two months have passed and i can't even begin to write what i have been up to. my creating this blog seemed like a good idea at its creation, however i have found myself caught up in life... when does one get a chance to slow down and smell the roses? being in toronto has been great. catching up with family and friends also great, but perhaps haven't done as much as I would have hoped. i'm terribly missing my friends from far and can't wait for the reunion in SF. I hope to write more soon and of course more often, but I guess I'm not too good at this!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
A new chapter
So I have been very absent from my blog... bad girl! Anyways I have now left Paris and am in Gijon, Spain. A welcome change of environment where everyone is relaxed and lives a much slower pace of life. Gijon is a mojor tourist destination for Spaniards - a small city which began as a fishing town now boasts beautiful beaches and local cider (you should see how they pour it - one arm with bottle over head and other hand with cup around your waist!!) My walk to work is about 40 minutes but about 30 minutes of it is along the boardwalk of the beach. Packed with people baking in the sun, surfers and sandcastles - needless to say sure beats public transportation! We have completed set up and tonight is dress rehersal and tomorrow premiere. Should be a great party tomorrow night, at the fancy casino, and also an emotional one where it means the departure of yours truly from Alegria and the end of tour life for some of my new found close buddies :) On the horizon is Canada... my departure is set for July 30th Toronto bound to join Kooza our newest touring show. Very excited to get there and also to be back in my home town. Visiting with friends, boyfriend and I also get to meet my new niece!! Can't wait. News on my condo - Mike got the official word that construction has begun.... best news to come home to and can't wait to see the final product :) Well off to work for me - miss you all.oxoxoxx
Friday, June 29, 2007
And here is what I've been up to....
Since many of my friends and family aren't on Facebook here is a link to my most recent pics of Paris. They are all out of order so sorry about that, but for the most part you'll know what you're looking at!! Enjoy:)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4531&l=a966a&id=508686559
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7155&l=0a04c&id=508686559
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7158&l=b140d&id=508686559
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4531&l=a966a&id=508686559
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7155&l=0a04c&id=508686559
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7158&l=b140d&id=508686559
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Rainy days...
From day two of arriving in Paris we have seen quite some rain. It has rained almost every day at some point. We have had some huge storms and not so much heat... leads me to ask is it really the second week of summer? While I hear that Ontario is suffering from a heat wave, 35-40 degrees with the humidity, here I am in Paris wearing a sweater and a scarf! I'm not complaing about the lack of heat - we all know that I hate hot temperatures, but a nice 22 degrees while touring wouldn't ruffle my feathers!
The past 3 weeks have been a blur - with my mom leaving and then Mike coming... and going. We had a great vacation together... I worked far too much, but Mike got almost everywhere he wanted. Much better than my mom he mastered the metro on the second day! I got him addicted to the lovely baguette sandwiches and he found himself drinking Orangina by the litre! WIthout boring you all to bits - Mike's first European vacation was a success and he was not wanting to go home at all. One place we didn't manage to get to was Normandy, but with my schedule it was impossible. Alas, we will plan a vacation for just the two of us when I don't have to work!
On Monday I, along with some tour buddies, got in a car and escaped crazy Paris for some lovely french country side. Our destination: Champagne region! Lovely drive and scenery and about 1.5 hours later we arrived at our destination of Reims, France. Some of you who are champagne lovers may know that the lovely champagne bottle adorned with a red ribbon comes from the beautiful city! We got out of the car and proceeded into the front door of the MUMM building and signed up for a tour. Not just any tour, but a tasting tour! Our guide was a lovely German lady who was very knowledgeable of the entire "Champagne creation process". We toured the caves where there are over 25 million bottles of champagne just waiting to finish their "process". The best part at the end of the tour our now expert Champagne minds got to taste 3 different champagnes from the MUMM house. Right to the head it all went, but definitely an experience not to be missed. My mom and dad will be happy that I picked them up a VERY nice bottle of Champagne that is not sold in Canada and they can enjoy upon my return in just over 1 month!
