I went to a lecture at the American Library in Paris last night and all I can say is Meh.
The series is “A Night at the Movies”, but ‘series’ isn’t the right word. Last year (Sept-June) it met monthly ; this year just Sept and May. It is led by Judith Merians. The focus is supposed to be : “How does story telling in words differ creatively from story telling in films? A Night at the Movies will compare excerpts from books and plays with scenes from the film versions of the literary works. Once a month scenes from a different and popular book/play and its film version will be featured and each selection will exemplify a different aspect of filmic story telling. Discover why films require their own creative conventions and how filmmakers employ visual and aural techniques to enhance and deepen the tale with as few words as possible. And to add to the enjoyment get the scoop on some of the behind-the-scenes history of the evening's film.”
Back in June, the movie was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the subject was “How do you make an unlikable character likable: the art of casting & the right actors.” This month’s focus was To Kill a Mockingbird and the lecture on “what makes a movie a classic, a universal theme embodied in the perfect cast with the deft director's touch”.
Sounds great, eh? Well, to be Megative (as usual) ....
Things I found off-putting about the lecture:
--she started off by asking “what makes a book/movie/story a ‘classic’.” That question just bugs me – in one way it’s so subjective, but in other ways it’s obvious that the answer is because the story resonates through the ages, it has a moral lesson, it’s a good story, and some of it is just due to marketing. (Or, as my friend Howard recently posted, it’s a movie that has at least two women, who talk to each other, not about men.)
--much of the information Ms. Merians presented is easily found on IMDB.
--Ms. Merians, and others in the audience, were commenting like the movie was the good story, and that the movie was the classic, and on-and-on about the movie ... but it is Harper Lee’s story. Her novel was first. Her novel won the Pulitzer and is required reading for most all school children.
--I was hoping for more of a discussion / lecture on the differences between the book and the movie, about how one turns a book into a movie and what might be sacrificed but what could also be improved. This was more a lecture of the movie itself with Ms. Merians reading the “IMDB fun facts” and basically having the movie fast-forwarding next to her and giving a synopsis of the plot, with a few points thrown in about lighting or facial expressions.
Things I liked about the lecture :
--pointing out that the movie doesn’t have big action scenes, no love scenes, no close-ups of “faces in anguish” but that it has so much inherent action, angst, relationships, etc.
--Boo Radley only appears at the end, and he doesn’t even speak (Robert Duvall in his first movie appearance)
--seeing bits of the movie again, and being reminded of the story – it truly is a classic, and one I must reread!
The library itself :
Con : very, very, extremely, unassuming facade
Pro : but HUGE inside! Two floors even. I didn’t explore the whole thing
Con : you have to join (100€/year for an individual, non discounted)
Pro : events such as the one I attended are free, no membership required
Pro : has several book groups that each have amazing reading lists
Con : all book groups meet during the day
Con : you have to be a member of the library to be in one of the book groups
Pro : website is very well done, with lots of information, including a history with inspiring vignettes and a who’s who of Americans-in-Paris literary geniuses
The library has many great events. I’ll try to get to a few more this season. Will keep you posted.
There are so many great, interesting, tidbits about To Kill a Mockingbird on IMDB, but it was this quotation from Brock Peters (who played Tom Robinson, the man accused of rape in the movie) that has stuck with me all day. (Mr. Peters said this while giving the eulogy at Gregory Peck’s funeral (most of the cast members stayed friends for life)) :
"In art there is compassion," said Peters, "in compassion there is humanity, with humanity there is generosity and love. Gregory Peck gave us these attributes in full measure."
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
From the news ...
Yes, I have heard about the “excitement” here in Paris – of course a day or two later. Kind of funny considering I live just a few blocks away, and last night I even walked through the park in front of the Eiffel Tower (Champs de Mars) after attending a lecture at the American Library in Paris.
But couldn’t the AP have found someone better to interview??? There are no ‘woods’ around the Eiffel (clumps of trees / park, yes. Woods, no.) And that scene with her holding the bag of cookies or chips? Oy vay. And she’s complaining because the police were forceful about everyone leaving? Umm.... if someone calls in a credible threat, I do NOT want the police holding a Q&A session, asking for my opinion and group consensus before we all sing Kum Bah Ya while skipping down the stairs! It’s clips like this that make me consider staying in France for a long time, and make me shudder when I think of the phrase “a jury of your peers.”
And I think many expect there to be more threats, especially considering the recent decisions made by Sarkozy and the government.
For a “crazy Megan random thought “, I started thinking that if somehow the structure of the Eiffel were compromised, could it topple over? And could it topple on top of me (physics wise, is it possible based upon where the legs/bases of the tower are)?
