triple nippled cowboy

A courtyard rue Titon

2011-05-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

Rue Titon

2011-05-02T09:02:00.001-07:00

Une caserne de pompiers à Paris

2011-04-25T08:35:00.001-07:00

Sunbathing in Paris

2011-04-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

Chromatics—suite

2010-11-08T12:46:00.002-08:00

August in Paris...CLOSED!

2009-07-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

Closed for summer holidays starting August 2nd. Will open again September 1st. If I don't win the lottery...

My record player when I was ten years old!

2009-07-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

Adrian and Danielle brought their record player to the picnic and I went straight down memory lane.

Clafoutis

2009-07-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

Spoiled

2009-07-20T01:06:00.001-07:00

Finally captured: the neighborhood twins!

2009-07-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

The bathtub water tastes better.

2009-07-18T04:21:00.000-07:00

Dad's sweet garden

2009-07-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

Bastille day 2009

2009-07-14T02:41:00.001-07:00

The juggler, his head and a vase filled with fishes

2009-07-12T07:23:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me why the traffic light faces away from the road...

2009-07-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

but as a pedestrian I find it a bit disturbing to have simultaneously the green light and the red one. Over ten days have passed and the traffic light is still facing away from traffic.

La vache qui faisait sa chiquette.

2009-06-23T14:28:00.001-07:00

Ask and it is given.

2009-06-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

On the way back from Minerve and Vieulac

2009-06-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Vieulac, Hérault: lots of miles driven to get to a home lost in the middle of nowhere to buy some goat cheese... a place to remember.

2009-06-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

An afternoon in Minerve, Hérault.

2009-06-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

My favorite kind of clouds

2009-06-23T09:00:00.001-07:00

Driving through Ariège's country roads on our way to getting Chess' favorite sausages!

2009-06-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

Papa P. bird savior

2009-06-21T12:58:00.001-07:00

Apricots from the yard

2009-06-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

A skinny building on rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis

2009-06-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

The fly who landed on my white wall and shat

2009-05-21T06:56:00.001-07:00

What's left of Iris' brownie

2009-05-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

The very old lady who played noise all day

2009-05-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

The old lady with the pink hairdo

2009-04-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

You still like pigeons Jackie?

2009-04-17T09:46:00.001-07:00

The butcher, his glasses and his watch

2009-03-25T04:47:00.000-07:00

A nice work outfit

2009-03-25T04:45:00.001-07:00

Sublet in Paris

2009-03-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

The couple on rue de Montreuil, Paris 11th

2009-03-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

When she saw that the restaurant they were passing by had a bavette-frites on the menu, she pulled him by the sleeve and said "bavette-frites, lets go in!". They walked in and that was the last time I saw her.

Spinnin' on a Velib'

2009-03-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

That's some serious i-need-to-exercise-but-i-can't-afford-a-gym-membership!
The bike was locked and the dude was spinning on the city bike, for real.

Muntazer: the man who threw his shoe at Bush

2009-01-30T02:12:00.000-08:00

Muntazer's shoe has been immortalized—an Iraqi town acquires a monument in honor of the man. I'm glad they chose not to glorify both shoes...
The sign reads: "Muntazer is fasting until the sword breaks his fast with blood, silent until our mouths speak the truth."

Can someone enlighten those religious freaks?

2009-01-18T04:31:00.001-08:00

"A girl aged 10 or 12 can be married. Those who think she's too young are wrong and they are being unfair to her...We should know that Shariah law has not brought injustice to women." Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh.
Like stoning women to death for having been raped?

Gay rights: a move in the right direction (except for the U.S)

2008-12-28T06:52:00.000-08:00

First and foremost let's thank LOUIS-GEORGES TIN --founder of IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia)-- who is behind the first gay rights declaration that was read last week at the United Nations.

"United Nations: First Gay Rights Declaration Wins Much Support, United States Opposes It."

'More than 50 countries opposed to the declaration, including members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, issued a joint statement Thursday criticizing the initiative as an unwarranted attempt to give special prominence to gays and lesbians. The statement suggested that protecting sexual orientation could lead to "the social normalization and possibly the legalization of deplorable acts" such as pedophilia and incest. RIGHT. WE ALL KNOW PEDOPHILIA AND INCEST IS A GAY THING, DON'T WE! GAY IS THE EASY TARGET, THE CONVENIENT CULPRIT THAT STRAIGHT PEOPLE USE TO BLAME THEIR OWN DEVIANCES ON.
...
The European nations backing the declaration waged their campaign in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Dutch foreign affairs minister, Maxime Verhagen, said countries that endorsed that 1948 document had no right to carve out exceptions based on religion or culture that allowed discrimination against gays. SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE WANT THEIR CAKE AND EAT TOO.
"Human rights apply to all people in all places at all times," he said. "I will not accept any excuse."' REALLY, WHAT'S SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND? DOES SEEING A HOMELESS PERSON OUT IN THE COLD MAKE ONE FEEL WARMER?

