pic of the day for wednesday, 03-31-10

trianon palace, versailles, france, 01-02-10

did anyone notice that i neglected to submit a pic of the day yesterday?  i think i need to change the name to "pic of the every other day or so", but this invites laxity into my realm & a valid rationalization of it after the fact!  my young whipper snapper of a sister pointed out that the pic of the day could be any day, just not every day & that i should take a moment to add the following disclaimer:  i am consistently inconsistent!!!  and there you have it... i'm letting myself off the hook & wiping my hands of the situation, lol! 

but really, all tee hee heeing aside, i had a headache the size of ummm, i don't know, imagine something really big here, & after struggling thru a few folders in the vault, i decided to bag it & focus my energies towards breaking in my new pillow, lol!

as for the shot above, i just like the contrasts in it!  i usually find more beauty in simplicity than in anything else, & this photo is an example of one of those occasions :) :) :)  if my eyeslids weren't protesting my desires to keep them open, i would take a moment to ramble on about my definition of beauty, but i'm gonna throw in the towel & get some shut eye.  tomorrow's another exciting 11 hour day, & i have to conserve my energy to prepare for the big excitement involved in riding my 2 buses (each way) to the industrial area where i attend my french courses, in a graffiti riddled & shamefully dirty building.  france spares no expense for it's immigrants, as you will learn in another blog, somewhere down the road...

nighty night :) :) :)

pic of the day for monday, 03-29-10

brussels, belgium, 03-04-10

i wanted to choose a photo that needs no explanation, because, to be honest, i am fresh out of time for explanations!!!  i selected this particular snapshot because, well, i have no explanation!!!  i was wandering aimlessly about brussels when i happened upon this yellow version of foghorn leghorn.  2 things "do it for me" in this pic:  the rooster's classic stance & mr trenchcoat in the background!  real life truly is weirder than fiction  :) :) :)

cock-a-doodle-doo ;o

pic of the day for sunday, 03-28-10

our kitchen, plaisir, france, 03-28-10

have i mentioned that i love cheese?  not enough that i would eat, or even nibble on, the plethora of pungent ones that stink up the french fromageries...but give me anything from the families of extra sharp cheddar, mozzarella, havarti, gouda, muenster or parmesano reggiano & i am akin to a pig in shit (as the saying goes)!

i'm not sure when domesticity snuck up on me, but i spent an apalling amount of my afternoon preparing the above gratin, & i'm proud to declare that i didn't succumb to impatience, which seems to be my constant companion when i am in the kitchen!  my blood, sweat & tears (ok, i tend to exaggerate!) were richly rewarded, as i delightedly smacked my lips with every decadent bite from the gooey layers of this bechamel infused dish :) :) :)

as if that plate didn't already make me a kick ass wife, i decided to really go for the gold medal by serving up my top notch mexican wedding cookies for dessert!  kablow, how ya like me now???!!!  they must have been award winners, as the only complaint i heard was the one coming from inside my belly, annoyed by the fact that it wasn't bigger to be able to store away even more artery cloggin' goodness, lol!

that's the dealy-o from a broad abroad.  now if i could just get some assistance with rolling me into bed...i have a new pillow from ikea to take advantage of...merci beaucoup, monsieur piron!!!

toodles!

pic of the day for saturday, 03-27-10

musée du louvre, paris, france, 10-04-09

well, well, well...so we meet again!  welcome back :) :) :)

today's pic makes it's way to you from an adventure i undertook last fall with my visiting sister & her hairy care-bear hunka-hunka-burnin-love beau-hunk!  as for my beautiful, amazing, generous, selfless, inspiring, witty, hilarious, vivacious & all around kick ass sister, penny lane, she deserves a blog (or a baker's dozen) devoted solely to her, so we will put that project on deck!

