A Social Five

I spend a lot of time on social media - I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.  The problem these days with social media is that with everything happening in the world, it's become a bit of a downer.  I get it, people need to vent.  However, what was once a place for silly cat videos and fun jokes, has become a place for hard core news.  Good for civilization, bad for a happy few minutes of wasted time.  However, there are a few accounts sill out there that never fail to make me smile.  And these are it.  So if you need a smile, I'd suggest checking these lovely, creative, fun people out.

1. Daniela Ruah (@danielaruah) on Instagram - By day she's kick-butt NCIS agent Kensi Bly on NCIS: Los Angeles, and by night she's a mom who does fun things like yoga with her kids or create dalmatian costumes for her little ones.  She seems fun, and seems like someone I'd love to have lunch with.

2. David Lebovitz (@davidlebovitz) on Instagram - David is an American pastry chef who moved to Paris to work in food journalism and writing.  He has a blog and his books on sweets and Paris are fabulous.  His Instagram account is pretty much chock full of pictures of mouth watering food, and funny things that could only happen in Paris.

3. Lin Manuel Miranda on every form of social media - Honestly, he has got to be the most positive and lovely person in the entire world.  He's creative, and funny.  He's also a humanitarian who is constantly helping.  The entire world loves Lin right now, and I pretty much agree with them.  He's definitely a light in dark times, and his musings never fail to make me smile.

4. Any Supernatural based account on Twitter - including everyone who's been on the show, specific bloggers that write about the show, and charities that the show supports.  - For such a dark and scary show, everyone in this show is positive and kind and lovely.  Lots has been written about the fandom, so it's very public that these people are amazing.  I'm just reiterating this fact.  All you need to do is search for videos on YouTube of any of the Supernatural Conventions to see exactly how much these people care about each other and their fans.  They take so much of their own time to give back, and that love is felt throughout the fandom.  They are just a group of truly amazing people - that's pretty much all there is to say.

5. Travel sites on Instagram on places that I've been (Cornwall, Edinburgh, London, Austin, New York, Savannah) or places I want to go (New Mexico, Canada, Italy) - These sites are like a virtual vacation.  They make me remember my fabulous vacations there, or add lovely sites and restaurants to the list of places I want to go.  What's a better way to get away than dreaming of warming climates and trips to far off lands? 

Friday Five

1. Gilmore Girls Revival Scoop!: While I may not be a huge Melissa McCarthy Fan, the news that Sookie St. James is returning to the show makes me very happy.  How could you have possibly had Lorelei without her BFF Sookie?  And in other scoop news, the announcement of a Stars Hollow musical in one of the episodes is too delicious not to gush about!  Add to that Kerry Butler, Sutton Foster and Christian Borle, and you have the makings of an already perfect episode without a single moment being filmed yet. 

2. Aaron Tveit and Gavin Creel singing my "bad day sing to the top of my lungs song" Take me or Leave Me from RENT.  So amazing!  While this song is usually sung by 2 women, the guys completely pull it off, which is totally the point of the Miscast Benefit : )

3. A few years ago someone got the genius idea to take photographs of photographs in the same place the original photo was taken.  Hard to explain but you get the general idea.  Well a fabulous photographer has taken that general idea, and captured some beautiful photos of Paris then and now.  Every photo shows just far the city of light has come and how breath-taking it is now and was then.

4. I absolutely adore Masters week.  There's just so much pomp and circumstance that goes into making it the best event of the year.  And while, at the start of the day I was ready to see Mickelson make a run for another green jacket, it doesn't actually look like that'll be the case this year.  However, it's great to see Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth both battle for the win.  I love them both so either winning would just be icing on the cake!

5. Broadway casting this season is completely on point.  Every time I hear a new show or new concert, I'm blown away by how good the lineup for these events are in 2016.  Between "The Front Page" with Nathan Lane and Falsettos with Andrew Rannels and Christian Borle or Robber Bridegroom with Steven Pasquale, Fully Committed with Jesse Tyler Ferguson and even the return of God in Act of God with Sean Hayes - it's going to be a very, very expensive year!

Stand with Paris

I had planned to write a post this evening of all the wonderful things that I found this week - as usual. But in the light of the Paris attacks today, it just doesn't seem right.  I just can't seem to get the victims out of my head.  

