AllMyOwn's Xanga

Une Fille et Paris

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 06:16:11 GMT

Process COMPLETE. Visa Obtained.

In what was the easiest part of this WHOLE process, I now am the proud owner of a visa. THANK EFFING GOD. As my mom will tell you, I walked in the French Consulate in Chicago ready and willing for battle. Turns out, my entire interaction with someone lasted about five minutes:

My appointment was at 10:40 and after walking around in search of a copy machine (Thanks Loyola University Library Dude!) we arrived probably about 20 after. So I had only been waiting about five minutes when Visa Guy calls me up: "Alleeexxsdra" (name misspelled purposely this time. I can't do a french accent in writing. just pretend like you have a whole lot of gunk in your throat after the x)

After that he said he needed about 5 papers, my passport and 3 passport photos. "Okay, your visa will be ready in about an hour to an hour and a half. come back around 12."

c'est tout. voila. (that's it. voila!-do i need to translate voila?) came back around 12. called my name. handed me the passport. done. over. FINI. (finished)

So, paperwork wise, I am all set to go. Mentally and physically...i'm not there yet. i got new luggage, which i love ps, but have yet to put anything in it. and mentally i'm still all, is this real?

two weeks.

"Hey, lets cross the sea
and get some culture.
Red wine with every meal
and absinthe after dinner"

Snapshots from Chicago:

Une Fille et Paris

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:39:45 GMT

Update: J'ai mon passport! (translation: I have my passport!) Obtained a couple Sundays ago, and is now in a secure area. Some people think it's funny to joke about puppies eating it up...others, comme moi (like me) don't find it quite as entertaining. Next mission: Visa. We're leaving on Saturday to arrive in Chicago early Sunday. Visa mission is being tackled Monday then home. I need it to go smoothly....

The other day I was walking to work and there was a mom and a little girl, maybe four, behind me...

"I hope it's my birthday today" - little girl
"It's not. But don't worry, I'll tell you when it is okay?"

(this comment by the way made me smile all day. Still does.)

My creative writing teacher talked to us one day about how people tend to overuse the word "hope" and "hopeful" and its correct uses. Mary Grimm, I love you, but if that isn't the correct use of hope, then I'm not really sure what is.

This is how I feel everyday...

"I hope I'm leaving today!" Excited, for one split second that today might be the day. The end of work, the end of being tired, sitting on a plane thinking about all that is to come...

and then I realize that today is not the day. Not yet.

I'm starting to get excited...and nervous too-like "Oh shit-I'm actually going to a country where I can't walk into every single place and speak English..." I know that a lot of people speak English in Europe but this is not the point of "studying" abroad. Hasn't truly hit me that I'm going yet. It's not real.

24 days...

Une Fille et Paris...

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 23:53:50 GMT

so, it's been a while....but here goes...a new beginning...

To be honest, I hadn't intended on starting this until much closer to my departure date, but I feel the events leading up to leaving are worthy of beginning a little early. I had visions in my head of how I would begin such a tale and how I would try to convey my excitement at the opportunity of being able to study abroad...

"I think I can smell the buttery, flaky croissants (obviously pronounced kwa-sonts in my head) already!"
"I promised my boyfriend I wouldn't start a relationship with anyone while overseas...unfortunately I met some wonderful men named Louis Vuitton, Yves St. Laurent (A saint nonetheless!) and Christian Dior...I may have cheated a little. just a little though."

but in actuality, I think the beginning of my story actually begins more with a head tilt, a furrowed brow and words something along the lines of, "wait...WHAT?! YOU'RE KIDDING ME RIGHT?!" (more appropriately it would have started with many four letter words, but I'm not sure who's reading this and didn't want to offend)

story of my life...and so it begins.

Let's back things up a bit...set the mood if you will...

April 18th, 2007: the calm before the storm. it was on this day in history that i applied for a passport. "Okay ma'am, you're all set. you should receive your passport in six to eight weeks. Happy travels!"

...fast forward to June 25th. still no passport and no sign of it arriving any time soon. Panic mode begins to set in as I have not applied for my student visa and of course the backup about what a clusterfu*k situation the government is in with the increased amount of applications for passports is all over the news. Eff me. Horror stories about people not getting their passports in time prompt me to call the National Passport Services.

after waiting for about ever on hold I finally reached someone who was able to help me and suddenly my departure date was not only August 8th (not really, although I wish, I just wanted them to hurry up the process) and my passport was in New Orleans, Louisiana being worked on actually but would then be expedited. YAY! problem solved.

