Floralies de Philadelphie 2014

Bonjour tout le monde,

Je m'excuse pour le délai ; je sais que je n'ai pas posté en français depuis quelque temps. J'ai voulu attendre vous montrer quelque chose que vous ne verriez pas sur la télé, quelque chose que vous ne considéreriez jamais "américaine."

Donc, sans aucun délai, je vous présente les floralies de Philadelphie 2014. Cet événement se déroule chaque année en fin février/début mars.  Un peu d'histoire: la société de l’horticulture de Pennsylvanie a été créée en 1827 et ses premières floralies se sont déroulées en 1829. En 1996, la société s'est assez développée qu'elle a dû choisir une plus grande location pour ses floralies annuelles. Maintenant, les floralies de Philadelphie, situées au centre de convention de Pennsylvanie, montrent au monde les belles fleurs et plantes exotiques dans un espace de 133.550 mètres carrés.

J'ai un peu honte d'admettre que je n'y suis jamais allée. Peut-être les floralies n'étaient pas assez « cool » quand j’étais ado, je ne sais pas la raison laquelle j'ai manqué cet événement. Par contre, mon beau père y est allé chaque année. Il y avait même des années où il a présenté ses orchidées. (Il a une grande collection d'orchidées chez nous.) 

Nous y sommes allés en famille pendant le weekend d’ouverture. Comme ces fleurs étaient magnifiques! Il y avait du monde l'après-midi, mais à partir de 17h il y avait presque personne dans le grand centre. J'ai entendu ma mère disait que les floralies n'étaient pas assez blindées que des années passées. (J’assume que c’était à cause du froid dehors. En plus on attendait, comme chaque semaine cet hiver, une tempête de neige). 

Le thème de 2014 était tout simplement, l'art. En suivant cette thème, il y avait des bijoux fait de fleurs, des chapeaux, des grands "danseurs", même un spectacle avec des acrobates qui se sont tournoyés entres des grandes charpentes de fleurs à la grande entrée. 

Franchement, si vous pensez à visiter la belle ville de Philadelphie je vous conseille de prendre vos billets pour que vous puissiez voir ces belles fleurs! Je répète que ces floralies se passent dedans le grand centre de convention, donc il n'y a pas de souci de météo pourri !

Belle boule de fleurs

A l'entrée

Un des mes oeuvres préférées

Deuxième boule de fleurs

J'adore ce chapeau!

Mais comme je veux recréer cette scène tranquille!

Dévinez, c'est qui?

Trop belle!

Cascade de fleurs

J'espère que ces fleurs vous assurent que printemps va bientôt arriver (ou peut-être il y est déjà arrivé en quelques départements de la France). Il a encore neigé ici mardi matin. 5 centimètres, mais quand même! C'est sûr que tout le monde en a marre maintenant. Heureusement, j'ai eu la chance de prendre une semaine de vacances ce mois-ci. La semaine prochaine je posterai au sujet de mes aventures à Atlanta et à la très belle ville de Nouvelle Orléans. En attendant ces découvertes, je vous demande de bien croiser les doigts pour ma dernière audience au Conseil de Prud'homme demain matin.

En espérant de retourner en France et vous voir très bientôt,

Gros, gros bisous

La petite pamplemousse

Sing Along Sunday: Mad for Men in March

Good evening!

This month I wanted to base my playlist around male musicians. Originally, I hoped to create a March Madness-themed playlist, highlighting crazy musicians; however, I couldn't stop hitting replay on Hugo's cover of "99 Problems" last week. His oh-so confident voice reigned my eardrums over and over again, and I decided to give a shout out to all of the men out there singing and playing instruments instead.

As always, be sure to click on the link to access this month's playlist. You can also follow me on Spotify by clicking here. As a reminder, you need a Spotify account in order to access my monthly playlists. I've included both the artists and song titles below, so if you'd rather not sign up, you can always check out my favorite men on YouTube or iTunes instead.

For you, dear sirs!

