In Moderation

More on the virtue of moderation, as practiced by the French. Tonight, I took the girls out to a small restaurant in the Latin Quarter. I was struck again by the size of the portions, just enough to satisfy our appetite, and not so much that we got too full. We all finished our [...]

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Cars

Cars in Paris are all small, for the most part. There is a lot to be gained from having a small car. One obvious benefit is, it is much easier to fit into tight parking spots. I am always amazed at how good all my Parisian acquaintances are, with what I call the ‘bump’ parking [...]

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Modern Appliances

There is some advantage to not having access to the comfort of modern appliances. In our Paris appartment, I still have not figured out how to use the wash machine. The dryer appears to be even more of a mystery. One unforeseen consequence has been how little dirty laundry we have generated as a result. [...]

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Green Fun

Last night, walking around the Marais, we were met by swarms of bicyclists at every corner. I learned from my brother, that the City of Paris just released 10,000 bicycles for people to use as they please. There are stations in every neighborhood, where one can rent a bike for only one euro a day. [...]

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Vacation

Being on vacation, made me realize that, being green is work. Why is it that all that is worthwhile, requires work? One needs to work on relationships, work at work, work at being a good green citizen. . . Here in Paris, I just want to enjoy, indulge, and be lazy. This morning, I played [...]

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Too Tired to Be Green

Still jet lagged from the plane trip, I find my green consciousness waning. This morning, at the market, I did not protest when the cheese man insisted on wrapping his goodies into double plastic bags. I had done my share, by taking one of Christine’s big wicker baskets along with me. Once home, I did [...]

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The Trip

Getting ready for trip to Paris tomorrow. If I was pure green, I would not fly, but lets face it, I need a France fix once in a while. A more realistic option, would be to buy carbon offsets. The question I need to ask myself is, why didn’t I bother looking into it [...]

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Green Guru

Living with Green Guru – Prad’s nickname, of late -, is not easy sometimes. This morning, I had the unpleasant surprise of my electric toothbrush running out of electricity, half way as I was trying to brush my teeth. Without telling me, Green Guru had decided to unplug it the night before. Little did he [...]

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The Real Price

On our way back from the farmers’ market, Charlotte wanted to show me the new shoe store, the one where she got her pair of red sandals last week. I had been meaning to visit anyway. Charlotte and I, both delighted in how good the prices were. “Look, these are only $35!” The Mystique ballerinas [...]

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Simplicity

Why this need for lists all of a sudden? I woke up thinking of Tulani’s list, The Five Rules of Happiness, the one I read in her blog yesterday, and I immediately had to make it mine:
1.Free your heart from hatred.
2.Free your mind from worries.
3.Live simply.
4.Give more.
5.Expect less.
#3 would go a long way towards helping [...]

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