Happy New Year.  An uneventful welcome to the New Year.  We had a great visit from Dave and Pamela and kids.  Very nice, quiet visit.  We ended up not going to Wang’s, which was kind of a relief.  We are very boring, and would much rather stay at home than make the effort to go out.  Especially on a hellish night like NYE.  I am now looking at the holiday decorations, and planning on the packing and return to storage for the year.

David is out in the sun, and we just finished watching Splendor in the Grass, which made David cry and get a little emotional.  He was getting the chaise lounge all wet with his tears.  Sad to say, I have never seen the movie, and Natalie and Warren both looked spectacular.  In many ways, they sort of seemed out of place because they were both so beautiful and everyone else in the movie just seemed so ordinary.  That added to the impact of the movie, I think.  Now State Fair is on, and AnnMargaret and Pat Boone can’t hold a candle to Warren and Natalie.  Well, let’s face it, Pat Boone almost puts the flame out with his blandness.

No plans, but we may go to the movies.  Not sure if it will be a crowded day for the movies or not, so we will have to plan on going early or go see something that nobody wants to see.

So, here’s to a great 2014 and many visits from people here in Palm Springs!

Our day always seems so dull when I sit down to write at night, which has been a bit less regular than it has been.  We had dance with Karen Doll, and I mentioned that we went to see a drag show and it featured Judy Garland, and she was thrilled.  She said that whenever she goes to that show, she gets pulled up on stage as Judy’s Stand-in.  Visually it must be pretty hysterical, as the Karen is about half the size of “Judy”. After the class she said that David was doing much better since the last time she saw him.  The last class we took was before we left for Paris. I have to remind myself how far we have come since the stroke.

We had an earthquake today.  That was pretty exciting.  We were waiting for Blade and when the ground shook, he said they still make him scared.   When we first arrived, Blade told David how great he looked in the car and how great his tan was.  Then Blade said how good he thought my haircut was (oh, yes, David and I got haircuts – maybe more exciting than the earthquake), David complained about the attention Blade was showing me. Toward the end of the session, Blade told David he was doing well.  David wanted him to give him an estimate for how long it was going to be for him to get back to normal.  Blade, dodged the question, beautifully (and wisely!)  I don’t know what we would do without Blade.

When we got home from Blade, got a call from Pamela (& David) who are visiting nearby, and we want to get together tomorrow evening.  I thought it would be a problem to find a reservation on New Year’s Eve, and granted, most of the restaurants are full, I got us a reservation on the early side at Wang’s in the Desert.

The weather is glorious!

We went to the Purple Room here in Palm Springs for dinner and The Judy Show – Holiday Edition.  We sat and had dinner, which was good, but not great, and then waited for the show to start at 7pm.  The accompanist, who both David and I recognized from the band and the chorus, came over because he recognized David.  He actually remember both his first and last name.  I know that David makes quite an impression, but I was impressed.  We chatted for a while, and I told him that I would give him a call so I could start singing again.  After he left, I said to David that I was afraid that maybe this wasn’t a drag show. It’s since impotency; a sexual acticity viagra tablets india barrier can definitely wreck ones romantic life. Homocysteine High homocysteine levels have been associated with elevated risks of prostatic abacojet.com viagra cipla 20mg adenocarcinoma. Patients with poor memory focus are advised to viagra in usa online buy at web-site include a 1-year, non-guaranteed contract, according to an anonymous source; guaranteed, it is worth $650,000. From all the drugs sold in the worldwide market 7% is being captured by the online pharmacies viagra alone. Why would they need an accompanist, unless it was a really good drag queen.  He was a pretty good drag queen.  We, of course, had some time with Judy, followed by visits from Carol and Bette (that’s Channing and Davis).  Had a very nice evening.

Carla was here earlier in the day, and I played tennis.  I wasn’t great or even very good, but it wasn’t completely embarrassing.  Add to that the fact that my partner is a personal trainer, and might be able to work with David.

Woke up this morning, and my foot was still not behaving itself.  Called to get an appointment with the Doctor, and was thrilled that I could get in to see him this afternoon.  Then, after breakfast, we went to Life Changes at the Stroke Recovery Center.  The group was very nice, and I am finding the dynamics in this group interesting.  There are these two guys who are normally there, and the one hates the other.  I have to admit, he isn’t my favorite person either, but his hostility is so obvious – he just glares at him whenever he speaks.  There are also two sisters who are always there, and I find them fascinating.  They are always knitting.  I find myself wanting to know what their stories are.  Anyway, it was a good group, and very relaxed.

