Long Ago and Far Away, In A World Much Younger Than Today

If I could, I'd like to skip over the obligatory "it's been forever" speech of long-windedness. It has, I have reasons (some of them legit!), and I hope to be more diligent in the future.

That wasn't so bad. Moving on! A slightly abbreviated list of what's been going on since I last wrote (August!), in no particular order:

• James and I moved in together, into a lovely little apartment on the far West side of town that has charming details (huge mirrors and a lovely wood-burning fireplace). We bought a new couch (a picture of which is posted several posts ago), and all we really have left to do is paint, buy a dining set, and some randoms...like a DVD tower. We probably won't get to this for awhile, because...
• We're engaged! I'm not one of those girls who has dreamed of her wedding day since she was twelve, so I have no idea what I want, nor any money saved up. However, thanks to a huge binder I'm getting organized...I'll post a picture of it sometime, the OCD organizer in me loves its numerous tabs and detailed sections.
• I went on my first business trip (so adult), to California. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. Maybe some pics of this, too.
• I bought Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I haven't seen the Julie and Julia movie (yet), but I've been longing for some French food basically since the day I moved back from Paris, and this seemed the most accessible. I made some Supremes (chicken breasts) with a cream sauce for my parents the night James asked my dad for my hand (blech, hate that phrasing) and it was marrrrvelous.
• I had my 21st birthday party at a restaurant/bar downtown. It was an Alice in Wonderland theme, and though it took a LONG time to plan (when I was planning it, I may have said, "Ugh this is like planning a wedding!" more than once...if only I knew what I know now!) but it was so worth it. THOSE pictures will definitely be posted; my friends really got into it and looked great in costume.

Wow, that list was even more abbreviated than I thought. Makes sense -- aside from work I mostly stay home these days, which I'm loving. I promised James I'd start cooking more consistently so we can save more money for the wedding. Any recipes for simple meals that make for good lunch leftovers? My problem is that when I cook these days, it's usually something elaborate that takes several prep bowls and plates and then the pans and pots and blah blah blah...the making of it is fun, but the cleaning is not -- and I (for some unknown reason) usually only make enough for the one meal. Maybe I'll try some casseroles.

Well fellow bloggers, it's lovely to be back, and I look forward to catching up on all of your blogs soon!

What's Your Morning Like?

With big changes come new routines. Take my new job, for example. Before I started working this summer, I stayed up late, slept in 'til whenever, and generally lacked any sort of pattern when it came to sleep -- although in math randomness is considered a pattern. Anyway. This new job let the real morning person in me come out. So my day gets started a little something like:

4:15: Alarm (in the form of "Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall...makes me feel very Devil Wears Prada) goes off, somewhere between now and 4:30 sit up in bed. Take a minute to adjust.

4:30 - 4:50: Do some yoga. I always feel happier when I start my morning like this.

4:50 - 5:05: Breakfast. Usually a whole grain cereal. Sometimes eggs. 

5:05 - 5:20: Shower. 

5:20 - 5:45: Makeup. Yes, it takes me this long. I used to be a makeup artist. I'm all about patience and perfection. 

5:45 - 6:00: Iron clothes or otherwise get them ready and pick out accessories while I let my hair air dry a bit.

6:00 - 6:15: Dry hair/do some sort of hairstyle. I've been working lately on putting a little more effort into my hair, as I usually just leave it down and blah. This really helps complete a look.

6:15 - 6:25: Make my lunch. Usually this consists of some kind of leftovers. Today I just put some lasagna in tupperware. 

6:25 - 6:50: Take care of any last minute things, or just sit and watch some news. 

6:50: Off to work. I have the luxury of a semi-flexible schedule. As long as I do full time hours, I can come in as early as 7:30. For a morning person, this is a God-send. I get there at 7:30, leave at 4:30 or sometimes later, and then get to leave really early on Friday afternoons. I think this Friday I'll be out of there a little before two!

I'm sure for many this kind of schedule sounds horrifying, but I really like it. It's quiet in the morning, I get to take my time and I never feel rushed -- a feeling that I loathe. 

I'm curious, though...what are your morning schedules like? 

Image from http://www.palomatankless.com/experience/kids_shower.html.

Good News, Everyone!

My interview went really well; I was hired on the spot! The best part? I'm still making the same (amazing) base pay + commission because this job involves sales (though hopefully I'll be focusing more on marketing). A little about the company: it's an NPO that broadcasts foreign language programming, including news, cultural stuff, and stuff for kids. They have eight channels, as well as a website that provides subscription services to people wanting to learn a foreign language. Pretty neat, huh? And right up my alley. Who knew you could find multiculturalism in Iowa? (Yes, it's out of state, but only about a thirty minute drive). Oh, and I get my own office! Haha! I am so incredibly blessed with this. I was pretty demoralized about the whole job situation and I am so lucky to have this opportunity right out of college!

