This and that

1.  I don't really have a theme today, so I will start with a photo of what I want my hair to look like.  (A big shout out to the woman at Office Depot who said I look like Meg Ryan.  I hope she gets her eyesight checked soon, but she made my day.)  This is a shot from French Kiss, one of my favorite movies.  I've watched it many times and never get tired of it.  I love the Paris pics, Kevin Kline's French accent, and the Cannes connection (while we were living in France, my best friend dated a Frenchie who worked in that very same Cartier store... until the manager discovered he was stealing money and he got fired; I was living with his parents, watching their apartment in Le Cannet while they were on vacation; she was living with him; I had to find a new place to live after the crime was discovered and his parents had to return from vacation to clean up their son's mess; she got bounced, too, and gave back the beautiful ring he gave her-- she had principles, I suppose, although he said that he didn't buy the ring with stolen money.)  Anyway, I discovered (by Googling, bien sûr) that Meg is dating John "Cougar" Mellencamp.

I am not usually so taken with Hollywood-type gossip, but I am happy to get that piece of news.  I love him, too, and have seen him in concert a couple of times. 

2.  Happy Birthday, Julia Child!  Thank you for the inspiration and for letting Americans know that good food is wonderful and should not come from a box or can.  I will continue to visit your "shrine" at the American History Museum in DC every time I am in town.

3.  Happy Birthday tomorrow to Sister Moo!  Yep, you are indeed still younger than me.  Amazing how that never changes. 

4.  And tomorrow is the 34th anniversary of the death of Elvis. 

I was in college when it happened.  A girl on my hall was very, very upset.  I almost got to see him in concert in Asheville when I was in high school, but Daddy Tommy decided that his baby girl shouldn't be in such a place seeing such a sight.  I realize now that I shouldn't have been such a goody-goody and I should've gone anyway.  Hindsight.

5.  I had lunch today at Foster's Market with a new friend.  She came to the Alain de Welle Provence wine tasting at Wine Authorities a couple of weeks ago and then started reading my blog.  It was a very nice lunch until my college-grad son interrupted it with a dead car and I had to talk him down from that and point out the usefulness of the AAA card his dad I provide him with just for such calamities.  Hopefully, it is just a dead battery.

6.  To get through the first empty nest day, I headed straight up the stairs and cleaned.  Amazing how therapeutic cleaning can be.  We went from

to

He is now safely moved into his dorm room and his brother helped hook up the TV and XBox while his dad and I made sure he had his books. 

He let me know that he "got food with a kid I met" on his first night.  I was happy-- he ate and he had actually had a conversation with another boy in the same boat as him.  I think "man date" is the term he used telling one of his buddies about it. 
7.  The Ex-Ex and I went to Foster's and celebrated in the middle of the afternoon.

A nice glass of French viognier for moi and Sweetwater IPA for him.  Some birds were having a fine time stealing figs.

I didn't think it was my place to shoo them away (so that I could steal the figs myself).

8.  Bath and Body Works is now filled with pink Eiffel Towers and a promotion for their new fragrance Paris Amour.  My name is officially on the list for one when the promotion is over.  It will look très belle in my classroom! 

And it doesn't smell half bad, either.  I bought Moo some of the lip gloss... shhhh!  I will get it in the mail tomorrow.  Mieux vaut tard que jamais.  Better late than never. 

I think that about does it for today.  Faculty meetings for the rest of the week.  Guess summer is officially over for me.  Seems to go by faster and faster with each passing year.  Funny how that happens.

Bon appétit, and happy birthday, Moo!