Beautiful Winnings

A big thank you to Janet at FrenchBlue & Company. A few weeks ago she had a give-away in celebration of the birthday of her friend Lynn at Paris Hotel Boutique. I was the lucky winner of this gorgeous Bergdorf Goodman candle. It came delightfully wrapped and with a personal note from Janet. I have it lit as we speak and it's absolutely beautiful; an infusion of spring into a rain-to-snow kind of March day.




Thank you Janet! I love your beautiful blog and am happy to make your acquaintance!

Obsession

Okay, so I have a wedding to go to in May. I've ordered the dress, but shoes, well, that's a problem. I have some gold Cole-Haan python pumps*, which might work. However, they're uncomfortable and frankly I wanted something sexier. Like these:


Uh, yeah.

*I didn't buy these; I won them in a magazine give-away!

What I'm Reading

A recent Amazon shipment arrived, just as I finished Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton. So, here's what's in process, and what's on deck:

Hotel du Lac, by Anita Brookner. I was motivated to seek out this book thanks to a blogger's review here. It's okay: well-written but perhaps a little slow-moving and I'm not really intrigued by any of the characters. I will finish it, though.

The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield. Encouraged by the beautiful The Daily Connoisseur, I first borrowed this book from the library, read half, and determined that I needed to own it and keep it by my bedside for inspiration. Really entertaining and seemingly useful...but I should note that I haven't written any good stuff personally OR professionally recently. Maybe when I finish the book!

When I like a mystery writer I LOVE mysteries. I'm pretty picky, though, so it's not like I have to read every mystery on the best-seller list. In my youth, I read a great deal of Agatha Christie. Now, I tend to be more interested in her biography. If you haven't read her autobiography, you should: an amazing trip chronicling a woman's progression from a hugely traditional Victorian youth to First World War wife to professional success and world travel with her famous second husband, archaelogist Sir Max Mallowan. Her country home in Devon, Greenway House, was recently restored and opened to the public, and I'm dying to see it. Anyway. In high school my boyfriend's mother turned me onto PD James, and I've read almost all of her work except for Children of Men (but I did see the movie!). Now 89, she just released another mystery, the wonderful The Private Patient, last fall, which I of course immediately devoured. So I am excited that another of my favorite mystery writers, Frank Tallis, just published a third book in his Mortalis series featuring Freudian psychiatrist Dr. Max Liebermann, called Fatal Lies. Max practises medicine in turn-of-the-century Vienna, but his friendship with local police Inspector Rheinhardt lures him into analysis of the city's twisted criminal minds. Tallis contrasts the sordid investigations with Liebermann's love for the aesthetically high-minded pursuit of music: along with the violence we get a lot of Strauss and Mahler. It's great. If you're intrigued by the setting and the perspective of the early psychological study of crime, start with the first book in the series, A Death In Vienna.

Everytime I place an Amazon order I try to purchase something that's been on my Wishlist for awhile. (Don't you find that your list grows faster than items fall off? Troubling.) In this case, it was Jessica Powell's Literary Paris. As my long-time readers know, I've never been to Paris but I remain a determined Francophile nevertheless and I'm looking forward to wrapping up college tuition (3 years and 2 months to go!) and then making my Grand Tour. However I decided I could at least afford to read about it in the meantime and put Literary Paris in my cart. But I couldn't of course leave well enough alone and I had to search to see what other options were available. I found Writers in Paris: Literary Lives in the City of Light by David Burke. Both Literary Paris and Writers in Paris received great reviews, and I couldn't decide. So, giddy with the knowledge that I had $50 worth of Amazon Visa coupons in hand, I ordered both.

Yesterday we drove up to Chicago; my youngest son happily decided to surprise us and come home from Los Angeles for spring break, so we were able to fit in a visit to my oldest son, Josh, before we picked up Max at O'Hare later in the evening. I had already sent ahead the book I just finished, Seven Days in the Art World. Josh majored in Industrial Design in college and will likely continue onto his MFA in the near future, so I thought he would enjoy it as much as I did. In turn, he sent me away with the graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. I doubt whether I will see the movie, but my son thought I should at least try the book. I've never read a graphic novel before; I'm looking forward to giving it a try! (I have just been warned by my youngest son that the author tends to "objectify women" and that it will probably "piss me off." I'll let you know.)

I will also add that I've had Proust's Swann's Way on my nighttable for months. As much as I want to be able to say "I've read Proust," I am really doubting whether I'll ever get through it.

