Detournement

it's always a strange back and forth here.  recently especially so, but today the sun and the temperature met up and decided to give spring a try, so their joint powers are making my insides feel a little more sunny than average.

the past few days, actually, have felt maybe more calm than usual. i don't mean uneventful, but rather more settled.  we went to see Fleet Foxes play up in the 18th and i was reminded once again how comfortable it feels to see good shows.  we went to a little dinner party with new friends and it was the first time in so long that i laughed until i was about to cry. i've been walking all over the place and locating myself in geographical terms, finding secret good things and realizing that this place is much smaller than you want to think.

it's silly but true, and i'm realizing it more, that dealing with things, getting through difficult and unhappy experiences does little by little lead to growth. maybe it's just a centimeter or two (oh, a metric metaphor?) but realizing that we are here, on the last day of february, i'm kind of proud of myself.

so right now my head is filled with spring expectations and trying to convince myself to art projects that need attention.  but soon it will be may and warmth and summertime. and i'll have accumulated a pile of stories with the theme of "I went to parsons and hilarity ensued." that's the plan at least. it's still strange and ridiculous.

(mood-determining music: Fleet Foxes, Animal Collective, Loudon Wainwright's "Swimming Song")

Narwal #2

today i decided to journey to the "jardin des plantes," home of the national natural history museum here in france. there are posters for it all over the subway and eventually they got to me... and in the process i saw my second narwal tooth (they're really long) since being here in paris. 

It occured to me that when i was little, i loved going to the natural history museum at KU, and this might be compared to that (in terms of amazement/fascination) but times 100,000,000.

so i get off the subway and think:

"trees!! grass!! garden plots!! children!!"

all of the above in abundance, and despite the lack of leaves, a relief from the winter cold make me feel a bit optimistic that those leaves will be growing before i know it..

this is another look, it's pretty big, and the building at the end houses the "grande galerie d'evolution" ... which will come soon...

unexplained but cheerful whale sculpture. it might have to do with the special whale exhibit there right now. he's smiling though.

the museum itself is overwhelming and SO amazing. those are all taxidermy animals.

bugs too. so many.

(sorry this is a confusing picture. glass plus dramatic lighting)

just a couple animal pictures.... i'm sure i was more enthralled with these than they merited. i'm not sure why. but they had all sorts of interesting things. alot of info about endangered and extinct animals, a whole section on human influence on evolution, etc etc.

(this guy just looks like he's trying to sniff you)

this croc? gator? looked like he had a knot of wood on the end of his snout.

And a baleen whale skeleton, super enormous.  I'm not entirely sure why i found the whole place so exciting, but it was. Dad, i think you would really like it (nature boy). i think annie and i will probably be going back, and i plan on going to the park some more when the weather welcomes me.

so that was my new experience of the day. good discoveries.

ALSO, i started making a map of places i've liked here. it's posted on the right hand side of the page under "my paris map" or something like that, if you're interested.

hello hello hello hello hello

oh dear, so i'm not very good at keeping this thing updated, even as much as i'm on the internet here. sorrrry. so the most obvious thing to post photos of is... annie and i went to check out versailles today. and in case anyone was wondering, it is still extremely fancy and gilded.  visiting palaces usually makes me want to roller skate through them, but i'm not sure where this thought comes from.

(concerning the photo, there are so many vaguely strange paintings at versailles. e.g. sleeping babies)
annie, too, is rather fancy. this picture proves it. this room would be great for roller skating.
of course, the hall of mirrors. shiniest room of them all.  windows, mirrors, and chandeliers. the whole thing made me pretty disappointed that we could have seen the jeff koons work there if it had just stuck around another month.  shiny and kitsch surrounded by shiny and baroque, yes please.
(a koons lobster at versailles, which left before we came to paris.)

so that was what we did today, mostly.  unfortunately it was rather foggy and snowy outside, so we skipped wandering around outside, which is kind of the best part of versailles when the weather is up to it.  but the train did go through some cute paris outskirts, which made me realize that i miss trees and grass i'm allowed to walk on.  hopefully soon i'll find a sunny day and find somewhere to ride around on a bike for fun (aka not the busy streets, i'm not sure i'm ready for that here). 

