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  1. I miss Downton Abbey

    May 14, 2012 by Audrey

    Once in a while there are TV series that no one is ashamed of watching. Better yet, everyone brags about watching it. It started when I was in high-school. We would spend our entire recess discussing the latest episode of Twin Peaks. And when someone complained it was weird, we would look at them in disdain. That was my first act of TV series snobbery and that’s when I became an addict.

    From that year, my hunger for TV series was never to be satisfied. I literally absorbed hours and hours of the good, the bad and the ugly.

    1994: Before anyone knew about it in France, I brought back Friends from a trip to the United States. I found the videotapes (subtitled) in a store (it wasn’t on TV yet) and I would lend them to my entire office. I have 7 seasons on Friends on VHS; it was taking an entire shelf on my wall.

    1999: Sex & The City‘s opening credits was my ringtone. At the time, it was still only a showing on a little cable network in France. No one had heard of Carrie Bradshaw…

    2004: With millions of Americans, I get sucked into the mysterious island of LOST, and for six years, watch and re-watch hoping to understand more, to see something I didn’t see before, to verify a theory found on the Internet…

    The French have a tendency to look down on other cultures because they are not “old” enough… But there are two things Americans will ALWAYS do better: TV series and rock’n roll. In the United-States, TV series are a form of art. Really. Nothing will ever compare to them. On one of my visit to France while I still lived in Philadelphia, I stumbled upon Law & Order Paris. This spin-off of an American anthology made me cry.

    You must be wondering why I’m speaking of American series when the title of that post is about a British one…

    After watching hours of what best America has to offer: Battlestar Galactica (4 seasons + some special episodes), Rome (2 seasons and a heartbreak when I found out that would be it), Arrested Development (the most stupidly stopped series in the history of American series…. But they’re making a movie… YAY!) and many more that I am not as proud to list (I’m still a snob); I realized that there was a close challenger to the American domination: Great Britain.

    There’s nothing more eclectic than my taste in TV series and there’s nothing I’m attracted to more than british accent… Hello Coupling, hello Torchwood,  and hello my latest dear friend: Downton Abbey. I got on the DA bandwagon a little late compared to some, all brought up by social networks, and giving in the latest trending subject was the best thing I’ve ever done. This show is fascinating and surprisingly humorous; plain FREAKING AWESOME. And it won’t be back until September 2012 at the earliest…

    Lately, with Mad Men and True Blood, it is the show I am missing the most when it’s not on. And since I moved back to France, it’s not like the choice is here to keep me waiting…

    Dear, French series producers and other network programmers, please contact me. I can help.

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  2. Finding inspiration

    April 30, 2012 by Audrey

    With the pretty month of May, starts, in France, a month-long series of long weekends. It’s common to wonder when are people actually working in May here. If I am not planning on taking all those days completely off, I started the month with a long weekend visiting my family in South of France. The occasion for me to recharge my batteries and take a “Me Day” on Saturday.

    An opportunity to borrow my mother’s cute Fiat 500 and retrace Coco Chanel‘s (whose biography I am currently reading) steps in Roquebrune Cap Martin where she owned a vacation house. It was a beautiful sunny day in an amazingly inspiring country side. En images…

     

     

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  3. For the love of art

    April 13, 2012 by Audrey

    "Zip" - Allen Bentley

    Bridgette Mayer is a girl according to my heart: strong, passionate, creative… We met several years ago when I fell in love with the art of Allen Bentley. How could I resist those beautiful paintings, full of sensuality, that represented dancers? When I first saw them I knew, I had to have one. I started with the beginner-art-buyer size… something not much bigger than my iPhone. It was all I could afford then and it was like a little treasure… A year later (and a better job stability in a decently paying company), I splurged. I bought the big-girl painting… the type you need A wall to showcase; and ever since, I never looked at it with an ounce of regret. It brightens up my days, puts a smile on my face and give me a sense of pride for owning something so beautiful.

    Because I’m fascinated with Bridgette’s career and because I know fine art is not something anyone would splurge on that easily, I asked the gallery owner a few questions that I wanted to share with you.

    Did you always want to work in art?
    As a young girl I was very creative and was always making things and collecting things. When I got to college luckily my parents made me get a job to pay for books and my expenses. As an Art History major at Bucknell I decided to get a job in the art gallery at the University and fell in love with the work.

