Lola today: morning dance routine

Photos by Marco Jacob

3 semaines sur la Terre!

Lola, Sunday, July 24th: celebrating her 3rd week with us!
Lola, le dimanche 24 juillet : 3 semaines déjà!

Lola Inès Felicity Jacob - Après la pluie, le beau temps!

The subject of my last post preoccupied my thoughts for a while  (see: Au nom du père).

Now as life always has it, that big dark cloud has found its silver lining. The most beautiful gift has been offered onto my husband and I, her name is Lola Inès Felicity. Born on July 3rd (her due date!), she is the Light of Our Life Associated, the glory and joy of her father and mother.We just celebrated  her 1st week in the outer sphere with the family and a cup of bubbly wine, my first cup in nine months!

Oh Lola! Thank you for being such a bundle of fun and bringing so much peace and love in our newly formed trio.

Lola, 1-week old.

Food for thought:

I must admit that the first few days after delivery I rediscovered very simple joys...To my fellow pregnant women, do not despair, your extra kilos will melt away ( after one week, I have already lost 10 kg!), your swollen feet will eventually get back to normal and putting on your favourite summer sandals will not be a challenge anymore; although I must admit that I enjoyed being helped by my dearest husband ;o).

And yes, you will also be able to bend forward to cut your toe nails, rub your feet, pamper, pick up something you dropped, etc. All these amazing skills will come back in one foul swoop!

Lola, 1-week old

Still I marvel at the idea that this little being (3,2 kg- 52 cm) is actually as she was in my womb, what a miracle!

Au nom du Père

In the name of the Father.

Félix Rochet & Marco Jacob / Château de Césarges- Sept. 19, 2009

En cette fête des pères, j'aimerais célébrer la mémoire de mon père qui s'est éteint le samedi 11 juin 2011 à l'âge de 75 ans.
Repose en paix, mon cher papa.
Ton esprit ne cessera de voyager avec moi.

On Father's day, I would like to commemorate the memory of my dear father who passed away last Saturday June 11th at the age of 75.
Rest in Peace, daddy.
Your spirit will always travel with me.

Waiting for baby...

* Baby shower on June 4th at Rob and Trel's, in their lovely backyard: Wonderful!

*Prepping the nursery (wallpaper, crib and other staple ingredients): OK- checked!

Old-fashioned wallpaper and hanger (Mike Scapillati)

*Baby + mummy bags for the hospital (3 weeks in advance, just in case): OK- checked!

I got this Skip Hop, Dash diaper bag: compact, handy and roomy - swell! Love it!

I also got this amazing SoYoung Charlie diaper bag from one of my friends who knows the mother who designed and started her own business selling this highly versatile bag. The ideal mom-traveller's diaper bag or just a super stylish bag to go back to work or travel the world with!

Double bill : LOL with a bit of a bittter twist!

Just so you know, I cried of laughter in front of this film...A bitter-sweet comedy that was surprisingly way more funny than I expected.


 Memories...I was 7 in 1977... This film had the effect of a "madeleine de Proust" on me. The music, the styles, the Baronne de Rotschild ideal housewife-style played by Catherine Deneuve ( not so naive, though), Georges Marchais and his fight in defense of the massive waves of labour strikes, not to forget Aujourd'hui Madame, the TV show with the unforgettable opening music. Un portrait assez finaud d'une société embourgeoisée mise à mal où eau de rose et vitriol se mêlent allègrement. Jubilatoire!

L'extase du dernier jour de travail

Tomorrow is my last day at work...and then I am on mat leave, another sort of job is awaiting me ;O)
I can't wait for tomorrow 4 P.M.!
I could well swoon with ecstasy.
--------
Demain, dernier jour de travail avant mon congé maternité...Vivement demain 16h!
Je pourrais bien me pâmer d'extase!

Cédric Roulliat Photography

Coup de coeur pour Bill Cunningham

 

Bill Cunningham New York, the documentary film by Richard Press, introduced me to Bill Cunningham, an extraordinary fashion photographer, an ascetic aesthete whose passion for his art cannot but inspire. This old gentleman with his Tati-like gait rejuvenated me through to through. An inspiring, invigorating artist whose uncompromising vision of life rekindled my flame.

If you haven't watched the film yet, run buy your ticket for the next show.

PS: Thank you Chris and Andrea for the good tip!


Bill Cunningham New York Trailer from Gavin McWait on Vimeo.

Read more about Bill:
- Bill on Bill , published in the NY Times and written by Bill Cunningham himself.
-On the Street...:

Heavenly surprise weekend

Because the whole second floor has been undergoing renovations for the last two weeks....

Because our bed and wardrobes have been moved downstairs, in the living room...

Because I have started moving like a beached whale...and because it was my birthday weekend...

 Then, Marco and I decided to get away. We finalized our destination on Saturday morning, just an hour before departure time! Marco booked a mysterious idyllic place that he found through the good tips of our friend Olivia Stren who had written an article on Picton for the Toronto Life. We drove south east for about 2 hours,....

and there we were! Ah, Picton's Claramount Inn & Spa came to our rescue just in time.

 Me, admiring the view from the window in our room, Room 7

the view on Lake Ontario

One of the room's reader's corners.