And now the (kinda) bad part...now that I have this job I'm mentally spending some money already. James and I had always planned to get an apartment in September, and now that's looking extremely plausible. With an apartment comes essentials for that apartment, and we figured out that we need about $2000 for everything we need right away. However, this estimate includes a couch (that we've already picked out), but we can use a hand-me-down one for awhile. What we do need, though, is new sheets, pots/pans, cleaning stuff...the list goes on and on. We actually had a pretty fun "date" awhile back where we walked around Target and wrote down all the stuff we need and how much it costs. Am I the only person in the world who would think that's a good time? I had a blast.

Thoughts on the couch? Courtesy of Nebraska Furniture Mart. 

Jobs and Julie/Julia

A little over a week ago, I had two interviews at a company and they ultimately decided they would like to go in another direction. Well, there went six hours of my life (driving back and forth + interviews). I was pretty crushed. However, today I got a call from the same company, saying that they would like to have me back in to talk about a different position. James seems to think this means they've already decided to hire me. With this economy and all of my experiences with jobs/interviews so far, I'm a bit (MUCH!) more skeptical. Feel free to send good thoughts/encouragement my way. 

Now, onto Julie/Julia. My lovely mother has always been a fan of Julia Child, so she was thrilled that there is going to be a movie semi-based on her life. I'm thrilled that Meryl Streep was chosen to play her. Luckily, my mother also subscribes to Bon Appétit, and this month's issue has recipes taken directly from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, so soon we're going to make Pissaladière Niçoise, Poulet Sauté aux Herbes de Provence, and Reine de Saba, then go see the flick. When I told James about this, it went something like:

Jillian: Blah blah blah, Julia Child...cooking.

James: Can I come?

Jillian (surprised): You want to see Julie/Julia?

James: No, I want to eat.

Typical. 

Image taken from movies.gearlive.com.

I'm Alive + Closet Conundrum

Hello fellow bloggers. I am indeed very much alive. I've been keeping up on most of your blogs, but moving back to the States, catching up with everyone, looking for (and finding!) a job, apartment hunting, and various social obligations have sucked basically all the "me" time out of my schedule. The "me" time that I absolutely adore and need. I think I'm getting a hang of things now, so I can get back to a little blogging!

Now. Back to the apartment hunt. And the closet problems that this causes (closet like, literal closet...not the metaphorical one that people hide in or step out of).

A little background: 

• I have clothes, shoes, and bags fetishes. All hereditary. (Thanks, mom). 
• Ever since I was about eight and my sister and I moved out of our shared room to separate rooms in the house, I've had my own closet, and it's been good. 
• Come September...ish, I'll be moving in with le boyfriend. Apparently, this means "sharing" a closet. Say what? 

So you're all caught up. Moving on.

James and I went and looked at three different apartments today (I swear we've seen about twenty since we started the search). Mostly we look at one bedrooms, but there are some two bedroom ones that are in our price range. When discussing one of the aforementioned two bedroom places, I said, "Well this is good, I can have the walk-in [closet] and you can use the one in the spare room." A mini, pseudo-funny, underlying-ly heated convo ensued. Apparently, he's not a morning person, which means that he can't walk the extra ten feet to the spare room in the morning to go get his clothes. I may have overreacted just a tad. We sat in the car in silence for a few minutes while we both (I presume) contemplated why. He doesn't have that much stuff (do any men, besides Europeans?), so it's not like his would cramp mine. But but...a closet is a sacred space! 

I suppose this feeling is also hereditary. My mom uses the ginormous walk-in in the master bedroom. My dad's closet is in the basement. Really. 

Guess I should learn to compromise. Suggestions? 

Also, for you girls (or guys) living with your S.O.s: TV in the bedroom...yea nor nay? (I vote nay...never had one, don't want one).

*Image source unknown -- saved it awhile ago, can't find it anymore! (Isn't it dreeeamy?)

Lucky to have been where I have been, lucky to be coming home again.

Those who know me know how much I absolutely loathe packing. I do it so often (making international trips 5+ times a year) that I should be good at it, but I'm not. The first year that I lived in Paris, I dreaded going back to the States for the summer for this very reason. It's embarrassing to say now, but I actually called my mother and begged her to make the 5000 mile journey to help me pack up my belongings. The crazy part? She actually did. 

And she's here again, but not so eager to help me pack. I've spent the better part of the afternoon sifting through the objects I've acquired over the last few years of my life, dividing them into piles of "Take," "Toss," or "Take if I Have Room." This is especially hard for all of my books, because if I had the choice I would take every single one of them with me. Thankfully, my mother flew first class over here so she's allowed two 70-pound bags and a third 40-pound one. 

The comments that a couple of you left on my last post echo the sentiments of nearly everyone I meet. "You're moving back?" they ask, confounded. Yes, I am. Truth be told I'm quite excited to do so. Paris is, of course, an amazing city, and I love living here. But I wish to pursue higher education back in my home country, and I have to say it will be nice to live somewhere other than a big city for awhile. 

