bingo

i love being on point. it feels so good when i'm totally just in tune with everything. no expectations, no disappointments, just go with the flow. today is one of those days. i think it helps that the sun is shining. definitely motivational.

i think hot rod may have found a good person to work in the shop. finding another vendeuse has been a huge priority for me since the shop's opened. anyway, i've been kind of persistent in getting the homies to interview a friend of a friend, and after a few weeks they finally met with her on saturday and really liked her. we're gonna feel each other out for a week or two in the shop. hopefully there's a connection so i get some more time to work on other things.

speaking of which, mackenize and i are going to meet up with julie mae and tad next month in amsterdam. i love it. that city is close to having created the perfect vibe. i can't describe it, but it's definitely pleasant. youthful. modern.

curtains, originally uploaded by mjane.

on the way to work, originally uploaded by mjane.

vitamin d

the sun's been out the majority of the past couple of weeks, and i hope that means the south of france is getting an early start on spring. i won't push my luck, but i wouldn't mind not wearing my thermals under my outfits any more.

last night i stayed up to catch the nba all-star game on canal+. it was fun to watch, but i could've done without all the "TP" fanfare. yes, france should be proud that tony parker is the first french bballer to be an all-star, but showing him performing singles from his upcoming rap album was unnecessary. i liked the features they did on the other french bballers playing in the nba however. my fave being diaw. aside from that, what was up with the slam dunk contest? the way homie won was confusing. if the contest consisted of all the points achieved from beginning to end, then why did the finalists have to square off into a tie-breaker round?

anyway, thanks to mackenzie i now have mondays off from work. jesus christ. i was about to tear off people's heads if i had continued working 6 days a week. note: if you're ever going to work in a country like france where they brag about six-weeks' paid vacation and 2-hour lunch breaks, make sure to work for a company that actually abides by these work laws. on the bright side, the shop is starting to take shape the way i want it to. i think it has a lot to do with the fact that the new collections for spring have more color and less material in a variety of cuts. there is nothing more boring than trying to push collections full of heavy sweaters, long sleeves and jackets for 6 months. not to mention that winter clothing can only get so creative without looking too trendy or cheapy or, most of all, not warm enough.

my point is, as much as i respect the snow, knee-high boots, cashmere sweaters and the idea of cuddling by the fire, i have no interest in the winter season.

i don't care if we're eating lunch in the middle of the street as long as i get some sun!, originally uploaded by mjane.

more on berlin

the kit for berlin, originally uploaded by mjane.

now that i've cleared the craziness of the tradeshow from my brain, my thoughts on berlin become a little more clear. first of all, there is something about the color of berlin, the way the natural light hits the city. lucky for me, the skies were pretty clear during my whole stay there, yet as the sun shone the city maintained this unique sedate color. if you've ever been there i'm sure you'll be reminded of what i mean when you look at the photos. it's not dark, but it's not bright. it's berlin, i suppose.

as far as the vibe goes, it's calm, but happening. meaning, it's definitely not flashy, but you can tell straight up that berliners know what's going down/what's in/what's out. one of my favorite spots was hackescher markt. granted there is art everywhere, once you step into this part of town, you see art on every wall, every building; stickers and posters on every pole, trash can, and sidewalk; and the population transits into a younger crowd. you see windows with people chatting, looking, eating, or drinking; the streets buzzing with youth; and the shopping - it was excellent, well-rounded and full of great ideas.

i should note that a lot of the observations i'm making about berlin are more like comparisons to my opinion about living in france. as much of a good experience it is to live in the "french riviera,"i feel like the region is behind on the times. image is everything down here, but when a city's not even up-to-date with what that is, they've got a ways to go. for example, the well-to-do, successful image still consists of wearing a tie. meaning, the french down here will be the first ones to turn down a 30-year-old kid at the door because his 300-euro jacket, 200-euro jeans, 55-euro cap and 150-euro sneakers (all while carrying a debit card with at least 200k and priceless gold-plated mont blanc pen in his pocket) don't fit their definition of "image" (true story, by the way). ironically, a lot of the reason why i don't go out down here is because the idea of having no option but to wear something stiff and black and old-person-looking would go against everything i consider my image to be.

with that, the complete opposite is true about berlin. or at least, they already understand that it's okay to generate and encourage elements of what is young and new to progress the city in a number of different ways. i enjoyed berlin very much! i could do without the cold, but the city has a lot to offer: a great vibe, lots of history, and a seemingly endless amount of great ideas.

the brick trail that runs through the city is all that remains of the wall, originally uploaded by mjane.

taxi benzes, originally uploaded by mjane.

the dents in this century-old fountain are battle wounds from the war that you'll see in many of the monuments here, originally uploaded by mjane.

a cbs piece on a building, originally uploaded by mjane.

fixins in berlin, originally uploaded by mjane.

this alley is filled with art, originally uploaded by mjane.