I've been writing articles for an expatriate magazine here, and my latest was an interview with a landscape historian. We met at Laduree, a fancy pastry shop/cafe with two locations in Paris--we chose the one on the Champs-Elysee ( Read more... )

Walked to a playgroup in Vincennes yesterday. For those who don't know, Vincennes is a nicer suburb of Paris, like Boulogne. Both are associated with a famous forest (former royal hunting grounds?): the Bois de Vincennes is our local park ( Read more... )

We went to see "Alice in Wonderland" at the UGC Bercy. What a fantastic cinema complex it is. I didn't count how many films were showing (or at least, were advertised above the entrance), but at least 20 made it up there. Inside, massive lines for popcorn and the like. Again, I didn't get to make a detailed observation of just what was on offer, ( Read more... )

We went to Michi last week for dinner. Got a babysitter for the night and treated ourselves to sushi, which I haven't had in years. Ace's childhood friend is married to a lovely Japanese woman and Michi is one of her recommendations ( Read more... )

We were wandering down the Champs Elysees yesterday when Ace's sharp eyes caught a sign advertising a free photography exhibit. It was housed in the Maison du Danemark (Danish House) on the second floor. Who would have thought? A Danish outpost next to McDonald's on the Champs Elysees ( Read more... )

We went to Shakespeare and Co last week during a quick visit to Paris and I bought "A Moveable Feast" by Hemingway. Couldn't wait to get home, get kids fed and in bed so I could dive into the goodness ( Read more... )

About seven years ago I left my job at a major computer company to give myself more time for writing. I remember the first day I was "free to write" (unemployed). I woke at my usual seven a.m., showered, had coffee, and sat at my desk in our condominium bedroom at exactly 8:30, the time when I'd usually start work at my former 9-to-5 job. I had ( Read more... )

I write thank you letters to people, on actual notepaper, and send 'em by snail mail. Was taught to do that by Mom, enjoyed it, and have grown to think of it as a nice courtesy when someone goes to the trouble (really) of buying me a gift ( Read more... )

My dad won the J. Robert Pickering Award for Playwriting Excellence ( Read more... )

I recently wrote an article about a woman here for an expat magazine. She's amazing. The main thing that got me was that she, an American, is raising her son here on her own. She's decided to make France her home, not for family or a husband, but because she loves it. Has a job, bought her own house, had her child here ( Read more... )