    Tell me what influences you when you pick a new artist for your gallery?
    My taste and intuition influence me when I pick a new artist. If I feel like I have found an incredibly talented and hot artist I will sign them on. Sometimes I watch artists for a few years to see how their work and talent will develop and if it will develop. If it does I usually sign them on.

    How did it feel when you bought your first piece of art?
    I bought my first piece of “real” grownup art during the first exhibition I curated in my gallery.

    What was it?
    It was an amazing collage by Rebecca Rutstein. I just had to have it and I had anxiety that someone else was going to buy it first. I realized, hey wait, this is my gallery and I can buy it first!! Since then I have bought many incredible works by the artists I represent and I am very proud of my collection. I plan on passing it on to my family and already have started that as I am addicted to collecting and I am running out of room!

    What would you recommend to someone who is thinking about buying their first artwork?
    Go for it but first make sure you buy from a respected gallery that has been open for a few years. Ask around and see what people think about the gallery program. Have the art dealer tell you why they represent the artist you are thinking about buying.

    Which artist would you love to see on your home walls?
    Jean Michel Basquiat

    3 words:
    Tea of coffee? Coffee!
    I collect… The best contemporary art!
    Favorite city? Paris

    If those words triggered any questions, feel free to put them in the comment section and I’ll make sure to ask Bridgette. And to browse through wonderful art check Bridgette Mayer Gallery’s website.

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  4. 10 Dream Destinations

    March 19, 2012 by Audrey

    Less than a week and a half from now, I will become a full-time French citizen again and will re-earn the right to make a good use of my passport and travel the world again. The freedom of traveling played a huge part in my decision to move back to France and I intend to make the most out of it. Because I am who I am, I had to make a list, of course… So here are my 10 dream destinations, from the cheapest to the most expensive (from France).

    Mont Saint-Michel

    “Perched on a rocky islet in the midst of vast sandbanks exposed to powerful tides between Normandy and Brittany stand the ‘Wonder of the West’, a Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the archangel St Michael, and the village that grew up in the shadow of its great walls. Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, the abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force, having had to adapt to the problems posed by this unique natural site.” Unesco World Heritage List

    Venice

    Venice is one of the most interesting and lovely places in the world. This sanctuary on a lagoon is virtually the same as it was six hundred years ago, which adds to the fascinating character. Venice has decayed since its heyday and is heavily touristed (there are slightly more tourists than residents), but the romantic charm remains. My goal is to go during the Carnival but before to find some locals who can show me the real side of it and not the touristic version.

    Ireland

    Perched on the northwest tip of Europe, this is probably the one place in the world where even time getting lost will be worthwhile… With ancient myths and legends to uncover, amazing landscapes to explore and a fascinating culture to experience, it has that magic appeal for me. Something I might be looking at for late August/September.

    Greece

    Greece is a country renowned for its beautiful rugged landscape, untouched gems, endless coastlines, and cosmopolitan islands. It feels a country of beautiful contradictions, a constant journey in time, from the present to the past and back again. Did you know that Greek sovereign land includes 6,000 islands and islets scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Seas, of which only 227 islands are inhabited. It’s like the Wild Wild East!

    Alhambra Palace/Granada

    “Rising above the modern lower town, the Alhambra and the Albaycín, situated on two adjacent hills, form the medieval part of Granada. To the east of the Alhambra fortress and residence are the magnificent gardens of the Generalife, the former rural residence of the emirs who ruled this part of Spain in the 13th and 14th centuries. The residential district of the Albaycín is a rich repository of Moorish vernacular architecture, into which the traditional Andalusian architecture blends harmoniously.” Another one that’s listed with the Unesco World Heritage List.

    US Road Trip

    This one has been in the work for quite some time… Up until now it looked like this: Pennsylvania | Ohio | Indiana | Illinois | Missouri | Kansas | Oklahoma | Arkansas | Tennessee | Alabama | Georgia | North Carolina | Kentucky | Virginia | Maryland | Pennsylvania. That might change… Work in progress…

    San Francisco

    All my friends who have ever been to San Francisco told me that if I ever go there, I will never leave. Maybe one of the reason why I never dared to make it there. I loved traveling down its southern coast: Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach but still haven’t checked the Golden Gate Bridge off my list.

