A Revisit “Atypical 60’s Open Letter To Society” Our Gun Laws Need to be Changed!

Hey all, I’ve lost something and I’m looking to find it. It’s my sense of humor! I’ve looked under the bed. And under the sofas. And in the garage. And in all the cabinets and the pantry. And in the backyard. It’s slowly coming back but I need a break to really hone in on it.

And YES. I’m reglogging THIS for the second time. I think some bastid with a gun shot my sense of humor with his or her sawed off rifle or with a Saturday Night Special. Either way, I gots ta heal before I can crack a funny…and this gun crap is no laughing matter. If you can, feel free to share, yet again. The gun violence in our country is just not ending!

XOXOXO!!!

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My Dinner With Bonaparte. 10.3.2015

Autumn. Saturday.  Damp. Cold. The darkness sidles in earlier and earlier.  I’m on the sofa being lazy, as usual, with a blanket wrapped around me.

Blanket

The weather actually hit a temperature so low that I could wrap myself in a blanket. Bonaparte was ready to put the heat on, but this princess of hot flashes told him to put a sweater on instead!

It’s that time of year when I return to making Bonaparte a truly happy man. The weekend French dinner!  It’s what Bonaparte looks forward to.  It’s what he loves.  It’s how he enjoys his Saturday evenings sitting around the table and remembering long dinners of France past.

getting the dining room back.

The table will no longer be this bare. Time to review my tablecloths and settings!

It’s what helped me to gain unwanted pounds.

La Grande Bouffe

Well, I dunno if that pic should be replaced with profiles of me and Bonaparte, but if you are looking for a really fun and somewhat tragic film–you HAVE to see this! Our feasts aren’t as large!

He picked out a recipe from his my favorite French Cookbook.

French cookbooks

My favorite–back right. “French” by Carole Clements & Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen. Rachel Khoo’s “Little French Kitchen” is another very good book.  Truth be told, I’m not a fan of Julia Child’s books. I DO use this book for sauces though. Nothing else.  Ginette Mathiot’s “I Know How To Cook” is a great reference guide–the French version of “Joy of Cooking”, if you will!

Speaking of not being a fan of Julia Child. Here’s a late entry to today’s post.  A video by Cecile Delarue, the author of “The Everything Easy French Cookbook” another book that I have, that I’ve also mentioned in past posts, that has excellent home style recipes.  Here’s her video for genuine Salade Nicoise.  Enjoy–and pay attention to the recipe!

The recipe was Faisan a la Normande, Pheasant Breast with Apples.  I changed it up a bit because pheasant is nearly impossible to come by in this area of the Philadelphia suburbs. So I went with chicken breasts.

Recipe for Pheasant

This is an excellent and hearty dish. Pheasant has a tendancy to be dry and is difficult to come by where I live. But–organic chicken breasts are moist and are an excellent substitute!

Back to the French dinner. Had I never met Bonaparte, I would have never acquired cool dining accoutrements.  I mean, really, a tiny fork for pulling a snail out of a shell?  It’s almost akin to picking your nose!  I could honestly yank that little snail out with my pinky and thumb or  with a toothpick.  But having these little forks is fun. It’s so much classier than the way I grew up dining!

Appetizer pics.

I like using these smaller forks to grab the snails out of the shells. These are also excellent for little appetizers. They really fancy and classy things up!

Same thing with the escargot plates.  I get why the little indented half-spheres are there. So you can soak up the garlicky, buttery, flavorful juices with your little piece of baguette. Which, BTW, is an actual diet aid.  Only the tiniest piece of bread will fit into those little indented wells. Another reason the French are leaner than we Americans are.

Escargot plate and acoutroment

See that little snail tong on the bottom? I STILL have issues with these things. It’s easier for me to just pick up the shell with my hands. With all due respect to Bonaparte, I only use the tongs when we are in France.  I would never want to embarrass him in front of his family. (shhhh..I really don’t think they care…..)

This asparagus plate would have gone home from the Junior League thrift shop with someone else—as would my favored tureen.

I picked both items up at the Junior League thrift shop for pennies.  I love making little asparagus appetizers and placing them on that cute plate.  Even more, a hearty beouf bourguignon served in that white tureen is even prettier!

Cheese knife set

If I hadn’t met Bonaparte, do you honestly think I would own a proper cheese knife set? Hell no!  I would just use a regular butter knife and a spatula!

I did much of the prep work beforehand.  I cut and par boiled the potatoes, pounded the chicken, and caramelized the onion and apples.  Doing all this really takes a load off if the timing of the dinner is important.

calvados

I also added a bit more Calvados than called for in the recipe. The Calvados gives such a great flavor!

Diced potatoes in butter

A bit of smoky paprika also adds some depth to the potatoes.  I KNOW, there’s an awful lot of butter in there. It’s once a week–OK? Don’t judge!

Chicken sauteeing

Pounding the chicken breasts down really thinly makes the cooking time go so much faster. Once the prep work is done, the cooking takes almost no time!

Prep work done, I am able to enjoy our first little course of an aperitif and amuse bouche, that little tease before dinner.

kir-royale

I feel like a lush, but I really DO look forward to a couple of these on a Saturday evening before dinner. Creme de Cassis and Champagne–who wouldn’t love that?

That done, we sat down to our entrée of escargot.

Escargot

Tasty earthy little morsels of goodness! Sometimes my GERD acts up so I make sure to chase with a few Rolaids!

And NO I did NOT make these little snails myself.  That’s right. I cheated! I used Wegmans.  They may not be the best—they lack the saltiness that I love so much. But, they are garlicky, buttery and taste decent.  Trust me; a cheat every now and then isn’t a culinary sin!

Weg's escargot

These really are not bad at all.  If you see them in Wegmans, pick up a box. You will thank me later when you have dinner guests and forgot to make an extra food purchase!

We feasted upon the chicken breasts, prepared in all the Calvados, apple and cream glory! I could feel my pants getting tighter with each savory bite!

Chicken

Hey. I’m not a food stylist so it doesn’t look perfect, but this dish was fantastic!

More wine.

Margaux 2005.

Bonaparte has plenty of this Margaux 2005. It goes so well with those hearty cold-weather dishes. 

I’m so glad Bonaparte loves me.  He shows it through his actions.  He decided to forego the cheese because I begged  him to cut down a bit on the rich foods.   I really need to drop 20 and squeeze properly fit back into my size 8’s.

Instead, he finished the meal with this cherry clafoutis that I made.  No. He really DID finish the meal. He ate the entire clafoutis.  I’m not kidding. He finished the entire dessert.  Nothing says love more than that. He made sure I couldn’t get any of it so he ate it!

Basically a cakey custard, clafoutis can be made with other fruits but Bonaparte loves those cherries.  A heavy dusting of confectioner’s sugars gives it the sweetness against the tart cherries!

Ahh—my Frenchman is so gallant!

Seriously though, one of the reasons I do welcome the cold weather is because it’s so enjoyable to cook great hearty meals.

We get to sit at our dining room table again. As much as I love dining al fresco on the deck in the warm weather, I love the warm and toasty of long meals at the dining room table. And—I get to dress the table as well.

French homestyle cooking isn’t difficult. With the right recipe, whether from a book or online, you can make a stupendous dinner that will impress.

Take a look at this blog post from  A Frog At Large. Blog Post–How To Cook Like The French

She thinks along the same lines of  French cooking as I do—but she likes Julia Child a lot more!

