Les matins de Paris

Nothing brightens up my mornings like the crazy homeless man who lives on the corner of avenue de Suffren and avenue de la Motte-Picquet. I walk by him on my way to work. He is always hanging out on top of the metro vent. Sometimes he sports tribal-like markings on his face and crouches for hours on end, shooting glances at the passer-bys. Other times he's lying on sleeping bags with his buddies, presumably over for a slumber party. And then sometimes, I don't see him in his usual spot and I have to look around until I find him over by the trees, standing on one foot and listening intently to what I thought was a walkie-talkie. I started imagining this fantastical walkie-talkie network connecting all the homeless in Paris. You can imagine my disappointment when I realised it was only a portable radio. But I like to think he's listening to high frequency transmissions from another planet.

He is so wonderfully loony and whimsical. Lately he has taken to decorating his little sidewalk kingdom. One day the trash bins were covered with aluminium foil and golden bows. The other day he had tied bouquets of flowers around the lamp posts. And my personal favourite is when he slipped bright blue socks onto the iron pylons that line the avenue. Every day is a new surprise.

It suddenly got really cold in Paris. I'm keeping my window open for nostalgic reasons...I don't think I can handle the idea of summer being over. But I think I might brave the cold and check out a flick. Me, a bag of candy and Romain Duris. It doesn't get better than that.

Oh PS: I wish you could all teleport yourselves to my apartment right now because I just made the most delicious couscous ever. It tastes like paradise.

PPS: This video/song is good enough to make me forget that Kanye's last album ever happened. Me likie.