Nevertheless, you'll probably see a whiney comment or two here around August lamenting the fact that I won't be returning anytime soon. I'm just going to make the best of my last few days. 

Bisous!

Graduation, etc.

It's official ladies and gents, I am a college graduate. My degrees are in Film Studies and Global Communications. I didn't know this before I got to the ceremony, but I got university and departmental honors. For both my degrees! Bragging officially over. 

This is of course the reason for my extended absence. My good friend arrived on Friday to stay with me, and my mother arrived on Saturday to do the same. Since then, there's been the pre-graduation picnic (strawberries and champagne on the Champs de Mars!), the ceremony, the reception (hence the picture and yes, more champagne) and the post-grad gala which was an absolute blast. I wish all my weekends could be as heavenly. 

My friend left on Tuesday but my mother and I are staying until Monday. I am moving back to the States. On Monday. I will no longer live in France...ugh, this is madness! 

I promise my next post will be more coherent. I hope all is well with everyone, I have a lot of catching up to do on your blogs!

Alphabet Photos: Miscellany

Today, while wasting time before my mom arrived in Paris (more on that later), I walked around the Concorde area with a couple of my friends, café hopping, talking up a storm, and taking more alphabet photos. I'm almost embarrassed to say that a lot of conversations were cut short like this: 

Jillian: Yeah, that's really interest---hey that looks like an "O"! 

Followed by me whipping out the camera. To my surprise (and happiness) they told me this wasn't in the least bit annoying, and even helped me find some really good subjects for shots. I'm now attempting to get the whole alphabet before I leave. Here are U, V, and W, respectively. "V" was taken in the Carrousel du Louvre.  

Photo Fun: The Results!

I started my morning off by listening to "Lucky" by Jason Mraz, and moseyed on over to the Eiffel Tower to take the "A" letter shot. I found some other cool "letters" around the way, including "P" and "Y" but those weren't helpful for this project. (Remember, I'm trying to spell out my boyfriend's name, James -- see last post). In any case, I then took a bus up to the 18th arrondissement and spent about three hours walking around taking photos. Here are the ones I have so far with his name, I'm not too crazy about my "M," and the "S" was a total cop-out. I've got about a week left to finish up! I love my "J" though -- if you look closely you can see my reflection. I was walking down some random street thinking to myself, "Ugh, where am I going to find a 'J'?" I turned around and there it was! 

Admittedly, I am not a very good photographer, more of a point and click kind of girl. But I think they turned out alright -- and they look a lot more impressive side by side, trust me! 

Plan for the Day: Photo Fun

Last semester, my friend Melissa was taking a photography class. For that class, she completed a final project of her choosing. She chose to go around the city, taking pictures of "letters" she found around Paris. I've decided to brazenly copy that idea and make a gift for James. Despite the fact that he's aware I have a blog, I'm pretty sure he doesn't read it. If he does, HI JAMES -- close this window now!

You didn't close it, did you. Ah well. It doesn't have to be a surprise. I just hope it works out!

Now that that's out of the way, here's my idea -- I'm going to spend the day looking for objects that spell out his name, like the pictures above. (The "A" is going to be the Eiffel Tower...obviously!) I love being in Paris when I'm not in school -- I have so much time to do fun things!

Pet Names (Part Deux): Hi, My Name is Poodle Pants

A couple days ago I discussed pet names that couples have for one another. Well, my mother just sent James a message on Facebook (tangent: isn't it kind of scary to have tech savvy parents?) that read: 

"You probably know that I'm leaving Friday for Paris. Can't wait to see my Precious Poodle Pants! Just wanted to say hi and it will be nice to see you around again. Hope all is well with you." [Emphasis added].

Yes, I am Poodle Pants. Clearly, this was done in a bid to embarrass me, but I'm beyond that. I think it's hilarious. But it brings up an interesting question. 

Your parents probably spent hours agonizing over the perfect name for you. But, if they're anything like mine, they rarely call you by it (save times when they're angry. Then it's Jillian Marie...!). Why is that? The world may never know. 

My dad is actually the one who usually calls me Poodle. My dear mother's nickname for me? Mildred, sometimes shortened to Millie. Why? No one knows, not even her. It's been going on so long that I respond to that just as quickly as I respond to Jillian. Kinda funny, huh. 

Alright, moment of truth. What nicknames do your parents have for you? (Come on, even the embarrassing ones). Any interesting stories there? 

The End of an Era: Part Deux

Today was officially my last day of college. I attended my last "final," which consisted of me, the other six people in my seminar, and my professor sitting at a café near school discussing our theses. Some of them had wine, the prof had a beer, my friend Melissa and I drank champagne. It was marvelous. 

My favorite moment was when our prof went to the restroom and one of my classmates ordered him another beer. When he returned, he looked at the beer, confused, and we all laughed, explaining the situation. He laughed and said, "What if I were a mean drunk?" We then giggled about the possibility of him changing our grades in a drunken stupor. This of course didn't happen, because he wasn't drunk, and our grades were already set!