    Dominican Republic

    Once upon a time, I met a wonderful person on Twitter: @johnny2004. Like a good Twitter fairy tale, our friendship developed, tweet after tweet. One day, he took his family to Philadelphia and we had dinner all together. It was a wonderful time which left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. I felt like I adopted them as much as they adopted me. A couple years later, our path crossed again in NYC for a few hours and again, I couldn’t help but marvel at how wonderful J. and O. are. I have an invitation to visit them in Dominican Republic that have been on stand-by for a few years now, but I’m definitely planning on taking them up on it. And I hope that they’ll come visit me in Lyon so that I can introduce them to my country and my culture as well. Side note, I have been to Dominican Republic twice already (many moons ago), it’s one of my favorite place on this earth.

    Hawaii

    I can’t wait to witness the breathtaking, natural, beauty of the Hawaiian islands. After going to Tahiti & Moorea a few years ago, I have a whole new appreciation for the tropical lifestyle. And because I want to keep on believing, I’m still planning on visiting the Tiggers in Maui sometime soon.

    Buenos Aires / Patagonia / Chile

    The ultimate dream, so dear to my heart. I would start with some time in Buenos Aires and brush up on my Argentinian Tango, then, in the Che Guevara style, take a road trip down to Patagonia, explore this amazing land that I can’t get out of my head and drive back up through Chile. This might require some time off (not sure they have wifi on lake Puelo) and serious economies… but, hey, when I’m committed to something, just try and stop me.

    So now… Who’s coming with me? Which destination are you up for?

     

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  5. Bucket List | The 3 M’s

    March 18, 2012 by Audrey

    One before last weekend in Philadelphia, crossing more off the bucket list with a busy Saturday revolving around 3 Ms: Mutter Museum & Morimoto.

    The former happened in the mid afternoon (couldn’t believe the museum closes at 5:00 pm, seems so early). No one was better suited to join me in those creepy adventures than my friends J. & C. The boys were jumping around from skeleton to skeleton and skull to skull and I was trying to stay composed at the view of those deformed embryos, Siamese babies attached by the head, so on and so force. The story of the original “Siamese” twins (whom were actually Chinese), their 21 children and difference of character gave us the good laugh we needed before leaving the place. Two things I’ll take out of it: a new respect for surgeons (what’s in there is darn ugly and all looks the same to me) and a renewed gratitude for having a working body and no weird genetical disease.

    The later, was, well, later… I decided to take my BFF, A., for a celebratory dinner of our eight years of friendship. Cocktails, edamame, lobster salad, sushi combination… It was a feast of deliciousness. Was the dinner worth the price tag? Maybe. Maybe not. The friendship was, definitely. Not the best sushi I ever had (which was in a small Japanese restaurant in Park City, UT) but a serious freshness and variety of fish; and that lobster salad (with avocado & orange slices) was out of this world. I wish I had enough appetite to try one of the entree, where I’d think Masaharu Morimoto’s talent probably shines best but that will be for another time…

    Overall, very happy to have avoided the hors of drunk, green, leprechauns last night and to have had a very “grown-up” day instead.

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  6. A rom-com feast…

    March 15, 2012 by Audrey

    Lately I have been on a classic movie kick. But with Spring in the air, I’m feeling more and more inclined to watch a good romantic comedy here and there. Love is in the air, so why not on my screen?

    My 10 all-time favorite rom-coms (in alphabetical order):

    Bridget Jones Diary - A British woman is determined to improve herself while she looks for love in a year in which she keeps a personal diary. Self-help books, cigarettes and bunny ears… what not to love?

    Elizabethtown - During an outrageous memorial for a Southern patriarch, an unexpected romance blooms between a young woman and man. For the road-trip I always wanted to take but never had the chance to.

    Four Weddings & a Funeral - Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love. Because the first 4 words in that movie are “fuck”, “fuck”, “fuck” and “fuck”. Brilliant.

    Just like heaven - A lonely landscape architect (Ruffalo) falls for the spirit of beautiful woman (Witherspoon) who used to live in his new apartment. Although the book If Only It Were True by Mark Levy is a thousand times better than the movie.

    Love Actually - Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England. Best Christmas movie EVER. Mandatory viewing at least once every December.