When we got home, Maria was there and cleaning.  When she came last week, she became a little emotional as David was wishing her a Merry Christmas.  She is very good to both of us, and usually drops off some terrific Mexican food every week.  Tamales are my favorite. Also found out that Tamales are a typical Christmas morning meal.  Another project – learn to make tamales and start a new holiday tradition!  Before Maria left, the aide showed up, and we took a walk.  Halfway through the walk, David asked Carla to talk and tell him things.  Well, that was it.  She talked the whole time, and at a certain moment, when she left the room, he motioned that I should tell her to be quiet.  I will talk to her, although, in the end, David seemed to like her a lot.

I left them alone and went to the Doctor.  He confirmed that it is gout, and we have adjusted my medication to see if that works.  He doesn’t seem to think that there is anything to be done except find ways to lower the uric acid.  When I got home, David and Carla were sitting at the table, and she was talking about her kids.  I showed he the exercises that David does and some of the speech worksheet he has.  She seems nice, and it will be good to get some relief three days a week.

Not much going on this evening, just dinner, some TV and reading and now, sleep.

Merry Christmas!  We had a nice day, but it was a bit off.  I began having foot problems last night, and wasn’t able to fall asleep until after 5am.  Then we got up, David laid out in the sun for a while, and yes, as the intro to the song says, the sun is shining, the grass is green and the orange and palm trees sway.  It was quite a day!  Then, a little after noon we walked next door to have dinner at Donovan’s.  Very nice to meet his family.  We have met his sister before, but now we know the rest of the family.  Very nice time, and a great dinner.  I was only slightly out of it from the lack of sleep and drugs.

We wandered back home and I fell asleep immediately.  Between the turkey and no sleep, I was ready for a long afternoon nap.  Then some dinner, and we watched some TV.  David is sleeping now.  Tomorrow we have an aide coming at 1pm, which will be great.  Hopefully he will like her.

Yesterday, I ran out to do some shopping and wanted to get something for David for Christmas.  I picked up some of his favorite smelly stuff – verbena from L’Occitane.  I also tried to find something for David to give me, and picked up some stuff I needed for Marcaron making at William Sonoma, but David still wants me to get something.  While we were in NYC he was able to arrange with someone to have a surprise for me for my Birthday last year, and I have to say, it was quite a surprise.  He kept telling me that he had something for me, but I couldn’t understand how he had arranged it without my knowing.

Anyway, tomorrow we will look for something for me.

OK, the color may need some work, and they were not perfect, but pretty close to perfect – they were all the same size and round, which is a step in the right direction. The Macarons were simple, with no flavoring and the ganache was a white chocolate ginger, that was very tasty.  You will have to come to Palm Springs to try them!

Today was another lost day, sort of.  We were supposed to have the plumber come to fix the water pressure in the kitchen and another pool guy to take a look and give us a bid, but neither of them showed up.  Now, granted, it was the Saturday before Christmas, but they both told me that they would be here, so we waited.  We did walk and exercise, and we also had a great FaceTime chat with Alex, Claire, Theo and Pat (Claire’s Mom).  Blade also lent us one of the stimulators that he uses with David, and we worked on his shoulder a bit, and he is getting some movement there.  He has been having some pain from the subluxation (the separation of the arm from the shoulder) and building up more muscle there will help with that.

Yesterday, we had a great session with Blade and more tennis.  Bill and David were actually hitting back and forth a good bit, which was fun to see, and great for David.  He is walking a few steps to move closer to the net on his own, which is also very good for him.  I think that the tennis, beyond being fun and good for his overall emotional state, is doing wonders for his balance.  Bill is also great with David.  Now, I promised myself that tomorrow I would join the tennis club, so I can start hitting.  I can’t remember if I mentioned this, but the day after Christmas we start having an aide coming in three times a week, which will give me a break.  Some might say a well deserved break.  Now I have to figure out what to do with those precious hours!