Which brings me to a little gloating. I got an A- on my thesis! Normally, this would anger me. The perfectionist in me wants a good, clean A. None of this mathematical symbol behind it business. (Unless it's A+, then I let it slide). But writing this paper was an intense process, and I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished; I'd never done anything of that magnitude before. 

Next up: mom's coming to town and, wait for it... graduation! 

Image taken from poshcravings.com. 

Pet Names: The Adventures of Cupcake and Batman

Couples often have the endearing (or annoying) habit by calling their S.O. by a cutesy name. Sure, honey, baby, and pookie bear work just fine...but I'm more interested in the ones that have a bit of a story behind them. For example. Ones of James' coworkers calls her husband "Sexy Muffin" -- if/when I meet them I'm gonna have to know what that's all about. 

James calls me Cupcake. This all started as an inside joke with a separate group of friends which, being an inside joke, is difficult to explain. Suffice it to say that "awkward muffin" was our catchphrase. Now James, not being in on this joke, but having heard of it, sent me a text one day before we were dating that said, "awkward cupcake." Confused by this, I sent one back. "...are you calling me cupcake?" Turns out no, he wasn't. But he started to, and the name stuck. 

Imagine my delight when I got off a very long flight from Paris back to my hometown to see James waiting at the airport with a sign that read "Cupcake." As I walked toward him, he flipped the sign over. It also said "cupcake," with an arrow pointing down. This arrow was pointing toward...drumroll, please...a Tiffany's box. And inside that box was: 

Yep, my Batman is pretty amazing. I call him Batman because when we first started hanging out (and honestly, to this day) I had the habit of expressing surprise by saying, "Holy (insert something here) Batman!" Like, it's snowing and freezing cold? "Holy cold Batman!" Well, playing off the earlier text-versation in which I thought he was calling me cupcake, he asked if I was calling him Batman. Again, I wasn't, but I decided to start. 

So I'm curious, what are your thoughts on pet names? Cute/annoying? Do you have any? What are some of the craziest ones you've heard? 

Interior Design Inspiration: The MoMA Store

It's hard for me to describe my decorating style.  I like things that are modern, but not sterile. Classic, but home-y. Today, while doing some online window shopping, I stumbled across some stuff at the MoMA store that I just love. 

I absolutely adore this dry-erase wall clock. Not to put anywhere that guests usually are, like the living room -- but to organize my life somewhere like the kitchen or by my desk. I can write down my work schedule, James' work schedule (his changes almost daily), pressing appointments, etc. The only downside is that this beauty is $135. I showed the link to James earlier today, and SURPRISE he said he can make one, apparently for a fraction of the cost. My guy is so handy. His words: "A piece of wood: $4. The paint: $20. Clock parts: $10 - $15. The look on my girlfriend's face: priceless." Cheesy, and adorable. And yes, whiteboard paint, along with chalkboard paint, actually exists. 

Next, there's: 

Magnetic vases. You put little metal plates under your table cloth, and the vases stand up like magic! Well, not quite like magic, but they're pretty neat, no? These are $45 for a set of 5, but I stumbled upon a DIY video. Seems a bit labor-intensive for me, and the materials would cost about $25, so I might shell out the extra dough just for the convenience. Unless, of course, James wants to make these too...haha. Showed these to my friend Holly. She said I'm going to be an "amazing hostess." Is it weird or wrong that I kind of want to be Stepford-ish in that way? Like Bree Hodge?

Finally, theres: 

A chalkboard bud vase! How cute is that? You can draw whatever design you want...write down some reminders (that's becoming sort of a theme with me, isn't it? I do indeed like to write myself some notes. Maybe I should get control of that before I go all Guy Pearce in Memento). To my lament, this one is $75. $75! I am coming up with some DIYs ideas for this though, so I'll keep you posted. Because even I, the queen of spending, cannot justify that. 

I'm curious, how would you describe your interior design taste? 

The End of an Era

Now that finals week is in full swing, the end of my college career is quickly approaching. Two down, two to go, and a thesis presentation (a low-key affair at a Parisian coffee shop...I think that's a pretty decent way to end my undergraduate studies). 

I was on the phone with my father the other day having a pretty confusing conversation. You see, I was under the impression he didn't think grad school was a good idea at the moment, he was floored that I hadn't applied. Turns out he just thought grad school in London was a bad idea. These parents...they'll do anything to get me back Stateside. Including the magical words, "We'll figure out how to finance that." 

