7 Things About Me

Okay, Randal tagged me for this meme ages ago and I am FINALLY getting it posted. I will not bother to list the full rules or tag anyone else for this meme (hanging head down). Essentially, the meme was to post seven things about myself/yourself that others might not know about you. I've done something like this before and had the same problem then that I do now: what seven things to post that are remotely interesting or even odd. There are plenty of oddities, believe me, but each time I tried to compile a list, I repeatedly found myself feeling bored or dissatisfied with what was chosen. I fear the list below is a product of such but here they are:

1. I use men's deodorant. I don't know exactly when this started but it was likely back in the early days of living with my ex-husband. I have always disliked women's deodorant. It seems that they all have this disgusting unnatural baby powder smell and leave a white residue (yes, even the non-scented and clear ones!). So, one day, I just started using his Old Spice deodorant and I've never gone back to women's. I've heard that women's deodorant has come along way since then, but still, I'm not buying it. I'm quite content with my Old Spice Red Zone Pure Sport.

2. As with Randal, I too wanted to be a fighter pilot when I was about 9 years old. My father had been a flight deck supervisor in the Navy and my uncle a pilot in the Airforce. I loved listening to their stories and the thought of soaring through the skies. My uncle would send me all these posters detailing the Airforce air fleet and I would hang them up all over my room. Flying has always appealed to me in general. I think it has to do with my love of the sky and my head being perpetually in the clouds! More than anything, I think it had a lot to do with my natural wanderlust. Anyway, yes, the reality of warfare, politics and conformity eventually put me in check. That and the absence of a decent hair colorist and extensive makeup counter on an aircraft carrier!

3. I am infatuated with the moon. I'm sure I've mentioned it repeatedly on this blog but I am just so enamored with the moon. It has such a powerful effect on me. I love it when the moon surprises me, which it often does. I'll be driving through the windy hills and without realizing it, the moon just appears right before me. I love full moon nights when the moon just lights up a dark roadway. Harvest moons are my favorite... those huge, low in the sky, round moons that are yellow-orange. The moon never ceases to captivate me, either. Even at home, in the various places I've lived, I will sometimes be laying in bed and feel a faint light upon me. I excitedly go to the window and sure enough, there is the moon! In fact, just last night, I was driving home from feeding my sister's ferret while she was out out town, and as I was headed back towards my place, the moon surprised me... there it was... full and mystical, a really pale yellow, low moon. I had a rough day and was really tired out. But as soon as I see the moon like that, everything else just dissipates so easily.

4. My younger sister and I ate a whole HUGE bottle of Flinstone chewable vitamins in one sitting when we were young. When my older sister found out, she freaked out. The three of us were home alone and this was back when cell phones were non-existent for the most part. My older sister's panic started to freak us out and I vividly remember sitting on the bathroom counter with my younger sister, waiting for my mom to get home and thinking that maybe we were going to die or at the very least, be violently ill. Neither of us really wanted to cough up the vitamins by throwing up, so we just sat there, very still, waiting for something that never came. I think my mom took us to the doctor when she got home but I really don't remember anything happening after being in the bathroom for what seemed like an eternity. I just have this vivid recall of sitting in the bathroom and having this very ominous feeling.

5. I hate mayonnaise and ranch dressing. I think I am the only person in the United States that does not eagerly anticipate ranch dressing for salads, fries, onion rings, veggies, etc. I really, really dislike mayonnaise and ranch dressing. I also dislike tartar sauce (naturally). My dad still gives me a hard time about this because when I was a child, anytime we would go to McDonald's after mass on Sundays (this was a treat!), I would order a fish fillet with no tartar sauce. Each time I would order such, we would always be asked to "pull forward" to a grill order parking spot, to wait longer than usual for them to make a fresh fillet sandwich with no tartar sauce. My dad still jokes in a whiny voice, "please pull forward."

6. My mom enrolled my sister and I in a young nuns club. I can't remember exactly how old I was at the time... perhaps I've blocked it out? Maybe 10 years old? But I do remember how agonizing the experience was. We didn't choose to join this "club" either. My mother really immersed herself in Catholicism when my younger sister and I were growing up and so we went to mass and Catholic gatherings quite often. Truly, I do think my mom wanted us to become nuns. Anyway, for this young nuns club we mostly did dishes and cleaning at a convent and had to listen to lectures on Catholicism, etc. And to make this experience even more miserable, we had to wear these horrible brown nun outfits. I did like the architecture of the convent. I enjoyed wandering off into the chapel, exploring little nooks and archways or meandering down the long corridors leading to rooms for people that came to the convent on retreats. I always hoped that I could have the convent to myself for a day. Alas, neither my sister nor I became a nun!