In spite of all the difficulties that we have encountered in the year and a half since the stroke, what strikes me most is how lucky we have been to have found great people to work with David who honestly care, and take a real interest and stake in David’s progress. Bill is not a therapist but I really think that he enjoys hitting with David and has such a perfect disposition for David.  Blade and Mary and Arlene and Holly and Glorianne are all great, not to mention all the folks in NYC who kept both David and me going.

Yesterday was sort of lost.  I woke up and had some pain in my hand.  I was able to take my walk, and it was feeling a bit better, but throughout the day, it got worse, and finally at around 4pm, I headed to urgent care.  My guess was that it was gout related, but the Doctor said that it was really rare for gout to appear in the hands.  He took some X-rays just to make sure, and he said it might be gout, but more likely some arthritis.  So, I am back on prednisone for a couple days.  Also some pain relievers.  Today, my hand was better.

Last night I made a batch of Macarons, which looked beautiful, but were hollow in the center, so checked the website for troubleshooting Macarons, and found that most likely, I overbeat the egg whites.  Will make some more on the weekend.  I couldn’t sleep last night, I think because of the drugs.  This morning, I got up at about 9am when we had an appointment with a pool renovating company to get a quote.  This was after falling asleep, finally, at about 5am.  We went to the Stroke Recovery Center for Life Changes with Cedric.  One of the woman who is a regular at the center, shared some stories that she wrote about growing up during WWII near Tripoli, Libya.

Later in the session, we talked about the mother of one of the clients at the Center who passed away earlier this week.  I met her once, and she used to bring her relatively young son(in his 30’s, I think) to the center.  When we first got to Palm Springs in the early summer, I went to a support group for caregivers, and she and I were the only folks there.  She actually talked about her concern about what would happen to her son if something should happen to her.  She passed away from cancer, but I was told that she was diagnosed within the past three months.  Her sons came after the session was done to talk to folks.  She was very well loved at the center.

David an I went home afterwards, because Let’s get Physical was cancelled.  Finished up the macarons and we were ready to head out to the Speech Group’s holiday party.  I brought my macarons, but they weren’t a hit.  I don’t think anyone knew what they were.  We also brought a selection of hats from our collection, which were a hit.  A lot of pictures taken.

When we got home, I took a nap and then got up to make dinner.  We watched Project Runway: All-Stars then began to tackle the rest of the Christmas cards.  Done.  David became impatient with me at a certain point, and I sent him to bed, and finished on my own.  I am sure I have said this already, one of the other times I was on Prednisone, but it makes me pretty irritable, not my normal easy going self.  Fortunately, I will only be on it for a few days.

I will end, since I am talking about drugs, with an observation.  There is a commercial which seems to be on all the time now.  It is for some prescription for low testosterone, and the guy narrating says he is relieved that, after seeing his doctor, he is suffering from low T and not age.  It strikes me as funny that he hasn’t made the connection between his age and his low T problem.  So, now I guess when a man reaches a certain age, he will not only buy a corvette, but also start testosterone replacement therapy.  Oh, yes, and usually buy a bad hairpiece.  Just saying.

Today was one of those days.  We did a lot, and I think I accomplished a lot, but not really sure.  The table is still covered with papers and the work seems insurmountable.  We do see an end to the Christmas Cards, and as Christina said to Mommie Dearest, I’ll get the cards out on time.  I wish I could say the same about the Thank You cards that I am still working on from our wedding a year and a half ago.  Emily Post would be ashamed of me. Well, ashamed or just downright angry.  I am just grateful that I don’t have Joan Crawford for a mother.

David had an appointment with his neurologist this morning, and it was an early appointment, so that was where the day started off on the wrong foot.  I didn’t get to take my walk.  I should have gotten up earlier, but didn’t.  Then we headed to the Stroke Recovery Center for some physical activity followed immediately by tennis for David.  He hit well.  He is also speaking better, or at least the words are coming out a bit faster and more clearly.  He still is not speaking spontaneously, much.  His favorite words are still “Please” and “Bad”, usually in that order.  Here is a typical conversation – Therapist says “David, you are doing so much better than the last time I saw you!”  David’s response is “Please, bad”

We have another day full of stuff tomorrow.  First, someone from a local home health aid company is coming to evaluate David and talk about their service, then Christmas at the Stroke Recovery Center and I have an appointment with a plumber.  Oh, the glamorous life I lead!!

