Date Night reignited...

There was a time when James and I would regularly go on "date night" to spend an evening just being together.  A romantic dinner, a movie and dessert, or just sitting at the local bar talking over drinks.  We spend a lot of time together at home since we don't work in offices but it's different spending time together away from the work/home environment.

So finally, after three years -we had to go all the way to France to do it- we adopted a babysitter and reinstated "date night". 
She's great and the kids love her.  As soon as she came in they lead her off to show her all their toys.  Woo hoo, success!! 


Mommy and Daddy were off to Old Town in search of Mussles.  Well, 3 hours flew by with non-stop talking and laughing.  We could actually get out full sentences and follow a real conversation. We felt that WE were important to each other. It was so wonderful that we immediately scheduled her for the next week.


We get so wrapped up in the day to day of getting by, that we forget how important it is to stay connected to our partner with time of our own.  Being out without the children allowed us to focus on each other, and remind us why we like each other.  You don't have to go all the way to France to start your weekly "date night", just make a plan and go. Although France sure makes it nice. :)

The Job...

So back to Marseille I went, this time paid for by the production.  :)


We had a fitting on Sunday, shot on Monday, then again on Tuesday because we were rained out Monday. The first night I stayed in a little hotel in the countryside all by myself.  Got in some good "Shellee-Time".  But then because of the rain day, I got to stay in the posh Pullman Palm Beach Hotel in Marseille with the crew.  Planning on going back there with the family!

Lovely countryside view from B&B Hotel

Posh room in Marseille hotel

A sneak peak of the set

So, all in all, filming is the same as in America.  With one big exception.....wine at lunch!!  Now that's my kind of work! :)  In France it's typical to have wine at lunch, but at work?  And especially when I have to perform?  This was so crazy to me I had to laugh right at my table in the catering tent.  But when in France....ok, I didn't actually partake in the wine.  I'm just still too Americanized. :)  Maybe the next job...

View of Marseille from the train station

Ah, a callback...

 I was asked back for a callback for the car commercial.  Yeah!  (Attention...Spoiler Alert at bottom of post.)


So, another train journey to Marseille-since once again another model couldn't seem to find room in his car, and he was the only one in it!  I'm gonna start having a complex.


This time I thought I'd take you on the journey through a video.  That way you could see a bit of Marseille as well.  Sorry for any shaking, I was the DP as well. :)

Spoiler alert....... I DID book the job.  All too crazy!  Now since I still don't have my work permit the agency had to register me for a "one day pass" to work.  But you only get one so now I REALLY have to get my butt in gear and get my work permit.  Although with the amount of taxes and commission taken out of the pay it may not be worth working here!  I'll take home about 33% of the gross!!!!!!

First Audition in France

Just when I was wondering what to do with myself...


The modeling agency I signed up with here in Nice has an office in Marseille.  The agent there texted me (seems to be the way they communicate for work here) and asked me to come to an audition for a car commercial to be shot there next week.  The casting director hadn't asked for me but she, the agent, liked my portfolio and thought I would be good for it.  I said, "You betcha!"  Figured if anything it would give me an opportunity to see what the process here is like.  


There wasn't any room in the cars of the other models going, so I had to take the train. (Wondering if everyone is afraid of being stuck with the American for 2 and a half hours.) When I got to the counter to buy my ticket, my credit card wouldn't work.  What??  And of course I didn't have enough cash with me to buy the ticket.  After spending a half hour on the phone with James who's other ear was on another phone to the bank, we still couldn't get it to work.  And for reasons no one can figure out!  Frrrrustratinnngg!

Well, after missing two trains during that ordeal I gave up and went home frustrated and feeling defeated.  Once at home I gathered myself, gave myself a pep talk, and back to the station I went.  Cash in hand!

I had armed myself with Mapquest directions and what local transit I needed to utilize, so once in Marseille I was off and running, no help needed.  Thankfully, cause my translator was staying home.

