today is very rainy and i have little to say. the clouds move very fast here. grey over white... like someone blowing cigarette smoke across the sky. the wind keeps blowing the doors and windows open. the plants on the balcony look unhappy that they are being thrown about.
i spilled coffee on the table and i have not cleaned it up yet. it is sitting, strewn across a box of chocolate, staring at me. laziness is like the plague.

the best thing about today is that it is my mom's birthday and i am trying to send her telepathic messages of happiness across the water, all the way to chicago. happy birthday maman. je t'aime.

tombées du camion

i had to share this because it was my favorite find of the day.


it's a store called tombées du camion in the montmartre area, very close to the montmartre cemetery.

it's so incredible, full of beautiful junk like doll heads and hands, old boxes from the 1920s, vintage postcards, strange metal pieces, and my favorite thing of all: typesetting letters!
the store is set up with everything in old wooden crates, and the smaller pieces (such as beads and old, small stickers) are laid out in wood boxes.

their outdoor display was so great, they had wooden wool spools from the 1940s (i think).
you can see that i am definitely enthralled in that pic!

it doesn't look like they have a website but you can read more about the store on marie claire here.

update: found their website! it was so obvious... ha!
here

today, tomorrow, yesterday

the days are mashing together this weekend, as i've been sleeping a lot (what else is new). the jet lag has caught me off guard, so my waking hours are 4am - 3pm. then i wake in the middle of the night to be hypnotized by french television and the sounds of the multiple parties littering rue de clichy...black ties, latin dance parties, karate parties (seriously)...

i spend a lot of time in bed looking at this (which i love).

on a FABULOUS note i found a health food store, naturalia in the 9th this morning.

everything wheat-free and gluten-free and heaven!!!!! i finally feel as though i will not starve to death surviving on single wrinkly vegetables and rice as has been the norm for the past few dinners.
but, not complaining at all- the french make a mean basmati rice!

something funny is that i have not seen the eiffel tower yet. oui, c'est vrai. i haven't been over that way. i'm sure i'll be around there in the next few days, but it really goes to show that this city is so much more than just a skinny metal tower. there are hidden gems even in the hooker district (par example, the boulangeries.... i gave in and had quiche. shut up. it was worth it.)

they have a really awesome newscast here, at around 6am, after the two straight hours of pink panther episodes, that shows europe as the entire world. pretty funny, but so well animated! it's like flying over each little country, it's become something i look forward to, after my second breakfast. i had three breakfasts today.

here are some photos from the walk this morning. this neighbourhood is hit and miss in terms of the classic parisian/french architecture, but for each miss there is a huge, redeeming HIT.

such as.

and then of course, the best gems of them all... the ridiculous debris!

(this bottle was in the doorway of a church)

(a couch in the middle of the road. the taxi driver waiting for it to be towed seemed pretty peeved.)

oui, c'est bon.

found.

another quick update.

i woke up at 6:45 today after a horrible night of bad dreams.
i think i am relaxing, and that is how my body is releasing previous anxieties, worries, etc.

here are some pictures from yesterday. i can't imagine i'll post pictures everyday but
i was so excited about all the food and places we went i have to show them!

we walked 4 km into the city center, all the way to the left bank
to eat lunch.

this is our breakfast from the boulangerie across the street from the apartment.

then tim dried some clothes.

this is jardin des halles. we had to stop here to lie down.

but apparently everyone does that...

seeing the seine for the first time... (sort of.)

tim's coffee at cafe de cluny.

more later. after i find exciting things.

quick update

we're busy sleeping off jet lag and eating baguettes but here's some photos from our first day.

i threw some words together in a string
tied to plastic boxes of stories and shapes
i never got to know you, or your new hair styles

i forgot about my promises
left a mess on the kitchen floor
but you still brought me fruit on sundays
whether it was real or not
i won't forget.

want some sticks?

i love camping. hayley took this one of me up at the lot earlier this month.
we made garlands out of long grass and clusters of water parsnip.

check out permanent camping (3x3 prefab sheds!) by casey brown on the dwell site!

ten found images
one for each day
till my new life in paris

can you tell i'm obsessed
with nature scenes
and low saturation?

:)

i just need to be there alone again
with nothing to break my bones
three suns, three stars
six weeks
packed in a box
with all my belongings.

l'été

©madichambers

the summer is beginning as it is ending.

see more of my summer photos here.

i was just drawing on her stomach with red markers and decided i'd share some of my dreams with
you.
she has money, she left the country
she left the country, again
this time away from the blood
it wasn't to lie about her identity

it makes sense, i can't write
i could sit in a bathroom stall and listen to her talk
but her jaw is wired shut
instead i hear his voice
eminating from my own pores
why can't it be easier?