Friday flânerie

I just realized that I never posted about last Friday. I wasn't feeling well, and I almost just stayed home. I went back to bed and read, then slept for awhile. By the time I got up and showered, it was 2:00.

It was the perfect day for a movie.

I hopped on a bus (have I mentioned how much I prefer the bus to the metro??) and went to Montparnasse, our old stomping grounds. I had a little time before the movie, so I stopped in at the big Monoprix there. I bought a fabulously ruffly scarf for me, two t-shirts on sale for Eva, and notebooks for the boys. Oh, and a fresh-pressed orange/strawberry juice (got to have my vitamin C, don't ya know?).

Then I went to one of our favorite crêpe stands. Up to this point, I had only had one crêpe so far (Nutella). I ordered ham/cheese/mushroom.

Warm. Substantial. Then it was showtime, with only about 2 minutes to spare. I tucked my lunch into my bag and smuggled it into the theater to enjoy in the dark. Never done that before.

I had originally planned to see Julie & Julia, but I couldn't remember where that theater was, exactly. So, The Informant it was.

{In case you're curious, there are plenty of movies you can see in Paris in English -- you just have to look for the V.O., which means version originale. The movie will be subtitled in French, which can be a little distracting, but also provides a little extra comedy and some new vocabulary to boot!}

I enjoyed it. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. I guess it wasn't as funny as I was expecting it to be, although it did have its moments. For those of you who have seen it: How does anyone become that deluded? That's what I want to know. Also, really, 1992?? The music, the cars, the fashion, the hair... it all looked a lot more like late 70s, early 80s to me. Maybe I'm not remembering the 90s that well, but I just wasn't buying it.

It was definitely a low-key Friday, but it was perfect for my state of health. Here's to next Friday, with guest flâneur, Jill!

just plain happy

This week was full of happiness for me, both small pleasures and bigger things as well.

I was finally able to publish a Blurb book (the songs and poems of his step-dad) that Marc and I have been working on for over a year! That was huge.

We took advantage of the rebate program our utility companies are providing -- they refund the entire cost of adding to the attic insulation -- it is supposed to lower our energy costs, and it doesn't cost us a dime! The whole thing was so fast and easy, too. When they were finished, they vacuumed up after themselves and even cleaned up the stray insulation pieces outside! Most impressive.

I've been having fun with fabric again. Textiles are just so pleasing to me.

After seeing the bibs that Amanda was making, I decided to check out the Bend the Rules Sewing book. Now I'm working on a couple of projects and it is fun to return to sewing!

I don't love ironing, but when I'm quilting or doing little sewing projects, it does have a certain satisfaction. And when I do iron, I sure do appreciate my Rowenta Advancer!

Am I the only one who loves selvages?

selvage (noun) 1. the edge of woven fabric finished so as to prevent raveling, often in a narrow tape effect, different from the body of the fabric.

Something about those little circles of color with numbers inside really does it for me...

I finally scheduled a long-overdue piano tuning. Our friend Brigham came over to tackle the job (old, old piano). He spent 3 hours working on it! He fixed a broken key, adjusted several keys that were clicking, and just gave it a good tuning. It sounds so much better now, and I don't have to keep apologizing to my students about the broken key...

Brigham has these big cases of containers with all of his parts neatly organized. I found them very pleasing to look at, and I think Brigham was delighted that I shared his satisfaction.

My sister-in-law Michelle came down from Salt Lake today to take me out for my birthday.
She is so good to me!

There's not much I love more than California Pizza Kitchen's pear gorgonzola pizza paired with adult conversation!

We even got pedicures together. It was so warm and relaxing, we both were ready for a nap afterwards. Our kids had fun hanging out together while we were gone, so it was good for everyone! And when we came home...

we had some of this cheesecake that Max made!

Tonight, I sang in a quintet for the adult session of our stake conference. It's been far too long since I did any singing, and that is my favorite kind -- multiple parts, pretty harmonies -- it was really fun.

There were so many happy things this week that even having a 3-hour nosebleed on Friday night with a 40-minute reprise this morning couldn't dampen my spirits! Well, maybe a little... it was incredibly frustrating to not be able to staunch the bleeding, to have to stay up way later than I wanted, and to get blood all over my clothes, sinks, floor, face, and hands. (I opted not to do any photo-documentation of this episode, it was too disturbing.)

