Paris Parfait

Take a risk

A form of bungee jumping deemed safe for children at Hippodrome de Longchamp, Paris.

To one
     Who smells the sun,
          Eyes shut and tastes that rain is sweet;
Who hears
     Music, but fears
          Its presence in empty gardens; or, discreet,
Only observes
     The nerves
          And fibers of a painting - shade, technique;
What is
     Beyond analysis
          Is perilous: we must not wish to seek
And cry
     'This is what I
          Love, what I cherish!' Instead, be wary of such
Intensity
     That we
          May never be hurt or happy or anything too
much.

Poem from the novel Beginner's Greek by James Collins. For those who are sitting on the fence, afraid to take a leap forward, I encourage you to be brave. Take a risk. Dare to open your heart. Truly LIVE your life in capital letters!

I was going to write this, but then...

Last night I listened to the Democratic  presidential debate live via radio.  I was going to write about what a complete travesty it was, with stupid, inane questions pandering to the lowest common denominator of society - a penchant for gossip, mud-slinging and name-calling. Issues of substance such as torture, Iraq, China, Tibet and the economy largely were ignored. I was going to write that the moderators did a terrible job and ask what has happened to ABC News? No doubt the late Peter Jennings wouldn't have asked such lightweight questions - he would have focused on the substantive issues that affect us all.

I was going to write that it's hard to single out the most ridiculous question, as the majority were so idiotic. But the one asking Sen. Barack Obama if he respected the American flag was probably the dumbest and most inflammatory. Sen. Obama patiently responded and - unlike the moderators - kept trying to turn the subject back to real issues, saying Americans didn't want to waste time talking about manufactured ones.

I was going to write that people who think those who don't wrap themselves in the American flag, wear flag lapel pins - just in case you forget you're an American - and believe that wearing such a pin equates being patriotic -  deserve the government they get. And that those people probably should be reading books and blogs and newspapers and learning about the issues, rather than questioning someone else's patriotism.  Because wearing a flag pin has zip nada NOTHING to do with patriotism!

I was going to write that patriotism does not require wearing a silly cheap plastic flag pin bought from Wal-Mart and made in China. I don't care if you drape your front lawn in flags and wear a flag pin every waking moment, if you aren't doing something to establish a dialogue and change the downwards spiral in America, you're part of the problem.

Patriotism is questioning what's happening in our country. Patriotism is being a soldier trying to stay alive amidst terrible conditions in a war fought under false pretenses. Patriotism involves the families who struggle to pay bills while their husband or wife is in Iraq or returning soldiers who have serious injuries, yet must fight to get the proper medical care they need.  Patriotism is those who fight for the underdog and try to protect the Constitution and our civil liberties. Patriotism is shining attention on critical issues affecting us all, such as global warming and human rights. Patriotism is helping insure a better future for our children and their children, by keeping informed and involved with issues that impact our lives. Patriotism is thinking for ourselves. It is not accepting blindly what someone else tells us to do - that's fascism.

I was going to write, please spare us any further presidential debates if they are going to insult the viewers and listeners' intelligence. Why can't the media raise substantive issues that really matter, rather than lazily catering to fabricated nonsense? I was going to ask are we really such an entertainment-lite culture that we have forgotten how to think for ourselves and question our leaders and potential future president?

All this I was going to write... then I saw the Hafiz poem Out of the Mouths of a Thousand Birds, a simple, yet powerful reminder of what's important in the grand scheme of things:

Listen
Listen more carefully to what is around you
Right now.

...There is an astonishing vastness
of movement and Life

Emanating sound and light
from my folded hands

And my even quieter simple being and heart.

My dear
Is it true that your mind
is sometimes like a battering
Ram

Running all through the city,
Shouting so madly inside and out

About the ten thousand things
That do not matter?

...Oh listen
Listen more carefully
to what is inside of you right now.

In my world
All that remains is the wondrous call to
Dance and prayer

Rising up like a thousand suns
out of the mouth of a
Single bird.

Pensive oil and mixed media on panel by Randall LaGro. Photo courtesy of Blue Rain Gallery, Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Aesthetics of the city

Practically everywhere you look in Paris, there's something beautiful or interesting to behold. At Printemps, even the construction scaffolding - painted with a trompe l'oeil finish - has style.

