Day 29 from France: Apple Juice Rocks

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris...

Obsessed! served me breakfast in bed but I didn't have time to eat it - frenchie tater tots, bacon and an egg, yogurt, tea. I ate the bacon and egg in a rush.

I rushed out to meet Goddess at Gare du Nord at 1:15pm - lots of stairs. Goddess was on a 3-hour break from work and wanted to tell me all about this job that she had referred me for. The boss lady called me that morning and requested I come in for an interview that afternoon. Goddess's boss said she would call with the details but then I never heard from her again. That seems very French...

Goddess and I hung out in Parc de Bercy.

I went to Cour Saint Emilion to find a good movie to watch.

It's Printemps du Cinéma but I couldn't decide on a movie that fit into my schedule.

So I went to Place Monge and Rue Mouffetard in the 5th arrondissement.

My feet hurt so much due to the friction in my heeled sandals, I had to buy flat shoes. I have gotten so used to heeled boots during the winter, I have to now get back into the habit of not wearing socks.

For dinner, I ate 2 pain au chocolat, an apple juice and a Belgian coconut chocolate bar in the Jardin de Luxembourg while studying lyrics for our upcoming choral concert in association with the Mairie de Paris.

7pm - Rue des Irlandaises - rehearsal

There's yet another transpo strike that started at 10pm so I rushed out of rehearsal to catch the train home.

Snack - salad & Frenchie tater tots with dijonaise

Lots of stairs and walking today. 20 kilometers? 25?

Two hours indoor cardio. Yay for Obsessed!

Day 28 from Burbank: Weigh In: Week 4 - And A New Doo

Weigh in week 4

Week 1 = 3 pounds

Week 2 = 7 pounds

Week 3 = 2 pounds

Week 4 = 1 pound

Total = 13 pounds in 4 weeks

I'm feeling so sassy I think I'll try a different doo.

No, I haven't gotten rid of the scrunchies, but I think I'm getting close.

My first attempt at a scrunchie-less doo.

Hubby just kind of laughed and said "Fancy."

That's good right?

I love when friends and family visit from out of town because we do things that we normally don't. Today we're taking our niece and nephew to the Farmer's Market. I wonder if they have a crepe place. That would be perfect.

Score.

They know what they're doing here.

Yummy.

Coffee. Yay.

We were too full from breakfast to have lunch.

No stairs today.

No walking today.

Later that night

3 had a little dinner and passed out.

Hubby and I had cheese and olives for dinner.

We call it our "Condiment Dinner."

Then Hubby passed out.

I couldn't sleep so I had some pasta.

Then I had that devil gelato left by our dinner guests last night.

Finally asleep by midnight.

Vive La French Skinny Experiment!

Day 28 from France:Eating On The Go

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris...

11am - I woke up

1pm - shower... this does not seem very French!



2:15 - I ate a pain au chocolat on the train preceded by a ham sandwich on a baguette with lettuce and dijonaise.



3:15pm - I met up with a new friend I sing with who agreed to walk with me to rehearsal since I have no clue where it is. When we scheduled the meet up, she went back and forth between two different train stations on two different lines. In the end, I was waiting at the one and she was waiting at the other. TYPICAL. So, I backtracked and finally met up with her at Gambetta and we set off. We were VERY late.



3:30pm - We finally arrived at rehearsal with chouquettes which we picked up on the way.

6pm - We all went for drinks after we were finished singing. I had 50cl of Kronenburg 1664 beer at Bar du Metro.

8pm - I figured since I was already out, I'd go to the movies just I used to on Sundays back in LA with my girl, Bad Ass. I left Obsessed! a message to let him know with enough advance time so he could join me if he wished. Then I waited at Café Fontaine where I drank a kir pêche and ate 8 very soggy potato chips.

9:40pm - I saw Shutter Island alone. It was scary but I liked it.

12:00am - Obsessed! and Mali picked me up at Place Gambetta so I wouldn't have to take the train alone at night. Intermittent chivalry - I'll take it when I can get it. We came home and snacked a little before bed. I had hot chocolate & a savory crèpe.





Obsessed! had a salad with bacon and potatoes.

Day 27 from Burbank: The BBQ

We're having a BBQ tonight.

Must get baked goods for.....(insert any reason)

Walked to Porto's again with 3.

(Porto's is not paying me. We just love them.)

We saw our friends the kittycats.

Made a few new friends and picked up some goodies for tonight.

Of course we had to sit down and have a chocolate croissant before we head home.

Lunch

Fresh baguette an apple and cheese.

3 was too excited about our friends coming over to take a nap.

This is both adorable and frightening.

Our friends show up!

Yay!

Unexpected friends show up!

Yay!

Let's get this party started!

With the first batch of Fries.

Dinner

Hubby grilled hot dogs and hamburgers.

All very good but then......I made Parmesan Fries.

A huge hit, if I do say so myself.

Okay, the hamburger was amazing too.

Our friends brought ice cream for dessert.

A chocolate gelato dream that I wanted out of my house immediately but they refused to take home.

This is gonna be trouble.

The night was going great until my sweet darling 3 year old locked their 1 year old in a room all by herself.

Her Daddy was outside looking in the window talking to her while my Hubby got out the power tools and took the doorknob off.

(There's something about my guy wielding a makita that is so hot)

Tomorrow ALL locks are coming off!

They were very understanding.

Centerpiece by my kid

Like all truly wonderful parties, unless it ends in a complete meltdown by someone it's just not fully lived out.

This one did not disappoint.

There was an accidental head butting situation that resulted in quick exits and screaming goodbyes.

And yet, I call it a success.

