The Bold Soul: A Writer's Life in Paris

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I had a late comment to "He's Into Me; He's Into Me NOT" that I thought merited a full-blown post because it raised an interesting question and subject. A reader called simply "A Man" noted that, on this blog, I've never really listed the qualities I'm looking for in a man, and then proceeded to say that if I were being honest with my readers I would say I was looking for "good looking and rich". "A Man" is correct; I have never provided my full "shopping list" of qualities here, not in list form at any rate, although I'm certain I've alluded to them in less direct ways over the past two-plus years of blogging. But men like us to spell things out for them, don't they, and I thought his assumption about me seeking someone "good looking and rich" was also worthy of some commentary. So here's my open response: Dear "A Man" -- you make a good point: I've never broadcast a list of the qualities I'm seeking in a man, mainly because I figured it's so subjective as to not be of interest. It's not a matter of NOT being honest or even deliberately evasive, just... Read more →

Humeur

I often find it humorous, what the French find humorous. Because I'm noticing more and more that they often think things are funny that maybe aren't MEANT to be funny. I've noticed this the most when I'm at an American movie. One of my fave things to do in Paris is go find out which theatres are showing reprises of beloved old movies, like with Cary Grant, James Stewart, and Audrey Hepburn. Even though I have some of these films on DVD with me here in Paris, it's a novelty to go and see the classics on a big screen. Tonight, it was Breakfast at Tiffany's (en français, the title is "Diamants sur Canapé" or "Diamonds on a Canapé") with Audrey who, let's face it, is sheer perfection. I used to think she was too thin until I spent time HERE, where her thin form now looks très normal in comparison with the many gaunt French women I see daily. But don't get me started. So, OK, the predominantly French audience at the movie tonight did laugh in most of the RIGHT places, like the crazy cocktail party Holly Golightly throws where she's running around with a cigarette on a... Read more →

Defending Free Competition (and my right to cheap phone service)

You may or may not have heard that in the U.S., Verizon, one of the big telecomm giants, has sued Vonage over what they claim are patent rights over ALL VoiP (Voice over IP). If Verizon wins, this could not only impact Vonage's ability to offer great services and prices to people like ME, it might also impact other internet phone carriers such as Skype. Check out this website and if you're so inclined, click on the various links to take action. You can sign a petition, send a letter to Verizon giving them your 2 cents, and tell your friends about it. Yes, I have a personal interest in seeing this lawsuit shot down in the courts. I was a Verizon customer for years but some time ago switched to Vonage for their lower rates. But since I moved abroad, Vonage has been an absolute God-send in other ways. Vonage makes it possible for me to keep my old New Jersey phone number, making it easy for family, friends and clients to contact me with no additional cost or inconvenience to them, whether I'm in France, the U.S. or elsewhere. It makes it possible for me to have a... Read more →

Aussie Birthday-lass

And a very bon anniversaire to Katia of An Aussie Lass, a Frenchman and a Burmese! If you have a minute, drop by her blog or her podcast site (which she does regularly with Kyliemac) and give her your best wishes. And DO listen to the podcasts (if you don't have a portable MP3 player you can listen using your web browser) -- they're hysterical, and Parisians are now staring at me in the Métro when I start laughing out loud at what they think is nothing but in reality is Katia and Kyliemac talking about important topics such as Presidential elections, cultural differences between France, the U.S. and Australia, nanny goat crotte and who's freaking bright idea it was to come up with the French numbering system (which truly is horrendous when you're counting higher than 69). Having once been a guest on the podcast (episodes 23 and 24) I also know how much fun (OK, and work) goes into making each episode, and now I'm addicted. My K&K podcast-inspired spontaneous outbursts of laughter in public places provides just one more reason for the French to think les Américains are a bit foux. But I take that as a... Read more →

50,000!

Oh, how cool is this... I just noticed that my visitor counter is about to hit has hit has passed 50,000! Not too shabby, huh? I started this blog in February 2005 and in July 2005 I started using the sitemeter to track traffic. In my first month of tracking, I had less than 600 visitors total. Now I'm averaging over 6,000 a month, and traffic has been doubling roughly every few months. It's really gratifying that so many people are interested in what goes on around here, because you're not all just wandering in here by mistake through some rogue Google search gone bad. At least a few of you must be coming back on purpose, other than my friends and family (and I certainly don't have 50,000 of those). So that is the coolest part of all, realizing that some readers like The Bold Soul enough to return frequently once they discover it. That's how strangers become friends. So thanks to everyone who stumbled in here, unaware... and then decided to come back for more. And tell your friends. And link to me from your own blogs and websites. And comment once in awhile to let me know... Read more →

Every. Flipping. Night.

