Paris and The Avett Brothers

(Photo directly above by Miles Aldridge)

Wed the 17th, I went to Paris to see The Avett Brothers in concert at Le Nouveau Casino with the lovely Christine. And boy did I hit the jackpot, Cha Ching Cha Ching! Paris and the concert (and Christine) were brilliant. To prove my happiness, here is a photo from the concert of me looking  

slap-silly-full of joie de vivre happy:

 

It was the best concert I have seen and the first where I was completely disappointed that it ended. Usually, I am ready to go, but I wanted them to play for another 2 hours. English surrounded Christine and me, as if all the Americans from the surrounding area flocked to this concert. It was weird to hear so much English and be able to understand the conversations going on around us. And the girls (including me) were swooning/pining over the lead singer (and banjo player/drummer/guitarist/painter who was wearing a flannel shirt and had the best North Carolina Southern accent? "Thanks Paris, y'all are so kiiiiiind")

Also, it was St. Patrick's Day and I didn't even know it, so we went to an Irish pub after the concert. Other than that, most of the time, Christine and I were found in the Marais. And the weather! So perfect. I have only known Paris in extremely hot or cold climates. This time I had perfection: sunny and cool enough to have a light jacket. I also found some great earrings at a Vintage shop called Mamz'Elle Swing in the Marais. I've been wanting cameo earrings forever, but they are always so expensive. These were only 10 euros. Then I bought the ladybug ones for 5:

I also purchased some delicious Copacabana tea from La Compagnie Anglaise des Thés:

 

Other highlights:

• Le Chocolat Chaud Maison at Le Loir dans la Théière
• shouting the word pétasse at a Tea Shop, and hence coining the term "tea shop talk" and, friends, that was not tea shop talk.
• Randomly meeting up with Americans in the Tea Shop
• Breakfast in America with Christine and two "strangers"
• Jeff de Bruges candy: expensive but delicious!

In sum, Paris, you are swell. Just swell. I think I will keep you!

Photo by The Sartorialist. 

The Avett Brothers in Paris

I am about to depart to Paris to see The Avett Brothers in concert tonight...Life is good.

 

She knows which birds are singin'
And the names of the trees where they're performin' in the mornin'

(From "January Wedding" by the Avett Brothers)

There was a dream
One day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage a broke in and demanded that somebody free it

"Head Full of Doubt" by the Avett Brothers

Today, I hear the birds singing. Spring is coming. I hear the birds chirping. Spring is coming!

Say goodbye to Winter. Spring is approaching! Praise to God for changing of the seasons!

Goodbye Winter! See you next year!

"Ew, baby, baby, It's a wild world"

Because of this truth below, I will explain my thoughts through songs.

For years, my dream was to live in Europe. Europe (not even a specific country) back then was a monolith representing all that was good and cultured in the world. Over time, my image of it subconsicously developed into a unrealistic fairy tale land where I had to go.

   I felt like the song "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Well she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn't help thinkin' that there
Was a little more to life
Somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
Yeah, and if she had to die
Tryin' she
Had one little promise she was gonna keep

Eventually, I looked to Europe as an escape.

Then, about 5 years ago, one of my friends felt the same way. He shared with me his father's response to his desire to go abroad. His father said it wasn't a good idea to go with a motivation of escape instead of adventure, because when one has that motivation, disappointment is always an inevitable outcome of the experience.

It is necessary to find contentment where you are, and not feel like some place else or someone else will give you that contentment. Ask lottery winners; after 6 months, the newness fades, and you return to who you were before winning. If you are a miserable SOB, then you will be a miserable, well-traveled SOB in Europe.And as Kelly Mackin put it, "[A]t the end of the day, there are still bitches in Tahiti."

 Cat Stevens "Wild World" explains this in other words:

But if you wanna leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware

                                        The Avett Brothers "Weight of Lies" also sums it up:

The weight of lies will bring you down

And follow you to every town

Cause nothing happens here that doesn’t happen there

So when you run make sure you run

To something and not away from

Cause lies don’t need an aeroplane to chase you anywhere

This concept struck my 19-year-old mind so greatly, and now @ 24, I know this is a fact of life. Fo' Sho'. Thankfully, acts of fate prevented me from traveling abroad when escape was a motivation. However, once arriving in Paris, I was disappointed, still grappling with my fairy tale images.

A quarter-life crisis ensued (and, yes, I just quoted John Mayer). My parade was rained on.

Then I had to listen to the theme song from Mary Tyler Moore to cheer me up.