It's been far too long since I've done a Favorite Things Friday... so today I decided it was time. There are two things that stick out in my mind, one in the world of books, and the other, music.
Of course, the book goes first!
I first discovered Cecelia Ahern on my last trip to Paris. On a rainy Sunday, I was wandering around the Carousel du Louvre, and when I made my way into the Virgin Megastore, something led me to a beautiful book by the Irish author, called If You Could See Me Now. Even though I was only in Paris for three days, and I did almost everything I wanted to, I still managed to finish this book before I left!
Having read just about everything she has written, I was enchanted to discover a new book, Girl In The Mirror, a small book containing two short stories. I haven't read it yet, but it is sitting on the table beside my bed waiting for me. I already know I will love it.
...and...
I LOVE this song by Adele. Love her new album, 21. Love. Enjoy the video...
it's been a while since i posted some of my favorite things. you may think it cheating a bit if you've sneaked a peek down to the first one, but i really don't think my favorite city in the world has ever officially made it to a favorite things fridays post... Paris it has been 457 days since my heart was last in the one place on earth it truly feels at home, Paris, France. in some ways the days have flown by, but lately, the length of the journey between visits is starting to wear on me.
i've been dreaming of this beautiful place. dreaming of the Rodin museum gardens, which i am sure are beautifully blooming right now. the Tuileries, and the walk through them from the Louvre to Angelina Tea Room, where africain chocolat awaits. dreaming of standing on the Champs Elysee, looking right to see the Arc de Triomphe with a faint outline of the Arc de Defense behind it, then turning left to see the Obelisk in front of the Louvre, made tiny by perspective.
but mostly, i have been dreaming about the streets of Paris, and the sheer joy that i feel just wandering through them.
i think it's time to go back...
Stacey Kent on my first visit to Paris, while visiting the Virgin Megastore in the Carousel de Louvre, i was introduced to a recording artist that has rapidly become one of my very favorite, Stacey Kent. this American-born jazz singer has a smooth voice that i simply adore. to be honest, i would have to say that my favorite song of hers is one from the first album that i bought that day in Paris, a song called I Wish I Could Go Traveling Again. does that not sound like the theme song for my life!? {especially when you listen to the first two lines of the song: i wish i could go traveling again / it feels like the summer will never end...} kind of sums up exactly how i'm feeling right now about this brutal heat! you can listen to a clip of my favorite song here.
just a couple of months ago, Stacey released a new album, Raconte-Moi, entirely in french, which makes me so happy i am almost giddy. i haven't got it yet, but hope to soon. here is a video of one of the songs on her new album, so you can hear how absolutely brilliant she really is:
Kobo eReader on my last trip, when i discovered New York City for the first time, my carry-on had 12 lbs. of books in it. {the fact that i wrote that sentence with a little bit of pride is very telling.} but as much as i love my books, carrying them around, especially when traveling can be wearing.
so i did research, O did i do research, just about every eReader on the market, as well as other vehicles, like the iPad, was under some pretty strong scrutiny, but in the end, i landed on the Kobo. at only $149, it was substantially more economical than the Kindle, which would have been my second choice. and while it may lack 3G wireless, i decided that a person such as myself doesn't need book buying to be made easier, or ANYWHERE! so the Kobo was my choice.
the fact that it came with 100 pre-loaded classics was a big selling point for me. carrying around all Jane Austen's books, some Dickens, not to mention War and Peace would give anyone a backache! i can also read PDFs, ones i've created, or otherwise and carry them with me as well. good times.
one other reason for going with the more economical option was that i was unsure if i would even like reading eBooks. i am a HUGE fan of paper. i love the look, the feel, the smell. i love how it feels to hold a book in your hands, and open it for the very first time, unaware of what or where the ink on the pages will bring you. so the whole eReader thing could have been a mistake of epic proportions for me.
but surprisingly, i love it! it's easy to read, i even read it on the beach in South Haven, and the fact that i daily carry 119 books around with me, always giving me something good to read makes my heart happy.
i will always love books. just because i have the eReader does not mean that i will never buy a book again. to be honest, i ordered two earlier this week! but it does mean that traveling will be considerably lighter, and this girl will never be without something to read!
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well, these are a few of my favorite things this morning.
have a fantastic weekend, stay cool however you can!
it's that time of the week again, when i get to share some of my favorite things in the world with you.
Emma DVD even though i have only received this little gem in the mail today, i already know that i can count it among my favorite of things. this version of Jane Austen's Emma aired on PBS last month, but not here in Canada. so i patiently waited for it to come online. after all, even last year's Lost In Austen showed up online eventually, keeping me from a long and {self-induced} painful wait.
but alas, only the first two of the episodes showed up online. and there are four! how is a girl to live through that kind of disappointment?!
well, fear not, my friends, i will not have to live through said disappointment, thanks to my good friends at Amazon.com. so, if you wonder what i'll be doing this weekend...
the music of Matthew Mayfield iTunes tells me that the first time i bought one of Matthew Mayfield's songs was in early october of last year. given the extent to which i love his music, not to mention the fact that i cannot go a day without listening to him {Lives Entwined is playing on iTunes as i type}, it feels like i have been loving his music for much longer.
i love, love, love his lyrics and his music. can i say more than that? except maybe that my favorites of his songs, at least today, are As Long As You're Not Leaving, Maybe Next Christmas, and the previously mentioned, Lives Entwined. but since it changes every day, you never know which will be my favorites tomorrow. since there isn't a bad one in the bunch, it doesn't even really matter!
learning i absolutely love to learn new things. take on new challenges. right now i am learning {or re-learning} french, a new computer program, how to navigate New York City, and how to not let HTML code make me want to pull my hair out of my head.
if i had to choose between continuing to learn or continuing to walk, i would definitely turn in my feet. a life where i am not constantly improving and growing is unimaginable to me.
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once again, these are a few of my favorite things... i always walk away from these posts with the song of that title from The Sound of Music. whatever you're doing, i hope you can hear it too!