What else is there to do? I do have a couple more spots to hit in Paris - this coming Monday I am going to see Moulin Rouge (yay free tickets!), and I also have to go to Musee D'orsee and Notre Dame. After that I can say au revoir to Paris! Double dark is quickly approaching and I'm heading to Nice, Cannes and Monaco. My new friend Laura (accounting) and I are going and it will be a blast. We are going down by TGV (aka the really really really fast train), and then will be returning by plane. Definitely looking forward to that trip!
Tout a l'heure!!
The past 3 weeks have been a blur - with my mom leaving and then Mike coming... and going. We had a great vacation together... I worked far too much, but Mike got almost everywhere he wanted. Much better than my mom he mastered the metro on the second day! I got him addicted to the lovely baguette sandwiches and he found himself drinking Orangina by the litre! WIthout boring you all to bits - Mike's first European vacation was a success and he was not wanting to go home at all. One place we didn't manage to get to was Normandy, but with my schedule it was impossible. Alas, we will plan a vacation for just the two of us when I don't have to work!
On Monday I, along with some tour buddies, got in a car and escaped crazy Paris for some lovely french country side. Our destination: Champagne region! Lovely drive and scenery and about 1.5 hours later we arrived at our destination of Reims, France. Some of you who are champagne lovers may know that the lovely champagne bottle adorned with a red ribbon comes from the beautiful city! We got out of the car and proceeded into the front door of the MUMM building and signed up for a tour. Not just any tour, but a tasting tour! Our guide was a lovely German lady who was very knowledgeable of the entire "Champagne creation process". We toured the caves where there are over 25 million bottles of champagne just waiting to finish their "process". The best part at the end of the tour our now expert Champagne minds got to taste 3 different champagnes from the MUMM house. Right to the head it all went, but definitely an experience not to be missed. My mom and dad will be happy that I picked them up a VERY nice bottle of Champagne that is not sold in Canada and they can enjoy upon my return in just over 1 month!
What else is there to do? I do have a couple more spots to hit in Paris - this coming Monday I am going to see Moulin Rouge (yay free tickets!), and I also have to go to Musee D'orsee and Notre Dame. After that I can say au revoir to Paris! Double dark is quickly approaching and I'm heading to Nice, Cannes and Monaco. My new friend Laura (accounting) and I are going and it will be a blast. We are going down by TGV (aka the really really really fast train), and then will be returning by plane. Definitely looking forward to that trip!
Tout a l'heure!!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Special Delivery
I am happy to announce the birth of my new niece Abigail Campbell on Wednesday June 13 9lbs, 11 oz. Congratulations Greg & Anne.... Colin you will make an excellent big brother :) Looking forward to meeting you Abigail in August.
Congrats!
Congrats!
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Come and gone
Well my mom has come and gone and safe to say she had a blast. Despite a bum knee she managed to walk just about the entire city. The metro, usually 15 degrees hotter than the air temp outside, makes getting around paris quite easy but she was determined not to use it - "far too confusing" - she much preferred the bus so she could still see all the sights. On my days off we managed to see some great sights - Versailles Castle and the beautiful endless gardens, Montmartre & Sacre Coeur, shopping at Galeries Lafayette and drinking a cafe overlooking the Opera house. We ate baguettes shaped in hearts, drank wine and beer at cafes and ate delicious crepes both savory and sweet :) She's now settling back in Toronto life and enjoying the smuggled cheese!
After a few days rest my next visitor is due to arrive on Monday morning... Mike:) He has never been to europe let alone Paris and I think he's very excited. I know the flight doesn't exactly excite him, but certainly worth the 7+ hours flight.
The weather in Paris has taken on a change - it doesn't rain every day like it did in May. While no rain is nice it has turned very muggy and humid which makes the hour commute on the metro almost unbearable. The show of course continues to go well and sales have increased dramatically. Due to the length of the shows in this city we have two double darks. This Monday and Tuesday is the first and I'll be touring Paris with Mike.