Such a beautiful and lively city.  I was only there a few hours and in that time I saw thousands of people living their lives, thankful to be in the city of light.  

I just can't fathom how any one could have that much hate in their body to attack in such a cold and calculated way.  And the fact that some are using this terrible event in history to push their own political agendas - already - is almost as cold.  

Tomorrow I'm sure rebuilding and healing will begin, but for tonight, send all the love you have to the Parisian people.  The world is standing with them right now and I'm sure they can feel the outpouring of love. 

#JeSuisCharlie

Almost immediately after the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices this morning in Paris, support came pouring in from countries all over the world.  The vicious attack on employees of the paper, as well as freedom of speech and expression, was heartbreaking to see.  In the end 12 people lost their lives and the gunmen still haven't been captured.  To believe a cartoon could propel someone to so much bloodshed is almost unthinkable.    

If anything can come out of this cowardly act, it's this.  Cartoonists and artists all over the world are expressing their thoughts and feelings using the same medium the gunmen were so adamantly against.  The voices of those that died are still being heard in the artwork and satire of their colleagues and friends.  

To lose so many talented and loved people in one hateful act of violence is a tragedy, but knowing their work lives on and knowing that their voices aren't silenced, even in death, is a small comfort to their loved ones.

Wishful Wednesday

I read a blog each day.  It's written by a girl who's just about my age and is currently living in Paris for the summer. Paris?  Seriously?  I have no idea how she does it.  She's a freelancer but somehow has gone to about a dozen more states and countries than I've visited and now she's living in Paris.  Not that I'd choose Paris if given the shot, but it'd be nice to live somewhere else just for a while.

Though, seeing all the fabulous things she's doing in Paris makes me want to go back at least for a bit.  It wasn't my favorite place in the world (that'd be London), but I'm thinking I need to give it another shot. If only to drive through the mountains and visit some non-touristy traps, just to see how beautiful the city of light can really be.  Also, while I'm there, there will of course need to be some serious chowing down... : )

Sunday Evening Ponderings

~ Contrary to my original pics for this week's wild card rounds (Kansas City - they were undefeated through much of the season, Green Bay - Love Aaron Rogers!, and Cincinnati - their coach used to work for the Ravens), I'm happy with 2 of the teams losing.  I still think KC blew the shot that they truly deserved (also, after having the best record all season, I still don't understand how they fell in the wild card around to begin with!).  But as much as I love Green Bay, now that the Niners won, John has his shot to win the big game just like his brother did, which I'm sure will make Sunday dinners at the Harbaugh's a bit easier.  And with Cincy losing, the Chargers, who will eternally be on my good side seeing as their win last week kicked the Steelers out of playoff contention, get a chance to shine.  If the Ravens weren't going to the Super Bowl, I suppose the best teams may get the chance - as long as it's not Denver or New England!

~ I may need a few more re-watches of The Sign of Three episode of Sherlock to really appreciate the laugh a minute jokes.  It was definitely different, and I wasn't sure how I felt at first but somewhere around the time John and Sherlock got wasted at John's Stag do, I was hooked.  I'm not sure what the writers were on but you could tell they and the actors were having a blast.  Even after all that, they managed to throw in a bit or two that made me a bit weepy.  Everything a good episode of television should be and more!

~ I really have absolutely no idea how I'm going to handle going into work tomorrow morning.  I've been on and off, away for the last 2 weeks.  Why does vacation seemingly take so long to get here but is over in a blink of an eye?  A full 5 days of work - dreadful!

~ I know it's winter in Maryland, and everything should be expected but after a weekend (and more is expected this week) of sub-zero temperatures (ok not today but the last 2 days have been ridiculous!), I'm ready to pack it in and move to the tropics!  Having to scrape ice and snow off of my car in shifts because I can't feel my fingers through my gloves is not my idea of a good time!

~ "Remembrance of Things Paris - 60 years of Writing from Gourmet" is on the reading list for this week.  Loving it so far!  I may not have fallen head over heals for Paris as I thought I would, but reading about it still gets me starry-eyed.

