diversions and directions.

paris has been beautiful. it is a tumultuous mix of emotions, a combustion of depression and elation. my days are whirlwinds of lazy, fear-filled, excitement, and i get almost nothing done. i am completely and utterly distracted every second of every day. although i know now that paris is not my city, in the way that london was my city, i am still relishing my time and counting down the days until i know french and have my own group of friends.

i was told the easiest way to learn french is to have a boy who will teach it to you. so i have found my very own frenchie, who spends all day correcting my pronunciation and laughing at my oh-so-formal text messages, responding with 'we would never say that, but i understand.' demands on my time are great, it seems i devote every minute to work, school, or friends, when all i truly want to be doing is writing, knitting, or painting. the desire to be creative is weighty in this city, it constricts my lungs, settles like lead in my stomach, and pulses uneasy adrenaline through my veins. perhaps it is the history, all the great artists that stopped over here. i have come to realize that this is my stop-over, this is the step which leads to my actual life. while in london, i became interested in mixing charcoal drawings, canvas paintings, and photography prints with fiber. i think i am seriously going to explore that idea during my time here. but more of that later.

today i realized that i have been severely lagging in my blogging. i am now two weeks behind in my weekly updates, and countless events have transpired which have yet to be blogged. even further, my 101 in 1001 has been neglected for quite some time. to organize my thoughts, i will now take a page out of my sister's blog. this is what i need to post:

101 in 1001:
completion of goal 12, learn how to needle felt.
progress on goal 22, finish one knitting project a month for a year.
completion of goal 46, study abroad in london.
completion of goal 69, teach in a foreign country.
completion of goal 71, work in a foreign country.

posts:
weekly update for weeks five and six.
first day of work.
first day of classes.
first date in france.
first few days of my venture back into writing.
first three tattoo designs.