This large billboard covers much of the exterior of the future Roberto Cavelli store on rue Cambon, currently under construction. The current Cavelli boutique is on rue de Rivoli.

Up-to-the-minute fashion at Chanel on rue Cambon. Bicycles are reflected in the vitrine.

A new twist on ropes of pearls at Chanel.

More elaborate costume jewelery featuring rhinestone moon-and-stars accent the latest Chanel designs.

Beneath this unbuttoned coatdress at Chanel, the mannequin is wearing hotpants - remember those?

Chanel's upscale version of cut-off shorts.

A mid-calf-length sheath dress, with kicky pleats near the hemline.

1940s-inspired platforms at Chanel.

A bling-bling handbag, designed with gold and silver leather traditional interlocking "Cs."

C'est moi aussi

Self-portrait update, April 1, 2008, Paris.

An excerpt from Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chodron:

"Being able to lighten up is the key to feeling at home with your body, mind and emotions, to feeling worthy to live on this planet. For example, you can hear the slogan "always maintain only a joyful mind" and start beating yourself over the head for never being joyful..."

"This earnestness, this seriousness about everything in our lives...this goal-oriented "We're going to do it or else" attitude is the world's greatest killjoy. There's no sense of appreciation because we're so solemn about everything. In contrast, a joyful mind is very ordinary and relaxed. So lighten up. Don't make such a big deal."

"When your aspiration is to lighten up, you begin to have a sense of humour... In addition to a sense of humour, a basic support for a joyful mind is curiosity, paying attention, taking an interest in the world around you. Happiness is not required, but being curious without a judgemental attitude helps. If you are judgemental, you can even be curious about that."

"Curiosity encourages cheering up. So does simply remembering to do something different. We are so locked into this sense of burden - Big Deal Joy and Big Deal Unhappiness - that it's sometimes helpful just to change the pattern. Anything out of the ordinary will help. You can go to the window and look at the sky, you can splash cold water on your face, you can sing in the shower, you can go jogging - anything against your usual pattern. That's how things start to lighten up."

I pay attention to details and try to learn something new and do something different every single day. To me, routine and regimen without variation ultimately result in apathy and boredom. What do you do to shake things up in your life?

And won't you please take a moment to watch this powerful video, on a day where polls show 81 percent of Americans think our country is on the wrong track?

The bliss of unexpected finds

Last week when giving blogging friends a brief tour of Ile Saint Louis, we discovered a little antique shop on a side street. My lucky finds included this 1906 Art Nouveau silver-plated claret jug, made by the German company WMF and an 18th-century French beaded bag in near-mint condition. Above is an illustration of the claret jug from the book Art Nouveau Domestic Metalwork. I have a small collection of six WMF-produced Art Nouveau pieces, all but one found in France.

Spiritual symbols and religious icons

A tableau of religious icons beneath the apartment's foyer wall of crosses, milagros and prayer ornaments. The pewter tulip tray at right is by Serge Nekrassoff (1895-1985), the Russian-American metalsmith. It serves as a catch-all for mail. A 19th-century French church altarpiece, stitched in gold threads is beneath the trays.

The tray at left with angels at either end is Mexican silver, found in Sevilla, Spain. The tray contains various glass and hammered-silver candleholders, as well as tin milagros from Santa Fe; a 19th-century French silver and gold religious icon; a 19th-century cobalt glass and silver Spanish communion chalice, found in Sevilla and a Spanish crucifix icon of tin and brass, the latter found at the secret brocante in Passy, Paris. The tray also holds an antique French ivory-and-silver rosary and a modern aqua-beaded and silver Spanish rosary from a convent in Sevilla.

A white folk art cross from Guatemala, also found in France is flanked by two silver hearts linked by a chain. One of the hearts still holds a handwritten prayer request. The hearts are from a former convent in Marseilles, France. The wooden monk figure is from a former French monastery. The silver cross draped around his neck was a gift. The framed drawing of a hand holding a pen dripping blood was a gift from Syrian opposition political cartoonist and publisher Ali Ferzat, with an inscription in Arabic.

