra that appeared to be in the process of rehearsing. There were chairs in front so we decided to have a seat and watch.



10 minutes into the rehearsal I started to noticed that everyone sitting in the chairs around us had badges. I looked around and the area around us was now blocked off from all the people crowding around behind the barrier. The scene was complete with security guards.

Realizing we were where we weren't suppose to be, the bf and I looked at each other and shrugged. If someone were to ask to leave we'd simply do it. What's the worse that could happen?

5 minutes later a one of the guys sitting next to us comes up to us... and hands us badges.

"You will be better off with these" he informs us.

Goes to show you, rules are for suckers.

pompidou

retard(ed)

So when an SNCF train is late 30 minutes or longer you get a voucher that you send in for some kind of a refund. This happened to me about a month ago and today I received a letter from SNCF. But not with a refund.

Instead it was a letter informing me that they had the pleasure to have received my letter (it was a form I filled out in block letters) but treating such a request was not within their competences. The office I actually wanted to contact is "Horaire Garanti" as stated on in the fine print when I bought my ticket or on their website. Consequently they have forwarded my request to the proper office.

Then she begged to believe her that I had the assurance of her highest consideration.

It is by far the most polite letter I have ever received telling me I've made a boo boo. Scratch that, this is by far the most polite letter I have ever received.

Except I didn't make a mistake. Actually I couldn't have because it was SCNF that gave me the form along with the self addressed envelope when I got off the train. That's right a self addressed envelope. Didn't even need a stamp. All I had to do was drop it in the mailbox.

So SCNF made the mistake. What's that you say? Everyone makes mistakes. Yes but the same thing happened to me last year. Got a self addressed envelope from SNCF, mailed it in, got a letter back from SNCF saying I had the wrong address.

So really what this poor woman is saying is "Please stop sending us these requests we don't handle them but I'm going to say it in the most polite way possible because I know it's not your fault, it's our fault."

Not sure what to do next time. Do I disregard the pre-paid self addressed envelope if it does not match the address found in the fine print of my ticket/customer policy stated online and mail it into the right address saving this woman from yet another mail she had to forward and a letter informing me politely of her actions?

Better yet, maybe I should just write the following letter to her:

Dear Madam,

I had the pleasure of receiving your letter. However the party you would like to address is actually your own employer SNCF as it was SCNF that sent my request to your office. I would forward your letter to them but I would need the right address which may prove difficult since it seems as though even SNCF has difficulty getting their own address correct.

I beg you to believe me that you have the assurance of my highest consideration.

Kelly

l'ete 2011

July 4th


Monaco



July 14th



Nice

jogging

So after a long weekend at the beach with the bf, I got home from work and immediately started to do the million of things one has to do after a long weekend involving sand and gluttony (laundry and jogging).

In between getting dressed for jogging and putting clothes in the wash I was also straightening up the apartment and taking things out of the fridge in preparation for dinner when the doorbell rings. Knowing it's the bf (we're both too lazy to fish out our keys) I grab a pair of his pants to ask him if he wants to wash it. As I open the door I have a pair of maybe dirty pants in my hand.

In his hands are roses, red.

"Why do you have that?" I said, pantless.

He pulls out a little box, wrapped.

The rest is blurry except for 3 things:

1. The thought "Am I really getting proposed to in my underwear? (in a non-sexy way)"
2. The 5 minutes it took to unwrap the box to see if it was in fact a proposal (in a "am I getting proposed to" scenario this feels a lot longer)
3. A proposal, in French

Along with 3 realizations:

1. Yes, you are getting proposed to your underwear!
2. Despite this when someone proposes to you, it's an actual question and you should answer it, outloud.
3. However saying "I have to think about it" in order to be funny or lighten the mood isn't and doesn't.

Afterwards the bf, now fiancé, puts his arms around a very shocked me and begins our first conversation as an engaged couple:

Him: So... do you want to go jogging?
Me: Um... maybe we should go celebrate? I'll go put on some pants.