“FRIENDS”

Last night I watched the special, reunion episode of “FRIENDS”... I had been reading about for, well, forever... and although in the beginning I was sort of nonchalant about it, as the time passed I became more and more interested... and when a few days ago my bestie M (my adopted “little sister”), who knows me very well, texted me that it would be on TV last night, I made sure I remember to watch. I mean, I interrupted my “Lucifer” recap for it, that I was doing in preparation to watch the new episodes that came out yesterday! I was THAT interested! 

And I watched. And I liked it more than I had thought I would. It was nostalgic and sweet and, oh, so funny! And not cheesy, no! Rather down to earth, real. Now, let’s get a few things straight about “FRIENDS”: is it the best sitcom ever? No. That’s “Seinfeld”. End of discussion. Has it aged well?... I mean, yeah, some of the jokes we now know that were not the most appropriate ones but, hey, now we are woke, back then we were not. And it’s a good thing we are and we can identify these things. But that’s it. For the most of it, personally I’m not offended. I’m too busy laughing! I mean... Chandler flipping the lid of the dish washing liquid open to be ready to fire against Joey’s stalker knocking on the door... priceless scene! Pure comedy gold! I’ve watched it like 43 times and it still cracks me up!

So, not the best sitcom, not the most politically correct. But, blimey, it sure is an iconic one! I’m a bit younger than the cast (only a bit) but if I could pick one TV series I can say “I grew up with”, than this is the one. No, I did not exactly grow up with it, I was in my early twenties when it aired, but it feels like I “grew up” with it, like I became an adult with it! And, to me, watching it is like eating pasta! Comforting! Reassuring! Delicious! When I’m sad, when I’m overwhelmed, when the world feels too much, it’s my go-to thing to watch. And it lifts me up every time! It’s the first thing Luci and I watched together. It’s the one series I never watched with a boyfriend! Word! It’s all mine! And my friends’! And no matter how I see it, it’s “better than shoes” and it will always be for me. And... we will never be on a break. 

scent of an era...

I have been feeling a bit low lately... sad things have happened, not enough happy things have happened and I seemed to have misplaced my usual optimism... probably due to the wardrobe/storage room spring cleaning, who knows... poor Luci was running around frantically, could not understand why all my coats and jackets were piled up on my bed for a whole morning! So, anyway, I was not at my best. My go-to solution would normally be a new pair of shoes but I was not falling in love with any... and then it hit me: I needed a new perfume! A new scent to mark the beginning of spring and guide me to my rebirth... or lead me to it by my nose...

I have always loved fragrances! Since I was a child, I thought having a bottle of perfume was the ultimate luxury and I still remember my first one! It was a Christmas present when I was 17, “Paris” by YSL, and admittedly... I can’t stand it now! Rose is certainly not my thing nowadays... but at the time, I felt sooooo grown up, so pampered and special when I was wearing it! Since then, even at times when my pockets were dangerously empty like when I was at uni, I would strive to have a bottle of perfume, even if I only wore it on special occasions. And over the years I have tried many scents and I have truly fallen in love with some of them that I wore for years! 

But nothing like this last one! I ordered it having only tried it from a tiny sample but even so, I knew I was going to love it! Though... I did not know I was going to adore it! And I really do! “So... which is it?”, you would ask... and how could I not share?! It’s “Un jardin sur la lagune” by Hermès! It is the most addictive perfume I have ever smelled, it is mysterious and simple, fresh and complex, light and lasting, hopeful and happy and unforgettable, it is a scent I cannot describe exactly, certainly not roses, but one that has enchanted me! It’s like a story, an experience... a warm feeling long gone, the memory of which lives on... I can’t have enough of it! I mean, I wear it at home even when in sweatpants! And, honestly, I can’t wait to wear it out in the open, having a drink with my friends on a terrace on a warm spring evening! Things start to look up, my friends, I am being cautiously optimistic about this nightmare of the last year (and a half...) coming to an end, and I feel I have chosen the right scent to mark the new era that is about to start! “Better than shoes”?... yep! 

Ps. Perfumes are a veeeeeeeery personal thing and in case you try this one and go “meh”, keep trying until you find the one that is your “better than shoes” scent... or not... who am I to tell you what to do?!... 

Englishman in New York

 If I had to choose a song that describes my life better than any other, it would have to be Sting’s “Englishman in New York”.

It’s not even half 4 in the morning, I’m up, after a terrible night (or... part of a night), and I’m watching a YouTube video my brother sent me earlier... Sting, singing live, recently, this song that he knows I hold very dear to my heart. And how could I not?! It’s a gem! The soft, caressing music, the exquisite sounds of Bradford Marsalis, the simple yet always recognisable melody, the intensity of the drums there almost at the end, the singing voice, soft as velvet and unlike any other... and those lyrics... a simple poem about life itself...  this song is just beautiful! I was 14 years old when I heard it for the first time and it made an impression like nothing ever had until then! Being different?! Not following the norm?! How preposterous!! But... how exciting at the same time! “Be yourself, no matter what they say” became my mantra. I was the only fan of Sting’s in my high school (except for my chemistry teacher, Mr M, lovely man!) and I got bullied a lot about my queer tastes... couldn’t care less! Even at that so very young age, I knew... I was going to go my own way, I was most probably going to be an alien my whole life (I felt I had been thus far already...), I was going to drink tea...

Years have passed... so many years... I have seen Sting singing this song live over again and I have sang it with him, I have listened to it alone more times than I can count, I have seen the music video (David Fincher, so you know...) so many times and every time I discover something new, I have spoken about it, joked about it, got misty eyed thinking about it... And, yes, for more than two decades, I too am a legal alien, I too drink tea and not coffee, I too have found myself walking alone down Fifth Avenue, thinking a walking cane would come in handy... and I too have always been myself no matter what they said. 

It’s been a challenging few weeks, maybe you have guessed it, my silence is never a good thing... I’m not going to talk about it... I’m choosing to smile in the middle of the night and share with you this warm and fuzzy feeling “Englishman in New York” has always given me... a song that is definitely “better than shoes”, a song that will always be special to me! And I will always be myself, no matter what they say...