final Paris musings

Finally, the end of the Paris posts. I still have a few musings floating around that won't leave me alone until they're recorded. Some very random items from our last few days in Paris (more things I wish I had photos of):

Apparently, the man purse seems to be catching on there. I saw many men carrying bags, most of them messenger bag styles. (And not just in the gay district, either!) It's practical, I have to say that. If Marc had a man purse, he wouldn't have to always wear a jacket just to carry things in his pockets. I couldn't stand to wear a jacket if it was hot. But I don't know if man purses will ever be ok in America (we'd have to have a more manly name for them, for sure).

Remember how I saw the French version of Tom Cruise? Well, I saw the French version of John Mayer at a bus stop. So similar, in fact, that I had to watch him for some time, just to make sure it wasn't the real deal.

I think I saw the tallest man I've ever encountered. I'm not sure, though, because we were on the Métro, so it may have been deceiving. His head was almost touching the ceiling of the train. I did do a quick comparison of all the people standing around him, and he was MUCH taller than any of them.

While waiting in line at a fruit stand, I was standing behind a woman with a little dog on a leash. Her dog kept turning around, trying to get to the baguette I had poking out of my shopping bag. When she noticed, she apologized. I talked to the dog and asked if she was "méchante" (naughty). She was quick to correct me: Oh no, she's not naughty, she just loves bread. She's a gourmande. Gourmandise is not the same thing as naughtiness. I couldn't agree more!

We got a pamphlet in our mailbox about avoiding dehydration and heat stroke during the heat waves. Of course, they advised drinking plenty of water, but also splashing cold water on your hands and face frequently. Here's the kicker: it said not to be afraid of taking several showers a day! In France! I never thought I'd see the day...

For Father's Day, I asked Marc what he would like for dessert. He was kind of indifferent, and actually said he was getting kind of tired of pastries. (!) To be honest, I did know what he was talking about.

We watched several weeks of Nouvelle Star, France's version of American Idol. It was strange to see the logo and hear the same jingle, but the show was oh so different from ours. The contestants would often sing in English, and not always very well, and I wondered what it would be like if American Idol contestants sang in different languages. (Well, I guess Sanjaya did it, but...) Quite often when we were watching it, I would be thinking how much I wished I could put the whole thing on my blog. You just would never believe it. They have quite a different aesthetic. We saw the finale, and the winner was an interesting combo of rocker and old-style French cabaret singer, with really bad, girl-hair. I couldn't find a video of Julien, but here's a photo.