Paris, Perhaps

For as long as I can remember, I've been dreaming of visiting Paris.  There's always been something romantic and magical about the City of Light that's often expressed in movies and books.  And of course the food scene is nothing to shake a stick at.  So going into the big day in Paris, you could say the expectations were set a bit high and I suppose that may have been the problem.  Like London, we mostly stuck with the tourist traps, but for the most part I found these to be a bit underwhelming.  Don't get me wrong, they're still beautiful and iconic but they're just not as "sparkly" as I expected them to be.

The people were pushy and bustling (as are most that live in a big working city.)  The Metro system was confusing and completely packed with people; so much so that you could barely move within the car which increased my fear of being pick-pocketed 10 fold.  And the dark dreary, cold and rainy weather (which I know has absolutely no bearing on how great a city is) didn't really help the situation.  While I'm sure there thousands of things I missed in such an over-flowing city as Paris, what I did see didn't excite me the way London did.

What We Did: Cathedral de Notre Dame, Shakespeare & Company Bookstore (my personal favorite of the day), The Eiffel Tower, Champs de Elysees, Pont de Arts, the Louvre Pyramid (didn't have the time to go in and don't judge but I probably wouldn't have gone in even if I had...), Montmarte & Sacre Couer

What We Ate: Baguette Sandwich with Ham and Cheese (don't ask me why, but I was not expecting Swiss cheese which was an unhappy development), Onion Soup, Laduree Macarons (Woohoo!), Nutella doughnut (I was unaware of the fact that it was Nutella.  I just thought it was a chocolate donut.  I have to say, even though I usually hate the Hazelnut spread that everyone adores, it wasn't too bad this time around.) & Steak Frites. (Oh and of course, some Tea to wash it all down)

Surprises Along the Way:  The Eiffel Tower is WAY the heck far away from the other tourist attractions.
~ Most everyone speaks English and therefore my mangled French was deemed useless.
~ The Eiffel Tower is under the watch of MANY armed guards with big guns.  I'm sure it's due to the onslaught of bomb threats they've had in the last few months, but even so: Scary!
~ The whole pay for the toilet thing, while expected, was still confusing as all get out.

Verdict: While I would most likely go back to see the non-tourist areas, it's just not my thing.  While I was comfortable in the crowds and chaos of London, Paris' crowds and chaos were too overwhelming.  I know for a fact I could never live there, and for the first time, I'm wondering how all those authors I read could possibly choose to start a life there.  

  

I'm Home!

Unfortunately, I've returned from the big adventure.  I thought that the trip may have eased my desire to move there a bit, alas I just want to live there even more than usual.  It was fantastic, and wonderful, and beautiful and crazy busy and about 100 other great adjectives that you can think of.  I'm still recovering and in a bit of a funk seeing as I have to go back to work tomorrow, so I'll make this short and sweet and save the run down for this week.

 Tower of London

 Bigger fan of this particular book store in Paris than I was of Paris as a whole...

 Heart of Midlothian in Edinburgh

 Royal Shakespeare Company - If I lived anywhere near this theatre and I'd be broke eternally

 This is a Banoffle - if I had my way I'd franchise this little place (Hooray's in Stratford) just so I could enjoy this delicacy every single day. Delicious!

 Harrod's Special served steaming cold - Yum!

Things I've Noticed: Travel Planning Edition

~ Euros are quite small and look like Monopoly money in comparison to US dollars.  GB Pounds on the other hand are quite large and are quite difficult to hold and count like you would a stack of US Dollars. Also a large stack of US dollars is not so impressive when translated into GBP thanks to the exchange rate.

~ Apparently when people say that you really must go to the top of the Eiffel Tower when you visit Paris, travelers tend to take the advice to heart seeing as there are currently NO tickets to purchase on the only day we'll be in Paris.

~Addresses in the UK are slightly different than they are here in the States.  They are either quite long and include lots of numbers and letters of which you're not sure of their purpose OR they only include the street name - no number, which leads you to believe they are located on a very small street.

~ I am completely useless at scouring over maps for directions but add to that a map of a new country, and I may as well be attempting to read Swahili upside down - impossible!

~ London is a great deal larger than I picture it in my head while Stratford is much smaller.  Of course this is based solely on my Google mapping capabilities, which as you learned above, are slightly off.

~ Not only may I only be able to see Richard's hair in Richard II due to my nosebleed seats, I may also not understand a single word I'm hearing or action I'm seeing.  After almost 3 hours of Masterpiece theatre I've no idea what I've seen and that was with having the best seat in the house (my sofa)!