The countries (names in French) who signed the declaration:
Andorre, Argentine, Arménie, Australie, Autriche, Belgique, Bosnie-Herzegovine, Brésil, Bulgarie, Canada, Cap-Vert, République de Centre-Afrique, Chili, Croatie, Chypre, République Tchèque, Danemark, Equateur, Estonie, Finlande, France, Gabon, Géorgie, Allemagne, Grèce, Hongrie, Islande, Irlande, Israël, Italie, Japon, Lettonie, Liechtenstein, Lituanie, Luxembourg, Malte, Mexique, Monténegro, Pays-Bas, Nouvelle-Zélande, Norvège, Portugal, Roumanie, San Marin, Serbie, Slovaquie, Slovénie, Espagne, Suède, Suisse, ex-république Yougoslave de Macédoine, Royaume-Uni, Uruguay, Venezuela.
IT'S KIND OF MIND BLOWING TO SEE THAT COUNTRIES LIKE ARMENIA, GABON, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, ROUMANIA... HAVE SIGNED THE DECLARATION WHILE THE U.S.A HAS NOT.

Bush, humiliated?

2008-12-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

"As our global community transitions from the ill-fated presidency of George W. Bush to the much-anticipated presidency of Barack Obama, we can take comfort knowing the gigantic imprint of history's "shoe" will leave a much more humiliating mark on the Bush legacy than a pair of misguided size 10 Iraqi shoes thrown in his general direction."
-Arsalan Iftikhar

Exactly my point.
I don't really see Bush being more humiliated by a pair of shoes thrown at him than by his own idiosyncrasies. The shoe throwing incident can't possibly be more humiliating than the plethora of bushisms the world has seen and made fun of over his 8 years of presidency. Bush's whole presidency has been punctuated by such humiliating moments that they will forever be part of History. Actually he even managed to turn most of those moments into a joke, laughing at himself with the rest of the world so as to not be the butt of the joke, but rather the joker himself. Killing two birds with one stone Bush made a crack about the size of the shoes thrown at him while at the same time belittling the gesture of the man throwing shoes at him. He actually managed to show the world he has some good reflexes too. It would probably have been a different story had he been hit in the face by the guy's shoes. Imagine Bush with a red size 10 shoe mark on his cheek!
What i did find very humiliating was the G20 summit world leaders refusing to shake hands with Bush, or worse, ignoring him altogether. Here too, it was all gesture, but this time he was completely alone against a whole group of people and there was no culprit to blame for what was happening to him. That to me said much more than 2 shoes he managed to duck, no matter how insulting it is in the Arab world. After all, Bush got tomatoes thrown at him, by his own people, on his way to the White House on inauguration day.

"Two Cheers for Rod Blagojevich" by Frank Rich

2008-12-15T16:53:00.000-08:00

The new hip trio of "caganers": Obama, Carla and Nicolas

2008-12-15T06:23:00.000-08:00

Cagar means to shit in Spanish. "Caganer" is Catalan for "pooper".
"The caganer is a particular feature of modern Catalan nativity scenes... The exact origin of the Caganer is lost, but the tradition has existed since the 17th century."
Among the explanations as to why a "caganer" would have its place in a holy scene, here are some of my favorites:
-"The Caganer represents the equality of all people: regardless of status, race, or gender, everyone defecates."
-"The idea that God will manifest her/himself when s/he is ready, without regard for whether we human beings are ready or not."

Looks like Carla's poop's darker than Nicolas'. It is definitely redder — I wonder if that was an attempt from the caganer makers to match Carla's hair with her poop. Lovely. In the realm of good taste we are flying high and fast, we might even have reached the sound barrier.
I don't know how Nicolas Sarkozy feels about this one but I'd rather be represented as a voodoo doll than as a pooper. Knowing how he felt about the voodoo doll bearing his effigy, he must feel pretty fucked up right now! Although now that Obama has his own caganer Sarkozy might feel as popular as the President-elect. And that my friend isn't negligible.

Nicolas Sarkozy and the Voodoo Doll

2008-11-29T07:56:00.000-08:00

Unbelievable. Nicolas-President-Almighty has won the lawsuit against Tear Prod, the company that put voodoo dolls bearing his effigy on the market!
How hypocritical of a man who said, back in 2007, that he fully supported Charlie Hebdo, the newspaper who published the very controversial caricatures of Mohammed(Mahomet). He understood at the time that muslims could be hurt by it but that they needed to understand that the French Republique has a tradition of caricature, a tradition he was not about to compromise. He added being in favor of an excess of caricature rather than a lack of. I wonder what happened to what he used to call his "conception of democracy" and the right to freedom of speech..."Je veux être le président de la libérté d'expression contre toutes les intolérances".

Keith Olbermann: to those who voted Yes on Prop 8

2008-11-11T08:07:00.000-08:00

YES WE CAN

2008-11-05T07:42:00.000-08:00

To Rudy Giuliani who attacked, with utter condescendence, Barack Obama's service as a community organizer I have only one thing to say: OBAMA PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

"In a society that claims to offer religious freedom, the use of the power of the state to enforce private religious sensibilities is an affront to all who would claim the right to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience."
While exulting in Barack Obama's victory I can't help but feel sorry about the vast amount of people who voted yes on California's propostion 8. My joy is tainted by the idea that people exercise their right to vote to discriminate against others. It is not a matter of "sanctity of marriage", it is one of equality. Religious beliefs taking precedence over rational thinking leads to unreasonable choices that harm and divide instead of nurture and unite.