But couldn’t the AP have found someone better to interview??? There are no ‘woods’ around the Eiffel (clumps of trees / park, yes. Woods, no.) And that scene with her holding the bag of cookies or chips? Oy vay. And she’s complaining because the police were forceful about everyone leaving? Umm.... if someone calls in a credible threat, I do NOT want the police holding a Q&A session, asking for my opinion and group consensus before we all sing Kum Bah Ya while skipping down the stairs! It’s clips like this that make me consider staying in France for a long time, and make me shudder when I think of the phrase “a jury of your peers.”
And I think many expect there to be more threats, especially considering the recent decisions made by Sarkozy and the government.
For a “crazy Megan random thought “, I started thinking that if somehow the structure of the Eiffel were compromised, could it topple over? And could it topple on top of me (physics wise, is it possible based upon where the legs/bases of the tower are)?
Friday, September 24, 2010
Undeniable adult truths
I received this as an email forward yesterday and was laughing out loud reading the entire thing, so I thought I would share. When I first read the email subject, and the second time, I read “Audit”, not “Adult”. Obviously I need a break!
*my comments to the original text are in green
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. *LOL, so true!!!
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font. *AMEN!
5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? * I finally figured this out about 6 months ago
6. Was learning cursive really necessary? * I hear some schools are no longer teaching cursive!
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day. *Hits me about 14:30 – 15:30, then a burst of productivity comes at 17:15
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again. *Is Blue Ray really going to over take DVD completely? And is it by Zones too? (can I buy Blue Ray here and will it work in US?)
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
*Just happened to me yesterday morning! I stop after 2.
20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is. *All the time I do this
23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
*my comments to the original text are in green
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. *LOL, so true!!!
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font. *AMEN!
5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? * I finally figured this out about 6 months ago
6. Was learning cursive really necessary? * I hear some schools are no longer teaching cursive!
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day. *Hits me about 14:30 – 15:30, then a burst of productivity comes at 17:15
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again. *Is Blue Ray really going to over take DVD completely? And is it by Zones too? (can I buy Blue Ray here and will it work in US?)
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
*Just happened to me yesterday morning! I stop after 2.
20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is. *All the time I do this
23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
I Don't Know, and I Don't Care
Various musings on random things at work / in the office ....
How is it that my work laptop can be plugged in all day and yet only have 95% power – shouldn’t it be 100%?
Before moving to our new office building, we were able to take a tour of a sample floor and vote on office furniture samples. In this tour, it was said that we would not have trash bins and that instead, we would have to take our trash to common trash bins in the copy rooms – thus, reducing the amount of trash and the cost of removing it. Fine. I’m all for saving the environment and reducing costs. But, when we moved in to the building, low and behold, we had trash bins. Yippee!! They were smaller than the old office and not emptied every day, so I figure a compromise was made (or unions chimed in). Then, after 2-3 months, one day our individual bins were gone. Poof. Magic. Instead, we have this little brown bag (imagine 1/3 the size of the brown lunch bag you carried to school) in this plastic thing that hooks on to the half partitions between desks. Of course, the desk is deep enough and the partition far enough away that my arm cannot reach. And the bag is ludicrously small. So, instead, I just bring in small brown bags (like the ones from Starbucks) and use that all week. Fine. We’ve adapted. We all have less trash. But now I really do not understand this ... two weeks ago someone started coming by to empty the brown bag in the little plastic thing and replace it with a new little brown bag. And the person came again last week. So doesn’t that defeat some of the purpose of cost savings?
Two weeks ago, we got an email to indicate which 2011 calendar/planner we wanted – and we had to have our choice submitted by 10 September. Cripes. Then again, I’ve already planned my Christmas holidays, so 2011 isn’t that far off.
You know it’s not good when the building maintenance guy bugs out his eyes, scratches his chin, and says ‘wow’. (When looking at a cracked tile under the cheap carpeting on the floor of our new (new in 2009) building.)
Why is the cleaning guy trying to figure out why the copy machine has a blinking red light? This is the same cleaning guy who completely disorganizes your desk when ‘cleaning’ it – meaning he beats the dust rag on top of all your stuff, picks up papers and ‘shakes’ the dust off (usually shaking out papers), moving around your keyboard etc. ! And this is the same guy who using the same swatting technique when cleaning the tables in the conference rooms, thus hitting the telephone buttons and turning them on so then you hear music on hold after a while.
And speaking of conference rooms and cost savings ... in our brand.new.building, we still have flip charts in the conference rooms. Yes, the giant tableau of paper. No white board. No smart white board. And the video conference rooms are set up so the screen is at the ‘head of the table’ – so everyone sitting at the table is facing each other, but not the screen. But, to face the screen, and thus the participants in another location, you have to turn and then you really cannot write notes on your paper on the table. I think this is a result of one of the two companies pre-merger (not mine) who was government-run, France focused, and didn’t even have conference call capable phones in the old building, let alone video!
