i read 'the alchemist' this past summer. i have always believed that everyone has a true calling and that they need to figure it out and go after it, but this book really solidified that view. but now, however, i wonder if there is a true place for one to have, to call home and really feel like they belong. i certainly have not figured out what my true calling is, but my true place to be is certainly paris.

i began my day with a delicious little petit-dejeuner made by yours truly, followed by a trip to the notre dame area. i got off at rambuteau to pick up some postcards from my favorite papeterie (seriously, i have spent way too many euros there). i then (successfully) made my way towards the seine, but (unsuccessfully) could not find the area that i wanted to be at, which was right around notre dame. see, there are all of these super cheapo tourist shops that have these super cheapo scarves that look cute with everything, so i wanted to increase my collection. i ended up making a big loop, and when i was back at cite, i realized that i had gone right instead of left at the seine the first time around. so left i went and wham, i found notre dame and all of these little shops. paris is a pretty busy place on any given (sun)day, but nowadays it is truly insane; the rugby world cup has been going on the last few days and it is continuing into this week. france lost to england last night, kind of triste, i must say. anyway, these shops are filled with these big honkin rugby guys and their coaches and fans. i did have some very sexy rugby players catcall me while i walked past. normally this is disgusting, but rugby players are just so sexy. so muscular, raar...

alas, i have gotten off topic. i found notre dame, i found my scarves, i found a park behind notre dame. i sat there, wrote out my postcards (if you are one of twenty lucky winners, look in your mail sometime within the next week or two!) and just took it all in. i could smell the roses growing behind me. i could hear birds chirping away. and i could hear little french children speaking in french. there was even a little garcon who kept running around my bench, looking at something behind a tree. he was darling. so cute that i would consider going to jail for kidnapping..hahahah, just kidding! but i think you could take the ugliest child and put some french words in his/her mouth and i would think they were cute. hell, you could do that with just about any man...um, wait, no. that's a lie. anyway....

after writing out my cards, i strolled a bit farther to the east on the right bank and eventually ended up going towards the bastille and on blvd beaumarchais. i tired from walking in my heels (i decided to look chic today, and chic i did look), so i jumped on the metro and headed to republique. see, i wanted to stop at my favorite little creperie/boulangerie and see if they remembered me. once i was finally at rue oberkampf, i made my way there, and sure enough, same family, same everything, just how i remembered it the last time i was there in december. i ordered a fromage et tomate (lana, you can stop drooling now) and it was amazing. they put extra cheese on the outside of the crepe while it is cooking and it gets all crispy and amazing. i meandered back to my house, tired and sweaty as ill get out, and sat down with a large glass of wine and my crepe. it was a good ten minutes of pure, innocent pleasure. the way the emmenthal cheese smells when it is cooking on a crepe wheel will always remind me of the "circle crepe/panini place" on rue oberkampf. heaven. i love that place. i love the family who runs it.

and here i am, a bit drunk, very tired, and not really wanting to work for the next five days. but then i will have two days to play. i live for the weekends.

oh i bought a plant, too. it has little purple flowers. if you would like to place a bet on how long it will take me to kill it, you can post your comment at the bottom. (and if anyone has advice on how to keep it from dying, post that, too.)