Hi, me again. It has been over a year but I'm back and ready for blog action. As I'm in grad school now for ID, my chatter will likely change in focus...bear with me and enjoy...

Well, I am back in NYC. While I have been back home for over a week, I felt that I would be remiss not to provide a little bit of closure to the adventure that was my life for the 7 weeks that I was in France and Spain (with a dabble in the Netherlands and Germany).

In the end it was, as I said, it was an adventure. I saw so much, I learned so much- I was in a constant sponge state, absorbing new stimuli and learning new ways and means of accomplishing what had been very simple tasks back home. I think that because the experience was not easy, because it was not a cake walk, because it did require a new level of alertness, and did force a certain level of uncomfortability (if not discomfort), on a few different levels, the experience was that much richer. In fact, wasn't 'shaking it up' the whole point of why I did the Switch program?

It is easiest to continue on in a comfortable daily routine. But I have realized that when you are living in this state, you are in danger of blocking out all that is new and different- of forgetting to look around you and to appreciate your surroundings and all the cool stuff that is going on within it. I have a better sense that the new is the stuff that stimulates our brains and our senses, and makes our lives that much richer. So keep your eyes open for it, even within the context and comfort of your routine. The challenge is to find the right balance- between keeping yourself on your toes, while still keeping two feet on the ground.

It is hard work being a tourist. It is not as if I am on a 5 week Caribbean excursion, with the only real effort required being the periodic rotation of my body to ensure maximum sun intake (in conjunction with the proper and consistent application of UV Ray protection).

I am here in France for a long yet suprisingly short amount of time, and I am trying to see as much as possible- ranging from the touristy to the more authentically Parisian. What ends up happening is that at the end of the work day, I'll rush quickly into the city to check out a set destination and its surrounding area. Assuming at least a 30 minute commute, 40 minutes getting lost time, and the fact that everything closes by 7:30pm, I really have to strategize.

But yesterday I did manage to fit quite a bit in. I left work early and with only 25-30 minutes of lost time (I walked north instead of south out of subway stop), time was on my side. I hit Notre Dam and the Latin Quarter for wandering and shopping. Then I stopped for a rosé break on a wonderfully charming tourist destination that was a dinner boat on the Seine. See picture above. Then I went on to meet my fellow switcher Sara for dinner. We ended up having 2 dinners actually, but that is a whole separate story all together. It was a good night.

There are many incredible churches and cathedrals in France and Spain. At this point, I feel that I have visited my fair share...
http://picasaweb.google.com/alexandra.pulver/Cathedrals 

Just as surely as I know that I'll see French people carrying around baguettes as accessories, when I set out to see the sites in Paris, I know that I will end up in places that I could not have predicted. Take this past Saturday. I started out at the Louvre. After that, I had every intention of scoping out the Paris Plage (a temporary beach set up along the Seine). I somehow missed the Plage all together and wound up at the Paris Sewage Museum. I know, it sounds ridiculous but here is what happened-

After walking for what seemed like miles, and experiencing what felt like severe dehydration, I came upon what I thought was an information booth. It wasn't. It was a ticket booth for the Paris Sewage museum. I had heard about the underground "catacombes" in Paris, and thought maybe "sewers" was a rough translation. I decided to check it out. Turns out I was wrong about the catacombes: this was a museum dedicated solely to the wonders of sewage drainage.

I only lasted at this underground museum about 10 minutes. The smell was horrible, likely due to the filthy waste water rushing by beneath our feet. On the plus side, I did learn a little about the innovative nature of the system- how it was the first of its kind in the world. Napoleon spearheaded an overhaul of the Paris sewer system in the early 19th century. Then, under Baron Haussmann in the mid-19th century, it became the first of its kind to bring fresh water into the city for drinking while flushing out the not-so-fresh water via separate channels. Plus, the underground tunnel system allows the entire system to be accessible, which was good for fixes as well as for tourism, even back then.

