Grab your knitting needles, embroidery threads, patchwork and hoops. The Paris Needlework Fair (l’Aiguille en Fête) takes place in February (February 9 and 12, 2012). The fair is not restricted to age or gender. The men are knitting along side the women and there is even a sporting event: Speed Knitting! The annual Paris needlework fair began in 2004, and continues to grow and attract talent from around the world. Susan O’Connor is flying in from Australia giving special classes in English. Her classes (January 31, February 1, 2 and 3) are being held at the famous Au Ver à Soie. The cornflower pinball and scissor sheath class is being held on Wednesday February 1 and the stumpwork class is on Friday, February 3.

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Brasserie Wepler is just up the street from my work.  It’s one of those famous artists’ cafés that could have easily fit into Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (i.e., Picasso, Utrillo, and Modigliani slurped here)…if it were still in its original state.  It’s not, but who cares?  It’s still a great place to go and drink coffee and watch the world go by on Place de Clichy.

So after gulping down another formule (prix-fixe menu) at one of the cute sandwich/salad places on rue de Clichy, I went for a coffee at Wepler.  It was a suitably soggy Thursday, and the view from the covered terrace was suitably gray and Paris-like.  The Place de Clichy is probably as noisy and crowded as it was in the days when Henry Miller hung out there, though the café itself was much more scenic, if the paintings by Bonnard can be trusted for historical accuracy (somewhere along the line it got a boring, modern revamp).  I imagine there were less cars and more people milling around the enormous bronze statue dedicated to Maréchal de Moncey.  This huge trilogy of symbolic figures hovers over the circular square, giving an otherwise average Parisian traffic circle a touch of drama.

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Since 1931 when Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt aka Don the Beachcomber set up the first tiny tiki joint in Hollywood, this kitschy culture has been injecting a bit of South Pacific fun into cocktails and given birth to some of world’s most notorious rum based drinks like the mai tai and the Zombie. Tiki style bars and drinks have experienced a resurgence over the past several years with hotspots like PKNY (New York) and – my favorite - Smugglers Cove (San Francisco) garnering international attention for their transcendent tiki drinks. This month Paris has finally taken to the trend with its first dedicated tiki bar: Le Tiki Lounge.

Tiki Lounge is kitted out with all the appropriate decor details: masks and carvings, creaky rattan furniture, and ceramic mugs. Blowfish lamps hang from the ceiling alongside glass floats. On the night of my visit, a few customers sat at the small thatched bar chatting with the friendly owners while south seas sounding music – with a bit of Tom Waits thrown into the mix – played in the background.

Thanks to the tiki theme, the menu diverges from the usual multiple vodka-based choices and features mainly rum. While they do offer a few things like caipis, mojitos and cosmos, the nine tiki options are front and center. All but two are rum-based, with the exceptions being a Waikiki Breeze with tequila and an Eastern Sour with whisky.Most of their classic tiki cocktails like the Mai Tai, Missionary’s Downfall and Pina Colada mainly adhere to simplified standard recipes. Drink prices are 8 Euros and drop to 5.5 Euros during the 6 – 8:30 PM happy hour.

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26 bis, rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 75011

Through February 26, Musée du Luxembourg hosts a special exhibition of paintings that Cézanne did while visiting Paris. Known best for his pastoral paintings of Provence, Cézanne also made more than twenty trips to Paris, where he learned a style of painting that he would continue to develop in Provence, ultimately attracting interest and praise from critics, art dealers and collectors. The 80 works in this exhibition provide insight into the southern painter’s time in Paris.

The first section describes his arrival in Paris and early paintings, taking a close look at his mastery of landscape painting and use of impressionist techniques. It then explores Cézanne’s nudes. Working at a time when erotic paintings were becoming increasingly popular, he experimented with new ways to portray female nudes and invented his particular pictorial representation of them.

