Woo’s blog

and it is negative.   I have to say, MO gets pretty good marks from me overall for her fashion.  There have been some hits and some misses, but last night was a HUGE miss.    At first I thought the dress was down right hideous.  The dress was ill fitting and made even worse by the sweater.   But after seeing the original dress on a model, it is actually not that bad.   However, it is clear that some dresses are only meant to be worn by a certain body type.   

I applaud her choice to not use a personal stylist on the campaign, but perhaps a little fashion advice or a stylist would have been wise prior to stepping out in front of the world as the first lady elect.

I was deeply troubled by the loss of Tim Russert today.   Our nation stands at the precipice of either a chance at redemption or falling further from grace, and Tim was in the position to have a front row seat to history.  So few can claim such a spot and perhaps that fuels my grief. 

I watched his show numerous times and I had great respect for him and his professionalism.   Yes, there were times where I wanted him to push further, there were times where I yelled the question to him as if he could hear me, but I kept watching. 

My heart goes out to his family and to big Russ. 

Don really wanted to see this.  Me not so much.  He gave it a favorable review.  Me not so much.  Maybe I was tired from my morning workout, but I was bored.  Sure DDL did a great job and deserves his nomination, but I really was not inspired and the music (which again Don thought great) annoyed me.   So in a nut shell, not in my top 10 for this year.

Last night was D's holiday party.   We started the evening with dinner at North Beach Restaurant and then finished with Beach Blanket Babylon.  I had never been was actually rather excited to see it.   I had a great time and it was a lot of fun.  (3 glasses of champagne of course makes anything fun).   Though I have to say as they ended with White Christmas, it did bring a tear to my eye.  It was something that my mother would have loved and I can't imagine how the 2 of us never made it there?

Since I never heard back regarding the reservation, I e-mailed them for confirmation.  They quickly replied that they received our reservation, but could not read it and could I try again.   So I faxed a hand-typed (rather than hand-written) one and waited for confirmation.   None came.   Today I emailed them to again confirm our reservation (and included a pdf of the form just in case),  Finally they replied back confirming our reservation.    Woo hoo

If you are curious we are going here.  They are having a special New Year's menu and it is to die for.  I can't wait.

Getting a reservation for New Year's eve has been a bit troublesome.   I e-mailed our first choice a month back and they were not ready to take reservations yet.  They said they would e-mail us when they were ready.   To date they have not. 

On Friday, I used the on-line reservation system for our second choice.  (And let me say, they had the 31st as an option).  They responded back saying that they did not accept reservations for that date for the restaurant, but the brassiere would be open.  Does this mean the restaurant is closed?  

Yesterday, I e-mailed our first choice again and they immediately responded and sent back a form to be filled out and then returned via fax.   Are the French not familiar with "pdf"s?  So I filled it out and faxed it back.  Now I am just
waiting for confirmation.   I won't hold my breath.

Since this has been so trying on my already frazzled nerves, I popped into my favorite store which (not coincidentally) was having a private sale and purchased some items to make myself feel better.  I mean with the exchange rate as bad as it is, you almost have to. 

During each trip to Paris I regret not taking a French class.   So this time, I signed up. I am taking an 8 week class with the Alliance Francaise.   Since I had some knowledge of the language I had to take a placement exam to find out where to start.  Last night was my first class.  I was a bit nervous that (1) I was put in too high of a class and (2) that little to no English was spoken.  With in minutes all of my concerns were easily put to rest, and I loved every minute of it.  I plan on working my way through all the levels. 

We booked our tickets yesterday for celebrating the New Year in Paris.   I can't wait.   Due to a communication problem w/ our most favorite hotel (their response to our initial e-mail was being lost in "spam" land) we have to stay an extra day.   Our return flight went up $1000 in the delay.  Weighing $1000 again the cost of staying one more day was a no brainer.   However, it could prove to be much more costly, as the sale dates are not published until mid December.  While it is entirely possible that we will miss the sales all together, I have a very positive feeling on this one.    (Much to the dismay of Don).

Before we attend the Opera we always have dinner at Jardinere.   In my opinion, it is an overpriced meal, but really the only pre-opera meal choice given the neighborhood.  I knew a change was in store when I called to make reservations.  When I inquired as to my perpetual upstairs request, I was told that starting in early September, all dinner reservations would be for the upstairs.   Downstairs was to be converted into a lounge. (We found out at dinner that this section will have a slightly different menu, and after Saturday night, I am enticed to check it out).

Upon our arrival, things were different.  They did still have seating on the first floor, but to the left of the bar was a comfortable lounge area.   The biggest changes however were upstairs.   They repainted, remodeled and it was lovely.  Gone were the heavy curtains and velvet upholstered banquets.   In their place were transparent drapery and light colored leather banquets.   As a women I was grateful for the upholstery change, as getting in and out was instantly a breeze.  They had repainted the railing and banisters.  The overall effect was lighter and the room, with actually more tables seemed larger and less crowded.

Decor aside the biggest and most pleasant surprise was the updated menu.  The ingredients were of a higher quality than before, and the preparations were lighter, letting out more flavor rather than bogging you down.  IMO, it still is a bit overpriced, but she is moving in the correct direction.

Overall, it was the best meal we have had there to date and we are looking forward to our return in October.

1. Being there with my husband
2. Running in the Jardin du Luxembourg before Paris wakes
3. Watching Paris wake
   
4. SItting in the room that contains Ruben's series of paintings in honor of Marie de Medici
5. Walking in the Jardin des Tuilleries
6. Seeing the Tour Eiffel sparkle at night (first 10 minutes of every hour)
7. SItting in Cafes drinking and people watching
   
8. The Grand Epicerie
9. Shopping