"We cannot accept the view that Amendment 2's prohibition on specific legal protections does no more than deprive homosexuals of special rights. To the contrary, the amendment imposes a special disability on those persons alone. Homosexuals are forbidden the safeguards that others enjoy or may seek without constraint."
-Justice Anthony Kennedy

Sen. McCain and his wife Cindy alongside Gov. Palin (Fey) in an SNL sketch!

2008-11-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

I LOVE the United States of America for its power to utterly surprise me with its appallingly bold moves (picking Sarah Palin as VP) as well as lighting me up with its self-deprecating humor in the midst of a very tense time in history. When I think about "Sun King" Nicolas Sarkozy making a fuss about a voodoo doll bearing his effigy, I wonder if the man has entirely lost his sense of humour - if he's ever had any.

Sarah Silverman: Why you should vote for Obama

2008-11-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Whassup 2008

2008-11-02T05:09:00.000-08:00

...and here's the original:

Batwoman lives in my neighborhood

2008-10-29T10:38:00.001-07:00

The voodoo doll bearing the effigy of Nicolas Sarkozy

2008-10-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

And what exactly is the big deal Mr Sarkozy?
I say the president of France is acting a little pre-menstruel.

Coffee

2008-10-25T11:10:00.001-07:00

I drink my coffe black but if you come across a place in Paris that serves coffee this way please let me know. Thanks.

Brigitte Bardot on Sarah Palin: you go girl.

2008-10-08T04:50:00.000-07:00

Brigitte Bardot slams Palin as a 'disgrace to women'

PARIS (AFP) — French film legend-turned-activist Brigitte Bardot took a swipe at Sarah Palin on Tuesday, saying the US vice presidential candidate was a disgrace to women.
"I hope you lose these elections because that would be a victory for the world," Bardot wrote in an open letter to Republican John McCain's running mate in the November vote.
"By denying the responsibility of man in global warming, by advocating gun rights and making statements that are disconcertingly stupid, you are a disgrace to women and you alone represent a terrible threat, a true environmental catastrophe," wrote Bardot.
The screen icon from the 1960s, who now heads an animal rights foundation, went on to assail Palin for supporting Arctic oil exploration that could jeopardize delicate animal habitats and for dismissing measures to protect polar bears.
"This shows your total lack of responsibility, your inability to protect or simply respect animal life," Bardot wrote.
In a final salvo against Palin, the 74-year-old ex-star picked up on Palin's depiction of herself as a pitbull wearing lipstick and said she "implored" her not to compare herself to dogs.
"I know them well and I can assure you that no pitbull, no dog, nor any other animal for that matter is as dangerous as you are," Bardot wrote.

A week around Brittany

2008-09-16T13:24:00.001-07:00

1st day: Paris-St Malo via Chartres for its cathedral and some of the most beautiful stained glass.
We stayed at the San Pedro hotel, a great two star with view on the ocean and an amazing host. Thank you Mireille for your infinite kindness. Dinner at Coquille d'Oeuf (20 Rue Corne de Cerf, 35400 Saint Malo - 02.99.40.92.62) was very enjoyable.

2nd day: the Mont Saint-Michel. Dinner in Cancale at le Pied d'Cheval (10 Quai Gambetta, 35260 Cancale - 02.99.89.76.95‎), a great seafood restaurant.

3rd day: St Malo - Ploumanch via the Côte d'Emeraude (Dinard, Cap Fréhel). Dinner at le Mao, Ploumanach, for a delicious and unbeatably cheap seafood platter. Stayed at the Castel Beau Site Hotel and wished i had never seen that white stain on the curtain. I found the best Kouign Amann ever. It is in Ploumanach at the Fournil St Guirec (148 rue St Guirec, 22700 Ploumanach - 02.96.91.41.16). If fleur de sel caramel were a pastry it would be Ploumanach's Kouign Amann. I also tried the apple Kouign Amann and it was as if Mrs Tatin and Mr Kouign Amann had a child. The apple was a perfect compliment to the decadently sweet and buttery Breton pastry. If I didn't eat another Kouign Amann until the end of my life, it would be alright because I have tried what could possibly be the best.

4th day: Ploumanach - Morgat
We stayed at the Grand Hotel de la Mer, a Belle Epoque building with a very kitschy interior. The beautiful view from the terrasse overlooking the ocean and the deserted pebbled beach to the right compensated for the shitty cold stinky rooms. The lack of any outstanding restaurants in the vicinities and the really bad instant coffee served in the morning were quickly forgotten when we hit the road to get to the very end of the continent: the Pointe de Penhir. A magnificent sight.

5th day: Morgat - Douarnenez
On our way to Douarnenez/Tréboul we stopped by what is probably one of the most beautiful village in Brittany: Locronan, where I ate the best galette ever. Aside from its very common name, nothing about Ty Coz (Place de l'Eglise 29180 Locronan - 02.98.91.70.79) is average. The crêperie is extremely charming, the service is great, the cider delicious and the galettes made me think that since nothing else will ever compare, it would be fine if I didn't eat another galette for the rest of my life.
We spent the night at the lovely Hotel Ty Mad, a place I highly recommend both for its wonderful restaurant (the dinner and breakfast were equally delectable) as well as for its tasteful interior design, cozy atmosphere and warm welcome.
I loved Tréboul's cemetery overlooking the ocean.

