Paris!

Oh man, oh man, oh man. Direct flights on Air France to Paris this spring are totally reasonable, and I'm dying to go! Lindsay and I are thinking about jetting off at the end of March, and I sooooooooooo want to do it, even though I don't really have tons of moola lying around for a trip like this. Still. It's been over four years since my last trip, and I miss it so much. I was talking to someone a few weeks ago about Paris, and I explained to him that I miss the city in the same way that I'd miss a person I'm completely in love with. There is longing involved. I want to smell its comforting scent again. I want to eat delicious food and drink rich coffee, and wander around museums for hours and hours, and browse shops just to look at the beautiful clothes, and hang out around the Eiffel Tower and see the pretty lights at night, and use more French (slash learn more French) than pain au chocolat. But, while we're on the subject, I want to eat pain au chocolate, maybe two, every day for breakfast before walking miles around the city! Last time there was a cute little bakery right by our hotel that made deliciousness. I want to ride the Metro and dodge the charming dog poo littering the sidewalks pretty much everywhere, because I don't think the French subscribe to the clean-up rule. Like most irrational romantic entanglements, I'm sure I totally idealize how great it is, but I do believe that Paris delivers in so many ways, poo excluded.

Does it sound like I'm sold on going?

In other non-Frenchie news, my lovely friend Shannon sent me a link to Jill Bolte Taylor's My Stroke of Insight talk. It's pretty amazing. She's a brain researcher who was awake and "alert" as her own body went through a massive stroke. Her explanation of the process is incredibly interesting, and the ending message of what this experience taught her is so very moving, and, well, very much in line with beliefs that I hold dear. Also, she gives a very clear description of the differences between the left and the right sides of the brain (even showing a brain--Ew!--for illustration). It's about 18 minutes long, and, as Shannon advised, make sure you watch it all the way through. It goes by fast; you won't be bored.

I gotta tell ya that Costco was a blast. I spent too much money, but it was fun. They are starting to carry more organic foods, so I got some really great stuff, not to mention my favorite Odwalla juice. Oh, and I bought these yummy, non-organic (wait, I was wrong, it is organic--even better!) butternut squash ravioli that I made with browned butter, mizithra, broccoli, and toasted pumpkin seeds. :-) I also ended up splitting some Pyrex with Monice, and we got matching socks. Soon, I'm going to be matchy-matching with all my friends, because whenever I go shopping with any of them, we usually end up with at least one duplicate item. Finally, an item I'm truly loving is very soft PJs. I'm probably going to have to pony up for a membership, because otherwise I foresee me presenting Monice with long lists and trying to coerce her into doing my shopping for me.

I have more to say, but I must go. Soon!