Point is, special meals are meant to enjoy and savor.  Food is one of life’s joys!  Joie de vivre!

CIMG0251

Well…besides a great meal, taking time to enjoy a little stroll through Place Dauphine and….

Paris. Galeries Lafayette. Repetto Display. My kind of place

a bevy of Repetto ballet flats to chose from are also great examples of joie de vivre!

It’s difficult during the week due to work and other obligations. But, once a week—preferably on a weekend evening, there is nothing better than spending the time with loved ones and conversing and laughing and debating over a long meal.  It is one of the things that make life worth living to the fullest!

Since I’m on a roll with the French—here’s one of my favorite upbeat songs from Michel Delpech.  “Pour un flirt”. The video is so early ’70’s but the song is tres mignon—so cute! An added bonus—these songs make learning the French language easier! XOXOXOXO!!!

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Sorting My Travels in France. Ugh. Classifying and Renaming Photos.

Since the weather still remains so awful  and Bonaparte is watching soccer, I’ve decided to start  organizing my old pics of travels in France.  To put it mildly–this is a pain in the ass! I’m talking years of procrastination.

In addition, my photography skills most likely have Bonaparte’s grandfather, J. H. Lartigue, rolling around in his grave.

Lartigue book cover

Bonaparte picked this book up at an exhibit we attended over the summer. His grandfather’s photos were showcased!

  Lartigue was an incredible and well-known photographer. We’re lucky to have some of his photos hanging in the house.

Dany and Vincent

This photo taken by Bonaparte’s grandfather was used as an ad for TWA.  The baby is Bonaparte–his dad, Dany is holding him.  Notice that I snapped the photo of this photo and my skills basically suck!

But enough about him. Let’s talk about me and my less-than-stellar attempts at photography! Out of sheer boredom and narcissistic behavior.  I’m going to share a tiny bit of my talent with you.  So come with me–and get a glimpse into the artsy photos that I take when I”m in France:

France. GDG First stop after picking up baggage!

This is a very important photo for me. It’s the first stop I make when I arrive in France. After collecting our baggage and going through customs or wherever it is to get my passport stamped, I make a beeline for coffee. This place has the best coffee–and I was majorly pissed this summer because CDG is going through construction and I didn’t have access to this stand. I had to get some other kind of coffee and it ruined my routine. 

Paris. Daniele's apartment view of the loft.

Ahhhh. Home–well, our home in Paris. We get the top floor loft area of  Aunt Bonaparte’s.  

Paris. Daniele's apt. another view of the eiffel.

Look! It’s the Eiffel Tower peeking out from the roofs. This is from Aunt Bonaparte’s window in the salon.

Paris. View from Daniele's window

I’m a voyeur. I snapped this pic of construction workers. They added another floor to the building across the way.

Paris. Citron Presse.

Alright. After too much wine the night before, I always treat myself to a nice Citron Presse–God only knows how many of THESE I’ve had over the years. Probably enough to fill a grove of lemon trees!

Paris. Lovelocks

Being a true hypocrite, I got really upset about these love locks–but I made sure to take a pic before they were all taken off the bridges!

Paris. reflection on shoes.

My little ballet flats long to be in those beautiful shoes in the window!

Paris. Russian stack dolls.

Russian painted stack dolls in an antiquities shop along Rue Bonaparte. YES! Rue Bonaparte!

Paris. Signs. Sign on street for exhibit at Vincent's family's gallery.

While out and about and wandering around aimlessly, I found this poster for an exhibit at Bonaparte’s family’s gallery.  This was pretty recent–two years ago!

Paris. toyshop window

Paris has the coolest toys for kids. I would definitely wear that clown hat! This was a toy store window on…I’m pretty sure on  Rue Dauphine.

Paris. Sign. Place Dauphine

Only I would take a photo of a sign in my favorite square. Place Dauphine. I have no idea when I took this….

Paris. Sign. City Pharma. Best beauty shop ever!

Some women make sure to shop at Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Screw that. MY favorite shop to hang out in is City Pharma on Rue du Four. This pharmacie has the best prices on all things beauty and skin related. It’s the greatest place to load up on products!

Paris. Arche de Triomphe with flag.

This is one of my favorite shots that I took. But I can’t remember when I took it.

Theoule. Geant. Long shot

OK. Now we’re on the Cote d’Azur.  First stop. Geant hypermarche to load up on groceries…

Theoule. Geant. My favorite Creme de Cassis

Geant has so many yummy beverages. We load up on this for our Kir Royale consumption…

Theoule. Geant. Poisson. fresh.

Yummy fresh fish. I practically OD on Lotte here…..

Theoule. Geant. Cold Cereal. 2

Since when do the French eat sugary, processed cereal? Oh..it must be geared toward the summer tourists!

Theoule. Geant. Vincent picking out meat.

Bonaparte is picking out beoufsteak for dinner!

Theoule. Front Door of our apartment

Back to the apartment in Theoule..

St. Trop. Nice view of homes from the boat.

Off to St. Tropez. It took me forever to get photos without those massive yachts ruining the moment!

St. Trop. BB's home.

Bardot’s home. She didn’t invite us over. Actually, this is the closest I’ll ever be to her home!

St. Trop. really nice view.

Another nice view of St. Tropez. 

St. Trop. Signs. La Maison des Papillons Musee sign.

Bonaparte’s dad’s museum

St. Trop. Vincent and Dany in dany's old studio

Bonaparte and his dad. Isn’t his dad adorable?

St. Trop. Narrow pathway with houses.

Cute little alleyway

t.St. Trop. Signs Ines de la Fressange's shop

Ines de la Fressange also has a shop in St. Tropez. I need to add her to my “French Personalities I Stalk” listing!

Guess what

The “Bubble House” across from where our apartment is.  I am obsessed with this house.

Cabris. Narrow street.

Street in Cabris…Cabris. My annual photo of St. Rita.

another one of my obsessions. Every year I take a pic of this statue of St. Rita. Every year I light a candle in the little chapel in Cabris that houses this statue..

Cabris. Sign. Directions.

Direction signs are another one of my obsessions

Cabris. Tow away sign

You certainly don’t need words to understand THIS message

Cabris. House entrance with fountain outside

How cute is the entrance to this house?

Antibes. Car driving down narrow street.

Uh oh! Now you get a better understanding of why Bonaparte doesn’t want me driving in France. Antibes has the narrowest streets–but look how pretty the flowers are!

Antibes. Begining of the ramparts walk

Antibes..the start of the walk along the ramparts..

Antibes. Homes along the ramparts

..where we pass these homes that I would love to make mine…

Antibes. Picasso musee. Guitars.

Guitars at the Musee Picasso.  The museum was “meh”–I’m not a big fan of Picasso. Don’t judge!

Chartres. Cathederal 2

We took a little drive from Paris to Chartres. The Cathedral is magnificent

Chartres. Cathederal detail 3

Some of the detail at the Cathedral. I should be so thin..

I’m also obsessed with iconic statues in old cathedrals. Mostly for the sake of the art work..look at the faces!  Look how blank St. Theresa stares. Look how sad Jesus is. I think he’s sad because he foresees society going down the toilet!

Chartres. Little toy car in ville

I love this little red wagon. It’s so random!

CIMG1641

Another drive from Paris. This time to Chambord. Overcast days are the best for these little day trips–I think it is time for a revisit. I LOVED this chateau!

after effects of hunting at Chambord

I want these for my home. Seriously. If I could figure a way to steal these without getting caught, I would do it! They would look great in our living room!

