Loooove it!

So I've heard everyone and their mom talk about Etsy. I never knew much about it and really had been way too busy to check it out.

But awhile ago, I thought of something I needed and checked it out. Then today, went OVERBOARD buying gifts (birthdays, mothers/fathers days are coming up and this was a super simple way of finding neat stuff!) for other people.

Next on my agenda is to scour Etsy for things for myself :) There's a lot I like and find totally adorable.

Have you shopped Etsy lately?! If not, seriously check it out.

Products I'm semi-in love with (if you like 'em, I provided the links just click on the descriptions):

Vintage inspired apron
Retro striped/polka dot apron
Lilly orange clutch
Made-to-order recipe card box
Fleur de lys messenger bag
Dachshund pot holders

Oh man, sorry, told you I went a little crazy looking through that site :)

Would you like some help out today?

Another glaring difference between the U.S. and France occurred to me today, after taking a detour at Safeway during my afternoon hour bike ride out to San Ramon.

Other than the woman who "forgot" that she was in the express lane with a million items in her cart, peoples' behavior in the U.S. is completely different than anything I ever experienced in France.

1.) When biking, walking, or driving (peu importe) people in France always seemed to huddle up together on sidewalks and roads. When you happen to be coming at them from the other direction or even wanting to pass, the French would not budge. In short, I find that they are very rude pedestrians/cyclists/motorists.

On the Iron Horse Trail this afternoon, I encountered many groups of people and my blood pressure did not immediately increase 55 points upon seeing them, like it usually did in France. Instead, the mothers would tell their children to move over to the side, passing cars would STOP AND LET ME CROSS even though I was the one with the stop sign, and runners with their dogs would pull their dogs off to the side of the trail.... and then *gasp* pick up whatever their dogs left behind. That never happened in France.

2.) At the French grocery stores, people do their own thing and run up to the fastest-looking line, taking no precautions to care about anyone around their general vicinity.

While I was in line at Safeway this afternoon, two older women's carts sort of bumped on their way out. It wasn't really a problem and neither of them were in any ways harmed. But instead, they both genuinely made eye contact and started apologizing at the same time.

And 3.)....

French people just don't do small talk. They don't offer any unnecessary services either. Since we're in the grocery store context, you have to bag your own groceries. I guess this is all part of the "independent me" I learned to become in France and I can say that since living in a different country, I'm so much more self-sufficient and less reliant on others.

But again, at Safeway, I forgot that checkers/baggers always ask, "Would you like some help out today?"

And for the first time -- since hearing that question 1,381,649,503 times throughout my entire life -- I was blown away.

For a second.

J'adore Dior

Generally, I'm not one to spend a lot of money on nice things. Well, unless they're absolutely imperative. For example, after working with the AVP in the sun all last summer, I realized pretty quickly that I needed to invest in some nice UV-ray-blocking sunglasses. Other than that, name brands and expensive items do not interest me.

...Until yesterday.

During my last day in Antibes, I decided that after seven months of walking past the Marrionaud perfumerie day-in and day-out, I'd go inside and take a little peek.


Well, let me insert here that the last time I saw a perfume I liked I looked it up on eBay and bought it for a really decent price. F buying perfume at full-value in expensive shops!

So back to Marrionaud. I noticed this Diesel Fuel for Life Femme, and was immediately attracted to it because the ads all over the place display total d-bag models! I figure, if you're going to be this ridiculous, at least smell decent. And the bottle's casing sort of insinuates bondage.... excellent.


Actually, it smells REALLY GOOD and it was the cheapest perfume in the shop! We're talking Monique-can-afford-this-junk cheap. So since I'd been paid my last month and already had rent taken care of, I allowed myself to indulge in a gift from Europe... to myself.

This isn't my expensive taste worthy of posting though. When I purchased the perfume, the cashier threw in a whole bunch of sample perfumes and expensive products. One of the mysterious tubes clearly has the name, "Dior" marked in huge, ostentatious letters. Long story short I tried it yesterday and it's the MOST AMAZING face wash I've ever used in my entire life. My skin feels so clean and soft and smooth...

No. I can't. I will NOT spend over $40 for a tiny little tube of face wash. Even if it's highly addictive...