No, I am not Catholic! As a child, I went to a Baptist church; when I was nine, my mother took us to a Presbyterian church, of which I am still a member. But I am drawn to religious icons and symbols from world religions. One of the things I like about Santa Fe (which of course means Holy Faith) is the little prayer niches or shrines in so many beautiful old adobe houses. Some of these homes even have their own chapels. Two of my favourite books about collecting religious icons are Mary Emmerling's Art of the Cross and Laura Cerwinske's In a Spiritual Style.

P.S. Speaking of religion, John McCain has made a bizarre choice in embracing the endorsement of Rev. John Hagee of Texas. Hagee advocates wars based on Biblical mandates; rants against the Catholic Church, as well as Islam and claims that Hurricane Katrina "was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans." Really, one has to wonder about McCain's judgment in aligning himself with such an extremist.

Shopping bags, jeans and the 4th Amendment

This is the bag I'll be carrying the next time I travel through US airports. I also sent one to my daughter.

Wherever I go, I carry Cath Kidston oilcloth bags or canvas book bags for groceries and shopping purchases. As they are stronger than paper or plastic bags, there's no worry about the bags breaking and purchases rolling across the sidewalk or the Paris Metro floor.

Beginning May 6, the UK-based Marks & Spencer will charge food customers five pence per plastic bag. The company hopes declining usage of plastic bags will aid the environment. M&S will spend proceeds from the 5p bag charge for helping improve parks and play areas across the country. During the month of April, M&S stores will give their customers free canvas bags.

San Francisco supermarkets have stopped using plastic bags. Do your local stores offer alternatives to plastic bags? Check out Danny Seo's website for daily tips about living "green."

The Independent in London has an interesting story about jeans and garments produced for companies like H&M, the Gap and Wal-Mart. Read Fred Pearce's excerpt from his book Confessions of an Eco Sinner – Travels to Find Where My Stuff Comes From, published by Eden Project Books.

A little light on the subject

This overhead light in a London cafe is bigger than a hula hoop. Sitting at the cafe earlier this week, I wanted to be anywhere with a hula hoop, rather than dreading surgery later that afternoon. After a tense day - with my husband trying to distract me by running errands and going to a bookshop to buy a friend's new book - we arrived at the hospital in Chelsea. I expressed my concerns to the doctor, who examined me, then recommended we postpone the surgery. He performed a biopsy to determine if the pre-cancerous area (identified in December) may have spread. So we're awaiting lab results to reschedule my third surgery in four years, trying to keep "pre" from turning into cancer. The key is vigilance, so schedule regular checkups with your gynecologist, ladies!

Sorry to disappoint, but I took only four photos the entire trip. The Moulin Rouge-inspired lamp was in a hardware store window on High Street Kensington. The photo below is at the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras Station, with the sign upside down - a bit like my week has been!

On the train home, I read Elizabeth Berg's The Pull of the Moon, which is about Nan, a 50ish woman taking a road trip, while trying to make sense of her life. Every day she writes letters to her husband. Some of the character's observations ring true for many women:

"It is a case of you (men) feeling that you deserve things; that they are there for you and it is something women seem to struggle with, almost without exception and I don't know why. I don't know where your sense of entitlement comes from. Well, yes I do. It comes from the way you were raised, from everyone telling you, one way or another, that yours is the earth to inherit. That's true... and you know it...I'm not angry. I'm just wondering and wondering and wondering. All our lives we hand it over... Well maybe I am a little angry. But it's not at you. It's more of a class action suit type thing."

That "class action" idea made me smile. Then Nan buys all the fixings for a huge turkey dinner, only to get to her rented cottage and discover the turkey won't fit in the oven. For a moment, she feels sorry for herself. Then she goes elsewhere and buys food that "tasted wonderful and it occurred to me that that's what I wanted in the first place, I was just too shy to tell myself and so the universe had to sigh and shake its head and help me out, which it always will do, provided we let it. This is something I have such a hard time remembering how to believe."

And another passage: "...When you learn to turn from the mirror, when you look up from your hands, you have a chance to see a garden truly, because you are not in your own way."