Looking at the Sun in Chambord

Look. A flicker of natural light. This was taken in Chambord but I cannot remember where the hell in the chateau this was taken from. I DO remember having to hold onto the bannister as I walked down stairs because I’m clumsy.

Chambord 2

Some detailing from Chambord..

Nostalgie Radio. My fave!

Oh..and lastly, I took a photo of my favorite radio station. Nostalgie.  I took it so I wouldn’t forget the number of the station. This way I can just set the car to 93.5. Smart–huh?

OK. That’s it for now. I’m tired and going to start making a clafoutis for dessert this evening.  Hope I didn’t bore you too much!

Have a listen to one of my favorite French songs–“Mistral Gagnant” by Renaud. It’s dramatic and nice! XOXOXOXO!!!

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Rhythm And Sounds Good To Me!

Rain. Rain.  More rain.  After the frustration of having my hair colored and blown out yesterday, which was an incredibly monsoonesque day, Bonaparte insisted we go food shopping…together!

There was no way I was going to ruin this color and blow out that Bonaparte paid for!  Hooded jacket and an umbrella for extra protection we ventured out.

Blow out.

My apologies for no makeup but this is how I woke up. I am NOT ruining this blow out –not even today. It is STILL raining!

But you know how one thing leads to another….

While in the car, I was mesmerized.  Almost hypnotized by the rhythmic sound of the wipers flushing the rain away from the car’s windshield.  I love that sound. It gives me a certain comfort and brings me back to those days of being able to ride in the front passenger seat with my dad.  Rainy days have that effect on me.

Wipers against the rain

Thank God I wasn’t driving. I would have fallen asleep from the soothing sounds of the windshield wipers swishing the rain away! I’m not kidding. That sound puts me to sleep. Note to anyone reading this. Stay off the road when I’m driving in the rain!

Then I started thinking about the other sounds that I love. For instance,

I love the sound of plastic jewelry clicking against each other.

Iris Apfel gewelry

Huffington Post has this great pics of Apfel and her clickety-clackity costume jewelry.   I wouldn’t wear these myself, but I love the way they look on her and I love the sound!!

Did you see the documentary about Iris Apfel, the cool  94-year old fashion stylist?   It’s on Netflix—and entitled “Iris”. I kept repeating the very beginning of the movie because I could not get enough of the sound of her jewelry clicking together!

At the very beginning of the trailer, you can hear a mega-second of clacking jewelry!

I am extremely comforted by the sounds of the sirens when I’m in France—they have a better rhythm and cadence than the sound of the sirens here in the States:

My friend Becky and I always replicate this sound whenever we talk about Paris! People stop and stare at us–and not in a good way!

French police car

Yes. I love the sound of the little sirens from these cars!

Oh…and I’m one of those people who are incredibly fond of the sound of cracking and popping gum.

gum popping

Oops! I AM that person who chews gum like a cow. Just ask Oona–she HATES being near me when I chew gum!

Weird—but so very true. I’m so jealous of the women who can crack gum. Lord knows I’ve tried, but I’m an epic fail at it. I’m lucky I can blow and pop bubbles with my Bazooka!

Bazooka

Best. Gum. Ever!

The sound of the rhythm of the water gently hitting the shore is another sound I find incredibly calming.

laiguille-morning-at-the-beach

L’Aiguille beach in Theoule. When it’s early morning and nobody has arrived yet, the only sound you can hear are the sounds of the tiny little waves hitting the shore and the rocking of the boats. It’s a great  rhythmic sound!

The sounds of long fingernails against a keyboard are also nice to me. I think that’s because growing up, one of my BFF’s, Pam, played piano. And she had long nails and the sound they made against the piano keys was very pleasant to me.

tappping fingernails

Well, it may not be a piano, but the sound of fingernails against ANY key board is pleasant!

I miss the rhythmic sounds of Oona’s hard shoes hitting the floor whenever she did a heavy jig, hornpipe or one of her sets.

Oona's hardshoes 2

I still have Oona’s hard shoes–and looking at the shape of these worn-in hard shoes are an indication of  how much she used these!

I could listen to her perfect timing all day—and sometimes I did when we were at competitions!

I don’t have any videos of Oona, but here’s a really, really old (you can tell by the dress) video of Riverdance’s Bernadette Flynn with Tony Lunden doing a treble reel. I cannot get enough of that heavy shoe sound. You can close your eyes and still hear the rhythm!

I could go on and on about sounds and rhythm—but I’ll spare you.

That’s maybe why I like cooking so much.  The sounds of food cooking is such a sensual thing.  Last night I threw together what I deemed an Alsatian dish for Bonaparte.  Raining. Damp.  He wanted something comforting. So I took red onions, peeled and caramelized them.  I love the sound of the onions hitting the heat.

The sound of cooking 1

I love the sound of the onions hitting that heat!

Then I cooked up a few slices of bacon. The sound of bacon sizzling is music to my ears—and that smokey scent is just wonderful.

The sound of bacon sizzling on the burner

Can you just hear that sizzle? Oh..and I used the bacon grease to cook up the rest of the mix! Bacon grease rules!

I peeled and cut apples to add to the mix. And I love the sound of crunchy apples!

The crunch of an apple

Cutting into the apples produces that great first crunch! 

Listened to the symphony they played as they blended together.

Added sauerkraut and some store bought kielbasa.  Bonaparte was happy!  Plenty left over for him to enjoy during the week.

Sausage and sauerkraut.

It isn’t the prettiest dish, but the flavors of the sausage, the tartness of the sauerkraut and the sweetness of the apples and caramelized onions, along with the smokey bacon gives off a great and flavorful meal!

Sounds good to me!  How about you?

Since I’m talking sounds and rhythm.  Here are some great, great rhythmic sounds. Stomp Out Loud!!!!

I’m going to make a feeble attempt to classify some travel pics today. While it’s raining, I can be productive!  Enjoy the weekend!

XOXOXOXOX!!

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A Revisit “Atypical 60’s Open Letter To Society” Our Gun Laws Need to be Changed!

America. I do love her, but she’s GOT to wake up! YESTERDAY!

Sure, we have our freedom and we are lucky suns of bitches to have that.  Unfortunately, we have TOO much freedom when it comes to the right to bear arms.

Stars and stripes on gun

Stars and stripes on gun via Getty Images

Is THIS the new logo for the USA???

Ten innocent people were murdered at a college in Oregon.  It was over two issues. The first being religion.   If the emphasis was not so much on religion, both in this country and in other countries, this mass-murder would have never happened.

I’m tired of extremists.  I’m tired of ALL religious extremists–from Muslim to Catholic.  From Evangelical to Jewish.  Religious ideologies start wars. And for what???????

Don’t even get me started…..It’s time to revisit my  Open Letter to Society.

Here it is. I’m not too proud to beg–and I beg you to share this.  Every day our society is one step closer to being completely flushed down the toilet and I’m tired and fed up.

We now have home-grown terrorists.  We are no longer safe going into a mall, or a fast-food joint, or a beauty salon, or ANY school, or any corporation.  It is vile and disgusting and our  TIGHTY RIGHTY POLITICIANS ARE SLEEPING WITH THE NRA!   I have nothing more to say except:

Hi Society,

Or should I say “High” Society? Seriously society, what the hell has happened to you?  I mean, you used to be so classy and proper and cultured and intellectual!

Baby, you used to care. You had high standards! You used to be somebodies!  You used to be contenders. Now you are all but washed up. And you did it to yourself.

