The Little Palace

Thursdays mark the beginning of my weekend! I very strategically planned my class schedule around (1) commuting and (2) European travel plans… and I wonder why I don’t have a job lined up. I am proud to report that I was able to jam five classes into three days. Efficiency. See I am hireable. I considered taking Advanced Excel for Managers on Tuesdays from 6pm-9pm just to have a five day weekend, but took one look at the text book and accompanying CD-ROM (yawn) and dropped that immediately.

Yesterday was my first Managing Diversity class. The teacher (who is a German hottie with Fabio-esqe flowing locks and another person to add to the list of people who are appalled at my disinterest in learning French… it grows daily) started the class by saying “We all have prejudices. Even me. Yesterday I was driving and there was some idiot next to me on the road. I looked over and it was a woman. Typical.” I was about to go all Women’s Business Association on his ass when my roommate reminded me that we were in Paris and to sit back and calm down. I am lucky to have her here with me. She also saved me from getting dragged by the Metro yesterday morning when I got stuck in the door. Not my finest Parisian moment.

I spent this morning strolling the majestic halls of Le Petit Palais. If this is the little palace, then I would love to see the big one. I was trying to find Napoleon’s Tomb and ended up here instead. There are so many palaces, tombs, museums, and towers in the same neighborhood! Ok there is only one tower. I really didn’t know what building I was walking into until I got the full body cavity search at security. Also not a fine Parisian moment. It is a beautiful building with grand architecture so I figured that it had to be worthy of a walk thru. There was the cutest kindergarten class on a field trip. I kept wondering if they knew how lucky they were to be in such an amazing city with so much culture and history. I am guessing no as they were behaving like the west wing of the little palace was Chuck E. Cheese. I couldn’t help but fixate on one particularly hefty little boy who was struggling to loosen the tight grip that his teacher had on him. He had “I want to break something” written all over his chubby little face. I secretly wanted to see it happen. Those guards in the red blazers were looking a little too comfortable.

And so the sun sets on another perfect Parisian day. I am one sleepy American girl. Bonne nuit, mon amour!