Meanwhile, seated opposite me on the train is a slender, elegant woman, maybe ten years younger than I. I have brought white chocolate chip cookies, which taste homemade. David had breakfast, but I hadn't eaten, as we had been busy checking out of the hotel, getting the tube to the train, etc. Of course, the woman starts eating a banana - no fattening cookies for her. I console myself that though she may have chosen fruit over a cookie, her skin looks considerably older than mine. As we approach Paris, she goes to the train's snack bar and returns with a huge bag of junk food, which she devours! Memo to self: Give up cookies and pre-conceived notions.

Isabella Moon in London

Isabella Moon by Laura Benedict at a London bookstore.

Recently, I had the great pleasure of "meeting" Laura Benedict through our mutual friend Patry Francis. When Laura said her book Isabella Moon was being released in the UK, I told her I'd look for it in London. On Wednesday, I went into Waterstone's Kensington and asked the sales assistant if he had a copy of Laura's book. While the clerk was checking the stock on his computer, my husband went to the fiction section and came back with a copy of Isabella Moon. I was so excited! Noting my enthusiasm, the sales assistant said, "There's a stack of her books on that table." So of course I asked for permission to photograph them, so Laura could see her books in London. From Laura's lovely writing on her blog Notes from a Handbasket and from the bookjacket's promise of revealing "long-buried secrets and lies" as "murder shatters a small town," I can hardly wait to read Isabella Moon!

Here's a paragraph from the book jacket:

"Without streetlamps, the road is black at their feet. But Kate can see well enough; the silver in the girl's hair is its own light and Kate follows her easily. As kate approaches her, the wind picks up around them and the smell of rotting leaves intensifies. Unafraid, Kate reaches out to tough the girl, but her fingers touch nothing and Kate is alone in the clearing..."

In the US, you can find Isabella Moon at most bookstores, or order it online through the usual booksellers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Hitty: Her First Hundred Years

When I mentioned in a previous post that I was looking for a copy of a favourite book from childhood, readers came to the rescue. Nancy Sotham in Canada and Vida in Australia forwarded links to the same online bookseller, Abe Books.

I ordered a 1929 edition of Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. Rachel Field's classic book was first published in 1929 by MacMillan. It is a library version, with an orange cover with black marks meant to resemble wood and a few torn pages repaired with now-yellowed tape. The lovely illustrations are by Dorothy P. Lathrop. I was thrilled to get it and re-read Hitty's adventures - including long ocean voyages and falling at the feet of Charles Dickens! Thank you, dear readers!

Other people's gardens

 

"You can give a fool a thousand intellects, but the only one he will want is yours." - Arabic proverb

 

"When we start planting the garden of our life, we glance to one side and notice our neighbour is there, spying. He himself is incapable of growing anything, but he likes to give advice on when to sow actions, when to fertilize thoughts and when to water achievements.

"If we listen to what this neighbour is saying, we will end up working for him and the garden of our life will be our neighbour's idea. We will end up forgetting about the earth we cultivated with so much sweat and fertilized with so many blessings. We will forget that each centimeter of earth has its mysteries that only the patient hand of the gardener can decipher. We will no longer pay attention to the sun, the rain and the seasons; we will concentrate instead only on that head peering at us over the hedge.

"The fool who loves giving advice on our garden never tends his own plants at all."

Flowers in Yorkshire, England. Excerpt from Paulo Coelho's book Like the Flowing River.

Love after love

Victorian Valentines and romantic tokens from the Castle Museum, York, England.

The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Love after Love by Derek Walcott from the book Soul Food, Nourishing Poems for Starved Minds, edited by Neil Astley and Pamela Robertson-Pearce; published 2007 by Bloodaxe Books.

Every vote matters

 

For the Writers Island prompt "magic," this poem incorporates some of Sen. Barack Obama's words from a speech in South Carolina. To me, there's nothing more magical than the collective power of people acting for change. Whatever your political affiliation, think about what kind of future you want for your children and their children. Please vote in the presidential primary elections on Tuesday, Feb. 5th.

 

Yes, we can

exercise our rights

and raise our voices,

like magic at the ballot box

as we vote for change

and begin to repair this world.

 

Together,  we can

rediscover justice and equality;

opportunity and prosperity;

the promise America  represented

when she stood strong and proud:

a shining beacon of light.

 

Yes, we can

begin to heal this nation.

No matter what obstacles stand in our way,

nothing can stem the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We are one people; one nation

and together we will write the next chapter of the American story.

 

Yes, we can.