6th: Douarnenez - Vannes
Our last night in Brittany was spent in a lovely place, away from everything, in the middle of nowhere near Vannes (it took quite a bit of driving back to where we came from and missing the right exit over and over) in a place called le Clos du Gusquel. Charming hostess with a gift for fixing an exquisite breakfast.

Bloggingheads—the oral fixation

2008-09-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

John McWhorter, left, of the Manhattan Institute and Glenn Loury of Brown University debate whether we can believe in Barack Obama.

Heather Hurlburt of the National Security Network and Eli Lake of The New York Sun examine the media's conflict with the conservative base over Sarah Palin.

Political scientists Daniel Drezner, left, of Tufts and Elvin Lim of Wesleyan explore the appeal of politicians who shun intellectualism.

Jane Hamsher, left, of the blog Firedoglake and Ann Althouse of the University of Wisconsin debate whether Sarah Palin can attract disaffected Clinton supporters.

Robert Wright, left, of Bloggingheads.tv and Ann Althouse of the University of Wisconsin debate the candidates' understanding of evil.

Peter Beinart of The New Republic, left, and Jonah Goldberg of National Review debate whether racism explains why Barack Obama isn't dominating in the polls.

Lunch break in a box

2008-09-09T14:32:00.001-07:00

Annie Leibovitz: A photographer's Life, 1990-2005

2008-09-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

Imagine this picture: "Donald Trump, seen as the proud possessor of a fancy car, a private jet and a beautiful young wife also heavy with child. Wearing little more than a golden bikini, Melania Trump stands on a stairway leading to the underbelly of the jet" and right across the hallway, facing that picture, one of Queen Elizabeth II, posing in her usual formal manner. Priceless.

A few more days left before the end of the show at the Maison Européene de la Photographie.

Fontfroide Abbey

2008-09-02T03:23:00.001-07:00

"To the south-west of Narbonne, in a rocky vale of the Corbières, this glorious Cistercian construction is hidden in the hollow of a valley. The abbey quietly shelters in a typical Mediterranean landscape, surrounded by trees such as cypress, box tree and pine.
The Abbey's origins go back to the end of the 11th century. Having originally followed Benedictine rule, Fontfroide finally adopted the Cistercian order in the middle of the 12th century. The monastery rapidly came to hold an immense estate which spread as far as Catalonia. As early as the beginning of the 13th century, Fontfroide had set up eight subsidiary abbeys.
During the Crusade against the Albigensians, Fontfroide rose as a powerful stronghold of Catholic orthodoxy confronting the Cathar religion which it fought against virulently. Two monks of Fronfroide stand out particularly at that time: Pierre de Castelnau and Raoul, who were appointed Papal Legates by Innocent III.
Of all the famous abbots, it is also necessary to mention Jacques Fournier who became Pope under the name of Benoît XII (1334-1342).
After a slow decline, Fontfroide fell under commendam from 1476 to 1764, when it finally lost its abbatial title and thus its subsequent income.
During the 18th century the conventual priors carried out many adjustments before the monastery's adjudication in 1791. The buildings were relatively untouched by the French Revolution, and were occupied once again by the Cistercians of the Immaculate Conception from 1858 to 1901."
A law of 1901 put an end to monastic communities, and the last of the monks fled to Spain. The abbey remained uninhabited until 1908 when the property was sold at auction to Gustave Fayet. He undertook an extensive restoration: stained-glass windows were fitted, decorative wrought iron filled the window openings, and statues and reliefs were added to the walls and gardens. In 1990, a rose garden of more than 3000 rosebushes was planted. He was an aesthete and an all-round artist who owned paintings by, and to name a few, Degas, Manet, Pissarro; he was Gauguin's main client. The stained glass artiste he hired was one of the greatest of its time: René Billa, also known as Richard Burgsthal. His work is beautiful and particularly stands out for the quality of the colors he uses.
Fontfroide abbey has been the property of his family ever since and visits are by guided tour only.

The towel that grabbed my attention

2008-09-01T14:16:00.001-07:00

I was sipping my coffee staring at the neighbor's laundry drying in my dad's backyard until my brain made sense of the green and red shapes on the towel. I was suddenly taken out of my morning torpor.

I know you're tilting your head to the right.

Family drama in one act

2008-08-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

South of France. Midday. Drunk. Naked.
A heated conversation. Drunk man number two zigzags his way back to the bedroom of naked drunk man number one and wrestles with him. Giggles, fag this fag that, screams, barks, more giggles and then silence. A few hours later I checked on the two close-to-40 drunks: drunk man number one's passed out naked across his bed and drunk man number two's asleep on his side facing his naked friend.