We had a quiet night at home, and watched some TV, then read Time magazine about Pope Francis.  Now I have to find something to wrap and regift for the White Elephant Exchange tomorrow at the SRC.

I read some more about the Macarons, and found out that one of the reasons for the size consistency is that you have to “age” the egg whites before you use them.  Basically, separate the eggs and let the whites sit for 24 hours.  I did this, and also made some mayonnaise from the yolks.  Waste not.  I will try another batch tomorrow or Monday.  I plan on bringing them to the speech group party on Thursday.

In another bit of news, I signed up for new healthcare, and I know everyone will have a different experience, but mine was so easy and I will be paying over $200 less beginning next month for much better coverage.  I mean MUCH better – lower deductible, lower co-pays and drugs at a considerably lower cost.  Go Obamacare!

Yesterday we went to the movies in the afternoon and saw Thor which we both enjoyed.  Then, we were talking about seeing Saving Mr. Banks, and unfortunately it doesn’t start playing here until next week.  When we were talking about the movie, David said something that made me believe that he has never seen Mary Poppins, so I asked, and he hasn’t.  I was hesitant, because of his aversion to animation, but I suggested that we watch it, and we did.  I loved it.  David, not so much.  To be honest, it was such an integral part of my childhood that I don’t think I could ever separate it.  I believe that I knew all the songs by heart when I was in Kindergarten.  If not them, certainly by first grade.  I am also not ashamed to say that I always cry at the end when Mr. Banks is saved.
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As a sort of cleansing after Mary, we watched Six by Sondheim, which was also great.  Liked the format of the documentary very much.  Audra, again, was marvelous.  David did suggest that whatever musical they telecast live next year, she should be the star. I agree.

Tomorrow we are going to the Gay Mens’ Chorus concert in the afternoon and next week we are pretty busy with Blade back and all the rest.  Also made two tennis lessons for David.

Last night we went to the Desert Aids Project’s annual holiday gala – Sparkle.  It was fine, but it didn’t sparkle.  The highlight was Florence Henderson reading “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, the rest of the evening was basically a holiday open-mic.  Granted, a talented open-mic, but just a parade of mostly Broadway performers (nobody you would know, I don’t think) singing holiday classics.  Some better than others, but not much personality.  The host introduced it as a classic holiday performance, in the vein of some great TV specials.  Now, some of you may remember (or may have suffered with or through) a holiday nightmare I was in in Washington, DC.  I thought this would be a better version of that, but alas, it wasn’t.  At the event afterwards, we did get to see the legendary Barry Manilow.  He really has left the real world and joined Joan Rivers in the world of surgically unrecognizable.  I just wonder what some of these folks are thinking.  All I can say, is it must be very difficult and time consuming to get up each morning and have to become Barry.

Enough of the bitchiness.  Today, I had am impulse to bake, and decided to try my hand at making french Macarons.  They came out pretty good, but not perfectly shaped.  It think that will take some practice. Chocolate with an orange spice ganache.  Wish you could judge the taste, but they look OK, right?

Things move along here in Palm Springs.  It is supposed to be warmer tomorrow.  By warmer, of course, I mean over 60°.  Tonight we went out for drinks with Donovan, which was very nice.  We were going to go to Copa, the new place next to Tropicale, but they were having a pre-opening party, and we weren’t invited!  So, we went to Tropicale.  Very nice evening.

Yesterday, David started back at tennis, and is moving on the court.  I think that the video speaks for itself.
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OK, I now have a proposal for NBC for next year.  Forget about Grease featuring Olivia Newton-John.  Do Mame.  The casting alone would be worth watching.  I know that Goldie Hawn wanted to do it once (maybe that ship has sailed).  And how about Bette as Vera Charles, and if you want to get the whole crew back from First Wives Club, Diane Keaton would make an interesting Agnes.  The pairings are pretty endless actually.

I did take my walk this morning, and I was quite surprised to see frost on the hood of the car when I headed out.  It had thawed by the time I got home, but it was chilly.  We did our usual routine in the morning, and then went to the movies.  Saw Enough Said.  It was nice and Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini were both terrific and funny.  She is always funny.  There was a little rain while we were in the movies, but it had stopped by the time we were on our way home.

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Read the blog, and some more of Time magazine.

