The longest day of the year. Bask in the sunshine a bit longer this evening.
On Sunday evening, Simon and I went to the ByTowne Cinema to see Midnight in Paris, a Woody Allen film starring Owen Wilson. It was an entertaining, romantic and light-hearted movie. A great summer flick with soul.
However, beneath the light-heartedness of the movie, there was an underlining weightiness to it. Actually, two: the dream of living in a different epoch; and the dream of living abroad. The one that struck me the most was the latter. Did I want to live in Paris indefinitely after watching the movie? Yes! And my mind was moving at a million miles an hour with flashes of pains aux chocolats every morning (and every afternoon), writing letters in parks, strolling down the street with a weaved basket and buying flowers and cheese... And then, down-to-earth Simon reminded me that I did live in Paris for most of the 2008 summer. Oh, how true. And it was a great experience of quartier (I was in the 19eme arrondissement) , renting a tiny tiny apartment (barely fitting 2 people), but with a great view of Sacré-Coeur. Ah...back into memories... And I remember feeling that after 6 weeks, I was longing for some quiet and space...
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| Monet's Waterlilies at the Orangerie. |
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| A view from the Centre Pompidou |
You who have not been to Paris - go!" -John Ruskin
(quote for June 20th on my page a day calendar, with a picture of Sacré Coeur)
The perpetual interest in living abroad is so innate in me. I'm very happy living where I live, working where I work. I love being close to family and friends. But there's a part of me that just wants to pack my bags (with Simon and Little Munchkin) and live "abroad" (anywhere in Europe and San Francisco) for a few months. Just for a change of environment. I also believe that sometimes you need a change to really appreciate "home".
