Happy New Year 2011 - Bonne Année, Bonne Santé

Facebook status updates - a fairly good reflection of the year.
Les mises à jours sur Facebook, un bon résumé de l'année.

Paul and I are fine. The kids are fine. We lost several (too many) friends in 2010 and hope not to have such a series next year. Paul's mother passed away a month shy of her 101st birthday. But, all in all, we had a good year and can only wish for the same for us and for you in 2011.

Paul et moi, nous allons bien. Les enfants aussi. Nous avons perdu plusieurs (trop) amis en 2010 et espérons ne pas renouveler la série l'an prochain. Le mère de Paul est décédée à un mois de son 101è anniversaire. Le tout pour le tout, nous avons eu quand même une bonne année et ne pouvons que souhaiter un semblable pour nous comme pour vous en 2011.
Our month:

The Husaunndees came down from England -- all four, so we got to see Geoff and Charlotte, too. We celebrated Paul's birthday, the 24th, all together: Louis, Gwen, and Anne came in from Paris. Emma is still in the south of France and was not able to come up to Nogent. Because of all the snow we had before Christmas, last minute train travel was not recommended. We had a nice birthday dinner, special to Paul's order: fois gras, lamb, sweet potato tsimis and carrot cake. The next morning, Aurelia got up at about 7:00 as usual and we had to wait patiently for everyone else to come down and discover all the presents. There wasn't enough room under the tree; the sofa was also occupied. Louis and Gwen left for lunch at Gwen's parents and the rest of us settled for a lunch of roast beef. The Pachters came over later in the afternoon. The idea was to recreate our Christmas get-togethers of the past, but Caroline and her family were stuck in the snow in Brussels and Steve and his family were stuck at home with sick children. We did manage to have a good time and hope that next year all the next generation will be able to come.
The Husaunndees left on Tuesday. Paul and I went to a funeral, Jean-Luc Moretti, another loss to cancer. He was a former neighbor from a couple of streets above ours and companion to Dominique, whom we've known since Emma and Maud met at Ecole Maternelle (nursery school!). He was a municipal councilman and two days after he died another councilman also died, again prostate cancer.
Paul and I spent a very quiet New Year's Eve together on Friday. We dined on fois gras and oysters with an endive (chicory) salad, cheese and fruit for dessert.

Visits from classmates

Been trying to figure out how to write this post for a couple of weeks. I keep putting it off because there's always something coming up that I'll want to add and I figure I want to get it all in one letter. This probably comes from the old reflex of trying to pack everything into a single aerogramme and save on postage plus just plain laziness.
I've spoken about making acquaintance with my high school classmates (Girls High, 212) before. There was a walk with Sylvia (http://ellenlebelle.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-walk.html), a day with Rachel, and several short visits with Candace, who comes through Paris on business. Well this month, it's a long visit from Jackie and her husband. They are not staying with us; they rented an apartment in St. Germain des Près, in the center of left-back Parisian life. It's a perfect location for anyone coming to Paris.
We met up for a coffee a day or so after their arrival, when they weren't too jet-lagged and had a nice, long, catching up chat. We've gotten to know a bit about each other through facebook updates and, more intensively, through an e-mail list group. Those classmates of us that are on this list write about anything and everything without any PC. On facebook, one tends to censor oneself; well, I do, and I know others do, too, because it's so public. In fact, I don't say much at all on facebook; I stay away from political comments, from judgmental things. The e-mail list does not. We are free to say what we think and have those who might not agree discuss it. I must admit that, for the most part, we seem to agree on most things political. There is wonderful perspective on things racial. There's great warmth and understanding and commiseration on things familial, like in-laws, aging parents, separation, children, grandchildren, illness....