Oh, and last point, speaking of conference rooms ... I asked a PA to arrange a series of meetings for us to discuss current operations, finance, etc. The meeting attendees number about 20, but I expect 10-15 to show up. The PA replied to my email asking if I would need meeting rooms reserved for the meetings. Seriously? Isn’t that a given, or am I just expecting too much?
How is it that my work laptop can be plugged in all day and yet only have 95% power – shouldn’t it be 100%?
Before moving to our new office building, we were able to take a tour of a sample floor and vote on office furniture samples. In this tour, it was said that we would not have trash bins and that instead, we would have to take our trash to common trash bins in the copy rooms – thus, reducing the amount of trash and the cost of removing it. Fine. I’m all for saving the environment and reducing costs. But, when we moved in to the building, low and behold, we had trash bins. Yippee!! They were smaller than the old office and not emptied every day, so I figure a compromise was made (or unions chimed in). Then, after 2-3 months, one day our individual bins were gone. Poof. Magic. Instead, we have this little brown bag (imagine 1/3 the size of the brown lunch bag you carried to school) in this plastic thing that hooks on to the half partitions between desks. Of course, the desk is deep enough and the partition far enough away that my arm cannot reach. And the bag is ludicrously small. So, instead, I just bring in small brown bags (like the ones from Starbucks) and use that all week. Fine. We’ve adapted. We all have less trash. But now I really do not understand this ... two weeks ago someone started coming by to empty the brown bag in the little plastic thing and replace it with a new little brown bag. And the person came again last week. So doesn’t that defeat some of the purpose of cost savings?
Two weeks ago, we got an email to indicate which 2011 calendar/planner we wanted – and we had to have our choice submitted by 10 September. Cripes. Then again, I’ve already planned my Christmas holidays, so 2011 isn’t that far off.
You know it’s not good when the building maintenance guy bugs out his eyes, scratches his chin, and says ‘wow’. (When looking at a cracked tile under the cheap carpeting on the floor of our new (new in 2009) building.)
Why is the cleaning guy trying to figure out why the copy machine has a blinking red light? This is the same cleaning guy who completely disorganizes your desk when ‘cleaning’ it – meaning he beats the dust rag on top of all your stuff, picks up papers and ‘shakes’ the dust off (usually shaking out papers), moving around your keyboard etc. ! And this is the same guy who using the same swatting technique when cleaning the tables in the conference rooms, thus hitting the telephone buttons and turning them on so then you hear music on hold after a while.
And speaking of conference rooms and cost savings ... in our brand.new.building, we still have flip charts in the conference rooms. Yes, the giant tableau of paper. No white board. No smart white board. And the video conference rooms are set up so the screen is at the ‘head of the table’ – so everyone sitting at the table is facing each other, but not the screen. But, to face the screen, and thus the participants in another location, you have to turn and then you really cannot write notes on your paper on the table. I think this is a result of one of the two companies pre-merger (not mine) who was government-run, France focused, and didn’t even have conference call capable phones in the old building, let alone video!
Oh, and last point, speaking of conference rooms ... I asked a PA to arrange a series of meetings for us to discuss current operations, finance, etc. The meeting attendees number about 20, but I expect 10-15 to show up. The PA replied to my email asking if I would need meeting rooms reserved for the meetings. Seriously? Isn’t that a given, or am I just expecting too much?
Starbucks in Paris
There is a Starbucks near my new office building (Hallelujah!). I have come to the horrible habit of going nearly every morning. I am not the only person there – often I wait in line behind French people (not tourists from the nearby hotel). French people often are waiting in line behind me. These French people get beverages to go. But, and this what I don’t understand, if you are walking on the sidewalks outside Starbucks, near my building, you do not see people carry Starbucks cups. Do the people just magically melt in to the ground when the leave the store? Do the French have some sort of secret cloaking device that make the Starbucks cup invisible so they are not noticed?
So much for eating outside and enjoying the summer ... I did a few weeks ago with a friend/colleague and a friend of hers who was in town on a one-day layover. Great dinner, great view (Eiffel), great conversation. Horrible because 1-2 days later I realised that the French-super-mosquito-noseeum-bug-things attacked me. At least 7 bites on my right leg and 2 on my left. They not only itched, they hurt.
I had several work colleagues over to my place for an end-of-summer party (or Rentree, for ‘re-entry’ into the city). As the French love fruit for dessert (pineapple and melons), I decided to buy some. And I was yet again amazed at people in the grocery smelling, squeezing, examining them. Like they really have any idea?