Donkies in dad's backyard

2008-08-27T13:12:00.001-07:00

Madonna at 50: crotch shot

2008-08-25T06:54:00.001-07:00

A few hours at the Louvre: close ups and crops

2008-08-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

Minerve chassant les vices du jardin de la Vertu by Andrea Mantegna

Minerve chassant les vices du jardin de la Vertu by Andrea Mantegna

Minerve chassant les vices du jardin de la Vertu by Andrea Mantegna

Minerve chassant les vices du jardin de la Vertu by Andrea Mantegna

Minerve chassant les vices du jardin de la Vertu by Andrea Mantegna

Minerve chassant les vices du jardin de la Vertu by Andrea Mantegna

Minerve chassant les vices du jardin de la Vertu by Andrea Mantegna

Liberale da Verona circa 1470

A fifteen century rocket-like Saint: Le bienheureux Ranieri délivre les pauvres d'une prison de Florence by Stefano di Giovanni (also known as Sassetta)

La Damnation de l'âme de l'avare de Citerna by Stefano di Giovanni

Portrait of Jean-Frederic le Magnanime by Cranache

Portrait of a young lady by Cranache

Portrait of a woman holding a carnation by Jacob Claesz

La tentation de Saint Antoine by Peter Huys

Portrait of a young woman holding a dog by Matthijs Naiveu

L'Ecole de Fontainebleau: the nipple pinching by her sister would refer to Gabrielle's maternity.

"What What In the Butt". The carrying of the cross by le Maître de la repudiation Agar

Brussels—a day in Belgium

2008-08-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Weddings just the way I like them: decided and planned two weeks before the date, invitations sent a week beforehand and a bride due a month later.

Reims—a day in Champagne

2008-08-15T16:13:00.001-07:00

A beautiful gothic cathedral. Marc Chagall designed the stained glass installed in 1974 in the axis of the apse.

Cart installation at the Pommery Estate.

Behind the shopping carts a typical Remoise house. Most of the city was destroyed during the 1st world war and rebuilt in the 1920's.

The Pommery Estate contains 18 kilometres of cellars and gallo-roman chalk pits, where lay down 20 million bottles at 30 meters underground at a constant temperature of 10 degrees Celsius.

Art installation with live birds in the cellars of the Pommery Estate.

Background wall sculpted(lines) by Daniel Buren.

Map of Russia in the Pommery Estate cellars.

Inflatable tank in the Pommery Estate cellars.

Suspended keyboard in the Pommery Estate cellars.

The clouds above Paris

2008-08-15T11:30:00.002-07:00

View from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, facing East.

Yayoi Kusama at la Villette

2008-08-15T11:30:00.001-07:00

Belle-île-en-Mer: the two kids who reminded me of the Boondock Saints

2008-08-14T02:49:00.000-07:00

Belle-île-en-Mer: j'adore!

2008-08-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

The "taco truck" of Brittany, right off the highway.

Leaving the town of Quiberon for Belle-île-en-Mer.

Morning coffee on the hotel terrace.

Our hotel overlooking port Goulphar.

A few hundred meters away from our hotel, the Hotel Grand Large kept reminding me of Norman Bates.

Goulphar lighthouse.

Right next to the Aiguilles de Port Coton, the famous needlelike rocks immortalized by Monet, the stormy weather and the crazy winds greeted us with foamflakes coming all the way from the ocean up to the top of the cliff and higher!

Arrows pointing towards far away destinations.

On our way to Sauzon, an 8 km bicycle ride, up and downhill.

Passing by fields of ruminants...

Passing by trailers...

Port Sauzon.

Our favorite restaurant in Belle-île: le Contre Quai (I didn't know cod could taste so good.)

A Breton house, on our way to Herlin Beach, past the town of Bangor.

Herlin beach, reached after walking on a trail in a forest.

Herlin beach.

Donnant beach.

The surfers of Donnant beach.

A photographer on Donnant beach.

The cliff overlooking Donnant beach.

Les aiguilles de Port Coton on a sunny day.

Paris—CasaNova

2008-07-25T13:05:00.001-07:00

The best in the realm of unusual plants.
A must see.

CasaNova
24 Avenue Victoria
75001 Paris
01.40.28.48.45

Paris—Bakelite bangles

2008-07-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

Circa 1930’s and 1940’s awesome vintage bakelite bracelets, at the pocket size 20 sur 20 jewelry store. I'm diggin' the vivid color combinations among the displayed items. Smooth and intricately carved bangles range between 50€ to 150€.

20 sur 20
3, rue des Lavandières Sainte-Opportune
75001 Paris
01.45.05.44.94

666

2008-07-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

Catherine Ringer

2008-07-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

Catherine Ringer à la Cigale: priceless.

The Urban Forrest Project

2008-07-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Rob Alexander's banner:
"In this tree are the national birds of every country currently at war or in an ongoing conflict. Each bird is illustrated in the colors of its national flag."

Bastille day: the military plane parade (my favorite part)

2008-07-14T05:11:00.000-07:00

On the road again: on the way to visiting Lautrec and Gaillac

2008-07-10T14:48:00.001-07:00

Mazamet: first stop on the way to Lautrec and Gaillac

Haybayles on the way to Lautrec

View from Lautrec's highest point, facing the Pyrenées

Gaillac and its river: the Tarn

Around Caunes-Minervois

2008-07-08T01:36:00.000-07:00

Peyriac: when the after-school program school turns into the "Best Gym" club.

