HI!

So I felt completely guilty today. Quite guilty.

BUT.

I realize this guilt's existence in my (smallish) brain is quite justified. QUITE justified. A friend told me recently that I have many fun, often creative, sometimes useful, and, on very rare occasions, good ideas. But then she said something that has not ceased to bother my little self in quite a while.

"You have all these ideas! But then you never actually follow through with any of them."

Now, my little heart nearly dropped all over my honey-brown wooden floor as I sat in my chair and stared at that very same honey-brown wooden floor. It was so true.

Never, well RARELY, do I follow through with the things I say, plan, proclaim that I will do. WHY!?  What's even worse is that this means that I am one of those. YES. One of those...

The unreliable friend.

OHMYGOSH I can barely look at the words I've just typed. OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH! It's true! I am unreliable! Oh goooodness gracious. I am going to need some type of chocolate laden SOMETHING as I ponder this.

Okay no seriously eating your feelings, I am told, is not the answer. But actually chocolate at any time of the day is just a lovely thing. And well, I am personally a lively supporter of the dark chocolate against  free radicals brigade. Whatever in the world a free radical is, I am not sure, but you see chocolate is somehow the answer to the stopping of these little rascals.

Anyways. Back to my life fail. I've decided that I cannot, absolutely CANNOT ccontinue to be an unreliable daughter, sister, friend, girlfriend, uhmuhm... american citizen! voter! recycle-er! erm...reader! No more books half finished! Jane Eyre-HERE I COME!!

I WILL NOT BE UNRELIABLE! However, in keeping with my idiotic unreliable nature, I am obviously horrendous at keeping resolutions and the like. So this declaration against unreliability actually cannot be anything like a resolution. MAIS NON! This has to be an actual change in behavior. And for that, there is only one place to go.

ANTHROPOLOGY! hehe okay noooo. Je rigole, je rigole, I jest, dear friend, I jest.
I'd be lying through my brace-free (for six years now!) lil teeth if I told you that I drew my strength, determination, and purpose from anywhere except God. In fact, there's less of me doing anything, and more of Him doing everything. Reading the Bible, as nun-ish as that sounded to me in my wee years, has come to mean the world to me. It's that powerful. It's one of the primary ways I connect to God. [ and He is preeeeety darn cool. Sense of humor too, right Lord?! hehe :) ]

So it is with this strength, His strength, that I will find the ability to be reliable. Afterall, Jesus was the most reliable person ever. He came to this place, with idiotic unreliables like me running around, and chose to die for us. He had the choice to not be killed, but chose to let Himself be led to the cross because He. cared. that. much. Without Him, I wouldn't have my relationship with God.

Now that's the kind of reliability I look towards. That's the kind of reliability I want to grow to display and live and be.  I am not much of a risk taker. ( Helmut, seat belt, and SPF 30 all day, errday.) But Jesus' kind of proactive reliability is something I want. And I'm willing to make changes to do that. So here's to BEING RELIABLE. Starts NOW.

impromtu mini rap for motivation:

free radicals G?
nah, I wanna be radically free
of my stupidity
my unreliability
its my passivity
thats
taking hold of me
erm
hot diggi-ty.

So whoopwhoop there you go.
Im a changing woman, yo.


:)

C'est l'hiver à Montréal!

Salut chers amis. How goes it!! It's super duper snowy and billowy and white and windy and puffy on the streets of Montréal right now. Littlebiddie looks quite like a miniature walking snowsuit when she chippers to school these days tehehe mais, c'est bon mes amis, c'est bon!

The only lil thang that has been bothering me as of late is the fact that my trusted lil boots have ripped at their seams. Quite literally. The zippers on both the right boot and the left boot (respectively) have recently announced their resignation and are no longer working in cooperation with the idea of walking through snow. Like my little sister, they are quite cheeky and can often be sassy. I have therefore decided I am going to give them time to reconsider their comments/actions. Otherwise, we are off to la cordonnerie, the shoe shop repairman.

image via flickr by Jim Delcid 

Last year, l'année dernière, I went to le cordonnerie to inquire about some luscious little leather boots I had spied in the shop window. When I went inside, however, the owner, the little monsieur, was in the workshop around back. But! The little monsieur had left the door a bit ajar and I was able to glance in and see a beautiful little sight. Shelves and shelves of beautiful, fresh, dyed leather hung from thick wooden shelves all around the workshop. Big metal sewing-implying things were installed at the ends of long, wide wood tables. I do believe I started to think of Pinocchio whilst soaking that little shop in, but was soon made to regain focus when the little monsieur noticed me standing in the middle of his shop.

