France, Adventure No. 12

Well, France has thus far welcomed me with open arms! I have simply fallen in love with the architecture, the fashion, the food and the overall feeling of this beautiful country.

While Paris is probably one of my favorite places ever, Versailles (where I'm living) has its own charm and definitive vibe. From the extravagance of the Chateau de Versailles to the more organic feel of the Place du Marché at Notre-Dame, this city has something to offer every kind of tourist, or even temporary citizen.



My favorite part just may be the boulangeries and patisseries that stand at attention on nearly every street corner, tempting me with their delightful delicacies. Glistening tarte aux pommes, savory quiche lorraines and buttery croissants, to name just a few.
Every morning the lines are out the door as the locals hustle out laden with baguettes and delicate pastries wrapped in decorative tissue paper or in small cardboard boxes.



I guess all I'm saying is that if I come home with about 20 extra pounds on me...don't be surprised.

If We Become Friends, I'm Probably Going to Start Writing Poetry About You..

There are ways you have that you don't even know about.

Sudden movement stirs me awake and I blink
alive to a T.V.-lighted world.

We've matched up, like something you'd seen
in a commercial one time: Pleasing and artificial.

Because looking at me isn't really seeing me.

I want to breathe life into you,
so I press my lips down on your lips, like a lifeguard,
and pretend I've just pulled you from the waves.
I taste the salty and breathe a little more of my
air into your lungs.

You do not stir.

You are barely alive and even my oxygen
cannot revive your sleeping heart.

Tell Mommy I'm Sorry. This Life is a Party.

It's official. I have found my end-of-summer jam.
But watch out! It may become yours too, because I guarantee you, you're just gonna love it.

The group: Chiddy Bang
The song: Opposite of Adults

But that's not all! Chiddy Bang, consisting of Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege and Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin, is a fantastic duo of which I cannot get enough. These Philadelphia-based boys get their sound from mixing and matching original beats with those of more established artists, such as Sufjan Stevens, Gorilllaz, MGMT and Passion Pit.

I'm particularly loving Opposite of Adults, Truth, and All Things Go.

Give these guys a listen, and you'll be hooked by tomorrow. For serious.

	Chiddy Bang - Opposite Of Adults .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

DOM

The old man grabbed at the contours of her body.
He couldn't believe how gorgeously young she felt in
his leather hands.
Her giggle, mixed with nonsense and beer,
reached his ears in a frenzy of all the things he knew he was missing.
He kneaded her flesh.
Needed it. To feel normal.
Like any drug.
He wanted to melt her down,
to inject her into his unconscious veins,
or chop her up and inhale her
into his tobaccoed lungs, crying for oxygen.
He craved an addiction to her.
He wanted her in all the shakes and tremors it would
take to loosen his grip on her sweet, sweet flesh.

I Stole Your Wishes.

I wish I had two lifetimes.
I wish I could make a backwards baseball cap look cool.
I wish I had a bottle of wine.
I wish getting drunk was more dignified.
I wish I felt like I belonged everywhere.
I wish English was my second language.
I wish I had a million friends
and that they all had a million friends
and that we could all laugh at the same joke
and find each other terribly witty.

I wish you would look at me the way you did the night we met:
like you were afraid I'd self-destruct if you said something stupid.
I wish life was like the movies
so that the best moments always had a great soundtrack
and that first kisses were applause-worthy.

I wish I could read every book. Ever.
And be so smart it'd make my mother cry.
But I also wish my mother didn't cry.
I wish all girls knew how beautiful they are.
I wish all boys would tell girls how beautiful they are.
I wish romance wasn't dead.
I wish chivalry could be resurrected.
I wish everyone could hear how all the world's sounds
become a symphony late at night when it's just
you and the moon and your heartbeat.

I wish I could stay up until dawn every night.
I wish I could wake up with the dawn every morning.
I wish that sleep was optional:
luxury rather than necessity.

I wish people could keep secrets.
I wish that books would always keep that "new book" smell.
I wish my bedsheets would smell fresh for longer than two days.
I wish I could read your thoughts.
I wish I had Audrey Hepburn's eyebrows
and Grace Kelly's hair.

I wish men would just be men.
I wish that everyone would say Thank You more.
I wish I knew when death will come,
because maybe I'll be on holiday when it does.

I wish I had two lifetimes
and that the one I have now
isn't half as good as it's going to get.

I wish that things would always, always get better.

The Next Chapter.

Does anyone out there keep a journal? For those of you who do, you probably know what I mean when I say that fully completing one is quite a feat! Well, get ready to congratulate me, because I have done just that. I have just completely filled the 250 page book I began on 4 August 2008.
I guess 2 years is a long time to work with so few pages, but looking through my entries, I found that the average span between them is 4 or 5 weeks. And sometimes up to 6 months. Regardless, I'm pleased that I can now move on to fill the beautiful journal I was given last Christmas..

So anyway, while flipping through my now-retired journal, I came across some little tidbits that I'd like to share...enjoy!
_______________________
12 September 2008
Things I could be obsessed with:
Grace. Pillows. Afternoon. Good Thoughts. Toast. Pens. Arizona. Construction Paper. Ballads. Night. The Hepburns. Your Apartment. Cleverness. Travelers. Used Books. Post-Marks. People with Courage. People Obsessed. Quilts. Spark. Puns. Good Lighting. Cats. The Driver's Seat. Polaroids. Peonies. Your Friend's Girlfriend. Stories. Green. Your Bed. Guitar Fingers. The Original.
_______________________
25 Septempber 2008
We are all poets masquerading as regular people..
_______________________
23 October 2008
Love makes no one weep
it makes no heart break.
Love is beyond tears and vital organs.
_______________________
25 November 2008
They sat on stools of
moss and tree bark
they built their homes of
flowers and weeds
Their lakes were
clean, clear pools of resourcefulness
their mountains were
all the words they never spoke.
_______________________
30 January 2009
To make a gross generalization: everyone these days is desperately afraid of being alone.
We join social networks, write trite messages to our friends, then have melt-downs if they don't respond to our every syllable.
I saw a girl walking her dog down my street yesterday. She was texting as she moseyed along.
But then, I had gone out on the porch to read. And I had brought my phone out with me..
_______________________
3 March 2010
I tremble
and become a butterfly pavilion.
I play out the whole scenario
in my head
And wait for my cue.
I try to predict your words
as I mouth mine in a whispery silence.
Ridiculous.
_______________________
20 April 2010
It was the September moon.
My petals wilted and fell into a salty sea.
They stayed afloat for a time
before being wrecked by the waves.
I lie marooned
awaiting the wave that will wash me away.
Awaiting the moon's revenge on my deceitful heart;
my inner tornado.
_______________________
And now, onto the next chapter of my journaling!

For Your Little, Listening Ears..

I was in a frenzy for some new jams last week, and came upon Bishop Allen's latest album. Yes it came out early last year, so many of you may be lovin it already, but,
I liked it.
A LOT.
These guys have been making pretty classy indie pop since the early 2000s, but their record, Grrr...(2009), is quite fantastic. Every song has something wonderful to offer, and most of them have that catchy quality that makes you feel like, "Hey, I know this song!"
And the icing on the cake: the two core members, (they rotate musical collaborators to achieve a unique sound on each track), Justin Rice and Christian Rudder, started this project while living together after attending Harvard University.
Harvard, it's NBD.





I love these fools.

Check out the whole Grrr... album right away!

I am particularly fond of True or False, The Ancient Commonsense of Things, and The Lion and the Teacup.