I'm off to the city of love, people, remember to keep me posted on all that's going on in good old Leeds! Sorry I've managed to catch up with practically no one this Summer, it's been hectic, including dancing in Euston with EmilyL and JohnK, a brief jaunt back to Germany, to Dusseldorf and Cologne for World Youth Day and a weekend in Cardiff with Lizbian.
World Youth Day was an interesting experience, the motto of the week being Matthew 2:2 "We have come to worship him" - by the end of the week it was unclear as to who had come to worship Christ and who the Pope. This is Cardinal Ratzinger, the man with a Nazi Past whose vicious essay on "Pastoral Care of the Homosexual Person" names us all "innately morally disordered" and who told Africa that condoms "don't prevent the spread of HIV". Well, roll out the red carpet. [He looks like a skull..!]
In Paris I'll be working full time as a translator and living with an eccentric couple in their early 60s, in their attic, and a student from Toulouse. Speak to y'all soon and good luck everyone in the new academic year!
I hope everyone's all looking forward to their new year in Leeds! It's great isn't it, the new start. Who's got all new stationery from Muji/Paperchase/Smiths? Who's got all the good ambitions? Who's in need of their first coffee at coffee hour?!
My first week in Paris has been wonderful - somehow I've fallen on my feet in many ways: tout va bien!
I'm living with a cray family in an even crazier old house in Enghien, check it out, very chic banlieu town, and working in a very girly office on fun stuff like skin care, sun protection and razor burn translations. Boys, look out in about a year's time for "Skeen"; a new L'Oréal men's skin care range Not only will it be good, but yours truly has written the blurb and the texts for the packaging! Plus, everyone know who Eva Longoria is? Well she was at L'Oréal on Monday with the boss but I missed her because I was doing English language seminars at Vichy. D'Oh! Next time. Apparently she's tiny!
I was in Montmartre last night for apricot crêpes ... and the view over the city of light really is amazing there. I've found some friends from Cambridge, a Jana from Jena (near Leipzig, actually!) and have of course hooked up with Olivier, a good friend who lives here whom I first met in Leipzig during my Summer of Love (after my Winter of hell!). I'm actually at his house right now, am staying for the weekend in Montfermeil, and any Proust fans will know that this is where he spent his Paris days. Ah Proust, what would you think of Paris now? Ah he would bask in its debauchery and decry its dingy metro
Wishing everyone in Leeds a merry Christmas and happy 2006, I'll see y'all before the end of it!
The days are soon to start getting longer again, and I have spent my Autumn and Winter [so far] enjoying Paris with my new European friends, and a series of romantic weekends with my beautiful lover Benjamin, visiting the Châteaux de la Loire in Blois, kicking leaves in Holland, kissing in the snow in Brussels and here in Paris! Long distance but tender... typical of me to frost my time here with a tragic romance. He's so worth it [and yes, in translating for L'Oréal I have taken on their business and publicity-speak!]
He lives in Holland in a city called "Breda". How droll!
Drama at work in the last week of term! One colleague in intensive care due to a diabetic turn, and another singing with her vocal ensemble on Star Academy! I have been soaking up the culture and partaking in a few concerts myself with my Gospel Choir; we sang for the Téléthon, the French version of Comic Relief.
Now home for New Year in London and on the beach with Benjamin and my family.
So lovely to hear about your French (and other altogether cosmopolitan) roamings, darling! For my part, I'll be travelling to the Caribbean, Hollywood and New England, all from my own little room in Northern Spain. Coursework can be so much fun! (Meh!)
I also sing in a kind of choir this year!!! Don't wear out your vocal folds, though, as I'm looking forward to singing along with you again.
Merry Christmas! Hope you have a great one.
Lots of love.
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'I've discovered the secret of life. A lot of hard work, a lot of sense of humor, a lot of joy and a whole lot of tra la la.' Kay Thompson
Lovely to hear from you a Paree, and a shame I won't be seeing you over the holidays. (Your boyfriend is on a beach with you. Mine will be drinking gin and tonics and making me watch the football most likely.)
Love Alice (and Joe who is sitting here watering our Christmas tree as I type this!)
1. gin and tonics are NOT granny drinks. 2. bombay sapphire is blue, and thus is funky. 3. it is John K's favourite tipple. John K is not a granny. 4. vodka is for classless Scandinavian slappers. It is a chav drink. Unless you mix it with kahlua and milk and get white Russians which are very nice indeed.
Sorry...... I didn't think the comment might offend Brits. GTs are, I just remembered, a national institution. Didn't the Queen Mother use to have a gin tonic first thing in the morning? And look how long she lived!!!
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'I've discovered the secret of life. A lot of hard work, a lot of sense of humor, a lot of joy and a whole lot of tra la la.' Kay Thompson
AliceH wrote: 1. gin and tonics are NOT granny drinks. 2. bombay sapphire is blue, and thus is funky. 3. it is John K's favourite tipple. John K is not a granny. 4. vodka is for classless Scandinavian slappers. It is a chav drink. Unless you mix it with kahlua and milk and get white Russians which are very nice indeed.
1. A majority of old people love them, but then sayin that a few younger people drink them as well. one thing is for certain tho, tonic water MINGS! 2. Yup the blue is cool, but t'is expensive. 3. John K is not a granny but he is becoming a tweed-jacket-with-leather-patches- wearing-english teacher, which is close 2 been a granny... (only messin john) 4. You are wrong about vodka been a chav drink, chav drinks are Stella/Smirnoff Ice/Any other alcopop (especially VK's which are made in Clowne, Chesterfield... if u've ever met a person who lives in Clowne u'll understand...)
5. Gin and tonics are NOT acceptable, Gin mixes particulary well with Lemonade and in times of no lemonade it goes pretty well with coke (the drink, nothing else), have you learnt nothing from living with me n Dom????
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Nic - Union Council LGBT Assembly Chair
Contact me at - lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk / nicturner_85@hotmail.com
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