 

                     mehehe at the shoeshop! chez le cordonnerie!

I don't think he reeeeaaaaallly fancied the thought of me taking pictures, so I didn't. Well, mmkay, I snapped like two! hehee those little french boots were impossibly mignon, cute, but I simply could not justify their direct purchase. Now, maintenant, it is a different story :)

      

Alas, I shall get to work on finding some boots. Yeee I love explorations!
Explore something new about your world today, mon ami!
                                                                         à plus! 

hehe

              

Hello! Mmk, so here's the thang. T'is a new year and a new start and this lovely freshness is inspiring me to attempt to start to become a regular bloggin lilbiddieee! Soooo for those who I've disappointed (mamá) fear no longer. Je reviens, I'm back, and I'm making it a point to write once a week! Fun things to show and tell!!! weee!

For right now, ima show off some photography from a ¡super talented colombiana! yayy her photos are beautiful and I love them! One is my desktop backround, maintenant.

mmkk, talk to you soon! je reviens ;)

Salut chers amis! J'ai des petits infos pour vous!!

So! Littlebiddie was supposed to post this awhile ago!! But, as my mama says, better late than never! I very much think a lot of mamas must say that. Anyways, un peu des petits infos pour vous!

Whew. So I am sitting outside my lecture room waiting for my delightful lil Spanish class to start. I have only about 15 minutes, mais, I felt the need to say a wee hello to cyberworld.

HOW IS LIFE! MINE HAS BEEN CRAZY! The last couple months have included an abundance of crazy-lovliness...

-the sending off of the sweet summer months into the beginning of a crisp, energized fall

-midterm papers, exams, and projects...in other words... SCHOOL.

- a peaceful weekend in the still, sublime mountains of Québec.

 

-a certain someone's TWENTIETH (!?!?!?) birthday accompanied by a a deliciously, fun Latina-dancing- filled night with some of the greatest of friends and AN AMAZING CAKE made by the best roomate in the New World

- a highly amusing conversation with Jonathan, the cheerful hobo, about the loveliness of playing frisbee in Parc Jean Mance.

- a trip down south to the native land to visit with two of the funniest and most beloved of biddie best friends! We spent a crazy but highly intellectual time at Yale University over a lovely autumn weekend. Was centered around laughing and good food. Again, highly intellectual.

(Although all the pics actually do look a wee bit on the intellectual side hehe)

 

-An accidental handshake with foodie celeb Carlo Petrini, Italian entourage included; freshly made brick-oven pizza was most definitely involved.

-one of the deepest and most moving of train rides littlebiddie has ever had in her life. Littlebiddie's seat-mate and newly discovered soul sistah talked life, as they journeyed down the stunning, winding Northeast coast aboard the Appalachia 68.

- a surreal, all-to-short, and bittersweet solo walk through Times Square after 11 hours of that very moving train ride.

-ZUMBA.

-Sweet and unbelievably cherished moments in the early mornings spent with God. (Love You so MUCH!!)

-one of the funniest and most scary half-an-hours in littlebiddie's life, in the car of a quite elderly (ancient) quebecoise. They met in the drizzly, foggy cobblestone streets of the Vieux Port, Old Port, after a night of Greek Tragic theater (très bon,very good, but not incredibly cheerful). Because it was raining, the tiny madame insisted on DRIVING littlebiddie home. She would not be convinced otherwise. Despite the countless turns onto one way streets whilst driving on wrong sides of barriers, littlebiddle did survive. Littlebiddie learned that Madame Anastasia had moved to Montreal from her native Greece over thirty years ago. She had been living by herself for almost twenty of those years. That night, both Madame Anastasia and littlebiddie gained a new friend.