Ok, back to Starbucks ... I’ve now decided to ‘boycott’ it for 3 reasons (1) cost ... paying 4.50€ for a grande chai latte is not the best use of my money (2) calories ... not the best for health (3) rudeness ... on two occasions in August I was at the door about 7:45 or 8, and even though it opens at 7:30, it was still closed. Last week I went at 8 and a worker was setting up the chairs outside and the doors were open and so I start to walk in. The woman stops me saying (all French) the store isn’t open yet. I look at her with a confused/are-you-kidding-me look, and reply (in French) that it is 8 and the store opens at 7:30. She says, yes, but she is the only person there .... seriously??? And there is a new woman working there who is rude (too long/petty to write, but just know that I don’t enjoy being told ‘Non!’ with a finger shake before 8 a.m. when I’m there paying an exorbitant amount for a tea). Oh, and a carry-over annoyance of Starbucks from (1) Boston : the store on State Street opened at 6:30 but across the street Au Bon Pain was open at 6, Dunkin Donuts at the next corner was 5:30 or 6, and the independent coffee shop in Faneuil Hall was 6. Seriously? Starbucks couldn’t open at 6? Nothing worse than getting there at 6:20 and wanting Starbucks they are closed ... at least the rest of the competition was open! And (2) Cincinnati : now, I’m thrilled there are Starbucks’ on the west side of town, but certainly they could’ve hired people with better math skills?
I know I’m definitely going to miss the food here when I leave in 2 years. And already I find it easier to read a menu in French instead of English. I’ll know intuitively what something is in French, but when you ask me the equivalent in English, I blank – but it just makes sense to me in French, and the choices all sound more appetizing!
And, I know I’ve been here too long because I was out with my new friend and her husband, and another American couple who just moved over, and they couldn’t fathom eating a cheeseburger with a knife and fork. Well, I can. In fact, I think eating one w/o a knife and fork, when in France, is disgusting. Don’t get me wrong, if I’m in the US, I’m eating with my hands and making a mess, but here, that just seems so uncivilised, whereas in the US a knife & fork is too pretentious. Random.
So much for eating outside and enjoying the summer ... I did a few weeks ago with a friend/colleague and a friend of hers who was in town on a one-day layover. Great dinner, great view (Eiffel), great conversation. Horrible because 1-2 days later I realised that the French-super-mosquito-noseeum-bug-things attacked me. At least 7 bites on my right leg and 2 on my left. They not only itched, they hurt.
I had several work colleagues over to my place for an end-of-summer party (or Rentree, for ‘re-entry’ into the city). As the French love fruit for dessert (pineapple and melons), I decided to buy some. And I was yet again amazed at people in the grocery smelling, squeezing, examining them. Like they really have any idea?
Ok, back to Starbucks ... I’ve now decided to ‘boycott’ it for 3 reasons (1) cost ... paying 4.50€ for a grande chai latte is not the best use of my money (2) calories ... not the best for health (3) rudeness ... on two occasions in August I was at the door about 7:45 or 8, and even though it opens at 7:30, it was still closed. Last week I went at 8 and a worker was setting up the chairs outside and the doors were open and so I start to walk in. The woman stops me saying (all French) the store isn’t open yet. I look at her with a confused/are-you-kidding-me look, and reply (in French) that it is 8 and the store opens at 7:30. She says, yes, but she is the only person there .... seriously??? And there is a new woman working there who is rude (too long/petty to write, but just know that I don’t enjoy being told ‘Non!’ with a finger shake before 8 a.m. when I’m there paying an exorbitant amount for a tea). Oh, and a carry-over annoyance of Starbucks from (1) Boston : the store on State Street opened at 6:30 but across the street Au Bon Pain was open at 6, Dunkin Donuts at the next corner was 5:30 or 6, and the independent coffee shop in Faneuil Hall was 6. Seriously? Starbucks couldn’t open at 6? Nothing worse than getting there at 6:20 and wanting Starbucks they are closed ... at least the rest of the competition was open! And (2) Cincinnati : now, I’m thrilled there are Starbucks’ on the west side of town, but certainly they could’ve hired people with better math skills?
I know I’m definitely going to miss the food here when I leave in 2 years. And already I find it easier to read a menu in French instead of English. I’ll know intuitively what something is in French, but when you ask me the equivalent in English, I blank – but it just makes sense to me in French, and the choices all sound more appetizing!
And, I know I’ve been here too long because I was out with my new friend and her husband, and another American couple who just moved over, and they couldn’t fathom eating a cheeseburger with a knife and fork. Well, I can. In fact, I think eating one w/o a knife and fork, when in France, is disgusting. Don’t get me wrong, if I’m in the US, I’m eating with my hands and making a mess, but here, that just seems so uncivilised, whereas in the US a knife & fork is too pretentious. Random.
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