Maybe 60 years isn’t very long to be on this earth to give you some constructive criticism, but I’ve seen so many changes in you.  Trust me, the good changes are few and the not-so-good changes are plenty.  I need to understand. I need you to explain.

Society. I need you to examine your conscience.

There was a time when you were a better people. I remember it well.  I can remember being a child and going shopping or out and about or visiting others in the company of my parents.  Before making sure I was neatly dressed, I would be reminded on how to behave in public.  This was a time when people smiled at each other. Men would give a tip of their hats.  Women would smile and give a polite little wave.  People acknowledged each other. People actually liked each other and enjoyed each other’s company.

People don’t acknowledge any more. They either ignore or text. Or eye roll.  What happened to conversation?

Society, you used to be very aware of what was going on in the world! As young students, we had to watch the news each night because we never knew when we would be “pop” quizzed on current events.  The nightly news on TV reported the news and told it like it was. There was no pandering or dumbing down.  We saw hard footage of the troops in Vietnam. We saw protests.  The news was delivered by serious and real hard-news journalists like Walter Cronkite and Chet Huntley and David Brinkley.

Now we have “fun” news.  Politically correct newscasts with a various number of “friendly” anchors who are botoxed, hair extensioned, toothy veneered and smile and laugh through even the most dismal of news.  Oh…and Society, since when is your idea of “World News” only news that is contained within the borders of these 50 States? There’s a whole ‘nother world to report about. Stop looking at your belly button. Why does every news show have to end with a touchy-feely human interest story? That isn’t news!!!!! Go back to news reports the way they should be!

Hey, Society—here’s a good one.  Do you remember engaging in real conversation? Well, I’ll tell you, I can remember those days.  You were fantastic at both small talk and intense debate.  You could show your charming side by talking so eloquently about the weather, and then change gears to flow into an intense and intellectual debate about the Vietnam War, hippies, or the housing issues in major cities!

Instead these days you engage in shaming and hating over the internet. Fat shaming. Ugly shaming. Gay hating. Trans hating. Black hating. White hating. Yellow hating. Magenta hating. Blue hating. Candy Corn hating.  You don’t come out from hiding behind your computers or phones. Oh you faceless bullies—aww you make me so scared.

There was a time, Society, when you would love to read a book.  Libraries were popular in the not-all-that-distant past.  There was something special about perusing through the shelves of books. Those shiny plastic covers that the Library books were clothed in made them sparkle in the fluorescent light of the building.  Opened books gave away their age, not by the copyright date, but by the distinct scent of the binding—sometimes a bit musty, but nevertheless enticing. Books were food—food for the brain. Growing up, going to the library was practically a social event.  Friends would meet to do homework.  People would become frustrated if they had to be placed on a waiting list for that new novel.  Some seeked solace from their noisy families.

Society. When was the last time you applied for a library card?

Society, there was a time when your politicians were a bi-partisan bunch.  Politicians may have not agreed on everything, but they all had a clear and concise vision of what was needed for the American people. They didn’t have a personal agenda. They weren’t sleeping with insurance companies and lobbyists. They were not filled with hatred.  They respected.  They were passionate.  They wanted to help.

Instead, now we have a bunch of politicians who are filled with the vilest of hate and bigotry. They don’t accept differences in people nor do they accept different lifestyles or ideologies.   Today’s politicians want to bully women.  These men have already started their policies to lower funding to Planned Parenthood because they want control over women.   NO MAN EVER HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL A WOMAN WHAT TO DO WITH HER BODY. PERIOD!  Listen to me Society.  I’ll show these bozos what Planned Parenthood is. I’ll castrate those men. THEN we’ll give you, Society, new meaning to Planned Parenthood!

Society—can you answer me this.  When did God join the presidential race? I mean, I remember when there was an exact boundary line between Church and State.  All the politicians today are speaking about bringing God into politics.

Hey. What about the people in our good country who are not of the Christian ideology? What about Jews? They don’t count?  What about Muslims (and no. Not all Muslims are terrorists) or Hindus, Taoists, Sikhs, Shintos, Buddhists and Atheists?  What about them? They vote. They pay taxes.

My God, and his cute son, Hipster Jesus, have too fucking much on their plates to worry about the politics of this country. Let God do his damn job without having to be involved in your politics.  He wants nothing to do with it. He told me so!

Hey, Society. Do you remember when celebrities were talented actors or singers or all-around entertainers?  These were people who could do everything.  The days of TV may have been younger, but programming was far superior. Variety shows showcasing these talents of the many versatile stars ruled.  We watched well-written drama and westerns.  We had smart comedy.  “Reality” TV consisted of quiz shows like “What’s My Line” or “I’ve Got a Secret.” I remember when Broadway was “The Theatre“..and not a bunch of rehashed Disney films set to a stage production.

These days you have turned network TV into a garbage bin of infantile comedies featuring annoyingly precocious children who turn adults into idiotic buffoons.  Less time is spent watching the show and more time is spent viewing the five-minute commercials about various prescription drugs.  Those commercials cover every nuance of the drugs because people can no longer afford to visit their doctors—the co-pay is too expensive. The commercials do the job instead. That is pitiful. I would rather see a commercial for laundry detergent or perhaps watch The Marlboro Man take someone’s gun away from them.

Society—do you not know the meaning of talent?  You have a reality star that has become a super celebrity all because she made a sex tape and went pee-pee on her man.  Yes. She is now a gazillionaire because of sex and pee-pee. But yet, a woman who breastfeeds her child in public is considered a filthy pig by some.  Am I missing something here? I’m not processing!

Society you are making people who refuse to do their job famous!  We have, in one corner a government clerk who refuses to administer a marriage license because of her “Christian” beliefs. On the other end of the spectrum, we have a flight attendant who converted to a “Non-Christian” ideology and she refused to serve alcohol to a passenger on a flight.  Don’t make these people famous. JUST FIRE THEM! End of story. Over and out! Grow some balls and stop being politically correct!

You were once gentle, my dear Society.  Guns used to be something that only the military and police officers used.  Oh. The hunters had their ammunition too. And others acquired licenses to carry. But, where you were once gentle, your dark side took over and now gun violence seems to be the norm.  Society, you believe we all have the right to bear arms because “guns don’t kill”. Well, you’re right. Guns alone, sitting on a shelf, without bullets, don’t kill. Put some bullets in that gun, hand it to an overemotional person filled with rage and anger  and that gun is gonna murder.  How about we arm everyone with water pistols as a better solution? You’ll still be able to bear arms, only those arms are going to spit water and not bullets!

Society, you need to change your ways.  You believe we need to be the world’s leader? I think you are incorrect my dear. We definitely need a leader—but your arrogance in stating we need to be the world leader is way off.

I’ll tell you why.

How can you, Society, be a world leader when you cannot even provide your citizens with the proper healthcare? How can you be a world leader when the entitled one percent of this country, evades paying the maximum amount of taxes when a lowly paid clerk ends up paying 30 percent of their wages to your government?  How can you be a world leader when you allow the banks to rob people with high percentage rates—and those very banks sit on their monies collected?  Remember, the banks caused our economic demise just a few years back—and not a one paid for it.  How can you be a world leader when our public education system is inferior?  Society, you cut funds for the arts in school. You cut the funds for the space program. These are important programs. Important to not only our society, but our global society.