7. I love, love, love Edward Norton. Okay, this might be a sad way to end this already sad list but I really do love Edward Norton. His movies are brilliant for the most part and he is just so damn sexy to me. Do I need to say anymore about this other than... please strand me on a desert island with him?!?!

Throwback b

So, who better to introduce my retro meme than L.T. on the run in a Chargers throwback?!* 

I think I have only done one or two memes in the last few months, so I was delighted to be tagged for this meme by my wonderful friend, Carra. Merci, Carra!

Rules of the Meme:

1. Post 5 links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 keywords given below:

• Family
• Friendship
• Self
• Love
• Anything

2. Tag 5 other friends to do this meme. Try to tag at least 2 new acquaintances (if not, your current blog buddies will) so that you can get to know them each a little bit better.

3. Read the archived posts and leave comments if you'd like to.

I tag the following (who may do the meme if they would like to but really, no obligation!): La Belette Rouge, Colleen, Randal, Take a Year Out, La Page Française, and Erin.

*I updated this meme post with a spiffier title and this kick ass image when I saw the creative likes of LBR and Mr. Randal Graves. Thanks for the inspiration (always) mes amis! Mine was clearly lacking! 

[Image from here.]

Moi-Même: Quatre par Quatre

I was tagged for this meme by the very lovely La Belette Rouge and my sincere apologies for the delay in posting my responses. I have been a very busy girl and my mind is on overdrive with all my thoughts of Paris plans, Christmas obligations, etc. Anyway, here it is, mes amis!

What four things do you love most about living in France?

As with LBR, I do not live in France, sadly. But, as she did, I will post four things I think I will love about living in France (staying true to my affirmation there).

1. The abundance of beauty no doubt produces much inspiration. And by beauty, I am referring largely to architecture. Everywhere you look there is beautiful architecture and art... a church, a doorway, a courtyard, a storefront, an arch, a fountain, a sculpture. Surrounded by such beauty and history, I feel so inspired and otherworldly.

2. The quality of light. Clearly, Paris is known as the City of Light for a very good reason. And being a girl who loves the sky, I find the quality of light to be so lovely.

3. The culture and language. The French language is so beautiful and I love being in the city and hearing people speak French. I enjoy the challenge of learning the language and interacting with the French. The culture is also so intriguing to me and rather than simply study the culture, I want to live it!

4. Living out my dream. I know this is an obscure response but really, knowing that I am living out my dream will undoubtedly prove fulfilling. Oh, and can I cheat and also say that the proximity of other amazing places in France and Europe is certainly appealing as well!

What are four of the most memorable jobs you have had?

1. Video store clerk. This wouldn't be such a memorable job in itself but on weekend evenings I worked with this guy because the store would get so busy. The video store we worked at had a small selection of porn and to rent any movie in the store, a person had to bring a tag up to the counter and we would retrieve the movie from the room behind the counter. When I would have to go retrieve a porn from the back room, my coworker would often follow me back there and start making all these obscene gestures to get me to laugh. And it was so painful because I couldn't stop laughing, so I'd go back out front to give the porn to the customer and I would often breakdown. It took so much composure to get through that brief interaction afterwards!

2 . Hostess/busser at a pancake house. Again, not so memorable on its own. However, my manager's brother (one of the waiter's who trained me) was harassing me and cornered me one night in the kitchen. Out of nowhere, the dishwasher (a sullen ex-convict) appeared and slammed a metal cart into the waiter, which broke the waiter's finger. I was 16 at the time and

had been pretty sheltered up until this job. I thought the waiter was going to kill me but fortunately, a few days after the incident, his sister (the manager) lost her marijuana pipe in the restaurant someplace. She was fired, along with her brother. Lovely, and oh so classy. And when I think about how little I made and how gross that job was... I am so appreciative for my college education!!

3. Tanning salon. I worked at this tanning salon on campus during my undergraduate days. I've never had more fun at a job. The owner had inherited a few million dollars but she loved interacting with the students and having her own business. She let me essentially run the business and was so generous and appreciative. She was also so much fun and had this infectious personality. She was so happy and kind to people. I doubt I could have had more fun working during college!

4. Graduate Teaching Assistant. I went to grad school on a scholarship that was tied to a teaching assistantship. I taught recitation sections of Argument and Critical Discourse. Essentially, this was a required course for most major fields of study and we taught principles of sound argumentation (forming logically arguments and supporting them with sound reasoning/proof). I really enjoyed working with college students and learning from them as much (if not more than) as they from me.

