Paris 2010

Paris 2010
Garden at Versailles

Monday, August 30, 2010

Mad Men again!

Mad Men won 4 Emmys last night including Outstanding Drama Series for the third consecutive year!  Very well deserved as usual.  The Emmys were entertaining this year.  Jimmy Fallon was a fun host and I enjoyed seeing George Clooney win the Humanitarian Award.  He always gives a good speech and even got a standing ovation.

I was glad to see Modern Family won for Best Comedy as I really enjoy that show.  I think it's the only network sitcom I watch these days.  I was hoping that Curb your Enthusiasm would win but I guess not enough Emmy voters watched it, the Seinfeld reunion notwithstanding!

I just found out that my friend Karen has started to watch Mad Men this season after hearing me go on and on about how great it is for the past 3 years!  I take that as a personal triumph!

Friday, August 27, 2010

You'll thank me later...

I'd like to say a few words about the USA series Monk starring Tony Shalhoub.  I just finished watching the 8th and final season on DVD.  I started watching this series because Jason Alexander (of Seinfeld fame) was guest starring.  It only took one episode for me to be hooked!  The wonderful Tony Shalhoub plays Adrian Monk, a former San Francisco police detective who had a breakdown when his beloved wife Trudy was killed by a car bomb.  He suffers from OCD and has a lot of quirks but he always solves the mystery by the end of the episode.  The cast is wonderful, the shows are well written and often touching.  Monk is a one of a kind character and it's no wonder that Tony has received all the awards that he has.  I'll be tuning in to the Emmy's on Sunday to see if he wins his 4th Emmy for season 8.  He really deserves it! 

According to the Monk website -

"After eight successful seasons on the air, the series finale of Monk set records as the most-watched basic cable original drama series telecast of all time in total viewers. Hitting series highs for its final episode, the finale brought in 9.4 million total viewers!"

The DVD has some nice special features including cast interviews and a behind the scenes tour.  For the final 2 part episode, Tony (an executive producer), Andy Breckman (the co-creator and head writer) and Randy Zisk (a producer and director) sit together and discuss the episode while it plays on the screen next to them.  I've never seen a commentary done that way and I liked seeing them talk!

You are in for a treat if you haven't seen Monk.  He is such an endearing, lovable, off center character and the final season has some wonderful episodes including Mr. Monk is Someone Else and Mr. Monk and the Dog. 

Here's the thing -  if Tony Shalhoub never does another series, what a huge contribution to television he has made with this show!  Rest assured there is a happy ending for all the characters on the show.  They did a great job tying up all the loose ends and they always had wonderful guest stars.

All 8 seasons are on DVD and it looks like USA will begin airing reruns in Sept.  The website has the schedule.  Enjoy!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

New book...

I picked up a new book at the library today.  It's called The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise and the author is Julia Stuart.  She is from England but now lives in Cairo.  I'm interested in this book because the setting is the Tower of London and we went there on our trip.  It was one of the highlights of our stay in London.  We really enjoyed the tour with a Beefeater guide and he was very informative and entertaining.  I didn't know that the Beefeaters all live at the Tower.  There was actually a lot I didn't know!  Here is a picture of me with our Beefeater!

Our Beefeater guide

Their official title is Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Member of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary.  You can see why "Beefeater" is so much easier!  Anyway, I'm looking forward to starting this book as it is billed as the next Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and Chocolat

Here is more information on Julia Stuart -

http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/33124/Julia_Stuart/index.aspx

I bought an adorable Beefeater bear and a little pin with a Beefeater on it.  I always make a stop at the gift shop! :)

Tower Guard

Jackson at the Tower of London

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Random thoughts...

There are few snacks I enjoy more than a molasses cookie and a skinny vanilla latte from Starbucks!  I have yet to find a molasses cookie that can beat the Starbucks version.

There is a coffee shop in Seattle's Westlake Center called Dilettante Mocha Cafe.  Besides coffee and mouth watering chocolates, they sell a sparkling citrus drink I had in Europe called Orangina.  I think the first time I had it was on the train from London to Paris.  We enjoyed taking the train to all of our destinations.  The train stations were beautiful.

http://www.orangina.eu/en

I was pleased to see Orangina again at the Dillettante Cafe, even though it costs $2.75 for a rather small bottle!  It was a nice memory from our trip.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Jersey Boys

We went to see the musical Jersey Boys in London at the Prince Edward Theatre.  Jersey Boys is internationally acclaimed and I had wanted to see it when it was in Seattle.  Guess I had to go to London to see this wonderful musical!  It tells the story of the rise to fame of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  I didn't know the background behind the story of how four guys from New Jersey got together to form one of the most successful bands in pop music.  They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and their songs include Big Girls Don't Cry, Can't Take My Eyes Off of You, Walk Like a Man and My Eyes Adored You to name a few. 