How can you be a world leader when we have Americans who ARE refugees? Refugees in our own country who go ignored. They are the homeless. They are the un and under employed. They are without health insurance.  They are without education.  So Society, I say to your do-gooders, take a look in your own backyard. Charity begins at home!

Please, Society, don’t be alarmed at what I write. You don’t notice how your personality has changed. You don’t realize you were once a strong, feisty, intelligent, talented people. You’ve regressed.

It isn’t too late.   I still have hope.  Just return to being caring, and genteel. Realize that others are not the same as you. Realize that hate can be cured without going to war.  Realize that our world is smaller and we need world leaders. Not a world leader!

Realize that you have a country full of beautiful people. That beautiful group is the middle-class. They are all but extinct.  And it’s time to bring them back and become the true Society you once were.

Peace,

Atypical60 aka Catherine

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My Imperfect Little Guest. World, Meet Parsnip.

Whoever doesn’t believe in Global Warming can come on over to the Philadelphia suburbs or any of the Mid-Atlantic States to see that Fall just isn’t happening.

Granted, we had two days of nice, crisp weather since the official start of Autumn. Two Days! It’s October, the leaves are barely displaying any of the autumnal coloring, and it remains hot, hazy and humid.

tree in front

The view outside our home office window. This is NOT what October should look like!

Though it poured rain two nights ago, the humid, sticky haze still surrounds us.  Even Bonaparte, who thrives on heat and humidity—he’s a living greenhouse, has had enough.

I want to get down and dirty in the kitchen.  No. Not like Jessica Lange in “The Postman Always Rings Twice”.

Jessica Lange in Postman

Ugh. I’m not talking THIS kind of dirty in the kitchen!

I’m talking about the act of cooking comfort foods, baking bread, making those nice hearty meals that are inviting upon the cooler fall and colder winter months.

Yeah, that’s right. I’m itching to get back and make my souffles, Brioche, biscotti and the Christmas dessert my family craves–my Buche de Noel!

There is nothing like the scent of vegetables roasting in the oven.  Turnips, squash, carrots, onions, beets—seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil, roasted till their natural sugars caramelize. It’s heavenly.

cornbread_dressing_with_roasted_fall_vegetables_646

Roasted veg with cornbread stuffing is just the comfort needed for the colder months–whenever they may arrive.  Thank you Bon Appetit!

But—the ONE vegetable that I love and look forward to cooking more than any other is the Parsnip!

The only vegetable that talks to me.

This unpopular, imperfect little vegetable talks to me. Actually, it whispers!  What did you say little parsnip?

Lots of people don’t even know this little not-so-cutie exists. I’m changing that!

Parsnips in bag. Got them at Walmart yesterday.

I couldn’t find Parsnip at my local greengrocer so I ended up with this bag from Walmart!

My love and admiration knows no bounds for this root vegetable.  Looking like an anemic carrot. Or rather looking like a pale version of a spray tanned carrot, the parsnip is one of my favorite vegetables.

It isn’t too particularly pretty; in fact, it’s kind of bland looking. But the taste is so incredibly aromatic and subtle. When roasted, her aromatic flavor just explodes but in the most gentle way. In addition, if you are looking for a healthy but filling replacement for starchy potatoes, my I tell you about the parsnips nutritional value?

Nutritional value

Parsnips are very body friendly! I should eat these for every meal!

As a child, we never ate parsnips.  I’m thinking it’s because they don’t come canned and Bird’s Eye never had frozen ones available.  Honest. Other than spuds and sweet potatoes, every single vegetable that was placed on the dinner table was prepared by either opening a can or ripping open a box of frozen veg and boiling them for an hour or three!

Aunt Bessies frozen parsnips

I think Aunt Bessie is the only company to sell frozen parsnips–but I would still rather use fresh!

Anyway, it wasn’t until later on in my adult years that I discovered parsnips.  A Barefoot Contessa recipe for “Roasted Parsnips and Carrots” that ended up changing my life!

Barefoot Contessa Roasted Parsnips and Carrots Recipe

Barefoot contessa parsnips and carrots

Parsnips and carrots. Yum! Thanks Ina!

Today is not the day for roasting parsnips or carrots or any vegetable.  It’s just too damn hot. Instead, I am going to cook the parsnips I purchased yesterday atop my stove.

I’m going to boil them until tender—and it won’t take an hour.   I’ll show you what I’m gonna do:

Parsnips, 1 garlic clove, ginger, a bit of broth, salt and pepper. That's just about it.

Got my ingredients together. Parsnips, ginger, one garlic clove, salt, pepper and a bit of chicken broth to add to the water…

I had some tarragon laying around so I crunched it up and added it.

I’ll also add a bit of dried tarragon–it’s nice and slightly minty!

I like to peel on paper towels. It makes for easy cleaning.

Because I like to keep things clean, I always peel vegetables on paper towels. This way I can gather the towel up and throw it in the trash with no mess….

That is until Chippy jumped up, grabbed the end of the paper towel in his mouth and everything dropped on the floor.

Oops! That is, until Chippy jumps up on the counter and grabs the paper towel. Welcome back to my clumsy!

Peeled and randomly cut. Yes. That is my lipstick. I took a little snack bite!

I’ll cut the peeled parsnip into chunks. And yes, that’s my lipstick on that little piece. I have no willpower at all!

Not gonna lie. This is NOT a pretty vegetable.

Parsnips, minced ginger, mashed garlic clove, water, broth, salt, pepper and tarragon all go into the pot and brought to a boil–then a slow simmer.  Honestly, it really isn’t much to look at!

My Cuisinart hand blender does a great job mashing

I’ll use my Cuisinart emersion blender to mash the vegetables.  I’ll also add a bit of the water I boiled them in.  No butter. No cream.  Just flavor!

And that is what I’ll have for dinner this evening. We’ll have leftover roast chicken (Which, BTW, Bonaparte picked up yesterday. You think I’m gonna roast a chicken in this heat?  Even with air conditioning, it’ll be stifling!) And mashed parsnips.  Bonaparte will also have spicy couscous that I make for him.  A nice, simple mid-week dinner.

This will be dinner tonight.

A simple and healthy dinner of mashed parsnips with a ton of pepper (I’m addicted), and left over, take-away chicken.  Easy peasy!

Oh.  In my attempt to keep cool yesterday, I spent time in a heavily air-conditioned Marshall’s.  I found this dress for a grand total of $7.00. The cashier was upset she didn’t find it first. Anyway, it’s a simple navy crepe dress. I am going to get so much use out of this.  I’m sure when Bonaparte sees this post, he won’t be upset with my spending seven bucks!

7.00 shift

My $7.00 dress–and this will get a ton of wear because of the simple cut. It’ll go with everything!

dress detail seams and darts.

I used a filter for this photo, but look at the detailing. The dress has darts! I love that!

It’s only appropriate that today I have you listen to Frank Zappa’s “Call Any Vegetable”. Parsnips made the video! XOXOXOXO!

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My French Map Will No Longer Show A Wonderful Place…

When Bonaparte and I visited the Cote d’Azur this summer, we had the greatest meal in the most adorable restaurant on the needle of L’Aiguille.  A thin, long but small beach in Theoule-sur-Mer.   It took a while for us to find the place, but when we did, it was nirvana.  All we did was talk about how great it’ll be to return next summer.L'Aiguille. A fine restaurant we will be returning to.

This was the menu from the restaurant.  We had plans to visit next summer. I’m glad I have my photos and memories!

