a return, to more things than one.

i cant explain why i havent posted in almost six months, i literally have no reason. every once in a while, i would sit down at the computer and say 'okay, today i will update my blog.' but the words never came quickly enough and before i knew it, i would be distracted and onto something else. until today, today seems like the perfect day.

i am still in paris. i am curled up in my room of the sixth floor apartment in the 15ème, wearing borrowed warm socks and a freshly knitted cowl. im watching the snowstorm happening outside the window next to the old wooden desk i am currently typing at. the flakes are large and hurry down to the ground in number, but its gentle and silent as only snow in paris can be. paris in december, even better than paris in the autumn, or paris in the spring.

since my last post, i have since moved out of my apartment in pernety (a sad sad day), spent two weeks on the beach in the south of france, lived in ireland for two months, backpacked around thailand for a month, and then returned to paris.

in one week, i will return home to arizona for christmas and one (hopefully) final semester of school. after i graduate, i plan to attend fashion school back here in paris. its been a secret dream of mine for quite some time, and in my travels, i have met people who not only gave me the inspiration, but the confidence to pursue it. in fact, this past year and six months i have been travelling and living outside the us has given me more confidence, has lead to more growth and maturity than i ever thought possible.

its unbelievable that it has come to an end, my study abroad experience is almost finished. this chapter of my life is officially over, there is nothing else i can do to drag it out. i am not sad, however, although things will be different, i know i will be back. i have realized that my search for the yellow bird has lead me here. there is still something left to discover, something left i havent realized about myself, to be found on the streets of paris or wherever it is that they lead me.

i am tired of promising posts, of structuring my life around my blog (see weekly updates, or formspring fridays, 101 in 1001, or any of that other nonsense that works for others but i failed so miserably at.) it is because i attempted to partition my life into categorized subjects to be posted on a rigorous schedule that i stopped blogging. my life doesnt work that way, my mind doesnt work that way. i am scattered and a mess and i go wherever my whim takes me, and that life is not conducive to such structured blogging.

so, dear readers, if any of you have found your way back or have miraculously been patiently waiting, you can expect a different type of blog to the one before. but i tell you, you wont be disappointed.

the old blog would have promised posts of ireland, and thailand, and promised weekly updates as i attempt to prepare myself over the next six months for my entrance into the fashion world of paris. (there's so much to be done, sewing ruffles and collars need to be conquered, designing has to be mastered, and pattern making has to be attempted, all leading to the portfolio which will decide my acceptance into the school, the possibility for a future in fashion.)

but the new blog simply says 'wait and see, i will be back, with something new to show you.'

chiang mai, thailand.

photo credit: romain clerc

i need

a zombie survival kit.

i am in paris, and it is one o'clock in the morning. a few minutes ago, the electricity slowly went off, like a fade to black in the movies. i looked up in confusion, only to chance a glance out the window. to my surprise, the view was pitch black. the electricity to the entire neighborhood, perhaps the entire city [doubtful], had gone out. no street lights, no lights in the window, only the light from my macbook remained. there was even an alarm blaring, only slightly off in the distance. the alarm was not that of a car alarm, or an alarm clock. but that of a city wide evacuation or distress. we stood at the window, staring into the complete darkness. before tonight, i had never once seen a dark night in paris. usually, the night is just as bright as the day, only a tad bit more yellow from the artificial lighting. 

the difference in reactions between romain and me is quite interesting. romain lit a cigarette and took a video on his iphone. me? as soon as i heard that alarm, i instantly put on my tennis shoes, grabbed the only thing close to a weapon in this house [the kitchen knife], and stood in wait by the window, just in case. it is easy to tell who watches the most horror movies between the two of us.

goodbyes and the final month in paris.

i've been meaning to post this for a while now, but the parisian heat has really been bringing me down. the past days it has been about 30 degrees celsius, i dont know what that it is in fahrenheit. im too lazy to look it up, just know its hot!! "what is this," you say, "but you're from the desert?? its 120 degress there!" well, that is well and true. but arizona is built to conquer the desert, to work against the heat, and create a comfortable living environment. its 120 outside, but 60 inside and we very rarely venture outdoors. paris is not like that. everything we do is outdoors, and to get there you can either walk or take the metro [and the metro is the hottest of all]. but outdoors is better than the inside here! there is no air conditioning, nor even fans. as i type this, it is warmer in my apartment than it is on the open street below. im having trouble adjusting to this strange environment. winter i can handle, i know its different. but summer is too similar and different all the same time. i keep reverting to survival tactics i learned in arizona, but they dont work here. youll notice in all my pictures, my hair is curly. thats because im taking up to four showers a day. no kidding.

despite all of this, the past couple of weeks have been great. 29 june was the common leaving date for all of my international friends, so they wanted their last two weeks to be great. a few remain today, but not very many. the 29th was a very sad day, but i have made amazing friends doing wonderful things so im grateful for the time ive had with them. ive always known this chapter of my life would come to an end, ive been prepared for it. [but well see how calm i feel when the time for me to leave comes!]

