After a very busy October, it’s time for vacances (vacation)!
With the exception of Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Carcassonne, France, all of Mademoiselle’s many travel destinations so far have been different from mine when I spent a year abroad in France. Her first excursion was to Collioure.
Mademoiselle and I have similar tastes in art, and she is much more knowledgeable than me about history. And we both adore the beach!
Quelle jolie carte postale, n’est-ce pas?
“Bonjour!
This is from our excursion to Collioure, a medieval port town that’s known for its art scene. Apparently painters like Picasso and Matisse lived there at one point and painted the scenery. Also visited the castle that was once controlled by the Visigoths, the Spanish, and the Huguenots at some point or other, and then laid on the beach (far right).
Love you,
Mademoiselle
30-8-2015″
My daughter (I’ll call her Mademoiselle, but if you’ve read ALL THE ABOVE, you know her name), is a junior in college, and is spending this semester studying in the south of France. She’s living in the same city I did (Montpellier), when I did the same (as a student at the same university*) for a year. Like me, she’s somewhat of a chronicler, and since August, she’s been sending me postcards (cartes postales) via la poste (snail mail).
Just as I’ve been doing with “Pizza and a Movie” posts, and as I’m starting to do with “Wine with Wendy on Wednesdays,” I’m going to do a series of posts sharing her postcards sent from Europe. Notice that she uses the French way for dates (day/month/year):
Voici la première carte postale:
“Bonjour à tous!
Today I visited the Château de Flaugergues, a small summer home built in 1696 by a member of the French Royal Court! Today it has sprawling gardens and the family that lives there makes wine (the rosé is the best) and it’s only 15 minutes away by train! I hope everything is good at home and I love you all!
Love,
Mademoiselle
28-8-2015″
Of course, she’s been in touch with me and her father by telephone, text, email, and even the odd photo on snapchat or instagram. But her postcards seem more special, and they kind of link her time in France with mine.
*The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Before I get to this week’s Pizza and a Movie, I have some changes in my schedule for October:
Now, for this weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:
Movie:
Sicario
This film was a clever, well done story of revenge. I don’t always go for movies like this, but it was engaging and suspenseful. I love Emily Blunt, too, who, last I read, is married to John Krasinski, who was “Jim” in The Office on TV. (And I love Jim, and John, who has the same birthday I do, by the way, which is coming up shortly…)
Now for the pizza. My husband wanted jalapeños on half of it, and so, instead of extra cheese on mine, I went with pineapple. That made it a bit difficult to choose the other two toppings, but after a short conference while Bill was pouring my husband’s beer (he already had my wine ready), we agreed on the bacon and mushrooms.
We sat outside because it was beautiful, and talked about a variety of things: work, home, plans, and our recent trip to Raleigh for Bouchercon 2015. He’s not going with me Nashville later this month, but I loved having him with me last weekend in North Carolina. After we left the conference, we drove over to Durham where I stopped in the Duke Hospital Gift Shop and left a signed copy of ALL THE ABOVE for the book buyer.
Then we made the short journey to Chapel Hill to see where our daughter, a UNC student who’s studying in France right now, plans to live next semester. Then we went back to Durham where some friends who’ve just moved there had invited us to stay the night. After watching the Falcons win, the four of us went to a French restaurant nearby.
So far, it’s been a great “birthday month!”
This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:
Movie:
The Intern
Before choosing this movie, I looked over some of the reviews. Some people liked it, and some didn’t think it was that great. But when I read a little about the story, and saw that someone said it was a funny, enjoyable film and “even my husband liked it,” I knew we had to go.
We both liked this movie, and we laughed out loud a lot. No silliness or crude humor here – just wit, funny situations, and poignant moments. It was an entertaining film, and you really can’t go wrong with Robert De Niro, at any age.
The “intern” – De Niro – is determined to learn (and keep up with) technology and other changes in today’s working world. My husband and I related to more than a few things about his character, “Ben Whittaker.” One was the number of throw pillows on his bed (“I was married for a really long time,” he said). Another was the age that Ben and his wife had met. My husband and I met at the same age.