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Paris is regarded as one of the most vibrant and cosmopolitan metropolises in Europe and with good reason. If you are planning a stay in cheap Paris hotels and are keen to sample the city’s nightlife, here are five of the best districts to visit.
Latin Quarter
Favoured by students who attend the nearby Sorbonne University, this part of Paris offers an eclectic mix of bars, cafes and bistros. Le Piano Vache is a relaxed piano bar on rue Laplace, where you can kick back and listen to the music while enjoying a beer. If jazz music is more to your taste, why not visit Caveau des Oubliettes on rue Galande? Set in a series of vaulted cellars with a distinctly medieval feel, this unusual venue is a great place to listen to some of Paris’s top jazz musicians. Stroll along rue de Thouin, meanwhile, and you will come across Le Teddy’s Bar, a fantastic place for a bit of fun. Board games are available for patrons to play, and darts tournaments are a regular feature in this establishment.
St. Germain
If you want to combine your evening out with some fine food, head to St. Germain, where you will find an array of bistros and brasseries serving up delicious cuisine in often beautiful surroundings. One of the best places to be seen is Alcazar on rue Mazarine. You can tuck into some of the food under its large glass roof, or, if you visit between Thursday and Sunday, you can party the night away with one of the guest DJs on the mezzanine level. Meanwhile, if you want to watch the world go by while sampling a selection of Mediterranean dishes, head to La Bastide Odeon. This establishment on rue Corneille is near the French Senate, so you may find politicians among the other diners here.
Montmartre and Pigalle
Often described as the French capital’s red light district, Montmartre and Pigalle have a life of their own once the sun goes down. In fact, these are some of the best areas to visit if you want to enjoy some cabaret, with numerous clubs offering this form of entertainment. Le Moulin Rouge is perhaps the best known, with its variety show Féerie bound to enthral. Step off the boulevard de Clichy and enter this world of sequins, can-can and feathers for an unforgettable night. There are numerous other venues offering this kind of entertainment, so wander around Montmartre’s colourful streets and choose a show that appeals to you.
Marais
The Marais district is home to several wine bars, where you can sample some of the top vintages produced in France and elsewhere in the world. L’Ecluse Saint Honoré on place du Marché Saint Honore is just one such establishment and it specializes in wines from Bordeaux with over 50 tipples from the region on the menu. The district has also become the heart of the gay and lesbian scene in Paris, so for a livelier night out, head to one of the many night clubs. Amnesia on rue Vieille du Temple is our recommendation for soul, funk and disco tunes.
Bastille
One of Paris’s most vibrant nightlife destinations, Bastille is renowned for its bustling bars, clubs, cafes and restaurants. Stroll down rue de Lappe and you will come across La Balajo, where Edith Piaf once performed. You can join one of the salsa evenings if you want to show off your moves on the dance floor or enjoy the sounds of one of the guest DJs that plays here on club nights.

An American woman I know here was complaining that she invited some people for dinner at 7:30 p.m. and that at 8:30 p.m. they were just arriving. That is because in France, dinner is always (sauf exception) at 8:30 p.m., which means the guests will start to trickle in at 8:45. (If you are rude enough to arrive at 8:30, you will find your hostess flustered and possibly even still in the shower. This, by the way, proves that the American’s friends knew they were invited at an earlier-than-usual time. They probably forgot exactly when and just retained “early” –thinking “eight.”

In France, there are times for things. The American management at Disneyland Paris, when it first opened (and was still called EuroDisney), was astounded to discover that everyone, everyone, stopped for lunch at exactly one o’clock. (And expected wine with the meal; but that’s another story.) Dinner starts at eight-thirty, 20h30…. If someone invites you, you don’t even need to ask. If tourists go to a French restaurant at 7 p.m., much less 6 p.m., they will discover the waiters and cooks eating.

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According to Le Figaro, United States President Barack Obama has chosen two French composers from Bordeaux (yes, France!) to write his campaign theme song. The ditty, entitled “What’s More,” was written by Tony Jazz and Mathieu Billon.