Truth be told I was a bit unnerved that my educational career was going to end so abruptly. Time off from school? Where am I? WHO am I? So I've decided to study for and take the GMAT this summer and apply to get my MBA. Probably at Creighton University. It'll be interesting to be back in my hometown for a bit. Whether or not I will survive there after four years in Paris is a completely different story. But here are some things I love about my little hamlet*:

• Growing up in the suburbs allowed me to do a lot of things I would've been unable to in a big city. Sled, play in my yard, get a big dog to play in the yard with me, ride my bike around without fearing for my life, camp in my best friend's backyard...
• I run into someone I know nearly everywhere I go. Good friend or acquaintance, it's always good to catch up. 
• In the same vein, I'm a regular at certain places. My coffee shop, the bar my friends frequent...it's nice to get your drink without even having to order!
• Everyone is so ridiculously nice in the Midwest. This is something I took for granted before moving to Paris. I could purposely bump into someone in Omaha and they would politely say "excuse me..." I wouldn't do this, but uh, you know, it's nice to have the option. 
• My parents live there. So does one of my sisters and my lovely niece. Family is good. Well, most of the time, haha. 
• If I drive twenty minutes, I'm at my friend's farm. If I drive twenty minutes in the opposite direction, I'm downtown. Gotta love the variety. 
• Lastly, and a funny one: free refills. More iced tea? Why yes, I'd love some. (Granted, you could get this pretty much anywhere in the States, but I think it counts anyway). 

What are some things that are special about where you grew up? 

*"Hamlet" is a bit misleading. Omaha and surrounding areas are home to over a million people. Still feels like a small town though. And hamlet is just fun to say.

And quickly, on a completely separate note. Joanna over at A Cup of Jo mentioned Love & Victory and they're doing a giveaway! You should comment over there too (comment to win!), but I really hope I win one of these gorgeous custom silhouette necklaces. I'd get one of the aforementioned lovely niece. 

Isabella. Too adorable for words, right? 

It's Gonna be Legen--Wait for it, Dary: Thoughts on "Wingmen"

Men are fascinating. And by "fascinating" I mean, utterly inexplicable and occasionally frustrating. This is especially evident in their "picking up women" practices. I mean, just look at Barney. 

I love you, Neil Patrick Harris.

Barney is, of course, a fictional character on the enormously funny show How I Met Your Mother, played by the talented Neil Patrick Harris. (Sidenote: he also stars in a wildly entertaining internet musical called Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog...YouTube it). On the show, NPH's character often acts as a "wingman" for his friend, Ted.

Now, according to Urban Dictionary, a wingman is the following:

wingman (n.): a guy you bring along with you on singles outing (like to bars) that helps you out with the women

Of course, this can be interpreted in many ways, but generally, I have ascertained that the wingman performs certain duties, including engaging the woman (or women) that his friend is not interested in, in order to give his friend time with the woman that he actually likes. Also, he "talks up his friend," attempting to make him seem more interesting or attractive in the woman's eyes. 

Seems a bit convoluted to me, but okay. However, I was a bit surprised that my boyfriend, James, is going out this weekend to do exactly that for his friend, Hans*. 

The wingman. Kinda looks like NPH, right? Well, he's blonde, anyway.

His mention of this outing spurred what was probably an hour AIM conversation, followed by an even longer video chat. Why does Hans need a wingman? Can't he do this by himself? What exactly does this all entail? Honestly, the whole conversation was a bit more confusing than enlightening, but mainly one question spurred to mind. Do girls really fall for this?  

Also...what does this say about the guy? That he needs strategy and "distractions" and his friend's compliments to talk to a girl? Or he's just "shy"?

Ladies, gents...thoughts on wingmen? 

Good luck this weekend, Hans, and may James be helpful to you.

*Name changed -- Hans is a cool one though, right?

Hello, Graduation Present.

Last night, while avoiding homework and staying up way too late, I stumbled upon something truly, amazingly cool. Before you get too excited, I must say that this it is also truly, amazingly nerdy of me to be so happy about this. A little background...

Living in Paris, I use public transit and/or walk to get around. Having a car here would be pointless. But I digress. This being the case, I walk about a quarter mile to and from the grocery store. Having long since discovered that plastic bags are are useless as they are un-eco-friendly, I generally use a messenger bag and/or a reusable bag I picked up from Forever 21 (the only other thing, aside from headbands, that I condone getting there). 

When I stumbled upon the Trolley Dolly at zpm.com, I knew I had to have one. Just look at that thing! It attaches to your shopping cart via velcro, has a plastic pocket for easy shopping list viewing, and comes with sturdy polyester bags that are color coded, making for easy in-store separating of goods, and therefore easy in-home unloading!

It also comes in a variety of colors, and a messenger bag style, in case you want to send the guy out and he's embarrassed to be seen with the thing. 

Of course, this is not practical for me now. Like many "French" people, I go to the grocery store nearly every day, to buy goods fresh but also so I don't have to lug lots of stuff home. (Sidenote: more than two bags or so probably would make for a very uncomfortable ride in my truly tiny elevator).  These things are kinda pricey, £29.95, but I think I can definitely justify that in the long run in terms of convenience and the frequency of use. So mom, dad, or boyfriend, if you are reading this, DEF need one of these for (insertholidayhere). P.S. I like the messenger bag one.

What do you guys think? 