So, The Sound of Music – LIVE!  Did we all watch?  We did.  A very noble effort, and I applaud them, but really, what did we expect?  I actually always wonder why it is ever staged  because it just pales in comparison.  You can’t put the Alps on a stage.  Audra was amazing and Laura Benanti was great.  I expected more from Christian Borle as I always liked Max, and here he had two songs.  The kids were good and not too cute.  Anyway, I enjoyed it, but really just want to watch Julie Andrews again.  With a record viewing audience, I am, taking bets on what they will try to stage next year.  Any guesses?  Grease?  Maybe with Olivia Newton John in the Eve Arden role?   I’d tune in for that.  It was nice feeling like I had to watch it live, too.  Well, not really live, because in California, it was on three hours after the live version.

I told David afterwards, that there was a Julie Andrews theme for last night.  We were supposed to be coming back from Paris today, and if we were still there, last night I would have gone to see My Fair Lady at Théâtre du Châtelet, in French. I am glad that we are back though, and glad to have caught The Sound of Music in its place.

Today we didn’t do much.  David is feeling not so great.  He has a bit of an upset stomach and is feeling irregular.  Tomorrow we are going to see the Desert Winds Freedom Band concert.  David played clarinet with them, and is anxious to see old bandmates.  I am excited to see the concert because the MC is Cindy Williams.  We also got tickets for a concert on Wednesday that is a benefit for the Desert Aids Project featuring Florence Henderson.  70’s TV stars are abundant here in the desert!

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During the day I think of great things to write, and then when I sit down, I forget them all.  Either that, or they weren’t so great, they just seemed like it during the day.  We decorated a bit for the holidays – put up some lights, etc.  I was very glad that Maria came to clean today, we were collecting lots of dust.  She also brought some tamales, which means we don’t have to go to the big Tamale Festival in Indio this weekend.

Tomorrow, I am going to make an effort to take my walk in the morning and start exercising some restraint with eating.  I don’t think I have gained much, but I feel like I have.  I have to get back into a regular schedule now that I am feeling better.  It is strange, but I think it has something to do with the sun coming up later.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

I keep forgetting things that I want to tell you when I write late in the evening, but today, I remember one of them.  Since we have come back from Paris, David has been trying to do more and more on his own.  Not sure where the inspiration came from, but he is getting himself dressed more, or at least doing what he can do.  He has also started shaving himself. I have to help a bit with the shaving cream, but I will work on a solution for that.

We took a walk early this morning, which was nice and then went to the Stroke Recovery Center for Let’s get Physical.  It was ball day, so we played with various sizes of balls.  It was a small group, but very enthusiastic.  Nedda was there, and she is always wearing an interesting hat, but today was quite spectacular.  I think it is one of her own creations.  A green feather boa wrapped around a baseball cap with some jingle bells and a santa on the brim.  David was very impressed.  Nedda is one of the regulars at the center, and is very sweet.  She has no speech, but laughs all the time.  We were told that she had her stroke when she was in her 20’s and is now in her 60’s.  She’s impressive.
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We went to the Indian buffet for lunch, and I made a vegetable curry for dinner.  Watched Glee (it has been a while) and then read a bit of Time Magazine and the blog.

Another lapse, sorry.  I am feeling better, but still not 100%.  We started getting back into the swing of things by going to the Stroke Recovery Center today.  First for Meditation with Barbara (not Streisand, that’s Barbra) and then David had speech with Mary.  I hope to make PT and ST session appointments tomorrow with Blade and Arlene.

Yesterday, I figured a lot of folks would be on their way home, so it was safe to go out shopping, so we went to Palm Desert to the Apple Store.  David needed to upgrade his iPad so we got the new iPad Air.  Very nice, and much faster.  The store was not crazy, and the guy that helped us was very nice and not high pressure.  We got what we wanted, and some help setting it up and then we were on our way out.

This morning, very early, we went to pick up David’s new brace for his foot.  It is very light and from the little I saw today, it seems to work very well.  A little less drag on the foot.  We didn’t get a chance to take our normal walk, but David walked around a bit.  We went, after the Stroke Recovery Center, to get a haircut for David.  I am thinking of letting my hair grow a bit more before getting it cut again.   OK, I think I am losing you.  When I start to talk about letting my hair grow, I have dug too deep.  Hopefully tomorrow will have more excitement.

