Picnic at the Eiffel

Today was one of those days that is so subtly beautiful and fragile that you really have to cup it in your hands if you want to look at it so that it doesn't crumble under pressure. It started out in another rush of me trying to finish my blog and respond to emails while gulping down coffee and dodging roomates. My class isn't until 11 but you wouldn't know it the way we rush around. I had to get textbooks today and you never know how long anything is going to take so I had to be out an hour before class just in case I had to ask six times where they were in the bookstore. (I only had to ask twice...fyi) I also was completely out of minutes for my France Telecom phone so I needed to stop at the Orange store for a recharge. I made it to class 20 minutes early so I enjoyed the beautiful little park in the back of some church next to my building. Class wasn't nearly so stressful but 2 hours does wear on the attention span. I was hurrying home so we could maybe go get train tickets to Mont St. Michel before our outing at 3:30. We didn't end up going so Julie came here and we all headed up to Opera Garnier for 'Paris Story' a film, and a tour of the Fragonard Perfumerie. The film was very similar in feel to the one they have at the France pavilion at Disney World. I just don't see how everyone isn't completely in love with this city. The perfume factory was right across the street and Karl jaywalked our group into traffic and across. I hope they return my money if I die because this happens frequently. The woman at the perfume factory was hilarious and let us sample all the right kinds of perfume we'd need if we wanted a new boyfriend to replace our old one, get a promotion at work, and so on. I ended up purchasing two medium bottles of two different scents. I keep sniffing my wrist as I type. There was a special if you bought 5 bottles so I went in with Julie and Chelsea. My bottle at home of Ferragamo is nearly bad and there is NO better place to buy perfume than Paris, directly from a factory. PS. If your grandpappy has a distillery in his basement or garage you too can make perfume...same process apparently.
After we were finished bathing in the delicious smells we were free to do whatever. Julie, Nancy, Emma, Rachel, Lauren, and I decided to go down to Rue Cler near the Eiffel Tower. The street is nothing but fruit shops, cheese shops, bread shops, meat shops, etc. With a stop at each store we assembled a picnic and found a prime spot on the lawn in shadow of the Tower. We were surrounded by Parisians who were also enjoying a beautiful, perfect day. It took awhile for the tiny thought of 'wake up, dodo! You're having a picnic of the most delectable foods in plain view of your most favorite structure in the world, with people you really enjoy.' The nudge kept on poking me in the back of the brain until I realized that these were the exact moments that I wanted this trip to be all about. Life is so rich here. I live a fairly hearty one at home but there is just something about Paris. Maybe the age of the city itself gives it a firmer foundation, roots it more closely to the earth. Things feel more permanent here, more valuable. Up until now I grasped onto Paris like having a crush on someone. You want them but they're not really yours. Now I have a hold on the city and I part of my history is here.
Life is so hard to look at sometimes. Most of it is like trying to focus on something out a train window when the train is going 150 miles an hour. Trying to pick things out gives you a headache. I want to focus on those moments, like today, while I'm having them, so I can savor them on my tongue like really good chocolate. You can only taste it when its in your mouth, and you can only feel the texture of the moment when youre hands and body are swimming around in it.
A month can go by so fast at home. Hours and days made up of a thin, watery soup. We have been here 4 days and each one feels thick and full. Alright it's late...again...