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blog #12 -- decembre 2007 |
Let's be perfectly clear about one thing - no single city on earth lets you know it's Christmas time like Paris. I hear you barking about Munich with its little Christmas ornament huts, New York with Rockefeller Plaza, Seattle with its tree on top of the Needle -- all strong efforts, but as much as I love you all, you just can't hold a candle to the spectacular Champs Élysée and les Grands Magasins during Santa Season (known to the French as Père Noël). And as a witness of these illuminated acts of the season, I made a pilgrimage to be photographed in front of quite possibly the largest Christmas tree in the world, as the centerpiece of the 8-story Galeries Lafayette deparment store. Not pictured: Ropes of beaming light decorating the magificent glass dome above, Shannon yelling "let's get out of here before we break something"...
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The thing about these over-the-top department stores though, is that we are not the only ones around that make such a pilgrimage. In fact, judging by the crowds around the stores, you would think every person in Paris develops some kind of overwhelming, uncrontrollable craving for € 1000 Louis Vuitton handbags and € 500 La Perla silk negliges - and if this is what they were looking for, they found the right part of town, with one illuminated palace after another... .jpg) Lucky for us, the window-shopping part is free of charge, and so we nestled up with all of our fellow city-dwellers and took in the dancing, violin-playing, (flying?) bears and other strange mechanical displays that tempted shoppers into the doors... .jpg)
The pinnacle of all this festive-ness and decorative bliss can be found at the Champs Élysée, Paris' well-known and well-photographed street of dreams. The next two photos find us not only in the middle of the long boulevard (so you can see both the Arc du Triomphe and the Place de Concorde ends), but literally, in the middle of the street. Once again, the creators of le blog putting life in danger for accurate reporting, and as a consequence, getting honked at. Loudly. .jpg) People who have watched at least a few 4th of July shows with me know that I tend to complain about the general lack of significant innovation in the 'fireworks and decorative lighting' industry. In fact, when I think about the last 10 years in fireworks and Christmas lighting, I can only point to two small changes: 1) Icicle Lights, which to me signify a step back instead of forward and 2) that firework that explodes to make a smiley face, but generally is upside-down, sideways, or just a mess. All this background is required as context for why the Champs Élysée was so spectacular this year - there was true lighting innovation! Each tree not only had the standard light blue twinkle lights, but an abundance of "dripping strobe lights" that made it appear like each tree was actually drying off from a hearty dose of Paris winter snow. Spectcular indeed! Not that you can really get the effect from a still photo, but you can imagine... .jpg)
But enough of the fairytale stuff, let's talk real life. Back in our home neighborhood of Saint Germain, the locals were getting into the holiday spirit as well. Our favorite Café du Metro not only put up their winter stars and "Joyeux Noël" decor, but stayed open each Sunday for shoppers to revive with vin chaud (hot wine), espresso, or of course, 1664, the french gold standard of beers... .jpg)
| And since this is the Rue Cassette blog, you can bet your bottom dollar that there was some holiday cheer and mistletoe action going on at our humble abode. Our door decoration can't exactly compete with the department stores (or Café du Metro for that matter), but hey...it's home! .jpg)
Fondue Party at Rue Cassette, take one! Since nothing says Winter like gathering around a pot of hot cheese, we invited the ISP crew over to take part in this time-tested tradition. Here we find Michelle and Xavier Métail on the left, and if you don't recognize Emily and Hicham ("Hitch"), Ling, and myself...well then, goodness, you should be reading the previous blogs more carefully! And only because it highlights the rally-oriented nature of the night...and the heroic efforts of some un-named kitchen goddesses, I urge you to notice one detail of the photo - which is the fact that we are dipping fondue out of a standard-size saucepan, as opposed to the two fondue pots that, shortly before, committed suicide in an awsome yet explosive fashion. Good entertainment, and sure didn't stop the smiles, or the full bellies in the end...