While teaching as a GTA, A friend of mine extended an opportunity to teach a couple of Public Speaking classes at a nearby community college. It was different from university and one term I decided to come up with a totally different way to teach Public Speaking. The class collectively decided on projects and I just really let the class take its own direction while still focusing on the fundamentals of the course. One day one of my students in this class was talking about the Dollar Store. Admittedly, I had never been into one of these dollar stores and the class was shocked. So, for their persuasive speeches, they each brought in one or two items from the dollar store and wrote persuasive arguments to induce me to shop there. In return, I brought food to class. Towards the end of the term, I cannot tell you how many of these students approached me and were so appreciative of my open minded approach to a class they were dreading. One student even told me that he was planning on dropping out of school the next term before he took that class but my response to one of his speeches and a conversation about his family history (he was Native American) inspired him to stay in school. Truly rewarding and a lot of fun.

Four quirky things about the way I eat (and drink)?

1. I drink my hot Starbucks with a straw. I don't know how I started this but for some reason, I enjoy drinking my vanilla latte with a straw.

2. I can eat a box of croutons in one sitting. When I was in high school, I used to take croutons and put them in a bowl and drown them with caesar dressing and eat that as a snack. My poor mother would go to make a salad and there would be maybe five little croutons left!

3. I like to eat my yogurt with a demitasse spoon (those really tiny spoons). I know, this isn't really quirky but I am struggling to think of my quirky eating/drinking behavior. I know I have quirks in this regard but for some reason, I'm having a hard time coming up with them right now!

4. I have to chew gum while I workout. Again, I'm stretching here but yeah, I really feel amiss when I do not have fruity (Trident Splash Strawberry & Lime or Raspberry & Apple) gum to accompany my workout.

What are your four favorite foods?
It is always so hard for me to pinpoint my all-time favorite anything but these are four foods that currently make me drool:

1. Butternut squash risotto with spinach. There is this great little spot that serves an amazing risotto. I've been twice in the last couple of months and cannot stop fantasizing about this risotto. It is so creamy (with parmasean and maybe crème fraiche?) and the spinach and butternut squash are divine in it. It has so much flavor and its creaminess... sooooo good!

2. Steak. I am definitely a red meat kind of girl. I like my steak medium and mushrooms and a wine sauce compliment it nicely. Although, a steak on its own is incredible, too, if cooked right.

3. Thai food. I've really liked Thai food for many years now. I love the peanut sauce with chicken satay, a good pad thai, and panang curry! Any (and all) of those with a thai iced tea!

4. Smoked cheddar cheese with a paprika rind. I like cheese but am not a huge cheese connoisseur. However, my last boyfriend introduced me to this cheese and I find myself craving it from time to time. It has such a great smoky cheddar flavor and the paprika rind is so good.

Four recipes you cook all the time.
Okay, people...I'm a single woman here! Cooking for myself is not usually appealing. But here is what I've been eating as of late in my successful efforts to lose some weight and eat healthier. Believe me, not a very sexy food list but surprisingly good and good for me.

1. Lemon pepper chicken breast with creamed spinach.

2. Lemon pepper tuna with artichoke hearts.

3. Cereal. Yes, like Randal, I make a mean (er, happy?) bowl of cereal.

4. Salmon filet with apsaragus.


Sorry for some of the lame answers. I think my brain is a bit overworked as of late!

*Image of La fontaine des quatre parties du Monde is from here.

Desktop Meme

This is definitely a unique (but very easy!) meme that Richard tagged me for. The meme is simply this: post a pic of your desktop wallpaper. So, this is it...a photo I took from the Eiffel Tower last October in Paris. I try to keep my desktop clean. Even the seven folders I currently have on there right now are a bit much for me! I think my desktop says a lot about me...that I SO wish I were going back to Paris again this month! Tear.

So, now I am supposed to tag 5 more people? Let's see....how about: Carra, Cavalock, Ancilla, Run Around Paris, and La Page Française.

7 Songs

Yes, I posted a 7 Songs meme back in April when Tumuli tagged me. I really like the idea of revisiting this meme at least once each season. I don't know if I am singular in this but I find the seasons really dictate what I'm listening to for the most part. Of course, mood and current circumstances (heartache, new love, etc.) play a considerable role as well. So, here's what I've been listening to like a junkie as of late. If there were to be a theme to the music I've been listening to so much of lately? Mesmerizing?