Then, I found out the restaurant was in danger of being demolished due to some French politics that I’m not going to get into.  We signed petitions.  I, as well as many others I’m sure,  wrote to Nice-Matin, a local newspaper about the plight of this restaurant and the family who owns it.

FB Page for L Aiguille

The petition from Petitions.24 had so many signatures–internationally.

The newspaper published articles.  One of the TV stations showed up.  I even devoted a blog post about this.

Mais jai Une Cause. An Effort to Save a Little Gem of a Restaurant

Even with the support of so many people and the media, the demolition was carried forth.

Demolition of Restaurant L’Aiguille  Here’s a little clip for you to see. It’s really sad to watch.

L'Aiguille. Another beautiful evening view

How could the powers-that-be get rid of a restaurant with a view like this? 

Restaurant L’Aiguille, may not be on the map anymore. But, in my mental map of memories, I will never ever forget the most wonderful meal I’ve ever had in my life. I will never remember that little beachfront in France.  Bonaparte and I are happy that we were fortunate enough to have had that meal at this little restaurant.

map detail

My map will be different these days. But I’ve got memories–and great ones!

I wish Cedric and his family the best of luck and many successes in all they do!

FIN

It’s the end of a long run for the restaurant, but I wish every success to Cedric and his family. Every. Best. Success!

The only song I could think of right now is Charles Trenet’s “La Mer” Obviously.

Posted in France. | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

All I Ask Are For Simple Directions? Is That So Wrong?

You know that weird feeling you get of unfamiliarity?  It happens a lot when you are going somewhere that you haven’t been to before.  And it happens when you follow the directions you got online.

Road work ahead

I depend on directions so that I will not be faced with THIS!!

Well. Let. Me. Tell. YOU.  I had some morning!

I had to take a drive to LabCorp.

LabCorp.svg

I’m still trying to figure out why I had to drive so far away when there is a Lab Corp location up the road from me!

That’s right.  Next week I start a gig as a temp for a larger corporation.  I’m incredibly happy to be returning to a professional office environment. Even though the position runs through the beginning of November, it’s great because I’ll be utilizing my skills and I’ll be home for the holidays! I’m also quite excited because working as a temp, for some reason, is making me feel extremely relaxed. Bonaparte is thrilled because I’ll be earning a salary once again!

Anyway, as part of my onboarding, drug testing is required.  I’m completely fine with that because I’m a drug-free zone.  I received the necessary documentation and in that documentation was the location of the LabCorp office where I had to take the testing.

It was pretty far from my house. I kinda knew where the site was, but I wasn’t sure how to get there from where I live.

So I went on both MapQuest and Google Maps for directions.

sorry-iphone-users-google-maps-app-on-ios-6-isn-t-great-either-8c9d7bc44f

Oh–and a word to the wise. If you see “Mapsgalaxy” pop up on your computer. Do NOT click. It’s malware! You’ll thank me later!

 Both had me driving through downtown Phoenixville. This was not a good direction selection due to the ridiculous amount of roadwork going on in this area.

traffic construction bridge out

Welcome to my world. This is what most of the roads look like where I live!

The main bridge is out. Roads are moving escargot slow.  Traffic is constantly backed up.

bridge closed

Five months now. Five. Long. Months.

I had to look up an alternate route and I got it.  Printed out the directions, got into the car and began to drive.

When I got to the “Turn right at Route 23” part of the directions, I couldn’t turn right.

23 detour

I was SUPPOSED to turn right. Who knew about the detour? Not I!

Route 23 was detoured. The road was closed.  I had no idea where I was and had no idea where I was going.

20150831-Large-RoadClosedSign-GoogleImages-730x430

My detour led me driving through Valley Forge National Park. At least I knew where the exit was–and it led to a familiar road!

Thank God I gave myself plenty of time. The only thing I could do was to make it to a familiar road pronto. Under normal circumstances, I would have been cursing up a storm so fierce that a boat full of sailors would begin to cry.   Instead, I remembered that I was going to channel my inner Pope Francis and be a nice girl. Besides, if the Pope got Boehner to step down, then surely I should be able to curb my gutter mouth!

The printed directions were of no use to me.   I ended up on a familiar road and pulled into a parking lot.   I decided to go to my iPhone for help.  THIS procedure took all of ten of the longest minutes to figure out.  I had to figure out how to connect my Bluetooth and then my phone to my car’s audio system.

Then, I had to enter in my ending location.  One thing about Google Maps on the iPhone—it’s not simple to enter this information.

After losing my inner Pope Francis, I went through a few naughty words. So then, I went to my prayer app on my phone  and said a prayer of forgiveness.

Prayer app

Hey. Don’t judge. I actually have this Catholic app on my phone..and in times of road rage and anger, I use it. It helps! I said don’t judge!

Then I went back to the Google Maps.  I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why my phone wasn’t talking to me.  I went back to the settings. Everything seemed as it should be. Still—no voice. And I had it set to “high” volume!

A sigh of relief because I realized that I had the volume on my phone shut off.  I turned it on and when my little phone spoke to me, I achieved a level of comfort.

The rest of the ride went smoothly.  I should have listened to my phone from the get-to.

Car pulled into the lot of the LabCorp destination; I kissed my phone and thanked it.

I’ll tell ya, I was so prepared to wait.  Even though I had an appointment, I figured since it was Monday, I would be in the waiting room for a while.  I had a book to read, the necessary documentation, my huge purse, and my phone.

My stuff

THIS  is how I prepare to wait. Plenty of stuff to keep me occupied!

 Thanks to La duchesse d’Erat, my fellow friend and blogger, I also had Polyvore to keep me busy creating all sorts of outfits and ensembles.

Yes. These are but two of my Polyvore outfit creations. Part of the fun is giving the outfits titles! Do you like the detail of my hangover outfit–the bucket?

Yes. Bonaparte will be thrilled to know that “Cookie Jam” is now a game of the past for me. It’s been replaced by Polyvore!

Cokie-Jam

Bye-bye Cookie Jam. I’ve got a new toy!

My wait wasn’t long and the people at LabCorp were just so nice and friendly! I think the Pope had a positive effect on everyone!   I would be having a blood test so I wore a loose fitting sweater with sleeves that rolled up easily.

After signing document after document, I had to go to the sink and wash and thoroughly dry my hands. The male technician handed me a plastic bag. In the plastic bag was another little plastic bag and a narrow plastic cup.   I was then instructed to leave my belongings with the technician and to go into the bathroom next door.

You’re not drawing blood?”  The look on his face was priceless after I asked this question.  (Maybe he thought I must’ve been on drugs to ask such a moronic question!)

He explained that blood isn’t needed to check for drug use.  All I had to do was to go into the bathroom and “make” into the plastic cup.

cup

NO WAY, was I going to snap a photo of the real thing. Besides, the technician had custody of my phone!

NOTE: Before I go any further, you need to know that I refer to going Number 1 as “Make”. It is either a Long Island term or it’s the term my mother made us say since we were kids.  Either way, mother hated the term “pee”. As such, I think it’s quite vulgar.  I use “make” instead!

I’m gonna tell you something.  A man definitely designed those plastic “make” cups.  Had they been designed by a woman, the cups would have had a wider mouth and would have been easier to aim the product into!

Have you any idea of how hard it is for a cross-eyed woman to “make” into an extremely narrow cup? My body was so contorted from getting my head low enough to see what I was doing that if I bent down any lower, I would have ruined the great blow-out that Adam gave me on Friday!  It was nearly impossible to get the aim correctly.  Instead, I came out with wet jeans.  I felt like Billy Madison.

