How was your weekend?

How was your weekend? you ask....

La Defense

This weekend, I met a friend near La Defense for the start of a 2-hour bike ride through the city.
I was complaining that I cannot run, but I needed to exercise. I can feel the excess carbs accumulating around my waist...again.

My friend rented a Velib Bike (http://us.franceguide.com/Velib-Paris-new-bike-transit-system.html?NodeID=1&EditoID=88863) for me and took me riding through the city including some of the most beautiful neighborhoods.

Nueilly

We rode through the French President's old neighborhood of Nueilly. It was amazingly beautiful... it felt and looked like fall as our wheels rustled through the fallen leaves and we cruised the sidewalks and streets in the cool afternoon breeze.

Is it just me, or does every single activity with a French man seem so romantic?

We rode through pictorous round-abouts, that felt like they should be in the country-side.

We rode past a lake where people were rowing...

...and my friend offered to take my picture, so I did my best "Ms Nevada" pose, or is it "Ms Colorado"?, or maybe "Ms France"?...no, no, c'est "Ms Paris!" Yeah, Oui, that's it....my "Ms Paris" pose (in flats)...

We took a break where French author La Fontaine looks over me and the characters from his story, The Raven and the Fox. Hmmm, I wonder if there's a message in here somewhere. You can read the Story here: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Raven_and_the_Fox

Me and Antonio of PSI Communications posing as Adrian's next House Hunter's International Couple.

The afternoon ended with a dinner picnic at the Paris Beach with Adrian (my boss), a few friends and co-workers. You can read about Antonio's business at: http://www.psicommunications.com

My other friend, could not stay for the picnic.


We all lounged by the seine on blankets, waved to the tourist, laughed and had a great time until the sun went down...That was my weekend....

French, Muslim, African and American Men

FRENCH MEN: French men (that I know) appreciate the femininity of a woman. They love it when we wear high heels, stockings, short skirts, show cleavage with low cut blouses, (even in the winter) and the scent of perfume.

MUSLIM MEN: Muslim men (that I know) ignore women, unless they are interested in marrying the us. They will not allow their potential wife to wear short skirts, show cleavage or any skin at all. Perfume is unnecessary.

AFRICAN MEN: African men (that I have met) like women...any kind of woman that is kind, it seems.

AMERICAN MEN : American men(some that I know) seem to wonder what all the fuss about femininity is really all about anyway.


I can no longer define the kind of man I'd like to share my life with. Maybe now, I will start to define the kind of women I would like to be -- to share my life with me.

I am an Aunt...again!

My younger sister FINALLY gave birth to a baby girl...she did not send me the length, width, height, or square meters...yet. All I know is that Hannah is my beautiful new niece, born 5 Aug 2009.

Imagine, being born with a camera phone in your face? Isn't she adorable? I plan to speak to her in only French!

Bienvenue Hannah!...Welcome Hannah!

Trompe l' eil Murals and Reality

I've decided to start exercising again, but not running or jogging, just walking. So this morning after my phone session with the boss...I laced up my running shoes, grabbed my camera and started my walk. My neighborhood has several Tropme L' eil (Trick the Eye) Murals all around town. It was only after I saw the third one this morning, that it occurred to me to take photos and share in my blog.

So here are the final three I saw on my walk today.

After turning the corner and seeing these two...I began to take photos

This one includes the brown door on the far left! I almost missed it...

Ahh, and Paris never forgets to share an interesting surprise around a random corner. This is a real accident in the center of the promenade. How fast could this driver have been going to flip a car onto the sidewalk?

I wanted to stay and take more photos, since I was especially interested in whether or not this was a man or woman driving....I couldn't stay because I had a lunch appointment with a former work colleague who is only in Paris for a short time. I wish this were only an Trompe l' eil image...

Bloom Where You're Planted...Even if You Have to Walk

This afternoon, I felt like running, so I put on my workout clothes, laced up my running shoes and hit the door for the outside. The weather was perfect, my feet were happy to have a pair of running shoes instead of strappy heeled sandals laced up around them. They told my legs to get ready for a good run. My legs were happy for the long awaited challenge, my heart started pumping blood faster as my nose and mouth agreed on inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. My arms were ready to pump in rhythm with my legs. We were all geared up. I love to run and I needed to run, when my knees tuned in to the preparation for a "good run", they moaned as if they were 85 years old. "Uh, we're not ready."

"What? You're kidding, right? This is a perfect day for a good run!" I said. "No, we're not ready yet, and besides, walking is just as good for you..." my knees pleaded. "We'll last a lot longer if you walk." I don't know if that was a threat or just a comment from my knees, but I decided to walk-a long walk.

