CD mail art & a funny story in Paris

 My friend Katerina has inspired me to use old CDs, & ones that come in the mail advertising something, as Mail Art material.  Here I am mailing one yesterday.

 Here's the reverse, me covering address so it'll be a surprise to the recipient, but showing that there's no return address. This is a hint from my friend Dean, who sends wild stuff through the mail. He figures that once there's a stamp on it, and it's in the mail box, the postal service has to deal with it. And indeed it has, Dean sent me sand from Normandy Beach in France in a small plastic bag. I received it.

 Here's the close up of the CD mail art, my second one of what I hope will be many.

 Here's a funny bird that we spotted at Fountain Lake during the past week. We don't know what it is but the gulls and geese didn't mind it's presence. Anyone? Sorry the image is small, I took it with my cell phone from a distance.

Okay, now my funny, to me at least, story.  When we were in Paris, Dean recommended that we see a performance by his neighbor, which was playing at a near by venue. So I went on-line, ordered the tickets, looked up the address on Google-maps, even put the little person on the street and had it look around so I'd not walk past the narrow passage (pah-sahje) leading to the theatre. We're all set for a night of fun. The show is in English, one hour long, and will teach us to be Parisian.  The show was very funny. We laughed a lot and learned how to be Parisian. (check it out here.)I actually put some of the hints into play later that week. No, seriously, I used some of the looks and shoulder shrugs and felt quite good about it.

But here's the funny part, to me. The weekend after seeing the performance was the Mail Art meet-up. After a day of making Mail Art, our little group made it's way to Dean & his wif'e's apartment for dinner. We did the code on the entry, got in, the door closed behind us and we were in the dark, not knowing where the light switch was. Oops. So the three guys with their tiny flashlights/torches aimed them at the panel of names (with the buttons to push for entry into the next set of doors to the elevator.) Suddenly, the outer door opens and the entry light comes on. I turn (everyone does) to face the door and there is a couple. A man and a woman, face to face with yours truly (I was at the back of the little group of flashlight bearers.) I realized in a nano second that it was Olivier, the performer! His eyes were wide in surprise, of course, seeing this huddled mass of people with tiny torches peering at the call box. And I say - "Oh My God, it's you!" at which he is even more wide eyed. I'd used a line from his show, that he said all the time to indicate an American woman. "Oh My God." I had to do it, I had to say it, I couldn't help myself, he triggered it in my brain. I followed it with, "We saw your show." He said thanks, waved at us, said good night, went up the stairs, as we stifled our laughter. We managed to get up to the apartment before we fell to laughing, as I explained what happened. The Mail Art group didn't know who the man was, but the whole thing of what it must have been like for him to see us there in the dark, made us laugh harder.

I'm not sure this is funny, if one wasn't there, but if you are ever in Paris, check and see if this performance is still playing and go see it. It's really funny and maybe you'll get the chance to run into Olivier somewhere in the city, like we did. Just carry a tiny flashlight, in case you need it.