Mama mia...

...thatsaspicymeataballa...

I spent my formative years in NY. I grew up watching the tube. Johnny Carson, SNL when it first started, Monty Python, Chiller Theater... That expression was from an Alka-Seltzer ad a way long time ago... The photo is a bit more recent, just a few years ago, and it was the start of the "Smiley Face In Situ" series, still a work in progress.

UB and I were frying up the meatballs for that night's dinner, when lo and behold, there was that face, smiling up at me! (A bit evil, if you ask me!) All cooking ceased as I pulled the pan off the burner and ran for my camera. I'm sure my family thinks I'm a bit on the wacko side, but this sort of left them speechless. "Don't touch that pan!"

All that to say, mama mia, I am booking my NYC flight and hotel. Maybe I should use a catch phrase from another commercial and say, "Cha-ching!".

My only solace in dropping all that dough is that it is Wednesday, and in France that means it's Nouvelle Star night! Yeah! Tonight is song suggestions from the viewers. I couldn't resist and hit the M6 website... and guess what??? Someone else wants Amandine to sing "Cry Baby"! Merci mille fois whoever you are!! We'll see what happens. I may even do a follow up tomorrow! Til then, in the immortal words of Janis Joplin:

"...Seems like the grass always looks greener,
When you're looking over there in somebody else's back-yard..."

Sax appeal...

When you swap out my fab Parisian apartment, not only do you get well-groomed gardens, weird global-warming weather and boulangeries, you get street musicians too! Yeah!

These guys seem to be coming around once a month now... Last time they were playing "When the Saints Go Marching In... today we were graced with "Those Were the Days, My Friend", two fine morsels of Americana music. I tossed them a few euros that I had folded up in a piece of scrap paper and they played their way down the street. Lucky for you, you won't have to listen to my son's back-up burps. That particular special effect is not part of the exchange plan.

I guess this will be my last appeal for a trade... leave a comment! Call your friends! Book your trip!

Play that funky music!

’Cause I'm the taxman...

Not a great photo, but I just think it's funny that the Minister of Contributions, the tax reimbursements and the Brotherhood of Pirates are all on the same street. Taken in Ouchy in Switzerland.

The taxes are signed, sealed, delivered and, phew... just in the nick of time. So, to anyone I may have been putting off recently, I just about have a clear slate to start and/or finalize projects. This past week (and weekend) has been spent knee-deep in paperwork and forms. Not my favorite way to pass the time!

In the end, I walked my papers to La Poste and sent them off... passed Fleurs d'Auteuil on the way home and decided to pick up some balcony geraniums. Dear potential apartment swapper... my balconies will have beautiful geraniums for you to water!

That's it for me ce soir... gonna shut down the machine, step away from the box and take a break!

...yeah, I'm the taxman...

Zzzzzzzzzz.........

There's a certain point of contentment/exhaustion one can reach before it just takes over and lays you out.

I was up at seven this morning, but opted to go back to bed and read for a little while before Brailing my way to the coffee machine. Yeah. Right. Next time I opened my eyes it was almost noon! I haven't slept like that since before childbirth!

Maybe it was because said child spent the night at his friend's last evening? Tax form exhaustion took its toll? Who knows? Whatever it was, it felt great, if not a bit self-indulgent!

This kitty was Hobbes and he has since left this mortal plane. I can still hear his purr and feel the warmth of the afternoon sun coming in through the windows. One day I'll introduce you to Ayo. We had some pretty cool cats in the family.

Thinking of you, UB.

Behind bars...

Yup. That's where you might find me next year...

I'm doing the taxes. It's all in French and it's all so damned confusing! I could very well be tapping out next year's blog from cellblock 6.

Dépenses, recettes, amortizations... Cripes, I hope I got it right. FYI to France Gestion: I am an honest person trying to do the right thing! Please don't haul me off in cuffs! I have spent the better part of last week and today entering, finding receipts and invoices, and trying to figure out what they mean by multiple échéances... and how to do it!

This will all be done by Cinco de Mayo for the first approval and then on to the real deal of French Impots.

Sheesh.

Thanks AG, for all your input today. A lot less painful with a sidekick! :-)

In vino veritas...

A friend is here visiting... she left France a few years ago having come to the realization that after 20 years, it just wasn't working. She went back to her home state and has found that life is much easier in the US.

I popped a bottle of the good stuff while we caught up and then we went to dinner at a nearby place and had another bottle with our meal.

Our discussions ran the gamut from what is love and how do you find it and where, to how do you give yourself up to someone when you have reached our age (not that old!!) and had the experiences we have had.

The conclusion we came to was you are never too old for love and you should always hope for the best. Eternal optimists that we are...we'll never give up.

Besides, you never know what might be around the next bend.

Wino Forever
~Johnny Depp
(The tattoo once read 'Winona Forever'!)

True confessions...

Okay. I admit it. I'm a Nouvelle Star junkie. For all the Yanks in the audience, it's the French equivalent of American Idol. Now that that's out in the open, I can give my 2 centimes worth of comments.

This year they have a really talented lot... no sitting through the painful ones wondering when the hell they'll be voted off. They kinda did that in the first show with three right out the door. Merci.

They are now down to seven as of last night. Five men, two women. Of the two women, Amandine has the most amazing voice with a lot of power behind it. I want her to do anything by Janis Joplin, but most specifically, I would love to hear her do "Cry Baby". She has the range, the intensity and I think she could take the song and make it her own, not just cover it. The other woman, Lucille, is a Cyndi Lauper wannabe; still waiting for her to wow the crowd.

On to the men... Cedric. Woof. Anchors aweigh... he has a great voice and he looks like Pierce Brosnan. I'd love to hear him sing anything from Van Morrison. He has a folky style, but good range and depth. Ycare is good but he sorta has that psycho Charles Manson stare and he hasn't yet found his forte. As Philippe Manœuvre said, he needs to "Let loose the monster!"

Thomas did a great version of Robbie Williams' "She's Come Undone"... I think a lot of attention is being paid to Jules and Thomas may well be the dark horse. Jules just turned 18, he's good, but young... someone to watch. And then there's Benjamin... he'll hang in there. Who will go next?? I'll seal my predictions in an envelope.

See that? Give a junkie a bit of freedom... I didn't even mention the apartment swap once!

I still love NY!