Keeping up with the Blogses.

I really admire people who can keep up with their blogs. I don't know how they find the time! Maybe I'll have a bit more once I am done with school and the summer job/possible career sets in. Maybe less. 

For the moment I'm:

• Finishing up an original feature length screenplay
• Working on two teleplays (one of which I'm collaborating with a classmate on)
• Finishing up my senior thesis for Global Communications 
• Doing final projects/papers for various other classes
• Working on a website about German Expressionist film to fulfill my IT requirement
• Trying to figure out how I'm going to pack up my life to ship back Stateside 
• Trying to fit some fun in there, somewhere, so I don't go legitimately crazy

On the last point, this past Saturday was my school's infamous "World's Fair" -- it's a party that starts at 1pm on campus. Called the World's Fair because Americans are a large minority at my school -- making up about 35%. Other than that, there are students that represent over seventy nationalities. So, in one of the campus buildings, students set up tables that represent their home countries, make ethnic foods, and generally dance and have a good time while learning about different cultures. Which is, in a word, awesome. I didn't make it to the on-campus part, but my flatmate Ted dragged me out to the Champs de Mars for the afterparty. Yeah, this is how we do it.

This picture is a bit misleading. It was quite sunny for the most part! 

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Entertaining Idea: Whose Line? Party

My favs are definitely Colin and Ryan.

If you're anything like me (and I know, you're hoping you're not) you like entertaining. Not in the stand up and do a song and dance sort of way (well, maybe that too), but more in the, invite people over, have a few cocktails, some good conversation, maybe play a few games. In this spirit, I've decided that hosting a Whose Line Is It Anyway? party would be great fun. Here are a few suggestions. 

1. Buy a DVD.

Unfortunately, not everyone attending your fiesta will be familiar with the amazing improv show that is Whose Line. To start off, while people are arriving, put in a DVD and watch a few episodes to get people accustomed to this particular brand of humor. 

2. Plan games in advance.

For this, I advocate blatant plagiarism. Watch the show, steal the game ideas, and maybe even topics. Examples:

Scenes from a Hat: In addition to having a hat and plenty of pieces of paper available for your guests to suggest funny scenes to act out, the Whose Line audience has come up with some great ones in the past. Here's some I picked up: 

- If actors were completely honest during their award acceptance speeches.

- Circus acts that didn't last long.

- Odd things for a lounge singer to sing about. 

- Unusual things for a neighbor to ask to borrow. 

- If you used stripper moves to perform mundane tasks. 

- Strange television shows for Mr. Rogers to make a guest appearance on. 

Props: hat, scraps of paper, pens 

Party Quirks: For this one, you give some (maybe three or four) guests sealed envelopes, and another guest is the "host" of the party. In the envelopes are characters that the guests must act out, and the host tries to discover their "identities." Here are some identities that performers on the show have acted out: 

- Family coming to blows on the Jerry Springer Show. 

- Synchronized swimming teammate of the others (he mimics their moves while "swimming"...absolutely hilarious). 

- Series of animals spotting and charging at cameras (or other objects in the room). 

- Gangster being riddled with bullets. 

- Bloodhound trained to sniff out complete idiots. 

- Various celebrities slowly getting steamrolled. 

- Suspects that people are not the sex they claim to be and is trying to find out for sure.

- Hunky model in a photo shoot for the covers of romance novels.

Props: Envelopes with some characteristics in them. 

Two Line Vocabulary: Three guests act out a scene. Two of the guests are limited to using only two (specific) lines each. For example: 

Guest One: "Is it always that big?" and "I don't think that's a good idea."

Guest Two: "Run that by me again." and "Who needs this." 

The guest who can say anything they want is performing a life or death operation on a mob boss. Guest One is the anesthesiologist, and Guest Two is the assisting nurse.

Props: Lines for performers to say, scenes to act out.  

Let's Make a Date: One guest is the contestant on a dating show. The other three guests are the possible dates who are given odd personalities or characters via envelopes. Following two rounds of questioning, the "contestant" must guess who the others are. (This is similar to Party Quirks). Possible guest characters/quirks include: 

- Roommates from "The Real World."

- Soap opera doctor desperate not to lose another patient. 

- Nervous old woman accidentally boarding a roller coaster.  

- Thinks contestant is absolutely repulsive. 

- Astronaut with alien inside him. 

- In a medieval dungeon being tortured for information. 

- Vulture looking for the ultimate feast. 

- Violently jealous woman who keeps catching people making eyes at her boyfriend, the guest next to her. 

- The severed head of an evil genius kept alive in a lab launching his plans for world domination.

- Castaway who washes up at the party and must use whatever he finds to survive. 

Props: Envelopes with some characteristics in them. 

Those are just some of my favorites, but there are plenty more! You can just google the games and see some. If you have some friends that are good singers, some of the games like Hoedown might be fun. 