It is a funny business, being at such a famously beautiful and amazing landmark as the Louvre. Upon arrival, you slip completely into hyper-tourist mode. The camera comes out. You get a hungry look in your eye. You know the scene has been photographed millions of times before you ever got there, and that your digital camera shots will in no way improve upon those taken before you. But you can't help yourself. It is all so beautiful- just like a 0,90 euro postcard- and so you must take pictures, many of them, and you must try to add your own creative stamp to the scene. See above, and for many more: http://picasaweb.google.com/alexandra.pulver/Thesites )

A project I am working on while in the Saatchi Paris office has led me to uncover a recent Advertising Age report, and a special one at that, that reveals who were the top 100 advertisers Advertisers in the U.S. in 2005.

For the first time in American advertising history, the $4 Billion spending mark was broken...by not one but two companies. Yes, Proctor & Gamble and General Motors each spent in excess of $4 Billion in order to provide advertising support for their brands for 1 year of time. To be clear, this Ad Age report measures only advertising spending (in TV, print, radio, outdoor, online). This report does not take into account "below the line" spending (for promotions, sponsorships, events, PR), which could amount to as much of a cost if not more.

My initial reaction to this news was that of the bleeding heart liberal that I am not: "Oh we could save the world if even a small amount of that huge amount of $ was re-directed to a good cause!". But I don't want to go there- we have Bono and Angelina both working hard for us at the moment on that front, new baby aside.

What I want to talk about is manners. About showing a little bit of respect to others by showing a little bit of restraint. The question I have, is at what point do companies reach a level of spending that exceeds the limits of what most people would consider to be in good taste?

What would Emily Post have to say about spending that kind of money as a means to getting attention? How much is too much to spend on that party dress that will help to make you the belle of the ball? When is it best to rely on your natural charms?

Maybe companies don't need to be bothered with manners- they are about making $ after all, about business. Ok then, so at what point do these levels reach the absurd?

These are hard questions to ask when the competition is so steep, in an environment in which it is harder and harder to stand out. But there has got to be a better answer and it has something to do with the "less is more" philosophy, which hasn't quite taken on yet in our country. To say the least.

I have opened up a whole can of worms. It is a longer discussion than I want to get into right now, as I am currently sitting in a hell inferno. No doubt I will be adding and revising some more as clearer thoughts come to me. Alas, that is the beauty of the blog.

I'll keep this one to the point: the metrosexual movement is alive and kicking here in Paris. 

When you tell somebody that you are going to Amsterdam, one of two things generally happen depending on the age of the person with whom you are conversing. Older people will tell you to go to the Anne Frank museum, and younger people will ask whether you'll go to any of the coffee shops. wink wink.

Sorrow and substances aside, Amsterdam is a bang up little city. I loved it. Loved the biking everywhere, loved the canals, loved the charming tilt of the buildings that are sinking into the very soft soil, loved the shops, loved that everyone generally spoke English...

I had just a really wonderful weekend. The weather was gorgeous and I was with a friend, Tomoko, who lives there and was my tour guide away from the touristy (though we did feel obligated to walk around the Red Light District) and into the real. While it is always great to come upon hidden treasures in new cities, it is also quite wonderful to have a buddy to help you weed through the clutter- to show you "Times Square" as well as the way that the people actually live.

My AC unit, Paris-style

According to weatherchannel.com, it is 81 degrees fahrenheit in Paris and it "feels like 80 degrees". If the good people at weatherchannel. com were in the Saatchi Paris office right now, I think they'd agree that it feels like 100+ degrees. And when the sun really comes out, right at the post-lunch return-to-desk point, it feels unbearable.

I am not a big fan of air conditioning. But I am a big fan of puns. In fact I hate AC- it makes your throat scratchy and it chills you to the bone. But when summer time rolls on into a big city, it is a necessity. I have a high tolerance for pain and time I invested at the Russian/Turkish baths in NYC has proved to be time well spent in that it has prepared me for this summer in Paris. But still, it is so hot. Where is my cold water bath now?

Someone here told me that it will be hot for two days here, then it will rain for a day and cool everything off, so on and so forth, and in sum- the Paris office does not need AC. I see the logic but disagree. I'd rather be comfortable and productive for three whole days versus for just one.

The secret garden? No, this is the Saatchi Paris lobby. As far as I can understand it, every so often we have a designer showcase and this is the latest installation. Just a way to keep things fun in the hot summer sun....speaking of which...see above...