That's what I'm up to. Now that I've moved three books off my Amazon wishlist, I'm ready to add! Any recs?

Here's what remains:
Weekend Retreats by Susanna Salk (Author) $29.70

Quiet Nights ~ Krall, Diana $9.99

The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957 by Claire Wilcox (Editor) $26.37

The Wonderful Weekend Book: Reclaim Life's Simple Pleasures by Elspeth Thompson (Author)

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg (Author), Zoe Francois (Author) $16.77

Sting - All This Time DVD ~ Sting $16.97

Mr & Mrs Smith Boutique Hotel Collection: The Global Shortlist by Rufus Purdy (Editor), Lucy Fennings (Editor) $16.47

High Society: The History of America's Upper Class by Nick Foulkes (Author) $45.50

Nantucket: Island Living by Leslie Linsley (Author), Terry Pommett (Photographer) $26.40

L.A. Modern by Nicolai Ouroussoff (Introduction), Tim Street-Porter (Photographer) $47.25

But That's Another Story: A Photographic Retrospective of Milton H. Greene by Amy Greene (Author), et al. $47.25

Edith Bouvier Beale of Grey Gardens: A Life in Pictures by Eva Marie Beale (Author), et al. $47.25

Jean-Michel Frank: The Strange and Subtle Luxury of the Parisian Haute-Monde in the Art Deco Period by Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier (Author), et al. $59.85

The L.A. House by Ruthie Sommers (Author) Currently unavailable

Inspired Styles by Assouline (Author) $45.50

Biedermeier: The Invention of Simplicity by Laurie Winters (Author), Milwaukee Art Museum (Other Contributor)

Houses of Los Angeles, 1920-1935 (Urban Domestic Architecture) by Sam Watters (Author) $69.78

Ralph Lauren by Ralph(Author) Lauren (Author) $85.05

Best Garden Plants for Illinois (Best Garden Plants For...) by William Aldrich (Author), Don Williamson (Author) $16.95

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas "Kreutzer" & "Spring" ~ Ludwig van Beethoven $10.99

Bach - Brandenburg Concertos / Lamon, Tafelmusik ~ Johann Sebastian Bach $31.98

Chanel: Collections and Creations by Daniele Bott (Author)

Grace Kelly: A Life in Pictures by Pierre-Henri Verlhac (Editor), Yann-Brice Dherbier (Editor) $30.40

The Ultimate Rat Pack Collection: Live & Swingin (CD & DVD) ~ Sinatra, Frank $22.99

Chanel: The Couturiere at Work by Amy de la Haye (Author), Shelley Tobin (Author)

Chanel by Francois Baudot (Author) $28.27

Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home by Martha Stewart (Author) $29.70

Grace Kelly: Icon of Style to Royal Bride (Philadelphia Museum of Art) by H. Kristina Haugland (Author) $15.64

ABC for Book Collectors by John Carter (Author), Nicolas Barker (Author)

In the Pink: Dorothy Draper--America's Most Fabulous Decorator by Carleton Varney (Author) $59.85

A Dress for Diana by David Emanuel (Author), Elizabeth Emanuel (Author) $22.76

Margaret Bourke-White: The Photography of Design, 1927-1936 by Stephen Bennett Phillips (Author)

Best of Flair by Dominick Dunne (Foreword), Fleur Cowles (Editor) $176.34

Art Deco New York by David Lowe (Author)

The Ultimate Collection ~ Holiday, Billie $39.98

Chanel (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications) by Harold Koda (Author), et al.

The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings ~ Davis, Miles

Classic Cottages: Simple, Romantic Homes by Brian Coleman (Author), Douglas Keister
(Photographer) $26.62

C'Était Ici ~ Tiersen, Yann

Crafts

Here are my hyacinths; unfortunately they've been banished to the compost pile by now but they were lovely! In two short (!) months I'll be able to fill the window boxes and see greenery on the other side of the window!

Recently my husband and I have been uncustomarily crafty. Long ago I bought an unfinished wooden tray at Michael's. Originally, I intended to decoupage it with jewelry cut-outs from Town & Country: I spent an entire weekend ignoring my grad school homework and carefully scissoring out Ippolita and Temple St. Clair and Pommelato rings and bracelets and necklaces. When I went to Nantucket later that summer, I sought out famed decoupage artist Leslie Linsley and quizzed her on the details of her art (for the record, she discouraged me from using art from magazine paper--too heavy). I dragged a Tiffany box to Lowe's to match paint (Eddie Bauer Sea Breeze EB8-2). Then...nothing. I still have the folder of paper jewelry in my desk.

