Here We Go Again!

I’ve been AWOL for a while. Every free moment of every day has been taken up with searching for a new place to live.  Yes – we’re moving AGAIN.  I won’t bore you with the details, but I thought I’d pass on some tips if you’re house hunting, especially if you’re looking for an old home.  You can trust me on this…. I’ve seen a gazillion of them.

The last time we moved I should have made a list. I didn't because I knew what I wanted. A lovely old house with character that would look great at Christmas.  (See?  Didn’t have a clue)!

This is a repeat photo from two years ago.

My packing method hasn't changed and some 

things haven't even been unpacked!

I pretty much made every mistake in the book.  I recommend you do the opposite of me and you'll be fine.

It's Great!  I love the wood trim!  It’s gorgeous!  It gives the place character!

Oh oh:  I can’t get the paint drips off this feckin' wood trim.  How many people have painted this place?  Do I have to dust it EVERY week?  There's so much of it!

It's Great!  This kitchen is huge!  It’s like a football field!  I LOVE IT!  Just think of all the things we can do with this space!

Oh oh:  What can we possibly do with this space?  It’s huge!  It’s like a football field.  Who needs a football field in the kitchen when it only has two feet of counter space?  Besides, we don’t even cook.

It's Great!  A deck!  It’ll get the sun all afternoon!  It’s fantastic!

Oh oh:  The deck is getting the sun all afternoon!  Who can sit out here in this heat?  Why are raccoons coming to visit?  Couldn’t they do whatever it is they do on ground level?

It's Great!  The windows are beautiful.  They swing out instead of going up and down.  They’re so elegant!

Oh oh: We can’t put air conditioners in these windows!  They don’t go up and down!  What are we going to do?  

It's Great! No storage?  It doesn’t matter.  We hardly have any stuff anyway.

Oh oh: Where are the closets? No seriously…. where do we put our stuff? Can we make a table out of the winter tires and the ladder?  Will anyone notice?

It's Great!  This is one fantastic bathroom. Heat lamp, huge domed skylight, two shower heads and those spray thingies that relax your muscles.

Oh good!  Yup – no mistake there.  A great bathroom.

Now some places we looked at had HUGE lawns.  I mean HUGE.  More space than in the houses which were, well, not huge.  

“This is great.  Who mows the lawn”?
“You do”.

Nope.

“This is great.  Is there parking”?
“Oh, there’s always some spot in the area”

Nope.

“This will make a super office.  Where are the outlets”?
“Outlets”?

Nope.

Even with my new found knowledge of house hunting, we didn't succeed in finding the perfect old house.  We caved - this time it's apartment life for us and we're looking forward to it.  It's got closets, outlets and we don't have to mow the lawn.

Now it's back to packing.  And packing.  And packing.

Rules for Kids and Adults

When we were kids, we were taught never talk to strangers. And we didn’t. I never asked "why?" because I had no great urge to talk to strangers anyway. What would I say to them?

What I want to know is, why don’t parents drum it into their children that this rule applies until you’re dead!? No one wants a stranger blabbing away about whatever it is strangers blab about. (I'm not referring to little pleasantries like "it's a nice day".  I'm not a fanatic).

As an example, I was out enjoying the sun and a nice stroll, minding my own business, singing Piaf songs in my head, when someone approached me saying -

“Madame. Let me tell you ……something or other”. Might have been his opinion on the state of the world or maybe he didn’t like my face. Who knows? I could tell from his demeanor that I really didn’t want to talk with him. I was out enjoying myself, but he looked like he had a bossy point to make.

Now the first reply that came to mind was:

“Get away from me”.

But that would be rude. And when we were kids, we were taught never be rude.

So I didn’t answer. I just gave him my best evil eye and he moved on.

These people are not strange strangers so I'd probably talk to them.  

If the dog approached me, I'd even practice my French.

“Strangers” are very big in the Quote World. Everyone seems to recommend them.  

I have always depended on the kindness of strangers - Tennessee Williams

If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world - Francis Bacon

Anyway, I trust Dame Edna on this one -

My mother used to say that there are no strangers, only friends you haven't met yet. She's now in a maximum security twilight home in Australia - Dame Edna Everage

Google Maps Is Good for What Ails You

I've been AWOL for a while.  Under the weather.  Cold - cough - fever.  The usual.  There's nothing to do when you're sick except browse the web, check Facebook and see what the healthy people are doing.  Oh yes.....and look up diseases to make sure a cold is just a cold.  I also caught up on all the news of the world and yuck.  I'm moving.  This place is for the dogs (sorry dogs - it's just an expression).

