My attention span suffers from a bad case of summeritis.
That’s right, it flits like a firefly, shoots like a Roman candle, and lands
like a cannonball at the town pool. Since
I can’t manage a handful of paragraphs on one topic, I’ll take the scattershot approach.
Flits like a firefly
My children make fun of my not-smart phone, but I had the
last laugh over the Fourth of July weekend. Three hours from home, I discovered
I’d forgotten my phone charger. Worse, I had to remain out-of-town for a couple
of days after my husband returned home, and we’d planned to stay in touch via
phone. For the heck of it, I plugged my Kindle charger into my phone, and it
worked! Bwahaha! Those of you with iPhones wouldn’t be as lucky. (Then again, perhaps
you wouldn’t forget a phone in the first place.) For future short trips, I’m
only bringing the Kindle charger. Pack light, right?
Alas, the phone charger wasn’t the only thing I forgot. I
neglected to pack a comb. When Hubs returned home, and I could no longer borrow
his, I had to improvise because heaven forbid I run to the store with uncombed
hair. I used a fork. Go on, laugh. It resulted in an acceptable if wind-blown look.
(At least that’s what I told myself.)
Shoots like a Roman candle
The symptoms of summeritis vary from individual to
individual, but one of mine is a longing for France. Since I’ve got no chance of a European adventure this year, I’m appeasing
my Francophile yearning by reading Ann Mah’s MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH EATING and following
David Lebovitz’s blog, Living the Sweet Life in Paris.
I resisted Mah’s book for a while because the title, meant
as homage to Julia Child’s MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, put me off. The
title still leaves me cold, but the book is a warm reminiscence of writer Mah’s
struggle to make the most of a year alone in Paris while her diplomat husband
serves in Iraq. Making the most of a year in Paris wouldn’t be a hardship for
some, but know that Mah, a newlywed at the time, experiences the same disappointment a military
spouse feels when a last-minute change in assignment sends off the soldier
while the trailing spouse is left behind to adjust to new surroundings, a new
culture, new people. Curiosity, an insatiable interest in food, and a job help Mah adjust. I'm devouring the book and recipes.
Pastry chef David Lebovitz’s blog reflects his wide-ranging
interest in food, travel, and cooking. His books include THE SWEET LIFE IN PARIS, which I own, and his latest, MY PARIS KITCHEN, which I intend to buy
tout de suite.
Lands like a cannonball
Three times over the past week and in two different locales,
I’ve seen Realtor signs in front of existing houses with a “Coming Soon”
message. In other words, those houses sprouted for sale signs before they were for sale. Is “Coming Soon” meant to create a sense of urgency? is it a way for listing agents to garner the names and phone numbers of
potential buyers? To me, the sign signals a seller’s market. There was a time, not too long ago, when I couldn't picture people taking Sunday drives to look at neighborhoods and houses.