On a side note I will be back in Toronto on the 30th of July. The show has been extended in Toronto so I will be there until mid-October and then straight off to San Francisco. Great news for all my Toronto and Kitchener buddies :)
After a few days rest my next visitor is due to arrive on Monday morning... Mike:) He has never been to europe let alone Paris and I think he's very excited. I know the flight doesn't exactly excite him, but certainly worth the 7+ hours flight.
The weather in Paris has taken on a change - it doesn't rain every day like it did in May. While no rain is nice it has turned very muggy and humid which makes the hour commute on the metro almost unbearable. The show of course continues to go well and sales have increased dramatically. Due to the length of the shows in this city we have two double darks. This Monday and Tuesday is the first and I'll be touring Paris with Mike.
On a side note I will be back in Toronto on the 30th of July. The show has been extended in Toronto so I will be there until mid-October and then straight off to San Francisco. Great news for all my Toronto and Kitchener buddies :)
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Still alive and kickin'
Yup I'm still here. Amazing how once I get a job I seem to find little time each day to myself! I have been in Paris for about 3.5 weeks - but it really seems like I just came yesterday. The time has absolutely flown by and this Monday my mom arrives! She has never been to Paris and has dreamed about it her whole life and at last her dream come true. Our location in Paris is pretty good - we are situated about a 10-15 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower in the 15eme arrondisement (15th ward). It is quiet and known for housing the elderly population in Paris. Just a two minute west of our residence is the Seine - if you follow this north you can hit most of the popular attractions in Pairs such as the Eiffel tower, Louvre, Palais Royale and Notre Dame. Shopping here... well... what can I say but that it is phenominal :) From boutiques and markets to the Galerie Lafayette which houses the "big brand labels" to the Champs D'elysees where Louis Vuitton and Channel rule all you need is an endless budget and Paris is yours to be had.
Now I never thought I would say this but there is definitely one big thing I miss about touring in the good old USA.... the shuttle bus! Here in europe they are mucho dinero $$ so main form of getting to and from work is the metro. Normally fine, but here in Paris our commute is especially long ranging from 40 - 60 plus minutes. Not only that we transfer to 3 metro tains and the last one we take (RER D) is the worst in Paris - ie. NOT SAFE AT ALL! Needless to say we travel in groups and don't really venture on there after dark. There is a shuttle @ night for the lovely "artists" but the shuttle isn't all too convenient for the Box Office schedule so we take either take the metro or after dark a taxi. Notes about the metro- it is great to get around the city in Zone 1 (downtown section) with about 15 different lines! Sure kicks Toronto's TTC in the butt! The smells have taken some getting use to and thank goodness that my allergies often leave me with no sense of smell. Most days I get serenated by a smelly man with an acordian... they are oh so popular in the metro. Avoid eye contact and they won't come bugging you for $$.
I have managed to see some of Paris on my days off - I have visited the Louvre and saw the "well known art" and more. The Mona Lisa was definitely on the list - after seeing replicas of her it was great to see the real deal. I think her eyes are the only difference I saw... other than that the painting is quite simple, plain and tiny in comparison the the huge canvasses that reach heights of 40 feet. Probably the most intersting for me was the Egyptian section. I spent quite some time in there and managed to see various tombs and also a mummified person. Quite fascinating indeed! I saw about a third of the museum and will go back a couple more times to see the rest. I also hit the big mall in town, Galerie Lafayette, and picked up a couple tops. The shoe section was the best I have ever seen and I was in heaven. In the back of my head I heard my mom's voice saying i do not need another pair... but oohhhh they are all so pretty. I managed to escape without any shoes - this time - but don't you worry I haven't changed and I'm sure I'll be back! The best way to see Paris is by foot and for two days off I have wandered around different neighbourhoods and lunched at many cafes. Good thing there is tons of walking in Paris because the bread here is sooo tasty and everywhere. I managed to go two weeks without bread back home in Toronto before I came on tour, but when I arrived in Paris I couldn't resist the warm baguette. Once back in North America I'll have to go off bread for a while.