Billy Madison

Take a look at Billy Madison’s jeans. Take a look at his schoolmate’s jeans.  Now you know why the technician asked me if  everything was OK!

Just how messed up were my jeans?   When the technician saw me exit the bathroom, he asked me if everything was OK.

Well, the good thing was that I drank quite a bit of coffee this morning. It’ll also be a ton of fun to be able to wear my office clothes again!

I’m going to play with Polyvore now. In the meantime, here’s a listen to one of my favorite Van Morrison songs. I have it on my phone. And I listened to it on the way back from LabCorp because I knew where I was going!

I also washed my jeans!

Clothes drying

What the heck, I washed my entire ensemble! Hmmm..maybe I should Polyvore it?

“Into The Mystic”.  Enjoy the day!

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I’m Just a Paupered Princess© in J. Crew Clothing

*Sigh*. It’s early on a Sunday morning. All is quiet. Chippy is curled up in a bundle just feet from where I sit.

Chippy

My little buddy is never far from me. Sometimes he’s so close that I trip over him. My clumsy!

The sky is sunny.  I’m a bit under the weather, though, due to a heavy sauce that I made last night. It was a cream-based anchovy sauce with a ton of shallot. Bonaparte wanted to have a French dinner. The sauce was generously poured over NY strip steaks.   We also had a beautiful bottle of Chateaux Margaux wine.  The wine was sublime–it tasted like dirt, my favorite kind of wine!  I chased my morning coffee down with a dose of Alka Seltzer.

Margaux 2005.

Honestly. THIS wine does not give a hangover. I’m Alka-Seltzering it from that heavy shallot-laden cream sauce!

  As I lay in bed and surfed the channels, my interest was piqued when I saw a beautiful pink dress on the screen.

Pink ece

I can’t help it. I just adore this dress. I think it’s from the Spring line though. 

The dress was showcased in Paris Fashion Week and was designed by Ece Ege, the Creative Director at Dice Kayek.  This dress literally took my breath away.  It was a work of Haute Couture artistry.

Ece Ege

Ece Ege. She’s my new favorite designer. Which means I’ll be obsessed with her for the next million years!

 It looked very Courreges. Anyone who knows me is well-aware of my love for Andre Courreges.  In fact, whenever I’m in Paris, I make Bonaparte drive by the Courreges Boutique. Just so I can gape in the windows at the beautifully simplistic shifts.

Courreges shift

Ahh..Courreges. So simple and refined. The exact opposite of me–but then again, opposites attract!

However, on the social scale of fashion. I’m not high enough, nor will I ever be, to achieve Haute Couture purchasing power.  I’m not even high enough to reach the level below of true “designer” clothing.

What is prompting me to write about this subject is the book I started to read:  “I’ll Drink to That”. It’s a memoir by personal shopper extraordinaire, Betty Halbreich.   This woman is a pistol. Even though she grew up privileged and in the realms of the upper class, she comes across as a true broad. I wanna drink a Manhattan with her.  But—she has the coolest job in the world as a personal shopper for the elitist customers who enter through the doors of the infamous Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue.  Oh. And she’s 86 years young.

I'll drink to that.

I’m really enjoying this book. Who knew those wealthy “ladies who lunch” could be so insecure?????

Anyway, between reading ol’ Betty’s book, and delusionally imagining myself in that incredible pink frock from   Dice Kayek Couture, I started to think of my own wardrobe and just about where  this Paupered Princess© happens to fit in fashion’s social scale.

Probably at the lower-end of the middle classes.  Naturally, with a touch of the higher end of the lower classes thrown in.

Fact is, even though I cannot afford designer labels, I do love to dress nicely.  And yes, I have a penchant for those Old Navy fitted t-shirts, which I actually size down to a “S”, simply because the fit is so incredibly flattering and they can be worn dressed up as well as down.  Ever the bargain hunter, I’ve purchased many of them for under five bucks!

on-fitted-t-shirts-best-bargain-on-earth

Some of my Old Navy Fitted Tees. Best bargain to wear under a sweater or under a blazer or alone. Epic value for the price!

And, I’ve mentioned before, when I travel, I refuse to take my good jewelry along, so I’ll load up on hoop earrings from Walmart. Yes. Walmart! At less than five bucks for a card full of hoops, the value is incredible. Guess what?  Nobody is coming up to me to inspect my earrings and if I leave them behind, it isn’t an issue!

cheap-cheap-but-from-afar-who-cares

Best jewelry deal under five bucks.  I have a card at the ready in my travel case. Hey. I”m not taking the good stuff with me and neither should you!

But—and a huge “but”  (almost as huge as my “butt”!),  95 percent of my clothing is from J. Crew. 98 of that 95 percent has been purchased at discount. I was one of the original customers back in 1983 and I’ve remained loyal to the brand since then.  When I worked downtown on Wall Street, many a lunch hour was spent in the J. Crew shop at the South Street Seaport.

south-street-seaport

J. Crew is no longer at the Seaport but when it opened here in 1983, I was one of their best customers!

My kids and I have a family code name for the brand “Jacrew”. The clothing is multi-generational. My kids and Bonaparte all wear J. Crew.  It’s what we feel comfortable in.

Me and the kids.

Me with the kids. Every one of is is wearing at least one article of clothing from J. Crew!

I’ve gone through my ups and downs with J. Crew. Some years I vow never to set into the store again. Other years, it’s like returning to a relative that you’ve held a grudge with for a long time.

I also have a tendency to read one of my favorite blogs, J. Crew Aficionada Blog. before heading off to my local brick and mortar Crew. It’s crazy, but I love to read the reviews of the J. Crew clothing on this blog. It’s like the Crew Bible!

Presently, I am having a so-so Jacrew year. I’m loving the pants and some of the shirts, but I’m not loving the many of the color choices or dresses. But it doesn’t matter because I’m wearing Crew clothing from years back.

But, year after year, I know I can still rely on the clothes to make me pulled together. Come into my closet with me and I’ll put some outfits together for you.  OK?

J. Crew Blazers

The blazer mix.  The Schoolboys. The camel Regent. The two linen blazers from J. Crew Factory (which, at times has better quality and cut goods than the brick and mortar J. Crew). Yup. In the front are three navy Schoolboy blazers–and I’m glad I got ’em because they’ve been discontinued!

Some of the J. Crew and Factory skirts

The skirts. Not one of these was purchased at full price. In fact, the red flouncy skirt in front and the black checked skirt in the back were purchased at J. Crew.com for 29.99 each. The pencil skirts are from both Factory and the J. Crew brick and mortar store.  The yellow factory skirt is one of my favorites. The wool is such high quality.  The little pleated navy number was a recent purchase at J. Crew Factory. 50% off!

Inside detail on red flouncy skirt. The ribbon reinforces the waist. Note I still have the plastic tag 11 months later.

Here’s a great detail from the red flouncy skirt. The inside of the waistband is reinforced and heavily reinforced I might add. The skirt is a heavyweight wool. Perfect for winter. Oh–look! I forgot to take the plastic thingy out. I’ve had the skirt for almost a year!

Tippis and Charlie sweater.

Some of my Tippi Sweaters from J. Crew. The raspberry one is a “Charlie” sweater from J. Crew Factory and the fit is just as good as the Tippi sweater. I love these because they are lightweight and wear extremely well–especially over the years! And–I only buy them on sale!