~ While my suitcase is braced for winter (overflowing with sweaters and fleece), if the weather is anything like it's been here, I may be melting the second I arrive.

~Lastly, 6 months can really fly.  I can't believe that in one week, I'll be 3 hours out of landing in London!

Friday Five

1. Toucan Taco's Sunken Burrito and Queso: If you were to look up the word "dive" in the dictionary, there would be a little picture of this Laurel MD restaurant.  It's about as far from fine dining as you could possibly get.  You're served with plastic silverware, and styrofoam cups, and your food comes in an old fashioned tv dinner aluminum foil tray.  However, aside from being a little too spicy for my much too wimpy palette, the food is delicious!  I always get the chicken sunken burrito which is covered in red chile sauce (thus sunken) with chips and queso on the side.  Pretty much the perfect quick lunch!

2. I know his name is pretty much everywhere these days.  Aside from being in just about every movie currently in theatres, he's also been giving tons of press.  Most of which I read because hey, it's Benedict Cumberbatch.  But this particular article really grabbed my attention.  It could be that it's from the Guardian, whose reporters often ask the right questions.  But I have the suspicion that his candid responses are just him; in which case, there's a lot there to respect.

3. While I've been idly daydreaming of schemes to get me to London, Janice MacLeod has discovered an out of the box way that allowed her to move to Paris and live a lovely life, with a book deal to boot.  She decided after visiting Paris and falling in love with her now husband, she needed a way to afford to stay.  So she started sketching scenes of the City of Light and sending them to subscription holders via snail mail.  While I'm not sure how this works, and while I guarantee that my sketching abilities are nowhere near where they would need to be to make this work, it's a pretty nifty idea when you think about it.  I will most definitely be reading the book come February.

4. I made no secret of the fact that I fell in love with Broadchurch when it was showing in the UK back in April.  It was totally captivating in a way that American drama tends not to be: it was restrained and quiet but it packed a wallop.  I had high hopes when it came here that those around me would feel the same, but I was skeptical they would (I tend to like things that are slightly out there and quite different than those around me...just weird I guess : )  But this time around, they loved it too.  My mom has been consistently guessing each week as to who the murderer is just like I did and it's fun to see that it still holds up.  Though, my big complaint is our stupid commercial scheme.  BBC America has to cut so much from each episode to make room for commercials.  I'd love to watch something from beginning to end and not have to worry about those darn ads!

5. The anticipation of good things to come.  With so much going on in the next few weeks, it's exciting to be excited.

5 Weeks to Go

And I'm officially slightly stressed.  In 10 days we have planned, and planned and planned the trip into a whirlwind tour of 3 countries.  After many different iterations, the trip seems to be complete.  However, it's at this time, I may try a new tactic: Relax, and leave it up to chance.  Of course, I want to see everything I can, but I've realized I haven't planned for happy accidents and random wanderings, as well as getting lost (which I truly intend on happening).  So there.  I'm done color-coding, address reviewing, and Google mapping.  Though,  I still fully intend to see all of this and of course a lot of this (only the Paris parts of course...)

Is it quite possible to live without sleep for 10 days?

Currently...

~A little too obsessed with pinning pics of everything I want to see in Paris (everything I want to see in Paris, that is, that can fit into 12 hours...)

~A little too pre-occupied with the number of steps I've gotten in today and whether or not my number will live up to the others on my walking team.

~Watching Hamlet on YouTube to drown out the Real Housewives on the television.

~A little too excited about the day off tomorrow.

~Completely and utterly stuffed after a yummy Mexican dinner and some Chunky Monkey.

That's right, quite the exciting holiday weekend here in MD.  Happy Labor Day!

The City of Light

Last week, we decided to add Paris to the Grand European Adventure.  As excited as I am, I'm also a little frazzled.  Paris has always been this beautiful dream in my head.  I've read about the food mostly, of course.  But I've also heard the language, and learned about the craziness of it all.  So I should be as ready and knowledgeable as I am about London or Edinburgh.  But as it turns out, I'm not.  The second we chose it, my mind went blank.