Azille's "salle du peuple": you know that's a communist town.

Back at dad's

2008-07-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

the pine tree bird house

the mulberry tree bird house

the walnut tree bird house

the tiny apple tree

the walnut trees

Paris chinese noodles: Les Pâtes Vivantes restaurant

2008-06-30T14:04:00.001-07:00

Great fresh Chinese noodles made on the premises at: Les Pâtes Vivantes.
For about €12 or less you get a good noodle dish.
46 rue du Faubourg Montmartre. 75009 Paris.
Metro: Le Peletier/ Grands Boulevards
Hours: tuesd-sat. from 12pm-3pm/7pm-10.30pm

Paris—Gay Pride '08

2008-06-28T15:37:00.001-07:00

The French Gay Pride was awesomely messy and unorganized (or so it looks), stretching its 4 hour long parade into a 6 or 7 hour long loud and colorful manifestation; 3 miles with, at times, big empty spaces between floats and no distinction between those who partook in the parade and those who watched it. No cops were in sight and there were no barricades along the way!
The organizers estimated the amount of people to be between 700,000 and 500,000. The police estimated the amount to be 250,000!

I way prefer the Paris Gay Pride to the SF one but I terribly miss the SF Dyke March. There's nothing like it. Paris needs a big SF Dyke March to tell all those naive French straight dudes who laugh at women holding hands that if only they knew what these women can do without them, they'd stop looking at lesbians like they are a joke. They would stop acting like their dicks are bigger than your mama's dildo.

my pics here.

More on the Apocalypse Tapestry (details)

2008-06-27T15:32:00.001-07:00

Angers—the Apocalypse Tapestry

2008-06-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

7 is perfection, 6 is the unfinished, the bad (look for those tails that curl into that number), bat wings are a sign of evil and feather ones of good. A seven-headed creature with bat wings and a tail that curls into a 6 is an wholly badass creature!

Angers—the castle

2008-06-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

"Owned by the City of Angers, the massive, austere château has been converted to a museum housing the oldest and largest collection of medieval tapestries in the world, with the 14th century "Apocalypse Tapestry" as one of its priceless treasures. As a tribute to its fortitude, the château has never been taken by any invading force in history."

The TGV ride from Paris-Montparnasse to Angers is the length of a feature film. It's a quick ride to a totally different, and extremely charming, part of France. Being away from the dense human and automobile traffic for a day can be a real treat, and the awesome tapestries of the Apocalypse are definitely worth the detour. Get off the train, go have lunch at the Villa Toussaint, walk to the castle, spend the afternoon there, and then head to la Ferme de l'île Saint Aubin for an aperitif (check ahead of time if the island has been submerged by the Maine river - the Maine and the Loire rivers are notorious for rising high and submerging the surrounding land. Here's the number:02 41 22 32 30) before heading back to the train station to catch your train back to Paris.

Questions For Gore Vidal

2008-06-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

Questions For Gore Vidal
Literary Lion
Interview by DEBORAH SOLOMON

Q: At the age of 82, you will be publishing your new collection of essays this week, which seems likely to confirm your reputation as one of America’s last public intellectuals. Why do you think that critics have traditionally praised your essays more than your fiction, which includes “Burr,” “Myra Breckinridge” and 20 other novels? That’s because they don’t know how to read. I can’t name three first-rate literary critics in the United States . I’m told there are a few hidden away at universities, but they don’t print them in The New York Times .
Are you saying your novels have been critically neglected? I don’t even read most reviews, unless there is a potential lawsuit on view. I’ve never had much attention paid by critics — nor has anybody else in the United States of America, as Mr. Obama likes to call it.
And what about Mr. McCain? Disaster. Who started this rumor that he was a war hero? Where does that come from, aside fromhimself? About his suffering in the prison war camp?
Everyone knows he was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. That’s what he tells us.
Why would you doubt him? He’s a graduate of Annapolis. I know a lot of the Annapolis breed. Remember, I’m West Point, where I was born. My father went there.
So what does that have to do with the U.S. Naval Academy down in Annapolis? The service universities keep track of each other, that’s all. They have views about each other. And they are very aware of social class and eventually money, since they usually marry it.
How, exactly, is your cousin Al Gore related to you? They keep explaining it to me, and I keep forgetting.
What about your grandfather, Thomas Gore of Oklahoma? He invented the whole state. It was Indian territory. There was no state until Senator Gore.
In 1968, during the Nixon-Humphrey race, you became the voice of liberalism in a series of televised debates with William Buckley. Any plans to be a pundit at the coming presidential conventions? No.
How did you feel when you heard that Buckley died this year? I thought hell is bound to be a livelier place, as he joins forever those whom he served in life, applauding their prejudices and fanning their hatred.
You live in California , where last month the State Supreme Court overturned the ban on same-sex marriage . As someone who lived with a male companion for 50-plus years, do you see this as a victory for equality? People would ask, How could you live with someone for so long without any problems of any kind? I said, There was no sex.
Were you chaste during those years? Chased by whom?
Are you a supporter of gay marriage? I know nothing about it. I don’t follow that.
Why doesn’t it interest you? The same reason heterosexual marriage doesn’t seem to interest me.
If we look at the situation apart from you — It’s my interview, so we’ve got to stay with me.
Have you ever considered leaving the United States permanently? No, it’s my subject.
Do you read a lot of contemporary fiction these days? Like everyone else, no, I don’t.
Anyone in the 20th century you might have a kind word about? Yes, I liked Italo Calvino, and I thought he was the greatest writer of my time.
Your new collection includes an essay in which you note, “Calvino does what very few writers can do: he describes imaginary worlds with the most extraordinary precision and beauty.” What about American novelists? Can’t think of one.
Norman Mailer? Oh, dear, we’re not going to go into pluses and minuses now.
Philip Roth? Ditto.I admire Roth. He never became complacent. He had no reason to. He’s a good comic writer.
What do you think is your own best novel? I don’t answer questions like that. Ever. And you ought not to ask them.
Well, it was a great pleasure talking to you. I doubt that.