De Amis Chers

Day 27 from France: Still Can't Sleep

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris...

5am - I had a pot of tea while I waited for Obsessed! and Mali to get their act together so I could get to work at the market on time. I was not a happy camper. I ate a yogurt and an apple in the car on the way to work in the rain while giving Obsessed! the cold shoulder.



10am - The boys showed up at market. Obsessed! apologized for his chronic tardiness and made nice by trying to bring me pastries which I refused. I softened up a little.

11am - I made a sign to Obsessed! from across the aisles that I was hungry.

11:30am - Obsessed! bought fresh bread and fresh ham and made me a yummy sandwich.


The Fish Monger's display

The Charcutier (a butcher with mostly pork products & deli foods)

3pm - After a 30 minute car nap, we were home and I went to bed for a more comfy nap.

4:30pm - Potatoes, cabbage, ham, yogurt in bed - YUM!



10pm - Ate an apple and then went to bed early but obviously couldn't sleep, so I made Obsessed! go downstairs with me to sit at the kitchen table and chat.

midnight - banana bread with butter, chocolate pudding, piece of chocolate, baguette with Rondelé & tea.









1am - indoor cardio

2am - snoring

Happy Sunday = Doris Day

I love Doris Day.

She has always been amazing.

Today I will be watching a Doris Day film festival in my house.

Please enjoy this version of "Que Sera Sera" from the film

"The Man Who Knew Too Much".

Doris Day

Day 26 from Burbank: People are starting to notice...

Photo by

Micah McCain

BONJOUR from Burbank

I saw a few people today I haven't seen in awhile. They all asked me what the hell I'm doing because I look like I've been to a tropical island, I look thinner, and I have a stupid smile on my face. I started to tell them my new thing was chocolate croissants, stairs, walks and sex.

I don't even believe me.

The tan is all the walking.

Baguette, Jam and Coffee for Breakfast

Photo by

Micah McCain

Crepe for Lunch

Pasta for Dinner

Every time I have a video conference with Shaboom she is in bed, naked, having a snack.

I can't say I've moved to that level of French, but there is a lot of mooning going on.

Bonjour!

Day 26 from France: Foiled Again

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris...

Blah...

I did NOT want to get up today. Could not motivate. It was like torture.

10am breakfast in bed - eggs, potatoes - Didn't feel like eating so I had one sip of tea and an apricot yogurt.

I went downstairs and found some really stinky dried fish aromas wafting through the air. Here's the grossness waiting on the kitchen table. Awesome way to start the day.



1:30pm - I left for the second interview for that office job. I refuse to be late this time!

2pm - I arrived an hour early, parked in front of 34 rue Mozart, then sat in the car and waited.

2:45pm - I moved outside and sat on stoop in front of 3o rue Mozart ...waiting waiting waiting. I wasn't necessarily dressed like a homeless person this time as I knew I was meeting with a woman. I wore a cute spring linen skirt. Unfortunately, since I haven't shaved my legs since before I broke up with Cashew on Valentine's day, I had to wear tights. Having lived in Southern California for over 10 years, I NEVER wear tights. I'm surprised I even own any.



As I looked down, I realized my skirt and sweater wrap didn't match. I always thought the sweater was off-white so grabbed it as I was walking out the door thinking it'd match the skirt perfectly. Not so much. I started feeling minorly horrified. Then I looked down and realized that the tights I was wearing WERE DIRTY! Are you kidding me? I contemplated taking them off when I remembered that my leg hair is long enough to braid at this point. What. I'm trying to be very French.

Apparently, the last time I wore those tights, I must've worn them with black leather shoes or boots because the toes and heals of the tights were dark ...almost navy. I tried to twist them around hoping I could hide the stained areas in my shoes or something but puny flats don't cover much. It was too close to the interview time to take the tights off and turn them all the way around or anything so I had to make do with crossing my legs as seen above. Then, I just needed to figure out how to walk while still keeping my legs in that position.

2:55pm - I was looking at my tight-clad legs and I remembered my ballet dancing years. Oh how long ago it seems now. Pirouette, fouetté, grand jeté! I imagined getting up right then and there and busting out a few moves but it would be just my luck if Madame Perez were to come out right at that moment and know that I was insane before I had even introduced myself. I usually like to save the insane part for the second or third date...

3:10pm - Madame Perez still hasn't shown up

SHIT

I realized I was supposed to be at 34 rue Mozart (where my car was parked.) NOT at 30 (where I was.)

FUCK

3:15pm - Shook hands with Madame Perez. I may or may not have turned it around and convinced her that she didn't see me and that I had been waiting for eons because she started apologizing. Still didn't change the fact that I was late to the second interview (as well as the first.)

3:30pm - She told me she'd call me in three days time, and I was off... back on the road, bravely facing the traffic to go back home.

Ugh

DINNER:
salad and chocolate pudding
tartines with rondelé and homemade strawberry jam that i made last summer



Obsessed! bought me some chouquettes for dessert.



I could not sleep, what a surprise.

Day 25 from Burbank: The Essay

I have been invited to do an essay reading.

It's for a show called

"The Varieties of Sexual Experiences."

Excitement has turned to terror.

I'm working on my essay while eating granola, yogurt and chocolate.

Working and eating at the same time goes against the French Skinny but I have no choice today.

Lunch: Baguette, gruyere, pink lady apple with a side of judging and fear.

Dinner: Roasted Chicken and.....

Fries!

Yummy.

Fries make my life all better.

I fried them in safflower oil like Shaboomy instructed.

But then I poured them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 400 for about 10 minutes.

"il faut affronter ses peurs"