Parislog 63
September 22, 2006

One of the hazards of living in these old buildings is the noise. There doesn’t seem to be any sort of noise barrier between the upper and lower apartments and the floors are wooden. The people who live above me have a young child in the neighborhood of 2 years old and ever since they returned from their August vacation, the child has been into running. Even though she has only thin soft leather soles shoes on, it sounds like an elephant lives above me. Some people like me are just naturally heavy on there feet and I think this little girl is one of them. I had written a couple of letters asking for help but understanding that children will run and they were very nice and did there best to prevent it in the morning. But even so kids being kids they run, they drop things, they play.

Consequently, for the last three weeks, I have been on total exhaustion at all times. Then with being over exhausted, I couldn’t fall asleep at night because of worry about the morning. You know how that is. I was turning in circles not knowing what to do. What I did do was keep telling myself that I would start sleeping through it. I said it night after night and morning after morning as I listened to the thunder above my head.

Two nights ago, it changed. I slept through the morning noise. I was so thrilled but thought that I shouldn’t get too excited as it could have been a fluke but this morning, hurrah, it was the same. I slept all the way to my alarm clock. I am still in sleep deficit but am getting back on track and ecstatic.

Parislog 62
September 19, 2006

I went back to the ANPE (employment office) today that specializes in the fashion industry. The last time I was there, I had been told that I had to go get my initial appointment before I could have an appointment. That turned out to be a huge amount of work and a whole other appointment to get that appointment but I got it all done. Now I went to get the original meeting that I had wanted. I wanted to speak with someone there who could help guide me with what I should be looking for in the fashion industry that would help to eventually open my own business.

I got there. I waited in line. I got to the front. I asked for my appointment. The clerk took my employment number and looked me up in the computer then told me that I couldn’t have an appointment because I was registered at another office. I would have to be able to convince them to change my registry to their office. That isn’t going to happen. According to them, if I don’t have a degree or experience then they aren’t going to help me in that field. They decide for me and for the businesses whether or not I am allowed to go in that direction.

I WANT TO SCREAM. Why do they get to decide what I can and can’t do? Why do they get to decide that I have no value in the industry that I want to be in? Why do they get to run my life? And why do they get to call themselves and employment office? It doesn’t seem to me that they are trying to get me employed and in a way that would make me happy.

I swear, I walked out of there and had to sit on the steps and collect myself because I was starting to cry in utter frustration. I want to do this so much and it feels like they don’t want to help me here.

Curse word!!!!!!!!!!

Parislog 61
September 18, 2006

The third weekend of September is the “Journées du Patrimoine”. It is now in 48 different European countries. Doors are opened on historical sites all over for the citizens to be able to visit their history. The best part is not that it is free but rather than you can go into places that are otherwise closed to the public.

I chose to go to the “PALAIS DU LUXEMBOURG-SÉNAT”, which is the house of the French Senate. I had no idea going in how immense the site was. It took A* and I over 2 hours to follow the prescribed path of discovery.

The palace was built for Marie de Medici in 1615-1620 and was later the residence of Napoleon. There was a beautiful little private chapel, very dark and heavily decorated with gold and statues. In the residential areas there were gold moldings, marble fireplaces and huge crystal chandeliers. Then you walked through the actual offices of the Directors etc. There were pieces of furniture in use from the Empire period and pieces that were bizarrely modern, computers and working materials all over showing you that this was actually a place of work. What an office! The usual highly structured French gardens were there and there was also an interior garden with tropical plants and statues. The conference hall is so golden that it is almost painful. The decoration covers every inch of the surface, walls and ceilings. It would take hours just to examine this one room. The library had a section of red bound books called “The Who’s Who of France”, title just like that in English. The senate is held in this gorgeous room.

Then it gets modern. There is a television studio and a hairdresser’s room. A huge theatre resides in the lower level as well.

Walking back, we stopped at a creperie where I found out that crepes were a regional food of Brittany. You can have salty crepes, which just means that it is a meal not a dessert. Those are made with dark flour. You can have sugar crepes, which means any form of dessert style crepe. The dinner crepe I had was folded like an envelope around the hamburger, egg, and tomato filling. The dessert crepe was banana and caramel. Sweet delight. To go with the crepes we had cider from Brittany. It was a fun meal. Of course we sat at a table outside on the sidewalk.