40 Yard Fake and Acid Dreams

Summertime is (almost) officially here. For me, it's been here since May 11.

THANK GOD.

Lots of driving, hanging out with friends, catching up with sports (moment of silence for The Red Wings), drinking, eating... It's been great.

Of particular note was the trip Seth and I took to Paris. We flew to London first, staying long enough to eat a little something, taxi through the city, and then hastily catch the next train to Paris. We went through "The Chunnel," which I slept almost the whole way through. I assume it was pretty boring, given the whole dark tunnel part.

Once we woke up, Paris was in our midst. It was graffiti-laden and beautiful. Also very dangerous. If people feel like they'll die in New York City traffic, then go to Paris once and you'll appreciate your life in an instant. The driving there is CRAZY. Like I saw three accidents crazy. And I was only there for a week. Besides constantly dodging death, we had a swell time. The city is like a living museum. Everywhere you go is old. Even convenience stores and bars are edifices with hundreds of years of history.

My favorite part of Paris: The Food (and drink).

Breakfast: Paul's. It's a chain but it's fresh and delicious. The ham in the omelet I had was incredible.
Lunch: Just about anywhere is great. You can grab a sidewalk spot, some coffee, and people watch for hours. I will say, ketchup is really different over there. Should you get french fries, be warned.
Dinner: Chez Fernand. Great wine list. Many options. Fresh vegetables. Very kind. My favorite place above all places.

Least favorite part of Paris: The Eifel Tower.

It's a 40 yard fake: Good from far. Far from good.

Don't misunderstand me. The view from it is incredible. And again, looking at it from afar is very nice, especially at nighttime. But up close it is brown. Like dirty brown. And apparently, Parisians feel the same way. Got some great pictures from up top. And since Seth is terrified of heights, we didn't stay long. Sorry, not sorry.

All I ever heard about France and Americans was that they don't like us.  I think that as long as you make an effort to indulge the French culture, they'll meet you part of the way. Either we were really lucky or my French was so bad to the point of charm. Regardless of the reason, our experience was enjoyable and without any major complications (besides getting lost a lot, which I happen to enjoy).

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Two days ago, Seth and I got back from Las Vegas for his cousin Corey's bachelor party (also for his soon-to-be cousin's bachelorette party). This was my second stint in Vegas. Four days of Hangover worthy fun in the sun, dancing in the dark, and a lot of stuff in between.

The highlight of this trip was Kaskade. He is an electronic music phenom.

Getting there was long.
Once we got inside it was hot.
We waited for two hours.
My feet hurt.
Then it started and it all made sense.

WHAT A SHOW! There were lasers, ballerinas, whacky colors on an enormous screen, flashing lights, disco balls, cold steam guns... I felt like I had been transported to a time when LSD was flowing and free love was the law. The music, of course, was awesome. Kaskade does this things where he starts new loops on up beats and using the craziest subdivisions. It's jarring and exciting and fascinating. It's improv taken to a new level that I've never heard, at least not in person. So cool.

That night/morning, I didn't sleep for nearly 24 hours. A plane ride back to Michigan at 6 in the morning makes sleeping useless when you're done carousing at 4AM with packing left to do.
It's been a great three weeks of summer so far. Now I've got to be productive. Looking for the motivation...