Which brings me to the pizza we ordered. My husband wanted to choose capers as one of the toppings. “We’ve only had them once, since I’ve been keeping track,” he said.
“Okay,” I said, then selected the other two toppings, to which he quickly agreed. Then I brought up a subject we’ve discussed countless times: the things we never did, had, or experienced when we were growing up.
“I don’t think I ever had capers when I was a kid,” I said. “In fact, I know I didn’t.”
“Me, neither,” he said.
“Did anybody? I mean, could you order them on a pizza back then?”
“Probably not,” he said. Then, being the chef in the family, he added, “I don’t think I had them until I ordered Chicken Picata at an Italian restaurant. And that was after we were married.”
“That was another thing we never had, growing up,” I said.
Then we chatted about some of the many things we didn’t have (because they didn’t exist), yet never missed. Cell phones. Smartphones. Answering machines. Voicemail. Computers. The Internet. Email. Texting. Google. GPS. Social Media. Internships.
Like Ben in The Intern, we did have other things that today’s young adults neither miss nor want. Rotary phones. Phone Booths. Phone BOOKS. * Ashtrays. Encyclopedias. Handwritten letters, sent in the mail. Paper maps. Typewriters.
Because, when you meet as young as we did – and stay together as long as we have – you see a lot of changes.
* something Ben has lots of experience with in the film
This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:
Movie:
Black Mass
Johnny Depp is another one of my favorite actors, and this was a compelling film. I like Johnny best in movies like this; another one I liked him in was Blow. This film was solid, and the account of real events was incredible. “Stranger than fiction,” as they say. I found the story fascinating, and in one scene having to do with James “Whitey” Bulger’s family, I was moved to tears.
The Pizza:
My husband wanted one of the toppings to be chicken. We’d only had chicken once before (I think), and he asked me to choose the other two toppings.
“What if I select the two we’ve already had with chicken?” I asked, knowing that he’s keeping track of our topping combinations, and that he doesn’t want to repeat one that we’ve already had.
“I don’t think you will,” he said. Then, ever the mathematician/statistician/probability/keeper-tracker, he added, “What are the chances?”
“Maybe there are only certain other toppings that I would even think of, to have with chicken,” I protested. “I mean, it’s not like I’m going to choose italian sausage and pepperoni with it.”
“Good point,” he said.
[Actually, we had the second half of this conversation (starting with, “Maybe there are only…”) the next day, but I’m using artistic license in telling it this way, here. Instead of replying when he asked, “What are the chances?”, the truth is, I merely tossed my head and chose the other two toppings, fully confident that, if we’d already had that exact same combination, he would veto it immediately.]
The pizza was good; chicken goes well with spinach, and the onions added a bite.
Back to truth and fiction, and artistic license. One thing I remember from grade school (and remember marveling at, when I fully understood it) was the principle (?) of “willing suspension of disbelief.” In Black Mass, though you knew the film was based on a true story, you almost had to do that – willingly suspend your disbelief. As an author, when I write fiction, it’s what I want you to do, as the reader. It’s what I’ve done, countless times, as a reader.
It makes everything so much more real.
This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:
Movie:
Mistress America
These pizza toppings were a particularly good combination. The pizza was tangy, yummy, and semi-healthy.
Ahead of time, my husband and I had agreed on the Artichoke Hearts. We waited until the last second to choose the other two toppings. Looking over the menu, my eyes fell on Bacon and his fell on Sliced Tomatoes, and after a short discussion, we modified that to the Sun Dried version.
A few weeks ago, we walked into Corner Pizza with no preconceived notions of what toppings to select. As we were discussing the choices, a young couple sitting at the bar watched and listened, and once we made our decision, they told us we were “cute.”
I took it as a compliment.
As for this week’s movie…well, I can’t give it more than a C. I didn’t think it was particularly funny or witty, and both of us later decided that the older step-sister was bipolar. I walked away thankful that A, I don’t live in NYC or up north, and B, I’m not the age of the characters in this film.
