Minerales do Brasil may be my favorite store in Paris.

There aren’t a lot of perks freelancing, and it’s equally hard to come by a finish line. When you finish a big project — congrats! Now you get to go look for more work! YAY!

To deal with this, I started doing this thing where I would set myself a certain number of tasks, and then based on the difficulty of that task, I would reward myself WITH A SPARKLY ROCK when I finished.

My collection, all purchased at Minerales do Brasil, currently looks like this:

There’s a rock for when I finished a chapter of my book, a rock for when I finished a short story I was working on. You get the idea.

This is a weird, random store, at the back of the second courtyard in a building in the 8th (it’s a 5/10 minute walk from the Miromesnil metro stop). I love it because — well, obviously, I love rocks (and minerals and crystals and the rest). But also because it’s so un-French and fluorescent and un-chic. Sometimes it’s just nice to get a break from all the stylishness.

There’s no other reason to be in this neighborhood — except to visit the Musée Jacquemart-André, which is, in fact, terrific, if they have a good show on. (Here’s a picture of the staircase, which is as beautiful as the rest of the mansion.) And if you are going, I recommend A la Chataigne for lunch — Corsican and delicious.

Minerales do Brasil, 86 rue de Miromesnil, 8eme.