Hello again October and farewell,
this Halloween cat watching a horror movie is really something!
humour
February 12b- Another Parisian mystery with Victor Legris
Dear February,
Victor is having a hard time dating an independent woman. Victor Legris, the Parisian detective. I just finished the third book of the series. And I know who the murderer is. In terms of psychology, the third book seems to me more interesting than the first one. Or is it that I become familiar with the ambiance? Once you know the people, they grow on you. Even imaginary characters.
But Victor’s love life seems more important to me. He met Tasha in book no 1. He was following her around and finally kissed her at the third part of the book. When the mystery ended, they were a couple.
I don’t know what happened in book no 2.
But I found them again together in book no 3, and the passion seems to be well and alive. Victor is jealous because Tasha doesn’t want to marry him, neither live with him. She has male friends who flirt with her, and is very passionate about other topics than Victor, p.ex. her art.
How does he cope? He resolves murder cases.
But seriously, he seems to have evolved from a relationship perspective, because he found a balance between his insecurities, his will for control and his passion. From this point of view, he is an ideal man 🙂
How about Tasha? We learn less about her, and her inner struggles, but she appears to me a little bit insecure too …
It is so important to learn from experience and evolve… I would also like to evolve as a character.
And as a writer 🙂
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/i/claude-izner/montmartre-investigation.htm
February 5- Parisian Mysteries no 3
Hello February,
how many coffees could you drink so that you concentrate without getting nervous? I think that my personal record is 4. And I did concentrate. My project should finish by the end of the week.
What do you mean you don’t care? All you want to know is if Victor Legris is drinking coffee? So now you can only concentrate on Victor’s affaires?
Ok, just because I want your help with Saint Valentine, I will tell you.
Victor prefers tea, because he has been raised in England. And he also drinks alcohol every time he goes to the café. I completely understand him, after all, he is in the middle of a crisis. Either the man who raised him is a murderer or the woman he is falling in love with, Tasha. If you drink coffee in this situation, your nerves get in an impossible state. A cognac might do better.
So, Victor is an intellectual librarian and a part-time journalist, writing the literary column at the “Passe-Partout” journal. He is also a self-appointed detective. Because suspecting people you care about, is motivation enough to start an investigation.
All this to tell you that he hasn’t even kissed Tasha until chapter 9, and there are 14 chapters as a whole. Victor is following her, he is jealous of men who could be potential lovers, in his imagination. She is an artist, a free spirit, and she has a lot of friends among the talented Impressionists in Paris.
Would it be more simple to ask her out?
After all, does he care for Tasha because he suspects her, or he suspects he because he cares for her?
Is he afraid of relationships and he needs to find some huge obstacle between them?
What do you think?
February 1rst- Welcome love-month ;-)
February welcome!
I should probably have waited before telling you this, but you somehow raise my expectations considering my love life. Saint Valentine’s day on the 14? Not that I expect you to do everything, the way we wait for Santa-Clauss to bring the gifts while we sleep, but somehow, deep down, I might feel entitled for a miraculous intervention in that sector of my life.
Of course, I will do my part. I have almost accepted a party invitation for Valentine’s day. Almost, because it comes from an extravagant friend who usually has expensive plans and I want to stay on budget. Other options? I could have as an objective to date as many men as possible this month. But is quantity the only thing that matters? Of course not.
I can also be forgiving to this ex of mine who tries to contact me again. But not too forgiving as to let him get too close.
Or I could be open to the people I meet every day, change some of my habitual ways, cafés, the road I take to go to the Platform, or to any other place.
Or just relax, and listen to more love songs, smile and daydream. Or a combination of these ideas.
If I try to avoid questions on my professional goals? Not at all. I don’t know where you got this idea!
Here, isn’t this Edith Piaf’s love-song beautifully interpreted by Daniela?
January 28b- On long-term relationships and women’s bags
Hello dear January,
you wouldn’t probably understand the importance of a bag, or the reason it needs to be a love at first sight. A love that will transform into a long-term relationship. I am sure that you walk around care-free.
I have been looking for a bag, black preferably, to match everything, even if fashion codes are more relaxed nowadays regarding colour… There are still sales in Paris, in case you care, even though less important for “classic” items…
I had one I loved, but it started getting old, and I need to replace it. The thing is, I have been around many Parisian stores, not to mention e-shops, but I still haven’t made up my mind.
I need to feel a kind of thrill… to say… this is “it”!
It has to look good on me, and the way I dress (or if it is too nice, it might be an incentive to upgrade my style)
I also want it to be of soft leather, something that is agreeable to touch, and hug.
Something very practical with pockets, where I can put a cell-phone, or metro ticket.
Also a bag I can carry in many different ways, because I usually have my hands full.
Something that has personality: not too dull, but at the same time not showy, because I need it for everyday.
And, last but not least, something that I can afford, (so I will pass on mainstream designers).
Have I found my “it” bag?
Well, not yet! I thought I had the perfect deal, but after trying it for a day, I realised the handle was too short to carry it on my elbow, and the more weight I put in (notebook, umbrella, etc), the more I need alternatives.
Others were ok, but with no external pockets. Too showy, too expensive, too dull, too not me!
If it were for something dressy, that I carry once a month, I wouldn’t need to worry.
But this everyday bag needs to be reliable. In a way, a substitute of a close friend, a faithful partner, or… a teddy bear?