I paged my ENT and when he called me back, he was not concerned at all. I was a little nervous about going out today in case it should happen again, but the day passed without incident. Whew!

Books 2009 -- #1-4

I am taking a page out of Jill's book and will try to post here about all the books that I read in 2009.

The good thing about being sick was that I read 4 books in the last week and a half!

#1. The Star Garden

I read this one for January book club (which I could not attend, sniff). Another very enjoyable book about Sarah Prine. Nothing will quite measure up to These Is My Words for me, and I still miss Captain Jack Elliott, but this one was still a worthy addition to the series (and I preferred it to Sarah's Quilt).

Udell is a very good man, and at times I was impatient with Sarah's waffling over him. I could really relate to Sarah's yearning to be cared for instead of having to be so independent all the time. Still, I had to admit I probably would have a very hard time deciding to give up my freedom and marry again as well.

For some reason, I found myself thinking about technology a lot while reading this book. How convenient it would have been to have a cell phone to call for help from her sons when Maldonado's men were attacking at Udell's house! It's hard to imagine not having electricity and central heating when we consider it a hardship to be without internet or cell service...

#2. The Archivist

Jill gave me this book some time ago, and I finally picked it up. Just seeing the cover on my bedside table gave me a little thrill.

An interesting read, though it risked being on the dull side of erudite at times. I enjoyed the parallels between the narrator (the archivist) and his wife and T.S. Eliot and his wife. All that the narrator's wife endured with her mental illness and institutionalization was very disheartening, she was so misunderstood. At least there was some small redemption in the end.

This one reminded me at times of A.S. Byatt's Possession.

#3. The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Marc gave me this book for Christmas, mostly because it has "hedgehog" in the title, an inside joke. Also because it was translated from French (though it doesn't read like a translation).

I didn't immediately like this book -- it seemed too self-aware for my taste, and sometimes repetitive. But gradually the characters grew on me. The main character is a concierge in Paris who is short, chubby, and unattractive. Although she is an extremely intelligent autodidact, she goes out of her way to keep up appearances and conform to what people expect her to be. I really ended up liking Renée, Paloma, Kakuro, and Manuela, and I wished I could have seen more of their interactions, it was simply a pleasure to see them going outside themselves. Now if only it didn't have that French ending! A very unsatisfactory ending for this American.

In addition, I learned some new words, which I always love:

avuncular (adj.)

1. Of or having to do with an uncle.
2. Regarded as characteristic of an uncle, especially in benevolence or tolerance.

equipoise (n.)

1. Equality in distribution, as of weight, relationship, or emotional forces; equilibrium.
2. A counterpoise; a counterbalance.

consonance (n.)

1. Agreement; harmony; accord.
2. 1. Close correspondence of sounds.
   2. The repetition of consonants or of a consonant pattern, especially at the ends of words, as in blank and think or strong and string.
3. Music A simultaneous combination of sounds not requiring resolution to another combination of sounds for finality of effect and conventionally regarded as harmonious or pleasing (the opposite of dissonance).
   

(I suspected as much, but wasn't sure.)

And, two favorite passages:

"... on the way home I thought: pity the poor in spirit who know neither the enchantment nor the beauty of language." (p. 160)

"I untie the string and tear the paper. It's a book, a fine edition bound in navy blue leather of a coarse texture that is very wabi. In Japanese wabi means 'an understated form of beauty, a quality of refinement masked by rustic simplicity.' I'm not really sure what this means but this binding is most definitely wabi." (p. 165)

#4. Pilate's Wife

I would probably give this one something inbetween 3 and 4 stars. It was a very engrossing, quick read. I really enjoyed learning more about what it was like to be a woman in the time of Christ. Claudia was an interesting, passionate character, but she sure did make a lot of foolish, rash decisions.

She was prone to visions and dreams, which normally brought her great pain, as they quite often foretold the death of loved ones. After befriending Mary Magdalene, she foresaw the death of Christ and tried to dissuade Pilate from condemning him.

There is a decent amount of sex here, for those who are sensitive to that.


I'm sure I can't keep up this pace, but I'm off to a great start! Let me know if you have something I should add to my reading list for this year.