Also, a lot of the games hinge on the audience knowing the guests' quirks or characters, but one or more of the performers being unaware. This can be achieved by making a powerpoint presentation that details the contents of the envelopes given to the performers, and making the computer screen visible to the audience but not those acting out the scene. 

3. Add refreshments.

Finally, you may want to think about a truly wonderful relationship: that of comedy and cocktails. Here's a cocktail that I often have at parties as my "signature" drink that people usually rave about: The Bellini. 

Ingredients:

• 2 oz peach nectar
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz peach schnapps
• 3 oz chilled, dry champagne

Mix the peach nectar, lemon juice, and schnapps in a chilled glass. Stir, and add champagne (serves 2). 

Usually I mix it up a bit, and instead of doing the peach nectar I add apricot juice. I call this variation a "Jillini." Ah, I'm so clever. Don't forget to add some finger foods to the mix!

One last tip: have a video camera handy. This would be great to capture and use as blackmail. Hope you like, let me know...I've got some more party ideas to post!

Let's talk about flatmates.

"My roommate says, I'm going to take a shower and shave, does anyone need to use the bathroom? It's like some weird quiz where he reveals the answer first." 

- Mitch Hedberg (Gotta love him). 

I have lived in the same flat in Paris for four years. It's big, close to school, and has a view of the Eiffel Tower from both my bedroom and living room windows. It's a boring area, mostly filled with rich old people, but the owners of the café downstairs know me and bring me my near-daily café crème before I even order. But that's not what this post is about. 

In the last four years, I've had twelve flatmates. Yes, twelve. My landlords often rent it out to visiting students who stay for a semester and then leave. There have been Americans, Frenchies, a Norwegian, Egyptian, Brit...the list goes on. 

In my final semester here, I am, for the first time ever, living with boys. Malcolm and Ted are both (essentially) from England. And they're younger than me. At first, I didn't notice any big changes from living with girls. But I've come up with a few. 

When I was living with girls, I never...

1. Went into the kitchen to find them doing a push-up contest because they were "bored."
2. Went into the kitchen to find my flatmate and his date eating dinner. 
3. Walked in on my flatmate topless. 
4. Had a topless flatmate wander around the flat. 
5. Heard stories from classmates about my flatmate getting into a fist fight at the party last weekend.
6. Consistently had beer in the house. 
7. Thought twice before playing "It's Raining Men" while getting ready to go out.

As you will see, none of these are generally negative. One thing about this, too, is I don't get woken up in the middle of the night to hear about my flatmate's boy troubles. For the past few months, I've slept like a baby.

Before I go grab a beer...here's some pics of the place. (Pic up top is the view from my living room window).

Work is either fun or drudgery.

It depends on your attitude. I like fun. (Courtesy of Colleen C. Barrett). 

As mentioned in my previous post, I spent two summers and a winter holiday working in the Cosmetics Department of a department store. The first summer, I perhaps took my orientation training a bit too seriously. I didn't converse with a lot of my colleagues and didn't get to know them very well. This made work the very definition of drudgery. 

I came back the next summer and changed that. I started building relationships with the people I worked with, and my morale improved exponentially. I'm convinced they are some of the coolest people I have met and ever will meet. Work became fun. 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that you ignore your duties and make work a party (though we did occasionally break out into song/dance in the middle of the day). But sometimes, it's a good idea to share a few laughs to break up the monotony. A fun way to do this is to share some inside jokes, or maybe watch videos on YouTube, force others to watch them, and quote them incessantly. We call this "homework." As in, "Here's the url, don't forget to watch your homework tonight and come to work tomorrow prepared to talk about/quote it."

Though I did this with many of my colleagues, Chanel James* and I had entire conversations made up of inside jokes and random quotes, probably to the great annoyance of others around us (sorry Ashley). 

Here's to you, James: HEPL M! Cheerleader, Whatsherface, Soandso, The Ugly One! That was different.

Left to right: Mandi, Viva, Pam, (Chanel) James

Ashley, Liz 

Second pic stolen from Liz! Sorry, it's a good one!

Aren't inside jokes fab? (Said in a Sarah Palin voice...that one's for you, Mandi). 

You guys have any good ones? Work stories? Jokes? 

*Use of prefix for Chanel James is to avoid confusion with my boyfriend, also named James. 

Hi, I'm Jillian, and I'm a makeup-aholic.

I suppose my cosmetics addiction can be traced back to when I started working at a higher-end department store in the Cosmetics department. Suddenly I was required to learn about application and technique and the various benefits of various products. I started wearing more than mineral powder and mascara and lipgloss. I started buying things. And then, I suppose, it all just got out of hand. 

This is my makeup case. It's fairly new, my boyfriend got it for me for Christmas when I was complaining about how my old one no longer accommodated the mass quantities of makeup I possess. He's so thoughtful that way.

As you can see, I own a lot of stuff. Probably in the vicinity of fifty eyeshadows, twenty lipsticks, countless lipglosses, eye and face primers, tinted moisturizers, mineral powders, foundations...the list goes on. However, believe it or not, none of this is superfluous. I actually use virtually everything in my case. Another hard-to-believe fact -- there is actually method to the madness in the organization of that thing.