Last month we finally organized ourselves enough to go to Lowe's and select paint. I'm still planning the Tiffany blue tray, but we decided to create a simple Hermès orange tray for our first endeavor. My husband painted it, using American Traditions Island Orange (2010-2). He didn't use primer, which in retrospect was a mistake; instead he put about a million coats on. The trim is Valspar Cabin Plank (2011-10).



I wrapped the handles with some leftover Hermès ribbon.

Likewise, I had purchased a bare corkboard a couple of years ago for my apartment in Los Angeles. I meant to cover it with fabric immediately but never found quite the right material. Then, several weekends ago we were poking around Hobby Lobby--we hadn't been there in years and I don't even remember now why we decided to stop by--and I found this animal print home decorator fabric.


On Sunday, I gathered my staple gun, needle-nosed pliers, batting (which I stole from another eventual project), and dug out my glue gun which hasn't been used in years. The operation moved along rather nicely until I ran out of ribbon.

Okay. Four o'clock on Sunday, and I am determined to get this bulletin board completed. But who knew Hobby Lobby was closed on Sunday!!?

Thwarted on Sunday, I wrapped up my masterpiece on Monday and here it is!


Some of my treasures:
A photo of my husband smoking a cigar
A photo of my mother in college, at the library
A still from the movie Last Year at Marienbad
A photo of me and my sons, taken on my birthday; also the day I found out I passed the bar
A photo of a white convertible Alfa Romeo Giulietta, my dream car
A ticket stub from Jacques Tati's Playtime, at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica
A postcard my son sent me from Paris

What's Good in February

Really, I must sit down and write a substantive post one of these days. The problem is, recently I only feel inspired to write when I'm at work. ( I should clarify: I feel like writing for my blog. I DO NOT feel like working on an academic article; hell, I've got five more years to worry about tenure.) Once I'm home, I only really want to do four things: eat, drink, knit or read. But mostly, I sleep.

Anyway.

1. Valentine's Day. Last weekend we went to Chicago to deliver a birthday cake to my son, and to take him out to lunch to celebrate his Valentine's birthday. We ate at The Gage, near Millenium Park. Afterwards, we wandered down to State Street to check out H&M and browse the furniture galleries in Macy's (the old Marshall Field's). A quick trip, but a lovely day, despite the gloomy and freezing weather.




2. Seduction Bread. While I was in Chicago, I ran into Whole Foods to purchase a couple of loaves of their amazing Seduction Bread. Does anyone have a recipe for this, preferably one that works in a bread machine? I've scoured the web to no avail. It apparently takes sourdough starter, which intimidates me a little but since this bread is so good and the closest Whole Foods is two-plus hours away, I'm game to try. Here are the ingredients, which I copied from the label: whole wheat flour, water, millet, honey, canola oil, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, molasses, sea salt, fresh yeast [duh], sourdough starter (white flour, whole wheat flour, sea salt). I'm not savvy enough to create a recipe from scratch, so any recommendations would be much appreciated.

3. Rammstein. As I mentioned before, I've taken to working out at five in the morning. I throw around some weights to warm up and then I settle in for a good half-hour-plus run on the treadmill. I like to push it--why get up so damn early if I'm not going to move some major calories?--so I run interval inclines. Well, I've found that Rammstein is a supreme motivator for getting over those mountains. Have you ever seen these guys??! The teutonic growl of the lead singer, Till, is truly inspiring, and then you imagine this guy literally on fire and you forget all about your burning calf muscles--you feel like you could run all day! Or at least until the song ends.


A close second is Rob Zombie. Especially Living Dead Girl.

4. Knitting. Here's what I'm working on now:


The pattern is from Louisa Harding's Knitting Little Luxuries. It's coming together beautifully. I have my eye on some pretty Kaffe Fassett fabric for the lining.

You see, I hate being stuck with nothing to do so I always have a tote bag with me. It could include some or all of the following: a book or magazine, sudoku puzzles, a book on French phrases (the accompanying CD is loaded on my iPod), my knitting and parts of a quilt I'm lap quilting. If I had an iPhone, thus having internet access at all times (in theory), I could be happy anywhere!

5.Hyacinths. See, mine are almost blooming! I hope they smell amazing--at the moment there's only a whiff of fragrance.