After reading on Facebook what everyone was having for lunch, I turned to Paris for comfort. Not through my own photos which would mean actually getting up and lifting things.  No, Google Maps is made for sickies!

I know this isn't new.  It's just that I had forgotten how great it is to toot around Paris streets, turn corners, visit shops I love.....all with a runny nose and without leaving the couch!

Not only that, but the weather is nicer.  Google didn't take shots of Paris in the muck.  No!  They waited for spring and flowers and people smiling!

You can even go INTO the Musée d'Orsay.  What could be better?  OK - no one told me about this and truly, SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!

This is the best!

Then I thought why not pop over to Nice for a few minutes?  A few palm trees should make me feel better.

Now I have way too much to do and a zillion things to see.  If the cold lasts for another few days, that's fine.  I'm busy.

Nuit Blanche In Montreal

 Or.....How I Spent My Saturday Night



We may have missed Nuit Blanche (White Night) in Paris, but thankfully we have our own version in Montréal.

Montréal en Lumière is the annual celebration when museums, galleries and studios stay open until the wee hours of the morning to exhibit their latest works.  It's a free festival of art, culture and light.  And music.....did I mention music?


A few snaps just to prove I was actually out and away from my computer......

Last night was particularly beautiful as we had a light dusting of snow falling making everything sparkle!

Inside, wonderful exhibitions.  Place des Arts had a wall of light with changing images

Outside people were ooooing and ahhhhing over the fireworks

I would have gone on this except for the lines!

For the hungry bunch, cooking sausages and marshmallows over fire pits

And one more thing.......surprise venues so it was worth just exploring the streets.  The Le Germain, a boutique hotel in downtown Montréal, opened one of their floors for local artists to exhibit.  Hydro Québec had an amazing HUGE piece and a video on "the making" of the work.  Yes, I'll be going again next year.

It’s a Slippery Slope To Crackpotism

February is done.  Over.  Gone.  So long!  Adios!  Ciao!  Au revoir!  We’re only 20 days away from spring so it’s time to cheer up and stop kvetching because really, some of us (not me), are beginning to sound nuts.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Crabby:             “I hate winter”
Crotchety:         “I hate winter.  Don’t talk to me until April”
Cantankerous:  “I hate winter.  I don’t like summer any better”
Crackpot:          “I hate winter and I’m going to push anyone who likes it under a bus”

I find a chart makes all theories more believable

It’s easy to distinguish the crackpot from the others and of course a crackpot doesn’t have to be a complainer or vice versa (but this is my field of expertise).  

Just crabby or a crackpot?

Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.
W. C. Fields

The crackpot normally likes to grab you by the lapels and look you straight in the eye to make a point.  I’m not fussy about people grabbing my lapels – I don’t even have lapels.  I don’t want crackpots touching me at all.

Scrooge was one of the few who after being cantankerous AND a

crackpot, managed a reversal. 

Yay Dickens!

The crabby, crotchety and cantankerous will come up for air once in a while.  You can head for the door.  Even if the crackpot doesn’t have a physical hold on you, he’ll follow you and keep on and on and on….unrelenting.

So, if you find yourself complaining, and people are beginning to look at you as if you just sprouted another head, you might want to back off before you’ve gone too far.  You know what they say....once a crackpot……….

Have a good weekend!

The Buckin' Bucket List

Do you have a bucket list?  I don't. I won't be making one either.  There are things I want to do, and I’ll do them.  Or not.  If my memory gets so bad that I can’t think of things I enjoy without notes to myself, then I’ll stay home and watch the same TV program over and over.

I’ve read TIPS on making these lists if you can’t think of anything on your own (which in itself is pretty sad).

• Experience a sunrise
• Experience a sunset

Are you kidding me? Stand at your window! Done. Unless you live underground, two off the list with no effort at all!

And worse –

• Participate in the “Tour de France”.

Well there’s a major disappointment staring you in the face until you toss your list in the nearest swamp.