The only thing I can think of to see is the Eiffel Tower (which for some reason I keep calling the Empire State in conversation).  I couldn't even remember any specialty beside the macaron.  What is wrong with me?  Since then, I'm getting a little better.  I'm still not totally knowledgeable as to why I'm supposed to want to see the Arc de Triomphe or the Alexander Bridge, but at least I have stops on the itinerary.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thoroughly and completely jumping off the walls in excitement, but the planning has been slightly difficult.  I'm sure when I get there, it will hit me and the thousand of other reasons I wanted to go to Paris in the first place, will become most evident. But for now, I'm blissfully unaware and blissfully and completely sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the next 7 weeks to pass by in a flash (without really wanting the special days: Momma and Bestie B-days, summer, friend's wedding etc. to pass by as quickly).  It's a conundrum of course, but one I'm totally ok with : )

Bon Apetit!

It seems fitting that on what would have been Julia Child's 101st birthday, I've had the chance to research her favorite city all day: Paris.  There's a small chance, which I never thought possible, that we may be going to Paris for the day when we are in London.  Holy Moly!  I still can't really believe it.  I was perfectly (well, let's say insanely) happy to be seeing my favorite city again, along with my newly imagined other favorite city (Edinburgh) and Shakespeare's home.  Adding the possibility of Paris onto what will be a truly memorable trip is just icing on the cake!

Paris has always been one of those places that's slightly out of reach.  I'm sure it's filled with fabulous people looking nothing like me, and sounding nothing like me (Thanks 5 years of Spanish for getting me nowhere!)  But Julia taught me that there is another side of Paris.  A side fully of boulangeries, patisseries, chocolatiers and dozens of other food-centric positions. Basically its a city full of people that like to eat, drink and be merry.  Ok, without the drink (Iced tea's not really their specialty), that's my kind of town!

So if it should happen, and right now it's looking good, I'll be spending my 12 hours in the City of Light repeating my mantra: What would Julia do?  Though, most likely I'll be saying: What would Julia eat!?  How exactly do you say: Where are the macarons? in French?

Happy Birthday Julia!

Wishful Wednesday

I read a Twitter post earlier today that named today Wishful Wednesday.  To celebrate Wishful Wednesday, you were supposed to tweet where in all of the world (or out of this world as the case may be) you would like to be at that very second.  Two particular places sprang to mind when I read it.  But I decided to do some research to see if I was the only one.  Four of the four co-workers I asked said some sort of beach: Hawaii, California, Brazil and any old beach.  Apparently sun, surf and sand are quite popular choices.

I, on the other hand, did not choose the beach and I suppose that makes me just bit odd. Two distinct places sprang to mind, but of course there were about a dozen after that as well. Here's the odd part, pretty much all of them had to do with food.  Is that wrong?  I may just have been hungry at that moment, but my happy places mostly have to do with eating so I guess you could call me a bit of a glutton.  But quite honestly, I really don't care.  There's really nothing better than spectacular food!

My (immediate) wish was to be:

~Sitting in Paris eating a Laduree macaron
~Sipping a nice cuppa with scones and clotted cream in London

Of course, I could also have said:

~Gelato in Rome
~Fresh pasta in Tuscany
~Lobster in Maine
~BBQ in North Carolina
...well you get the picture.  

Apparently, I have a problem...

I Survived...

Somehow I made it through the traumatic dental visit without giving myself a coronary or a stroke.  It was difficult and happened to include a great deal of shaking and heart-palpitations but I'm now back at home much calmer than before.  Of course I still can't feel my face so that's been fun...

Because of this fear of doing anything that would require me using my mouth or the parts of my face that were numb (i.e. all of them), I've spent a great deal of time online getting ideas on how to be all crafty and such.

~ Mother Daughter Photos: How easy is this?  I know most of the shots are a little weird but it's a fun idea to do even without the wonky outfits.

~Using apps to print Instagram photos: I attempted a few months ago to upload a regular old Instagram up to Costco Photo Center and failed miserably.  The little square photos were stretched into 4x6 size and looked rather like pixelated surveillance footage instead of priceless pieces of artwork.  If it this process goes like they say it does (and without uploading to Costco yet, it's going quite smoothly so far), I'm going to be one happy camper once I start doing fun things to Instagram, which might just lead to this little beauty.

