FrenchBenj

Test

2008-05-30T00:32:00.002-05:00

Testing new lightbox script...

Flashback Weekend

2008-05-26T15:03:00.002-05:00

Went out this weekend with Scott and Ludovic to my favorite haunts from back in the day - les Bains Douches and la Loco. It was totally awesome, of course, and the boys were quite sexy (deep V-neck T-shirts are mandatory here, apparently). It was wild to be in those clubs again, after, oh, 15 years... La Loco, especially, was exactly as I remembered it. The barman even made a mistake on my drink and served me a Malibu and Orange, which was my drink of choice as a teen (so sickly sweet!). Ah... Memories!!

Monumenta 2008

2008-05-18T08:15:00.002-05:00

The stunning Promenade piece by Richard Serra at the Grand Palais. in one of the most imposing interior spaces in the city, the artist erected five 75-ton metal plates, engaging the visitor to stroll through the 14,000 sqm floor and gaze at the sun's reflections on the Cor Ten steel. Wild.

Invalides, Musée du Quai Branly, Tour Eiffel

2008-05-17T03:44:00.006-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. Here's a bunch of photos from when Josh was in town.

Yay!

2008-04-30T13:14:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I am going home, where I stay for 6 days before coming back to Paris. Huzzah!!

Random Photos

2008-04-29T17:38:00.001-05:00

Montmartre and a door to the Grand Palais.

La Salle de Gym

2008-04-29T16:42:00.001-05:00

Since I've been in Paris, I've actually had a little more free time than when I am back home in Chicago (since here, I have no school to take up all my time), so I figured I was (over)due at the gym. Turns out I could get a one-day pass to l'Usine from work, so off I went.

Now, l'Usine is pretty much THE gym to be at in Paris nowadays. At least inasmuch as Parisians are supposed to be seen at a gym - they tend to prefer the coffee/ cigarette/ walking 5 million stairs in the subway diet. Still, the French are discovering the joys of fitness - they should be warmly encouraged in that endeavor.

[+/-] Read More

Upon arriving, I presented my pass to the lady at the front desk who, upon seeing it, turned to her coworker and bitched that the pass should have been printed with a note saying it cannot be used after 5PM. She then scolded me for not having brought my own lock. After some more banter with her coworkers, and realizing I was still there, staring at her, she finally said "anyway, welcome to l'Usine!" and handed a towel. French service - always stellar...

The gym itself is absolutely gorgeous. Very cool design elements everywhere, unreal locker room (with spa-like sauna and steam room), completely stunning. But as far as the gym part is concerned, I wasn't that impressed. Not enough cardio machines meant you have to wait for one to free up. And, surprisingly, the weight room didn't have enough mirrors where you can check you're doing something with the right form and building muscle as opposed to pulling one. They also do not seem to believe in ventilation - which given the French taste for wearing the same shirt multiple days, would have been a welcome addition. They do work out in Lacoste shirts though...

The kicker, however, came when I realized I was doing my abs next to Marc Jacobs, who was with his trainer. I would have felt stupid to say hi but in my head a thousand gay voices were screaming "Ooooh my Gawd it's Marc Jacooobs!!!". I found out later that John Galliano and a bunch of actors/ models also work out there. But still, at EUR650 per quarter, that's a bit expensive to breathe in designer sweat vapors...

Last Weekend

2008-04-29T16:27:00.005-05:00

Totally forgot to post these from the weekend in the South. On the left is a gorgeous 70 Wallypower in the Baie des Canebiers in St Tropez. Brigitte Bardot's house is one of the houses that can be seen behind the boat. On the right, my friends, is a bitch of sail that took many attempts (yours truly was almost knocked out 3 times) but that made for a mucho fun afternoon.

Tilt Shift

2008-04-29T13:26:00.002-05:00

Trying out some fake tilt shift techniques with my new favorite app (Pixelmator) on a picture of Ground Zero.