Oh, my, I have fallen down and I hope I can get back up!  Coming back, first, the jet lag, and now I think I have a cold, so have not written since we got back from France.  Not much to report, except we have been walking, which is great.  I also took a short walk this morning, but, as I said, I haven’t been feeling very good, and still not on a regular sleeping schedule.  Hopefully by Monday.

We had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday.  Nothing elaborate.  A friend mentioned a plan for Thanksgiving for one (or two or three) from the New York Times, and I looked it up – thanks Kathleen.  I didn’t follow it to the letter, but just used it as inspiration.  Turkey cutlets with a red wine sauce, roasted beets and roasted sweet and regular potatoes.  Also some stuffing from the store.  Had more elaborate plans, but since I wasn’t feeling so great, they got scrapped.

Went to the movies today and the day before yesterday.  Hunger Games: Catching Fire on Wednesday and Philomena today.  We enjoyed both of them, but I particularly liked Philomena.  A little too sentimental for David.  HG:CF was not as violent as I anticipated, so that was good.

The flight back from Paris was good, but oh so long.  I have to say that for some reason, this trip, we were taken care of very well.  From the moment we checked in at Charles DeGaul, there was someone assigned to help us get to the gate and onto the plane and then for the transfer in San Francisco, the same.  Someone took us through customs and to the gate.  I was very grateful because if I had been trying to do it alone, I don’t think it would have happened.  We had to pick up our luggage in San Francisco, go through customs and then recheck it, and even with the help, I felt a bit overwhelmed.

Anyway, we are back in Palm Springs now, and getting, slowly but surely back to our old schedule.  David has laid in the sun every day, except today.  It rained!

I cannot tell a lie, we fly back to California tomorrow, and I am glad.  David is probably gladder, but it will be nice to get back to our routine.  That is not to say that we didn’t have a great time in Paris.  It has been wonderful, and I actually understood the Uber driver tonight when he said it was cold today in French (I was going to type it out, but it is too late, and I need to get to bed).  I am not sure why, but for the last two days, I have been sleeping in quite late, and today I didn’t rouse myself until it was almost noon.  In my defense, I was up at 7am for two hours, but then went back to bed.  That was my mistake!

As soon as we were ready, we headed to Alex and Claire and just relaxed.  Theo was more playful than he has been for the past week.  He has been under the weather, and now Alex and Claire are taking their turns at feeling a bit of the cold.  Claire made a great dinner, and we just hung out and then home.

Yesterday, I also slept in rather late, and we took a short walk in the area.  I wanted to explore the area near the canal St Martin, and at a certain point David asked where we were going, and I told him again and he asked why.  I was a little exasperated, and asked if he wanted to go home, and he said yes, so I turned around and started heading back and told him that I would drop him off and I would look for myself.  He insisted that I turn back around, and we walked along the canal, and every once in a while he would just say “why?’  Along with my fascination with maps, I am intrigued by urban waterways.  I’m sort of a nerd that way.  Not sure why, it is just something that I like.  The neighborhood was kind of cool too, with interesting shops and restaurants.  Later in the evening, I found out that there is a name for the types who live in the area, BoBo’s (bourgeois bohéme – sort of like Brooklyn!)

Then home to get ready for the UNIS gathering at the Marriott Champs-Élysées.  We called a car with enough time to get there and some to spare, or so I thought.  The traffic was horrendous and I knew we were in trouble when we were behind a garbage truck for what seemed like an eternity.  Then, as we approached the area around the grands magasins, it was horrendous.  The number of people looking at the windows of Galeries Lafayette and Printemps were, well, like Fifth Avenue in New York at this time of year!  We were not so late, only about fifteen minutes.  Alex was there as well as two other UNIS alumni.  One was with his wife and the other had his daughter and his parents. Phil and Timor were both really nice, and Timor’s daughter was delightful.  Timor also had some tips for Alex and Claire for getting into a creche.  It was a small group, but nice and we had a good time.
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Then we headed off to La Table des Anges for dinner with Alex and Claire.  We arrived a little late to this as well, and I asked Alex to call the restaurant from the car and I think they actually thought it was quaint (odd) that we were calling to let them know that we would be about 15 minutes late for our reservation.  We had another great meal.  David has a hard time relaxing, and was anxious when the next course wasn’t on the table and the French do have this odd thing about coffee and dessert.  Coffee isn’t served with dessert, but rather, after dessert.  Even though we asked for the coffee to come with dessert, they thought we would prefer it the French way!  I was fine with that, but David, not so much.  Generally, when it comes to meals, they are much more relaxed and not so rushed, which I like.

