The Bold Soul: A Writer's Life in Paris

The straw that broke the camel's "TSA-approved" back

I have decided to share with you the letter I have just now sent via email to the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) of the United States Government. Now, I'm not in the habit of writing letters to government officials -- in fact, I think I have only once written to any of my congressmen -- but this time, they've gone too far. I think the letter is self-explanatory. If any of you would care to spread the word to others by linking back to this post, please feel free. And if you happen to have contacts at any major media outlets who would be interested in picking this up as an op-ed piece, please put them in touch with me as I'd love to talk to them. Sometimes, you just have to speak up for what's right. Even if it's about a lock that cost $6.99. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email Dated: April 29, 2009 To: [email protected] Dear TSA representatives and management, I am an American citizen who recently flew from Newark, NJ to Paris, France with my husband, and we each checked two bags for our flight on Air France, all of which had “TSA approved” combination locks. These locks are sold... Read more →

Blog Bytes: from a 15-year-old Not-Very-Bold-(Yet)-Soul

In digging through some of my few remaining storage boxes "back home", I came across a diary that I kept sporadically between 1977 (age 15) and 1981 (age 20). I am just now reading through it again, and thought I'd share some of the more pathetic (and therefore painfully funny) passages. March 14, 1977: "I went with Joe F. for two weeks and 4 days. Mom had a fit when she found out he kissed me in school (he does kiss good). As if it mattered. No one really cared if I did, but she doesn't realize that times are changed and people don't care about stuff like that anymore (except prudes & stuff)." It goes on to say that the infamous Joe had stopped talking to me without warning and of course I did not understand this. He told a friend of mine he "couldn't be bothered" and that he "never really liked" me. Sixteen-year-old boys are shits, aren't they? But remember how it was in high school when you were allegedly "going with" someone, and how most of the time it meant you just stared at each other in the halls, and maybe held hands and kissed, but... Read more →

Reader Mail #2: Will it fry if I plug it in?

Reader Paulita sent in a comment on another post with questions that I thought were worthy of a more in-depth answer so that other travelers might benefit. She asks: Do you have any trouble using American electronics in France? Do you just use an adaptor when you plug in? Worried about my hair straightener, oh, and my laptop. Good to think ahead about these things, and this is a common and valid concern for North Americans traveling abroad. The U.S. and Canada (and Mexico too?) operate on 110 voltage and that's how our appliances are designed. However, Europe and most of the rest of the world are running on something like a 220-230 voltage, which means that any appliance created to run ONLY on 110 will not operate normally on a 220-230 current; it will fry, i.e. catch fire! With more and more people traveling internationally, some appliance companies are getting smarter and designing their appliances to be dual-voltage, which means that appliance will work in ANY country without you having to worry about it being incinerated within seconds of plugging it in (you would still need a plug adaptor that matches the country/zone in which you're traveling, however). Laptops... Read more →

Aces for Asus

Some of you may recall that I have been comparison shopping for a new netbook since January, to make writing-on-the-go a much more attractive proposition (compared to lugging a 7-lb. laptop around the city and on trips). I finally got one! I decided to take advantage of the stateside trip to get what I wanted with a QWERTY keyboard, and I ordered an Asus EeePC 1000HE from Amazon.com. I got it in black because in the end I chose features and price over the designer colors, and Amazon was running a good price plus I got free 2-day shipping by taking advantage of a free trial of their Amazon Prime delivery service (which I later cancelled). So far I've been very happy with it after one week. It's roughly half the size and weight of my other laptop. It has a 6-cell battery that can give me up to 9.5 hours of battery time (although I think it tends to run closer to 8.5 but that's still pretty good compared to the 2-3 hours I get with the laptop). The keys are a little smaller and closer together than with a full-size laptop, and I keep hitting "enter" when I... Read more →

Spring Rentrée

We're back. It's spring rentrée week. Can you hear the groans? From us, not the kids, I mean. Jet lag sucks. Our Air France flight yesterday was uneventful, if a bit on the turbulent side. I just fine it nearly impossible to sleep sitting up and those seats are damned uncomfortable. Georges finds it a bit easier to sleep so he got some rest; I had to crash for a long nap yesterday afternoon here at the house, and then we both were ready to go to bed by 8:30 last night. Anyway, seems we're already falling back into routine. Crazy cat who follows me around crying to be fed (yesterday she was so freaked out by us being back, and scared we'd leave her with the Oldest Boy again, that she actually followed me to the neighbor's house and sat at the foot of their staircase, crying for me). Cleaning lady is here, doing all the ironing (God love her), and she also came last Friday and therefore I came home to find our room all nice and neat with fresh sheets. Will go to bank today and to do a little food shopping. Then some client projects to... Read more →

When one door closes

Flying back to Paris today. Leaving behind my old home to return to my new one. On that note, here are some Provençal doors that are quite beautiful. If I've shown some of them before, my apologies... but somehow I don't think anyone will mind looking at them again. I fully expect the usual lovely "death warmed over" feeling of jet lag when I get back (I get it even when crossing ONE time zone, let alone SIX), so you'll understand if I don't get around to posting anything for a few days. But I'll be back soon! Read more →

Not according to plan

Well, it's my last day in New Jersey -- this time around, anyway. Funny to think it's over already, although at the same time I'm feeling ready to come back to Paris. Seems like my toleration limit for country life is about 10 days; after that I start getting antsy for the city again. Even my initial thrill of having the freedom of driving has been replaced by irritation with traffic and stupid drivers, as well as back pain from sitting in the car for too long instead of walking where I need to go. This trip to New Jersey has, overall, been very nice, because I've been able to spend time with my family and also get to see a few (although not all) of my friends. However, not everything has gone as planned or anticipated. Upsides of the trip: getting to see at least some of my dear "back-home" friends (which for me is always like a tonic for the soul). Going to my niece's school play (she was AWESOME and totally took my breath away!) Putting in a little quality time at stores like Target, DSW, and Kohl's (Georges' favorite brand of shirts, on sale for 50%... Read more →

Windows on the soul

A few of my favorite window-shots from my trip to the Luberon in Provence, in May 2007. I spent a very lovely 46th birthday there with Linda and Maurice, roaming around old perched villages and taking a LOT of photos. (Hard to believe it's been nearly 2 years, because I'm having my 48th next month!) Some of these, I've turned into posters, cards, journals and calendars which you can buy here at my Cafepress store. Looking at the photos again... I'm thinking maybe it's nearly time to go back to the beauty and sunshine of the Luberon. Soon as Linda gets through with her intensive month-long French class and has a chance to catch her breath again, of course! Read more →

Thought-Tweet... Thweet?

How awesome is THIS: someone has figured out a way to Twitter -- using JUST HIS THOUGHTS. No typing required. Imagine the possibilities for people for whom speaking or typing is a challenge. If it's possible to use this technology for something as simple as Twitter, perhaps it can be expanded to other computer applications such as word processors and email. Hands-free Twitter; who'd have thunk it? Read more →

Half-timbered

In the Marais, more specifically in what is known as the Saint Paul quartier, you can still find some of the old medieval half-timbered houses that were not flattened by Baron Haussmann's "new" city plans in the 19th century. This one is at the corner of Rue des Barres and Rue du Grenier sur l'Eau, if you're passing by that way and would like to see for yourself. Then, treat yourself to a leisurely stroll around that whole area... the architecture is really wonderful, with a few more of these buildings and some of the ancient carved stone ones, like this one. Read more →