And if I WAS making a bucket list, it would be short and sweet.  Paris.  France.  Period.


I Googled "opposite of bucket list" and according to the Urban Dictionary, it's a "fu*** it" list. (My blog is rated 'G'. I can’t swear but you can if you want).

Anyway, it's more fun to make a "fu**it" list" because you feel you've already accomplished something without doing anything, if you know what I mean. Here's mine

Before I die, I don't want to:

• See a freak show (or worse, be in one)



 

• Be in a hotdog eating contest
• Walk the length of the country.  Any country.
• Spend time in a swamp

Bogie and Kate are much more adventurous than me

• Eat anything that’s live
• Fall off the Eiffel Tower (although it's the preferred way to make my permanent exit)
• Take a sewing course
• Sit through another Ingmar Bergman film (fine - you like them, I don't)





Just the stills depress me.  By not going to a Bergman film, I'm actually achieving my fu**it list.



See?  So far I’ve accomplished 100% of these!  And I could probably think of a ZILLION more!

All I’m saying, is why would you have a list with 1,000 things you can’t possibly do before you kick the can?  To me that’s depressing.

Memory Blank - Lincoln, The Movie

We HAVE to see "Lincoln".  "Lincoln" is up for 12 Academy Awards!   My friends have seen "Lincoln" and they loved "Lincoln".  I'm so tired today, a movie would be just the thing.   Let's go see "Lincoln".  I hear the performances are wonderful in "Lincoln".

And so off we went to see "Lincoln".

There were a lot of people in line for tickets. The obnoxious woman behind me was yelling at each person as they got to the head of the line "GO"....."GO".....she obviously had to get her popcorn or didn't want to miss the ads......

So I got to the ticket booth -

"Two please"

And that's when my heart sank because I knew what the next words I would hear would be -

"What movie"?

I drew a blank.  I had no idea.  Desperately I looked up at the marquee and there were a dozen films showing in the theater.  I couldn't see....."LINCOLN" because I was starting to panic and couldn't really focus on any words.  I looked around as if someone was going to give me a hint........and the gum chewing ticket girl had no idea what to say to me.  I know what she was thinking......

He would have understood.....he got tired too

Anyway,  my brain did finally kick in and I got the tickets.  The obnoxious woman that was behind me was long gone into the theater. 

I'm not going back there.  Ever.

PS  If I remember correctly, I enjoyed the film.  

Bridge Over The River Seine

First off, a quiz:

Do you know how many bridges cross the Seine in Paris? 

So you won’t think I’m cheating, I’m counting pedestrian bridges (3 of them – bonus points if you know where they are) and railway bridges (2 – more bonus points if you’ve been on them).  Have a little think.  Count them up, and I’ll tell you later.

The Pont Saint-Michel links the Place Saint-Michel on the Left Bank of Seine to the Île de la Cité. First constructed in 1378, it has been rebuilt several times, most recently in 1857.

Now here’s the part that gets me.  

As was common in the Middle Ages, the bridge's sides were quickly filled with houses.

That’s so cool!  Imagine living on a bridge!  Of course, there was a bit of a risk:

During the 1407–1408 winter, one of the longest and most severe known in the Middle Ages, ice carried by the frozen Seine hit the bridge, causing it to collapse, together with its houses. Due to France's difficulties in the Hundred Years' War, the bridge was immediately rebuilt in wood. (Wikipedia)

Do I need to tell you what happened next?  Apparently wood wasn’t such a good idea.

Still, it was the Middle Ages and they were doing their best.  (Montréal still has the problem of bridges falling down)!

And speaking of 1407........

Auberge Nicolas Flamel  is said to be the oldest stone house in Paris (1407).  Bet Nicolas was happy he didn’t build on the Pont Saint-Michel (he chose 51 rue de Montmorency in the Marais – it’s now a restaurant so you can visit if you like although I'm pretty sure they've modernized). 

If I could go back in time, this is what I’d want to see - the houses on the bridges and little winding streets that stayed in place until Haussmann revamped the city. Maybe I've read too much Victor Hugo.

So, did you have a little think about the bridges?