Then we walked home from the restaurant while Alex and Claire caught the Metro.  A nice stroll along Ave Trudaine where there are a number of cafes and bars.  One had dancing inside, and I think it was swing dancing, which was kind of cool.  There are moments that I am not always able to write here or that I don’t remember.  It was a Saturday night, and the city had most of the holiday decorations up, and lit, and there was a certain magical air about it.  Even with all the traffic and crowds, there was a sense of festivity.  When we got out of the car on the Champs Élysée, the thickness of the crowd was difficult to maneuver, but sometimes it is exciting to be around that throng.  Then as we were walking home after dinner, catching a glimpse of Sacré-Cœur looming over us all lit, as if floating in the sky was pretty wondrous.  The markets.  The wet cobblestones.  The wedding dresses – I forgot to mention that we saw one of the wedding dresses (a peach number) actually being used.  She was surrounded by her bridesmaids as they held the hem of her dress do it didn’t drag on the sidewalk just off of Boulevard du Magenta.

Too many glimpses and moments to recall and remember, but it has been a glorious three weeks, not to mention the almost two weeks on the cruise before Paris.  There was a moment last night when Timor’s mother mentioned that her father had a stroke in his sixties and lived for another 35 years, and I am sad to say that initially I thought – “Oh, God, I don’t think I can do this for another 35 years!” – but both David and I have been fortunate in so many ways, and in spite of the obstacles, we push along and have fun doing it.  I’m just glad that we can still laugh at the bumps along the way!

Not sure why I am up so early, but I am, and writing.  Yesterday we got a relatively earlier start, and went to the 8th arrondissement to check out the area where the possible apartment is for our spring visit.  First we headed to the Musée Jacquemart-André on Boulevard Haussman where there was an exhibit of English Victorian paintings from the cult of beauty.  We both enjoyed it very much.  Then we walked to the Champs Élysées and the area.  Checked out a market nearby and then began looking for a place for some lunch.

We found a Chinese restaurant, and decided to go in.  Had a great meal, and the woman who I think is the owner was very friendly and nice.  She asked where we were from and we found out that she is from Malaysia, so had a nice conversation about things Malaysian.  I told her that I had lived there for a year, and she said that things have changed a lot.  We asked if she had been to the US, but she hasn’t.  Anyway, very nice, and the food was great, so we told her when we are back in the spring, we will be regulars.

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By the time we got on the bus, and were getting close to home, it was late.  We were supposed to meet Alex and Claire, but David said he didn’t want to go out after a full day.  Once home, David took a nap, and I ran out to get some food for dinner.  Went to Picard – a store that only has frozen food – and picked up some pizzas.  They were good!  Then some TV, the blog and then sleep.  I will head back to bed now for a little while.

Today we went to the the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in the Palais du Louvre.  We were going specifically to see an exhibit on undergarments – corsets, panniers, etc – but we spent more time in the jewelry collection.  Pretty impressive and we were both disappointed that they didn’t have more of a selection of fakes in the gift shop!  The undergarments were fun too, but not as shiny!

When we left, you guessed it, it was raining.  Now today the phone said that it wasn’t supposed to rain at all.  Can trust the damn thing.  When we got home, I ran to the market and made some dinner – pasta with eggplant and we had some cheese.  Then watched some Castle followed by Modern Family.  Castle is taking a very strange turn in the the strange a bizarre, which I kind of like.  Then the blog and some more Hungry for Paris.

The visit is winding down now, and I am looking forward to getting back to life in Palm Springs.

