Looking Ahead…100 Days

“The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting.” ― Andy Warhol

I’ll be back in Paris in 100 days! (Yes, that does deserve an exclamation point.) It will be nearly 3.5 years since my last visit. Now, with plans firmly in place for la rentrée à Paris on March 23, 2023, I am eager to start planning. I promised my travel companion (and myself) that I wouldn’t over-plan, but it is still fun to think about what to pack and what we might like to do this time. There are only a few things on my bucket list for Paris 2023:

• Watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle every night from our beautiful Paris Perfect Clairette apartment in the 7th arrondissement

• Shop in unique boutiques and discover les puces de Vanves to bring home some treasure(s) to remember our time in Paris

• Have a cocktail (Miss Bond) in Bar Hemingway at the Ritz

• Savor the flavors of Paris: Warm baguettes, sweet and/or savory crêpes, macarons at Ladurée, choux at Odette, fresh produce from the local market, bold reds and sparkling wines…

• See or do something new everyday — This is a great challenge, given that I have been to Paris so many times. Usually, I am helping someone else discover Paris for the first time so we tend to visit the “must-dos”. This time I can be much more casual and spontaneous.

• Take pictures of “the little things”— Sure, I’ll photograph the iconic monuments if we’re nearby, but I really want to focus on the little things that make Paris special.

This list is small, but there are so many more wonderful things to do either again or for the first time. Last year, I wrote a post in response to The Earful Tower’s Paris Bucket List and added a few ideas of my own. I wonder how many of these experiences I will discover (or rediscover) this time. The adventure begins in 100 days.

2022 Reading Challenge

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” — Stephen King

GOAL: 30 BOOKS | BOOKS READ: 45 •  15,022 pages

• Books Borrowed from the Library: 20

• Books Borrowed from Friends: 2

• Books I Received as Gifts: 2

• Books I Purchased: 4 | Books I regret purchasing: 1

• Books I Reread: 4

• Books Set in Paris/France: 15

• Books Set in NYC: 7

• Books Set in New England: 5

• Books for Children (of all ages): 2

• Biographies/True Stories: 18

• Books for Professional Development: 3 focusing on grading, gradual release of responsibility, and inquiry

• Books by Female Authors: 32

• Books Outside My Comfort Zone: 4

• Average Book Length: 333 pages | Shortest Book: Grace the Giraffe in Paris (45 pages) | Longest Book: The Guest Book (484 pages)

• Favorite Books this Year: The Last Dress from Paris, The Philosophy of Snoopy

• Most Disappointing Book: The Book of Hope

For more information about these books, follow me on Goodreads.

November 2022 in Pictures

“Colour is everything, black and white is more.” – Dominic Rouse, photographer

After the vibrant chaos that is October — ironically, one of my favorite months dominated by perhaps my least favorite color, I feel a sense of calm and relief to be back in black (and white) throughout the month of November. For me, November naturally represents an absence of color as the world turns brown and gray and the days get shorter and darker. Natural light becomes a precious commodity while artificial light distorts color and clarity. In the past, I have struggled to photograph November since my work day begins and ends in darkness. A few years ago, I decided that, rather than yield to seasonal limitations, I would embrace the lack of color in November and feature black and white images that showcase light (natural and artificial), shadow, texture, and composition. It is a challenge that I look forward to each year and I hope that you enjoy the results. But for those of you who missed color these past thirty days, tomorrow the glorious colors of the holiday season begin.

Links I Love • November 2022

Cheers · Santé · Tchin tchin · Skål · Clink

• How Toasting Drinks Is A Bit More Complicated In France

• Which Authors do You Wish You Could Have Dinner With? Sign me up for an expat dinner party in Paris is the 1920s — Hemingway, Fitzgerald, etc.

• How to Nurture a Personal Library

• The Apartment Above the Famous Book Shop from “Notting Hill” Is for Sale

• The Paris 2024 Olympic Mascots Are Hats. Here's Why. (NPR)

• The Transformative Power Of A Fringe At 50 (Vogue)

• 11 Films that Encapsulate French Girl Style (Vogue) — I’ve seen 8/11.

• 21 European Cities That Are Even Better in Winter (CN Traveler) — I have visited only 4 and will be revisiting 3 in 2024, but I haven’t been to any of these cities in winter.

Currently • November 2022

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest form of appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." — JFK

READING: A lot of professional development and some palate cleansers

• Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions by Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana — “The authors of Make Just One Change argue that formulating one’s own questions is ‘the single most essential skill for learning’—and one that should be taught to all students” (Goodreads).

• A Handbook for Developing and Using Proficiency Scales in the Classroom: (A clear, practical handbook for creating and utilizing high-quality proficiency scales) by Jan K. Hoegh et al.

• The Age of Light by Whitney Sharer — “The true story of Vogue model turned renowned photographer Lee Miller, and her search to forge a new identity as an artist after a life spent as a muse. ‘I'd rather take a photograph than be one,’ she declares after she arrives in Paris in 1929, where she soon catches the eye of the famous Surrealist Man Ray…Lee's journey of self-discovery takes took her from the cabarets of bohemian Paris to the battlefields of war-torn Europe during WWII, from inventing radical new photography techniques to documenting the liberation of the concentration camps as one of the first female war correspondents. Through it all, Lee must grapple with the question of whether it's possible to stay true to herself while also fulfilling her artistic ambition--and what she will have to sacrifice to do so” (Goodreads).

• The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore — “Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the "wonder" substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives” (Goodreads).

WATCHING:

• Notre-Dame: La Part du feu on Netflix — “During the night that Notre-Dame burned. It's about the destiny of men and women who have their own fire to put out. As the Paris firefighters try to stop the flames from spreading in the Cathedral, the show also follows characters being put through the wringer they will have to fight each other, love each other, come across each other, hate each other, smile at or help each other so that, in the end, they may have a chance to start all over again” (IMDb)

• The Crown - Season 5 on Netflix — 1991 to 1997 (just before the fatal crash in Paris): “These years were always going to be provocative, spanning marital chaos, fragile mental health and public confessions of infidelity among members of the royal family” (NYT).

• Where the Crawdads Sing on Netflix — “A woman who raised herself in the marshes of the Deep South becomes a suspect in the murder of a man with whom she was once involved” (IMDb). Great book. Good movie.

• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving — “Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over to Charlie Brown's for Thanksgiving, and with Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock, he attempts to throw together a Thanksgiving dinner” (IMDb). I love Peanuts.

LISTENING TO: I’m still in cool jazz mode and will likely keep listening to Vince Guaraldi radio on Pandora throughout the holidays. A November favorite is always George Winston’s Autumn.

ENJOYING:

• Beyond Monet at the Wisconsin Center — It was lovely, yet although I prefer Monet’s paintings of waterlilies, regattas, picnics, etc., I do think that last year’s Beyond Van Gogh was more engaging.

• The first snow of the season — I just love it.

• Slowly decorating for the holidays — I was home sick for two days (bronchitis) and beautifully falling snow inspired me to slowly start bringing out the holiday decorations. Usually, I am insistent about celebrating one holiday at at time; therefore, no Christmas decorations come out until after Thanksgiving. Yet, this year, I started with “winter” decorations — my little white village, snowflakes, etc. I will go full-on Christmas on November 25th. We are having guests stay with us from December 1-4 and I want our house to be festive and welcoming.

Beyond Monet

« Il faut capter la lumière et la jeter directement sur la toile . » — Claude Monet.

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