I changed my mind - skating stuff needs to be in here too - a different distillation can go in my other blog. This is pretty much directly from my notebook, written Saturday morning (wasn't feeling up to re-interpreting it again, and typing fast is soothing)
SO much to write about and remember - skating is such a different pace, such a different engagement of the senses. This mob skate was very different even then solitary skating - it was very like a concert in the shared experience paired with the extreme isolation and introversion - maybe like a mosh pit, overly aware of everyone else while lost doing your own thing.
Much milling about before the rally, awkward and comfortable groups forming, many more individually standing on the edges, more easily accepted here then in other group situations. The group had a ton of energy - and motion- due to the wheels on every pair of feet. For most I'm sure it was unconscious, but standing on skates in not necessarily a still process. The moment of take off was magical, only one verbal shout and being called to motion by other moving backs - a compression of the pack, then space opened up in front of you and off! and immediate stop seven pumps after freedom, but that taste was enough for giddy excitement. I quickly lost all track of where I was, consumed instead with wind and feet and trajectories and speed adjustment and the glories of smooth movement, muscles, and acceleration.
200 people - what a strange pack. Constantly being passed by and passing people. I started out in the rear, but after the first few straightaways - definitely after the first hill - I found myself comfortably in the rear of the first cadre of riders. Always at stops people would wiggle their way through (quite skillfully, given the skates), and always they would be passed again. I much prefer to not be pushy at the stop and overtake people like that on the move. Strange repetition, then, of backs and sides - really only a few stand out as memorable, maybe the supply was neverending. I was nearly always the first girl (may that NOT be my epitaph...) There were probably less the 10 females that I saw total, still was nice to be first in some regard. The eventual feeling was that of being surrounded by friends, playfully jousting on who goes ahead or swerves - I'd win on the uphill, I'd let others win downhill and on cobblestones, and stopped.
Skating really is a terribly introspective thing to do, and it was enhanced by the social context. Competition, ambition, gender, work ethic, grace, endurance, past and present mini-victories; all these concepts, always present in action, are enhanced and play themselves out for reflection. Not too humbling - I'm proud of my work ethic, I don't let competition spur me to nastiness - grace I do need to work on - endurance I have down pat. I wonder at my uptightness on hills, especially since I ski, I wish I could fling myself down heedless, but it takes some mental effort to let that happen. Something to work on I guess. And - I hate having an innate advantage. I was cursing my abec 7s for making the skating too easy....
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Perfect Parisian Day - Friday 03 Mar 06
It will be hard to go back to the States and have a full schedule again - just being a student and living in Paris sets a wonderfully relaxed pace, nicely broken up by these travelling weeks and weekends. Today was simply lovely.
Woke up with the brightness of morning, 8:30 or so. feels kind of early here, although it's been ages since I would let myself wake up that late at home. Our apartment feels like its all windows, it's very nice. could always adjust the blinds, but it's so nice to wake up naturally. Spent a good amount of time thinking in bed about various things, some of it even about homework; was amused with my idea for an installation of objects instead of little flippy models as an assignment. The basis of 'objecthood' and implications of the words were some of the thinking as well - shrug.
Tony woke up later wtih a craving for crepes, so off on a crepe expedition we went. We had eaten in a little creperie one of our first days here in a vaguely remembered location, although after quite a bit of wandering (expedition title was warrented) we hadn't found it, the charmingly french country hole-in-the wall we did find was quite satisfactory. Proprietor's friend came in an complained in French; it's amazing how wonderfully local even whining can be in another language. Nutella crepes are unbeatable.... might have to try nutella lefsa sometime though, i bet the result would be similarly spectacular, if not as ethnically pure. beth, the fusion chef, ha.... the world might just thank me for this one though.
Setting up real-sized objects in a space for the installation in studio was amazingly fun. Nothing too fancy, just junk thrown together, but with a definate symbolic content, and neat to think of them existing in relation to each other, and to get to move to put together an assignment. I had to keep walking from the supply closet to the tables, the repetition of calm movement towards the production of an idea enigmatic to everyone was very pleasing. i was in a strange giddy mood actually.... i have been lately, it's a good thing i would like to hold onto.
Got an unexpectedly HUGE charge on my bank account for calling with a credit card from Bern (more Bern hatred ha). I should have known better, still upset me a good deal. Class was over at that point, only Tony and I left, so I felt ok making something to dissapate the stress. Hehe went a little overboard, 2' square pastel rendition of that Venice sketch I just posted. Turned out pretty unexpectedly well, happy, since all I was going for was the soothingness of putting color on paper, but the project kind of took over. Exactly what I needed. Any takers for an amaturish Venice canal scene? No fixative here, I really don't know what I'll do with it.