Work wise I have settled in fine and the new team on the whole is great. The Box Office in this city is chaotic as our new ticketing system is very technical and can't perform the many functions we need it to. Our nightly sales report which should take about 5 minutes takes 2 people together just about an hour! Our half-assed training, without a manual might I add and completely in French... parisien French which is totally different than the Quebeqois jargon that I have come accustomed to on tour and it also left the two others with me who are from Quebec slightly confused! Thus it was not helpful and it left us baffled for the first couple of weeks. It has gotten slightly better as we now explore the system and find out new things everyday and probably when we are ready to leave Paris in July we'll be experts! The local staff are great and are a great resource of how to get off the beaten track in Paris.
Pictures are to come so stand by for a few more days... I conveniently left my battery charger at home so one is on its way. I hope everyone is doing well - and again apologies if I have been horrible with comminication... I think the work hours will start to go back to normal shortly and I will not be dreaming about work any longer! Loving all the updates that I get from you all so keep 'em coming.
Now I never thought I would say this but there is definitely one big thing I miss about touring in the good old USA.... the shuttle bus! Here in europe they are mucho dinero $$ so main form of getting to and from work is the metro. Normally fine, but here in Paris our commute is especially long ranging from 40 - 60 plus minutes. Not only that we transfer to 3 metro tains and the last one we take (RER D) is the worst in Paris - ie. NOT SAFE AT ALL! Needless to say we travel in groups and don't really venture on there after dark. There is a shuttle @ night for the lovely "artists" but the shuttle isn't all too convenient for the Box Office schedule so we take either take the metro or after dark a taxi. Notes about the metro- it is great to get around the city in Zone 1 (downtown section) with about 15 different lines! Sure kicks Toronto's TTC in the butt! The smells have taken some getting use to and thank goodness that my allergies often leave me with no sense of smell. Most days I get serenated by a smelly man with an acordian... they are oh so popular in the metro. Avoid eye contact and they won't come bugging you for $$.
I have managed to see some of Paris on my days off - I have visited the Louvre and saw the "well known art" and more. The Mona Lisa was definitely on the list - after seeing replicas of her it was great to see the real deal. I think her eyes are the only difference I saw... other than that the painting is quite simple, plain and tiny in comparison the the huge canvasses that reach heights of 40 feet. Probably the most intersting for me was the Egyptian section. I spent quite some time in there and managed to see various tombs and also a mummified person. Quite fascinating indeed! I saw about a third of the museum and will go back a couple more times to see the rest. I also hit the big mall in town, Galerie Lafayette, and picked up a couple tops. The shoe section was the best I have ever seen and I was in heaven. In the back of my head I heard my mom's voice saying i do not need another pair... but oohhhh they are all so pretty. I managed to escape without any shoes - this time - but don't you worry I haven't changed and I'm sure I'll be back! The best way to see Paris is by foot and for two days off I have wandered around different neighbourhoods and lunched at many cafes. Good thing there is tons of walking in Paris because the bread here is sooo tasty and everywhere. I managed to go two weeks without bread back home in Toronto before I came on tour, but when I arrived in Paris I couldn't resist the warm baguette. Once back in North America I'll have to go off bread for a while.
Work wise I have settled in fine and the new team on the whole is great. The Box Office in this city is chaotic as our new ticketing system is very technical and can't perform the many functions we need it to. Our nightly sales report which should take about 5 minutes takes 2 people together just about an hour! Our half-assed training, without a manual might I add and completely in French... parisien French which is totally different than the Quebeqois jargon that I have come accustomed to on tour and it also left the two others with me who are from Quebec slightly confused! Thus it was not helpful and it left us baffled for the first couple of weeks. It has gotten slightly better as we now explore the system and find out new things everyday and probably when we are ready to leave Paris in July we'll be experts! The local staff are great and are a great resource of how to get off the beaten track in Paris.
Pictures are to come so stand by for a few more days... I conveniently left my battery charger at home so one is on its way. I hope everyone is doing well - and again apologies if I have been horrible with comminication... I think the work hours will start to go back to normal shortly and I will not be dreaming about work any longer! Loving all the updates that I get from you all so keep 'em coming.
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