Day 1 of my brand new life!
I celebrated New Year’s Eve last night with Dman by having a quiet dinner at home with another couple—very grown-up. He cooked and I did the other (un-fun) stuff, like cleaning the house, rushing to the market for last-minute supplies and so on. We were both cranky all day because each of us felt like we were doing more than the other; typical couple bs.
On D’s orders, I trudged to Rue Montorgueil (Mone-tore-goy) which is right near our house in the 1st arrondissement. There they have the traditional French markets selling fish, fruit, cheeses, bread and so on, but for the Parisian yuppies or BoBos (bourgeois boheme, i.e. rich wannabe hippies). The fact that there are Diesel and Miss Sixty stores at the start of the street should explain all!
I stopped at a flower shop to pick up some red-orange tulips for the table. At 8 euros a bunch, they were the prettiest and cheapest option for an American trying to deal with the awful exchange rate (1 euro is $1.46 right now!) In France, even if you buy cheap flowers, they don’t just wrap them in ugly paper like they do in the New York delis. They actually make a nice arrangement for you. While I was waiting for my tulips, I spotted some bling-y branches that were painted in silver glitter. Ooohh. Everyone knows I can’t resist glitter. I finally asked one of the girls how much they cost: “10 euros.” I didn’t know if I could justify spending $15 on glitter branches, when an older man, whom I presume is the owner of the shop, asked me if I liked the branches. “Oui, but they’re 10 euros?” He waved me away and started wrapping them up while I resignedly pulled out my wallet. The florist turned around and presented me with the branches, smiling, “Bonne fete!”
I think my eyes actually lit up. I felt like an orphan princess in Paris who just found out her real dad is a billionaire and has come to save her on Christmas day. It brought the first real smile to my face all day. My new French life was starting to feel pretty magical.
The Tulips and Glitter:
