I have an interview

I know none of you are aware of my totally sketchy NYC job situation for the past two years but here is the condensed version. I landed here from Paris October 26, 2006, my brother kicked me and Mr. Big out and I moved in with a girlfriend and two large dogs. Needless to say, that lasted for about a month, and then I met him. That is another blog all together so next time. Anyway, I temped for a bit, worked for a high end well know NYC interior designer, then got a "real" job selling print. It was a great opportunity at the time and after a year things went down hill. The company ran into financial probs and I cut my losses and quit. I started my own company about two months ago and have been attempting to get some business closed but no cigar yet. So, in the spirit of making rent and being able to shop I started to look for another paying job. I found a job on Linkedin, applied and got the first interview. Interesting twist with this company is that it is headed up by a TV talking head who also happens to be handsome and single. I got called back for the second interview (which is tomorrow) and I have to interview with handsome/single/TV guy. This should be interesting.

Back to USA land in NYC!

I have been putting off starting this blog up again just b/c there is so much to tell. Where do I start? I have decided that I will give a brief overview of the last almost 3 years YIKES! We have a lot of ground to cover but there is much to tell. I ended up running out of money in Paris and my bro flew into Paris the last week I was there. I organized the party and we had tons of fun! Bro and I made plans to take the TGV to Marseilles then East to Nice. We stayed at swanky HI Hotel and rode bikes along Meditereanean. We took a day trip to Monoco and then headed to Lyon. I had one meal in Lyon with my bro and had to high tail it outta Lyon back to Paris to take care of Mr. Big. He needed to get updated vet check for the flight back to the states. My master plan was to fly with my bro to NYC (where he lives) and crash on his couch and then live with my girlfriend who also lives in NYC. So, ride to airport in Paris have to fly Mr. Big cargo again (so I think). I have his paperwork, attempt to make reservation in french and do not get it but was told I can probably show up and put him on cargo flight. Take cab to Cargo section 100 euros...she waits in cab while I negotiate with Cargo and after an hour they say No! WHAT!!!??? Mr. Big can't be left behind in Paris ...how do I get him home when my flight leaves in two hours???? Cabbie says just take him into airport and check him in with you (french love animals!) I stand in line forever to check in and they say where is your ticket for Monsieur Gros? I said I did not know I would need one? (play stupid!) They point to ticket counter and say to get one for him and he can go on the flight with me under the plane!!!!!!! It worked out and was one of the only easy things I have ever done in this fine country of France. My cab fare was 168 euros but my ticket for Mr. Big was only 10 euros so I think I did okay! I get stopped by security (of course) and get the major pat down, they find a Bobbi Brown lip gloss and almost take me into private room. Finally get to gate where my brother is standing and looking so relieved to see me, we are the last to get on plane. He said he thought he would have to call my P's to say I never made it! On flight safely to NYC...my life starts anew...

Remember MOI???

May 28, 2009 now posting from NYC...

WOW! It has been a long time. I just wanted to give anyone out there who "pseudo" followed me what happened. Do you need closure? I do! I am also going to start a new blog, more details to follow when I figure out what I will be writing about. SO, since we left off I was to work for Frenchy (which I did). It was a part time gig in which I called on North American designers to promote Frenchy's business to them and their clients. Needless to say, I was not successful in the sense that I "sold" anything but did market him to mainly NYC designers. Basically, free PR for Frenchy. I think that was from September until October. October was D-month for American girl in Paris. The funny story was my rent was up for my apartment sometime in the beginning of October. I had no income and my flow was at empty. I had to book my one way ticket back to the old US of A. :( sigh, sniff, sniff

I asked Fufy if I could crash at her pad and she said I could stay at her maid's apartment? Fufy had a personal assistant/maid that lived in the apartment below her in the 16th arr (very near my apt). Her assistant was in Brazil for a week so I would have the place to myself for a week the two weeks living with the maid. Okay, so said apartment is in a fancy building on Rue Boissiere. The apartment is tiny but has a window which looks straight out to the eiffel tower! C'est magnifique! First week good, second week BAD. Maid returns...she does not speak ONE word of english or french! Do you know Portuguese...I don't! So, needless to say it was painful at times but I was teaching english part time and working for Frenchy so all was not too bad...until I broke the sink! Portuguese maid did not shower at all, she prefered to bathe out of a bucket (no lie) with a washcloth. Well, she only washed her hair once a week, which was down to her A$$ and thick and frizzy. So, she does the hair wash thing with a huge wad of hair post bucket bath and proceeds to empty out her comb into the toilet. The toilet, you guessed it, overflows and gets stopped up. Fufy is out of town and I have no idea how to negiotiate a plumber in french. No worries, right? I have booked my ticket to ride and it leaves in 2 weeks. So, one night I go out have way too much wine or whatever cocktail come back to apartment and have to pee. What do I do? Yes, into the sink seems not lady like but necessary, until the sink rips away from the wall under my very curvaceuos and newly fromage enhanced figure! Now, we need a plumber! I call in horrible broken french and attempt to get one and somehow acheive success. He comes over the next morning and laughs and asks me how it happened I just smiled and laughed and let him create his own conclusion. I am sure he is still telling that story about the drunk american girl peeing in the sink...blah, blah, blah.

