Bonne Annee!

I'm back from Paris - but only just. We had an amazing time!! I have many pictures, many stories, and even a new pink purse to share with all of you, but... I have been up since 3am. I don't think I'm going to make it to the new year - I think I'm going to bed now. Sometimes that happens, and you have remind yourself that it's OK, you're not that old, and you will be witty and stay up all night later.

But, until I get around to a meaningful update, here's a link to a video that kept me cracking up the whole time I was in France - I hadn't seen it in about 6 months, but Matt and I kept repeating one of the lines over and over and cracking up. $10* to the first person who guesses which line it is in the comments.

*$10 of Marcia Money, which is not actually negotiable for any goods or services that I am aware of, and, in fact, not even tangible.

In case you haven't read my blog ever, here's a news flash:

I'm in Paris. Like, Paris, France. On my honeymoon. Pretty amazing. We're going to Christmas Eve Mass at Notre Dame, we're going to the cabaret at La Lido, and we're going to have a fabulous time.

I'll be back on January 1.

While I'm gone check out these guys:

Diary of the Nello - my husband thinks she's hot, I think she's funny. either way, entertainment for all.

Fresh Air Lover - after a slow start, she's posting a LOT. And it's funny shit.

The Imaginary Socalite - She posts every day, she's going to win the "Hottest Urban Blogger" Award, she's witty, she's who I want to be when I move to NYC.

Kitty Can Scratch - give her some encouragement - she's quitting her job. And if she doesn't, she'll at least have some tales of drunken debauchery to entertain you.

Swim At Your Own Risk - Many reasons, daily, not to go to Australia. Or near any natural body of water, really. He's the reason that we're going to France and not somewhere warm, sunny, and beachy...

And... everyone else on my blog roll. If I put them there, they have to be good, right?

And, for Christmas, I want 10,000 hits, so visit me every day while I'm gone, k?

In the next sixteen hours:

I have to pack, clean, stress, hopefully buy new black flats, practice my French, make a list of people who need crazy knick knacks from Paris, load more songs on my IPod, take care of that man with the badly injured (but not broken!) ankle who thinks he's going to go walking around Paris with me even though the walk to and from the car for dinner is kind of too much for him, check in with work, check in with my parents, drive to the airport, and fly to France.

I don't have time to blog.

Ummmm....

It just hit me that Christmas will be over in 99 hours. That kinda freaks me out.

Conair Pro-Color Accents

I just saw an ad for this on tv. I desperately want it. I have an unstoppable urge to put either blue or bright red highlights in my dark almost black hair. I don't know where this came from.

This ridiculous contraption puts highlights in your hair that come out after one wash - it comes with 11 colors, and it doesn't say on the website, but I could see blonde, light brown, blue, and red. And I guess there are 7 more. I wonder what they could be... WAIT. Could I get purple streaks in my hair? I want this thing even more now.

I can't believe I'm actually considering spending $30 on this thing.

Best Christmas Present Ever:

Baby Penguin.

Now, if you want to steal a baby penguin from the zoo for me, please make sure it can live on it's own, because if you give me a penguin and then it dies because it can't eat food that isn't regurgitated from it's mom's belly, I'll be really pissed off.

I am just waiting for the day...

... that Brad Pitt marries Zahara Jolie just like Woody Allen married Soon-Yi Previn.

Jane's Random IMs:

Jane on ND Football:

Jane: I care VERY little about how notre dame actually wins and dissecting the victory
Jane: the only thing that matters (according to generations of my family) is that: 1) god is catholic 2) notre dame should win. it's more of a religious belief than anything related to the actual game.
Jane: and as a coworker (correctly) pointed out one time, I can't remember any names of the players on the notre dame football team that I don't think are really hot (as in, i very much know who brady quin and jeff smardya (can't spell his name) are)

Jane on Life:

Jane: I've tried so hard at so much in life (i'm well educated, well, traveled, well read, I try to minimize my use of passive sentences, etc.)

Everyone's Hungover and No One's Blogging Today

But, just for kicks, I'll give you a little story from my childhood that probably explains a lot about me.

My mother went out of town and took all the other children with her, leaving me with my dad, when I was about 2. She calls him the next day and asks him what he's going to do with me all day, and he lists a few babyish things and then says, "and then we'll change her clothes a few times, because that's her favorite thing to do."

And really, I'm not much different these days.

Edit: So I get the real story from my mother: "My mom had back surgery, so I brought Susan (the baby) with me, since Michael and Elizabeth were in school and Marcia was always good at entertaining herself. I called home to ask how it was going, and your father tells me Michael and Elizabeth had a good day in school, and then said, 'And you were right about Marcia, she changes her clothes all day and I just do her laundry.' You were three, and pretty good at changing your own clothes, and you did it all the time, mostly to change into that pink pleated gingham dress you loved with the little tiny pleats all the way around."

Which isn't much different, but I like the details.

And I'm going to look for a picture of that pink dress, because Mom's right, it was AWESOME!

Finally

I uploaded my wedding pictures.

If you want to see them, just e-mail me, and I'll send you the link. Even you lurkers out there, feel free. I just don't want to post the link for all the world to see. My mom has put enough fear of stalkers and crazies in my head that I want some sort of control over this... But I WANT you to email me so you can see them, because they're SO GOOD.