It would just be too complicated for me.
Now, if you’re a northerner, please don’t take offense. I love visiting “the city” and have traveled up north a good bit – but mostly in the summer and fall. Once I went to New York in January, but lucked out with the weather. It was simply very cold (freezing by Atlanta standards) but not horrible or blizzard-y. In fact, the folks I spent time with who live up there thought it was “nice.” Another time, I visited the city in December, and it was even colder (and windy) but it didn’t snow, thank goodness.
In the movie, I liked the fact that one character was a writer. But a lot of the dialogue seemed, well, pretentious. On the other hand, that worked (and was very funny) in the Woody Allen film Blue Jasmine. I loved that movie, and laughed a lot while watching it.
Now, I don’t like all Woody Allen films (who does?) but I admire the fact that he’s always working on something. He keeps on “showing up.” It’s what I try to do, as a writer.
When you think about it, Mistress America sounds like it could have been the title of a Woody Allen movie. Right now, I’m struggling with a title for my next thriller. I’ve finished writing it, and it’s been edited and is ready to go, except for its name.
I may just have to figure it out at the last second.
This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:
Movie:
No Escape
Owen Wilson, who stars in this film, is one of my favorite actors.
It’s partly because of the way he talks, and partly because of his imperfect nose. He’s not a pretty boy. And whether the movie is decent, good, or great, I usually like his acting. This was the first one I’ve seen him in that wasn’t a comedy, and the first one where he played a dad. I was drawn into the story, and I liked the movie well enough; for most of it, I was on the edge of my seat. I didn’t even mind the slow motion parts, though I’d heard that some people did.
There was one dialogue scene between Owen Wilson’s character and the one played by Pierce Brosnan that I thought was unnecessary, or at least, badly done. At best, it was distracting, and it didn’t explain that much to me. If you see the film, you’ll know what I’m talking about, so let me know if you agree.
Now for the pizza. As Bill (of Corner Pizza) guessed, we I had decided on the toppings before we arrived. I was in the mood for pepperoni, and the other toppings are two of my favorites. My husband agreed, and everything melanged together nicely.
It was the perfect prelude to a fun weekend * – some of which I already wish I could replay, in slow motion.
* I appeared on the Thriller panel at the 10th annual Decatur Book Festival (my first time there as an author), and I moderated the Urban Fantasy panel, just after. I also signed books at the Atlanta Writers Club Booth, attended two presentations at the Romance Pavilion, and attended an interview with YA (Young Adult) author Sarah Dessen. I had hoped to meet her and talk about writing, books, UNC, and many other things, but before I got an opportunity, she had gone back home to Chapel Hill, NC.
When my child was fighting cancer, this is what I lived in, every day:
But my son is a brave young man, and he understood that courage doesn’t mean the absence of fear.
During his journey with brain cancer, I was his caregiver, and as we pushed fear aside, we focused on one thing:
My child faced something most people never do at any age. At 19 years old, he was forced to look death in the face, but somehow he managed to smile:
He didn’t take No for an answer. Click here to read his story.
This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:
Movie:
Man from Uncle
Because the weather this week in Atlanta was unbelievably beautiful (for August), my husband and I had our pizza on the patio.
Maybe you don’t like anchovies. We do. It’s an acquired taste, and we don’t choose them on our pizza very often; trust me, they taste better than they look. And you don’t need to add any salt to the pizza.
Now for the film. I watched Man from Uncle on television in the 1960s and loved it. This movie was well done, funny, and entertaining. The car chases were great, and one scene, while the characters were clothes shopping, was particularly good. If you never saw the TV series, I still think you’ll like this movie.
Especially if you were alive when there was an Iron Curtain.
The casting was great, too. The Russian was played by the same actor who played the twins in The Social Network, and the woman was in one of my favorite films, A Royal Affair. Both nailed their roles in this film, as did the other male lead.
Just like with anchovies on a pizza: Try it, you’ll like it.
JULIA MCDERMOTT 