Chapter 39: Downtown Clowntown

nerd blog post #44

I don't even know how to nerd blog today. Paris rules.

I took the train and sat beside a guy who was watching a movie the whoooole time. He didn't want to chat at all. And I was too excited to sleep. So I read L'Etranger almost the whole way. Except to ask my train buddy questions about his movie, that he didn't really feel like answering. I kind of forget why I loved that book so much when I read it before. This time around, I'm finding it super depressing..

RtC picked me up at the train station, and we came to his land (which is also Viktor's land) to drop stuff off before he took me to a play! This is the first play I've seen in France, and it was so good to be back in a theatre, and not just on a tour of the Opera in Rennes... Come to think of it, this was the first play I've seen in French. It was unbloggably good. The two leads are grads of clown college, and they moved in an unbelievable way. The whole thing was just so good. Starting to explain it would not even be fair. The play was in a giant complex called the Cartoucherie (bulletland!) and was kind of like the Distillery District (shout-out Murph) in that it was set apart from the rest of the city, not easily accessible, and you have to walk through gates to get in. Okay, so it didn't look like the Distillery District at all.. But there are soooome similarities. It houses five theatres. Anyways, very cool.

Friday morning the clowns went to school. This week: tricycles. When I went to meet them after school (after I had a wonderfully solo morning, but never really solo - met new friends along the way) they were all riding around on very small trikes. Viktor was particularily good, as his knees went up past his shoulders as he manoevred the toddler-mobile. Good work, clowns. All the while, they were being SO silly.

From clown college, RtC and I slowly made our way to the Louvre, stopping for a micmic lunch in a park, walking along the river, having a cafe.. Sounds kind of romantic now that I write it, but I am NOT romantic. So there.

Next we went to the Louvre. It's free for young peeps on Fridays from 6-10pm. Great deal. I love deals. The Louvre is ... enormous. And, for the first time being there, not really enormous in the good way. The paintings were so big, the halls so wide, the tourists so touristy and the exhibits endless. I need to go back now that I know what to expect.. I found myself just kind of wandering blindly, not able to focus on the art, but just feeling really overwhelmed. I did see two things. They are as follows:

1. La femme d'alger, a series of paintings by Picasso that are on loan for a bit there. Really cool. He did fifteen before he was satisfied, and they were all done within a couple of months.
2. The Mona Lisa. (SLS will kill me for this maybe, because I once said that I thought Starry Night looked like a grade 1 finger painting, and said I could have done it, too.) BUT I will be so bold as to say that I DON'T GET IT. She's ugly and has no eyebrows. And it's pretty small but on a giant wall. Not super impressed... RtC said that it's her ambiguity that makes it a good painting. Thanks, clown.

I'm glad I went to the Louvre, and I'm glad I know when the free times are, because I'll go back. And I think the next time I'll get much more out of it. Which will be great.

Then back to the clown's land. Dindins, skype with the parentals, and then to a clown party. It was a really good party, and reminded me of the parties from home. It's a different genre than what has been going down in Rennes. I hit the d-floor and met a lot of new clowns. Wow. SO silly. It was kind of hard to dance because their shoes are SO big and take up SO much room on the d-floor... Those clowns.. Just SO silly.

As usual, Viktor and I did Queen's talk and laughed a lot.. Great day. Great night. Great vacay.

Today, RtC and I are going to Montmartre (first time for me), and then to the Moulin Rouge. I want to see if they're accepting applications. Juuuuuuust kidding. But if Lil Kim isn't there, I'ma ask for my money back. Actually, we won't enter at all, because I'm a nice girl. But I want to look at it. AND I just heard it was 100Euros to see a show there! Not a deal. I love deals.

I am purring in Paris. Sending love to you all and I hope you're enjoying your week-ends.

Signing off,
Hincks.