    Moulin Rouge - A poet falls for a beautiful courtesan whom a jealous duke covets in this stylish musical, with music drawn from familiar 20th century sources. For the music, the colors and the crazy elephant tower.

    Music & Lyrics - A washed up singer is given a couple days to compose a chart-topping hit for an aspiring teen sensation. Though he’s never written a decent lyric in his life, he sparks with an offbeat younger woman with a flair for words. If you’re not a Hugh Grant or Drew Barrymore fan, just watch the PoP! goes my heart music video…

    My best friend’s wedding - When a woman’s long-time friend says he’s engaged, she realizes she loves him herself… and sets out to get him, with only days before the wedding. For Rupert Everett singing Say a little prayer.

    Strictly Ballroom - A maverick dancer risks his career by performing an unusual routine and sets out to succeed with a new partner. There had to be one dance movie… tie with Dirty Dancing. Best part is the documentary on Ballroom Dancing in Australia, in the bonus features of the DVD.

    The Holiday - Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other’s countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love. And, of course, there had to be one Jude Law movie… and who wouldn’t melt for Mr. Napkin Head?

    I’m actually a little worried about myself when I realize that Hugh Grant is in 4 out of those 10 movies… I swear I don’t have any particular crush on him. Guess I just like British humor…

    Did I miss any (didn’t include any classics on purpose – cannot compare orange and tomatoes)? What would be your top 3?

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  7. Bucket List | Aloha in Philadelphia

    March 12, 2012 by Audrey

    The clock is ticking, it was time to tackle down my bucket list, first stop being at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for the annual Philadelphia Flower Show. The theme this year: Hawaii, Island of Aloha, was close to my heart because it brings me a little closer to my dear V. who spent those past few years in Maui. As I was making plans to come for a visit a couple years ago, she got diagnosed. The rest is history.

    When D. emailed me and offered tickets to the show, I jumped on the opportunity and took myself on an Artist Date last Thursday. I didn’t question why she had tickets. That’s the way we are. We know people, we get stuff, we share the wealth…

    The show was interesting. I am not sure what I was expecting really, but it didn’t rock my world as much as I thought it would. Some really cool floral compositions in all scales (loved the miniatures) but it still had that coldness of a convention center. I must have spent too many hours walking the aisles of trade shows during my pharma years… I couldn’t feel the magic. And potential for magic there was.

    The cool surprise of the day was to find out that D. had designed the new Philadelphia Flower Show brand (hence the free tickets) and that was a real work of art. I knew she was a talented graphic designer but she really went beyond my expectations there.

    Philadelphia Flower Show… Check… What next? I’m kind of feeling the Mutter Museum this weekend… Need to find a courageous soul to come with me.

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  8. Everyone But You

    February 20, 2012 by Audrey

    Everyone But You by Sandra NovackThe #1 “thing I want to do this year” on the 2012 horizon was to read more and the first book on my to-read list Everyone But You by Sandra Novack, a collection of short stories by the author of the best-seller Precious. The book jacket might make it feel like a series of soft pillow-talks, but I was surprised to find in it raw, fierce, sexual, and contentious snapshots of lives.

    The Good Reads synopsis summarizes things pretty well:

    “In this new collection of stories, [Sandra Novack] further demonstrates her mastery of the form while exploring a universal theme: the desire for connection.

    In “Cerulean Skies,” a wife must deal with her husband’s artistic calling while reexamining the loss of her own creative passion. A young woman is forced to confront the truth of her past, and its affect on her present love life, when she inherits her late dad’s possessions in “My Father’s Mahogany Leg.” In “Memphis” a man walks a delicate line between caring for his schizophrenic brother and keeping his new marriage afloat. “The Thin Border Between Here and Disaster” finds two married college professors faced with the fallout from their divorce, and a boy wrestles with his faith after the death of his mother in “Morty, El Morto.””

    The opening story, “Fireflies,” drew me into the book immediately with its not-quite-manic Pixie Dream Girl who imposes a relationship on a stranger by forcing her way into his life, then continuing to show up at his apartment until she just moves in when the slacker relents. She steamrolls into his life, gets to know his mother, tries to force him to go back to school, and turns his (boring) world upside-down.

    This is an amazingly powerful and well written collection of stories about failed and failing relationships and about the basic human yearning for meaning, connection, and love in a difficult world.

     

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