                            A picture of Vieux Port from a summer night this year.

-a chance encounter with an old friend that was delightfully reminiscing-laden, in the dairy aisle of Metro.

-CHOCOLATE. SWISS CHOCOLATE, merci beaucoup!

-girlsnight. CHOCOLATE. SWISS CHOCOLATE was, and is always, fervently invited to girlsnight. There is always girlie chatter and laughing tremors involved as well. I've never quite used the word "tremor" to describe laughing. However, my dictionary has provided the words "shake," "earthquake," and "wobble" to describe its meaning and I would very much agree these describe our laughter. We love us some wobblin'.

-COFFEE. Goooodnesss graciousss. 

-funny talks and skype attempts with family. hahahhhah they very well may never understand the world of technology. 

anyways, had to do a quick update. more stories to come. 

à bientôt chers amis :)

Je vous aime! 

Nous sommes le 8 septembre, already! We have quickly arrived at the beginning of a fresh, crispy, leaf-laden September. I am already sitting in a puddle of wrinkly highlighted academic articles, next to a Jenga-esque tower of coursepacks and textbooks. I'm in the living room of the apartment I share with one of my super good biddie friends! The windows are open and a little breeze is brushing my face and tickling the curtains, making them preform a somewhat amusing little routine in my window. Colorful Spanish acoustic is playing from my laptop and there is a littlebiddie candle burning for good measure.

Today, amongst the many thoughts that flitted about in my mind, I had somewhat of an important revelation. In fact, it may be pertinent/directly related to my literal and academic survival this year. My realization was this: Coffee makes one do things. 

I could not for the life of me figure out why, a couple of nights ago I could not fall asleep. That afternoon, I had had my first real, whole cup of coffee. I have already discussed my aversion to actually drinking the coffee I purchase. Yet, for some reason I decided to drink the whole cup. Doctored up, mind you, with a little (lot) of milk and sugar, but finished nonetheless. Still, in my mind, this played no vital part in my little insomnia episode that night. But then it happened again. I casually noted that I had coffee that afternoon, as well. BUT THEN TODAY SOMETHING AWE INSPIRING HAPPENED. I brewed some particularly delicious dark roast Hawaiin and drank up two cups (!?!?) (college). After I proceeded to drink mes deux tasses, I STARTED TO DO WORK. 

If that doesn't impress you, I should inform that I was reading a chapter out of "The Complete Work of Greek Mythology." This, mon ami, should tell you that the coffee was indeed doing the miraculous. 

I am now an aficionado of sorts. I most likely should start a coffee critiquing career straightaway. But before I join Juan Valdez on, er, a burro, I need to tell you something. 

I was walking down my street on my way to class with my iPod secured tightly in my lil ears. A nurse was wheeling an elderly woman in a wheelchair towards me. Me tête, my head, was as always, in the clouds so I did not hear the elderly woman speak out to me as she came closer. I soon caught her eye and realized she was saying something and saying it to me. 

My earphones quickly came out and the wrinkly-faced, white haired madame grabbed my hand. The nurse stopped the wheel chair. I looked down and stared at her little hand on mine. I glanced into the oldest little eyes I have seen in quite awhile and listened to earnest, garbled french escape thin little lips. The nurse was trying to apologize,  but I was bending down lower unable to stop listening to the little madame.

Then for some reason, I put my hand on her tiny upper arm and asked her if she was okay. She answered something, I couldn't understand, but it was softer, more relaxed. There we three were; me kneeling in front of a tiny elderly woman, the little madame herself with her frail hand on mine, and the nurse standing silently behind the wheel chair. After a few moments, I smiled, gave her arm a gentle lil squeeze and said a quiet goodbye. I looked back at the two as I walked away, and felt really suddenly moved by the longest 90 seconds I have ever experienced. The little madame just wanted to tell somebody something. I am really happy that I was given the chance to listen.

 Last year I experienced so much of Montréal's beauty, its vibrancy, its color, its scents and tastes and sights and places. And I love Montréal. I love it, I love it, I love it. But this year, I want to really understand something about her. I want to stop and listen and put my own weak but caring hand on her tiny shoulder. This year, I want to meet her people. 

