Paris is the best city to get lost in. I highly recommend it, darling, but do bring a notebook in case you ever feel like getting lost there again. Actually, my notebook isn't really that helpful anymore since it's full of random street names and shops that I passed but couldn't bring myself to go into due to pre-buyer's remorse.

Recently I discovered the 20th and, baby, it's my kinda place. Pretty much every cool show that I'd be interested in going to is there. Alas, I discovered this too late to see Black Lips play tonight at La Maroquinerie, but I guess I can always see them back in the States...it won't be as fun to brag about it though. Tomorrow night, Silver Mt. Zion will playing there with the Tra-la-la band and I'm going to try to get in even though the girl at the ticket booth told me that it was sold out. I checked online and fnac still seems to have tickets, so I'm going to count on the inefficiency of the French bureaucracy and hope I can get in.

Also in the 20th: Les Bauttes-Chaumont. Yeah, the Luxembourg gardens are nice, but do they have a suicide bridge? It also happens to be the only (that I know of) park in Paris where you can walk on the grass. And by golly, people aren't just walking on it, they're making out all over it. I love it. While I was tromping along, all set to do some critical reading for Paul's class, I passed several pairs of legs sticking out of bushes. It made me think of how annoyed and offended we get in the States about public displays of affection. Later that night on the metro I saw an older couple giving each other nosies and kissing, not giving a damn that they were literally surrounded by people. That's awesome, even if it's not your thing.

So, we visited the sewers this week and that was all fine and good, but if you want a sensationalized tour of Paris, look elsewhere. I remember when I took the underground tour of Seattle and it was all about bad plumbing and prostitution. Just let your mind wander a little and you'll see what I mean. The Parisian Sewer tour reminded me a lot of our trip to the Water Treatment Plant when I was in elementary school. Very informative. Very polite phrasing. I even learned a new inoffensive way to say "poop". No naughty stories though (alas!).

Finally, next week is spring break. Excitement!