Emerald Tippi. Lilly Pulitzer Murfee scarf. J. Crew Factory skirt. Halogen Shoes.

This makes a nice autumn ensemble. Emerald Green Tippi. Lilly Pulitzer Murfee scarf, J. Crew Factory skirt and Halogen heels.

Black Number 2 Pencil skirt. Yellow factory pencil skirt. blazer

I can wear this Black Schoolboy blazer with a red Tippi, a black Number 2 Pencil Skirt, my plaid Old Navy scarf and metallic Ivanka Trump pumps..or I can wear my yellow factory skirt for a change up!

I love the color combos

I’m normally not one to wear a lot of color at one time, but I do like the way the yellow, red, black and the colors from the plaid scarf  blend with each other.

J. Crew Black pants. J. Crew Black Schoolboy . J. Crew Red Tippi. Old Navy Scarf. Ivanka Trump shoes.

Or, if I don’t want to wear a skirt, I can slip on a pair of  J. Crew black Ryder pants…

Navy Ryder Pants. Navy Schoolboy. J. Crew Factory scarf. J. Crew Emerald Tippi Via Spiga Flats.

..or just wear the navy Ryder pants with a navy Schoolboy blazer, that same green Tippi sweater and a J. Crew scarf around my neck. The shoes are Via Spiga flats from a few years back.

Casual. Navy Factory Gigi Pants, J. Crew white shirt. Old J. Crew embellished shirt (Factory I think) Factory plaid popover shirt.  Patent Repettos

For a more casual look there’s the navy Gigi pants and the plaid popover shirt I purchased from J. Crew Factory (um…Bonaparte found out about THAT purchase from reading the blog!).  Or..I can wear a simple white tunic shirt from J. Crew or an embellished sleeveless shirt. My Repettos are perfect for casual but refined footwear!  I like to keep things simple and don’t wear a lot of jewelry. My go-to necklaces are usually faux pearls–either a statement or more demure one!

Did I mention that I need to be careful about some things I blog about?  Yeah. Sometimes I’ll go shopping and sneak my purchases into the house. I’m really brilliant because I’m delusionally thinking that Bonaparte won’t find out.  He’ll read my blog and ask me if I’ve gone shopping. Liar that I am, I’ll look him in the eye and say “No”.  Then he’ll point out what I’ve written.

Curses. Foiled again!

On a more productive note, I’ve hung the mirror that was sitting on the floor for over eight months. I didn’t even realize that it could be hung over the door.  I need to pay more attention to what’s going on!

Look. I hung the mirror

FINALLY! I hung the mirror! Who knew it would hang over the door? BTW, I’m wearing some Old Navy today.  Fitted Tee, Rockstar jeans and that plaid scarf. I’m also wearing my most comfy black Repettos. The humidity is making my hair big. Odd how I”m not wearing J. Crew today, isn’t it?

Off to take more Alka Seltzer for my heartburn. Enjoy the rest of the day! XOXOXOXO!

Since the subject is clothing, and since I’m thinking about The Kinks—here’s “Dedicated Follower of Fashion”!

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Welcome To My Clumsy

Yes. It is one of those days in which my clumsiness outshines every single wonderful quality that embodies the essence of who I am! A regular “Accident Prone Joan”!

scar mem by Bleukettu on Deviant Art

This meme by BleuKettu on Deviant Art basically describes my clumsy. I’ve got scars on my face from falls. I have unknown bruises from bumping into stuff and it just goes on and on…….

Where the past couple of days have been beautifully crisp and cool, today’s weather is humid, unseasonably sticky, hazy and partly cloudy.   It never ceases to amaze me.  Whenever I go to have my hair blown out, the weather is either like today or rainy.

I realize that I have “winter” hair. My hair looks far better in the winter than in the hazy, warm, and sticky of the summer and fall.   Today I went for my regular blow out.

Anyway, in keeping with the warmth of this late September (who says there is no such thing as global warming? Take a look at my hair and you will see just what the effects of global warming are!!), I wore my white jeans.

Upon arriving at the salon, I parked my car.  When I got out of my car, the door hit my leg. It didn’t feel like much, and when I looked down at my white jeans, I spotted a smudge.  This isn’t unusual for me because 99 percent of the time, I cannot make it through a day without messing some part of my wardrobe.

When I got back into my car after that stellar blow dry, I noticed the smudge on my leg grew. Upon closer inspection, I saw that my leg was bleeding.  The freakin’ white jeans were now splattered with blood and there was nothing I could do about it.

It bled more as the morning went on

It grew as the morning went on.  This would not have happened if I was wearing dark jeans!

So I took a little detour to Old Navy before heading home.

I picked up a few items to try on and found a dressing room.

Does it bother me that my Weejuns haven't been polished in ten years. But the blood stain is festering.

See how the bloody spot grew on my WHITE jeans?  It doesn’t matter that the Weejuns I wore haven’t been polished in over five years..but that spot was just festering!

My clumsiness followed me.    My bracelet got caught in a hanger. It took me about two minutes to get the bracelet undone.

bracelet in hangar

I could not even begin to explain how THIS happened. But I do know that it was not easy to undo my bracelets from this cheap plastic hanger.

I decided to change up my hoop earrings today and wear my favorite statement earrings from J. Crew.  I lost the back of one of the earrings on the floor.  The floor is so speckled that I couldn’t spot the earring back.  I even “swished” and glided my feet across the dressing room hoping I would be able to feel it. No such luck.

See these pretty earrings?  Well, I almost lost one of them in the dressing room. God forbid I actually find the back of the earring on this floor.  The back fell–then mysteriously disappeared. It must have rolled into the land of lost socks from the nearest laundry room!

My leg has a little gash. It is hard for me to come to terms that a little gash like this could ruin a pair of jeans.

This gash caused the ruin of my jeans

This little gash, bled THAT much through my jeans. Ouch. My legs need moisturizer–and lots of it!

I didn’t let my clumsiness stop me from trying on clothing.  I loved this plaid shirt. What’s with me and plaid anyway? It must be because the Pope is visiting and I’m channeling my Catholic school uniforms.  But yeah, I’m that girl with the tucked-in shirt that just happened to untuck itself. That’s why I’m big on the half-tuck look. It is befitting any clumsy woman.

Half tuck is my new fashion statement. Hey. I AM that girl. My hair looks just like Marlo Thomas.

Do we see a pattern here with the plaid and the half tuck? I feel like Marlo Thomas with my “That Girl” coif!  Well–I AM that girl, but I’m the clumsy version!

It didn’t stop there.  I ended up getting a plaid scarf for eight bucks. As I slid my debit card through that little swipe apparatus, I disconnected it from the stand it was sitting upon.

More plaid.

Cute. Right?  Although my madness for plaidness is getting a bit crazy!

As I made an attempt to set the swipe machine back, my purse got caught on it.  I will only say this.  When the sales assistant finished the transaction, she was incredibly sincere in telling me to have a great afternoon.  She felt my clumsy.

It should have dawned on my last night that today would be that kind of day.  As I fluffed my pillows, my finger hit the headboard and my nail broke.  Really??  Who the hell breaks a nail trying to fluff pillows?   I do.

Broken Nail

I think Bonaparte was more upset about my broken nail than I was. He LOVES when my hands are perfectly manicured.  I need to file this nail down before it breaks again!

Happy Friday and welcome to my clumsy!

I’m just gonna Wang Chung my clumsy away! I’m gonna Wang Chung Tonight. Are you?

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