Bandwagon

Yes, everyone has probably seen this already, but I can't resist posting it anyway. Because it made me cry the first couple of times I saw it and even after repeated viewings, it makes me happy and, dare I say, it actually gives me some faith and pride in humanity.

And how often can you say that about a 4 mn YouTube video ?

Isn't it fabulous

...when you have a great Friday evening and Saturday and then wake up Sunday and realize that you have another 2 full days off before having to go back to the office ?

Vive la France, and vive Bastille Day falling on a Monday this year.

My mother, the sports fan

I called my mother this evening to have a chat. It's been a couple weeks since we last spoke, which is quite a long time, for us. She hears my voice and starts to wail, "oh, I'm so sad!" and my heart sinks.

My grandmother is 100 and suffering from, well, old age. A close family friend has cancer, and seemed to be on the road to recovery, but who knows what might have happened?

- What's wrong, Maman?
- Haven't you heard? Federer lost!

Oh no !

"In light of recent legal complications, Notcot will no longer be operating Tastespotting.com"

Well damn it, there goes my favorite food porn site. Come back soon, please !

Amazing.

Grant Achatz, of Alinea in Chicago, won as "Outstanding Chef" in the 2008 James Beard Foundation Restaurant Awards.

I recently read this profile of him in the New Yorker, and wow, what a story.

Just a few months ago

...I couldn't ride a bicycle. Tonight for the first time I f'ed up a new pair of silk trousers on the chain. Am trying to look at that as an achievement. Go, me !

Underwhelmed

...by all the Sex & the City movie hype.

Sure, I'll probably end up seeing it, but truth be told I am far more excited by Indiana Jones...

Le Puy en Velay

 

 

 

 

An experiment. Of sorts.

Sushi for lunch Wednesday.
Sushi for lunch Thursday.
Sushi for dinner Thursday.
Sushi for lunch today.

Nope, not tired of it yet.
Budgetary constraints may put a halt to the experiment, though.

Fine.

I've been working long enough to know that a boss is not a friend, and that I don't have to like you. But every time you pull one of these controlling, micro-managing, not a legitimate complaint about my work but just showing me who's in charge tricks, and there have been quite a few of those lately, I do like you a bit less each time. And more importantly, I respect you a lot less.

Salon de l'Agriculture

 

 

 

 

For the first time since

...well, ever, I'm actually on the way to achieving a New Year's resolution.

Having reached the ripe old age of 35 without knowing how to ride a bike (yep, a bicycle - not one with a motor) I decided it was really time to learn. I signed up for 10 - 10 ! - lessons, specifically for adults and had the first one on Saturday. I am proud to announce that I can now pedal and keep my balance and keep going, for, well, as long as I have a straight path ahead of me. Actually, I can turn around, too - as long as there is enough open space to make the turn wiiiiiiiiiide and slooooooowly.

Ridiculously proud, I was. Until I tried to show off my newly acquired skills to S and tried to ride a Velib. Back to square one, as those bikes are about as big as a horse and almost as heavy. Couldn't quite make it. But never mind, I'm sure that after the 10th lesson I will be Velib worthy, if not quite in good enough shape for the Tour de France.

Accidental art. Or something.

 

Not war, or the plague.

But still.

It is rather upsetting when even your fat day jeans, purposefully bought a size too large, turn out to be too tight when you put them on one fine morning.

4 things, inspired by Cookie

4 Jobs I’ve Had:
Waitress
French teacher
EA
and er... that's it.

4 Movies I’ve Watched Over and Over Again:
When Harry Met Sally
A Room with a View
Strictly Ballroom
Fried Green Tomatoes
bonus answers: LOTR, and Princess Bride

4 Places I Have Lived:
Jerusalem
Bangkok
Cartagena (Colombia, not Spain)
Paris

4 Shows I Watch:
eh, none.

4 Places I’ve Been:
New York
Sheffield
Dubrovnik
Florence

4 People Who E-mail Me Regularly:
Boss n°1
Boss n°2
S.
M.

4 Favorite Things to Eat:
Vietnamese, Chinese, French, and Italian food.
More specific things ?
Wasabi peas
Marmite and butter on toast
Falafel from rue des Rosiers
Eggs Benedict

4 Places I’d Rather Be:
Places where I could visit friends I don't see often, so:
Netherlands
DC area
Normandy
San Francisco

4 Things I Look Forward to this Year:
Longer days
Better weather
Bank holidays in May
Learning to ride a bike. Maybe.

Polyvore.com

I can feel a new addiction coming on. Oh yes I can.

56 !

Here are the latest additions.

My 20 - OK, 21 - notable films of 2007

...in no particular order.

Cashback
Last King of Scotland
Letters from Iwo Jima
The Lives of Others
Notes on a Scandal
300
Clerks II
Away from Her
Ratatouille
Little Children
Persepolis
The Painted Veil
Half Nelson
2 days in Paris
28 Weeks Later
Control
This is England
Knocked up
Stardust
We own the Night
Gone Baby Gone

A few were remarkable, and a few were more along the lines of personal guilty pleasures, but looking back at a year's worth of ticket stubs, those were my favorites.

And the only contender for "this is so bad I am angry, no, livid, at having just wasted 2 hours of my life" that I can think of right now was that holiday themed dreck with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. Kate, what were you thinking ?

Yesterday

 

 

...was my birthday, and a fine day it was too.

The "best present e-vah" (in the breathless tones of a Strictly Come Dancing Chistmas Special contestant) was that I got my deleted-through-no-fault-of-my-own photos back, thanks to a seemingly simple but rather miraculous piece of software.

S very cleverly convinced me that for my birthday I should buy him a mobile phone as a belated Christmas present, and he is now the proud owner of a Nokia N95 which I get to play with as much as I want, so we're both happy geeks.

And last but certainly not least my dear friend M and her husband are in town, so we had dinner with them and the food was almost as good as the company. Bliss.

Today

...after a decade of financial irresponsibility and general foolishness (but oh what fun it was at the time!) and two and a half years of frugality and saving, I am debt-free.

Except for the mortgage, but I think we can all agree that doesn't count as bad debt.

I'd be tempted to do out and treat myself to something luxurious to mark the occasion (designer handbag? jewelry? cashmere sweater?) and then a huge dinner at a lovely restaurant, washed down with champagne from start to finish, but as it is exactly that sort of behavior that got me into trouble in the first place, I shall refrain.

And so it all feels a bit anti-climactic and dull.