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED, CONDENSED AND EDITED BY DEBORAH SOLOMON

Albi—Cathedrale Sainte-Cecile

2008-06-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to Albi.
Its cathedral is one of the biggest brick construction in the world and was built over two centuries, from 1282 to 1480. The fortresslike outside and the magnificence of both the painted vaulting and the flamboyant gothic architecture of the jube are mind boggling. The 30 meter high ceilings were painted over a three year period - 1509 to 1512 - by Renaissance Italian artists from Modena and Bologna. The deep blue paint they used is so vivid it is hard to believe that those paintings have never been restored. Fortunately, the entire paintings on the walls and ceilings didn't get whitewashed at the French Revolution, as intended
The huge mural representing the Last Judgement (painted bewteen 1474 and 1484) - one of the biggest pictorial piece of its time - was partly destroyed during the 17th century and is missing its center piece. I was particularly entertained by the representation of Hell and the Devil. Right above the painting lies one of the most noteworthy organs in France. Everything about this cathedral is spectacular.

Dad's garden: eating fruit in the trees

2008-06-12T08:03:00.001-07:00

Caunes-Minervois: birthday lunch under the walnut trees

2008-06-10T11:06:00.001-07:00

Paris—chalk drawing

2008-06-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

the mermaid with a golden mane.

Bringing the bicycles back up hill

2008-06-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

I think this could be a solution to the eternal lack of Velibs at the top of the Parisian hills: the Bicycle Lift as seen in Trondheim, Norway.

Gay Paris

2008-05-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

A larger than life camel toe

2008-05-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today I saw THE biggest camel toe ever. A Mc camel toe.
What's bigger than a camel toe? An elephant toe? A dinosaur toe? A brontosaurus toe?
I was so disturbed at the sight of such thing walking the streets of my city that I decided I wasn't going to be French for the day. I spoke English -or French with a heavy fake American accent- all day .
The dog walking alongside the big camel toe was tiny with a long skinny tail.

I have yet to figure out how anyone can bear such a sartorial intrusion into one's loins.

Les Majorettes de Sainte Radegonde—not your regular Majorettes!

2008-05-19T01:36:00.000-07:00

Did I forget to talk about the Majorettes?!!
Ow My GAWd!
I love me some whacky Majorettes!
The crazy kinds who look hecka bored when they are supposed to look super upbeat and joyful, the ones who will mistake themselves for a horde of horses and whinny with their batons nested between their legs.

They will be back in Paris (75) next month:
Sunday June 8, 2008 at 4pm
Festival Onze Bouge, Paris 11ème (corner of rue Thiéré and boulevard Charonne).

and also in the banlieu, dans le neuf-deux (92):
Saturday june 7, 2008 at 4pm
Fête de la ville de Malakoff (92), boulevard de Stalingrad

Sunday June 8, 2008 at 10.30pm
Fête de la ville de Malakoff (92), sur le marché, place du 11 Novembre

.....................................

(in french)
"2008... Majorettes !"

"Il y a 40 ans se signaient des pétitions pour demander aux villes d’arrêter leur soutien aux groupes de majorettes. 2008 serait-elle l’année de leur grand retour ?
Qu’on ne s’y trompe pas : relookées, investies, joyeuses, elles prennent la tangente pour rester droites.
Tout terrain et armées d’un drapeau français, les Majorettes se lancent dans une « parade d’appel », chantant des airs révolutionnaires et républicains, au son d’un musicien fanfare-beatbox.
Les Majorettes s’adaptent à toutes les situations, tous les scénarios (dans la mesure de leur éthique). Au besoin, le groupe peut aller jusqu’à 17 majorettes."

Diffusion :
le samedi 7 juin 2008 à 16h00
fête de la ville de Malakoff (92), boulevard de Stalingrad

le dimanche 8 juin 2008 à 10h30
fête de la ville de Malakoff (92), sur le marché place du 11 novembre

le dimanche 8 juin 2008 à 16h00
festival Onze Bouge, Paris 11ème, angle de la rue Thiéré et du boulevard Charonne

D'autres pistes sont en cours…

The gardener/architect/interior designer bird

2008-05-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

Trust me, it doesn't matter that the voice over's in French. The bird's tribe-like dance at the end is priceless. Watch until the end. I giggled at the idea of human beings dancing in such a fashion but than i realized we kinda do at times. When taken out of its context, what we human beings do to attract one another's attention can be pretty silly and ridiculously amusing.