1. "Babylon" by David Gray. Gray's White Ladder is a staple in my autumn music. I love this album and always return to it this time of year with absolute zeal. It just makes autumn so much more beautiful and celebrated for me. David Gray's voice, vivid images and emotional thrust pull at my heart. I have this very specific image of a scene from this song. He describes "kicking through autumn leaves and wondering where it is you might be going to.... Turning back for home, you know I'm feeling so alone; I can't believe climbing on the stair I turn around to see you smiling there in front of me." I just see that building and those stairs, the autumn leaves and two lovers reuniting. "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" is another song on this album that just melts me. It is so emotional and I feel as though I've been in that relationship and experience the anguish each time again when this song is played. That sounds really depressing but it's not!

2. "Orange Sky" by Alexi Murdoch. Wow. This song blows me away every time. Where David Gray tugs at my heart, Alexi Murdoch just seizes my soul in this song. This song is so melodic and Murdoch's vocals are absolutely beautiful. Happiness to be alive, contemplation, a quiet knowing smile. This song produces all of those responses in me every time I listen to it. And it doesn't hurt that I love the sky and the image of a gorgeous orange sky. Interestingly, last night we had a peach horizon at sunset. Beautiful.

3. "Love You More" by Alexi Murdoch. Another song by Murdoch. This song is short and the lyrics are simple and repeated. But this song brings such a big smile to my face. It makes me excited to be loved again and reminds me just how warm and comforting love is. So, the repetition of the words and the dreamy melody are almost like a lullaby for love. Murdoch's "Song for You" and "All My Days" are also great songs.

4. "Together & Down" by Benoît Pioulard. Yes, the French name drew me in effortlessly but I think this artist is actually from Michigan! Regardless, his Précis album is wonderful. It is such an experimental blend of alternative. Some of the tracks are quite avant-garde with sound replacing or dominating lyrics. It is unique and refreshing, as it breaks the mold enough without going too far. I think that dreamers will particularly enjoy it as it has this dreamy haze effect. It makes me feel like lying in a field, gazing up at the sky and feeling utterly blissful. "Ash Into the Sky" and "Ext. Leslie Park" are also great tracks. "Moth Wings" and "Corpus Chant" are two other great tracks that are short but of that more avant-garde style. In "Corpus Chant" it sounds as though there is a marble rolling on a wooden floor and it is very soothing (and mesmerizing) to me.

5. "Pet Grief" by The Radio Dept. This song and just about all of their ther songs make me so happy. This Swedish group has a carefree melody with a slightly introspective slant. I love hearing this in the car, driving through the hills and just embracing that free feeling it evokes. "I Wanted You to Feel the Same," "The Worst Taste in Music," "Always a Relief," and of course the tracks off the Marie Antoinette Soundtrack are all great. Simple and almost give me this cleansing feeling, effortlessly ridding me of the weight of unnecessary worries or anxiety.

6. "Lake Michigan" by Rogue Wave. Great alternative song with a beat that just gets me pumped up easily.

7. "Otherwise" by Morcheeba. What a sexy song! I have to thank Tumuli for turning me onto this song, as he posted the video on his blog. I've been playing it repeatedly.


So, that's what I've been listening to lately. If any of the following usual suspects want to be tagged for the meme, great! Tumuli, Richard, KIm, Erin, Carra, Cavalock, La Page Française, MJ, Ancilla, Vicki, and anyone else interested!

7 Songs

I’ve been tagged by Tumuli. Thanks for the tag, Tumuli. I think music is such an effective gauge for a person's current frame of mind. And my list clearly proves that. Music is a great indulgence in how I'm feeling at a certain time. I think it would be interesting to write this list out for each week or month and then write down or consider how you were feeling at that time and what was going on in your life. I'm sure the music was played for a reason.

Meme: List seven songs you’re into right now ... no matter what they are. BUT they must be songs you’re presently enjoying.

1. "The Melody of a Fallen Tree" by Windsor for the Derby
From the Marie Antoinette Soundrack. This song tugs at my soul. It is long (8:16) and pulls me through sadness, melancholy, hope, determination, and acceptance. The instrumentals, evolution of tempo, and simple lyrics just get to me every time I listen to it. Lyrics excerpt: Under the leaves where the blackbirds turn blue, if there's room for me...there's room for you. Place your ear to the ground, you hear a voice...it sings a song...the whole night long. I am the melody of a fallen tree.

2. "Pulling Our Weight" by The Radio Department
Also off the Marie Antoinette Soundtrack. This song really lets me indulge in melancholy but without being downright sad. This song is a dream song for me...it makes me feel free and light, aware and accepting. It gives me great satisfaction being a dreamer when I listen to this song.