the beginning of their end started with fete de la musique. it was basically a day-long festival of music, all across paris. we woke up early and got to tara's house by noon, with groceries in tow. we had a fabulous breakfast of sausages, egg, and baguettes. we begun drinking mimosas in preparation for the day! after brunch, we went to a club called glazart that was holding a music festival of dubstep and reggae. we stayed there for a short while, then went to see danny's jazz band play in a cafe.

the night of fete de la musique is when it got good. aoife and i split up with the rest of the group to meet romain and his friends. ro was working as a photographer for batofar, a techno night club on an old boat! the queue was unbelievebly long, but we stuck it out and got in. aoife and both adore boats, well, mainly any means of transportation. we dont have many pictures, but here are a few, taken by arnold, romains friend.

we also spent days picnicking, and sitting on the banks of the seine.

we also went to a party at a castle, in the suburbs of paris. it wasnt a real castle, but it was built to look like one. there was even a guest house, which looked like a mini castle. it was set in the woods, a large grassy lawn surrounded by dense forest. the forest hid swings and who knows what other surprises, while the grassy lawn housed a pool and a human chess set. i forgot my camera though, so no pictures.

we ended the last weekend on a good note, with solidays. an outdoo rmusic festival, similar to warped tour in the states. only this was techno with a little bit of hip hop, not rock. it was set almost outside of paris, next to the same park romain and i went to for his birthday. so naturally, on the way, aoife and i stopped and took a little break there.

and this last picture shows you the love that exists between my ame sœur/ jumelle [soul mate/twin] and me. who has unfortunately moved back to ireland. :(

[it looks like love, but really shes trying to shake all the grass i put in her hair onto mine.]

 and the story behind the "twins". one day, we decided to go to the local flea market at porte de clignacourt. we were walking through the many small, twisted alleyways past the outdoor booths and permanent antique stores. we passed an old french man, sat in a rocking chair. as we neared him, he smiled, rumbled out 'oh, les jumeaux!' and looked away. after that short, odd encounter, aoife became my twin. it is very odd living in paris without her, or any of the irish girls, of the swedish girls, or even my american girls. only the french remain. maybe ill actually learn some french now.

plants and formspring.

my garden has been growing quite well! unfortunately, two of the plants didnt sprout and the two romain bought i havent been able to save. but two remain, and they are flourishing! they are climbing up the balcony gate and curling around each other. my landlords have agreed to keep them there after we move out. i cant bring myself to move them.

today, as always, romain had to work. i settled in to waste the afternoon away watching french movies, until it was time to meet aoife for our date to rent boats and bcome pirates. just after i had started the movie, and became engrossed in the french zombies [yes, i love horror movies.], romain popped up in my living room with a bouquet of flowers! he'd had a sushi plate to deliver nearby at montparnasse, so he decided to come over for a few minutes! it was unbelievably sweet. usually he brings me potted plants, so it was nice to get a bouquet. [this wasnt the first one, its actually the third. but it is the prettiest, now that its summer!]

now that school has ended, and i havent been able to find that extra job, i have a lot of free time on my hands. so i'll answer the formspring questions that have been piling up!

i love your blog! What's your all time favourite yarn?

i love malabrigo lace or worsted, but i think that debbie bliss cashmerino chunky is my favorite. based on pilling over long time wear, amount of breakage, and color consistency between skeins, cashmerino chunky wins hands down. usually, i dont care for debbie bliss yarns. but this line had none of the usual faults. i didnt find one knot in any single skein!

ive followed your blog for a while now (and a big fan on ravelry!:), and you've definitely got me itching to travel/study abroad! What has been your favorite place in Europe?

well, i havent been many places, im sorry to say. if all of my plans work out, thats going to change! keep looking to my blog for details. but out of the few places i have been, id have to say the southern coast of france. the water is amazing, the wine country is beautiful, and the accent is so endearing!

i love your knitting jacket. Can i have the patron please. I come from the netherlands, and i love your jacket. Afcourse i pay for it Gr Helga

do you mean the truffle? well, i would LOVE to give you the pattern, but unfortunately i used a tutorial. however, i would have no problem answering any questions you may have! or even helping you get started with measurements and gauge.

just message me on ravelry [knitrawr] or leave a comment on my blog [yellowbirdknits.blogspot.com]

here is the tutorial:

http://dullegriet.wordpress.com/tag/truffle-cardigan/

what are you studying in university?

i am studying history, with a minor in art history and french. but i think that's going to change soon! in order to graduate, i need at least another year. so i might make art history my major and history my minor! i'm really not sure yet though, i've got a couple of years left!

What is currently in your purse? Post a photo if you can!

well, there is a story even behind m purse. one day, i was riding the metro to meet romain and arnold in the marais. all of the sudden, the strap on my purse snapped. all my belongings spilled out over the metro floor, sliding and clattering with every jarring movement of the train car. it took me multiple stops to finally collect everything, and after those embarrassing minutes, i ended up being thirty minutes late! on top of that, i was forced to drag them all around, going from store to store, trying buy a new purse. i finally found one from a stand on the side of the road. its extremely large, black, and a little bit manly. but it only cost me twenty euro and i love it. a warning: i never clean out my purse.