Back to this visit. On Monday, the 6th, the four of us (Jackie, me and husbands) went to Giverny and Rouen. Here we are standing on "the" bridge at "the" lily pond at Giverny. It was a cloudy day and the lilies were shut tight, so it was not as spectacular as I've seen it on other days. Each time I return to the Monet house, though, I see the Japanese prints he collected in more detail and like them more and more. More on Monet's house and gardens at Giverny
I guess it's because the weather was not so gorgeous that we more or less sped through the gardens and finished up earlier than I thought we would. We did not wait around to have lunch at the hotel up the street. We headed for Rouen.
Rouen is not far from Giverny. Giverny, itself is about an hour and a half from Paris, but can take longer if you spend an hour just getting out of Paris! Rouen is a city-museum all by itself. It is, or perhaps was, a major port, where goods were transferred to and from barges for travel further up the Seine. There are still lots of buildings from the 15th and 16th century, with their visible wood structure -- corresponds to Tudor style. There is still a street named Rue des Juifs, harking back to the Jewish ghetto. Rouen is where Joan of Arc was tried and burned at the stake. There's lots of history, here. There's also lots of war damage. The allies bombed the center of Rouenpreparation for D-Day. So next to an old tudor-style building, you'll find a 1950ish cement block of public housing. The Palais de Justice, still has bullet holes and artillery damage wherever it did not affect the structure. All the structural damage has been repaired, of course. We walked around the center a bit, had lunch and then headed on to the Musée des Beaux Arts.
The museum was the reason we were in Rouen. This year has been the year of Impressionism in Rouen and this particular exhibit is of Rouen as the subject of Impressionist art. Bridges, countryside, and, of course, Monet's Cathedral impressions. We remarked that of those paintings of the cathdral, there are only two points of view and all the paintings from each point of view seem to be done from sketches that were identical. I asked Francine about this and she said that of course they used copy methods and he would have had his canvasses all prepared with the main sketch and ready for paint. Jackie's husband has an especially good eye for detail and it was fun. It seemed we all share a distinct irreverence for art exhibits and feel free to comment.
Instead of taking the autoroute back to Paris, we took country roads and saw cows and horses -- but mostly cows.
A week ago, I met up with Jackie and Ed at the flea market, the Marché aux Puces. Originally, the idea was to meet up with Candace, who was supposed to have been at the dubbing studio nearby, but she ended up having to go straight elsewhere and skipping the Paris stop. So, the three of us window-shopped. The objective was to find a wedding gift. And we did! And we had lots of fun looking for it! They are very knowledgeable about Art Nouveau and Art Deco and we were immediately attracted to some very nice silver, which unfortunately was not quite right for the wedding gift, but was just beautiful to contemplate. That reminds me to send them the link to Roger's site; he makes beautiful Art Deco-inspired furniture and sculptures.
Let me now go back to before they arrived! Claire et al came through on their way back to England after a week at Pierre and Gillette's. Too short a visit! Barely enough time to celebrate both Gwen's and Aurelia's birthdays!
More photos: Ellen's album for August

The frosting is so much better than that candle!

Summer, at last

Summer has arrived. We've had some tremendous thunderstorms and a few days of really hot sun.

Yesterday, the STC France board held its annual planning meeting in our yard. For me, the whole STC thing is slowly leaving my system. I'm still on the board and will volunteer -- at least until next year's conference -- but after that, I'll let go completely. I think it was a good meeting although we left with lots of unfinished business. Next year's conference planning is well under way and we decided to have just one big meeting before that, a career day in October. Must remember that it should not conflict with WICE's Money Matters for Women conference.

Last year, in October, I think, Francine was starting a new painting and I fell in love with it and said I wanted to buy it for Paul's birthday (end of Dec.). We look at it and see a casbah. She finished the painting, but since it was one of a new series, she held on to it for the gallery exhibit. But then she got caught up in Anne Le Musical (just ended its successful run) and never quite completed the series. So, at last, she decided to have Paul's picture framed, let me buy it and I will lend it back to her whenever the exhibit happens. Anyway, the framing is absolutely perfect and the painting is beautiful. It's opposite the couch and as the light goes down at the end of the day, the blues become gray and the white stands out even more. (No, I'm not putting a picture of it up, for now.)

I'm trying to find time and patience to scan old photos, but it's boring, so I always manage to find something else to do.

On Facebook, I've been enjoying Dick's pictures of Anja's and his trip in the Rockies with the Model T.

Last weekend we all (Emma, Anne, Louis, Gwen, Paul and I) went down to Toulon for Paul's mother's birthday. She's 100 years old. Claire, Geoff and Charlotte came in from England. It was a great little family reunion. Claire, Geoff and Charlotte stayed the whole week, in fact, in the annex at Pierre and Gillette's. Pierre and Gillette came up to Verrières on Sunday for their annual check-ups and to be here when Nadine and the kids arrived from China. I got to see them all in Verrières on Friday, when I went to have lunch with my friend from KDS, Pascale.
Pascale has gotten a raw deal from KDS and the whole thing just makes me sick. Most of my KDS friends are now ex-KDS and from what I hear, the whole atmosphere has changed. I'm glad, again, that I left when I did. Even if I felt pressured into coming to the decision to leave and realized, too late, that it was a form of harrassment, I was in no condition to stay and fight.