And since i can't get enough of it, here's some more (gotta appreciate MC Hammer's "can't touch this" as the soundtrack for the mating dance):

Antiquithon

2008-05-18T05:13:00.001-07:00

Submerge yourself in a world of fantasy. A mysterious world in which the siblings Vodek et Urelia Cazaniescu will take you on a tour, enchanting you with their hybrid creatures and magical tricks to then better scare you off while they dive in their dark and gloomy world and forcefully push you away from it.

Place René Cassin, 75001 Paris
(right next to the St Eustache church)
Métro: Les Halles

Antiquithon half-hour shows at: 9.30pm, 10pm, 11pm, 11.30pm and 12am.

Imported Jams

2008-05-17T03:43:00.001-07:00

There's really nothing like Blue Chair Fruit jams for breakfast. I didn't even like jam before. And now, well, that's how I start my day. I got spoiled in California and the maker of my morning addiction spoils me more by regularly sending jams our way. Thank you Rachel.

Richard Serra at the Grand Palais

2008-05-15T15:00:00.001-07:00

I definitely recommend checking out this show after seeing the Marie-Antoinette one. Aside from the fact that there's no wait to get in and that it only costs an extra 2€, it feels extremely refreshing to go from an over-crowded part of the Grand Palais to an almost empty part of it. It was peaceful, quiet and much brighter. Quiet until the rain poured over the glass ceiling, our haven in the middle of the storm. The winds blew in smells of earth and cobblestone.
Richard Serra's piece was built for exhibition at the Grand Palais and the combination of both the artwork and the setting made the experience a magical moment.

Wow, it may happen in the end!

2008-05-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

"Gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry in California, the state Supreme Court said today in a historic ruling that could be repudiated by the voters in November." So let's wait until November to celebrate because you never know, with all those "fucking Puritans and their sex-hating, Jesus-freaking, GOP-voting descendants" gathering signatures against it, it might not happen in the end.

Marie-Antoinette au Grand Palais

2008-05-13T03:36:00.000-07:00

Marie-Antoinette conduite à son exécution, le 16 octobre 1793, William Hamilton, Vizille musée de la Révolution française.

My favorite piece in the Marie-Antoinette show at the Grand Palais is a drawing by her, a portrait of a man she drew from a painting. The place where the hair parts right above his forehead looks like a vagina. But the reason why I liked it so much is not because of the vagina, that was just an added value.
The third and last part of the exhibit is a long hall, bathed in a very dim light, leading to the final piece, the painting of Marie-Antoinette being brought to the guillotine (see above). The pieces exhibited in that room are satirical drawings representing the decline of popularity of the queen and the king, memorabilia (the dress she was wearing in her last days) and quotes by Marie-Antoinette displayed on the walls, things that came up during the last years of her life.

Art de la rue—Antiquithon

2008-05-11T13:39:00.001-07:00

A show by the Compagnie des femmes à barbe in:
Les PhénomèNomades DE NUIT du 16 au 18 mai.
Place René Cassin, jardin des Halles (Eglise de St Eustache), Paris 1er
Métro: Les Halles
Shows at: 9.30pm, 10pm, 11pm, 11.30pm and 12am.

"Un cabinet des merveilles qui bouscule vos certitudes en vous emmenant aux limites de l'inconnu... Dans ce face-à-face avec l'irrationnel, vous contemplerez le monstrueux issu des profondeurs de votre inconscient, pareil au gros insecte de La Métamorphose de Kafka. De vraies antiquités et d’authentiques phénomènes de foire vous conduiront aux frontières de l'humain et de l'inhumain, de la beauté et de la laideur, du réel et de l'irréel."
De et avec Gwen Aduh, Aurélie de Cazanove, dirigés par Martin Petitguyot
Tout public, à partir de 10 ans, durée 20', réservation conseillée, 2 euros.

Despicable smells

2008-05-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

It isn't even summer yet and I'm already offended by the surrounding stink in the Parisian metro. It's the smell of old sweat, warm sweat that got cooled down and warmed up again. The kind that has been dragged around for several days, the one that lingers in its path and sticks to the walls, the musty warm humid dark odor that bites you in the nose. Those smells are pretty offensive.

Paris—spanish summer food

2008-05-10T01:53:00.001-07:00

Great gazpacho at Da Rosa, a nice little terrasse away from the sun, and serving food from ten until midnight.

62 rue de Seine, Paris 6eme.

Paris—dance

2008-05-09T03:42:00.000-07:00

Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris
Keep an eye out for the finals at the dance conservatory. You can attend a free two hour performance with the judges on the premises. The final grades are posted an hour and a half later. The Certificat d'Interprétation en Danse Contemporaine is the fifth year exam and it takes place over two days: first day is the contemporary dance session and the second day is the classical dance one. The representations are divided in two parts: first the duos in which one or both students are being graded and then the final part gathering all the students in one piece.
Choregraphies by Carolyn Carlson, Ashley Chen, Daniel Dobbels, Emio Greco, Sylvain Groud, Alban Richard.