Events

I love a good glass of dry, red wine. When I lived in Europe, especially Paris, we would have wine at a meal every day. We also smoked cigarettes and ate wonderful rich french food for sometimes two hours. It was a magical time when working on fashion shootings started at eleven in the morning and went on until eight or nine at night. Then we would all go to dinner and have another two-hour celebration.

I loved those days when I felt brave and creative and excited about living in Paris. I mean it’s Paris for God sake so how bad could it be? I was a bleached blonde and loving the fashion scene.

I was booked to do a shooting with a magazine called Jardin des Mode with a fabulous photographer named Patrice Casanova. We toured the coast of France for five days with a family circus shooting the collections. While they were throwing up the tents to prepare for the night’s performance, Patrice was photographing stunning gowns of Karl Lagerfeld, Givenchy and Chantal Thomass in black and white polaroids. Every shot was a work of art.

But I have to say one of the highlights of the trip were the meals we had at the small bistros that lined the seaside towns we stayed. The table was filled with fresh mussels (the traditional french style with white wine, garlic, parsley and the juice from the mussels), an array of beautiful vegetables arranged perfectly, loaves of french bread, cutting boards of sublime cheeses and fruit and the perfect red wine. Bottles and bottles. The final spread in the film Babette’s Feast had nothing on these gatherings with such an array of wild and creative people. Heaven, pure heaven. Even the cigarette smoke didn’t bother me as it would today. The breeze from the ocean and the romantic dimmed lighting added to the ambiance. Aw, those were the days!

So now it is different in a way that I am older and all of the reports out say one should be careful about so many things that will be harmful to your health. Have to say that I can’t help having one glass of red wine two or three times a week. Really does me well. Viva la France!

Thanksgiving happens every year to remind us what we should be grateful for in our lives.  Usually, I’m on an airplane traveling home to see my family.  And with that, the stress level was always very high for me.  I hate to fly.  Not a good thing when you are always on planes.  From the moment I wake up until the time I have to travel my anxiety level is usually very high. Continue reading →

I became a permanent resident of Canada in 2012.  I didn’t do it because I didn’t like the United States.  At the time I did it for employment opportunities.  The film business was rapidly changing and I believed that if I had options I would be able to stay employed in a volatile, unpredictable world of freelance.    Who knew that choice would be so poignant today.

I still feel the need to work and so being in Canada has helped me to feel like I can compete in this ever changing global world.  I have been very fortunate to work in Canada for the last year and a half and to get to know the country on a more personal basis.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t homesick and my permanent home happens to be in the United States.  It is where my family is and I miss them very much.  One always pays a high price when one decides to step out of the box and change their lifestyle regardless of what country they reside.

I have been living in Canada single which also adds to the strangeness of it all.  I feel like a foreigner not only because this is a different way of life but because it is also my different way of life.  I find that on weekends I tend to hibernate in my small lane house.  Whatever plans I have usually end up being just me and I have learned to think for one now instead of many.  Hard enough in your homeland but even harder on foreign ground.  I will return to the States soon and continue to work and fight hard for what I believe our country stands for.  Both places have their merit and I feel very fortunate to be able to come and go as I please.

There are many things I love about Canada but I must say after this election I find myself more obligated to stand up and be heard as an American and as a woman.  Yes there is still that stigma about women not being equal to men and as much as many people disagree it has never been more blatant than in this election.  Regardless of what you think of Hilary Clinton she fought long and hard in a man’s world.  And that I admire most of all.

In 1997  Hilary Clinton visited Eritrea where she described having popcorn thrown at her, a practice meant to protect visitors from evil and to assure good fortune.  A female journalist wrote about throwing popcorn at Hilary Clinton now to express her thanks for fighting so hard and so long in a tough political arena.    I, too, am throwing popcorn at Hilary all the way from Canada.