Hey all,
Here are a couple movies I took recently. The first is of my fridge, which will allow me to eat cheaper and healthier on the weekends, when there is no cafeteria. The second is a video I took walking home last night. You'll notice I took some liberties with it... I cut my blathering on about Angers' castle and St. Maurice's Cathedral and replaced it with Death Cab for Cutie's "Talking Bird", which I find much more pleasant.
Things are going well; I'm really enjoying reading Jane Eyre. I have also resumed work on my pronunciation of French text - I copy an excerpt from Diderot, Voltaire, Rousseau, or some other author from the eighteenth century, and while reading it aloud, an authority on the language can distinguish the sounds that I have yet to master. An especially kind teacher at the high school has offered to help me in learning Latin - until I figure out a way to enroll in a class at the University. So I'm keeping busy, all the while getting out and having fun.
Speaking with a French man who had sought an anglophone to do some work on his English accent, I was treated to a great little story. He had gone to the bibliotheque anglophone and paid a small fee to have ten sessions with an American. He had high hopes until he realized that the man correcting his pronunciation was from the Bayou, and that he could hardly understand half of what he said, on a good day. To make matters worse, the man was half deaf. Though this southern gent obviously has a heart of gold (he donated the fees to the library, providing the lessons for free), he is just about the worst candidate for pronunciation work...
I recently saw "Waltz With Bashir" at the local movie theater, Les 400 Coups, a cool little spot that hosts sneak previews and post-film discussions. In distancing myself from Gaumont and UGC (the French theater goliaths) and seeking out smaller theaters, I have found an intriguing, alternative movie culture. Before a special showing, the audience is welcomed by a humble MC, and after the movie they are encouraged to stay for a discussion, led either by a professor or the director of the film him/herself. It's much more fulfilling as an experience,and allows me to indulge in one of my fancies - connecting with complete strangers. "Waltz With Bashir" was absolutely splendid, and I highly recommend it.
I am posting this in a nearby cafe while I do my laundry, eating a tuna sandwich in yummy baguette and sipping on a glass of the Beaujolais Nouveau, my latest cultural discovery.
Best,
BenPS: I hate soliciting comments, but I get a wee bit angsty thinking no one reads or appreciates this stuff! So write a comment! Even if the comment is a measly stand-in for facebook's "like" option in which you simply write "(like)", it will be greatly appreciated.
5 comments:
Hey Benno,
On my toy computer it was hard to see the night walk, and details in your room, but from what I could see it looked pretty cozy. I checked out a DVD from the library "Paris je T'aime" and we watched a bit. If you haven't seen it you should as it is a series of short films made throughout Paris by a ton of people and it makes me want to come and visit, just for the backdrop and architectual details.
Maybe I should send you a tweed jacket that is too small for me, but would make you look like a professor?
It is warm and sunny here, so I hope you are having warm weather too.
Thanks for posting the film, shoot some outside.
Love, Dad
(like!) in particular the night time scenes synced with the music and the post and beam structure of your attic room. very cool. wonder what the history of the building is. and i agree both on the small art house theaters for when you want a film plus, and appreciating the comments, responses.
Simone: hahah I feel so needy when I request comments! But then I remember I'm writing both for myself and for others, and that maybe it's okay that I'm not confident enough to not need the comments. Thanks to all of you who give me steady feedback: I listen! I, too, like the beams in my flat. Unfortunately, there's not much history to the building - it's only about 20 years old, to the best of my knowledge.
Dad: The quality of my videos are low because I have to significantly compress them in order to post them to Blogspot. Paris je t'aime is a great film - I think it was done by canadians, as funny as that sounds! I'll be sure to keep mentioning films as I see them. I'll be going to a sneak preview of Michael Moore's new film this Tuesday, and I'll definitely go see Max et les maximonstres (Where the Wild Things Are) as soon as it comes out on December 15th. The weather here is super windy and stormy today, but the sun peeks its head out every now and again.
Ben,
Love the video of your walk home - looks like a music video - very cool - nice to see where you live and walk. the beams in your apartment look ancient!
i read an interview of a prolific writer (hemingway maybe) who said that people are lying when they say they only write creatively for themselves, that they don't care a lick what others have to say. i think it's good to write and create for ourselves, but i also think we are being human when we look for responses and connections to others that come from that. (see FB!). i deeply appreciate comments! i have friends and strangers who will email or call to respond, and i say, yes, please do! tell me what you think!
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