Mimes + sushi = just another Wednesday in Paris

I sleep better in Paris, evidently-- I only woke up when Elisabeth's alarm went off at ten, and normally I can't sleep past eight. The morning was a series of failed attempts of trying to do something and finishing by doing something else: Sophie and I tried to do some grocery shopping, but the store was closed (it's Wednesday, is the explanation), so we ended up visiting a series of smaller shops instead, which was on the whole much nicer. I found a shop to get cheese to bring back home, in any case (they'll wrap it so that it keeps better and the dogs at customs can't smell it). After that, we tried to go to a little sculpture museum close to the apartment, but Sophie decided that we would take our business elsewhere when we came and found that we had to pay. Normally the city-owned museums are free (and that was what it said on the museum's website), but when the museum is hosting an exhibition, you have to pay for it. Since the museum evidently hosts exhibitions for eight months out of the year, Sophie found this policy more than a bit dishonest and is going to write the mayor to complain. 

Me, I just say, vive la France.

After having leftover salmon and pasta for lunch, we met up with Julie and took the metro to see a mime show. We managed to get there fifteen minutes early despite getting slightly lost on the way there (I felt slightly better about myself on yesterday's performance). The show itself was interesting; certainly mime is an under-appreciated form of storytelling. I find it fabulous that an actor can communicate an entire world of objects into being without ever saying a single word (unless a few sound effects count). It says a lot about our interpretation of symbols, and our ability to infer... I don't think we appreciate enough the importance of non-verbal communication. But in any case, I don't think it would have been half as fun if there hadn't been a preschool group in the audience sitting ahead of us-- they were really into the show and brought a whole new life into the performance ("No, it's that way! That way!" "Pick me, pick me!"). They did get annoying at times, but for the most part I think it was better that they were there.

Afterwards, we got slightly lost again on the way back to the metro, but ended up taking a long and lovely walk through a public garden, so it wasn't all bad. Back at the ranch, we spent a quiet afternoon reading/on the internet/cleaning/etc, and for dinner we made our own sushi. Noda's is still better, but all the same, it's fun making sushi. It changes things up a bit.

Tomorrow, it appears I'm co-chaperoning a trip to Disneyland. It'll be the first time I've gone since I was three years old...we'll see how it goes. 

Ciao!