~Christmas cards, and stamps and paper and scrap ideas...you get the picture.  I know it's a little early but if I'm going to knock out homemade cards, I really have to get a move on.  No stress this year, that's my mantra.  That ought to last until next week at least : )

~Can't wait to read this book! Food, Paris and Julia Child: what could be better?!

Oui!

I've recently realized that the 6 years of Spanish I took, means just about nothing to those in Europe.  It's not even that helpful here.  But it's useless in Europe, French is much more popular and useful.  So I've decided to teach myself French.  Thank goodness for technology.  My new favorite and cheap App, is MindSnacks. 

I'm fairly certain it's a kids game and would probably go over like gangbusters in an elementary school classroom, which is why I most likely enjoy it so much.  In a week I've mastered numbers and now I'm learning colors and days of the week.  And there are 49 other lessons ahead of me.  I've read that the only thing I'll be learning is vocab so it may be quite difficult to get around the streets of Paris, but it's a start.  Afterall, all I really need to know is "where's the nearest patisserie for macarons or Pain au chocolat?" : )

My only observations so far are that French is way more difficult than Spanish and my French accent needs some serious work. However, I'm a big fan so far.  France here I come(after the UK of course)!

Book Addict

There are some days when I can't get into a book to save my life. I open it, and look at the words on a page but can't comprehend a thing.  I'd be hard-pressed to recall what I'd read a few minutes later.  That's not to say the book was bad or poorly written by any means.  It's just a lack of concentration on my part because there are 30,000 other things going on in my head that are just a little more interesting at that particular moment.

Then there are days like today.  Days where all I want to do is read and I find myself quite grumpy that I can't curl up at my desk at work and dive right in.  Some books are just that good and some days are just that un-interesting.  I'm currently reading the follow up to "A Year in Provence", "Toujours Provence" which on paper doesn't seem to be a knock-out.  It was written over 20 years ago and the copy I currently have is that old, so it's a bit dark and dingy.  But after reading "A Year in Provence" in a few days, I just knew I had to pick up another by the brilliant Peter Mayle.

It's nothing earth-shattering or edge of your seat.  It's just short stories of his and his wife's quiet life in a (what is, I'm sure, based on the description) stunning home in France.  I'm not sure what grabs me about these books, aside from the obvious: France is a dream destination of mine.  But I lean more towards Paris, not really Provence when planning my voyage with my future lottery winnings (whenever that may be).  It could be the unimaginable meals and parties he has the opportunity to partake in.  I'm a sucker for a good food story!  Or it could just be the style in which he writes.  I'd kill to turn a phrase like he does.

Whatever it is, it's just fantastic and I'm quite happy to have one of those un-put-downable book kind of weeks.  They are infinitely more enjoyable!

Here's Hoping So

 

I found this quote on Pinterest earlier and I have to say I absolutely love it.  As a self-confessed book worm, Wilde seems to understand us readers who so often have their noses buried in books.  So logically speaking, if good old Oscar is correct in his assumptions I have quite a nice life coming my way. 

 

I'm hooked on travel books. Will I travel the world eating my way from beautiful place to beautiful place? 

 

I'm a bit of a sci-fi, Harry Potter-y, Tolkien-ish, Gaiman-esque geek. Will I find magic and the fantastic in the everyday? 

 

 I devour books about boarding houses in Edinburgh and royalty in the UK.  Will I finally make the jump I've been dreaming of and become an even bigger Anglophile than I already am?

 

The story of the Bard of Stratford inspires me with his ability to pen those amazing works in such a short period of time.  Will I land a job while living in England at the famed RSC teaching kids to love what I love about Shakespeare?

 

I hoard children's books from places all over.  Will I have family I'm hoping to to share this collection and love of reading with?

 

I can't pass up a "pink" book by writers like Mary Kay Andrews, or Jane Green.  Will I bump into the man of my dreams in the middle of the street and will I be just the girl he's looking for too?  Will we marry in a small ceremony in the park and honeymoon in Paris?

 

I collect plays from drama bookstores I've adored in NYC and dream about the perfect casting and staging of each show.  Will I get a chance to see these productions live with amazing actors in beautiful settings?

 

I browse cookbooks and can almost taste the food I'm seeing.  Will I become a superstar chef like my dad or a food writer/chef like Julia?

 

All I can say is here's hoping Oscar was correct.  This would be quite a life.