The Bold Soul: A Writer's Life in Paris

Informed on reforms

Wondering if Sarkozy will succeed at some of his proposed reforms? So does this article from CNN.com. Read more →

Just can't get enough

I went hog-wild on poppies (les coquelicots, pronounced coke-lee-co) while in Provence. Every time I saw them, I got so excited... kind of the same way my heart still leaps every time I round a corner in Paris and spot the Eiffel Tower. It's a visceral thing. Poppies aren't that common in the U.S., at least not where I'm from, so I can't quite explain my near-obsession with them other than to say that I love that vibrant shade of red (doesn't get any bolder than that, as colors go), and that every time I hear the word "poppies" I flash back to the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz, saying in her creaky voice: "Poppies... poppies will put them to sleeeeep. Now they'll sleeeeeep!" (I loved that movie as a child, and still do!) Fortunately, THESE poppies are not the sleep-inducing, drug-making variety. Although they often grow so thickly together in one place that they LOOK like they were deliberately planted as a crop, they're basically a weed in this part of the world. But what a very pretty weed they are. Look at that color! And not only do you find them in fields, but you also... Read more →

Caline?

If a Match.com guy asks me if I am looking for "une relation caline"... is that a good thing or a pervy thing? According to my copy of Larousse, "caliner" means "to cuddle" but I'm worried this is one of those French things that doesn't translate literally and if I reply, the next thing I know he's going to tell me he wants to meet a swinger's club or something twisted like that. He's 34 and kind of nice-looking, and the rest of his profile looked "normal" to me, and he says this is what he's looking for: POUR MOI LA PARTENAIRE IDEALE AIME : aller au cinéma, découvrir de nouveaux paysages, aller dans des bars pour écouter de la musique sympa, se ballader dans un parc ou une forêt. - Qualités appréciées : calme, gentillesse, générosité, douceur, tendresse. I also couldn't find a translation of "se ballader" but whatever it is he wants to do it in a parc or forest so does he want to go hiking or walking? Or do something that could get a person arrested in a public place? Fluent French-speakers, please enlighten me! This is why dating in French is so frustrating. Read more →

To protect and preserve

Spotted today in Paris while riding on the Number 62 bus... A condom vending machine. Yes, REALLY. You know, the kind typically found in gas station men's rooms, where you put in a coin, turn the knob and out pops a little "1-euro insurance policy". The machine wasn't on the BUS (now that really WOULD be weird). No, it was mounted (no pun intended) on the wall of a building, right on Rue d'Alesia, right on the sidewalk, in a good neighborhood. In front of dogs and children and God and everyone. I suppose it's reassuring to know that the Parisians are promoting safe sex. That's always a good thing. Although it's kind of funny to think of a possible situation in which one might NEED an emergency condom from a vending machine on a Paris street. Picture it: we have Jacques and Marie, who just met two hours ago at the local bar and really hit it off, and who after a few glasses of Medoc and a la-HOT of French flirting decide to adjorn back to Jacques' place. As they walk hand and hand, eagerly, toward their destination, each anticipating what is about to transpire... "Holy Merde!", Jacques... Read more →

Aix marks the spot

So in my recent travels to the Lubéron in Provence, my first port of call was the town of Aix-en-Provence. (You can call it "X" for short.) Aix is a Roman-era city dating back to 122 BC, and became part of France in 1487. Walking around Aix, one sees many interesting architectural details, like this one: Then there is the famed Cours Mirabeau, a lovely wide street with beautiful trees and many shops and cafés including Les Deux Garçons which was frequented by Cézanne and Hemingway (Hemingway also spent a lot of time hanging around Les Deux Magots in Paris... guess he liked his cafés in twos?) Walking through the old city, I noticed right away that upscale retail has come to Aix in the form of many trendy boutiques and designer shops. They've even got a Sephora, among other things. Another interesting architectural detail in Aix, and throughout the villages I saw in the Lubéron, are these church steeples with open iron-work bell towers. There's a good reason for this, and it's called le Mistral: the harsh wind that whips across Provence with such force that it could topple a steeple in addition to being credited with driving people... Read more →

Attention Shopaholics... have I got news for YOU!

As you know, if you've been hanging around here for any length of time, I love-love-LOVE taking photos and sharing them. And let's face it, I'm in one of the most photogenic places on earth: France. For years, loved ones and strangers alike have been telling me I should be selling my photos. Lately, I've started to take these people more seriously, especially since I now have access to a Nikon D70 Digital SLR camera. I am still working on this as a part-time project, including looking into licensing my photos through some art poster companies, but today I took the first step towards a bit of creative passive income through photography. Inspired by my friend Linda (who has done the same with some of her own fantastic photos), I have now set up (drum-roll please...) My eStore has a wide variety of apparel, posters/cards, gifts and household items with Bold Soul photos on them. You can get everything from t-shirts, baby bibs, hats and tote bags, to wood-framed tiles and tile-topped boxes, to wall clocks, coffee mugs, postcards and note cards. I tried to take each photo I selected, and make it available in several different types of items... Read more →

Cloistered

The Cloisters at the Cathédral Saint-Sauveur, Aix-en-Provence. I'm voluntarily cloistering myself in my apartment for the next three days as I work on some writing projects for my clients, and even a few for myself. Happy Memorial Day to my American friends and family back home -- hey, have a margarita and a few hot dogs for me! Read more →

A typhoon in Paris?

I am so happy NOT to be outside right now. It looks like we are having some kind of hurricane, tornado, cyclone or typhoon blowing through the city. The skies are a greenish-gray-black, the wind is whipping the trees around like crazy, the lightning is blasting, the thunder is crashing, the lights are flickering inside making me wonder if we'll actually lose power (I am therefore blogging to you via battery power, not wanting to risk a surge with my laptop) and the rain is driving so hard it's actually leaking INSIDE the top of one of my window frames. Thank goodness for terrycloth towels. What a mess. This is the most extreme weather I've seen yet in Paris, which is notorious for changing weather on a dime... it was a sunny, albeit slightly humid, day just a few hours ago. The greenish quality of the light makes me think: "Did a tornado pass near here?" I'm glad I went to the grocery store about an hour before this thing hit. It is one nasty evening out there. And I was out of milk for breakfast. So much for thinking I might go out to a movie later. Not on... Read more →

A Provençal Haiku

Red poppies bloom here. Fresh berries. Sunflowers gold. I can taste Provence. Read more →

Plain and Simple

I haven't always been someone who can slow down enough to appreciate doing things the plain and simple way. Throughout much of my life, I've perhaps sometimes often consistently overcomplicated things more than I've needed to. I think most people, at least in western cultures, do this, but Americans in particular are famous for it. This is why we feel we need to live to work rather than work to live. We don't seem to embrace the idea of keeping things plain and simple; instead we think the more we pile on, the more valuable and important we become. It's downright sad, if you ask me. That's the plain and simple truth. Traveling has taught me that there are different ways to live, and that the rush-rush-rush of the uber-busy American lifestyle isn't always best, not all the time at least. When you're so busy you can't stop to notice your own life and whether or not you're even happy with that life, then that's a problem. When you're so busy being busy that slowing down feels painful, that's also a problem. Plain and simple. Being in France, I'm learning to notice that there are ways to balance being productive... Read more →