The Bold Soul: A Writer's Life in Paris

Valentine Sky

Having a little whine on Valentine's Day

That sound you hear is millions of single women around the world sighing ponderously because today is Valentine's Day and there are no special men in their lives. I happen to be one of them. So I just thought I'd whine about it, if you don't mind. Valentine's Day and I have never gotten along well. I see V-Day as representing my entire dating life, encapsulated. Remember when you were in elementary school and the teacher told you that you had to bring valentine's cards for all the other kids? I remember being in the second grade and we made personal mailboxes out of shoeboxes and decorated them with construction paper and our names, and cut a slot in the top. Then on the big day, you were supposed to go around and drop your little paper card (usually with a theme like the Flintstones or Mickey Mouse). Well, inevitably the kids would do what kids always do - they'd bring cards for the people they liked, and some kids wouldn't bring any cards at all, and some kids would therefore get more, or fewer, cards than the others. Even in second grade, circa 1968, Valentine's Day was a popularity... Read more →

Top 7's

Got the inspiration for today's post from this meme, from Vivi in France. I've never done a meme before and this one seemed like fun. So, here goes: The Bold Soul's Top 7's 7 things to do before I die Live in Paris. Get really fit and healthy and into a size 8. Get fluent in French. Visit Australia and New Zealand for several months. Visit the U.K. for several months. Get several books published. Write a New York Times bestseller. 7 things I can't do Whistle really loud (you know, that cab-hailing whistle). Go back to work in any full-time corporate job. Vote for the religious right-wing conservatives who want to restrict our freedoms to suit their own purposes. Run for public office. Not only did I actually inhale in college, but I don't lie well enough to be a politician. Tolerate the abuse of children and animals. Cook, sew, decorate or keep a spotlessly clean house. Martha Stewart, I ain't. Stop eating chocolate. 7 things that attract me to Europe A slower pace and lifestyle. Café-sitting. Variety of cultures to choose from and learn from. Being able to change some Europeans' ideas of what Americans are really like.... Read more →

Peace On Earth, Olympic-Style

I'm not the world's biggest sports enthusiast, not by a long shot. Although there are some sports I enjoy as a spectator, I never "play sports", which pretty much dates back to my complete klutziness and ineptness as a child. No matter how hard I tried, I could never run as fast or jump as high or be as graceful at playing a sport as other kids (although I was, in the 4th grade, on the winning girls softball team... but we were a one-hit wonder and I don't recall actually getting a base hit or making a run.) But there is something about the Olympics that brings out the sports nut in me. It's not about the competition and it's not even about how many medals the U.S. brings home -- not that it isn't fun to hear the Star Spangled Banner being played for our medalists when they do win. It's more about how the Olympics is a role model for "peace on earth". OK, so Yoko Ono gets on my nerves, and the sound of her voice reading that poem during the opening ceremonies was like fingernails on a blackboard to me. But that doesn't diminish the... Read more →

Do you Squidoo?

A friend turned me on to Squidoo (www.squidoo.com) where you find or create your own "lens". Squidoo defines a lens as: one person's (lensmaster's) view on a topic he cares about. More specifically, a lens is a single web page filled with information and links that point to other web pages, to continually updated RSS feeds, or to relevant advertising. It's a place to start, not finish. It's free to create a lens and free to search lenses. You can create multiple lenses if you want to establish or promote your expertise in multiple topics. In theory you are supposed to be able to earn money from your lens via Google ads although Squidoo is technically in beta test and it's unclear if it can really be a money-maker. You can't customize the look of the page the way you can with your own website, but it's still a pretty neat service and seems to be growing in popularity. At the very least it's another way for someone to find you on-line! Check out MY first Squidoo lens which is based on my new book and which is designed to provide writers with useful tips and links to other resources.... Read more →

Skaters at L'Hôtel de Ville

Today I enjoyed watching the skaters in Paris in front of the city hall, with the Seine in the background. Maybe you will, too: http://www.wanadoo.fr Whereas the city hall in most major cities might have security barricades in front, the Parisians have created an ice-rink and children's sledding lanes in front of theirs. Well done! Read more →

This is why dating is such a crap-shoot

I admit it. I subscribe to Match.com. I haven't actually met anyone interesting there (not yet, anyway) but I do have a good friend who met the love of her life there. And working at home, I am unlikely to meet a man here in my home office, so being on Match makes me feel like I at least making some effort to get myself out there. Now, if you're not familiar with Match.com, here's how it works: You create your own profile where you describe yourself and what you are seeking in a romantic partner. You can specify as little or as much information as you want. In my opinion, more is better: how someone writes about themselves and what they want in a partner can speak volumes about who they are. When I read a bio that says, "I enjoy moonlight walks on the beach and a good rugby match", my response is "NEXT!" In creating your profile, you give yourself a nickname and a hopefully eye-catching tagline, and if you're smart you include photos (I'm sorry to be so shallow but it really is important to at least know what the other person looks like before you... Read more →

France: love it or hate it

After reading Rue Rude's post today, I was reminded once again of the odd and often negative reactions Americans get when they move to France. Not from the French. From other Americans. Whenever I first confide in someone about my goal of moving to Paris, there is always a moment where I hold my breath... because I am waiting for it. The face. THAT face. The one where the person I'm speaking to raises his eyebrows in displeased surprised or wrinkles her nose as if she smelled something unpleasant. While sometimes the other person is intrigued or even delighted by the idea of me living in France, more than 50% of the time I get a negative reaction, or at least a confused "Why on earth would you want to do THAT?" It has often been said that America has a love-hate relationship with France. And to some extent this is probably true. If you're someone, like me, who loves France (the country, the history, the architecture, the food) and who can even appreciate the French (the people) despite our differences, then once you love it, you will always love it. But if you're someone who has been brainwashed into... Read more →

Why would you WANT to, that's what I'd like to know

Whenever I have a few spare minutes, I like to check my Sitemeter stats to see what search keywords people use that are leading them here, and also what countries people are peeking from. And sometimes when I do this, I end up with material for a new blog post. Today is one such day. A visitor from Slovenia (and may I just say "Welcome!") found me by Googling "How to catch an emotionally unavailable man". My post came up second on the list. I've had other visitors find me using "emotionally unavailable men" as their keywords but I have always assumed these women were looking for advice about how to deal with, and hopefully DUMP, such a man. But this is the first time I have noticed someone wanting to actually CATCH such a man. In case my new friend from Slovenia stops in again, or in case there are other single women lurking here who are similarly deluded, I would like to offer a rebuttal based on my position as the reigning Queen of Those Who Date Emotionally Unavailable Men (or as my spiritual role-model Bridget Jones would call them, "emotional fuckwits"). RUN, don't walk, from such a... Read more →

Always keep your promises to your mother

Yesterday, I promised my mother I would blog about this, and as you know, you should always keep a promise, especially to your mother because she will never let you forget it if you don't. Mom has had her cell phone for about six months, give or take a little. However, she rarely uses it, since it's mainly for emergencies or when she's out and about and needs to call one of us, and yesterday she mentioned that she didn't even know what her cell phone's ringer sounded like. So I suggested she use the house phone to call her cell phone, in order to listen to the ring tones. Simple, n'est-ce pas? You'd think so, wouldn't you. Neither of us could actually remember Mom's cell phone number, but she had it written down on a list of all the family member's cell numbers which she keeps posted on the refrigerator. (Refrigerator = The sacred place where American families store every important photo, child's drawing, shopping list and document for safe-keeping... because after all, you can't misplace your refrigerator and therefore it's the perfect spot to store your income tax refund check until you have time to get to the... Read more →