Parislog 13
April 2

I think that my computer issues are primarily over. I am now on my own computer in my own room and hooked up on the internet. Francois has the Wifi on his computer in his room and I have the box because the Wifi is incompatible with the Mac. I am back to not functioning with the keyboard again because now I am back on the American after getting used to the French. The whole Mac issue was a lot to contend with. H* spent hours with me trying to get this whole setup going. Finally with the ethernet cord and all the aforementioned, we have contact.

Typical weather of late has been everything in one day. It rains buckets and then it is brilliant sunshine. The clouds race across the sky with the force of the winds. It is cold one minute and the next is a gorgeous balmy spring day. Then the wind is back scaring one with its force as it plows past the windows and shakes the shutters. Just bring all supplies with you.

Last Monday H* and I went to the Louis Vuitton flagship store and prowled around the new collection. It is simply stunning to see couture level clothing even if it is prêt-a-porter. The details when you get to be up close are stunning. And you would be surprised at the difference in weight. The pieces are substantial. The fabrics are also exquisite to touch. The silks are behind soft and the leathers are like butter. The wools can have a delicacy that one wouldn't image without being there. After the clothes,, we went to an art exhibit hosted by LV. You had to go around back and enter from the basement. Then you got into an elevator than had been 100% blacked out. You couldn't see the hand in front of your face, literally. It was a little weird. Then the doors opened and the bright light flooded in from the upper floor of the building and the white walls. The art was pictures of models in the shapes of the letters of Louis Vuitton. They were nude and un-retouched. That was quite refreshing to see models not being perfect.

I ran across THE Hotel California ;) that day also.

On the 28th I made the mistake of leaving the quartier. It was another day of manifestations and they all had to get there somehow. The metro that I take is one of the main lines to the starting point, Place d'Italie. First of all the metro participated and had a slow down so I was waiting for 20 minutes for a train that usually comes every three minutes. Second of all, while I was waiting the other side of the platform started to load up with youths heading to the manifestation. They were not all there for the principle. Some were just there for the rioting. One guy picked up an extinguisher and held it over his head and then thought better of it and put it down but had to have a little shot at spraying it before taking off. They were screaming and hollering and making a circle. You teachers will know what I mean about that circle of trouble. There was a mother with her 13ish son who was getting knocked about a bit. They were close to the edge and she was trying to protect him. She started yelling at one of the aggressors and it got into a bit of a shove fest. My stress rate was skyrocketing even though I was on the other side of the tracks. I started taking photos just in case it got out of hand. Then they noticed and a bunch of them flipped me off. The train came around the bend at this point and I was ecstatic to get out of there.

One of the places I ran across when I first got here was a Hummer store. Okay, I give, which 2 streets in
Paris is big enough for such a behemoth?

On the 30th of the month, I started to hit the doldrums. I started to get really sensitive and feeling really lost and alone. I knew that this was coming and that helped me to deal with it. I was really grateful to H* for being there too. She has been really gracious about helping me with this tough transition. Thank you.
That evening, I had planned on going to a lecture at the d'Orsay but I had underestimated the time to get there and the interest therefore it was full. So I went for a walk over to the Louvre. I just milled around and walked the Tuileries. I have been practicing the art of framing with my photography, after seeing Willy Ronis's exhibit, and noticed the triumphal arch in the garden would make a good frame around the pyramid but the light was not just right. I stood there waiting for the light to lessen and enjoyed the birds singing and the details of the Louvre. There are many that you don't notice when you are going three hundred miles per hour.

While minding my own business, a guy walked up to me and started chatting to me. I was okay with that as I had time on my hands. After getting the shot that I wanted we started to walk. He got personal and started to hold onto my arm. I told him no and he stopped.... for a while. Then he started again and kept getting more personal. My mistake was not telling him to f-off right then and there. Eventually he tried to force me to kiss him and then was when I finally pulled the plug. It left a really ugly taste in my mouth but a good lesson learned. If a man touches me after I have specified that it is not okay, that is the time to get nasty and then walk away.