London Skyline

This is London- after dinner one night we walked down to the rivers edge so my colleague could get a glimpse of Big Ben (which is in the opposite direction of this photo). It was a really productive trip, full of long, drizzly, grey days. I got back to New York yesterday evening, and after a full day at the office I'm feeling a bit muddled.  I have some fun photos to share, they'll be trickling in this week as I get readjusted!

In Paris...

A quick hello from Paris! I took the train across this morning, and though it is still cold, the sun was peeking out a little bit, which is a welcome change after gray, rainy London! I'm slowly scrubbing the thick layer of rust off my french skills, though I keep saying "si" and "por favor" to everyone. I'll get myself all straightened out just in time to be home. I hope you all are having a great week, I'll be back in the States early next week with fun pictures to share!

Print by Blanca Gomez available at her Etsy shop.

Oxford Street here I come!

I'm off to to London, for the start of a whirlwind work trip split between London and Paris. Posting may be light as I dash between stores during what has been called one of the worst winters on record. I'm excited to take the train between the cities via the Chunnel, but after this historic breakdown last week that stranded thousands, we'll be packing extra snacks for the trip.

Any recommendations for inexpensive, not-to-be-missed restaurants in either city? We'll be visiting Au Printemps, so I'm hoping to have a moment to stop by Laduree for some of  their world famous macarons!

Photo by Javiy.

Books...

Let's talk about books. Real, paper, curl up with it on the couch, books. I read pretty quickly, and pass along a lot of books when I'm finished, but there are some I hang onto dearly. I borrowed W's copy of Illusions last year, and loved it so much I asked for my own copy, which he gave me for my birthday. I also love inscriptions inside books when they are gifts- so you'll always remember who gave it to you and when.

So I was thrilled to see that Pretty Pretty Paper and East Side Bride have started Read the Printed Word, a pledge to continue reading real books in this age of iphones and kindles and all manner of electronic thingy-mabobs. They have lovely buttons you can add to your blog (like the image above, or the stack of books to the right) if you decide to take the pledge, and they might even start up a book club around it. 

One of my goals for 2010 is to not only read more good books, but to use the New York Public Libary. I got a library card when I first moved to New York, but as a grad student I spent most of my time in the main research library which is gorgeous (remember the first wedding scene in Sex and the City?), but you can't actually check out any of the books. And there my patronage ended. Until Now. This week I dusted off my library card and got it reactivated. It seems that at some point in the last few years the NYPL has become this amazing, free, "Netflix of Books"! You can save lists of books online, and put things on hold which they will ship to the branch of your choice, and they even tell you how long the wait is. I have six books on hold at the moment- it seems I am number 84 in line for a copy of My Life in France by Julia Child. Yay for books and our amazing system of public libraries!

Of Turbans and Bellies

It has been one of those days. I grabbed my purple turban and threw it in my bag last week to use as the "several yards of cloth" that seemed to required of belly dancing class. At least, it was unclear. And yes, I have a turban. From a trip to Morroco, where they are quite handy at keeping the fine sand our of your nose and ears and mouth when balancing on top of a lurching camel. And yes, I was off to belly dancing class, which  I highly recommend- Brooklynites, you can check it out here.

The teacher was awesome, and very technical, so I felt like I wasn't just flailing about trying to keep up with some insanely fast choreography. She really broke it down and even talked about which moves came from Lebanon versus Egypt etc. I also loved the environment- most of the woman were proudly displaying an, uhhemm, plethora? of belly and chatting warmly with each other. This was a nice change from the stick-thin spandexed ballerina types I've found in other types of classes. Not that I have anything against those types, I'd love to be one, but I also love people who are confident about their bodies, it helps me feel more confident myself. Plus I've always been more of the tomboy-ish, atheltic, all-natural kind of girl, so those exotic, slinky, sexy movements are a bit of a challenge for me. To say the least. W makes fun of me- whenever I try to be sexy I get all self-concious and flare my nostrils in an attempt not to laugh at myself, and just look ridiculous.

Anyway, said length of cloth was not required, but I figured it could use a good wash since it's been acting as a tablecloth hiding my giant printer box for the last few years. Classy, eh? I threw it in the laundry bag and promptly forgot about it. Oh yes, I did. I just did laundry and it looks like a ballpoint pen threw up all over my clothes. I feel like such an idiot. Hand-dyed dark purple cloth? Uhhm yeah, I should have seen that one coming a mile away.

I would show you a photo of me in my gorgeous turban, but that was back during the pre-digital image days. So you'll have to enjoy this lovely image from here- just pretend the eyes are blue, and there you go. That's what I looked like. With a very handsome camel at my side I might add.

I'm Reading...

Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert

I loved Eat, Pray, Love.  I identified with Gilbert's restlessness. Heartbroken? Head to Italy and beyond. Makes sense to me.  Committed is the follow up to EPL, where Gilbert finds herself forced to marry her sweetheart so that he may enter the United States. A self-declared skeptic of marriage after a nasty divorce, this book is part history of marriage, part anecdotes on marriage from family, friends, and strangers around globe, part self-rationalization and philosophy lesson. If you've ever asked yourself Why? or conversely, Why Not? to the question of marriage in the modern age, this book attempts to pull all of those questions and ideas and justifications together. In the end however, it is a love story.

Some quotes:

“It is delicate, then, this operation of mutual, quiet, almost velvety oppression. Out of respect, we   must learn how to release and confine each other with the most exquisite care, but we should never- not even for a moment-pretend that we are not confined.” (pg 226)

“Every couple in the world has the potential over time to become a small and isolated nation of two-creating their own culture, their own language, and their own moral code, to which nobody else can be privy.” (pg 257)

I tend to ask these kind of philosophical questions anyway, but it was handy it have it all wrapped up with a bit of history thrown in for good measure. It's not the captivating story of Eat, Pray, Love, and really there are very few thunderbolts in here. She mostly ignores the role of children in marriage, and touches only lightly on recent politics. But it is an easy read in the voice of an old friend, and a few times I was given pause by a new idea or piece of the puzzle.

While we're on the subject, check out this New York Times article "Married (Happily) with Issues" by Elizabeth Weil and this post by Meg on her experiences with pre-marital counseling.

All about Eveline...

Happy Monday! I had a quiet weekend curled up inside as I've been trying to fight off a cold. I love the flowing lines and color washes in these prints- there's something dreamy about them, like floating in a warm ocean current. By Eveline Tarunadjaja, prints available on her website!