Les livres

Just practicing a little French in preparation for the fall trip..I am reading "Rick Steves Paris 2012" bien sur and was inspired after attending a Scent Society event on Monday at Alliance Francaise to take a class or perhaps a conversational French session in the summer...just to brush up. The meetup was conducted by Tracy Pepe who designs scented spaces...working with architects to evoke a mood and atmosphere..apparently this is a major trend and not one a lot of people know about - there is even a hotel in Chicago which scents its' lobby with a combination of suede/leather, vanilla and other seductive elements which encourage people to hang around..huh. Very cool. We got to smell a few of the essences she has prepared for her kit which will be release in the fall...

I am in the midst of reading a couple of great books - the first "22 Brittania Road" is set in 1946 in England it deals with the marriage and reunion of Janusz and Silvana - two Polish emigres who have come through the experience of World War II with their own secrets and scars. The second is "An Available Man" - a delightful novel about a 62 year old widower plunged into the dating world...I would love to read other novels by this author..

Visiting my dad at Sunnybrook yesterday and enjoying the lovely weather I was looking around at the veterans soaking up the sun and wondering what their stories were - I'm sure they led full and fascinating lives. I can see the dashing young men they were and the handsome older men they still are...I got to do a little swing dancing on a Jazz Safari last Friday - the Lithunanian Hall was one of the stops - Gordon Webster and his band from New York. How great it was to see all ages enjoying dancing - without attitude or posturing - just having fun - minus the teetering heels and bandage skirts not to mention the deafening music of our King Street club district. I'm sure it was a much cheaper evening for all involved and they actually got to dance...

Mr Bee tells me that at Dovercourt House on Saturday nights they have 3 levels of dance..whoa. It inspires me to take some dance lessons too..and still need to take some vocal lessons and get up my courage to sing at GNO....