We need to feel good together, to merge, and at the same to keep our independence…
The whole process made me wonder if a long-term relationship shouldn’t have some of these characteristics 🙂
January 22- The stolen gmail address, the laundry place and the French actress
Dear January,
I run into a mystery today, and nothing prepared me for that. I simply went to the nearest laundry place. There are washing machines and dryers -very practical if you don’t have one at home. The place was packed with four women, all speaking english and two of them seemed to be in the middle of an argument. I didn’t get the reason, but when the first lady left, the second explained to the rest of us, her version:
To make a long story short, they were both Americans. Lady no 2 had a gmail address and for some reason couldn’t use it the last month. She had received a gmail message that her email belonged to someone else, and this someone else had the exact same name. Lady no 2 was sure someone had usurped her electronic address, and was after this individual.
And oh, surprise, she found the author of the crime, by accident, at the laundry place, just there. It was lady no 1. The two women started talking about washing powder maybe and somehow they mentioned their names, that should have been quiet similar. What is more, they lived in the same neighborhood. Lady no 1 denied having done anything wrong and she also told lady no 2 they had common friends.
The two women had about the same age, and seemed to be, professionally speaking, on the same field.
What had really happened?
I need to use the dryer more often in case I bump into one of them.
Actually this is the first time I heard of such a thing. I have a friend who was attributed a membership to a dating site and she keeps receiving potential dates who are interested to someone else’s profile.
But finding the person who uses your email address at the same laundry in Paris, is not quiet common. I think.
Was that all?
No, because then, I was addressed by another woman, another American probably. She wanted to know if I was the actress who was playing the role of a French woman in a tv series. She told me I looked so typically French.
I hoped the actress in question was a nice one.
It would have been if I actually were the actress.
That would have made quiet a group of people at the small laundry place, in downtown Paris.
December 14- Love, the most important ingredient
Dear December,
As I am entering a busy week, professionally speaking, and felt stressed up despite my to-do lists and sub-lists. The situation after the last meeting with the wannabe boss has left me suspended without any concrete prospect.
But, all of a sudden, I had an epiphany: ok, April, all these things are important. (By the way, I have already filled several printable lists for Santa Claus).
But what is my number 1? The most important of all?
Love. Love is the no 1 ingredient for a celebration. THE thing to make us smile.
It would be great to have a family with young children, to celebrate with, but I can’t produce one in a few days. Maybe I can borrow someone else’s. And a boyfriend that matches with them. A handsome guy with children? Divorced? Not too broken-hearted. Should I keep him after the holidays?
Being in love, sharing time with people we love, be around children, imagination, creativity, offer presents!
With or without means, letting love flow in forms of deserts, invitations, gifts, … kisses… fairy tales…
All the rest seems so secondary…
November welcome!
Dear November,
just for you, I have changed the background picture of the blog, with autumn leaves in Paris. It is because I am also born in November, so I feel somehow closely related to you 🙂
Just to celebrate your first day with us, I decided to stroll around the Paris streets and cafés, see friends and check on the different stores to see what is going on fashion-like. There were a lot of things I like, but have not let myself to be tempted because I want to check my closet and see what is missing before I let myself to fall into a shopaholic temptation.
I flirted for a while with a pair of gray gloves, but it was not strong enough to evolve into a relationship.
From my walk I discovered a new ephemeral store of the Courrèges fashion house, at the 17 Rue de Sèvres, that will stay open until April 1. A pink sweater enchanted me, but there was no picture online, you will have to imagine it 😉
Courrèges was founded in 1961 is known for graphic dresses, structured skirts, cocoon coats and PVC bags complete with zip and fringe details.
I have copied for you a photo of a Courrèges model from Eve’s blog, (who is a stylist, by the way):
http://www.beaauuu.com/beaauuu
October 24- Going towards the same goal, but changing approach
Dear October,
I am going through a phase where I fall into Einstein’s quotes that seem to make a lot of sense in my everyday life. This one for example:
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.
The way I understand it, it is important to have a goal, but to be flexible as to the means to reach it. If I want to go to the city center and there is a problem with the tube, I might take the bus. Or a bicycle. I don’t need to change my destination.
At the same time, I might do the same thing again and again because of something that has been hurtful in the past and I am conditioned to replay the same ritual. If I was hurt in one way, I don’t need to repeat the scene that hurt in the past, because this is the only thing I know. It won’t go away in this way. I need to realize I have been hurt, and forgive, let it go, or do something to help other people to take a different path, or cope with it 🙂
Write a blog-post!
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins133991.html#SeET1PiVSSQTDJLc.99
October 16b- To plan or not to plan?
Hi again October,
if I asked you: “should I plan the following day in advance every night”, what would you say? If I do, I might get stressed up with the possible scenarios, and feel overwhelmed with the actions to take. And then have a hard time to sleep. If I don’t, I might try something that takes my mind away from these questions. And then, tomorrow, I might need more time to start my day and not be sure about my priorities.
It is sort of a dilemma 🙂
To begin with, why not think of relaxing scenarios, where I succeed to accomplish whatever goal I have, or where I deal in a very effective way with certain challenging individuals?
How about plan some fun time and meetings with friends? This could be a compromise. Since I dedicate the biggest part of my day in work, writing, or whatever activity I am passionate about, I need to plan my time out.
Meeting friends is not a last-minute thing, especially when they live at a certain distance. (Not to mention dating). Can you just call them and ask them to cross the city in order to meet you in half an hour?
They might have something else to do, be busy. And then time goes by, and we see them less and less. Is it possible to go to a play or to the cinema at the last-minute?
Ok, yes it is. Even in Paris. And I like to take the risk some times and run, feeling there are chances I might miss it.
But, is this the only form of excitement I need?
If I do this every time I want to go out, I limit my contacts.
Planing can seem boring, but if I don’t plan anything at all, I might find myself doing boring things 🙂
april4june6: A journal of self-tranformation 