Too much time on Facebook

Too long without writing! I'm spending too much time on facebook whenever I get on the computer. But life goes beyond the computer. Since our visit to the chocolate factory, the Lebelles from Pau came to visit us and we went to the David Lachapelle exhibit. And I've been reading a lot, among other things.
During the week after my last post, we spent most of our time preparing for the arrival of Alexandre, Emmanuelle, Valentine and Marie. Our neighbor, another Marie, gave us some baby stuff and I bought a travel cot. We got a new bed, so the old one went upstairs to the new guest room, formerly Anne's room. It's perfect for parents + baby. Anne spoke recently, maybe at Christmas, about my not having made a Cuban Christmas dinner (roast pork, white rice and black beans in a very long time, so I did it for this visit. I also made Jae's "cheesecake" (with Amaretto) and since it was Pierre's birthday, we used that as his birthday cake even though he wasn't with us. I also made gnocchis with Ricotta and spinach for the next day (thanks Beth for that Facebook link to the recipe!) and Valentine and I made chocolate cupcakes. But the most successful meal was hamburgers and corn on the cob.
Enough about food! Valentine has grown alot since the last time our family last say her three years ago (for me, it was in October). So they renewed contact with her. And we all met Marie for the first time. She's only 2 months old. (Just a week shy of 3 months, at this writing.) She's a calm baby, doesn't cry too much and loves to be held by anyone willing to hold her and there were plenty of volunteers, but I think she really liked her uncle Paul or aunt Ellen). Alexandre appreciated sleeping in for his first days of vacation, but neither he nor Emmanuelle seemed overly tired. Marie is already sleeping through most of the night.
After they left, we took the time to rest up and read. As I was going to unhook the Wii, which had gone on the blink (Valentine couldn't play) I discovered that it was already a little unplugged from the TV. All I had to do was push it in a bit and it worked. I suppose that if it had gone completely blank I would have thought of the connection, but since it would turn on and work a little before konking out, I thought there was a real problem. Sorry I didn't think of the connection sooner. It must have gotten loose when we ate at the dining table and were moving near the back of the TV.
On Sunday, the 23rd, Anne suggested we try to see the Yves Saint Laurent collection at the Grand Palais at10:00. Well, at 10:00, the estimated wait was 5 to 5 1/2 hours. It was a nice day, so we set out on foot along the Seine and ended up at the Monnaie on Quai Conti to see the David Lachapelle exhibit. Some people complain that it's too expensive for a small exhibit. I don't agree. It's €10 and I think that it's comparable to exhibits at the Sénat. There are several rooms and several themes. I don't think I could have concentrated on more -- there are so many details and art references to think of. We didn't have a long wait to get in and that helps form a good opinion, too!
It was lunch time when we got out, so still on foot, we went to the Place St. Michel. After lunch we stopped to browse at Shakespeare & Co. and set out for the metro on the right bank, but ended up at Anne's place, still on foot! Take a look at a map of Paris -- Grand Palais - La Monnaie - Place St. Michel - quartier de la Huchette - Notre Dame - Gare de Lyon. It's not far in km. but it fills up a day.
Other than that, I've been going to the Amerian library a lot. I'm not reading great literature, but I've been reading a lot. And I've been spending a lot of time, maybe too much, on facebook. My Girls' High class has a group and there are quite a few of us getting together there. In fact, we have another group on goggle where we write about other things in more detail. I believe that nothing can replace in person contacts, but this internet communities do serve a purpose when in person is not possible.