When we got to the theatre some people were in our seats but they moved right away.  We sat next to a nice couple from Scotland and we chatted with them during the intermission.  The Prince Edward Theatre was beautiful and we had good seats.  The story was engaging and touching, the music was wonderful and cast was very good.  Jackson thought one of the guys didn't have a good Jersey accent but I liked them all.  We had dinner at an Italian place called Ristorante Cappuccetto which was very near the theatre.  I had pumpkin ravioli.  Here's the website for the restaurant -

http://www.alcappuccetto.co.uk/index.htm

As the Jersey Boys would sing - Oh, What a Night!  This show was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Just started reading...

The other day when we went to the gym I found a book that someone had left behind.  It's called Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson.  I have read quite of few of Patterson's thrillers before and always enjoy them.  This is one in the series of Alex Cross books, the detective/psychologist who is on the trail of a serial killer in Washington D.C.  Here is Patterson's website with an excerpt from the book:

http://www.jamespatterson.com/books_popGoesTheWeasel.php

This book has short chapters and is a quick read.  I'm about a third of the way through it already.

Lunch in Amsterdam

After we arrived in Amsterdam and checked in at our B&B, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant on the corner.  Later on we had dinner at the same place.  We ate lunch outside and planned the rest of our day.

Me with my giant hambuger

Jackson had a tuna melt on a big bun.  He said he had never had a tuna melt on a bun like that!  The waiters and waitresses spoke English everywhere we went on this trip and were always friendly.

Jackson's lunch

Friday, August 13, 2010

United Kingdom Parliament

We went to the Palace of Westminster, home of the United Kingdom Parliament.  We couldn't see much of the House of Lords because the Queen had been there that day for the State Opening of Parliament, a ceremonial occasion.  The Queen's Speech (written for her by the government) sets the working agenda for the coming year.  We got a peek at the Chamber where the Queen and Prince Phillip had sat on fancy chairs with gold doors behind them.  We had to go through security to get in and we signed this Declaration -
"I undertake not to make any interruption or disturbance in the galleries and to comply with any instruction from staff in the House of Lords."  We were patted down to get a temporary ID with a blurry picture to get in.  I kept mine as a souvenir. 

Big Ben

We spent more time in the House of Commons.  We sat behind plexiglass in the gallery (not as elaborate as the House of Lords) to watch the Members of Parliament (MP's) discuss issues.  The Speaker of the House would call on different MP's to respond on behalf of their constituents.  It was interesting and to be honest, it was nice to be able to sit down after all the sightseeing!

House of Parliament

We walked around Westminster Hall which was completed in 1099 and is still used for ceremonial events.  The Central Lobby is beautiful!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Victoria & Albert Museum

Today I posted a picture we took of the Chihuly glass chandelier at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.  Here are some shots of it from Chihuly's website -

http://www.chihuly.com/installations/v+a/chand01.html

It seemed much darker in the lobby when we were there.  They were featuring a special exhibit called Grace Kelly, Style Icon.  Someone had left the May edition of Vanity Fair on the plane and I picked it up because it had Grace on the cover (I've always admired her).  The article mentioned the exhibit in London so that's how I knew about it.  Princess Grace was one of the most photographed women of the 20th century.  They had a lot of her beautiful clothes from her movies, her private life and her days as the Princess of Monaco displayed on mannequins.  There were a couple of short films, one was of her wedding, and they even had her Best Actress Oscar that she won for The Country Girl in 1955. Tragically, Grace Kelly died in 1982 in a road accident.  Her beauty and style will always be remembered.  My favorite show Mad Men, has been influenced by Grace and I'm sure the costume designer has studied her films.  I highly recommend Dial M for Murder, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief if you've never seen them.

There was much more to see in the museum but we were there late in the day and ran out of time.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Yabba dabba do!

We got a satellite dish last month and today I discovered a cartoon network called Boomerang.  They show classic cartoon shows like The Jetsons and The Flintstones.  I watched an episode of The Flintstones today and it really brought a smile to my face!  If I recall correctly it was the first cartoon show to be broadcast in prime time (like The Simpsons is now).  I remember watching The Flintstones with my family as a kid.  Here's the theme song -

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Rue Cler, Paris

We stayed in the Rue Cler neighborhood when we were in Paris. It was a great area and very convenient. Recently Jackson and I bought a large photographic print (at the Bellevue Art Fair) of a scene in Rue Cler. We are having it framed now but I got the description of the photograph from the photographer the other day. Josh Trefethen wrote wonderfully about each photograph. Here is his description of Rue Cler:

"Rue Cler, just southeast of the Eiffel Tower in downtown Paris, is a beautiful, pedestrian only street. The cobblestone street is eclectic, lined with neat little shops. As my wife and I were strolling down an older woman stopped next to us and parked her bicycle in front of the flower shop as she went inside to fulfill her errands. The bicycle provided the perfect subject to go with the colorful backdrop of the flower shop.


