Gala, Auction, Everything

Wow, I'm the worst blogger ever.  It doesn't keep me up at night though, soooo...

These last two weeks have been crazy busy.  We started our online auction (to raise funds for our programs) as well as put together a gala/dinner at the Shangri-La Hotel, Paris.  It was probably the most stressful period of my internship as I had to organize all the prizes for the auction, photograph them (like a billion times with lots of details), create an HTML code for each individual lot's announcement, integrate each lot and said codes onto eBay, then program each lot to start at specific times depending on its importance...

And now we wait and answer questions about the prizes as people bid.  I'm so glad it's over.

The gala was very fancy...I ate actual caviar...it's not yummy. Me no likee.  I've gotten to the point in my life that I eat and even enjoy fish, but the caviar was just too much.  Someone ordered me a glass of champagne at the open bar which I then turned down for an orange juice :) which was probably the freshest juice I've ever had.  It was interesting to participate in such a classy event, because I don't really get that opportunity in the states (I mean I'm a classy guy, but I don't think I've ever been to a shindig like this one).  It means I have nothing to compare to and thus I just have to accept it as it is.  But that's kind of how we should always treat different cultures.  Just observe and accept that "that's how it's done."  It would be interesting to see what an American event of the same caliber would look like...I imagine there'd be less red wine, and more beer...maybe?  No idea honestly.

Some things of note:

During the cocktail hour before the dinner there were entertainers, which included:

A soccer trick/dancer thingamajig guy.  I don't know how to describe it.  He did tricks with a soccer ball to music (and even stripped a little bit, which was just...*shakes head*)  But he was really good at keeping the ball in the air without his hands

A group of salsa/breakdancers.  I wish I had a video.  It made me uncomfortable 1) because I don't like when people ballroom dance without a partner (it was three guys) 2) because they were wearing those puffy balloon pants and suit jackets, with no shirts on underneath (again, we got a little strip tease) and 3) because I go to BYU where there are amazing dancers everywhere and that has tainted me.  

Anyway, it was a wonderful evening spent meeting French sports personalities (Rabadan, Chabal, Muriel Hurtis, Laurence Fischer, etc.) and it was a success.

I can't believe that next week my internship will be over and that the week after that I'll be back in the states.  The time has flown.  Hopefully I get around to doing more of the things that I planned on doing before I leave...who wants to fund Michael's trip to Morocco? :)      

"Harry Potter Puppet Show," she said laughing

You guys. This happened on the tram on my home from work.

Have you ever gone people-watching?  It's fun, right?  Well, sometimes, I like to go people-listening, where I pretend that I'm listening to music with my headphones in, but I listen to people around me instead.  Unorthodox? Maybe.

So last night or the night before I was on the tram and more and more people kept coming on, but not that many people were getting off. This equals sardines.  

I had started my people-listening, so my headphones were in with no music playing.  Nothing interesting so far.  Then a couple of people my age get on, which is always a toss-up between boring school talk and awesomely hilarious talk.  The first two ladies...boring talk. Boooo!

Then the next two squeeze in next to me (like uncomfortably close) and start talking.  Somehow I catch the phrase "secret Santa" (not its equivalent in French...the actual words "secret Santa") Excellent.

As a side note, I've seen this and laughed so many times that I automatically equate the rest of the rhyme as "dead," to the point that I no longer remember the real thing

The guy looks confused.  She thinks it's the word 'Santa' that's got him stuck, but no, it's the whole thing.  She explains and he gets the picture pretty quickly. They talk about gifts and one of them mentions a box-set of Harry Potter movies.  My ears perk up...

This girl knows her Potter shiz. She's quoting and laughing and he's clueless...he knows the films and books, but he's not a true fan.  She then, and I can't emphasize how unusual and not-French this is, starts singing (out loud) this:

At this point I'm doing everything in my power to neither laugh out loud nor to join her in "singing" slash "quoting".  My face is probably giving everything away.  

The boy at this point is looking uncomfortable and like he wants to Apparate (wink) off that tram.  He has absolutely no idea what's happening.  So she picks up on his lack of understanding and explains that it's from "a thing on YouTube called 'Harry Potter Puppet Show'." (like "secret Santa," this, too, was in Frenchified English). This title alone almost sent me over the edge, for whatever reason.  
 
Moral of the story: sometimes being crammed in the tram has its benefits, if you're willing to creepily stalk others by listening to their conversations "unnoticed" (I quote because I'm sure the girl had to know)       

Caspers (the friendly not-ghosts)

HALLOWEEN!! 

Halloween in France is mostly different in quantity, in that it felt like way fewer people make a big deal out of it.  There were some people dressed up, but I didn't see that many...maybe not being on a campus of some sort made a difference...who knows...

Anywho, the best part of my Halloween was definitely seeing the CASPERS!

These two are amazing! For the peeps in Utah, Tami and Kurt are from my home ward in Pville CA. They have an amazing family and put up with my mother (love me, mom) in their home while they lived in D.C. I love them. 

I took the afternoon off and met them at the Louvre, where we basically saw the essentials...Mona Lisa, winged victory, everything  Louis XIV (Jared Miller...cough cough) the Venus de milo, some cool Egyptian artifacts, and lots of naked statues (as Tami put it: "oh, another wardrobe malfunction." :)

Winged Victory = stunning

I think this was in Apollo's hall.  Imagine that above your bed as you sleep.

Mona Lisa and friends...I have better pictures of it, but this guy's face...

"L'état, c'est moi" - Jared Mil...I mean Louis XIV

The Venus de Milo...other than the pushy tourists (besides us, of course), it was amazing!

After that, we took a walk along the Seine as the sun set (I was the gracious third wheel) and ate at a café next to the river (and by next to, I mean there was a three lane street full of cars between us and the river, but still...magical.) They got to see the lovers bridge with all the locks, but sadly due to misinformation, had not brought a lock to attach to it (all the more reason to come again)

With just a little time left before their train back to Brussels, I decided that they had to at least see the exterior of Notre Dame (another tactic used by the French to get tourists to come back...just show the exterior and leave 'em begging for more)

I do love this city! I never thought I'd get to share it with as many family and friends as I've been able to, so that's been a pleasant surprise. Thanks Kurt and Tami for visiting, letting me inefficiently "guide" you through Paris (I'm just so knowledgeable...haha), and for sharing your Paris time with me. Have an awesome week in Belgium!