1. "Bread & Butter" by Hugo: This song sizzles like freshly paved asphalt on a hot summer day. Hot damn, Hugo.
2. "I Feel Like Funkin' It Up" by Rebirth Brass Band: The beginning of this song makes me giggle every single time. Whoever makes that squawking noise sounds exactly like Scuttle from The Little Mermaid. There are limited lyrics, but man do these brass players make me want to get groovy in the streets of New Orleans.
3. "Coffee and TV" by Blur: This song may sound familiar if you watched Cruel Intentions a million times growing up. It also happens to be one of my all time favorite driving songs.
4. "Carolina" by Seu Jorge: This is not my favorite song by Seu, but it is by far the most sexy. I imagine being twirled around a dance floor in a terrifyingly bright 70s pant suit. (I also see parrots dancing along in my imaginary world, but that might be the tequila talking).
5. "Lovely Day" by Bill Wathers: You may know of this fella for his hits "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean on Me." Can you feel the pure happiness and love flowing from that voice? This is a wonderful song to wake up to (if you need one.)
6. "Vagabond" by Wolfmother: I have to admit that I immediately associate this song with that "new beginnings" scene from 500 Days of Summer. Lead singer, Andrew Stockdale, also has one heck of voice. Plus, a good crescendo automatically gets points in my music book.
7. "Saint John" by Cold War Kids: Any song that gets you to head bang, stomp, clap, and break out the tambourine is a winner. Did you listen closely to the lyrics too?
8. "505" by Arctic Monkeys: While I'm a huge fan of all the songs off of their latest CD, this will always be my favorite Arctic Monkeys song. The crescendo, the guitar, and Alex Turner's voice get me grooving every single time.
9. "Wait for Me" by Kings of Leon: I constantly go back and forth on liking these fellas. I don't like when bands get big and acquire egos along the ride to fame. That being said, I can't get enough of this song. I think it's one of those songs you listen to and like without knowing why; then, years down the road, it all makes sense.
10. "Crime" by Mayer Hawthorne: The first ten seconds had me hooked on first listen. And then, you hear his voice.
11. "High for This" by The Weekend: Ironically enough, I heard Ellie Goulding's cover of this before I knew there was an original.
12. "Comin' Up from Behind" by Marcy Playground: Another hit from the 90s that will always be on my go-to list.
13. "Show Me" by Bruno Mars: I was very much against Bruno back in the day. His hit "Grenade" came out while I was in France and it really got under my skin. Then, I heard this (and his other reggae song, "Liquor Store Blues.")
14. "Off the Ground" by Citizen Cope: I love Clarence. I've seen him live at least two or three times and each and every show he shines. His voice always improves my mood. Plus, how can you not love him when his lyrics are so stinkin' truthful and honest.
15. "Struggla" by Matisyahu: I also love Matisyahu. He's another one of those artists you can always count on to make you happier. This song pumps me up and inspires me to keep going.
16. "Coyotes" by Jason Mraz: Where have you gone Jason, where have you gone?!
17. "Lazarus" by The Senators: Finally a song with a mandolin that is not by Mumford & Sons. This song makes me want to jump through a meadow barefoot on a sunny afternoon.
18. "Edge of Something" by Jamie Cullum: I still regret my decision to not spend the 50 euros to see Jamie live when I was living in Lyon. He is just pure genius.
19. "She Said" by Plan B: A throwback to my Lyon days, when I heard more UK generated English music than anything else. I get a 70s vibe from this song and all I can ever think about is wanting to be a back up dancer/singer with a flowery dress and big fat wavy curls in my hair.
20. "Des pères, des hommes, des frères," by Corneille: Corneille is such an underrated artist. French-Canadian, he sings in both English and French and does both languages justice. The lyrics to this song are quite powerful.
21. "Blood" by Middle East: This song is perfect. I wish this band never broke up.
22. "Imidiwan Ma Tenam" by Tinariwen: These guys are something else. Coming from the Sahara Desert region of Mali, various members of this group have played together since 1979. They've fled Mali a few times due to conflict there.
23. "The Sun" by Portugal. The Man: I love the lyrics to this song. (No other explanation needed, right?)
24. "I'm Into You" by Chet Faker: Chet has been by musical obsession since last summer. Please catch me as I pass out from his sexy voice.
25. "ave cesaria" by Stromae: Here we have another musical genius. From Belgium, Stromae has been praised continuously by the French media since his latest album dropped. You may have heard of his older hit, "Alors On Danse." He has matured since, and it's quite apparent from the lyrics of each song from Racine Carrée.
26. "Let Me Go" by Maverick Sabre: What caught my attention with this song was the familiarity to "Glory Box" by Portishead. I'm a big fan.