I'm really tearing through books here, so i might go try to acquire a library card at the american library, even though you have to pay for them.  right now I'm in the middle of "the wind up bird chronicle" and somewhat baffled but intrigued.

happy valentine's day everyone. my plans are to... go to the library. and try to make some progress on drawings.  there is quite a lot of paper to be filled. but i'm sending bunches of love to everyone i miss stateside.  

OH and please, if you're into letter-writing or package-sending in the least, don't forget this address:

43 rue Notre Dame de Nazareth

75003 Paris France

love love love

eating, breathing, sleeping

right now i think anyone reading this would chastise me for it being almost 5:30 and me not having left the apartment all day. but those days happen too.  i've been building a model for my sculpture class, and am pretty sure it will end up looking something like a middle school diorama.  

anyways, i thought i'd post a few random photos of recent events:
This is at the Pantheon, which is a basilica I think for St Genevieve, the patron saint of paris.  The thing in the middle is Foucault's Pendulum, which tells the time as the pendulum swings according to the rotation of the earth.  I still don't fully understand it, but it's pretty neat.
These guys are just visible in the background of that last picture.  I'm not sure who they're supposed to be, but I admire their mustaches.
Also, Annie and I have been trying to break out of our cheese and bread/ pasta with pesto habits and last night whipped up some delicious asparagus mushroom risotto and banana fried tofu (oh the comforts of home).  Good food seems to make everything better.

oh, things keep going.  i have to admit there are multiple countdowns that we're keeping track of here. weeks until class is over. until parents visit. until we're halfway.  it's good to set goals, but difficult to think of the long term.  we have also learned that if you want to fly to iceland for the weekend, you really need to plan it more than a week in advance.

i am speeding through reading books, so if anyone has suggestions for me to track down, they'd be appreciated. 

it is somewhat frightening to have so much extra time and not quite the equivalent amount of motivation to utilize it.  starting new projects and plans and explorations are difficult to self-instigate, but i know that's it's something i have to learn.  lots and lots of drawings that should be made, since that seems to be the main opportunity here.  a little bit every day.  My thoughts are deteriorating right now, so I'll just leave off with one last thing: 

glitter banana stalagmites.

indian vs. indiana

Il agrandit l'esprit humain et lui apprit qu'il devoit etre libre.

-on Voltaire's grave (what everyone should hope to have written on their coffin)

It is not the moment for elaborate blog posting, but since my mom suggested that I give an update, I suppose I'll concede.

I'm in the process of reorganizing my brain's priorities to push aside dwelling classes that are... so far ultimately a huge disappointment (you should really see annie's blog for some ridiculous recounts of happenings in that department).  but like i said, changing priorities.  It's a new thing for me to not like school, but i hope to use it to make time and mental space for:

1. zine creation, regularly and wonderfully

2. working on art explorations not related to class. no limits.

3. reading all the books i can

4. hunting up some bike riding opportunities, maybe on Velib

5. going to concerts and dancing like crazy (when fitting)

6. traveling and finding the best of europe!

so although it's been a roller coaster ride of three weeks (already? only?), there are some simple highlights that are worth mentioning.  The metro system is amazingly efficient, even though the closeness of the city is surprising and convenient to walk too.  Also, apparently the drivers here are absolutely used to and accepting of bikers, even though the drivers seem kind of nuts to me.  As far as French food goes, they have bread and dairy products figured out.  cheese, yogurt, baguettes, pastries. yum. we are eating other food groups too, but are lamenting the absence of black beans. oh, and macarons, they beat out the american macaroons hands down. 

i'm wishing for warmth and sunshine, but have to face the fact that it'll be a few months unless we search it out elsewhere. 

parents! sorry it's so hard to be an independent adult sometimes. i'm working on it.

professors and friends! you are all utterly fantastic and nurturing and inspiring. thanks for creating such a wonderful open and imaginative atmosphere to work in and inhabit.  this experience makes me remember that. 

everyone!  thanks for dealing with my laments/sending me love and distractions.  send me news of your adventures.

p.s. annie and i are already forgetting how the united states work. don't make fun.