…
hi hi!
L’ecole française m’a donnè mon cul.
Things are heating up in French school. I can’t diagram a sentence to save my life… in English, let alone in French. Imagine my distress trying to place an indirect object pronoun! Excuse-moi, where the hell do the adjectives go?
Vous me-manquez…. I have the sensation of missing you… what? Je voudrais un verre de vin rouge, s’il vous plait!
Oh, and don’t even get me started on how to pronounce corps/cours/coeur…
I’ve sort of become the inside joke of my class.
…
And so today, I bring you quick diversions. Things to do when you should be doing something else… NOT doom scrolling. (click on each picture)
If you aren’t following Amy Sedaris on Instagram you’re missing out. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes makes you weep… check this one:
And then, you can help out this amazing first grade teacher (who basically is getting his class to manifest their own great day) by going to his Amazon wish list and helping with classroom supplies.
Need to dance? Need l’esprit de Paris? Need to find the song you didn’t even know was missing from your life? Check this (it’s almost like studying French):
This cartoonist from the New Yorker consistently hits.
Need a dive into musical archives you may or may not have discovered?
So cute… and so delicious! Everything he makes looks like something you want to try!
Follow these people when you need a break from conjugating verbs and/or the news.
…
Who do you follow to lift you up?
watch:
We are all in for THE DIPLOMAT. Juicy, sexy, spy + romance + political checkmating! It’s terrific. I’m loving Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford in this season. God it’s great to see powerful women taking the lead and royally screwing up, sure. But also so satisfying to see them get it right!
listen:
This episode of WORKING IT OUT, is terrific. I am a big fan of Mike Birbiglia en general. His chat with Jenny Slate amplified my adoration.
My favorite sections:
First they speak about the need to just keep writing (lightly edited).
JS: How much writing do you do?
MB: I write a lot. So much of it is just junk.
JS: Well, for all of us. You know. I mean. You gotta blow out the pipes. Write all the bad stuff and the good stuff. Just keep writing it down.
Next, this (lightly edited):
JS: There is something about being sad, about darkness essentially, not being acceptable.
MB: Just like sort of baseline sorrow. I agree. That makes me feel scared.
JS: And I mean, I also now, I take an antidepressant, which has really changed my world, but I went through a lot of years of like, why am I always sad? I’m a friendly person who likes to have fun and likes romance and chilling out? Why am I so sad? So sad.
MB: Yeah.
JS: And it just felt as if I couldn’t try to talk about that or get into it, it really was as if I was lonely for that part of myself that couldn’t be included in my standup, which made it worse.
MB: That’s my favorite kind of comedy because it acknowledges in the silliness also there’s sadness.
Laugh until you cry is my favorite genre! Do give it a listen.
snack:
In honor of chocolate and Halloween, I’m re-offering you this wonderful brownie recipe, which comes together in a snap, in one pot no less! I’ve been making them for decades. I even included the recipe in my book, SHOUT HER LOVELY NAME.
Lovey’s Brownies
4oz excellent quality unsweetened baking chocolate
2 sticks of butter
4 eggs
1½ c sugar
1 c flour
1 - 2 c chopped walnuts or pecans
1t vanilla
1t salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a rectangular baking pan
Over low heat, melt butter in saucepan with chocolate and stir until smooth. Many recipes recommend a double-boiler for this step. I’ve never had one so I lay the chocolate atop the sticks of butter and watch very carefully. Off heat when everything is melted
Stir in the sugar. I love this part as the batter thickens a bit and becomes glossy.
Add the eggs one at a time, stirring to fully incorporate. Add salt and vanilla.
Dump in the flour and stir until blended. Add the nuts.
Pour into your rectangular pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Test with a toothpick which comes out clean when you poke in the center of the batch. Do not overbake; the brownies should be tender. Let cool (if you can wait), then cut into bars.
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
That’s about it. Thanks for reading. It takes a minute to put these weekly newsletters together. If you enjoy them every week, why not subscribe?
Here is your prize for reading to the end: Stanley, who is now French
. !
If you'd like to buy my books, you can do so here and here.
I've made a read.write.eat. Bookshop Store, where you will find many of the books I've recommended. Buying books from my shop is another way you can be a friend to the newsletter. I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Please, remember to tell your people you love them, and take good care of your skin.
I follow too many French style interior design accounts to count. Oui, oui. I am exceedingly jealous of your level of French speaking. I am two+ years into Duolingo French and quite regretful for not attempting to learn the language in my youth. I do enjoy it though, consider it a hobby. Stanley is adorable and is giving haughty little Frenchman. (I always assign people personas to my animals.) Love your French updates. À la prochaine!
Love that photo of you!