anyway, our little posse managed to crawl over the predominantly asian tour groups throughout one wing of the gargantuous louvre before surrendering to partake in a more preferrable activity...grazing!  waffles (gaufres), doughnuts (beignets), espressos, & one deformed pistachio macaron i had stashed in my purse, quickly made their way into our happy tummys :) :) :) 

but wait, this blog is about that famous french museum, made more recognizable to the general american public by mr dan brown in his extremely intriguing novel, "the da vinci code"...sooo...we did see the smirking mona lisa, which was no easy task considering the throng of admirers trying to digitally capture her overhyped image (& blatantly disregarding the posted signs by leaving their flashes on to record this painting that some have suggested is actually da vinci in drag...thoughts?).  but what enthralled me most was the egyptian exhibits.

as some of you are aware, i have an inexplicable connection to ancient egypt, & my personal thought on the subject is that i have experienced several past lives in the land of the pharaohs.  yes, i'm a firm believer in reincarnation & this conviction somewhat rationalizes my affinity towards the land of the great pyramids & my fascination with all things egyptian!  one of the things on my bucket list is to explore this awe inspiring country & to behold the same things i may have witnessed thousands of years ago!  anyone up for a vacation on the cheap?  be prepared to get down & dirty, 'cuz that's how i roll!!!  but back to the louvre...

i was all atwitter to gallivant amongst the sarcophagi, to scrutinize the hieroglyphs in an attempt to jar my memory into recognition & hence comprehension (how cool would that be if i suddenly just started translating?), & to soak up the information gleamed from displays portraying the soul's process after death to journey thru the underworld via the hall of judgement.  i also beheld mundane objects used in everyday life, priceless amulets, & everything in between!  it was a magical experience, & along with most every other memory involving little may frates, will forever be etched in a happy corner in my heart :) :) :)

walk like an egyptian,

cleMOpatra

pic of the day for friday, 03-26-10

south beach, florida, 06-05-09

goody, goody gumdrops, we made it to the weekend!!!  to reward you for being such good boys & girls, i have pulled something extra special from the vault :) :) :)  in fact, extra, extra special, because i have been hoarding this treasured series, & hence, have not previously posted or shared this elsewhere!!!

on this particular spring friday in the paradise known as south beach, we were subjected to an unexpected spat of torrential rain.  any local will tell you that this is rather common, chalk it up to business as usual for southern florida.  the sky opens up, the clouds growl, the wind pummels & just when you think you need to start gathering materials to construct your ark, it dissipates in the blink of an eye & that blazing, golden orb resumes it's place in the upper atmosphere.  what was uncommon, however, was what follwed the outburst, which you will read about further along...

sooo, after several thwarted attempts to blaze the elements in an attempt to capture this wickedness-in-action on film, (being blown off the balcony is a strong deterrent), i resigned to confine myself indoors.  that said, i was simultaneously as restless as a caged tiger & as eager as a kid on christmas morning!  finally, when mother earth chose to recall her fury, i snagged my trusted canon rebel & sprang outdoors only to plummet directly into a flood!!!  great balls of fire!!!  in 10 years of riding out tropical storms & hurricanes in south beach, (evacuation was never a viable option for myself & my animal farm), i have never experienced a muck such as the one i encountered last june 5th!  flooded streets containing ankle deep or even calf deep water were notches on my belt, but wading thru thigh, & even waste deep, water was a new item for my resume!!!

in the aftermath, i came across a myriad of eye candy ATOP our newly formed lake, (as i cleverly chose not to even consider what lurked below in the filthy sludge, & possibly contaminated cesspool, i was giddily trudging thru), not limited to:  abandoned cars, floating coconuts, submerged bicycles & even a man paddle boarding around with his french bulldog as co-pilot (for more on maui goodbeer, his dog, yoda, & the worthwhile cause he champions for, please visit http://www.streetwaves.org/ ).  but, the most amazing thing i bumped into was the unwavering cheer of the community, bonding together to rescue the stranded or offer assistance in any capacity necessary.  it re-affirmed the existence of the compassion that resides in a city that is often only viewed as materialisitc, selfish & extemely plastic.  for me, the aforementioned was never my experience & just goes to show that what you seek, you will find!!!  