Trop de temp sur facebook - vf

in English after the French text
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Ca fait longtemps ! Le fait est que je passe trop de temps sur facebook quand je suis devant l'ordinateur. Mais en dehors du temps sur l'ordinateur il y a une vie! Depuis la visite à la chocolaterie, nous avons eu la visite des Lebelles de Pau, nous sommes allées à l'exposition David Lachapelle, j'ai lu pas mal de livres, et le reste.
Je crois que la semaine qui a suivi mon dernière entrée sur le blog était dédiée à préparer la visite de Alexandre, Emmanuelle, Valentine et Marie. Notre voisine, aussi Marie, nous a passé un peu d'équipement pour bébé et j'ai acheté un lit de voyage. Nous avons reçu mon nouveau lit, ce qui nous a donné un lit pour la nouvelle chambre d'amis (ex-chambre de Anne). C'est parfait pour parents + bébé. Anne avait parlé avec nostalgie d'un plat que j'avais fait une ou deux fois il y a longtemps -- Porc à la cubaine avec riz blanc et haricots noirs -- alors, j'en ai préparé à l'occasion de la visite. J'ai aussi fait le "cheesecake" d'après la recette de Jae en guise de gâteau d'anniversaire pour Pierre (in absentia), des gnocchis au Ricotta et épinards pour le lendemain, et avec l'aide de Valentine, des gâteaux aux chocolat. Mais le repas qui a eu le plus de succès était hamburgers maison avec épis de maïs.
Bon, ça suffit de parler de manger. Valentine a bien grandie depuis la dernière fois que notre famille l'avais vu il y a trois ans (moi, c'était en octobre). Donc, ils ont refait connaissance avec elle. Et nous avons tous fait connaissance avec Marie, 2 mois. Elle est sage, ne pleure pas à l'excès, adore les bras de quiconque (mais surtout de son oncle Paul ou tante Ellen). Alexandre a apprécié de pouvoir rester au lit un peu pour ces premiers jours de vacances, mais ni lui, ni Emmanuelle ne semblait, trop fatigué. Marie fait déjà des nuits plus calmes.
Après leur départ, nous avons pris le temps de lire et nous reposer. En voulant débrancher la Wii pour l'amener au magasin (Valentine n'a pas pu en profiter) j'ai découvert que la prise péritel était déjà à moitié débranchée -- donc, il suffisait de rebrancher pour "réparer". Je suis désolée de ne pas avoir y penser avant. C'est parce qu'on manger à la grande table qu'on a du passer trop près de la prise....
Le dimanche, 23, Anne a suggéré de voir l'exposition de la vente de la collection Yves Saint Laurent. Rendez-vous au Grand Palais à 10h. Eh bien, à 10h, il y avait 5 à 5h30 d'attente estimée. Il faisait beau. Nous sommes partis à pied, au bords de la Seine, pour s'arrêter enfin à la Monnaie pour voir l'exposition du photographe, David Lachappelle. Certains se plaignent que c'est trop cher pour si peu. C'est €10 et je trouvait que, en comparaison avec les expositions au Sénat, c'était équivalent. Il y a plusieurs salles, plusieurs thèmes et je ne sais pas si j'aurais pu continuer à bien regarder de près, chercher les détails pour encore plus d'oeuvres. Nous n'avons pas souffert d'attente à l'entrée non plus et celà aide à garder une opinion favorable !
Il était l'heure de manger en sortant et nous avons continué jusqu'à la Place St. Michel, toujours à pied. Après le déjeuner, un petit arrêt chez Shakespeare & Co. et continuation vers le métro, rive droite. Mais finalement, nous nous sommes trouvés chez Anne toujours à pied ! Donc, prenez un plan de Paris -- Grand Palais - La Monnaie - Place St. Michel - quartier de la Huchette - Notre Dame - Gare de Lyon. Ce n'est pas beaucoup de km. mais ça vous rempli une journée.
A part ça, je vais souvent faire des emplettes à la bibliothèque américaine. Je ne lis pas de la grande litérature, mais je lis beaucoup. Et je passe beaucoup (trop?) de temps sur facebook. Ma classe de lycée a créé un groupe et nous sommes très nombreuse à s'y retrouver. D'ailleurs on se retrouve sur facebook et à travers un groupe sur google, où on s'exprime de manière plus étendue. Je suis convaincue que les contactes en personne sont mille fois mieux, mais ces communautés sur internet remplissent bien une mission quand les contactes ne sont pas faisables.

GHS (Philadelphia High School for Girls) 212

212 - the class of 1968, the 212th graduating class of the Philadelphia High School for Girls. Who knew so many of us were on Facebook? Not everyone, of course, but still, a lot.

Barbara found me. She just joined and looked for friends. Then, I guess, through her, Beth found me. Now Barbara and I have been in touch frequently over the years, so we didn't discover one another miraculously just now. I got in touch with Beth a little over a year ago through Jay, not through Facebook. So, it's quite normal that we are now connected on FB. A small bunch of us got together during the summer: blog post

Looking through Barbara's friends, I found Emily. And Emily has directed me to Sylvia to get back into the class directory. Emily has a ton of photos from the 40th reunion, and there, I found a whole bunch of old friends. Some close friends, some not so close. So some do not readily recognize my name and look me up in the yearbook. And with my name they see someone else. It's Elaine. She and I did not share many activities -- I was in band and orchestra. don't have my own yearbook handy, but I think I remember she had more sports. We were in the same homeroom and did have some classes together. Anyway, back when our yearbooks were delivered and we discovered the mistaken identity, we protested to the yearbook group and they kindly gave us an extra yearbook -- I guess so we could paste the right picture with our names. But that didn't correct anything for the others and 40 years later, they can be excused for not know who is who! Now, she's someone I'd love to find on Facebook, but there are too many who share her name and she might not even be there.
This is fun. A bit invasive, perhaps, but fun. I've found that after the euphoria of reconnecting, I settle into just reading status updates and perhaps responding to them. It's the same with family members. I feel closer to Eric just because I know when he's just been flying or gouching about his chemistry homework.
The only problem I have with social media is that there is too much of it. I have a gmail account and you can send instant messages from there. I'm on Skype. And I keep forgetting to open up MSN. I gave up on Yahoo Messenger. I'm on Facebook. I'm still on Plaxo and LinkedIn, but should probably let them go as I'm feeling less and less professional.
So now, back to searching for old high school buddies.