Together, we can bind old wounds,

tear down walls and find common ground

and unite, merging our hopes and dreams

for a better, more tolerant country

with liberty and justice for all.

 

Yes, we can! Si, se puede!

 

Photo of wooden typeface letters from a Paris printshop.

Roots of fear

Roots of time - Tree roots entwined with a 19th-century wrought-iron fence in Paris.

Former counter-terrorism head Richard Clarke wrote this op-ed piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer about George W. Bush's tactics designed to keep Americans in the grip of fear. Senators should consider his words before resuming debate Monday on a new surveillance bill:

"When I left the Bush administration in 2003, it was clear to me that its strategy for defeating terrorism was leaving our nation more vulnerable and our people in a perilous place. Not only did its policies misappropriate resources, weaken the moral standing of America, and threaten long-standing legal and constitutional provisions, but the president also employed misleading and reckless rhetoric to perpetuate his agenda.

This week's State of the Union proved nothing has changed. Besides overstating successes in Afghanistan, painting a rosy future for Iraq, and touting unfinished domestic objectives, he again used his favorite tactic - fear - as a tool to scare Congress and the American people. On one issue in particular - FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) - the president misconstrued the truth and manipulated the facts.

Let me be clear: Our ability to track and monitor terrorists overseas would not cease should the Protect America Act expire. If this were true, the president would not threaten to terminate any temporary extension with his veto pen. All surveillance currently occurring would continue even after legislative provisions lapsed because authorizations issued under the act are in effect up to a full year.

Simply put, it was wrong for the president to suggest that warrants issued in compliance with FISA would suddenly evaporate with congressional inaction. Instead - even though Congress extended the Protect America Act by two weeks - he is using the existence of the sunset provision to cast his political opponents in a negative light.

"For this president, fear is an easier ...

tactic than compromise."

With FISA, he is attempting to rattle Congress into hastily expanding his own executive powers at the expense of civil liberties and constitutional protections.

I spent most of my career in government fighting to protect this country in order to defend these very rights. And I know every member of Congress - whether Democrat or Republican - holds public office in the same pursuit. That is why in 2001, I presented this president with a comprehensive analysis regarding the threat from al-Qaeda. It was obvious to me then - and remains a fateful reality now - that this enemy sought to attack our country. Then, the president ignored the warnings and played down the threats. Ironically, it is the fear from these extremely real threats that the president today uses as a wedge in a vast and partisan political game. This is - and has been - a very reckless way to pursue the very ominous dangers our country faces. And once again, during the current debate over FISA, he continues to place political objectives above the practical steps needed to defeat this threat.

In these still treacherous times, we can't afford to have a president who leads by manipulating emotions with fear, flaunting the law, or abusing the very inalienable rights endowed to us by the Constitution. Though 9/11 changed the prism through which we view surveillance and intelligence, it did not in any way change the effectiveness of FISA to allow us to track and monitor our enemies. FISA has and still works as the most valuable mechanism for monitoring our enemies.

In order to defeat the violent ... extremists who do not believe in human rights, we need not give up the civil liberties, constitutional rights and protections that generations of Americans fought to achieve. We do not need to create Big Brother. With the administration's attempts to erode FISA's legal standing as the exclusive means by which our government can conduct electronic surveillance of U.S. persons on U.S. soil, this is unfortunately the path the president is taking us down.

So it is no surprise that in one of Bush's last acts of relevance, he once again played the fear card. While he has failed in spreading democracy, stemming global terrorism, and leaving the country better off than when he took power, he did achieve one thing: successfully perpetuating fear for political gain. Sadly, it may be one of the only achievements of his presidency."

Richard A. Clarke is former head of counter-terrorism at the National Security Council and the author of Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror.

These roots are so intricately entwined with the fence, to separate them, either the tree or the fence would have to come down.

P.S. All these scare tactics/fear-mongering are enough to give anyone a headache. Visit here and toss your name into the hat for a prize at the One World One Heart giveaway. Help spread the love!