June 28th, 2007: Thursday. Leaving for a mini vay to Chicago (which conveniently is where the French Consulate that all Ohioans would go to...) on the 29th. Mom calls. "Hey Al, you got your passport!) I'm pumped as this means I can begin my long visa process. I need the number from my passport so I ask mom to e-mail it to me and this is the first line of what I get in response:

ALEXNDRA (spelled on passport btw)

...

...

what??! WHAT?! my.name.is.spelled.wrong.

NAME. SPELLED.WRONG.

namespelledwrong!

WHO SPELLS A-L-E-X-A-N-D-R-A wrong?

immediately I am on th phone with the passport people again (please believe, at this point the passport number is in my speed dial. my fav five if you will)

Me: Uhm, hello ma'am, I'm trying really hard to be patient, but i've waited over ten weeks for my passport and after needing it to be expedited because i need to order my student visa, I received it today and my name was spelled wrong.
her: Okay, and what state are you calling from?
me: Ohio.
her: okay, well ma'am it looks like we're going to have to send it back to the agency in which it was issued to correct it.
me: okay...
her: Looks like it was in New Orleans...can you go to the agency?
me: ...excuse me?
her: can you go to the agency?
me: do you mean call the agency?
her: no. can you go there? can you bring your passport there?

...(at this point, a lot of not-nice things are running through my head...I'm not sure who taught this woman geography but they need to be fired. Or maybe she was just absent that day in third grade. I'm not sure.)

I managed to say a blunt and simple "NO." with only a slightly raised voice. So passporty (maybe I should give him a name...like pete the passport..yes?) is then overnighted BACK to New Orleans where it will be corrected.

July 10, 2007: I still don't have pete. BUT! I also learned today that i actually NEED TO GO TO CHICAGO FOR A PERSONAL APPEARANCE AT THE FRENCH CONSULATE TO OBTAIN MY VISA. I called the french consulate and oui. it was confirmed that "eet eees ahhbsoloootely neceessarry" that I come to "Shee-cahhhgo." so. now! instead of bring my passport with me THE FIRST TIME I WENT TO CHI-TOWN THIS SUMMER BECAUSE I RECEIVED IT IN PERFECT CONDITION WITH NO ERRORS, I HAVE TO GO BACK. five hour bus ride --> ten minute meeting (literally) --> 6 hour ride home.

and that's where we're at. called the passport people again today (here's a thought, what am i going to do when I actually get the damn thing? A large part of my day is spent talking to Judy* or Rob* or insert other random name here from the NPS. Maybe i'll just call to chat....See how they're day is going...ask them if they've seen any good movies lately. who knows.)

Roberta* said I *should* get my passport tomorrow. If i don't, start collecting bail money.

*denotes a name change in order to protect the most-of-the-time friendly employees of the government issued passport services

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 17:51:08 GMT

I have missed writing... and have been meaning to... so why not while I'm sitting in Econ? sure!

I saw a girl wearing a shirt the other day that said, "CURE ABORTION." Uhhh...last time i checked it wasn't disease. i wanted to tell her...

eyelashes and snowflakes

campus is pretty when it snows...but this mind numbing cold can stop anytime now.

I was watching tv the other day and some commentator noted how nicole richie is a fashion icon...SAY WHAT?! i'm sorry but in absolutely no way do i view someone who is this skinny as a fashion icon:

girlfriend needs to stop denying that she's unhealthy. being a martyr for the industry doesn't make you brave.

I have a strong urge to watch what dreams may come...
...if only i had time.

I also am itching to paint...once again, if only I had time...

i miss my little puppers :0(
how could you not?

i.hate.math.

I'm getting better at french...I'm starting to be able to pull abstract ideas from what my professor is saying or whatever i'm reading... it's pretty cool.

love.truth.honor. FM phi mu FM

i'm tired. i miss my creative writing class. i'm not gonna lie, i'm not paying attention to you martine...i'm sorry, i just don't care about the cpi or the gross domestic product of the US. nope. nope nope.

haircut this weekend. ideas?

alright. that's all i got for now.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 20:33:18 GMT

insurance companies/doctors offices suck. Yesterday I had to pay $20 dollars for a doctor to look at a mole on my arm and go, "nope, you don't have cancer." thanks jackass. I mean, of course it's better to be safe then sorry but still. What if they did want to have it removed? I wouldn't have had to pay for that. in that case, they would have been like, welp, turns out you weren't really lying to us about being sick. So in return, we'll slice that freckle off your arm-FREE OF CHARGE! WOOHOO! have a nice day!

eight books for one class? seriously?

sometimes, things happen to me and i like to keep them to myself. not bad things-good things. They are just nice to have, all to myself, to think about on rainy days i guess.

i'm going to see rascal flatts with rich and calvin this weekend. I'm super excited! i can't wait to see them

school starts in two and a half weeks. I think i'm excited. I still can't tell.