Bonjour mes amis. It's been quite awhile!! Right now I'm sitting in a nearly deserted airport center in Savannah, Georgia. Perched faithfully next to me, is my Starbucks grande Cafe Mocha. Yes, I am one of those.
Well, okay, I like to pretend I am one of those. I am completely unashamed to admit that I am a total coffee-drinking poser.  Some people put a lil milk in their coffee. I put a lil coffee in my milk. In fact, from the looks of things, my silky lil Cafe Mocha may be abandoned once all the sweet foamy part on the top is gone.

ANYHOW. I am checking back in because I am once more en route to Montréal! Which obviously means that more chaos, camaraderie, chocolate and cheese await us, mon ami! I am beside-myself- thrilled to let you know that I have my very own apartment this year, which I am renting with one of my besties here in la belle province!! I have already made the executive decision that notre apartemente will basically be a reincarnation of the store Anthropologie. As in, I may well just import the entire store into our third floor flat. That being said, I can't help but try to fight off a surprisingly strong sense of loss as I jet off towards the land of French Canadians. This summer was one of the craziest, most vivid, funniest, MOST FUN, parfait, perfect summers in this littlebiddie's life. Seriously, so many things went down this summer that will always be big beautiful bright splashes of colors on the painting of ma vie, my life.  And those types of metaphors, my friend, are signs that I am getting melodramatic and quite girly-emotional. So, before I do something drastic in attempts to avoid being sad, like finish my Grande Cafe Mocha, I must go. My plane boards in 10 minutes, and I have yet to get myself to my little terminal, plane waiting room thing.  Those make me feel a bit like I am waiting for the dentist.

Okay, must go. Talk to you once I am back in Montréal. The adventures both in my little New Jersey and in Montréal have truly just begun.

OKAY REALLY MUST GO.


bisous!! à bientôt!! 

SALUT ENCORE!

Salut mes amis!! Summer is here back in the land of er...hamburgers and Benjamin Franklin. Alors, so, what in the world do I say? I think I may choose to be not so long winded as per usual.

I really have so many things to blog about my head may well roll right of my shoulders into the laundry bin. Anyhow! Some things I must quickly share with you:




1. I have completed my first Europe trip with one of my bestessstt friends in the cosmic galaxy and had the time of my life. J'aime l'Europe! Beaucoup!! I may have even spotted the (biddie) president de la France.

   

  


      
2. I am presently working a lil internship in finance. Yes, it has precisely zero correlation/connection/relevance to any area that I am talented in. Mais non mon ami, I am not completely useless. I have contributed significantly in the reconstruction of many an office chair...I have resized the majority to oblige persons of smaller heights. I am not quite sure how the 80% male population in the office will react to this, but I am hoping for the best.


3. I have officially decided that I am marrying a quite famous international soccer, le football, player.


                                   


4. Am currently revising my brilliant plan de succès pertaining to #3.

5. Have been exposed the zany little world of modern art via NYC's MoMA. I do not say this with mockery, mes amis. I am personally very fond of brightly colored spheres and twirling bits of metal. A littlebiddie like moi may not fully understand the concepts, mais I respect those lil crazies anyway.

  

  

                            

6. Attended Renegade Craft Fair in the BK. If Renegade was a deli-esque item, it would be a crispy pastrami on toasted rye with oozey salty cheese. In other words, utter deliciousness.

 

  

  

  

 7. I have set out on a mission to show the world (k not the whole world) that New Jersey does, mais oui, have greenery and gardens and other such eco-friendly greatness! I am getting involved with an organization that introduces kids to cooking with organic fruits and veggies. YAY!! This may be the very biddie cause for my nerdiness, but I LOVE COOKING AND VEGGIES!! These pics are from Riverside School District in Princeton, where they have something similar to Alice Waters's Edible Schoolyard.

 

  

Et mainant je pense que ça suffit. I think that about does it for now, mes amis. I will try to be quite diligent about my blogging and keep my ramblings to a minimum. Whilst we both know the latter will not happen, I am sure I will talk to y'all soon. 

À plus!