petits frissons (little shivers)

i know, i know. it's been ages since i last wrote. but the last 2 weeks we've had the most amazing weather, and i just couldn't make myself sit inside. so blame it on the indian summer.

also, truthfully, my brain hasn’t landed on a smashing new topic to mull over. i’ve thought about discussing…

- the board we're calling a mattress – and not just any mattress, but the latest and greatest from vietnam. huh? point is we’re not sleeping and just paid an astronomical amount of money for a surmatelas (pillow top) that we’re praying does the trick. anyway i thought about writing about that, but i don’t want to be a whiner.

- what can i buy, and be assured of its return, for the amount of ₡150. i think my mobile should be considered part of our "settling in" expenses, but apparently HR disagrees.

- speaking of mobiles, how fabulous is the iphone! i feel more chic (and about 10 years younger) just carrying it. of course, i’m also a bit parnoid someone’s going to steal it on the metro, but whatever.

- how my new "comfort food" is a soy latte from starbucks. ohhhhhhhh the horror. the horror! within 2 blocks of our apartment there are 2 (2!) starbucks. at least i make sure to sit next to some frenchies and eavesdrop – got to practice those language skills any way i can!

- how chris’s new addiction to haggen daaz is going to reverse my efforts to achieve les cuisses françaises (french thighs ☺ )

but as you can see, a sentence or two suffices on these subjects. and, well, what i’m really full of right now is how génial it is to be settled into our new apartment. despite the problems with our mattress, the apartment is proving to be super (that’s the new french word for awesome). it has space for our clothes and books and suitcases and all the office items – but all this stuff is hidden away in decorations. it's truly amazing. and the good feeling i had about our landlord, horacio, has been proven true on many accounts. he's been so helpful setting up the utilities and (believe it or not) getting the place set up in the way that’s most functional yet still beautiful for us. he even offered to buy a multi-thousand dollar antique wardrobe for our suits and coats (b/c "money is not an issue. the issue is finding the right piece that works for you and the apartment") !!!! but we ended up just hanging everything over ingrid bergman’s bathtub.

so, in honor of the apartment, i’ve posted below some updated and better quality pictures of our place (the living room and the foyer/dressing area looking into the kitchen), as well as the new view from our window. we live in a much busier area now, btw. we joke that it’s almost like we moved back to U street… only better, because now, when i write out my return address i get to write "Paris." do you know what a thrill that is? little shivers every time.