Kris and Jo go to Paris

Two Markets, Two Markets

Most grocery stores in Paris are closed on Sundays or open only until noon.  I used to think this was a problem—and then I discovered the open air markets.  Donna and I began our day at the marché Bastille.  This place was amazing.  Here they sell everything: fruits and vegetables, pork and poultry, artisan cheeses and aromatic couscous.  If you forget to bring your basket or canvas tote, no worries, you can select from a virtual rainbow of chariots and then pull your groceries around town at your leisure.

Conversely, you can hold your purchase with one arm and your mate with the other, while you zoom home on the back of a scooter.  The options are practically endless...

Raoul and Friends

Raoul and I got to hang out today while Donna and Jo explored the city. (By "explored the city", I mean "shopped".) After Raoul finished his treat, he took a nap on the chair, and then for excitement, took a nap on the couch with his pals.

Donna and Raoul are visitng for the weekend while John (Donna's husband) is busy protecting the world from (or preparing the world for) the bird flu, kind of like some sort of superhero would.

I'd like to apologize for my skimpy posts the last few days. I've been feeling under the weather, and haven't had the energy for much beyond work and watching The Office via iTunes.

An Infinite Good

“To the memory of the students from this school who were deported between 1942 and 1944 because they were born Jewish, innocent victims of Nazi barbarity with the complicity of the Government of Vichy.

100 children living in the 16th, were exterminated in the death camps.  Never forget them.”

26 May 2005

Many people know that France was occupied by Germans forces between June 1940 and August 1944. Initially, the country was roughly divided into a northern, “occupied” zone and a southern, “free” zone.  After dissolving the constitution of the III Republic and appointing Maréchal Pétain, a former WWI hero, as chief of state, what was left of the French “government” made its home in Vichy France. The Vichy government then entered into a collaborative relationship with the Nazis. The reason for this partnership was twofold: it was an effort to keep the peace and an attempt to secure a prominent position in the forthcoming new world order that would undoubtedly be lead by Germany.

What many people don’t know, many Americans at least, is that Vichy Government policies were fascist, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic. Worse yet, these polices were not merely the result of Nazi mandates.  To understand how France could be in league with Germany, one must consider the socio-political events which had marked the twenty years of peace between the two World Wars.

The Cost of Living in Paris

Chocolat Chaud at the Café de la Paix: 7 euros

Erik in the Herald

There's a nice article about Erik in the Boston Herald today. You can read more about Erik at L'Espalier's website. (Be sure to check out Sel de la Terre's site as well.)

Coiffirst, ask questions later

I had been avoiding getting a new coif because my haircut vocabulary is non-existent and I had been too lazy to look up the word for "bangs" and those for "just a trim". On the way home from the grocery store this evening, I stopped in at Coiffirst on the rue de Buci.  I had only intended to schedule a rendez-vous, but an hour and a half later, my hair was cut, colored, and blown dry.

I was so happy with the results that I asked Kris to take my picture.  He said he would, but that I would need to wait. I wasn't feeling patient.

I decided to take my own picture--an autoportrait, if you will.   How difficult could it be?

Answer:

I hope you love your monkey

This is a birthday present Jo got from our nephew Derek, whom she refers to as "Monkey", and it may very well be her favorite birthday present of all time. He's pictured with Louis Jr., who used to have a different name, but I've forgotten what it was.

Probably the best thing about the monkey is that when you squeeze his hand, you he plays a recording of Derek saying, "Happy birthday. I love you, I miss you, and I hope you love your monkey."

More pics of "Monkey" (who just turned 5) and his Mom are below the fold.

On the street where I live...

“I have often walked down this street before;
But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before.
All at once am I,
Several stories high.
Knowing I'm on the street where you live.”

                                                         --My Fair Lady, 1964

Muscials are like Operas—you either love ‘em or you hate ‘em. If you love them, you never question the fact that anyone at any moment might belt out an excruciatingly sweet sonnet and only to underscore it with a terribly public display of dancing. If you don’t love them, you find such antics perplexing at best. Kris for instance, does not have a soft spot for musicals and laughs when the Jets and Sharks whistle and skip down the sidewalks of lower Westside Manhattan. I, on the other hand, understand the subtle nuances of the American musical and can appreciate the menacing nature of a switchblade-wielding, humming hoodlum as he skips and spins through back alleys and inner-city parks, leapfrogging over unsuspecting, rival gang members.

Puppy power

Continuing a theme of a few of my recent posts, here's a picture of my parent's dog Jack. This picture is actually a few months old and Jack has grown quite a bit. Below the fold is a more recent photo of Jack and with my dad.