 

the contents [i couldnt fit everything in the picture]:

harry potter et l'ecole des sorciers [book one in french]
my journal
my plan de paris [my map of paris]
my knitting
my ginormous wallet which is jammed full of metro passes, tube passes, school ids from three countries, my passport, receipts from all over the world, and a melange of international currency.
ticket stubs from numerous trips
a bottle of water
a lollipop bought on a drunken trip to the alimentation generale
my half of the wishbone that ro and i once wished on
the remnants of a russian wooden ring ro once bought me
a thank you card that is yet to be filled out, for ro's mother
a pack of cigarettes [bad influence here. very bad influence.]
a pack of french playing cards [that are very helpful when my work gets awkward]
brochures from my trip to monet's house and garden
my skeleton keys [my apartment uses skeleton keys!!]
numerous pens, pencils, buttons, and knitting accessories
a cardigan
various hair accessories and makeup
a stick of gum a bartender once gave me [along with a free shot of beer]
my nintendo ds
my ipod
my unlocked phone and multiple sim cards
a pack of tissues and some cough medicine
a pair of oversized sunglasses and a pair of purple fashion glasses
finally, my camera.

wow, its hard to believe i carry all that around with me every day. no wonder my shoulders are always sore.

but this brings me to my next portion! a few days ago, i received a package in the mail! i love receiving mail so i opened it excitedly to find knitting patterns from the lovely siga! i couldnt find them here in france, so she was lovely enough to send them to me! she even sent me an extra magazine! watch out blogosphere, i will soon be making this. [ravelry link.]

also, its not looking like im going to be traveling much around europe. its a shame i know, but hopefully, this next idea will pan out and my frugality wont be wasted. if i missed seeing you, i'm really sorry. but ill be here in paris for at least another two months. come visit me!

l'anniversaire de romain.

8 june was romain's birthday. birthdays, to me, are a really big deal. i love celebrating them, and when i was younger, we used to celebrate half birthdays as well. so in the beginning when i realized i would still be in paris for ro's birthday, i told him he needed to dedicate some time for me. he gave me his actual birthday day, so i started to plan. i wanted to do a trip, but with ro's working schedule, it is simply too expensive. he needs to leave friday night and come back sunday morning, the most expensive times to travel.

so, i had to do things that were inside paris. so, a couple days before, i began seriously planning. i went to phildar and got yarn to make him a scarf. [he's french, and thus wears scarves all year round. finally a boy who truly appreciates hand knits!] i went to the grocery store and bought ingredients to make fajitas and a cake.

making a cake in france is very different than making a cake in america. i decided to extend myself even more, and use a french recipe. bad bad idea. i thought it would be easier, cause the recipe ingredients would be written in the same language as in the store. instead, i ended up just messing up and getting the wrong cream, so my mousse ended up more like super sugary boiling frosting. after dropping it on my toes, and experiencing the worst burn blister of my life, romain dropped a huge bomb: his mother had come up from the south for a surprise visit. in my mind, everything was a waste. all the food, all the planning, the failed cake, and the burn. all i wanted to do was cry.

surprisingly, romain still spent his birthday with me. he devoted a different day to his mother. so, in the morning, i packed a picnic. i made sandwiches with expensive bread from the bakery. they were chicken pesto sandwiches with caramelized onions, garlic, and bell peppers. then i sauteed strips of ham, and made a crunchy canadian bacon. romain's favorite food is cold pizza [not what i would have expected], so the day before i had made a pizza and chilled it overnight.

romain came over, and after opening my present, the unfinished scarf, we went to a park called bois de boulogne. now, this isnt your every-day-run-of-the-mill park. it's about fifteen minutes outside of paris, and theres a wildlife preserve in the middle of it. the wildlife preserve is on an island, with a sort of moat going around it. the only to cross that moat is by a little ferry that waits on the dock for you. it's interdit to picnic on the wildlife park, so we just explored for a little bit. it was really very lovely, there were bunnies and other sorts of wildlife running around.

 

when we got too hungry, we took the ferry back and sat by the side of the lake. we sat there for hours. i had planned for us to go to a photography exhibit afterward, but we were just too lazy and couldnt bring ourselves to move.

after the park, romain had to go to work. so he dropped me off at home [he drives a scooter, which is why we were able to go to that park.]. while he was working, i made dinner and finished his cake. i ended up making a french recipe for a chocolate cake with a melted heart. the french dont use frosting, so instead i sprinkled it with powdered sugar and shaved chocolate. i didnt have any decorating bags or tips, so i cut a too big hole in my only ziploc bag and had to make do. i sloppily wrote 'bon anniv' on it using melted white chocolate and a little bit of cream to keep it from hardening too quickly. ro has never seen the usual caliber of the cakes i make, so he was suitably impressed. i was ashamed, but it tasted great!

katy and i have a pull-out table so i set that up and we ate at it for the first time together! we then watched the final episode of flash forward which we had been saving until we could watch together.


it wasnt anything too romantic, or too extravagant, but it was certainly enjoyable!