Wedding in France! Ce n'est pas moi!

I got invited to my first french wedding. American girl invited me to her wedding outside of France. But of course we must go over the bachelorette party details first! 

All Bachelorette parties should take place in Paris as they are crazy and the french guys think all American girls in groups are tons of fun. (which we are!)  

Just so you know...I just found this post after I revived this blog...so I am finishing this story from NYC (May 28, 2009)  

I went to my American girlfriend's apartment to meet up with her and the girls.  She is from my hometown (Richardson TX) and we happened to go to junior high and high school together!  Weird. I arrive at said apartment dans la quinze (15th arr).  All her girlfriends attended UT and OU.  I attended OU so we are all immediately fast friends.  I especially bond with Tiffany.  She is really into horoscopes and seems to be doing a little soul searching of her own.  Everyone is dolled up and has flown in for a night of party time!  We are finishing up final touches while drinking champagne at the apartment.  And we're off!  We head to Music Hall for dinner.  Tres Chic!  We are seated at a large table for the 8 of us.  Just a few tables away is a group of french young good looking men who enter the story later.  We are

 guzzling champagne and dining on fantastic food, we are getting louder (typical americans!) and giggling.   As dinner comes to a close we engage in excessive picture taking.  The waiter is taking tons of pics and enter stage left cute french boys.  They come over and volunteer to take the pics.  Of course, we ask them to get into the pics also.  We tell them it is a bachlorette party and we are headed to a club (which I can't remember the name of now).  We arrive at the club and the shots and champagne immediately are ordered.  Very soon after cute french guys arrive...more drinks and more drinking ensues.  

There is some petting going on between some of the french guys and some of the girls all very tame but interesting none the less.

Bride to be gets the hottest of the group to take off his shirt at the bar (see photos).  Night progressively got more and more blurry and hang overish.  I think I left, no boy, no pics that are TOO terribly incriminating but he definitely will not be running for any public office...ever!  

Update

Since we last spoke...

I got fired from my job the night before I left for Italy. My employers could not afford to pay me. Fell in love with Italian man in Bari Italy. Returned back to Paris broken hearted and unemployed. I am almost out of money and good ideas for ways to extend my stay without completely running out of money. So, I received an email while in Bari from a guy who has a job opening. Meaning, I had sent him my CV and now there is an opening. I have no idea when or what this job was applied for? I respond I will contact him when I return. I return to no phone and no internet in Paris. This place can be trying at times!!!!!! I call him on my cell phone the next day and he does not remember who I am? Okay, he says he will call me back and I know he will not b/c he has no recollection of contacting me (two days ago?). How does this country function with people that can't remember who they emailed two days ago for a job opening? I mean how much wine did Patrice drink at lunch to forget me? He does not call but I reply to his previous email and nicely say "I am sorry we were not able to connect today but I am still interested in the below opportunity" etc. He never calls!!!!!!! BASTARD! Doesn't he know how desperado I am???? So, fast forward to today...he calls me this morning pretends nothing is wrong and asks me to come for an interview. I agree and ask him for address etc and too send the job description since he never said what that was! It is now almost midnight the night before and he has not sent me the email. I will call him in the morning so I know where I have to go for this interview but let me tell you I don't have much confidence that this is going to be the dream job I was hoping for! Also, went to a trade show on Monday with Frenchy, he offered to hire me part time and temporarily to get me by. I will start working for him on Monday...

La Rentree.....

So I decided to continue this thing out of pure boredom! I have been out of internet access for about 3 weeks now. Nothing sucks like living in a foreign country alone with no internet. I can't even pretend to know what is going on in the world. I only have 4 channels in France and French news is no good and the international herald tribune is 2 euros and really not that interesting most of the time. I prefer to get some news and the rest gossip. What can I say ...I am proud to be an American?

Introduce new storyline here...

Sometime end of July I was introduced online to some Italian men for travel tips by my Russian friend. We were talking about taking a vacation to Italy. Why not? She sends me a text and tells me to meet her online (MSN) and she will introduce me to her friends b/c they are both single. I agree and long story short I am introduced online to Vittorio and Massimo? Pics get exchanged and Vittorio looks like the cute one and he is talking to my Russian friend. Massimo is pretty cute and does not speak (write) very good english. We talk abit and Vitt and Russian have to go to bed. I continue to talk to Mass. Mass and I begin talking online everyday. Russian and I decide to go to visit these guys in Bari Italy for a week. It was the best trip. I completely fell for Mass and now here I am back in Paris. My luck!