I've been reading A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time anyone?) it's very good. It amazes me how avant garde she was in her thinking, and how some of the things she was writing in 1972 are still effective today. It definately makes me think.

whoaaaa. i can't believe i've gone until this point w/o mentioning death cab and flaming lips. Death cab was amazing, of course. Most of their songs gave me goosebumps everywhere. Its just really incredible to hear all the songs i love live. Sooo good. and then the flaming lips came on. I had no idea what to expect really. and then, the craziest show i've ever seen came on. First of all, they had about 10 dancing santas on the right side of the stage. then on the left side they had 10 dancing girls dressed up like aliens. then! they had this HUGE screen with about 4 projectors projecting things onto it. The lead singer had a video camera attached to his mic, so inbetween songs you got an extreme close up of his face. THEN they would shoot streamers and confetti into the crowd during almost every song (i bet the workers at blossom were thrilled about that!) and then they had all these crazy balloons thrown into the audience to be bouned around like beach balls. Some were as big as small cars. it was crazy and amazing and I loved every second of it! I def want to see them again!

ok welp, peace out playas!

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:47:45 GMT

i think bicycles are beautiful, fascinating subjects. I don't really know why. Maybe because to me they represent some sort of journey in someone's life. Someone going somewhere. They hold within their wheels and contours a story. I like the juxtaposition between the straight lines and edges and the round wheels. Everytime I pass this particular bike stand at work I always want to take photographs of them.

I've gotten into a reading kick again. hopefully my next post will contain a list of the books i've completed thus far.

i still feel horribly guilty when i see homeless people. I mean, even if they are using their money to buy booze or drugs, it still has to be humiliating to walk up to a complete stranger, people younger than you who have more money, and admit that you have absolutely nothing. Homeless is never really a top position on the list of "things we want to be when we grow up" we all had when we were five. Who ever actually thinks they will be homeless and penniless?

it. is. so. freaking. hot. outside. not even hot where you're like, "yeaaaa, bring it on summer!" hot as in, can't move without breaking a sweat. can't sleep. anyone who even THINKS of touching you is out of their mind. I mean, i'm all for hot weather, but...man.

and hot... just a little FYI about myself. I HATE when my feet are hot. i HATE HATE HATE IT. it's horrible for me. I'd rather have the flu for three days than hot feet. i dunno. in the winter my feet are normally freezing but... wow. i hate it. it just makes me so uncomfortable.

death cab is in 2 days. I'm pretty excited to say the least!

speaking of seeing bands live, I've been thinking about which bands/singers I could probably see over and over again. They include:

-Matt Nathanson (love love love!)

-Minus the Bear (love love)

-the Good Life (just damn good music)

-Death Cab (do i need to explain?)

-the Format (dance party!)

-the Faint (double or triple dance party!)

School is going to start in a couple of weeks. I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. I really like my schedule this year and the times of my classes and stuff. Looks like it should be a pretty good semester.

I think that is all for now!

ps-listen to kate voegele! she's amazing! www.katevoegele.com

Monday, July 24, 2006

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 02:27:52 GMT

i go to school with smart people. i think that is pretty cool. fitz and lil chris are debating what's going on lebenon/isreal right now. I'm a spectator in this match. it's interesting to listen. all the while (is that one word? who the hell knows? i mean who seriously decides to make words like 'nonetheless'? i'mjustgoingtostarttypinglikethisandcallthemwords) fitz is playing with a rubicks cube. hahaha.

i wore cowboy boots with bermuda shorts the other day. i'm really okay with that.

Little chris is back from his european journey. i've seen a lot of his pictures and heard his stories and the absolute need for me to travel has just increased by about ten fold. His pictures are gorgeous. If i could fly to Cinque Terre immediately i would. France is obviously first on my list but Barcelona looked incredible. I cannot wait to see this world. Life is much to short to only stay in one place.

today something happened that made me sad inside. Today i walked to the boarding house (convenient store) to pick up some gatorade for my electrolyte depleted body. As I was walking home, a man reading a newspaper asked me to buy him something cheap to eat. As I didn't really feel like walking back into the boho, nor did i feel like walking to mcdonalds then walking all the way back, i was faced with the problem of lying and saying i didn't have any money, or trusting this man to buy himself some food. instead of drugs or alcohol. i looked at the sky and saw a beautiful sun creating the freckles on my face. i looked around at the beautiful campus around me. I chose the latter. I opened my purse and gave this man two dollars. I told him i was trusting him. i was trusting him to walk to mcdonalds and buy himself a burger and fries. and really, if he didn't, would I ever know? Call me naiive, or whatever you want but if i am blessed enough to have two dollars to give to someone else, to use however he so may choose, then so be it.