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Tragic events + 90 minutes elapsed, and after some basic grief counseling and a healthy dose of Burgundy, Shannon was able to smile again alongside the LISP (Ladies of International School of Paris...stay with me people)... .jpg)
And thanks to a visit from my co-workers from Seattle, I was able to smile alongside a select representation of MMM (Men of Microsoft Marketing) - after a "that hits the spot!" pre-holiday celebration at nearby Les Bouquinistes...pictured from left, Mike Berg (aka 'Bergish'), moi, JP Peterson (aka 'the Data Daddy'), and Raphael Raillard (aka 'Rapha, the only real Frenchie at the table')… .jpg) But in all honesty, you can consider these events basic warm-up activities for the one, the only... Company Christmas Party Showdown! As you may recall from our inaugural blog in January of last year, we provided some snaps of the Microsoft holiday party that we attended being "fresh off the boat" from Seattle, yet ironically "on the boat" aboard a Paris dinner cruise on the river Seine. Those were the days when we could lay-low, and be strangely comfortable with not knowing anyone at the party (or anyone in the country of France, really). And without Shannon being of legal work status, it was really just a lop-sided one-event competition… But then fast forward to this year - two jobs, two big parties, both Thursday nights in December, both serving too much Champagne, roughly the same in attendance, yet the feeling was somehow…très, très différent... And so I leave it to the faithful readers of the Rue Cassette blog to answer the following three Lars and Shannon Christmas Party Quiz questions to test your savvy on this subject (answers and rating scale at the end of the Christmas party section):
1) Looking only at the next picture, which party was hosted by Microsoft Corporation, and which was hosted by International School of Paris? 5 points
2) After considering all pictures and commentary, which party is more Shannon and Lars? 10 points
3) After considering all pictures and commentary, which party did we stay late at? 10 points .jpg)
For the first question, if you guessed that the left picture was Microsoft, you are correct and can grant yourself 5 points as we jump into the scene at the Salon des Mirroirs in the chic 9th arrondisement…The décor, I would describe as contemporary club-going, featuring sparkling fairy orchid vases, fiber-optic chandeliers, and poofy-white lounging chairs, to a backdrop of timeless Louis XIV… .jpg)
The dress-code: only one word provided on the invitation…”smart” (we improvised...) .jpg)
The attendees: happy, and highly proficient in PowerPoint. Starting on the left: Isolina Sartini with UW-grad, Wenatchee-grown, Ryan Cameron, Adeline Mathieu (wife of John Mathieu, who is responsible for all of the pictures), and David Shell... .jpg)
And speak of the devil, here is John - who gets sucked into the additional job of Western Europe Microsoft photographer, with the only compensation offered being extra foie gras…a small reward for carrying around equipment that looks like Tupperware to these events… .jpg)
In contrast, here we find ourselves in the heart of Bohemia, on top of the Montmarte attending the ISP party at the familiar Cadet de Gascogne. The décor, I would describe as festive holiday, earthy, traditional, “real," and reminiscent of any quality French bistro. The dress code: anything goes, but don’t be “that couple” in the Christmas sweaters... .jpg)
The attendees: Decidedly happy, disproportianately female, and quite friendly – here we see the LISP crew again (as a reminder, from left: Ling, IT teacher from China, Michelle, 2nd grade teacher from Australia, Shannon, Emily, 4th grade teacher from UK, Fiona, 2nd grade teacher from UK)...
.jpg) The dance floor: to be avoided. The ladies kept it to a friendly mingle, letting me know my place as the photographer… .jpg)
And now with your current total, the two final questions of the quiz:
2) Which party is more Shannon and Lars? 10 points
3) Which party did we stay late at? 10 points
Quiz Answers:
2) Neither - we strive for a harmonious balance of bohemian and high-tech bourgeoisie 3) Neither - silly readers, on weeknights Shannon requires sleep
Quiz Results - Le Blog Savvy Scale - Total your points up for your rating...
0-5 points = New Le Blog Reader. Wow, you were able to differentiate between a party thrown by the world’s largest software company – and a school. Don’t go patting yourself on the back yet. Keep closely tuned to the Rue Cassette monthly blog for greater insight.
5 – 15 points = Le Blog Reader with some of that je ne sais quoi. There’s a certain something about your ability to read between the lines, but as I said before, je ne sais quoi…Perhaps subscribe to the monthly email service that lets you know when le blog has been published.
20 - 25 points = A True Le Blog Bo-Bo*! (*Bohemian-Bourgeoisie) Come, drink our Chateauneuf-de-Pape while wearing a chunky scarf and painting still-life in the Montmartre…and then surf the web on high-speed Rue Cassette internet…C’est la vie!
