bonjour.

bonjour from paris.
it's day 3 here and we're already exhausted (but in a good way).
paris is much bigger than i thought it would be,
way more diverse than i thought it would be,
way dirtier than i thought it would be.
but it is lovely and charming and beautiful.

the weather has been perfect, though almost a bit too warm!
the first day here was a blur -- walked around our arrondisement (district), ate crepes, and tried our best to stay up late to help the jet lag.

the second day was filled with lots of walking and trips on the metro.
margaux has proven to be quite the map/direction expert.
we explored numerous areas, from the jardin de luxembourg to the sorbonne to the ile st. louis and the eiffel tower.
margaux even convinced me to take a cruise along the seine -- i really didn't want to, it seemed too touristy to me -- but it turned out to be wonderful.
there were people all along the river, enjoying each other's company, a bottle of wine, the weather...
the sights and sounds, from the louvre to notre dame, were amazing.

dinner was at a hip cafe where all the "cool kids" seemed to be hanging out. our waitress spoke english and for dessert brought us an entire big bowl of chocolate mousse (almost like a pudding) with the instructions to take as much of it as we wanted and if we finished it, we could have more (the bowl was HUGE).
i think we managed to spoon out 3 scoops.

today, we went to check out the flea market, but quickly realized it wasn't the one we had in mind. it was ghetto and sketchy and a side of paris i'd like to soon forget.
there are other flea markets around, we just picked the wrong one.
the highlight of the day was montmarte -- really beautiful and full of life.
lots of people, artists, musicians, cool stores, cafe's and patisseries.

dinner tonight was at a place not too far from our hotel (which, by the way, is nice, but tiny -- it's hard not to bang your elbows against the walls in the bathroom).
the crowd was how i always pictured paris -- very stylish, lots of smoking and red wine, full of character and charm...

i think that's it for now.
lots more planned for the next couple of days and then it's off to italy.
i have to leave you with one quick funny story...
on the first day, we went to a market to get some water and after margaux finished paying, the lady said, "merci," to which margaux replied, "bonjour."
of course she meant to say "merci" back.
thank you! hello!
good times.

a few snapshots...

animal book dividers.

click here.

rebellion.

ramen spork.

Originally created for use at the popular Sugakiya ramen noodle restaurant chain in Japan, this combination fork-spoon easily twists noodles and ladles soup. Ecologically, it was intended to eliminate the waste created by disposal chopsticks. Dishwasher safe. Made of stainless steel.


buy here.

maze lock.

a very charley weekend.

v2.

please have a look. click here.

nike pov.

they've done it again. amazing nike ad directed by guy ritchie. check it out here.

t.hanks.

utensil holder.

fun way to store your utensils.


buy here.

french toast kabobs.

via swissmiss.

camera lens bracelet.

more here.

the invisible present.

for the person who has everything...

work better.

laptop workstation.

from ikea. buy here.

only in japan?

"This is what an honest country Japan can be: garbage collectors found 10 million yen ($100K) in a discarded pot. Instead of keeping it for themselves, they contacted police and are now conducting a public search for its rightful owner."

via tokyomango.

sofa box.

via swissmiss.

they happin.

really?

street art.

beard font.

elastico bookshelf.

signs of spring.

more here.
via swissmiss.

marimekko duvet.

click here.

butterfly clock.

click here.

lost in translation.

love the teacher and other little kids in the background.

back in the day.

got this from my dad, who got it from this blog.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1940's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a tin, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, our baby cots were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking .

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a van - loose - was always great fun. We drank water from the garden hosepipe and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cakes, white bread and real butter and drank pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because......WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no text messaging, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We played with worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out any eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them! Local teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! And YOU are one of them!

CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.

And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

good graffiti.

thank you, dad, for this and the above few posts. your jet-lag has served you well...

shower floors.

a couple cool contemporary shower bases...



click here.

monster factory.

these guys are pretty cool. click here.

robot phone.

from Japan (obviously): "Softbank’s coming out with a new line of handsets in April that will double as robot friends. These handsets have arms and legs that fold out, and screens that will make faces according to their moods.” via tokyomango.

bookmark.

a new bookmark using the movement of air. click here.

fatboy hammock.

this would be nice to have...


click here.

cutting boards.

These four color-coded polypropylene chopping boards are designed to avoid cross-contamination of various food types: red/raw meat, white/cooked foods, blue/fish, green/vegetables. The boards are stored in an ABS plastic horizontal filing unit with a non-slip rubber bottom. Boards are dishwasher safe. click here.


via swissmiss.

maple bacon.

maple syrup and bacon lollipops. a dream come true. click here.

hollywood.

drove up to beachwood canyon to do some scouting for an upcoming shoot...snapped this photo of the hollywood sign.

wants and needs.

christine and justin's love of stuff and art inspired them to start a project where they paint objects of desire and necessity and sell them for the cost of said object. check it out here. be sure to click the "haves" to see what they've already gotten.