Located in the 7th arrondissement on the left bank of the Seine, the Rue Cler is just blocks away from the Eiffel Tower and Invilades and is a true Parisian market street. Traffic free since 1984, the shops that line this picturesque cobble stoned street overflow onto the sidewalk and street. There are flower shops and bakeries, as well as chocolate, wine, and cheese shops, along with restaurants, hotels, a bank and post office - everything you need to survive."
 
Here is the photograph called Rue Cler Fleur from Josh's website:
 
http://galleries.joshtrefethen.com/Travel/France/Cler-Fleurs-Paris/759632693_oUXXj-M-2.jpg

He has some great pictures on the site.  Here's another one I love:

http://galleries.joshtrefethen.com/Travel/France/DSC9902-New-Years-Eve-Paris/790693892_xFAoG-L.jpg

London photos

I added a few new pictures taken in London.  Just thought I'd point out that the Millennium Bridge was used in the filming of one of the Harry Potter movies - I think it was the most recent one but I'm not sure.  Jackson recognized it right away.  We walked across the Bridge to get to the Tate Modern museum where we spent quite a bit of time.  St. Paul's Cathedral was the setting for Princess Diana's fairy-tale wedding to Prince Charles in 1981.  We went inside but didn't take the tour.  I have more photos taken outside of the church, it's huge!
St. Paul's Cathedral

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Top 100 Killer Thrillers

Here is the new list of NPR's Top 100 Killer Thrillers -

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128718927

I've read about 20 of these books and a lot of them are on my list of books to read on Goodreads.

Seattle Public Library

Fruits and Veggies

I must admit I probably don't eat enough fruits and veggies.  I love summer fruit though like watermelon, strawberries, raspberries and cherries.  My favorite summer vegetable is corn on the cob.  I came across this website which lists what's currently in season -

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=674

It looks like there is a lot of good info on this site.  Happy eating!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Dinner in Bruges

I was going to blog about our trip to Europe from start to finish, but I decided to write about memories as they occur to me instead.  Here are two photos of the meals Jackson and I had at a seafood place called Den Golden Karpe in Bruges.


Jackson had this dish above -


And this is what I had.  Both meals tasted as good as they looked!  We shared some Armagnac (brandy) after dinner.  There was an episode of The Sopranos were one of the characters invested in Armagnac (I reminded Jackson of that story before I ordered it) and I was curious if I would like it.  It's very strong and I sipped it slowly but I did enjoy it!

Before we had dinner we stopped to look at paintings by a local Persian artist named Socotti whose paintings of Bruges scenery look almost like photographs.  We talked to him for awhile and chose two of his paintings.  I spent a lot of time deciding which ones to buy and Socotti told me I had the soul of an artist even though I have no artistic talent.  What a nice thing for him to say!

Garden

Garden
Versailles

The Louvre

The Louvre
Paris

Paris

Paris
The Seine

Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe
Paris

Paris in May

Paris in May
Paris

The Louvre

The Louvre
Paris

Chihuly glass sculpture

Chihuly glass sculpture
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Monet's Water Lilies

Monet's Water Lilies
Orangerie Museum, Paris

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey
London

Bruges

Bruges
View from our hotel window

Amsterdam

Amsterdam
canal

Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe
Paris

Lilacs in London

Lilacs in London
St. Paul's Cathedral

The Royal Guard

The Royal Guard
London

Music man

Music man
Bruges

Joy at the Palace

Joy at the Palace
London

Guard

Guard
Tower of London

Jackson in Bruges

Jackson in Bruges
Belgium

Canal bridge

Canal bridge
Amsterdam

Houseboat

Houseboat
Amsterdam

British police

British police
London

Oscar Wilde's Grave

Oscar Wilde's Grave
Paris

Rhododendrons in the park

Rhododendrons in the park
Amsterdam

Versailles

Versailles
Joy in the palace

Winter scene

Winter scene
wow!

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year
dragon

Sweet peas

Sweet peas
love 'em

Pretty bouquet

Pretty bouquet

Princess Diana Fountain

Princess Diana Fountain
Hyde Park

Gardens

Gardens
Versailles

End of summer daisies

End of summer daisies
Our yard

Cool art

Cool art
Tate Modern, London

Penguin party

Penguin party
penguins

Pretty kitty

Pretty kitty
My sister's cat

Jon Hamm

Jon Hamm
Is he a great looking guy or what?

Mad about Don

Mad about Don
Mad Men

Love Monk!!

Love Monk!!
Love To Tony

January and Jon

January and Jon
Beautiful people

Jon and January

Jon and January
Mad Men actors

Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa
The Louvre

Royal Crescent

Royal Crescent
Bath

British phone booth

British phone booth
London

Harrod's Department Store

Harrod's Department Store
London

Versailles

Versailles
bedroom

Trafalger Square

Trafalger Square
London

Tower of London

Tower of London
London

Seattle Public Library

Seattle Public Library
Seattle

Lavender

Lavender

Lighthouse

Lighthouse

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas
beautiful

Coffee love

Coffee love
yummy