I got to the audition, wrote out my name card (had some trouble figuring out my height in centimeters) and sat and waited.  The casting people were alerted that I was coming so it felt nice to be greeted as if they knew me.  The casting director then told us as a group the specific direction to do, all in French.  Uuummmm.  He turned to me, the odd English speaker in the room, and asked if I got that.  Thankfully the direction was easy to follow (he used lots of hand gestures) so I said yes. 

Once my turn came around I went in to do my audition.  The casting director could actually speak English, so it was much easier than I thought it was going to be.  We chatted a bit, then I loved up the pretend car, thanked them kindly and was on my way. 

Well there you go, the audition process is the same as home.  Yeah.  I jumped back on a bus, then a tram, then the 2.5 hour train back to Nice.  Now I await to see if I get a callback...

Christmas Village...in a minute

Every once in a while I am going to do what I call "...in a minute".  I will attempt a one minute video about the subject matter of the post.  Today it's about the Christmas Village in Nice, France.


I know...a bit late for the holiday, but it's taken me this long to get myself caught up. :)  There were stalls with lots of wonderful artsy things to buy, yummy sweets, rides for the kids, an ice skating rink, loads of decorations, and even Santa was making an appearance doing a bit of pottery. 


So, a quick view of our evening in the Christmas Village here in Nice, France.  Enjoy...

To work or not to work....

Since we've decided to stay I've been thinking of what I want to do for work.  Hmmm, this may be one of those times in life where one needs to reinvent oneself.  The struggle becomes, do I simply give in and become a 'housewife' doing the shopping, kid care, menu planning so James can concentrate fully on making the money? Or do I find work?  Not so easy when you don't know the language well enough.


I did meet with the local model and talent agency here, Enjoy Models, who said they would take me on and that I was right for their commercial market.  But it's a smaller market than if I were in say, Paris.  Here they deal with the Cote d'Azur and it's basically all direct booking, so rarely a casting to go on.  Not a problem, now I can clean my closet of all the "mom-wear" that was taking it over.  Still, definitely not as much opportunity to make the income I may need.


So, I've started to think about what other things I could do for employment.  Gotta support that coffee and croissant habit somehow.  Not to mention the new classy wardrobe I want to purchase.  Or maybe spend on a part time nanny for Emmerson, to help her learn French and give me the opportunity to be a proper cafe-mom. 


Maybe an English teacher in one of the bilingual schools?  I could teach theater in English as part of their language immersion program. Clean houses?  Set up a daycare or kid's club? 


But to do any job, I need a work permit/permanent resident card, a Titre de Sejour.  Even to simply stay and not work I need one.  So, a trip to Cadam will have to take place.  I've heard horror stories, so stayed tuned for that one!

It's a Dog's Life

Dogs have it good here in France cause the French LOVE their dogs.  I was at a nice restaurant the other night, a favorite of Elton John's so it's can't be too shabby, and sitting amongst the guests was a lovely older lady dining with her favorite companion.  Yep, her dog, who was sitting in a chair eating from his bowl which was sitting smack on the table.  The kicker is, children aren't allowed.

our little Charlie

You can take your dogs with you anywhere here.  Restaurants and cafes, the mall, to work (depending on your job), even the grocery store-provided you carry him/her.  Even if a sign on the door says 'No Dogs', you'll inevitably see someone with their dog blindly ignoring the rule and no one chasing them down to correct it.


Their favorite dog it seems, as I'll bet you can guess, is the miniature Yorkie.  I have of course seen a Poodle here and there as well as a Shitzu, the occasional French Bulldog, Chihuahua, a King Charles Spaniel, even a trio of Pugs.  The closest we've gotten to Charlie the Brussels Griffon was an adorable Affenpincher we met one day.  


The oddest sight I've seen so far is the huge Great Dane that lives around the corner. Charlie's not so quick to make friends with him.