Answer to Quiz according to Wikipedia:  37

1. Pont Amont (carrying the Boulevard Périphérique, situated at the river's entry to the city)
2. Pont National
3. Pont de Tolbiac
4. Passerelle Simone-de-Beauvoir (pedestrian), inaugurated 13 July 2006
5. Pont de Bercy (made up of a railway bridge carrying the Line 6 of the Paris Métro and another stage for road traffic) ;
6. Pont Charles-de-Gaulle (1996)
7. Viaduc d'Austerlitz (railway bridge used for Line 5 of the métro), directly followed on the Rive Droite by the viaduc du quai de la Rapée,
8. Pont d'Austerlitz
9. Pont de Sully (crosses the eastern corner of Île Saint-Louis)
10. Pont de la Tournelle (between the Rive Gauche and the Île Saint-Louis)
11. Pont Marie (between Île Saint-Louis and the rive droite)
12. Pont Louis-Philippe (between Île Saint-Louis and the Rive Droite)
13. Pont Saint-Louis (pedestrian zone, between Île de la Cité and the Île Saint-Louis)
14. Pont de l'Archevêché (between the Rive Gauche and Île de la Cité)
15. Pont au Double (between the Rive Gauche and Île de la Cité)
16. Pont d'Arcole (between Île de la Cité and the Rive Droite)
17. Petit Pont (between the Rive Gauche and Île de la Cité)
18. Pont Notre-Dame (between the Île de la Cité and the Rive Droite)
19. Pont Saint-Michel (between the Rive Gauche and the Île de la Cité)
20. Pont au Change (between the Île de la Cité and the Rive Droite)
21. Pont Neuf (crossing the west corner of the Île de la Cité, Paris's oldest bridge, built between 1578 and 1607)
22. Passerelle des Arts (pedestrian)
23. Pont du Carrousel
24. Pont Royal
25. Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor (1999) (pedestrian, formerly the Passerelle de Solférino, renamed in 2006)
26. Pont de la Concorde
27. Pont Alexandre III
28. Pont des Invalides
29. Pont de l'Alma
30. Passerelle Debilly (pedestrian)
31. Pont d'Iéna
32. Pont de Bir-Hakeim (crossing the Île aux Cygnes, comprising one stage with a railway bridge carrying Line 6 of the Paris Métro and another for road traffic)
33. Pont Rouelle (rail viaduct for line C of the RER crossing the Île aux Cygnes)
34. Pont de Grenelle (crossing the Île aux Cygnes)
35. Pont Mirabeau
36. Pont du Garigliano
37. Pont aval (used by the boulevard périphérique, at the river's exit from the city)

If you were way off, don’t feel bad.  I had no idea.  I was thinking more in the 10 or 12 range.  Now I’m embarrassed.


Auberge Nicolas Flamel 51 Rue de Montmorency, 75003 Paris

Catch Up On Your 1939 Art News!

I don't know about you, but I find it really difficult to keep up on my reading these days.

Anyway, I've made it up to the November 11, 1939 issue of Art News and what a week that was!

First off, the cover is a lovely portrait of Madame Cezanne. One of the feature stories is "Celebrating the Cezanne Centenary" (1839 - 1939). This wasn't at the Musée d'Orsay (which wasn't around then) or any other famous museum. This show was at the Marie Harriman Gallery, 61-63 East 57th Street.


"Its strong point is its informality, the gathering of twenty oils and a dozen watercolors by the simple agent of personal taste plus, I suspect, the accident of what could be borrowed from exhibition-ridden collectors. But the combination of of the haphazard with the firm basis of Mrs. Harriman's own possessions of Cezanne has produced a result that I imagine must be in spirit the nearest thing we can see today to those first early Cezanne one man shows in the Rue Lafitte. For apart from the impossible parallel of Vollard's having hung at once works dating from between 1872 and 1906, this group looks like one that might have been worked out between a painter and his dealer...."

If Mrs. Harriman (or grandchildren....whatever) would like to pass her Cézanne works to someone who would truly appreciate and treasure them, look no further!!! I would be happy to throw together another haphazard little show for anyone interested.



Moving on, there are other very interesting articles.

German Museums' Nazi-Verboten Art Exhibited In Boston

"Until this time there had been no official ban on any art in Germany.  Now, however came a decree to "clean up all German art museums, without regard for legal forms or the property rights involved".  A bonfire was suggested for the condemned objects, but it was finally decided to sell them outside of Germany.  Many of them found their way to America through the auction sale at Lucerne in June of this year: others have come through private commerce".