One World, One Heart

A heart-shaped bottle from a Paris brocante and a vintage postcard featuring roses and a lucky horseshoe will be awarded on February 14th as part of LisaOceandreamer's annual One World, One Heart giveaway. An identical bottle is featured in vignettes in the Secrets d' Interieurs (French version) and The New French Decor: Living with Timeless Objects (English version) books by Michele Lalande and Gilles Trillard.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. On February 14th, the winner's name will be drawn from a hat. And stop by Lisa's Heart of the Nest for links to other participants and the chance to win prizes at their websites! One World, One Heart - It's all about spreading the love! Bonne chance!

P.S. Speaking of love, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has married his girlfriend, singer and former model Carla Bruni. The ceremony was performed today at the Elysee Palace.

Kewpie doll by Sandra Evertson.

Through the glass darkly

Stained glass heraldic crests highlight leaded windows in a 16th-century church in York, England.

It's a cold, rainy day in Paris. The news headlines are filled with speculation about Societe Generale's future after rogue trader Jerome Kerviel caused a 3.7 billion euro (about $7 billion) loss. The outspoken French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the government will intervene, if another bank tries a hostile takeover of Societe Generale.

The bank's board of directors met this afternoon and voted to support embattled chairman Daniel Bouton and his co-chief executive Philippe Citerne. Bouton had previously offered his resignation. The next board meeting is Feb. 20. Meanwhile, many people are aghast that Kerviel has been released on bail, after police questioning.

Societe Generale, France's second-largest bank, has been our bank for the past seven years. As you might imagine, its future has been the topic of much dinner table conversation. French newspapers are speculating that BNP Paribas, France's largest bank, might attempt a takeover. But an international bank also may be interested in Societe Generale, recently touted in the banking industry as a success story.

Edwards, Guiliani bowing out

Sadly, John Edwards is abandoning the race for president. I'd hoped he'd stay in through next Tuesday, February 5, when 22 states host primaries. As he's bowing out today, guess my vote cast via absentee ballot in the California primary is nullified. But I expect Edwards still will have a role to play in the presidential race, by supporting one candidate or another. Possibly he could be named as a vice-presidential running mate or to a cabinet post, if a Democrat wins in November.

Barack Obama's statement after Edwards said he was leaving the race:

"John Edwards has spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn’t popular to do or covered in the news. At a time when our politics is too focused on who’s up and who’s down, he made a nation focus again on who matters – the New Orleans child without a home, the West Virginia miner without a job, the families who live in that other America that is not seen or heard or talked about by our leaders in Washington.

"John and Elizabeth Edwards have always believed deeply that we can change this – that two Americans can become one, and that our country can rally around this common purpose. So while his campaign may end today, the cause of their lives endures for all of us who still believe that we can achieve that dream of one America."

Besides Edwards' endorsement, both Obama and Clinton are hoping for New Mexico Governor - and former presidential candidate - Bill Richardson's endorsement. California, Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico - all with significant Latino populations - vote in primaries Feb. 5th.

As for Rudy Guiliani, I'm glad to see him go. He severely lacked strong leadership qualities and good judgement. The Republican presidential debate tonight in California should prove interesting, with John McCain and Mitt Romney trading verbal blows. I don't think either candidate is up to the job. McCain's constant talk about war - not only Iraq, but warning "there will be lots more wars" - and security makes me fear he would have us mired in Iraq for years. Equally worrying, he seems to have limited knowledge about the economy and other important issues.

Yes, he's an American hero. But does that qualify him to be president? No. We need a leader who can understand the enormous global challenges facing our country and its future - not someone whose thinking is status quo. The status quo simply can't match 21st-century realities.

And Romney? I find it hard to get past his statement that he would not shut down the prison at Guantanamo Bay. Even though the notorious "Gitmo" prison violates international law and denies Habaeus Corpus and basic human rights to prisoners, Romney has said he would expand the facility!

Interesting days ahead, sifting the chaff from the grain.

"Through the Glass Darkly" is a quote from the New Testament in 1st Corinthians 13. The phrase is interpreted to suggest that humans have an imperfect perception of reality.

The Liar's Diary Blog Day

I'm thrilled to announce that Patry Francis's intriguing book The Liar's Diary is now out in paperback!

When Patry's book was published last year, I was almost as excited as if it were my own. I'd been hearing about The Liar's Diary, as well as appreciating Patry's enormous writing talent through her blog Simply Wait. We'd "met" through an online writer's group and I was impressed by how Patry was able to juggle her jobs as a waitress, wife and mother and still find time to write a book! And she hosted The Third Day Book Club. Most of all, I was inspired by Patry's brilliant writing.