And what good are cosmetics if you don't have solid skincare? 

My bathroom counter. My flatmate's (Ted's) counter has exactly one face wash, and I'm actually quite surprised he even has that. 

In the morning, I usually use a mild exfoliating wash followed by Laura Mercier's Purifying Water (Light), then LM Flawless Face moisturizer ($$, but amazing). At night, it gets a bit more complicated. Purity face wash by Philosophy (works as a makeup remover and toner too!), the LM Purifying water, Philosophy 3-6-9 oil, Lancome nighttime moisturizer, and a Lancome eye and lip cream (it's preventative!). It takes awhile, but gets pretty awesome results (the oil is something I especially recommend for people with dry skin like me). 

I'm not quite sure what step this is in the 12-step makeup-aholic process, but confession sure does feel good. How 'bout you guys? What do your makeup cases look like? Have any weird addictions like mine? 

À bientôt!

You Know You're a Military Brat If...

As being an American citizen born abroad often implies, I'm a military brat. My dad was a helicopter pilot (Vietnam Vet) in the Army and Air Force, and my mom was an Air Force recruiter. My maternal grandfather was a Marine and in the CIA. I grew up singing "The Marine Core Hymn", and one of my dad's favorites that goes something like, "Oh I wouldn't give a bean to be a fancy pants Marine..." And, being a soon-to-be college graduate, I am terrified about finding a job once I am Stateside (this economy!). How do these things relate? Coming where I come from, for better or worse... joining the military has always been in the back of my mind.

This pic is my dad when he was my age (20) in 1970.

I'm not too sure how serious I am about this notion. But, for the sake of argument, I've decided to make a pro/con list. This is something I do quite often, and a few more will inevitably pop up in the future. And away we go...

Pros

• Instant job, guarantee of that job, and paychecks
• Interesting career paths -- possibility of being a linguist (I am confident I would score high on the ASVAB and other aptitude tests that would make this feasible) 
• Subsidized higher education (BIG pro)
• With a college degree, I'd automatically be an officer

Cons

• To put it simply, boot camp. No, I'm not worried I won't survive it. My concerns are of an entirely different nature. Not to sound overly prissy or incredibly high-maintenance, but how would I live without my five different skincare treatments? Mascara? (Tales of my makeup addiction to come).
• Haven't I moved around enough recently?
• In a word, Texas.
• Maybe not productive in terms of my future career path? 

I'm sure there are many things to add to both lists, but I can't think of them right now. Something else I can't account for is how my parents will feel about this. Proud? They have a crazy daughter? A little sad? We'll see if it ever comes to that.

Cheers everyone!

The Story of my Life (Abridged)

This is not my first attempt at blogging. It will probably not be my last, though I do hope that I continue with this one more vigorously than the others. For those playing catch up, let us do a Brief History of Jillian's Time. 

I was born in Japan, where I spent the first two years of my life. I only know one phrase in Japanese, roughly translated as "hold on a minute, please." From there I moved to Papillion, Nebraska where I spent the next fourteen years and met some of the key cast members of my life, who will probably pop up in anecdotes now and then. I discovered my passion for film in high school, where I produced three projects I am particularly fond of, titled A Knight at the Roxbury, Dying to be on TV, and Summer 2005: The Movie. Despite this, I applied for spots at many universities intending to obtain a degree in International Relations. However, on a whim I decided that I would rather study film, and at age sixteen moved to Paris to do so. I am near the end of my four-year career here, and at the end will hold B.A.s in Film Studies and Global Communications. 

And you're up to speed. 

My current endeavors are: surviving until graduation, finishing scripts for two pilot episodes of television shows and a feature-length film, and contemplating how I am going to pack four years of my life into four suitcases in preparation for my imminent move back to the States. 

One of my favorite things to do, though, is to furnish the apartment I don't yet have. Of course, I have an apartment in Paris. But I rent it furnished, and see no reason to buy things that I will either have to throw out, lug home, or leave for the next tenant. (Exceptions: tupperware, muffin pan, the requisite cocktail shaker). So when I was home for spring break, I couldn't help it, and did a little shopping. My favorite purchase is undoubtedly two square dinnerware sets (making service for eight) that include dinner and salad plates, bowls, and mugs (the last of which I'm not too excited about...square mugs for square mouths?). I suppose this has to do with my intense appreciation for the aesthetic in everyday life, which is partially French-inspired. Just check that that out.

Honestly, isn't the presentation helped by the square-ness of the plate? I think so. 

My second favorite purchase is undoubtedly the "Couture" pictures that picked up from Z Gallerie. I bought three, and this one is definitely the most "edgy." I'm thinking of putting them along the wall in the entryway, putting coat hooks between them. 

I suppose that's all for now...je vous souhaite une très bonne journée! 

À plus,

Jillian