This is a whole other topic but it's interesting reading about this from a 1939 point of view.

Wikipedia mentions the exhibition -  Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

In 1939 the museum officially cut ties with the Museum of Modern Art and changed its name to the "Institute of Modern Art." After changing its name the museum held a show of German degenerate art, labeled as such by Hitler himself. Artists included in the exhibit included Max Beckmann, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Emil Nolde, and Paul Klee. 

Then, of course, there's the reason I read the magazine:

The SCENE of FIN-DE-SIECLE PARIS

Nostalgic Paintings by the Little Masters of the '90's. 

1890's of course.  Nostalgia has come a long way.

Louis Abel-Truchet

For those of you who are interested in art history, I have to say the advertising is as good as the articles

Problem is, I just realized I skipped an issue from 1938 so I don't feel I'm any further ahead. 

Oh, and in case you're wondering if I qualify for "Extreme Hoarding", I don't.  All my reading material is in neat little piles on the book shelves and there are no piles of empty cans etc. to be found.

An Interview With Joe, Photographer Extraordinaire

I’ve watched enough interviews over the years to know there are always “Enquiring Minds” out there so I thought I’d  work on my interviewing skills. You never know when you'll need another source of income.   

My first subject is Joe Donohue, Photographer, famous for his photos of France and other things. 

 

Reporter:  How did you get into photography?

• JD: My brother bought me a camera for my 15th birthday, I've been clicking ever since. It's his fault.

Reporter:  Are you currently working on a series?

• JD: I'm doing some abstracts in Griffintown  which tend to be very colorful and/or dark plus a series of snow on our skylight, a constantly changing scene that's very calming.

Reporter:  What's your favorite fruit?

• JD: Oranges.

Reporter:  What city inspires you the most?

• JD: Paris and Montréal, it's a tie.

Reporter:  Do you prefer digital photography over film?

• JD: Yes, 30 years of dealing with photo chemistry is enough.

Reporter:  What bus route do you find most convenient?

• JD:  In Montréal, the 166.  In Paris the 69 or the 87.  (GOOD CHOICES)

Reporter:  Where would you prefer your work to be exhibited?  The Metropolitan or the Pompidou?  

• JD: You reporters ask the toughest questions! Hmmmmmmm.......... I'll go with MOMA.  (PLEASE NOTE:  THE ANSWERS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE OPINIONS OF LL&P)!

Reporter:  Do you have a preferred period in art?

• JD:  Post-Impressionism, abstract expressionism and today. Check out this incredible guy - www.joedonoxxxx

(ADDRESS REMOVED. WE HERE @ LL&P DO NOT CONDONE BLATANT COMMERCIALISM)!

Reporter:  Do you feel snubbed that you weren’t invited to the Academy Awards this year?  Or maybe there was some other place you weren't invited that you'd like to share?

• JD: Yes, apparently thinking of a good screenplay isn't enough, you're expected to write the damn thing and have someone make a movie out of it! 

Reporter:  Do you have plans for another artists' book? 

• JD:  Yes, on surfaces. On the surface it'll be all about surfaces but then I'll be delving beneath the surfaces and....  blah blah blah the usual artist statement claptrap.

Reporter:  Do you have room in your camera bag for, say, a chocolate bar?

• JD:  Always. Caramilk bars fit neatly into one of those pocket thingies they put in there for filters, lenses etc.

Reporter: Is there anything that makes you really really sad?  

(THIS IS THE BARBARA WALTERS TECHNIQUE OF INTERVIEWING EXCEPT SHE'S ON TV SO YOU GET TO SEE SOMEONE CRYING.  OPRAH FOR INSTANCE).

 

• JD: Yes, it's......it's ...............................(sniff)................E.T.

(I KNEW HE WAS GOING TO SAY THAT.  WHAT'S SADDER THAN E.T.)?

Reporter:  Thank you for being our guest here today.  If you think of anything else you want to say, I'll be in the living room.
 
Well, I think that went pretty good.  It's really really hard to think up good questions but I think we got down to the nitty-gritty.


By the way, regarding the blatant commercialism thing, I lied.  

Joe Donohue Photography (check it out)!