Travel

Is it too soon to plan another trip to paris?

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I read a cousin’s Christmas letter today and he mentioned a trip his family took to Rome, Italy as the highlight of their year. I personally did not write a Christmas letter (I feel that this blog probably suffices and everybody I would send a letter to already knows more about my life than they even want to) but I was thinking about what the highlights of MY year would be if I were writing.  Two things stand out, of course—our wedding, and our trip to Paris.

I’m not planning to get married again, but I do want to go to Paris again.  There are blogs I read now just about living in Paris and sometimes I will do internet research, you know, just in case.  I also do this for other destinations and for cruises—I’m not alone in this am I?  How many people plan hypothetical trips to destinations they won’t be going to any time soon, just to pretend? (Next on my list is Rome…or London…or Spain…or another cruise…or Russia…)

Eiffel Tower at night

So, if you are planning a real OR hypothetical trip to Paris, where to start?

I think the most important thing to do is to figure out what neighborhood you want to stay in.  Until I booked our accommodations for our most recent trip, I was totally overwhelmed by the city, and after I knew where we’d be sleeping,  it became somehow more real that we were going, and I was able to better visualize the rest of the trip.

(Note to reader:  please do not actually book any rooms unless you are taking an actual trip.  I am not responsible for any money you lose planning a hypothetical trip.  In fact, I am not responsible for any money of yours at all.)

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(view from our window in Paris)

On our most recent trip to Paris (implying there have been many, right?), we wanted to stay somewhere centrally located so that we would have an easy time getting around the city. If you read all my blog posts about Paris you’ll learn that I became a huge fan of the Rick Steves travel book but initially I just talked to a bunch of people and did tons of searching online.  I found that the Marais neighborhood was centrally located, near a variety of Metro lines, and came highly recommended by friends. You can find a hotel here and very easily see where on the map you will be. 

I think for our next visit (fingers crossed, right?) we would want to stay near the Eiffel Tower since that ended up being our favorite destination.  In my “planning stage”  I also found this great resource on the NY Times website:  all kinds of information and recommendations for a Paris getaway.

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So tell me:  do you love to travel?  Do you daydream about travel destinations?  Where would be your number one place to go?

Random thoughts

Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

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My cookie exchange party last night was a huge success.  Everybody brought great stuff—from chocolate chip cookies, to molasses cookies, to lemon bars, toffee, and fancy cookies with apricots or rosemary or tequila in them!  My friends are pretty awesome.

Today I’m going to share the recipe I used, which makes a cookie I call Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies.  They are unique and delicious!

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Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies (From My Baking Addiction):

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one large lime, finely minced
3 tbsp lime juice
½ cup unsweetened toasted coconut (I used sweetened coconut as that’s all I could find.)
1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.

4. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lime juice and lime zest.

5. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients and the coconut.

6. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. (I also added some coconut on top)

7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. (I found it took 12 to 13 minutes, so pay attention to the first batch to figure it out!  I imagine it depends on the actual size of your cookies.  Mine always seem to take longer than recipes say.)

8. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

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I doubled the batch and made about six dozen.  Make these.  They are easy and delicious.

Today is one of those days that isn’t going as planned.  Poor Chris has been a little sick and that threw a lot of things off, and I haven’t felt great…I may have eaten too many cookies last night.  Note to readers:  running after eating a ton of cookies, artichoke spinach dip, cheese, and eggnog the night before…is not great.  Another note to readers:  Caramel vodka with apple cider IS great.  Not for running no, but very tasty.  I’ll tell you more about the party later, but I’ve got to get ready for work!

Giveaways

Book review and giveaway: The Painted Bridge (Closed!)

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As you might notice, I’ve gotten more into book reviews.  I’ve always loved reading and I’ve learned that another awesome thing about blogging is that you can get FREE books to read (without going to the library, which I used to do as a child, but I get so lazy about libraries these days) just by promising to review the book for them.  And often I get to give YOU a chance to win a free copy as well, which I think is pretty cool, because all you have to do is read my blog 🙂

I was sent “The Painted Bridge” by Wendy Wallace.  The book takes place in 1859 outside of London, at Lake House, a private asylum for “genteel women of a delicate nature.”

The main character, Anna, has been locked up in the asylum by her husband for having “hysterics” and “mania.”  I found the book difficult to read, not because IT was difficult to read, but because of the idea that a woman could be locked up indefinitely for “hysterics”, in other words, for being emotional or opinionated—if those opinions were different than her husband’s.  The author did a wonderful job bringing us into the world of Victorian England and the “psychiatry” of the time.  I kept reading the book and then putting it down again.  I became very frustrated for Anna, because she seemed to want so badly to prove she was sane, but then things would happen that would seemingly make her seem insane, and it was just very frustrating.

It’s worth reading if you are interested in the way mental health used to be back then, because I can tell it is a very well researched book.  It has a lot of minor story lines that were harder to follow, and a few minor characters that weren’t as well fleshed as one might hope, but overall it was an interesting read, and the ending has a few twists that I didn’t see coming but wrapped everything up very nicely.  (I often hate a book with loose ends—call me immature, but I want stories to finish and be wrapped up at the end of a book.)

I like to read for a variety of reasons:  to be entertained, to learn something new, to learn something I already know, or to be taken to a whole new world.  This fell into the second two categories.  As an opinionated and emotional woman, it’s frightening to think that 150 years ago I could have been locked up for being myself!  (Or more recently that that…or if I lived in a different country than I do now even.)  I’m lucky to be where I am and with the man I’m with, and reading The Painted Bridge makes me feel even more so.

