Category: Weekend

Expat, Freelance, Humor, Linkstorm, London, Travel, Weekend

Friday Links (A Week After Paris, Edition)

“There is but one Paris and however hard living may be here, and if it became worse and harder even—the French air clears up the brain and does good—a world of good.”
― Vincent van Gogh

Have I really been back from my fly-by-night vacation for a week? Time flies, kittens.

This week, while I’ve been regaling you with tales and photos from Paris, I’ve had a bit of a stressful schedule. I’m still finding the balance for my new temporary work reality (particularly in terms of late nights and lack of adequate sleep) but I think I’m figuring things out. I also welcomed a new freelancing client from a recommendation (huzzah!), submitted some pieces to the editor of a site I’m wild to write for, and spent yesterday coworking with the whipsmart and borderline intimidatingly savvy Alanna.

You may remember I met Alanna at the Levo League event from a couple of weeks ago. She’s a freelancer and social entrepreneurial consultant who has worked on some incredible campaigns, just chatting and hanging out with her was inspiring. It was probably the most focused and productive 6 straight hours of freelance work I’ve put in all week. Editors, entrepreneurs, and socially conscious citizens, take note of this woman.

It’s amazing the influence other people have on you when you work for yourself…I sense a blog post in the near future.

In any event, stay tuned for more tales from Paris this weekend, but in the meantime here are your links. Do add anything worthy of the minion coterie’s time and attention, plus tell me what you’re up to this Friday, in the comments!
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I’ve only mentioned Paris about a gazillion times, haven’t I? I would say I’d shut up about it, but that would be a lie.

WANT.

An important, interesting question that’s not often considered: what makes something ugly? Form? Function? Intent? Exposure of inner bias? Bad taste? It’s actually a pretty complex process to declare something grotesque.

Nazis, a recluse, and over a thousand works of art. You’d think this was an Indiana Jones plot pitch, but it’s just glorious history.

Subtle shifts in perspective on major historical and cultural landmarks.

Speaking of perspective! Families posing with literally everything they own. As an accidental minimalist myself, this isn’t just fascinating, it’s also eye opening. How much junk and clutter and stuff do you think the average American family has?

My love for pineapples is well documented, so it should be no surprise that I’m flirting outrageously with the idea of adding this charmer to my desk.

Friend and friend of the blog Caitlin Kelly is back from her work with WaterAid in Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the West. Her post on some of her reflections is well worth a read.

Oh for the love of…people, really?

Gloria Steinem turned 80 this week. I love her sum up from this piece in the New York Times: “When asked whether she has any regrets, Steinem says: ‘Well, actually it’s not so much what I would have done differently. It’s that I would have done it much faster.’”

Words can’t express how much I want to see this (by the way, the This American Life live show from last year, which was wonderful and everyone should watch, is a great place to start learning about this enigmatic woman. It’s how I first heard about her).

Expat, Humor, London, Travel, Weekend

First Night in Paris

“But Paris was a very old city and we were young and nothing was simple there, not even poverty, nor sudden money, nor the moonlight, nor right and wrong nor the breathing of someone who lay beside you in the moonlight.”
― Ernest Hemingway

Friday afternoon I met up with Jeff at King’s Cross St Pancras station after a week apart, him in Peterborough, myself in London, and ready for a weekend away. We’ve been in Britain for over six months now, but this is the first travel we’ve been able to manage due to work commitments. Jeff had also never been to Paris before, which was something that obviously needed to be rectified at the first available opportunity.

With a duffel bag between the two of us and a camera in tow, we hopped on the Eurostar straight to Paris. One or two indulgent selfies (in which we both proved out singular lack of ability to time our blinks and smiles in sync) and two hours later we were in la villelumière herself!
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Thanks to the modern delight that is 24hour concierge services, we hopped off again at the Gare du Nord and made straight for the Île Saint-Louis, the second of the two natural islands in the Seine river that make up the historical heart of the city, to meet up with Katie and Adam at their recommended restaurant, Le Caveau de L’Isle (make sure to check out the gallery on the site!) where we had the first of a series of amazing meals and snacks.
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Katie is a natural travel planner (as well as working with hotels professionally) and she had combed friends, insiders, and blogs for the best local recommendations. None of which disappointed, for either location or food quality! Le Caveau’s main eating area is small, candlelit, and bedecked with exposed timber beams that date back goodness knows how long. The chimney is from the 17th century, the hidden vaults are at least as old (the name itself means the “vault” or “cave” of the island). Above the beam nearest the wall hung a Middle Eastern dagger that I hope held some kind of historical or cultural significance, but I was too stuffed with a delicious cut of beef to ask.

The dinner options at Caveau are incredibly affordable! Like many other restaurants they have a handful of “set” options that you can choose from to customize a meal in addition to the shifting menu. We each plunked for a two course option and indulged in both good food and great conversation.
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After a rich meal (and fistfuls of glorious French bread), we set out for a long walk along the river and through the sights until late at night when we finally stumbled off to our respective hotels at a deeply undignified hour.

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Which, as it happened rather set the tone for the whole trip! The whole weekend was a dense rush of adventure and not enough sleep from start to finish, from which I am still recovering two days later…and I couldn’t be happier about it. Long before we planned on Paris, Katie and Adam have become two of our favorite people to hang out with so getting to meet up with such fabulous friends in a fabulous city made for a wonderful weekend.

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Padlocks, memorials to love and friendship have spread far beyond the original bridge they bedecked to at least three that we saw. Touristy, yes, but you can’t fault a testament to love in a place like Paris! It’s hard to beat Paris during the day, but Paris at night might give it a run for its money.

Bright and early the next morning we shot off to Versailles…

Expat, Friday, Humor, Linkstorm, London, Travel, Weekend

Friday Links (Nevermind, I’m In Paris Edition)

“When good Americans die, they go to Paris.”
― Oscar Wilde

What I week! On the one hand, there’s been large degrees of stress and late nights, and doing my best to develop new schedules and positive habits to get me through what promises to be three crazy months. I’ve also have a few doses of emotional wringing and exhaustion and one or two genuinely dark patches due to some cultural issues.

But on the other, I started some volunteer work at the Benjamin Franklin House Museum which I’m outrageously happy about, I’m working on some hugely exciting freelance projects launching next month, plus as many of you read this we’re on a train to Paris for the weekend to play with Katie and Adam, I believe that means that in spite of the occasional harumph, everything’s coming up Milhouse!

I’ll be back next week with updates from our Parisian jaunt. Plus on Sunday check back for a tale of tacos and my first real invitation to a notable shindig. In the mean time, here are your links and let me know what you’re up to this weekend in the comments. And do, for the sake of the minion coterie, link to anything that we need to know about!

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All will become clear on Sunday. I’d try to be cryptic, but it’s hard with that graphic.

Irreverent, yes. Pearl-clutchers avoid. But I’m surprised to admit that Putin wins this catwalk.

Big news from the realm of theoretical physics this week. The math is beyond my understanding, but I’ve been hooked on studying more about the history, science, and theories of spacetime and universal origins after watching the series Fabric of the Cosmos a few years ago. It’s on youtube, start here.

Books that end in the middle of a

If you’re in need of a rather judgey (but sometimes wholly accurate) t-shirt to wear out and about, may I recommend this one?

Speaking of t-shirts, this article about the rise of Fast Fashion – something I’ve personally done my level best to swear off entirely since reading a book on the subject a couple of years ago – is well worth the read. h/t Xarissa.

The headline of the week might sound like an existential crisis but it isn’t.

Oddly haunting photos of an abandoned cinema in the most unexpected place.

Do you need some affirmations in your life, care of a late 80’s cartoon? The internet is here to oblige you. (Also, when Jeff showed this to me, he told me the story of how he had a He-Man sword in childhood and how he used to hold it aloft and yell, “I have the power!” while running about having imaginary adventures. He followed up with, “Which, in retrospect probably wasn’t a great thing for a little while boy to be saying.”)

“And if you wrong us, do we not revenge?”

Nearly two decades out of childhood and I still love dinosaurs. Also, “chicken from hell” needs to be a band name.

Friend and friend of the blog, journalist Caitlin Kelly is on a rather amazing assignment in Nicaragua at the moment and her posts on her trips really are wonderful – go see what’s she’s doing!

Freelance, Friday, Humor, Linkstorm, Weekend, Work

Friday Links (Big Plans Edition)

“The life of the professional writer – like that of any freelance, whether she be a plumber or a podiatrist – is predicated on willpower. Without it there simply wouldn’t be any remuneration, period.”
– Will Self

Another big week on the freelancing front, kittens. I got a position as a part time volunteer on the marketing staff of a museum (supporting cultural heritage and gaining new skills, win win!), I’m building some long term plans that are getting me more excited about finances than I’ve been in a while, I’m working on some fun and challenging projects that are stretching me in new ways, and I might have the opportunity to become a contributor to some really stellar platforms. Last evening I went to a networking event that I’ll talk about more later this weekend, and met some really impressive people including other current and wannabe freelancers, and I’ve found some new publications to approach.

In other news, we had a misadventure with banking and British bureaucracy, we worked out an extension deal with our landlady so we have a place to live for another year (clutches self a little to think that six months have already flown by), next weekend we’re going to Paris, and I’m looking forward to a steady stream of friends and visitors starting in April that already making me giddy with excitement.

That’s me. Tell me what you’re up to this weekend in the comments and link to anything else of note that the minion coterie should be made aware of!

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Someday I’ll add “lady adventurer” to my list of accomplishments. In the the meantime, Stylist rounded up some of the ones you should know about.

My sister-in-law is a mother of two and a living with Cystic Fibrosis. Her health has had peaks and troughs but she is a tireless campaigner for CF research, here’s a chance to learn more about her goal for this year and support her.

I cannot be the only online writer who has had a learning curve in making/using images for their blog/site, right? Here’s a handy tool for the similarly bemused.

In New York City and in need of a cry? Tumblr has you covered.

18th century gear we need to bring back!

How valuable is Twitter for you? I mean literally?

Most downloaded books by state – and I think we can all just breathe a sigh of relief that certain tomes (cough 50 Shades of Grey cough) have had their moment and moved on. Mostly. It is being turned into a film. Drat.

Oh holy hell, this is how society ends, people! When we start outsourcing even basic affection!

I really appreciated the feedback I got on my post about the #BanBossy campaign, and clearly the conversation around it is continuing. Here’s a good critical piece from Elle about whether this effort accomplishes meaningful change or not that’s worth the read. I deal in words, I think changing language absolutely matters, but it’s true that just changing words doesn’t accomplish legal or legislative changes that need to happen.

You guys, this caused major marital discontent last night – but what else can you expect when asked to choose between Doc Brown and Dr. Frazier Crane?!

Great news for American Public Libraries!

Oh, I see. The key to having a stunningly decorated home is to Know A Guy.

Britain, Expat, Humor, London, Travel, Weekend

This Past Sunday, Pt. 2: Every Other Market Imaginable

“Your own exploration therefore has to be personalized; you’re doing it for yourself, increasing your own store of particular knowledge, walking your own eccentric version of the city. ”
― Geoff Nicholson, The Lost Art of Walking

I initially went to Spitalfields thinking it was just one new area to explore for a morning before finding something else to do. I’m thrilled to admit how wrong I was.
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It turned out to be a several hour wander through East London since the Spitalfields Market, it turns out, rather bled into the Brick Lane Market. Which in turn fed into some other markets, which sort of carried over into bric-a-brac stalls lining whole streets, which wended their way through impromptu sales that merchants and shop owners threw up to take advantage of the crowds.
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In the the end I basically threaded my way through official and unofficial markets – selling everything from some of the choicest garments on the planet to piles of rusting bike parts – all the way from Spitalfields to Columbia Road before finally hopping on the Overground and heading home late in the afternoon.
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The smells of every kind of cuisine and street food blended into live music from buskers and performers. There were stunning and interesting things to explore around every corner. Even most grumpy of winter-weary Brits were awash with goodwill everywhere I went.
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It was the perfect first weekend of Spring.
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Britain, Expat, History, Humor, London, Travel, Weekend

This Past Sunday, Pt. 1: Spitalfields Market

“Pray don’t talk to me about the weather, Mr. Worthing. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else. And that makes me quite nervous.”
― Oscar Wilde

I chatted to my little sister this past weekend, who informed me that due to snow and bad weather she’d only had one day of school in the past week. No questions about it, winter in the US has been brutal this year. Here in Britain it’s been one of the mildest winters in recent memory (and the wettest, witness the flooding that’s engulfed huge stretches of the country). It hasn’t been bitterly cold or particularly inconvenient in any way, but it has been cloudy and gray. January was dismal. February definitely had more clear days but it was still a bit chilly.

Well, I’m sorry to my sister and anybody else currently snowed it, but I’m thrilled to announce that Spring has arrived in Europe!

Both Saturday and Sunday were gorgeous, bright, warm days that would have been criminal to stay indoors for. On Saturday we met up with Adam for brunch in Shoreditch and then walked the length of Regent’s Canal to Islington where we paced the main streets and wandered into side ones. It’s a testament to how little sun I’ve had in the past three months that in spite of the sunscreen I put on, I still ended up with a sort of tingling, prickling sensation in my skin as it made radiation’s re-acquaintance and even SPF 40 didn’t stop the tops of my cheeks from turning ever-so-slightly pink.

Sunday Jeff had to study for an upcoming exam but I took one look out the window, threw on jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed a camera and headed off to Spitalfields Market. Everyone else eventually had the same idea and by early afternoon I was surrounded by crowds, but I’m not going to begrudge anybody a bit of sunlight. (Summer in Britain is particularly hilarious because on any given nice day, the parks and benches are crammed with people on their lunch breaks who have stripped off half their clothes and are just trying to get some Vitamin D.)

Welcome to a market that has been operating since the 17th century! Today there are substantial food and vintage goods sections but the majority of stalls I saw were run by independent artists and designers selling their creations directly to the public. Of which I highly approve!

I expect the weather will get gray and rainy again here soon, this is London after all, but if the weekends stay like this, I’ll have no complaints.

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So say we all, random shop sign!

Britain, Expat, History, Humor, London, Travel, Weekend

Come Creep, er, Peep Into Windows With Me

“Decline is also a form of voluptuousness, just like growth.”
― Iwan Goll

Yesterday  in Spitalfields I ran into the most gloriously dilapidated house. Welcome to 4 Princelet Street!

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Delightful, isn’t it? Spitalfields has an amazing history deeply tied with religious minority immigration and the textile industries. This is one of a row of houses dating to the 18th century where silk merchants and designers largely lived, an industry brought to the area by French Huguenots. Irish linen workers also made this area their home. Later the area drew large Jewish populations (there is also an old synagogue, somewhat hidden on the street that was left disused for many years, but is preserved in a fragile state, that I hope to visit. It’s only open a few days a year to protect the site from wear and tear). Then – like every other area in London – in the 19th century it turned into a horrible rookery and slum. One of the Jack the Ripper murders took place just around the corner, all of his victims were actually from the area, and it was also one of the areas photographed for Jack London’s 1902 book, The People of the Abyss, which not only exposed the plight of London’s urban poor through a popular and successful author of the time, but allowed photography to visually capture the miserable state of one of London’s worst districts.

Now of course the area is home to that thriving market and is fairly trendy, but I like that the architecture of the surrounding areas is intact from time past. Most of the homes and period shops I passed still retain their half shutters and indoor wooden window blinds that fold out from the walls, there are doors still marked for “Tradesmen,” and Edwardian and Victorian era doorbells and knockers abound.

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This crumbling toy in the window is what first caught my eye. I immediately pressed my nose up to the panes and even more glorious decay was revealed.

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The blue and white tiling in the fireplace and the rickety stairs just get me. You can’t see it but there’s also an early 20th century light switch in the wall. Apparently this house is used largely for filming (no surprise there) but has been left mostly untouched and the architecture is all original. From the Georgians to now, elements of design have been added without the history being too taken away.

Here’s another post with more artistic shots of the interiors, and here’s a youtube video (the internet, I tell you, ask and you shall receive!) I found of a film maker who got access to the house for a project and decided to take an impromptu tour.

Britain, Humor, Linkstorm, London, Weekend, Work, Writing

Friday Links (So You Want To Be a Writer, Edition)

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
― Ernest Hemingway

Getting back into the freelance routine after two really amazing weeks at a magazine office has been a bit challenging, kittens. The truth is, I like being around other people, working on some team assignments, and seeing work I’ve done contribute to something. I get a lot of satisfaction with my freelancing work and I have no plans to quit it ever, but I confess I’d sure as hell like a steady income again and being around an office of people who make a living writing is equal parts inspiring and jealousy-inducing.

Obviously the cure for this is to find a job that pays me to write regularly…but you would not believe how hard that is. I’ve been hard at that very goal for months now! Of course, I’m still learning a lot. For the past  year my writing has largely been copy work, which pays the bills (mostly) but doesn’t come with a lot of reflected glory (and I admit, I’d like just a little glory). But now that I’ve got some journalism and solid copy work under my belt I’m trying to transition to including magazine articles and other mediums that I want to gain experience in.

As with all work, with writing ultimately what I need is a foot in the door somewhere. I’m working with an editor I met at Red now on one pitch that she really liked and connected with (gah, I’m so hopeful it’s a bit ridiculous) and I’ve contacted some local magazines about possibly doing freelance work for them as well, and am prepared to (politely) hound them until I get replies. I’m making progress. I’m just impatient!

Anyone else going through a work/life transition? Or my fellow writers out there have any words of wisdom to impart? Here are your links, tell me what you’re getting up to this weekend!

This is amazing! Sir David Attenborough Planet Earth’s Olympic curling!

Fascinating post from the Atlantic! I don’t classify myself as a particularly bad procrastinator, but other issues mentioned in this (imposter syndrome, being the top reader/writer in my class growing up only to turn into a little fish in a huge pond later, fear of failure) I deeply identify with.

Also from the Atlantic, but I thought this was an interesting followup to last week’s link of face “good” sides.

While I admit Lean In has some failings in relating well to women across class lines and other divides, I found a lot to like in it, and I’m pretty supportive of several of the Lean In projects. This latest is a majorly good one – a collection of stock photos to portray women more diversely and accurately than the media boils us down to. This Buzzfeed article has a great, edited selection for those who don’t care to search the 2500+ and growing collection.

Wanting this latest Blanca Gomez print.

The pace of medical science astounds me sometimes. Someday this technology will help people like my siter-in-law, currently on a waitlist for a lung transplant.

This is a thing? Unless we’re carting corpses out of debutantes bedrooms, poisoning one another with pastry, or destroying our siblings reputations (all of which, it much be said can usually be done at a typical Rodgers Family Game Night), I want no part of this.

The headline of the week. Mostly because I really loved Bosch’s work from my art history course at university on the Northern Renaissance

This kid is doing something pretty fun on Instagram.

Need to escape the proletariat? Quick, pick a pseudonym!

Britain, Expat, Food, Humor, Husband, London, Travel, Weekend

Brunch, A Coming of Age Story

“And now leave me in peace for a bit! I don’t want to answer a string of questions while I am eating. I want to think!”
“Good Heavens!” said Pippin. “At breakfast?”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Last week was busy for both of us. Between days in the magazine office and nights spent freelancing for me, and long hours for him as busy season gathers force – all of which interspersed with some truly heinous days of commuting due to strike action on the part of Tube workers (I spent 10 of a 48 hour period commuting by foot and only occasionally bus) – we needed some indulgence on the weekend. And since we were being terribly grown up with grown up problems like commuting, a grownup weekend indulgence like brunch seemed the very thing.

There is something very adult about having brunch, as opposed to breakfast. Anybody can stumble blearily to the cupboard of a morning and slosh some cereal and milk into a bowl. But brunch, at least brunch in the more fashionable areas of London, requires effort, kittens.

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I’d been hearing mouthwatering things about Jackson and Rye in Soho so last week I made a reservation for the weekend and Jeff and I trotted off that morning to enjoy ourselves on an uncharacteristically bright winter day. My initial desire to dine there was due to a pretty delectable sounding description of their buttermilk friend chicken sandwich, but the only time I could get us in was 10am. Fried food might be okay in Jeff’s book at that our of the morning, but it’s definitely an abomination in mine. I got a delicious eggs, potato, and fancy vegetable breakfast while Jeff threw himself on the sword of the aforementioned chicken – a great hardship for him, I’m sure – so I could at least taste it in between munches of grilled sourdough toast smothered in avocado.

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Lest you think I’m dwelling too much on this, I was incredibly smug because historically Jeff tends to always choose better food than me when we go out to eat. Almost inevitably the dishes he chooses are better presented and tastier than my selections, which irks me greatly. For once at least, I won brunch. It was delicious – Britain has converted me to slightly softer cooked eggs and I haven’t looked back.

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The bar area, kept hopping with hot drinks, fresh juices, the acceptable day drinking options like mimosas and Bloody Marys.

We’ll be going back because we quite liked it; I still want to try the Avocado Eggs Benedict (I really love avocados but finding decent ones it’s nigh impossible thus far) and because it felt really nice to “do brunch,” eating nice food in a fun place, leisurely people watching, and chatting about our further weekend plans (spoiler, one of the most interesting theatre experiences I’ve had in a long time). Very responsible and far more put together than many of our usual weekend morning routines. I wouldn’t want to do it every weekend, cereal and milk is frankly sometimes just what I need, but as an occasional treat I think it sounds quite nice. Minions are welcome to join us.

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Britain, Expat, Friends, Humor, Linkstorm, London, Weekend

Friday Links

“No weekend, all weakened.”
― Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity

A few misadventures this week (including a ticketing office splitting up tickets over two separate dates, which annoyed and vexed me greatly), but also goofing off with Katie and Adam, and Ruth and Terri. Also this has been significantly less frantic than last week, which can only be a good thing! A few freelancing projects to get through today, lots of housework (blech), job apps, and a run to the dry cleaners is all that lurks on my Must Do list. Here are your links, tell me what you’re up to this weekend.

A fortifying treat with friends last evening.
A fortifying treat with friends last evening.

Hide yo’ hedges, hide yo’ shrubberies! Actually, this is one of the more puzzling and intriguing mysteries I’ve seen in a while. Perhaps my next mystery will be of the horticultural variety.

Freelancers, assemble! New York Time journalist and author Caitlin Kelly’s webinars for success in freelancing or  for boosting your blog or site traffic are available for sign up now, and so are her individual coaching sessions which I wholeheartedly recommend!

History nerd find of the week! A blog exploring the clothing collection of Charles Paget Wade, who lived from the 1880 through the 1950s. (People with that kind of lifespan intrigue me!) Apparently he was one of those magnificent, British eccentric collectors, whose archives are now maintained by the National Trust. His passion was Georgian, Regency and early Victorian clothing, and the collection looks incredible.

I want – nay, need this table. Though I fear to obtain it might require obtaining the boat it’s attached to…

A brief article of the mostly forgotten sister of Benjamin Franklin. The differences between the siblings’ circumstances are quite stark. Considered one of the Great Men of his age, a self-educated wit who made a profession and legacy of words – and a woman who only read “as much as she dared.”

Loved this article in the Atlantic about the importance of telling stories (h/t Mel). There are massive gaps in my understanding of my family history. Partly because my immediate family’s relationship with extended family has not always been smooth and so a lot of lore simply hasn’t had the opportunity to pass itself along, and partly because my immediate family has been busy for most of my life creating our own story all over the world. But as I get older I think about my family stories more and more, and try to think of ways to learn and preserve them. I never knew until this past summer that my great-grandfather on my Dad’s side supported his siblings and made his own way through Harvard (in the 1920s when it was still a place of privilege that he had not been born into). Or that my Scottish great-great-grandfather (I think) on my mother’s side followed his brother to the Western frontier with Mormon pioneers to stay close to him even though he wasn’t part of that faith himself. What else have I missed!

Current resident favorite Tom Hiddleston has a Jaguar deal, his commercial for which is basically a homicidal riff on his Loki character (which I’m sure will have some clever twist come Superbowl time). I had a moment’s pause thinking that for such a talented actor it might be frustrating to be defined by a single role… And then I remembered he’s already won an Olivier Award and is probably laughing it all the way to the bank, and got on with more important pop culture ponderings.

If ever I design a home, you can bet it’s going to have a secret passage or room.

Another map. Everyone’s good at something! (h/t Matt)

This made me laugh (h/t Heidi who is living in Denmark). What are the dressing stereotypes where you live? At some point I should knock together a Brit style post, but frankly I’m still trying to figure some of it out.

Complicated issue, blah blah blah, lots of feeling on either side, etc. I’m unabashedly pro-vaccine and I’m a bit alarmed at how many people give credence to the anti movement especially given how many of their concerns have been utterly debunked. (h/t Savvy).

This happened yesterday and London responded Britishly.