Since that heady excitement when Patry's book was released and she was working on her second book, her life took an unexpected turn. An aggressive form of cancer was diagnosed. As one would expect of Patry, she faced the battle with courage, determination and fortitude. She writes about her experiences with grace and a lyrical beauty.

I'm one of more than 300 writers, bloggers and friends participating in The Liar's Diary Blog Day to help promote Patry's book, while she recovers from cancer. If you haven't read The Liar's Diary, you're in for a treat! It's a thrilling story that will keep you up late reading. In Patry's own words, "Though my novel deals with murder, betrayal and the even more lethal crimes of the heart, the real subjects of THE LIAR'S DIARY are music, love, friendship, self-sacrifice and courage. The darkness is only there for contrast; it's only there to make us realize how bright the light can be. I'm sure that most writers whose work does not flinch from the exploration of evil feel the same."

An excerpt from the publisher's synopsis of The Liar's Diary:

"Answering the question of what is more powerful—family or friendship? this debut novel unforgettably shows how far one woman would go to protect either.

"They couldn’t be more different, but they form a friendship that will alter both their fates. When Ali Mather blows into town, breaking all the rules and breaking hearts... she also makes a mark on an unlikely family. Almost against her will, Jeanne Cross feels drawn to this strangely vibrant woman, a fascination that begins to infect Jeanne’s “perfect” husband as well as their teenaged son.

"At the heart of the friendship between Ali and Jeanne are deep-seated emotional needs, vulnerabilities they have each been recording in their diaries. Ali also senses another kind of vulnerability; she believes someone has been entering her house when she is not at home—and not with the usual intentions. What this burglar wants is nothing less than a piece of Ali’s soul.

"When a murderer strikes and Jeanne’s son is arrested, we learn that the key to the crime lies in the diaries of two very different women . . . but only one of them is telling the truth. A chilling tour of troubled minds, The Liar’s Diary signals the launch of an immensely talented new novelist who knows just how to keep her readers guessing."

Watch a brief video clip here. The audio was produced by Eileen Hutton at Brilliance Audio, especially for this effort. Sheila Clover English, the CEO of Circle of Seven Productions created the video.

You can pick up a copy of The Liar's Diary at your local bookstore or order the book from Amazon,
Barnes & Noble or Powell's. Or you can buy the book directly from the publisher Penguin. Get a 15 percent discount by adding the book to your cart, entering the word PATRY in the coupon code field, then clicking 'update cart' to activate the discount.

Read the book - you won't be disappointed! And tell all your friends and family about The Liar's Diary. No doubt, they'll want to read it too!

The Liar's Diary Blog Day event was initiated by Laura Benedict and organised by Benedict, Karen Dionne, Susan Henderson and Jessica Keener. Visit Lit Park for a full list of participants. See what they have to say about The Liar's Diary!

A doll's life

An early 19th-century French doll's chair with its original needlepoint seat found at a Paris antiques shop. The wide band beneath the needlepoint was added in the 20th-century, perhaps to cover the exposed brass nailheads that attach the needlepoint to the chair. The vintage lace doll's hat was found last year at a brocante at Bastille. All that's missing is a doll!

Do any of you remember the book Hitty: Her First Hundred Years? Rachel Field's tale of a wooden doll and her far-flung adventures was one of my favourite books from childhood. The book apparently was inspired by a real doll, which is displayed in a museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. I am looking for a vintage hardback copy of the book. If you come across one, please email me.

Another childhood book I adored was Betty MacDonald's Nancy and Plum. I read it to my own daughter, along with Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, which was checked out from the school library. But it was Louisa May Alcott's Little Women that really affected me and made me want to be a writer. What were your favourite childhood books?

Make do and mend

The Make Do and Mend book was published in England during World War II. Many of us might be adopting that philosophy, due to faltering economies in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Photo of exhibition at the Castle Museum, York, England.