And in other news: I have a second interview! It's tomorrow afternoon. So by Friday I'll know whether or not I have another job in sports!

Two things I really want:

This shirt

...and these flip-flops!!

I might just have to buy them, seeing as how I'll be feeling pretty rich coming to America with all my Euros. The Dollar's almost a joke now, huh?!

(Just kidding, I really don't have any Euros saved up.)

Oh and I also kind of want to know what job I'm going to take when I get back... Aren't ambiguous futures exciting?! (Read: source of high blood pressure?) At least I got in all my traveling now, while I can't afford anything else ;) Annnnnd, I most likely will be attending an A's game this weekend!!! Who would have ever guessed that they'd lose their top two pitchers and gold glove third baseman immediately after opening week?! (Hint, the same thing happened LAST YEAR!) Well in any case, I NEVER would have guessed that this little rebuilding team would be in first place after two weeks into the season. Alas, there are still 120+ games to go this year...

California, here I come in TWO DAYS!

It's always nice in Nice.

Even in the early stages days of the winter months. See?

I only had to work half a day today, so that left plenty of time for Aimee and me to hop a train 30 minutes East over to Nice -- my former stomping grounds. I say that because that was the last place I studied abroad and I can navigate the city pretty well (shocking isn't it?).

Well we only planned on spending about a half a day in the city, but the beach was calling our names! Even though it was much too cold to even think about taking off our jackets, let alone plunging right in the crystal clear blue water, we did bring a picnic lunch to the lone sandy spot we could find on the otherwise pebbly beach and spent a good hour just taking everything in. Then we decided to walk off our excess hunger by climbing the hills to Castle Hill, where a beautiful waterfall caps off the skyline.

Then you know, we did the requisite shopping thing. Our excuse? It is Christmastime, after all. So we got to wander Vieux Nice as well as the crazy main part of the downtown area.

Around 5 p.m., we figured might as well stay for dinner since we've made it this long. But the ongoing joke in France is that no one will even think about opening their doors for you until it's after 8 p.m. in any restaurant. Upsetting really. Why do you French people eat so darn late?! So we continued on our wandering path, looking for a cafe or someplace to pass the time.

Finally at 7:15, we stumbled across a really cute little Indian restaurant where we ordered up Indian kir (sparkling white wine with rose and orange syrup), chicken tandoori, garlic naan bread, curry vegetables and potato rice. Oh man it was delicious. And that was probably my first real encounter with Indian food. I'm definitely going back another time! This is what the restaurant looked like from our table:

And here I am near 1 a.m. with absolutely nothing to do. My classes are almost done, it's almost vacation, and as usual, I have Wednesdays off :)

So until the next time, check out my photo album from the day's adventures!

14 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

- and -

ONE WEEK UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

Can we say "Jumping the Gun?"

Christmas in October... This is what happens when your country doesn't celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving.

As I was walking downtown at 6:30 this morning (had to get to the train station to be in Nice at 8 a.m. despite the routine Thursday bus strikes), a new thought occurred to me.

Downtown Antibes has transformed over night!

I couldn't quite figure it out, until I realized that every major street has strings of Christmas lights! "But Monique, how can you be so sure those are in fact Christmas lights?" you may find yourself asking.

And I would reply something to the effect of, "I guess this is totally coincidental, but the lights are arranged in strange shapes of pine trees and ornament-like globes."

Really, Antibes? It's barely October!

The really exciting thing about this is that I'm going to be ready for Christmas for the next three months now! Even Nice was picking up on the trend as street vendors stood on the corner selling bags of roasted nuts. Supposedly come closer to winter, they'll start selling chestnuts (roasting on an open fire? I sure hope so).

Another exciting prospect for the month of December are all the festivals going on in Antibes that month. Beginning the second week of December, there's going to be a Bûche de Noël and Chocolat Chaud festival, sooo excited for that!

However, it's still pretty hard to get in the Christmas spirit on the beach -- when the temperatures are sunny and in the high 70s.

So until then, I've tentatively set plans with one of the girls from Cannes to join up this weekend. We may go shopping in downtown Cannes Saturday afternoon, grab dinner, and then find a bar to watch France in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals!