Well, after three weeks of freezing rain (and violent hail), winter is finally... well, I'd like to say it's over, except that weather.com is forecasting cold and rain for the next few days. But it was over 60 yesterday! And sunny! I sat outside with my friend at a café by school and tried to get work done! Yes, I tried, but the important part was that we sat outside! When the weather in Paris gets nice and I can finally move my café crème out onto the terrace, it's like a second Christmas for me. Ok, well, first, considering I don't partake in all of that Christianity stuff. I'm a heathen, I know. So then finally getting to sit outside is like a second winter solstice, or any other holiday that incites happy, endorphin-filled feelings. Anyways, the point is that I no longer have to wear my heavier coat, which makes me happy, although that thing does cover my ass, so maybe I should hold on to it a little longer...
The semester is busy, blah blah blah, you've heard that every time I write for the past four months, so I'm just going to skip over that part, because it's about as interesting as watching grass grow in winter.
Last night, in an effort to force myself to be social, I went to a French improv thing, at the behest of a friend, whose friend's cousin was in the improv group (incidentally, he was the funniest one). It was... interesting. I think improv is kind of a new thing here, not at all mainstream. After all, it doesn't follow any sort of rules, which, of course, is the main principle of French theater, and since it's spontaneous, there's no way it could be planned out and therefore intellectual, so what's the point anyways? But the thing is, I think improv and this troupe and their whole existence kind of goes back to the origins of theater, in France and elsewhere. So they're not a traveling group of lower-class whores, and they don't go around with a cart that magically opens into a full stage and lighting set-up, complete with props and music; but they are a diverse group of actors/comedians that go from theater to theater and do their thing for the public, at the audience's suggestion/command. I just wish it had been funnier. There were a few skits that were pretty enjoyable, but nothing I'd call hilarious, and a couple of the skits we sat through thinking, "alright, we get the premise, but this is just not funny." I have to admit, the electronic vomiting duck was funny, but such a stupid idea. I'm pretty sure it was an inside joke between someone in the audience and one of the guys on stage, but come on - we're all sitting there too, and just because you think your acid-trip influenced creation is skit-worthy, we may not. Although, I can't really blame the troupe, since all the skits were chosen from words that audience members wrote down. I was going to write down "elephantiasis of the [insert random body part here]," but I forgot. And I didn't know how to say it in French, which could have posed a slight problem. My favorite part was when one of the skits got moved to Washington, somehow, and they all started doing their best American impressions, and one guy just started cussing and throwing gang signs going "that's whack!" (This was a short Asian man, FYI.) In any case, I'm glad I went - it was an experience, I mostly enjoyed myself, and I never have to go again. Unless it's for free, in which case, I'm all over that shit.
On the bus to aforementioned improv gig, I passed by a building with big-graffitied letters on the side. I wouldn't have paid attention to it except that instead of saying some nonsense or incorrectly-spelled or -used curse words in English, it said "je t'aime." And then I was reminded of this post (scroll to the top) I saw on another blog. Why don't people do this in the States? Why don't people profess their love on the sides of buildings and construction sites? Maybe it's just the French occupation with love and the fact that people here can't go more than three months without someone special in their lives (or so I sincerely believe), but it's still sweet, don't you think? And you find this shit all over the city - on bus stops, carved into concrete, on national monuments (of course), on ads in the metro, etc. The best part is that it looks like any other graffiti; it's messy and sometimes looks like it was written by a drunk monkey (which, let's face it, is a serious possibility). Nevertheless, it's comforting to know that there are still people out there who care enough about their significant other and about love itself that they're not afraid to go around tagging buildings and billboards expressing it. We could all learn a little something from the Parisians, non?
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