Want to win a free copy (may be more than one winner!)?  Leave a comment here telling me something that makes you feel lucky.  Giveaway runs through 10 pm CST Sunday, December 16.  U.S. residents only. Winner(s) will be notified by email.

 

I was given a free copy of the book but was otherwise not compensated for my review.  All opinions are my own.

Random thoughts

Come on ride that train

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Yesterday I played on the “Holiday Magic Train” with Jen as part of Chamber Project St Louis. 

We were to meet the train at one end of the line (Fairview Heights, Illinois) and we would ride to Shrewsbury (the other end) and back. 

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We met up with a variety of Metrolink employees and the Marketing Director (I think) who was also the sound guy.IMG_3167

When the train arrived, we got on and then the train pulled off to a track that was off to the side so that we could get set up.   We needed to set up our music stands, but they were also setting up microphones, speakers, and all kinds of signs advertising the concert.

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After everything was set up, we got ready to move, and we were off!  It was very strange at first playing on a moving train, but we got used to it.  We played Christmas tunes and light classical music. 

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Some of our friends got on to ride and listen for a bit.  It was a nice to see friendly faces, and to get people to take some pictures.

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In Shrewsbury we had a 15 minute break and then the train headed back.  I had been riding backwards so I was then riding forwards.  It took a little adjustment again, but I was able to use my core strength to really stay upright 😉

Even though it was one of the oddest shows I’ve ever played, it was one of the most fun.  Some people got on the train knowing there was a concert—others were surprised, but most, if not all, seemed pleasantly surprised. 

I hope we can play again next year!

And a teaser photo:  I’m baking cookies right now for the party…

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They are turning out great and I’ll share the recipe soon!

Cat, Christmas

Everybody needs a little Caturday

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I have a busy day ahead, but I thought I’d pop in for a quick Caturday post, since it’s been awhile.

I know, I know.  Regular readers know that technically in my world, every day is Caturday.  Some people I meet in real life are surprised to learn I actually only “own” one cat.  (Does anyone really “own” a cat?)

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I love the “no arms and legs” look.  WHO SET THAT CAT DOWN HERE?

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This was a funny picture to me because I feel like she should take up more room on the chair than she does.  Odd, right?

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This is Albergo, my sister’s cat.  He is in a box. She sent that to me with the caption “First I had a box.  Then I had a cat.”

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And this is not a cat at all, but our Christmas Tree.  We decorated it last night.  I loved coming downstairs this morning and seeing it again!

I’ll leave you today with this picture that made me giggle.

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Christmas, Random thoughts

It’s beginning to look a lot like

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

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We went to Home Depot yesterday to get our tree! (This has become our tradition.)

From that blog post:

“Three years ago my sister Leslie was visiting and we decided to decorate the tree with her (Leslie and I enjoy it much more than Chris does.)  We went to Home Depot for the tree, and as the man finished loading it on top of the car, Chris tried to tip him.  He backed away, wildly, saying loudly, “no thank you, sir!  no thank you!”  We realized that it must be against store policy and he must not have wanted to get in trouble, but joked about it for awhile, ultimately having the story end with the man yelling, very politely, “SCREW YOU SIR!”

Well.  Yesterday for the first time since we’ve moved here, that dear man wasn’t working.  Home Depot was a bit understaffed (the staff was great and polite and helpful, there just weren’t very many of them so we had to wait.)  And the funniest/worst part was at the end, after tying our car on the tree, the man went to shake Chris’s hand, and I could tell he thought Chris was going to tip him.  And of course Chris WASN’T because of our previous experience—in fact, we had come from a three  mile run and neither of us even had any cash!  We felt bad.

So who knows the deal: do you tip Home Depot employees?  Or did I misinterpret the man’s actions yesterday and he wasn’t hoping for a tip?  Did we just get a particularly virtuous employee that first time?

Nonetheless, our tree looks wonderful.  It’s huge and smells terrific.  We are just letting it settle for now and we will decorate later today and tomorrow. 

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Since we now have a bit of railing to decorate, I picked up a nice “pre-lit” garland from Target.  Chris surprised me by putting it up while I was teaching the other day.

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Kitty loves the tree skirt.  “Finally you put a soft blanket down in this corner!”

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Have you been watching “Hobbit Week” on the Colbert Report?  We’ve been doing so obsessively.  In one week we will have already seen the movie (midnight showing, baby!).  I thought I’d reread it so I started the other night after I finished “Wings of the Divided.”  I’m more than a third way in so I’m ready for the first movie already 😉

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Another toe picture.  The other week I bought these amazing black running/workout capris at Target.  I absolutely love them and would wear them all the time, but I hate to rewear pants after a workout, so I really only wear them once or twice a week.  I finally figured, hey, it would be smart of me to get another pair.  Of course they didn’t have them, but they did have a very similar pair in grey, so I bought those (sorry, Tyra!).  I noticed that they matched my big toe.  Gross and awesome, right?  And that baby is still attached.  I tried to make Chris tell me if he thought it would come off but he didn’t want to humor me and look at my toe too closely.  I guess I should try to maintain more mystique in our relationship?

Last but not least:  Tomorrow is our hilarious and ridiculous Metro Link “Concert.”  There is a great write up in the Post-Dispatch about the show.

edited to add:  The St Louis Beacon had a nice article about Chamber Project St Louis as well.

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I promise I won’t use that graphic again, but not everybody reads everyday! 

So, should we have tried to tip at the Home Depot?  Personal experiences to share?

thoughts about violin, teaching, running, life.