So i continue my short walk back to the house, feeling content with my decision to give this man two dollars. I always cut through Sergio's (restaurant) parking lot and right after i entered the parking lot i noticed a cop pulling in behind me in the corner of my eye. I somehow knew he was going to talk to me so i stopped and waited. The cop rolled down his window and began questioning me as to what the man on the corner of the boho asked me. I told him and then the cop said, "just for future reference, don't give that man your money. he's not going to buy food with it. he does this all the time and im just trying to get a better picture of what he says to people." I quickly sighed and said, "yea i know. I know the reality of it sir, but you know what? Sometimes i like being naiive." he then replied something about how he's not telling me where to spend my money...blah blah blah.

I know very well that the chances of him buying a burger and fries were slim. But for just this one day, one day, i would have liked to believe that maybe he looked around and decided to eat, instead of drink. Maybe he looked into my eyes, heard that someone trusted him and enjoyed a dollar cheeseburger. Don't get me wrong, i'm not condoning alcohol or drug use, or abuse for that matter. But at the same time, maybe if that drink is what gets him through the day, well, who am i to judge? or maybe that's a rediculous statement. Either way, today i wanted to be naiive. i wanted to be a little kid again-who doesn't understand things like homelessness, and alchol and drug abuse and even lying. and that damn cop had to ruin it.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 20:50:36 GMT

the new format cd + the live matt nathanson cd = me being an extremely happy girl!

i don't mind dog-earring the corners of pages in books. it gives them character and makes them look like what they are intended to be anyways...: read.

speaking of books, i got 2 books at our book store for a dollar each (so that means i paid a total of TWO dollars for all you non-mathemeticians out there) scoorreee!

i have recently discovered that i really enjoy mustard. and salt and vinegar chips. not together though. although maybe-i haven't tried it. anyways...YUM!

i should probably shower soon-ish...

back to matt nathanson...i would marry him in about a second flat.

hehe

i always have thoughts bouncing around. unfortunately some of them bounce right out and i forget them. oh well

project runway starts again tonight! i'm pumped. i am sad that priyanka and jess aren't here to watch it with me though. boo! i hope it's still on when school starts again though!

welp ey, my stomach is demanding i feed it dinner. adios!

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 05:24:18 GMT

After much begging from my many many fans (ha ha) I am indeed updating...here i go!

*I finished my first year of freaking C-O-L-L-E-G-E. (that says COLLEGE in case there was any confusion). It's exciting and hard to believe all at the same time. when did i grow up? and as my new role model Meredith Grey says, "how do i make it stop?" Pretty soon I'll have to do that whole "real job" thing i've heard so much about.Umm seriously? yuck.

School kicked my ass second semester. But i've never been one to take an ass kicking lying (or is it laying? real nice Case. Real nice...) down, so of course I kicked it right back. I ended up doing very well and was quite proud of myself. Here's hoping that fall semester goes just as well.

I made some amazing friends this year and I miss them all. I couldn't have asked for a better (well, okay maybe some parts) year but life would not be life without all the crappy parts in between the good ones right?

*I am staying in Cleveland this summer because i found a pretty great job. I mean, I hate the concept of having to work at all (trophy wife anyone? ) but at least at this one I get to wear what I want (i really miss having to wear that green apron and hat everyday. no seriously. I mean those are so flattering on everyone, no?) it pays well, my bosses are pretty cool and the hours are flexible. It has been a big change for me and the fam but i think we're adjusting to it. If nothing else,this year has taught me to value my family because when it comes down to it, they're all i really need. Blood family or the family i created at school, they will always love me no matter what and nothing compares to that.

*I have recently become obsessed with grey's anatomy. yes. it's true. I should have just listened to everyone who told me to start watching it a long time ago. I would have saved myself A LOT of time this week...and also not felt like such a loser for devoting that much of my time to a tv show...actually, i'm okay with it. Patrick Demspey-hello?! Need i say more really. i mean honestly!

*i enjoy sushi. a lot. raw fish is just so appetizing. hahah.

*i also enjoy summer. a lot. minus that whole work part of it. but warm nights and shorts and flip flops? bring it on. bring it on.

*that's about all i can think of for now. should satisfy the intense cravings for now.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 01:05:53 GMT

what is the point of strawberry banana or peach applesauce? isn't the point of applesauce to, in fact, taste like apples?