There you have it, folks. I hope you discovered a male musician you never heard of before, or reignited your fascination for an old favorite after listening to this list. Feel free to post any men you think I'm missing out on in the comment box below.

Have a wonderful evening and until next time,

La petite pamplemousse

Think About It Thursday: Revolutions in Egypt, Ukraine, and Venezuela

A lot has happened since my last post on the Olympic Games at Sochi. Truth be told, the past month I've taken a hiatus from stalking the various online news sites I've got bookmarked at work. I've denied myself the ability to feast on each and every update I can find on countries far, far away. Ignorance is refreshing in a sick, dark sense, but yet also so damn boring after a mere 48 hours. In fact, putting myself back into a close-minded bubble made me more antsy than I already was, reading about other people's real worlds. So back to digging around for endless story updates I go.

Back in January, I read about a documentary called The Square. I wrote the title down on a Post-It where it has sat on my nightstand ever since. I tend to do that with books, musicians, and the like. (Reminder apps do nothing for my brain; everything must be written down in order to stick in my memory.)

I'd like to go on a tangent at this point and bring up a voicemail I received a week ago. It came from a guy who I had met last spring. Upon learning he was a Cairo native on the middle of a club dance floor, I instantly wanted to know more about him. Over hookah and tea, we discussed his country's future on multiple occassions. At that time, Mohamed Morsi was still in power as President of Egypt and a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood. After hearing brief, vague snippets about the unrest on NPR every morning, I wanted to know what was actually happening from a native Egyptian's point of view. I found out his friend, who I also met that night in the club, was blind in one eye as a result of a rubber bullet shot out into the crowd of protestors. He allegedly came here to seek asylum and was at the time meeting with lawyers to see what could be done. My friend claimed he was here for a Master's degree, but now I have my doubts after this mysterious phone call from Egypt some 9 months later. I can't stop wondering if they both went back willingly to protest a second time, or if they were kicked out of our country because we, at the time, supported the "democratically elected" Morsi. 

Moving forward, I would like to point out that The Square  was nominated for an Oscar. It obviously lost, but the mention is still worth noting. (One of the other two, Omar, I hope to see this upcoming weekend). During our latest snowstorm, I decided to finally watch The Square and see if the documentary would actually reveal something I had missed from reading and listening to our news outlets' coverage. The opinions of those in the film reflected exactly what my friend had expressed to me last year. They weren't all happy about Morsi; actually, they were angry about what he had failed to do so far and nervous about what he would do in the future.

Overall, I really enjoyed the cinematography of this documentary. The transition between major scenes was nicely done. Often it would cut to someone spraying politically charged, yet beautiful graffiti . The three main characters kept my attention and stole my heart. I laughed, I cried, and I pondered what it must be like to fight for something with so much bravery, so much determination, so much joy. I continue to wonder if they are all still alive, if they are all still so strong, if they are still friends. I wonder what they think of the possibility of another head army official bidding for presidency. I wonder if they feel more or less safe than they did three years ago. Then I reread the two quotes I wrote down while watching the documentary. (I'm a sucker for quotes.)

The first (on the army): "The more they kill, the more we believe in our cause."

The second: "We are not looking for a leader to rule us. Because everyone who went to Tahrir is a leader. We are looking for a conscience."

Then I take those two quotes, and I ponder what's happening in Ukraine and Venezuela, where I'm positive half of what occurs is twisted and contorted just like it was, and more than likely continues to be, in Egypt. I think of the Ukrainian protestors dancing to "Happy." I think of the Facebook posts I continue to see made by my South American friends in support of Venezuela. I think and I speculate and I opine. And, I ask you, what would you do if your country was not meeting its promises or following its own rules? Would you fight, flee, or continue to go about your own business? Would you join forces with those who you might agree only 15% with, or would their religious, socio-economical, sexual, or other differences prevent you from joining forces in support of improving the one thing you will always be connected by: your homeland.

Until next time,

La petite pamplemousse