At the French Airport

2008-04-19T03:42:00.003-05:00

As I am writing this, I am waiting at Charles de Gaulle for a flight to the South of France where 3 days of sun, rosé, and laziness await. The flight is all of 70 minutes long, but it's delayed over 2 hours. At CDG. Joy. French airports are like going to a drunk dentist (whose nurse is on strike, natch).

When I got to the "secure" area (I use the term loosely, as the guy didn't ask for my ID and barely glanced at my poorly printed boarding pass), I saw a bunch of signs saying anything I bought from that point on could be taken on the plane. So I went and got a bottle of water and some snacks and proceeded to the gate itself. Now, in this terminal, each gate has its own security check, with scanner and all (efficiency gives the French cancer), so I threw my stuff on the belt. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Do I need to pull out my toiletry bag?
Agent: No, no need
Me: Cool
[i proceed forward, she pulls the 1L water bottle out of my shopping bag]
Agent: You can't bring liquids on the plane
Me: But I just bought it, right there (pointing at the Relay store, not 7 feet away)
Agent: You can't bring liquids on the plane, it needs to be in a sealed bag
Me: So what do I do?
Agent: Just go ask the guy at the Relay to put it in a sealed plastic bag
Me: This very bottle? You want me to take this bottle of water, go out of the security area, have it put into a plastic bag, and then come back?
Agent: Yes
[I go to the Relay, get the water bottle in the plastic bag and come back to the security check; I was gone for about 37 seconds]
Agent: Good evening (clearly not remembering me), please put your stuff on the belt
[water bottle goes through - hey, it was in a sealed bag, so it can't be a liter of liquid explosives!]

The gate area itself is of course derelict. No wifi. No bathrooms. No stores. Not enough seating. Bitchy agents.

This country is like Chinese water torture. I need to go back home soon!!

Jardin du Luxembourg

2008-04-12T06:16:00.000-05:00

L'Appartement

2008-04-12T06:11:00.002-05:00

Living room and view from it (looking at the back of the Opera), and balcony on the other side of the place. Can't say I'm not spoiled :)

Morning Thoughts

2008-04-08T01:18:00.003-05:00

Went for a quick run this morning up to Montmartre. A few quick things:

The famous steps that run alongside the funicular are already way up in the hill, so I walked them (I do enjoy having my heart beat inside of my chest, instead of out)
I am so terribly, terribly out of shape, it's not even funny
The view from there, as the sun is rising, and without a tourist in sight, is well worth the effort

Now I need to find a gym that doesn't suck and doesn't cost of fortune. The two I'm eyeing (Waou and l'Usine) are EUR 450 and 650 a quarter... Yeaahh... Maybe I'll just stick to running up the hill...

The Good About Paris vs. Chicago

2008-04-01T13:36:00.002-05:00

Floating Bits

2008-03-27T15:44:00.002-05:00

Got to Paris 5 days ago (I can confirm that Business Class really is the way to travel...) and am getting used to the home country again, even though I often feel like I'v really become completely Americanized. Take my trip to the swimming pool last night.

Now, Parisians are big on swimming, and the city offers 37 city pools that cost like a buck to get into. Most are, of course, in complete disrepair, but some are downright luxurious. And they usually have "real" lap length - 25 meters, not 20 yards... So I was really excited when I found out that there was one a block from my apartment, and that it was opened late on Wednesdays. Since they only allow Speedos (the idea being that you could potentially wear boarding shorts outside the pool, as regular shorts, so it's not hygienic - mmmkay), I tried on the few pairs I had at home in Chicago while packing my bags. They leave very little to the imagination (well, they're Speedos) and I'm really not in the kind of shape to wear them, but I tried to pick the least offensive ones and dumped them in my bag.

Cut to last night when, after a light dinner, I grabbed towel and Speedos and walked to the pool around 8pm. First surprise, it was really crowded - meaning doing actual laps would suck. The bigger surprise though came when I went into the locker room. It was unisex. With a row of cabins on one side, and a bunch of lockers on the other. And there, in front of everyone, were a few people doing the whole "I'll wrap a towel around my ass and pretend it's a cabin while I change". My Americanized mind was already tallying up the lawsuits this would cause in the US. I patiently waited for a cabin to free up and slipped into the aforementioned Speedos. I took a deep breath, and stepped out into the pool area.

