On Oct. 21, 1879, Thomas Edison invented a workable electric light
Friday, October 21st, 2005Friday
After a café with Benj at Mouton we’re thinking of going down to Montigny - now there’s a good idea !
Archive for October, 2005
He who has money can eat sherbet in hell. (Lebanese saying)
Monday, October 17th, 2005Monday
Rdv w/ Odile at the Café Jean Magne after my classes for a noisette + espresso. Then, on the walk home, decided to eat out rather than cook … and, oh surprise, on the way to our fave neighborhood Indian resto we hit upon a brand -new (just opened today) Lebanese place (Al Sage - 14 rue de Plantes) - tiny, comfy place - good food, very good wine and the right price. What else can you ask for on a dark, dank Monday night?
It’s better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody.
Thursday, October 13th, 2005Wednesday
At least that what Tom Ripley says in the movie I finally saw last night. It was a fine movie for a quiet mid-week night (of rest and recovery). I’d amend his words to say "It’s better to be a real somebody than a fake nobody" …but, then, how many fake nobodies do you know?!
Peddling along…
Tuesday, October 11th, 2005Tuesday
My cold is much better although my voice is still a bit weird (I sound at times like a prepubescent boy - my voice breaks then fades to nothing and finally comes back) - I figure it gives my STAPS students pretty good practice in listening (since they have to make a greater effort to follow). My annual quota of one cold a year is now fulfilled and I will accept no more (no way, uh-uh)!
After classes at Châtenay I trundled up to the 8th (hooking up with Odile, Denis, Larry & Carole) for the Lartigue vernissage (photography by Jacques Henri Lartigue and his grandson) at the Chevalier showroom. I liked some of the photos (especially the series taken in Parisian bars), didn’t sit on any of the furniture and really enjoyed the Moët champagne (it’s quite good at the tail end of a bad cold).
Later we headed back to the 14th to hook up with Jean-Yves (coming up from Uzès for a few days), Benj and Fanchette at an old standby resto "Le Paradis". I think everyone else stayed up until 3am, but having to rise at 6 for work I turned in around midnight (yes, I’m losing my touch).
Fête des Vendanges
Sunday, October 9th, 2005Sunday
Drink, drink and be merry (even if you’re sneezing and coughing).
Upon venturing out from Denis’ apartment into the mid-afternoon street fair hoopla we came across the street theater group "compagnie Jolie Môme" and their excellent renditions of revolutionary songs. Here is a shot of them waving their famed red flag!
Feliz Cumpleaños, Odile!
Saturday, October 8th, 2005Saturday
In spite of my punky physical condition I was able to reach almost 20+ of Odile’s closest and oldest friends for a birthday party for la Miss … and in spite of calling just a day before most people made a special effort (for a special woman) to be there (Odile’s cousin crossed Paris at 2am to come).
A big MERCI to everyone who came -it really made the day for Odile. Thanks for bringing drink and victuals - especially on such short notice. What can I say … but to cop a quote:
"La fête est un rituel dans lequel on s’investit, on participe et où on atteint la rupture avec le quotien dans une parcelle de temps arrêté." — Jean-Paul Favand
Merci pour "la rupture" les amis !
Thank you to whomever it was who brought the Château Tour des Termes 1999 - St. Estèphe - I only got a half-glass but it was mahvalus!
Most of the night is foggy for me as I was highly medicated (and also taking vin chaud "injections" regularly - merci Dr. Benj) but I know Odile REALLY enjoyed herself (the proof: she stayed out of the kitchen the entire night).
I must say it was wonderful to see everybody - especially to hear all the great conversations that seemed to spring up all over. I’ve put some photos of the evening on Flickr - if anyone has others please feel free to send them along to me. And a final BIG thank you to Denis for lending his apartment for the evening (well, actually until the early morning).
Sick Day
Friday, October 7th, 2005Friday
Enough said …
Back to school!
Monday, October 3rd, 2005Monday
Today is la rentée for my university students. I’m teaching English for the STAPS programs for Licence (Université Paris-Sud (Paris XI) at Châtenay-Malabry) and Masters (at Orsay) on Mondays thru Wednesdays. This makes for some income and generally contributes to keeping me out of trouble (for a few days per week, at least).
NEW: I’ve put "supporting documentation" photos for our escapades (that I expect to add to regularly) at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pietri/
Go take a look - let me know what you think.
White Night
Saturday, October 1st, 2005Saturday –> Sunday
Starting tonight and until 7am is the fourth annual Paris "Nuit Blanche" - a city-wide all-nighter of contemporary art, happenings, etc. We’re starting with the "Les chemins du Paradis" route up in the 18th and, depending on weather, energy and "feel" we may also do the "Nuit de Fête" route (from the 11th to the 20th). In any case, if you are out and about give us a ring on Odile’s cellphone … we can meet for a drink before the sun comes up!
UPDATE (2 days after the fact): This is going to be a major brain-cell busting exercise but here goes, as well as I can remember ,what we ended up doing for Nuit Blanche:
Denis invited us to meet him at an atelier up in Ménilmontant around 10pm; we met Véronique and Nicole, and the latter’s husband, Jean-François (the artist in residence, see some of his work, at: http://www.jf-veillard.com). We admired JFs work (Odile was particularly taken with a beautiful gouache, I go more for the "head shots"), had some saucisson & chorizo, wine.
Around 11:30 Denis, Odile & myself took his car to Montmartre where we were to meet Jean-Luc. On the way to our meeting spot at the foot of Sacré-Coeur (knowing it was already too late to go listen to the 300 electric guitars) we popped by the Halle Saint Pierre to hear the 100 saxophones that were supposed to play around midnight BUT way too many people, only saw 3 saxs and it sounded pretty cacophonic so we kept moving.
When Jean-Luc arrived on his morotcycle we decided to go over to our hang-out,near Denis’ place, chez Camille, but when we got there it was closed (out partying too) so we decided to walk towards the former railway "la Petite Ceinture" … on the way we passed the place de Tertre (where a reproduction of Fizeau’s experiment on the speed of light was being done … we didn’t see this end of the experiment, but could easily make out the SUPERB green laser coming from the Observatoire in the 6th).
Ended up at chez Francis Labutte on "the other side" of Montmartre (for me, it all depends on YOUR perspective) at the foot of an impressive staircase. Nice funk, soul, jazz in this fairly calm part of town - some drinks (we’d walked a good bit by now) as we talked flying with Jean-Luc (who pilot his own plane). He and Denis then left for midtown and Odile and I walked over to see the event at the old train tracks (la Petite Ceinture) transformed by Thierry Poiraud into a (sort of horror) film set.
From there we walked a good bit down to boulevard Barbès (hey, Marc & Hélène, you weren’t home!) and took the Noctilien (Sardinelien - given the terribly crowded buses) to Café Beaubourg - whence drinks again with Denis & J-L. By now it was going on 4am so time for a bite at le Tambour (with Denis only, since J-L had an early Sunday lunch, yikes!).
After a light snack (and more life-giving wine) we ended up at le Gran Palais (merci J-L pour la suggestion) up until dawn for what was, for us, the capstone of the evening - you have to imagine a space that looks as large as Grand Central Station (my East Coast root are showing) inside - totally empty (due to the restoration efforts that have been underway for years now) … artistically lit up and with superb music playing. As if that’s not enough there were two enormous globes hung in the center surrounded by giant mirrors that gave you a super rush! An enormous kick.
By then it was time to break up and turn in … yawn.