Today was another great, albeit wet, day.  We got up and the sun was shining, and I thought, my phone has got to be wrong.  There can’t be a 90% chance of rain.  We got going late again today, and headed off to visit the first of two apartments that are possible for our spring visit.  The first was on a street running parallel to the Champs Élysées facing the park near the US Embassy.  It was beautiful.  On the ground floor, with a perfect bathroom – large shower that I could wheel David into (if I wanted to, though he doesn’t need that), and they even have a shower bench.  Mathilde, who takes care of the apartment and showed it to us, had tea ready for us and Claire was already there when we arrived.  I think that the final selling point was, as we were sitting drinking tea, you look out the front windows, past the private garden, and see the French flag waving above the Grand Palais.  The park across the street is also delightful, and within a short walk are the Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries and the Louvre.  oh, yes, and the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais are right across the park.  It is more money than we wanted to spend, but we are worth it, right?  And think of all the money we’ll save on taxis and cars!  Mostly it is the bathroom set-up that did it for me.

When we left, it started to rain, and just got heavier as the day went on.  We got on a bus to get to our next apartment visit, and I left a message for Jean-Pierre to see if we could get in earlier, and he said he would meet up.  We made it to rue Saint Andrés des Arts to meet him, and had to wait a bit.  When he arrived we walked in, and the location of the apartment is perfect, but the bathroom set-up is not perfect, but doable and it is pretty dark.  It is also on the ground floor, but in a courtyard, so, not much daylight.  Claire, David and I left and went to sit in a cafe to warm up and chat a bit.  We talked about the apartments, and while we would save some money on the second apartment, it isn’t a place that we would really want to spend a lot of time in, but in an area that is lively.  The first one is very comfortable and I could see us relaxing there, but still getting out to see things.  My gut is saying we should grab the first apartment.

When we left the cafe it was raining pretty hard, and we tried to get a cab, but where having no luck, so went to Uber and waited under the overhang at a Starbucks on Boulevard Saint Germain.  Got home pretty quickly, but had to turn around pretty quickly to meet Claire Lempress for dinner and then the theatre.  Got on Uber again, and I was surprised to get the same driver who took us home moments before.

We got to Boullion Chartier, which was relatively empty and waited for someone to acknowledge that we were there, and finally went up to someone who looked like he was in charge, and he asked if we were two, and I said we were three, but waiting, and he said we would have to wait.  I was a bit worried that this was either going to be a very strange unpleasant experience, or he didn’t understand me.  Claire arrived and we were seated, and it was an interesting and nice experience.  First, the prices were kind of shocking, and I mean that in a good way.  Their house soup is 1€.  Claire commented that it might be really bad.  Dinner was pretty good though.  Not spectacular, but good and hearty, and I think that we sat down at 6pm and the food was on our table by 6:10pm.  I got the distinct impression that they turn tables over here at an alarming rate.  I finally had my Choucroute Garnie, or as they called it Choucroute Alsacienne – sauerkraut with sausage and ham.  I liked it very much.  Overall, it was a very nice meal.

What I loved the best was how almost everyone – from waiters to patrons – looked like cartoon characters.  It was like we walked into a painting.  At a certain point I noticed that there were these drawers on the wall that looked sort of like post boxes, and Claire asked the waiter what they were for.  He said that in the old days, regular patrons would keep their cloth napkins there.  As we were leaving, the place was beginning to fill up, and the waiter was asking two patrons who had their bags on the seats next to them to move them to the racks above so they could seat people next to them.  From the stanchions outside, it was clear that they do indeed line up to come into this place and we just beat the rush.

Then, off to La Belle et La Bête.  It was a relatively short walk to Theatre Mogador, but we were pretty damp by the time we arrived, and as I am beginning to get used to, when we came into the lobby, there was a guy who was going to be our personal usher because of the wheelchair.  He took us around the line of people who were waiting to get into the theatre, and whisked us to our seats, then took the wheelchair and our coats.  He asked if we would be wanting to get up during intermission and we said no, but as soon as intermission started, he came back to check on us to make sure we were OK.  Then, before the end of the curtain call, he was back with the chair, and helped us out.  The show was great, and I loved Lumiere.  Very funny.

Claire helped us find a taxi, and then we said good-bye.  From the sound of it, she is having a great time in Paris, and it is doing her well!  Fortunately, it was dry on our trip home, so we were not soaked as we got in the door, then some blog reading and more of Hungry for Paris.  Tonight’s chapter was about Paris fashion and restaurants and the bad effect celebrity had on food from the 80’s through today.  The author thinks that the emphasis on seeing and being seen is waning in favor of good food again.