Over Half the Week Gone...

Monday morning was Sewing with Muriel. Not too much happened in this class, we just worked on our pants patterns. I began tracing pattern pieces (necessary since I have a belt waistband) and adding seam allowances and such.
Oh, something interesting DID happen: Ana, the girl from Mexico who has attended all of 3 days, showed up (and here we had all left her for...well, not dead, but maybe non-existant). Everyone was really surprised to see her (I had mentally started referring to her as "Phantom Ana"), but she seems a little oblivious to how much class she's missed and how much she has to catch up on.
Sewing in the afternoon was more of the same; working on our individual skirt/pants patterns. I started to cut mine out in muslin, eventually to make a prototype, fit it to myself and make out of my decided fabric.
In Art History, we talked about Constructivism. Since we had an embroidery sample due the next day, I took the time to start it (as did Ashley, Liz and Tu) and got some good work in (lots o' French knots). I love taking Art History, but it seems that we would be better off if we had that time to work. Seriously, this is one area that I actually enjoy/want to learn about, but I can just as well look this stuff up on my own time. But at least I know that this will be my easiest class (since I can always do a Powerpoint presentation that's pretty lax-no, it's horizontal-on finding sources the night before).
Monday night was all about getting that embroidery sample done, so I sat on my bed and listened to music.
Tuesday morning, it was wet and looked like it was going to rain. I went to class and sat down to work more on my embroidery, which everyone did too as we waited for Susan. Susan came in about half an hour late, and went around looking at everyone's samples. When she came to me, I braced myself for the onslaught of questions pertaining to why I was "completely incapable" of producing something utterly dainty and feminine. Imagine my surprise when she actually liked it! (I nearly fainted.) I believe it was something to the effect of, "It looks so nice when it doesn't look like a mistake" (high praise from her, and for me). I told her my ideas, she suggested a few things, and showed me a new stitch that might be useful for me. I then spent the rest of the morning class attempting (and eventually succeeding at) this new stitch.
After lunch, a bunch of us were in the room, goofing off and waiting for Susan to get back (because the only thing that REALLY means it's time to work is her presence among us). Someone looked out the windows and noticed it was snowing! We all gathered around the windows to see if it was true. Sure enough, it was light, but it was there. (This had been odd, since we had already had rain, overcast cloudy, and bright sunlight that day.) Then, we started debating over whether it was snow or really thin hail. But before we had gotten far with that debate, Susan appeared.
She spent all of our Stylism class looking at our new evening wear sketches for all 3 occasions. She started at the opposite end of the room from me, and it took awhile to get around, so I really didn't do anything the entire class, except for play with my kneaded eraser (I'd forgotten how much fun those things were). She looked at mine nearly last (making me a bit late for French class at 3 pm), and seemed favorably inclined towards many of them. She just told me to divide up the elements and put one in each category (such as, panels in Cannes dress, braids/twists in cocktail, and insets in disco). Incidentally, she also really liked the one random dress I had for Cannes that I didn't think was representative of the 1930s at all (always seems to go that way).
In looking through my drawings in my sketchbook, she had to flip around some pages, because I had started drawings in some places and finished the category about 10-15 pages later. I had the sketches for Jenj's Yohji project in the middle. Susan paused a moment to look at them more carefully, and told me that she really liked them! I replied that I hoped that Jen did too, and she said that it was probable since she and Jen had similar taste. She then asked me what my inspiration was, and I told her that it was Bjork performing. So I might get to do a project on Bjork! How cool would that be?
(Yeah, somehow, Susan was really nice all of class, and to all of us. The only time she got a little peeved was when she was talking to Ana about what she needed to catch up on, and said that she could've been embroidering at the hospital. She also referred to Ana as "the phantom student". Hey, great minds...)
Finally, I was released for French class, and we were doing an exercise with telling a story using the imparfait and passe compose tenses. I was just sucking at it. (It probably has something to do with the fact that I hate being late anywhere and feel totally off my game if I am.) I feel like I'm working hard, but it hasn't come back yet. I know I should be going out and practicing it, but it feels like anytime I do that, the person I'm talking to sees right through it and answers me in English. I really want to do well in that class.
Our homework assignment for next week is to read an article and talk about it. Finally, I have an excuse to buy a magazine from one of those newsstands I see everywhere! (I had been eying an art magazine with an article about women who changed art for awhile.)
During Susan's class, I had talked with Liz and Ashley about going to get fabric. They had wanted to go to BHV beforehand, so we decided to meet up at Dreyfus. So after French class, I got a croissant and took the metro to the fabric area in the 18th arrondissement. I found Liz and Ashley with little trouble; finding budget light-weight wool was another matter. All I was seeing was going for 60 Euros a meter, and I was not having any of that (Liz told me she'd slap me if I did). (Also, an example of what I mentioned earlier happened: I asked a clerk how much a certain fabric was, and he corrected me on my pronunciation, and we both knew right then that the jig was up.) I finally found some, paid and we took the bus back.
That night, I (half-assedly) looked up some origami for Jen's class on Friday. I also looked up the Euro exchange rate (I look it up every time I use my debit card, and calculate how much I've spent in US dollars). The Euro is over $1.50 right now! (It's more like $1.51.) I tend to round up when I do my accounts, and this is not good (especially since my parents and Harlan will be coming here soon, and we have to purchase expensive fabrics). I just checked it tonight (despite not having used my card today), and it's nearly $1.53! Why is it rising so fast, and why now?