Pittsburgh Steelers

I grew up on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Growing up in Western Pennsylvania typically guarantees a couple of things:
1) You will inherit the rather grating local accent,
2) You will worship the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I've been trying to discard the accent all my life, with varying success, but I will always love the Pittsburgh Steelers! Football is huge in Western Pennsylvania anyway, but the Steelers have appeared in SIX Superbowls--winning five--and Pittsburgh LOVES its home team. On Sunday they will take on the Arizona Cardinals in Tampa for the national championship: Superbowl XLIII.

Having moved away from Pennsylvania after college, my husband and I have cheered on the Steelers mostly alone. But this year, I've re-connected with many of my Pittsburgh friends via facebook, so every day I receive event requests encouraging me to join the "Terrible Towel" or "Super Bowl Bound Wave."
So Sunday evening, I will watch the big game, enthusiastically waving my Terrible Towel, admiring Hines Ward's smile and checking out Troy Polamalu's (USC 03!) cute little ass. Also, seeing my team win a sixth Superbowl. Go Steelers!

Things That Made Me Happy in January

1. Barack Hussein Obama. I am no longer cynical, I am hopeful. Our new president has such an overwhelming task ahead; I do not know if any person could be up to the challenges but I do know that I have such confidence in this intelligent, well-spoken, thoughtful man and today I am very proud, once again, to be an American. Stay informed Here and Here.

2. Coffee in bed. This weekend was a long one for my husband and I (looove academia), so we took turns making coffee in our French Press, preparing a tray, and bringing it upstairs. Sometimes we'd eat cookies, too.


3. Coffee in the shower. My sleep patterns changed recently and I found myself waking up really really early. My husband and I have been working out after work for ever, but we were becoming increasingly frustrated with its impact on our down time. We'd rush home, ravenous, but no! first to the gym! Once home, we'd end up eating dinner too late to enjoy it, shower quickly, then it would be time for bed.

In the past, working out in the morning wasn't logistically feasible, with four people vying for our one shower. Also, I resisted rising any earlier than necessary, especially on a work day. But now that my sons have moved on, and I was waking up so early anyway, I thought, why not? So now we set our alarm for 4:45 am. The key is not to think about it. If you ponder, the second after the alarm, "What if I stayed in bed today and worked out tomorrow instead?" you're dead. Once I pull on my sweats and am outside scraping ice off the windshield in the frigid, dark, morning, it's too late. My path is chosen.

One of my colleagues at University of Southern California, a morning runner, came into work one morning complaining about the mess she had made when she dropped her coffee cup in the shower. We all made fun of her--who takes their coffee in the shower?--but now that I am a morning runner too I have seen the light. I prepare the coffee maker the night before, and when we step in the door, back from the gym, it's about finished brewing. I head to the shower and my darling husband brings me fresh-ground, freshly made coffee. He has to choose the cup carefully because it must fit on the windowsill, just adjacent to the shower stall!

4. My new coat and hat. For Christmas, my husband gave me this beautiful J.Crew Lady Day coat in sea salt (creamy white, really--lined in Thinsulate). A few days later we found the cloche at Urban Outfitters. I still need a faux fur muffler, I think, to really complete the look. And I always carry a Shout wipe with me, although I recently tried it on a minor stain and the wipe caused a more noticeable mark than the dirt scuff itself. Wah!


5. Knitting and reading books about knitting, sewing, etc. I'm a novice, but this month I taught myself how to knit cables and fix dropped stitches (sort of). And I'm about finished with a beautiful scarf made of cashmere and wool filaments that is the color of the Nantucket hydrangeas. Last week I went to the local knitting shop over lunch. There's a table around which ladies sit and knit, so my friend and I brought our knitting and worked on our projects a bit. I tried to watch all the seasoned knitters in order to break the bad habits I had developed by teaching myself knitting in a vacuum. I also spent an unreasonable amount of money on yarn for two new projects from Louisa Harding's beautiful book Knitting Little Luxuries.


There's only so much time in the day, though, and thus often I prefer reading about crafting rather than actually doing it. I'm actually--or I used to be--a very good sewer, but it's still fun to look through books of basic sewing projects such as Seams to Me, Stitched in Time, and Amy Butler's In Stitches, and I can't wait until this book comes out in February. Knitting-wise, although God knows when I will knit through the yarn I purchased last week, I'm about to order this book from Amazon; wouldn't it be lovely to knit Anthropologie-like sweaters for oneself?