The sitting room.

This weekend getaway did me a world of good. What a splendid birthday gift! I was treated to a hot saltwater pool, to a prenatal massage, to extremely delicate foods and other delights. Total relaxation. Not much to do anyway as it was a rainy weekend ;O) We stayed in, enjoying the spa facilities and only stepped out to go antique shopping in the area - our treasure hunt had us find 3 amazing 1960s-1970s decorating books, course books edited by Better Homes and Gardens. Perfect!

Step out and do the Turkish Delight Dance !

Spring has sprung! You feel like jumping high and low and rolling in the grass, you are not alone...
I bet you will not resist these improvised moves! A dance lesson from Turkey, which I would like to call the Turkish Delight dance for the occasion.

Marco and I started the day watching this video and it really made our day right from the start! Thank you, Rob. ;O)

Subtle Trouble

Click on the photo to watch the trailer

Watched Jane Eyre directed by Cary Fukunaga, I enjoyed the director's vision of Charlotte Brontë's classic tremendously! Casting and direction of photography are simply breathtaking.

The best adaptation of the novel I have seen so far. 

Now You need Miguel Jacob's Now I need You

Click on the image for the full video.

Miguel Jacob's short film "Now I Need You" will be screened at the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival on August 5-6, 2011.

Karl Lagerfeld, Bruce Weber and others will also be showing films there!

Kudos, Miguel.

The Pandorian interviews Cédric Roulliat

PLEASE""""DoN't MisS this GrrRRReat interview!
http://thepandorian.com/2011/03/cedric-roulliat-interview/
You will discover my friend Cédric's talent and irresistible sense of humour.

Bonne expédition au pays de Cédric & Co.!

The video of Factum Jacob by Candice Breitz : now available!

"Like the near-identical paintings by Robert Rauschenberg, Factum I and Factum II, 1957, on which Factum Jacob is based, the duality of the two prints is permeated with differences which may not be apparent at first."
Candice Breitz, Factum Jacob, 2009, stills from a two-channel video installation.For more info on this photo, go to:
White Cube, London
or The Power Plant, Toronto

Factum Jacob...This title might sound familiar to your ears. On October 27, 2009, I already published a post on the subject of Factum, this special Power Plant/Partners in Art commission to Candice Breitz but, at the time, only photos were available as the video still needed to be edited.

A few days ago, Candice Breitz sent us her love from Singapore where she finished with the installation of the whole Factum series last week. The show is up and running now and Candice is very happy with the installation. It took them very long hours (2 years!) in order to finish the edits but now everything is done and they were happy to let us know that the final demo version of Factum Jacob is now available today!
You can download the film via this link (it takes a little while to upload, be patient!):


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9247688/FactumJacobVimeo.mov

Please remember that the actual art work is shown in a loop. That means that the viewer cannot see a beginning or an end of the portrait.

I have waited 2 years to watch this video, so I was very happy to discover this final edited version. I learnt a lot about my husband, Marco, his twin brother, Miguel and their quite unique relationship.

I hope that you too will enjoy watching it.
Let me know of your impressions!

Where to buy gorgeous vintage clothes and learn to play poker...

Go to Harlow Black (594 Markham St, Toronto)!

Last Saturday, Marco and I went there to say hi to Ashlene and Dave, the great couple behind Harlow Black.  When we got in, happy to find a toasty place to shelter us from the cold, they were playing cards all snug in their sofas. Great! Marco quickly accepted the invitation to share a game or two with Dave, and off they went...playing poker! Believe me Marco was very proud to have learnt how to play basic poker in an hour. I myself fretted around, all happy to look for new clothes with Ashlene. She had to help me find out comfortable yet good-looking dresses to fit my currently curvy shapes... I  NEEDED a couple of new dresses as I have entered the pregnancy season and have started to feel like the incredible Hulk. It is all based on facts, the other day I was wearing a dress that didn't feel tight at all (see picture below) but I literally ripped the zipper just by yawning...Of course, I was at work but the blazer that I had on top covered the damage ok until the end of the day, pfeww!

The dress (found at Harlow Black too) that I ripped along the seam in the back, with the very blazer that saved my day when I turned into the Incredible Hulkette!

Read more about HB in:

 Now magazine

 the National Post                                       

La Vie en Rose, ok, but with Grace, please!

Grace Jones - La Vie En Rose

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Allez, bonne St Valentin les Zamoureux!

C'est Paris, c'est la Vie... selon Daphnée!

The other day in my French class, just 10 minutes before the end and as I was going to log out from our online session, one of my students suggested that I connect to Daphnee.tv . He had just discovered this app in the great selection offered by the internet globosphere to learn how to speak a better French and wanted to introduce us to her. Hum, I must admit I was quite charmed by the funny, infusing energy of Daphnée's pedagogical approach - which I also found somewhat irritating... Fasten your seat belt, you won't be spared any juicy stereotype!

Now, if you haven't met flamboyant Parisian 'Daphée', don't be shy, pay her a visit. You might enjoy her teaching a lot, actually ;o)

Crêpez-vous le chignon mignon!

 

~ February 2 is la Chandeleur (Candlemas), a holiday that is traditionally celebrated in France by making crêpes.
So don't forget to crêpe it up!