Paris is on Vacances

For those of you that are jealous of me living in Paris...don't be! Right now Paris is soooooooooooooo boring. I mean during the week it is not so bad, I can go to some stores (grocery) and I do have a job now. BUT, the weekends are painful! Literally, everyone is gone! The clubs are closed, resturants, even my pharmacy is closed for vacances. WHAT the HE**? So, last week was kinda fun. Here is what went down. I caught up with my American friend PJ and his two friends some dude Ray and his "blind date" Aussie guy (don't remember his name). Not really a date Ray is not gay but they had not met before and so I call it a blind date! Anyway, we meet for drinks dinner etc. It was pretty cool then moved on to a Pub to have cheap beer on Ray's coupon card. Ray is apparently quite the regular at this spot. We are chatting and having good convo when my blog comes up. I have been keeping quite a bit of very interesting information from all of you as family reads this blog and I have to keep it clean. So, I am thinking of creating the real version of my life "unedited". I feel that this one is just getting boring and I hate to update it with my PG version of life. Ok, so that was that night next night I have a picnic with AP (frenchy friend of my bro). I go to meet him after work at the Paris Plage with a bunch of other french people. It was fun, great food, good practice on the french skills and then went a had a drink with an english couple. I did nothing this past weekend and it rained all weekend. Sorry, even I am tired of this blog! comments???

JOB ...

It is good thanks for asking! I love it ...so far. It has been about a week and it is great. Last Friday they had "clients" in to look at their stuff. After the entourage left we had our usual glass of wine to finish the day. Reason #99 why I love it here... So, "boss" tells me do you know who that was? I reply "no?" He tells me it was the biggest Turkish industrialist (in Turkey of course) and his wife who owns the largest newspaper in Turkey, their decorator who is married to Ray Charles old manager??? Anyway, big shots nonetheless. They flew in from Turkey to Paris to see our stuff and she flew from Brazil on another job. Must be nice, eh? If we get this job it could be big since this house they are decorating in Turkey is HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!! I on the other hand have not gotten any sales yet (it has only been one week) but have had lots of interesting conversations. People in the states love when you tell them you are calling from Paris! It gives you some kind of authority to be put through to the big shots or a good in for convo! Here is how the conversation goes down:
ring, ring...random designer receptionist or actual snotty designer answers...
them: ABC interiors inc?
me: Hi, yes I am calling from Paris, France for (*&(*& decorative arts company can I talk to John?
them: um, he's not available can he call you back or voicemail.
me: well, I am calling from Paris France i wanted to talk to John live as the time difference makes it more difficult to get in touch.
them: What...uh, oh? Paris ...France...really??? What time is it there? WOW? Is the weather nice, oh you are so lucky, that is my favorite city, have you been to blah blah blah
me: (thinking...score, I love my job!) yes, it is great don't you wish you were me? yes, I love it here!!! Is John available ? Oh he is great...you'll put me right through??? thanks!!!
So, that is my day!

Jealous, yes I know...

Brazilian night out...

Last weekend was my night out with Fufi. Brazialian hottie from previous blog. We agree to go to dinner at La Cantina on rue Faubourg. Tres Cher! We agree to share a cab there and are bonding along the way. Fufi is looking like her usual model self this evening. We get to restaurant and it is so NYC. Music is pumping and we are escorted to our table past groups of people watching and being seen. After dinner a group of guys are seated at the table next to us and are youngish international looking. Fufi has to go to the bathroom so I am at table alone. I am approached by a guy from next to us asking me to join them for drinks. I tell him when Fufi gets back I will let him know. In the meantime the hostess approaches and asks what are plans are later? We tell her we are going to some nightclubs. She asks us if we would like a ride with their complimentary car service? F-Yeah! This makes it well worth the 27 euros I paid for my piece of fish the size of a peanut! She provides us with a ticket and tells us to ask for Jean- someone when we get our outside and he will take us to our destination. Cool!???? Fufi gets back I tell her about boys she says no, they are not cute but we will take the ride! So, I go to the bathroom and before I am done Fufi is waiting for me next to the sinks. She said she was getting bothered by men. Well, when you look like a model I guess that is a problem, right? We hightail it outta there to get our free ride! We head to Cabaret where Fufi knows some people. We get out and the security guards all recognize her. The manager comes out and kisses her and me and personally escorts us into the club to the VIP section and sits us with some Italian men with bottle service. He gives us a wink and kisses and he is gone. The Italians smile (what good fortune they have) and offer us drinks from there bottle. We happily accept, begin the french kisses and intros. I can't remember any of their names except an Antonio? Fufi and I are dancing having a good time and it is hot as usual. After 2 hours of sweating and dancing we decide to head out. Mind you Fufi has been hit on numerous times now but nothing interesting. Me..nada except old Italian dude who is gross! We bail and try to head to other clubs but it is night before holiday and all are closing. Summary of story ...I don't know if Fufi is lesbo/bi but she did not hit on me. I am either not her type or Brazilian women are just affectionate when dancing??? I thought she was nice so we are going out again this Saturday.

Bastille Day - Delayed

Sorry fellow readers it took awhile to get the pics so here you go. These are pics of us sitting on the Champs des Mars watching the fireworks on Bastille Day.

July 14, 2006