Somewhat startled to find it 7 pm, Tony and I took off for the free Louvre Friday night. We finished it! We've seen everything there. The whole Louvre. Only took 4 trips... and actually there's a gallery of Islamic art we just breezed past without looking... justification for going again. Neat to realize though. My opinion of sculpture has changed quite a bit while here, and I think that would be my main reason for going back. Nice to have a museum with both paintings and a substantial sculpture garden - plus it's the LOUVRE whoa. It was a refreshing change from the Vatican museum as well - better curated, the sculptures were intentionally paced, not crowded together like a antiquities thrift store.
Ran into Tom and Guillermo unexpectedly, declined movie invitation in favor of the mass skate I'd promised myself I'd do (and brought my skates with for...) I actually almost chickened out, scary to think about 15000 people skating. REALLY glad I went though. I wrote a million pages about the skate, I'll post it in my new exciting other blog. In brief though: there was actually 'only' 200 other skaters, mostly male, gathered and started in front of the Tour Montparnasse for a 3-hour skate through southern Paris, a huge figure eight from one side to the other. A million highlights and sensations, it was a blast. A lot less social then you might imagine - it can be alienating to be just one in a crowd. But still - an amazing time. Missed the last Metro train home, so add another hour for navigation home onto the skate time, frustrating - but skating in Paris is lovely at night, I'll have to go more often. Shower and crash when I got home.... very very satisfying day.
This is quite wordy for such a mundane day.... but still... it was wonderful....
edit: holy crap i'm sorry if you've read all this! laughed out loud, got strange stares, when i popped up the page to see how long it was... i hid most of it though.... muhahaha
Woke up with the brightness of morning, 8:30 or so. feels kind of early here, although it's been ages since I would let myself wake up that late at home. Our apartment feels like its all windows, it's very nice. could always adjust the blinds, but it's so nice to wake up naturally. Spent a good amount of time thinking in bed about various things, some of it even about homework; was amused with my idea for an installation of objects instead of little flippy models as an assignment. The basis of 'objecthood' and implications of the words were some of the thinking as well - shrug.
Tony woke up later wtih a craving for crepes, so off on a crepe expedition we went. We had eaten in a little creperie one of our first days here in a vaguely remembered location, although after quite a bit of wandering (expedition title was warrented) we hadn't found it, the charmingly french country hole-in-the wall we did find was quite satisfactory. Proprietor's friend came in an complained in French; it's amazing how wonderfully local even whining can be in another language. Nutella crepes are unbeatable.... might have to try nutella lefsa sometime though, i bet the result would be similarly spectacular, if not as ethnically pure. beth, the fusion chef, ha.... the world might just thank me for this one though.
Setting up real-sized objects in a space for the installation in studio was amazingly fun. Nothing too fancy, just junk thrown together, but with a definate symbolic content, and neat to think of them existing in relation to each other, and to get to move to put together an assignment. I had to keep walking from the supply closet to the tables, the repetition of calm movement towards the production of an idea enigmatic to everyone was very pleasing. i was in a strange giddy mood actually.... i have been lately, it's a good thing i would like to hold onto.
Got an unexpectedly HUGE charge on my bank account for calling with a credit card from Bern (more Bern hatred ha). I should have known better, still upset me a good deal. Class was over at that point, only Tony and I left, so I felt ok making something to dissapate the stress. Hehe went a little overboard, 2' square pastel rendition of that Venice sketch I just posted. Turned out pretty unexpectedly well, happy, since all I was going for was the soothingness of putting color on paper, but the project kind of took over. Exactly what I needed. Any takers for an amaturish Venice canal scene? No fixative here, I really don't know what I'll do with it.
Somewhat startled to find it 7 pm, Tony and I took off for the free Louvre Friday night. We finished it! We've seen everything there. The whole Louvre. Only took 4 trips... and actually there's a gallery of Islamic art we just breezed past without looking... justification for going again. Neat to realize though. My opinion of sculpture has changed quite a bit while here, and I think that would be my main reason for going back. Nice to have a museum with both paintings and a substantial sculpture garden - plus it's the LOUVRE whoa. It was a refreshing change from the Vatican museum as well - better curated, the sculptures were intentionally paced, not crowded together like a antiquities thrift store.
Ran into Tom and Guillermo unexpectedly, declined movie invitation in favor of the mass skate I'd promised myself I'd do (and brought my skates with for...) I actually almost chickened out, scary to think about 15000 people skating. REALLY glad I went though. I wrote a million pages about the skate, I'll post it in my new exciting other blog. In brief though: there was actually 'only' 200 other skaters, mostly male, gathered and started in front of the Tour Montparnasse for a 3-hour skate through southern Paris, a huge figure eight from one side to the other. A million highlights and sensations, it was a blast. A lot less social then you might imagine - it can be alienating to be just one in a crowd. But still - an amazing time. Missed the last Metro train home, so add another hour for navigation home onto the skate time, frustrating - but skating in Paris is lovely at night, I'll have to go more often. Shower and crash when I got home.... very very satisfying day.
This is quite wordy for such a mundane day.... but still... it was wonderful....
edit: holy crap i'm sorry if you've read all this! laughed out loud, got strange stares, when i popped up the page to see how long it was... i hid most of it though.... muhahaha
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