On a happier note, I called my Grandma Homzak that night. (I had wanted to call her closer to my birthday, but didn't manage to.) I was so happy to talk to her, and she as glad to hear from me too. She even said, "Sarah, you're too far away" and told me that she thinks about me every day. (I teared up on the phone, and in typing this.) I'm always glad to talk to her, and I look forward to it even more now since I don't have my cell phone and have to rely on calling cards that eat up minutes.
Wednesday morning (today), we had Haute Couture with Muriel. It was the same deal as Monday, we each worked on our individual pants/skirt. Again, I've been having trouble, what with sewing exactly on the lines and having to redo it multiple times. Also today, I discovered that my hip and knee lines are off. I don't know how this can be, since I traced them off the EXACT SAME LINE, but hey, anything's possible with me. Muriel did tell me a more effective (albeit more time-consuming) method to pin, so I'm trying to use that. (I can't wait to look back on this time when I was learning and getting frustrated when I actually have better skills. I think it'll be one of those things where I won't fully realize how much I've learned until I'm finished. That's what happened with learning Photoshop in TAM 271: I now feel like I learned so much, but at the time, I didn't feel like I was getting anything right.)
I talked to Nisa, and since we both needed to go to BHV to get embroidery and painting supplies, we decided to go there and to Bouchara, a fabric store, after her French class. Since I had the rest of the afternoon off, I went to Monoprix for the weekly shopping expedition, and then came back to the apartment. I had decided to go out to dinner this coming Saturday night for my birthday celebration, since I had wanted to wait until Harlan had gotten here. I had asked Jean-Michel for suggestions, as well as looked online, and thought I had found a place yesterday. It turned out the place might be a little too expensive (as Nisa pointed out to me this morning), and so I looked online for another place. I finally decided on a place called ChantAirelle that looked reasonable, so I can't wait to go and have a good meal!
Nisa came back from class and we left at about 3:30 pm. We first took the metro to Bouchara (going to which, emerging from the metro, gives one a fantastic view of the Opera Garnier), and it was right near the grands magasins of Galleries Lafayette and Printemps. Bouchara's whole lower level is devoted to fashion fabrics. We found some organza pretty easily and in a color that would go well with my threads as well. (They do things differently in that store: Instead of waiting for someone to cut the fabric for you, you're told to wait in line to check out, clutching a slip of paper with what you're purchasing, while they're cutting the fabric. While you're in line, you're handed the cut fabric.)
After Bouchara, we took the metro to BHV, and walked by this one place Paul, which apparently was a dessert bar and Nisa said was supposed to have great macaroons. (I had just bought some raspberry macaroons the previous night, and had finished them up over lunch the previous day.) At BHV, we purchases paintbrushes (Jen wanted natural ones) and embroidery thread (I had to get another gray since I couldn't find the one I had.)
After BHV, Nisa suggested that we got to Paul and have a snack. It was sort of like how I'd picture indoor cafe scenes whenever I've read stories/books set in the 1800s: all dark wood paneling, glass windows with frosted detailing at the sides, tiny tables shoved close together. (I was just waiting for Zola to come in with some papers and order some absinthe.) In short, I LOVED it. (I definitely want to go back, just to chill sometime. Add it to the list, along with Colette Bistro and Cafe de la Paix.) We each got vanilla macaroons (which were about the size of hockey pucks) and had some great (well-needed, for me at least) girl talk.
Then Nisa asked if I would be interested in a "real French dinner". Well, I didn't have to think too hard about that one: yes! (She said that she felt bad for not being able to come to my birthday dinner this coming Saturday-since she'd be in Lemoine, visiting her boyfriend-and wanted to make it up to me.) She said that it was off Boulevard Saint-Michel, so we decided to walk there. We walked through Ile-de-la-Cite, and passed right by Notre Dame (reminding me to go back there and take pictures).
(We also passed the Theatre de la Huchette, where I'm pretty sure is still staging Ionesco's The Baled Sporano-as it's been doing for about 50 years. I need to go back on my own and find out for sure.)
We went to a tiny restaurant called La Harpe, located on (get ready) rue de la Harpe. We each decided to get the Menu Delice, which gives you one entree (appetizer in English), one plat (main course) and one dessert off a specific list for a set price of 15 Euros. We each got a glass of champagne, ordered, and our food soon came out. For my entree, I had ordered frogs' legs in Provencale sauce. I've always been curious about how frog's legs taste, even more so after seeing The Triplets of BelleVille. Eating frogs' legs was definitely on the Paris-to-do list, since I wanted to see if it really was gross/weird, as it sounds. Consensus: Not gross at all. Actually, they taste fantastic! (I also loved the sauce that they were in, and used the bread to sop it up.) The meat was really tender, and slid right off the bone and stick. My complaint was one that can't really be fixed: They still had bones, and they were too small (Maybe we start force-feeding frogs here. I wonder if that would lead to banning of that dish on the grounds of animal abuse, similar to why foie gras isn't served in Chicago anymore.)
Mon plat was salmon (always good), along with rice served with sauce, and spicy green beans. (Salmon is always a good staple for me.) For dessert, I had (I think it was called) boutillons au chocolat, which were cream puffs drenched in hot chocolate, with a side of whipped cream.
Overall, the evening and meal was just awesome. I had a great time with Nisa, getting to know her better and such. I felt that I could really be myself with her. (She had also previously expressed interest in going with me to the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss concert in May.) Fantastic evening all around!
We walked back, and Nisa and I hung out in our apartment and talked for a little while before she decided to go back to her apartment and do homework. I didn't feel like starting any at that point, so I decided to update my blog (a much more fun prospect).