While George W. Bush continues to insist the economy is strong, the United States appears to be in an economic downturn, if not edging towards full-blown recession. From the mortgage crisis, to three dollars a gallon gasoline to 47 million Americans without health insurance, it's not just the poor who are affected. Two of our staunchest symbols of capitalism, Citibank and Merrill Lynch, have incurred enormous losses. Now they're being bailed out by the Saudi royals, the Bush family's wealthiest foreign friends. And Bush's solution to America's troubles is to suggest a vague rescue plan issuing small tax rebate checks to some Americans?

Bush already has poured billions of taxpaper dollars into Iraq, but says we don't have enough money to continue to fund SCHIP, the program providing health care to millions of children. Late last year, the president issued his second veto on legislation to expand children's health coverage. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has scheduled a vote January 23 to try to override the president's veto. The House fell 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to quash Bush's first SCHIP veto.

Please consider contacting your Congressional representatives and asking him or her to vote to override Bush's SCHIP veto. Shouldn't every child be provided with adequate access to medical care?

More potential for identity theft in Britain

Meanwhile in Britain - also suffering tremendous economic fallout from the American mortgage crisis - more incompetence in safeguarding citizens' private information has been revealed. Personal details of 600,000 people have gone missing, after a Royal Navy officer's laptop was stolen. Police are investigating the theft of the laptop, taken from a vehicle in Birmingham. The computer contained personal information - including passport details, national insurance numbers and bank details - about British citizens who had expressed interest in joining the Armed Services.

Why would a laptop containing such sensitive information be left in a vehicle? The theft was discovered January 9, so why wasn't the news released publicly until nine days later? Defense Secretary Des Browne is expected to appear before Members of Parliament next week to answer these questions.

The theft was revealed on the same day a motorist found documents bearing people's personal details near Exeter Airport, Devon. In December, the same motorist found similar documents at the same spot! And in November, two computer disks containing child benefit records were lost, after HM Revenue and Customs sent unregistered and unencrypted disks to the National Audit Office.

Telling our stories

The Light Dances at Night by Randall LaGro, oil on canvas, photo courtesy of the Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico.

"If there is magic in story writing, and I am convinced that there is, no one has ever been able to reduce it to a recipe that can be passed from one person to another. The formula seems to lie solely in the aching urge of the writer to convey something he feels important to the reader."- John Steinbeck

Update 5:45 p.m.: Et voila! This afternoon I installed a new modem; so far it's working! All being well, normal programming will resume Tuesday. I'm looking forward to catching up with the writers' groups from which I've been missing in action, as well as with you and your blogs. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

As most of you know, I've been without internet access for nearly a week now. I've been reading and working on my book - telling a series of stories - when not having extremely frustrating conversations in French with the hopeless LAN access provider. I was touched by Scott Russell Sanders's Ten Reasons Why We'll Always Need A Good Story from the book A Writer's Book of Days:

"We delight in stories because they are a playground for language, an arena for exercising this extraordinary power. Stories create community. They link teller to listeners and listeners to one another. Stories help us to see through the eyes of other people. Through stories we reach across the rifts not only of gender and age, but also of race and creed, geography and class, even the rifts between species or between enemies.

"Stories show us the consequences of our actions. To act responsibly, we must be able to foresee where our actions might lead and stories train our sight. Stories educate our desires. Instead of playing on our selfishness and fear, stories give us images for that which is truly worth seeking, worth having, worth doing.

"Stories help us dwell in place. Stories of place help us recognize that we belong to the earth, blood and brain and bone and that we are kin to other creatures. Stories help us dwell in time. History is public; a tale of influences and events that have shaped the present; the mind's time is private, a flow of memory and anticipation that continues, in eddies and rapids, for as long as we are conscious. Narrative orients us in both kinds of time, public and private.

"Stories help us deal with suffering, loss and death. Stories reek with our obsession with mortality. Stories teach us how to be human. We are creatures of instinct, but not solely of instinct. More than any other animal, we must learn how to behave. Stories acknowledge the wonder and mystery of Creation. (They) give us hope of finding meaning within the great mystery."

I am hoping to be back soon, exchanging stories with you! Also, I will post a piece about George Bush's lamentable attempts at Middle East diplomacy. On a brighter note, our German friends Ralf and Jutta, who moved to Budapest are in town. We had a wonderful dinner Saturday evening - my first outing this year, other than to the doctor's office. Better days ahead...