tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32860112011-08-31T04:44:25.760-07:00FadedpaperdollAn observer who fades into the background and watches, and then writes.Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.comBlogger281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-49306335130538636182011-04-01T07:19:00.000-07:002011-04-04T07:20:07.666-07:00Final StretchSound track of the day:I want you to love me, like I'm a hot guyKeep thinkin' of me, doin' what you likeCurrent Temperature: Yucky wetFinal Day of Cleanse.Last day, and I think after two days I’m supposed to feel my best. I should be clean, back on the wagon, feeling refreshed. Instead, I feel worse than I have the last two days. I’m completely clogged up. Despite all the time spent Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-5238571553987814352011-03-31T14:57:00.000-07:002011-03-31T14:57:04.086-07:00FadedpaperdollFadedpaperdollFadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-73236479640972203112011-03-31T14:54:00.000-07:002011-03-31T14:56:18.415-07:00Chugging throughSound track of the day:In touch with the ground I'm on the hunt I'm after you Current Temperature: A little of the sameDay Two of Cleanse.I made it through the first day. Today I stepped on the scale and found I had lost 3 pounds. I recognize that it’s all water weight, most of which I gained because it’s my special time of month, so I feel a mixture of pleasure at seeing the Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-84686498169487120622011-03-30T15:53:00.000-07:002011-03-30T15:54:57.453-07:00I Smell FoodSound track of the day:Well, I don't mind stealin' bread From the mouths of decadence -But I can't feed on the powerlessWhen my cup's already over-filled....Current Temperature: Too cold for the second week of SpringDay One of Cleanse.As an office slave, we find ways to commune with our fellow employees by engaging in such bonding activities as lunchtime manicures, happy hour, even Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-18218373890898864332010-05-14T18:49:00.000-07:002010-06-08T19:21:06.506-07:00Our Arabian NightSound track of the day:Sharif don’t like itRockin’ the kasbahCurrent Temperature: A desperate relief from the French grisCulture clash: When people are hospitable here, you really have to consider that this is just how they are। No ulterior motives. Not always.Our arrival into Marrakech was nothing short of magical. We caught a cab from the airport to the medina at a cost of 20 Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-8005574274363563052010-05-11T04:48:00.001-07:002010-05-11T04:58:14.987-07:00Pomme Frites are not enoughSound track of the day:A golden bird that flies awayA candle’s fickle flameTo think I held you yesterdayYour love was just a gameCurrent Temperature: Sad, rainy, cold, emptyCulture clash: The people in Brussels are very nice, and much more forgiving and patient about my French। Brussels.There are two circumstances under which a non-EU Commission employee should visit Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-3365320278022024912010-04-21T18:05:00.000-07:002010-05-06T06:20:53.813-07:00The waiting gameSound track of the day:All my bags are packed, I'm ready to goI'm standin' here outside your doorI hate to wake you up to say goodbyeCurrent Temperature: Just perfectly in my range, high seventiesCulture clash: I still attest, as an outsider, that the Portuguese and Spanish languages are very similar languages with similar structures only varying in some pronunciations and minor Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-24878213816224990842010-04-20T23:38:00.000-07:002010-05-05T06:43:52.837-07:00Spring time in Paris? Finally?Sound track of the day:I remember the letter wrinkled in my hand"I'll love you always" filled my eyesI remember a night we walked along the Seineriding on the MetroCurrent Temperature: Spring paid a visit, sortaCulture clash: I still don’t know when to tip and not to tip. Is there some kind of expectancy by the French service workers of Americans to tip that they donFadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-3199149341488727192010-04-14T23:54:00.000-07:002010-04-15T04:16:31.326-07:00A letter from the disgruntled AmericanSound track of the day:I took a little nap where the roots all twistSquished your rotten peach in my fistAnd dreamed about you, womanI poked my finger down insideMake a little room for an ant to hideNature's candy in my hand or can or pieCurrent Temperature: Back to the gloom and doom, and extreme humidity.Culture clash: don’t get me started on the languageI’Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-13189257149609036552010-04-11T12:36:00.001-07:002010-04-11T12:45:18.612-07:00Jota Luna and the GypsiesSound track of the day:In my eyes,Indisposed,In disguiseAs no one knows.Hides the face,Lies the snake,And the sunCurrent Temperature: Sunny days