Black Boots my Husband Doesn't Hate

I've had black boots for... forever. But only one pair. And my husband has hated them. For no reason. They were perfectly fine. They were nine west with this cute detailing up the side and a 3 inch heel. I liked them.

BUT. I don't think it's appropriate to bring boots your husband hates on your honeymoon. I think it's bad form. Plus... I always like getting new shoes.

And I found these. On clearance. And they're pointy and tall, but not too tall to go traipsing around Paris, and my husband thinks they're cute.

And I'm going to wear them tomorrow to the company christmas party (drunkfest) with a cute/short red skirt.

Blast From the Past and a Quote of the Day:

I think I'm going to go see King Kong now, because I used to have a thing with this guy.

and...

"Marcia, I thought you were going to take those kids and we were all going to be on the news."

--J-Wat, after I spent the entire party playing with them and ignoring the adults.

Facts about MANATEES:

Apparently, the Toronto Star has been reading my blog, and was inspired by my series of "Facts about [insert cute animal here]," and they've done one of their own. I, however, find their facts both boring and useless. And so, I'm here to do my own.

photo courtesy manatees.net

1. Manatees are like elephants, but in the water.
2. And smaller.
3. But not much smaller.
4. I think that manatees are lazy, because they like to float in slow moving current. But I like that they're lazy.
5. Manatees are my roommate in college's favorite animal.
6. I think they're pretty sweet myself.
7. In fact, I think if I ever met a manatee (even though that's probably not going to happen, as they're extremely endangered), that the manatee and I would be friends. Really good friends. Probably because I don't think that manatee skin would make good boots. One of the reasons I couldn't be friends with an ostritch - I'd always secretly dream about killing it and using it's soft, textured leather for boots. And that's a friendship ender.

And I know you're all tired of hearing about my passport,

but it came today.

Hello My Name is Simon, and I Like to Make Draw-rings

I was listening to, and singing along with The Magnetic Fields' Zebra. As I've been known to do. I'm warbling, "But there's one think I need / if you won't think I'm greedy, my dear /another zebra / Zelda looks lonely, I want a zebra!"

And I'm presented with this:

Fabulous.

Finally

I've been promised that my passport is going to be FedExed to me tomorrow. 2 weeks past when it was supposed to get here. I don't think I'm going to have to go to Chicago on Friday (and while I'm sad I don't get to see my sister or have a multitude of drinks with Liz, I think in the long run I made out). I'm going to get to go to the drunkfest that is the company holiday party.

But, I did have to pull a bunch of strings and get some important people pissed that the passport place is FUBAR, and, most importantly, messing with my honeymoon.

But I was in a position to get important people pissed, so they would get things done for me. And I only had to throw one bucket of money at them - not the two that I had thought might be necessary.

And I'm going ot PARIS in 11 days!

Damn sappy songs should be illegal

That shitty "Christmas Shoes" song made me CRY on my way home from the grocery store just now. I'm such a girl.

I should have changed the station the second I knew what it was.

And I don't want to hear about how you love that song, it's so meaningful, whatever. It's sappy, it's playing on your heart strings, and it sucks.

(end rant)

Doing a little bit of Christmas a little bit early

Alright, people knew that I liked pink, and shoes, before the blog. It's kind of obvious. I can't help myself. I see some cute pink article of clothing... there's no way to resist. Some day I'll tell you about my collection of pink Notre Dame t-shirts. I bet you didn't even know those existed. But they do. And I have many of them.

But, back to the topic at hand... Now people REALLY know about what my friend today refered to as my psychoses involving pink and shoes. And, as I'm going to be out of town for Christmas, we're getting gifts from friends and family... well... now. And I'm getting showered with pink- and shoe- themed gifts. And Paris travel books. And Eiffel Towers. I now have 2, this morning I had none. And I LOVE them. Notice the pink ribbon around the little one.

My fab new Aunt Liz sent a package filled with pink wrapped packages. What more could I want in life?

I love seeing how my in-laws have taken my idiosyncrasies and embraced them. Check out the envelope:


It's a thing of beauty. It's PINK SHOES. Next to my NAME. Ok, I think you get it. But just so you know... it's fab. Which is apparently my word of the day.

And someone, who shall remain nameless, sent me a shoe bra. And no, I won't be modeling it. I'm just posting the picture for your enjoyment, because... some crazy person out there said, "Hey, for our new best selling bra, let's make it aqua, with purple shoes on it!" And then they DID.

I've been fiddling around...

Do you like the little changes I made?

This is possibly the worst post ever, but I'm proud of the fact that I figured out how to put that damn picture in my header. And that I took that awesome picture.

I've just made a fabulous anitpasto platter:

And we have, going clockwise from the upper left corner, just down from the SBC bill you can see in the very upper left corner of the picture: Marinated garlic, sweet peppers, marinated olive mix, onions marinated in basalmic, roasted red peppers, small dark olives, green olives marinated in sea fennel, and, in the center, some sort of non-feta greek cheese. Because feta had already been claimed.

Wow. Those Greeks really like their marinating.

I'm taking this to a randomly Greek themed Princess Bride watching party.

I know, you're very jealous of me. Not only can I make fantastic platters, but I'm going to a Princess Bride watching party tonight. I know, I know. It's almost too much to handle.