Raised in the infamous 9-3 (the Seine Saint Denis region just outside Paris), Jazz at 26 had already racked up credits at Universal and Sony and founded his own communications company specializing in musical design. Billon is a case study in finding one’s talents. After a two-year DUT diploma, he entered a work-study (alternance) program in Bordeaux with the hope of founding a restaurant. An internship in marketing at Kaizen Marketing Group opened up a whole new world for him, an “American vision of entrepreneurship” with bosses barely older than himself.

One thing led to another and the two young French entrepreneurs met. In January last year Jazz and Billon created On Air Agency.

How did these two Frenchmen with no connections seduce the president of the United States?

“Talent,” says le Figaro, “Simplement du talent.”

This clip that Tony Jazz made in honor of Obama’s 2008 election caught the eye of Obama’s campaign, which led to a meeting with Charles Rifkin, the US ambassador to France.

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I’ve noticed lately that a lot of my expat friends seem to be in a slang word time warp. Do slang words learned before moving abroad stay through the years in one’s expat life? Does slang stand still over time?

Je pense que oui. It seems to be the case in La Mom’s entourage. Here’s what I’ve overheard:

At the expat get-together:
Kansas Mom: Dude, Montana Mom has a groovy poncho.
La Mom: I love it. It looks like it’s Missoni.
Kansas Mom: Oh là, I dig it even more knowing it’s a Missoni.
Kansas Mom is clearly stuck in a 1970s slang time warp.

Texas Mom: Mmm, Quebec Mom made paté for us. I can’t wait to eat some.
California Mom: Gag me with a spoon. I hate paté.
Texas Mom: Do you like foie gras?
California Mom: No way, José. Barf me back to the stone age.
Texas Mom to La Mom: Did she really just say, “Barf me back to the Stone Age?”
La Mom: Are you from Southern California? How long have you been in France?
California Mom: How’d you know? Too long.
California Mom = stuck in a 1980s slang word time warp.

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My visa expired towards the end of November. For months, I’d been dreaming up schemes that would help me to stay. The option that held the most appeal, but would be by far the hardest to get, was to try again for the Competences et Talents visa. There are a few different ways to get this visa. I decided to try as an artist.
In order to prove I am a talented and competent artist, I have to come up with a project, prove that I have the skills, ability, resources and reputation to get the project done, and prove that it has significant appeal for both France and my home country.

I barely slept for weeks, trying to get everything ready for my visit with the Prefecture in November. My final dossier was 61 pages in French. This does not include the numerous personal documents I needed to bring with me, as well.

A French friend of mine came with me to my Prefecture visit, just in case I needed help translating. We got there early and headed inside. For reference, we were at the Prefecture on Ile de la Cite in the center of Paris.

There are two sections for visa applications, as far as I could see. On the left, Europeans, Americans and some Asian countries. On the right, everybody else. I headed to the left.

We sat for a while. I was incredibly nervous, excited, expectant, and ready to be horribly disappointed.

After about two hours, I was called up. When we sat down, I told the woman that I would like to apply for the Competences et Talents visa.

She: You have to apply for this visa two months before your visa expires and yours expires in two weeks.
Me: Yes, I know, but I made this appointment over four months ago and this was the earliest available appointment.
She: *French shrug.*

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Despite looking vaguely art-deco in form, this structure was designed by architects Manolo Nunez-Yanowski and Miriam Teitelbaum in 1991, and houses the Commissariat de Police du 12ème arrondissement—the local police station.

Although the curves of the building are merely derivative, what makes it really noticeable are the sculptured human forms jutting out from the balconies on the top floor. Sometimes labelled caryatids in descriptions of the building, these are actually telamons or atlantes, as the figure is most definitely male! In fact, the figure is based on Michelangelo’s dying slave sculpture, which can be found today in the Louvre.

Manolo Nunez-Yanowski is very much a postmodern architect and, unsurprisingly, worked with Ricardo Bofill on several projects. Indeed, two of their most well-known creations can be seen alongside each other in the town of Noisy le Grand to the east of Paris. The Arènes de Picasso for Nunez-Yanowski  (sometimes known as “The Camembert), and Le Palacio for Bofill.

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