finally chasing the clouds awayCulture clash: uh, gypsies। The sun had finally won its battle with the darkness of the clouds spreading from the gloomy British Isles. And although we had our sights ambitiously set on a day of Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-13992697317376317192010-04-07T02:31:00.000-07:002010-04-07T02:53:34.256-07:00I just want to know whySound track of the day: Come gather 'round people where ever you roamAnd admit that the waters around you have grown,And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone,If your time to you is worth saving,Then you'd better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone,For the times they are a-changing!Current Temperature: Going strong.Culture clash: The streets are empty onFadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-66587520951036247372010-04-05T21:07:00.000-07:002010-04-06T12:20:18.143-07:00Post Office BluesSound track of the day:It don’t have to be so excitingJust trying to give ourselves a little bit of funIt always looks so invitingYou ain’t as green as you are youngCurrent Temperature: Sun is getting stronger during the daysCulture clash: Spanish people may be warm and fun, but damn they do not care about your personal space। I need at least a five inch perimeter of nobody.I’ve Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-49011635719708184442010-04-05T03:33:00.000-07:002010-04-05T03:43:44.349-07:00Sunday SerendipitySound track of the day:There’s a black man with a black catLiving in a white neighborhoodHe’s got an interstate running through his front yardYou know, he thinks he’s got it so goodCurrent Temperature: Sunny and bright, perfect skies, outlook is positiveCulture clash: Bale, is a simple word for “ok ok”. I’m liking it.Today, the weather was something out of a romantic’s painting.Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-63420884942198723852010-04-03T04:41:00.000-07:002010-04-04T09:48:03.978-07:00Holy Saturday, the day of the resurrectionSound track of the day:The performance deserving a standing ovationAnd who would have thought it’d be the two of usCurrent Temperature: The rain found meCulture clash: Vendors sell beer on the street at night. And police arrest you with open containers. And still there’s vomit everywhere.I had a hard time sleeping last night and decided to sleep in until Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-70372103582647438022010-04-02T03:56:00.000-07:002010-04-04T09:47:38.696-07:00Good Friday in MadridSound track of the day:When I met you I was all aloneCold and hungry crying on the phoneYou baked me brownies and said don’t you cryYou gave me a coat off your back, SuzanneCurrent Temperature: Today was the most beautiful day I’ve had in weeks. My mood and outlook has changed entirely.Culture clash: Attention all travelers – do NOT visit a catholic country on holy week Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-25473829941490056412010-04-01T06:25:00.000-07:002010-04-04T09:47:16.996-07:00Hablo Espanol, siSound track of the day:Take a breath and hold on tightSpin around one more timeAnd gracefully fall back to the arms of graceCurrent Temperature: I don’t think I’ll even need a coat, but with my luck I should bring it anywayCulture clash: I feel must more at home here. It must be that I´m allowed to pronounce all the letters in the words here. I learned one very key fact while Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-40457122033912790672010-03-31T02:01:00.000-07:002010-04-04T09:46:28.192-07:00Bonjour MadameSound track of the day:He was the baby of the class, youHe really didn’t know that one and one was twoAnd two and two were fourCurrent Temperature: I’m off to Madrid and the rain looks like it’s going to finally let up. You’re welcome France.Culture clash: The name of the school near us is called Lycee de Jeunes Filles. Doesn’t that sound lovely and so French? Well the translation Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-23071090562771570422010-03-29T15:17:00.001-07:002010-03-29T15:31:04.789-07:00Digging Through ArchivesSound track of the day:Do you remember once upon a timeWhen there were open doorsAn invitation to the worldWe were falling in and out with loversLooking out for othersOur sisters and our brothersCurrent Temperature: Rain threatened all day but the sun prevailsCulture clash: Still raining more than New York City June 2009This morning, I decided to get to business. In bed (Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-47320890779302118682010-03-23T22:11:00.000-07:002010-03-25T14:38:49.349-07:00For every pound of stinky flesh, can I get a milligram of gold?Sound track of the day:With every day that passes I fall nearer to the groundIt seems that I’ve been searching for something that won’t be foundCurrent Temperature: Although still slightly brisk, it’s a glorious bright spring day in France. Even the daffodils are gracing us with their glow.Culture clash: No CrestToothpaste in France? Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-70890157213262294252010-03-22T15:23:00.001-07:002010-03-23T05:16:05.321-07:00A Little Drop of SunshineSound track of the day:We’ve got tonight,Who needs tomorrow?We’ve got tonight, babeWhy don’t you stay?Current Temperature: The veil hath been lifted…sortaCulture clash: The Lycee de Jeune Filles is just a few doors down and is, duh, a girl’s school. And all the long locked laddies seen out front cradling the young girls in their arms are trespassing! Ah young love. The Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-20347599460613726642010-03-18T10:53:00.001-07:002010-03-18T11:11:56.688-07:00Hazy Shade of WinterSound track of the day:Time, time, time, see what's become of meWhile I looked aroundFor my possibilitiesI was so hard to pleaseBut look around, leaves are brownAnd the sky is a hazy shade of winterCurrent Temperature: Definitely have a coldCulture clash: Jen was right. The French urban youth are much like New Jersey suburban youth. Harmless. Just annoying in their desire for Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-30840234123942702442010-03-18T05:29:00.001-07:002010-03-18T05:35:12.282-07:00Getting Settled InSound track of the day:Tell me no secrets, tell me some liesGive me no reasons, give me alibisTell me you love me and don't make me crySay anything but don't say goodbyeCurrent Temperature: another chance for a brighter dayCulture clash: Jen’s tub must have been made for titans. I practically have to hurdle over the edge to get in. Or am I really just that short?My first full Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-50929878220475460902010-03-17T14:57:00.001-07:002010-03-17T15:40:23.064-07:00Bienvenue a VersaillesSound track of the day:Hey kids, plug into the faithlessMaybe they're blindedBut Bennie makes them agelessWe shall survive, let us take ourselves alongCurrent Temperature: a gray day in the French countrysideCurrent Temperature: a gray day in the French countrysideMonday afternoon I arrived at Orly Airport which is in the suburbs of Paris. Jen and I had agreed to meet Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-27482495428562110662010-03-16T04:17:00.000-07:002010-03-16T10:15:39.827-07:00The Perfect StormSound track of the day:I think of you every night and dayYou took my love and you took my pride awayCurrent Temperature: sunny and hopefulThe Florida Keys is an experience much like walking into a Jimmy Buffett wonderland. And that’s not a bad thing. The alcohol is always flowing and no one’s going to judge whether you abstain or dive right into a week-long binge. During the day Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-3881101191491709532010-03-09T10:49:00.000-08:002010-03-09T11:29:26.614-08:00The other sister and her friend LennySound track of the day:This is the noise that keeps me awakeMy head explodes and my body achesCurrent Temperature: easier on the eyesAs evidence that the universe gets its kicks in amusing me and exercising my sense of humor, Vicki’s roommate and her new giant lover have decided to shack up.Last night as I was blow drying my hair after a much needed shower, I Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-3873772588762339102010-03-08T11:47:00.000-08:002010-03-08T12:02:43.701-08:00Confessions of an imposterSountrack of the afternoon:You and me have seen everything to seeFrom Bangkok to CalgaryAnd the soles of your shoes are all worn downThe time for sleep is nowIt's nothing to cry about'cause we'll hold each other soonIn the blackest of roomsCurrent temperature: even brighter, but the fairy dust on the surface of the water makes it easy to tolerate Needless to say it’s no Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-66611971757222359702010-03-08T10:03:00.000-08:002010-03-08T10:30:51.501-08:00Day 1 of my fantastic voyageSoundtrack of the dayEven though your skies are blueYou're drying up my bedHow can I get any rest now?Currently temperature: blindingly bright but the outlook is gentle I called today Day 1 because, up until now, although I’ve been free from the 9 to 5 for over a week, it is the first non-packing, non-moving, non-sayingoodbye, non-traveling day, which means it’s time Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286011.post-79328830933955108942010-02-20T14:20:00.000-08:002010-02-20T14:33:05.213-08:00I can see your haloSoundtrack of the day:Beth I hear you callingBut I can't come home right nowMe and the boys are playingBut we just can't find the soundCurrent temperature: Brisk but clearTwo weeks left until I depart. Gym membership has been frozen, Netflix has been cancelled, insurance plans are being put into place, and I have one week left to reduce my existence into a suitcase and a few Fadedpaperdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00999553067974470164noreply@blogger.com0