As I had feared, the place was jam-packed with a bunch of people. Some people were actually quite fit, which is when Speedos really come in handy of course. There was one kid in particular, probably just old enough to vote, whose package, in pretty much full view, was almost comically, well, there. I reminded myself this was not that kind of place and refocused on the swimming part. I'm actually a fairly fast swimmer, believe it or not, and earned a bunch of gold medals as a kid (the only sport I ever not sucked at). I therefore went straight for the "fast lane", hoping I wouldn't bump into people too much. Turns out the French are full of themselves at the pool too, and the lane was painfully slow. I swam for 15 minutes and then got fed up with swimming right up to people asses and left.

I guess now I have to find a cool gym with a pool. Or go to the Ritz. I wonder if they'd let me get away with board shorts there.

Hasta La Vista

2008-03-22T15:50:00.003-05:00

Had a lovely time last night partying with my friends and ending the night late, and all boozed up, with Scott and Sarah (who is also leaving Chicago, but for NY). Minibar, I shall miss you!

Of course that means I will travel hung over. For the 50th time, at least. The bright side is that I will hopefully pass out as soon as I sit (with some help from Mr. Xanax) and will be all adjusted tomorrow morning in Paris. I'd wish for a hot flight attendant but I've resigned myself to realizing it's a lost cause...

Good Find

2008-03-10T23:40:00.002-05:00

Not that anyone really uses Friendster anymore, but I just found out you can restrict people from selected continents to send you messages... How very useful (no offense MaPaLo Mapetoc from Kuala Lumpur, whom I have never met and have nothing in common with, but no, I don't want to be your friend long time*).

*: yes, that's a slightly racist joke. Your point?

Cradle Robber

2008-02-26T08:27:00.002-06:00

T. R. Knight and his new BF at the Elton John thing after the Oscars. The BF, a Mark Cornelsen, is a freshman in college. So he's like 17, 18? T. R. Knight is 35... The kid can't even drink... What can one possibly talk about with someone half one's age?? "So I had my, like, English final yesterday, and it was like, so haaard! And Jessica's being such a bitch - she told Jason I liked him even though Heather totally knows it's not true and John's the one who like Jason!"

Hugo

2008-02-24T23:36:00.001-06:00

Playing with my new 17-85mm lens...

Back to Square One, Kinda

2008-02-16T12:58:00.002-06:00

I am being temporarily relocated to Paris for work for 3-6 months, starting at the end of March. Home on an expense account - can't be that bad :) I don't have a whole lot of details yet, but hopefully I'll have a fabulous corp apt with a hot butler or something. Oh, and if anyone has good tips about shipping cats overseas, gimme a shout-out!

Tough Life

2008-02-14T21:51:00.001-06:00

This is a week old, but ya gotta hand it to the Times: they know how to make you feel sorry for the poor, poor people that have to hunt for a townhouse in London, with a mere $4M to spend. I mean, life's, like, so, hard, y'know?

Good Lord...

2008-02-11T00:12:00.000-06:00

A tad chilly today in Chicago... For European folks, this is -19 degrees... There's actual frost on the inside of my window. The kind of frost you get in your freezer. And outside, in the wind, it's even better...

LOL

2008-02-07T08:25:00.000-06:00

Holy Shit!

2008-02-03T20:22:00.000-06:00

Saw Cloverfield last night. Best big monster/scary movie ever! Seriously in my top 5 movies of all time.

I'm sure you know it's about a big monster - good thing that premise is hard to believe, because you will freak out in this movie, so if your brain were to tell you this could actually happen you'd just flip. Shooting the entire movie from the perspective of the kids' camcorder was a stroke of sheer genius - you're there with them as they go through everything. Think Blair Witch meets Godzilla. Don't wait until it's out on DVD either: you need to see on a very big screen with an awesome sound system.

So stop reading and go see it already! (And avoid sploiers like the plague!)

Cockpit

2008-02-01T18:43:00.000-06:00

Really cool panoramic photo of the a380's cockpit.