| Okay, okay...enough fun and games. Surely you didn't expect us to spend the entire Christmas holiday season galavanting around at social functions in Paris! And since "There's no place like home for the holidays" and especially since "Christmas in the Northwest is a gift God wrapped in Green" (what...no one has heard that classic?)...We boarded Air France flight 040 direct to Seattle! And you wouldn't believe the amount of quality family time that awaited us at the other end - not to mention a little suprise "White Christmas" dusting of snow that you can barely make out in the background of the following picture from my parent's living room... .jpg)
On the Family J side of the equation, it was all smiles as pretty much every family member was granted their Christmas wishes. First and foremost, Mom and Dad were granted a healthy set of kids, spouses, and various grandchildren returning from far away lands to enjoy the hospitality and comfort of a newly remodeled house (and some tasty home cookin' from the new kitchen setup)... .jpg)
Niece Wynne got her Christmas wish, a fluffy bunny from Paris...as if she needs help looking any cuter... .jpg) Erika and Rich got their Christmas wish of kids Sidney and Karsten acting like angels... .jpg)
And thanks to my sports-obsessed brother I got my Christmas wish in the form of a huge dose of HAWKS gear...that I wear everywhere** **may not include Seattle or foreign countries .jpg)
Meanwhile, on the Family B side of the equation - Christmas wishes were being granted at an equally high success rate. As pictured, Carol and Rich had 1) kids back in town and 2) vin rouge, and Anne continued her streak of signifcantly out-dressing the whole family (that hurts even more when you live in Paris)... .jpg)
And yes, both Grandmas Ella May and Virginia received some quality grandma-ing time!
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| Sea-town homies! Because we love them, because we can't live without them, and because we needed to feed an addiction that can't be quenched by Facebook alone...we made a friends visitation circuit that, in retrospect, seemed more like a lightning round than the full quality time that all of these fine human beings deserve...but, it is what it is and so we must cherish the short visits, and...supplement with frequent, obnoxious Facebook wall posts (yes, unlike Apple I can support FB thanks to a generous Microsoft investment in their site). First stop - Pendys (that is short for Tyler David, Haley Marie, and Luke Tyler Pendergraft) for the third annual Christmas Eve Brunch at the Salish...now I don't know whether the hostess was more afraid of my behavior, or baby Luke's behavior...but somehow they granted us the private room... making for another Christmas wish score! .jpg) Big Pender used this special setting to teach his son the signficance of the Snoqualmie Falls, and more importantly the right way for a man to wear the collar UP. Fashion comes naturally in their genes... .jpg)
Next stop - Totts and Demetri help me fulfill the prophecy of our Christmas card letter, with a pit-stop "at an unnamed German pub in Phinney Ridge"...Next year's prophecy must include something about a mohawk and a green vest... .jpg) Then we joined some of the ladies for some major celebration of life's milestones. Starting from the right of Shannon, we have Sam who is now Samantha Thompson after being newly married to husby Grant. Next we have Rachel Blake...I swear there was something new in her life, but looking at the picture I'm just totally blanking on what...and Jennie Meyer...well a short few hours before this picture was taken we found out that... .jpg) Craig and Jennie are engaged to be married! Those sneaky little med-school love birds...Congratulations!! But honestly, we have to take care of these kids, we're talking about my future Orthopedic Surgeon and Internal Medicin..ist.... .jpg)
And here is Sam with her husband Grant. Honestly, would have loved to have gotten to know the guy, but he's super shy...and even weirder, didn't take that fork out of his mouth all night... .jpg)
And with the engagements, weddings, and babies around...you would have thought it was enough for one night. But it was also Craig's b-day! Happy 40th Craig! Just kidding, in reality that son of a gun is making us 30-approachers feel old... .jpg)
| Cloud Blanket New Year's Eve! And just as many Paris events helped condition us for the Company Christmas parties, all these Sea-town events successfully prepared us for the New Year's grand finale - featuring a house-party hosted by Demetri and Ann, an abundance of friends, and...a backdrop that is best described as "cloud blanket"....(don't ask me why...) .jpg)
The scene: not so different from other highly-exclusive events going on in SeaTown that night, featuring all too-familiar american rituals - like the ladies, focusing on crouching together for adorable pictures (aka "framers")... .jpg)
while the Gentlemen focused on generalized-trouble making and thoughtless lack of responsibility...
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And when Demetri told us he had a view of Space Needle (yes, the one that just missed the new Wonders of the World classification) from his apartment...well frankly, I thought he was talking about the "stand on my toilet and look through the peak-a-boo hole in the wall" type of view. But sure enough, these very pictures are brought to you from his living room window! Which, was a good thing, and made sipping the Champagne all that much sweeter...all the way up until the point when we almost witnessed our beloved Needle catch flames during major pyro-technical difficulties (see right of picture). Lucky enough for Seattle's flawless skyline, this story has a happy ending...the Space Needle survived without any permanent damage...unlike the guy's reputation who was responsible for the show...
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| And as soon as we were saying goodbye to 2007, we were also saying goodbye to our dear family and friends as we boarded Air France Flight 045 back to Paris. That flight is always one of mixed emotions - the bitter-sweet ending of leaving such a good place, yet reflecting on such a fresh crop of memories waiting to be published on the one, the only...le blog of Rue Cassette. Until next month, we wish you a Bonne Année and great start to 2008! .jpg)
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