There he is again. Damn. Night after night, always around (and sometimes after) midnight, too. There is a cat outside howling to get into whichever house or apartment building he lives in. Because my street is a tiny private street, essentially a narrow cour that is gated on one end for resident vehicle access only, and has pedestrian access through a tall hedge on the other, after dark all sounds reverberate loudly off the buildings. It's a nice little street otherwise, but surprisingly NOT as quiet as I thought it was during the winter, before I had to open the windows every day with the coming of early pre-summer hot days. There are all sorts of city-wise things to irritate me now, through the open city window, even in this otherwise relatively quiet city neighborhood. Paris is still a great city, but a city nonetheless, and living in close proximity to gazillions of other people has its drawbacks, some of them right outside my window. Like noisy people walking by talking on cell phones. Gangs of kids hanging out on skateboards or goofing around like teenagers always seem to do. The squeal of train brakes from the nearby Montparnasse train... Read more →

Scam

A good friend of mine back home just called to tell me she had an accident with her brand new car. She was in heavy stop-and-go traffic (a way of life in North Jersey) and although she was NOT on her cell phone or doing anything distracting, all of a sudden before she knew it, she had rear-ended the car in front of her. Fortunately there were no serious injuries; she's a bit achy and the woman in the other car may or may not have a whiplash. And therein lies the problem. I think my friend, although she was the one who rear-ended the other car, may in fact be the target of a classic auto insurance scam: the staged rear-end car accident. If you were rear-ended by someone, how do you think you'd behave and feel? Most people would be at least a little bit shaken up. You might be just a little shaky; you might be tearful; you might be mad as hell and yelling at the idiot who did this to you. You'd probably get out of your car and take a look at the damage to your vehicle, and hopefully you'd be checking on the... Read more →

Children live what they're taught

It only took 43 years for a town in Georgia to remember that segregation has no place in America. Students at a high school in Ashburn, GA voted this year to have an integrated prom. For the first time ever. IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND AND SEVEN. I had to read it twice to make sure I was getting this right. It's 2007 in America and there are still towns in the south that are still having segregated social events? I must be some kinda naive Yankee white girl because this really surprised me. I'm glad that the students at this school voted for this and the school supported it. It's not clear from the article why the earlier tradition (of parents arranging for two segregated events) was allowed to continue for such a long time except that if the events were privately held and not sponsored by the school then there's not much anyone could do about it. But I think it's obvious that children live what they're taught, and apparently even in the 21st century, racial biases continue to be handed down from generation to generation in this town, like grandpa's old pocket watch. I can only assume... Read more →

(Up)rooted

Sometimes I find it curious that at a stage of life where many people seem to care about putting down roots and creating security for the future, that I have chosen to do a bit of the opposite. By age 45, I think it's safe to say that most people are married or have been married, many are raising children of just about any age (depending on whether or not they started young), and most are fairly well established in their careers or businesses (though some take advantage of this time in life to explore new careers or business ventures). I, on the other hand, have not yet married (and don't know if I ever will), am not planning on having kids, and I'm in career transition for the third time in less than a decade -- doing well at it but it's not running on auto-pilot yet. (The good news here is that I'm planning on writing being my LAST career... because I can't imagine anything better!) Other people are seeking to put down or extend their roots because that's what makes them happy; I'm happier right now being rootless. Others very sensibly put financial security first and figure... Read more →

Reading Material

Vivi posted a great meme today, inspired by Kinuk, and because I'm trying to encourage myself to read more (and put DOWN the TV remote and STEP AWAY from the laptop more often), I decided to jump on the bandwagon. "Have You Read These?" is the subject. I'm following Vivi's rating system and for those I've read, I'm also adding a note to tell you how I liked it (or not). If you decide to do the meme, post a comment and share your link! bold - I've read it italicized - I'd like to read it Normal - have no desire/never heard of it 1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown) - LOVED IT 2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) - WHO DIDN'T LOVE THIS? 3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) - I actually started it but didn't finish it. 4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) - loved the movie; the book is good but the movie was better 5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) - I've read and REread these many times since I was 13. Love the entire series including The Hobbit. 6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the... Read more →