As I walked, I thought about all the things I want to accomplish here in Paris. My ultimate goal is to "Just Live" here in a wonderful luxury apartment home where I can have all my friends and family visit in comfort. I walked past so many beautiful homes, all I could do was imagine living in one of them. I wanted to live in luxury now, as I have in the past.

Living in luxury is so much easier when the government, or the agency or the company is paying the price...I miss those days. How can I match that on my own? I realized that the knowledge, experience, and background that I have could easily put me back into the world of earning the income to afford the luxuries I know, but my background and experience are not my true passion and that would be the trade-off. My passion for the money. No Deal!

For now, I will continue to follow my passion until the income of the experience of my past no longer haunts me. I believe I can get to where I want to be, one step at a time, although I don't know when or how. Today I realized that I must bloom where I am planted, right here in this tiny studio in the suburbs of Paris called Levallois-Perret.

I didn't realize I lived so close to the beautiful Boulevard Victor Hugo. I miss these things because I don't usually walk...

I walked past this "gated" community...there's a traffic arm at the street entrance. These remind me of my 3 level townhouse in Colorado. I could live here??...(I wonder...)

Beautiful apartment homes peering over the tree tops...I'll live there one day!

...or maybe I'll live in a modern apartment home near the center of town?

then again, there's always the option of a quiet country feel of a secluded side street....

The only thing I know for sure, is that today I have decided to bloom where I'm planted, don't push it, and it will all come to me...some how, some way... I know it!
(and it will all be included in this blog...)

How's Your Property Managment Training?

Oh yeah, here's the update. Thursday I got a text message. "Florence, can we please change the training to Saturday? Thanks" I had to look twice to see if I actually read the word please, or was I just imagining it?

Shortly after the text, I got a phone call from the manager, which included words like "Hello, Please and Thank-You". We agreed to reschedule the training to Saturday.

In less than an hour we covered everything I needed to know. He was kind enough to ask if I had any other question which I didn't. He actually smiled as he left and said, "Good-bye."

Training is over and now it's on to the next phase of this business task...but No matter what, I will always love living in Paris.

A Wonderful Friday...Already?!

Friday has come and gone so quickly, it almost slipped past my blog. I started the morning headed back to the office in the Marias, and decided to take a short cut through the park.

A Park in the center of the Marias Neighborhood

I wonder if the children are happy it's Friday?

I love the parks in Paris, there are so many places.... "To Just Be" (Adrian's words)


Leaving the park...almost at the office

After meeting my co-worker to put the finishing touches on our project, we headed for lunch. Almost reminds me of the lunch breaks I shared with my co-workers back at the "Agency", well, except this is Paris...

Lunch with co-worker Julie (I had the Chicken Caesar's Salad)

The Cafe was busy...the food was good...

French Conversation lessons with Luc

Once again, any spot in Paris, especially during a beautiful sunset is amazingly wonderful. After work, this evening Luc and I spent the first 30 minutes speaking only in French. "How was your day today?", he asked in French. "It was nice." I reply also in French....we continued with simple conversation like, What did you do today?, Today I was working and I went shopping. Did you have a good lunch today? What did you eat? I ate lunch with my colleague and I had a salad. What did you buy when you went shopping?....

We sat along the Paris Beach set up next to the Seine and continued our conversation, and just when I thought my Friday could not possibly get any better, a man from a small group sitting in front of Luc and I approached us and asked if I was American. I said, "Oui" (yes), He asked me if I wouldn't mind taking a picture of his group. I said. "No Problem."

A Friendly Group Celebrating a Birthday on the Beach

So how does my Friday get better? The man (not shown in the photo above, but that is his group) later started a conversation with Luc and I. His name is Ronnie and he's a Regional Marketing Manager. So what you say...but wait. Guess what company of all the companies in the entire world he works for? Ah, did you say McDonalds?! Yes, he's the regional marketing manager for McD Happy Meal TOYS!! The most important part of McDonalds (in my opinion) the happy meal toys.

Did you know there are Global Toys, Local Toys, Regional Toys...etc?? Shriek for example is a Global Happy Meal toy, but the little French cartoon character is a Local toy. I also learned that all the toys are created two years in advance by a team of about 10 members.

What a wonderful Friday. How many people can say they know the Regional Marketing Manger for McDonalds Happy Meal Toys? It's not what you know, it's who you know, and I'm feeling really happy to have met Ronnie on a Friday evening on the Paris beach.