3. "Here I Dreamt I was an Architect" by The Decemberists
Great alternative band.

4. "Time to Get Ill" by Beastie Boys
I've actually been listening to the Beastie Boys quite a bit lately when I work out and in the car. It takes me back to freshman year of college in the dorms, "prefunking" with Andy Balk. Yes, I just used the word "prefunk" and it is just as embarassing for me to use it as it is for you to read it! Anyway, Andy would crank Beastie Boys up and scream out the lyrics. It was such a ritual for us before heading out to some trashy fraternity party. Good times.

5. "Let You Down" by Dave Matthews Band
Yeah, a very sad song but this has been a rough week for me, so it makes the list. And we'll leave it at that.

6. "Good Day" by Angels & Airwaves
Someone turned me onto Angels & Airwaves a few months back and their We Don't Need to Whisper album is one of those that just begs to be played loudly. This song makes me think about vulnerability, how much I give and withhold in relationships, and what I want to be in a relationship. And I know this is kind of cheating but I have to mention that "Start the Machine" (frustration, conflict, yearning, and regret), "Distraction," and "It Hurts" are also great songs off this album that I've been listening to a lot this week.

7. "The Corner" by Common
This song keeps popping up on my iPod Shuffle this week as I am working out and I often repeat it. Common is a great artist among many overrated and under-talented ones. He and Talib Kweli get played a lot, even on a week like this one, full of alternative and mellow stuff.

If the following bloggers are interested in doing this meme, I'd be interested to see what you are currently listening to: Buzzgirl, Pam, Peace & Serenitty, Kim/Thomas, Cavalock, Richard, Ancilla, Run Around Paris, and any others. And thanks again, Tumuli!

Interview Me!

This is something I saw on Pam's blog, American Spoken Here
I asked her to interview me!
Her questions are below along with my answers.

Thanks again, Pam. You obviously put a lot of thought into these questions and I enjoyed doing this!

The Rules:
-Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me.''
-I respond by asking you five personal questions (I will leave these questions for you in my comments) so I can get to know you better. If I already know you well, expect the questions may be a little more intimate!
-You will update your journal/bloggy thing/whatever, with the answers to the questions (please don't leave your answers in my comments unless you don't have a blog).
-You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
-When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

1. Who makes you laugh?
My niece. We can get pretty silly together and she is so witty and goofy, I am always laughing.

2. How did you discover your passion for France?
Honestly, I can't go back and pinpoint the time in my life that I started to really fall in love with France. My father has French ancestry (so it is in my blood!) and I've just always naturally been drawn to France. I wish I could be more specific but truly, it has always been there. I really came into that passion in my early 20s in college when I took a Travel Literature course (and read M.F.K. Fisher's Gastronomical Me), along with other Paris/France based literature, including Hemingway. That, with additional French language lessons and a growing passion for arts and architecture, just deepened my passion for France.

3. What would you like to remember from your childhood?
Lately, as I drive through the countryside to pick my niece up from school, I experience this wonderful nostalgia for childhood car rides with my parents. Sometimes they would just drive us through the country after mass on Sundays and we'd drive by farms, houses, horse pastures, and just beautiful country. I'd like to recall specifically what thoughts ran through my naive mind. Surely, those experiences fed my creativity and appreciation of life.

4. When is your next trip to France?
Oh...I wish I knew! I'll go ahead and make a bold statement on this one and say that I will be back in France within a year's time! :) Now I have to make that happen, don't I?

5. If you could change the ending of any book, which book would you pick and how would you change it?
I honestly think this is a more difficult question than the previous one. I cannot say that I would change any one book's ending. I know, I know...that is definitely not a satisfactory answer but I must stand my ground. I love literature and although the ending of a book may not always be what is desired, there is almost a greater beauty in that fact. The author's perspective is made so strongly evident in how a book ends, and I couldn't even attempt to mess with that.

Yep...This is Me

You Are a Dreaming Soul

Your vivid emotions and imagination takes you away from this world So much so that you tend to live in your head most of the time. You have great dreams and ambitions that could be the envy of all... But for you, following through with your dreams is a bit difficult. You are charming, endearing, and people tend to love you. Forgiving and tolerant, you see the world through rose colored glasses. Underneath it all, you have a ton of passion that you hide from others. Always hopeful, you tend to expect positive outcomes in your life. Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul, Prophet Soul, and Traveler Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Seduction Style

Yes, a rather bold and silly meme I nabbed from Richard. Check out those shoes, yo! Somehow, I don't think those shoes make me feel better about my seduction style! Ha ha...something tells me that my boyfriend will see the connection and love it!