so that's my story & i'm sticking to it.  for a snapshot of little miss motography "on assignment, in the field", (national geographic, are you reading?  are you interested?), please submit your request to me (including your preferred contact email) & i will forward the evidence to your inbox.  it is not the most flattering photo ever taken, nor will my ensemble be hitting a runway near you anytime soon, but it does unequivocally capture the moment!

surf's up, dude :) :) :)

pic of the day for thursday, 03-25-10

plaisir, france, 01-22-10

look what i found at our local french supermarket...fish heads, fish heads, rolly polly fish heads...& you guys wonder why i have a cheetos based diet!!!

just bear with me for one more day, peeps, & then your highly appreciated correspondence will be answered & the pic of the day will be properly expounded upon!!!

peace & processed foods,

little miss cheesy snack

pic of the day for wednesday, 03-24-10

la rochelle, france, 08-08-09

i found this little green monster in the southwest of france but it doesn't hold a candle to my miami graffiti...ohhhhhh, how i miss it...& ohhhhhh, how i miss riding shotgun in a certain grand cherokee next to my best pally pal, who personally chauffered me to all the graffiti hotspots & was ever so patient as i sprang from the vehicle, obsessed with yet another spray painted masterpiece!!!  ohhhhhh, how much i miss, miss, miss...i will certainly be weeping uncontrollably if i continue down this path, so, instead, i will tuck this heavy heart into bed & await my visit from mr sandman...

bonne nuit!

pic of the day for tuesday, 03-23-10

plaisir, france, 11-25-09

i feel icky :( :( :(  who's got a hug with my name on it?  at least i've been blessed by a room with a view :) :) :)

pic of the day for monday, 03-22-10

my head is going boom, boom, boom, so i will not be able to do the yadda, yadda, yadda, tonight.  to compensate,  i will scour the vault to serve up something extra enthralling, if not tomorrow, wednesday at the latest (& while i'm at it, i'll gladly pay you tuesday for a hamburger today, preferrably from five guys burgers & fries)!!!  meanwhile, as i have enclosed no details regarding this particular photo, let your mind wander & then submit your version of the who, what, when, where, why & how.  prizes will be awarded for most accurate & most creative*.  get crack-a-lackin' & thanks in advance for accomodating me :) :) :)

*some restrictions may apply.  offer void where prohibited.  CA residents please add 16.9% sales tax.

pic of the day for sunday, 03-21-10

undisclosed location, belgium, 03-06-10

welcome back!

due to time constraints, brevity is of the utmost importance tonight.  hence, not only have i chosen a lightweight & whimsical subject for today's pic, i will also only make 3 quick statements before i vamoose:

1)  i am in serious need of a pedicure...all monetary donations towards accomplishing this goal will be greatly appreciated!!!

2)  due to poor circulation, my feet are always cold :( :( :(  in the above action shot, however, one blazing fire equals some extremely happy piggies...can' t you almost see them smiling?  wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, giggle, giggle, giggle :) :) :)

3)  lastly, to answer the inevitable question that will surely arise, NO, I DO NOT HAVE A FOOT FETISH.  this is just one of many snapshots of a series entitled "my foot on vacation"...lol!  can't wait to capture my toes in front of the great egyptian pyramids...believe it, baby :) :) :)

and now i must do the skeedaddle...

until next time,

mo & her foot of fury (highly photogenic, i might add!)

pic of the day for saturday, 03-20-10

trianon palace, versailles, france, 07-12-09

say hello to macarons, or bonjour, rather!

since arriving in this foreign land, i have had to expand my horizons outside the realm of american snacks.  in this particular instance, it hasn't exactly put me out, because as many of you are already aware, i am a self admitted cookie whore!  chips ahoy served cereal style in ice cold whole milk are definitely a staple in my diet & unquestioningly an important part of my food pyramid!  are you reading nabisco?  do you need a product ambassador?  look no further, your poster child is here!  in fact, i would gladly take payment for my services in the form of nutter butters & strawberry milkshake flavored oreos (i know they were a limited edition item but surely you have some stashed in an obscure warehouse somewhere & with all the preservatives contained within, they don't really expire).

ok, back to macarons.  for the french, these run akin to nectar of the gods, & like every other pastry i've eyeballed thru a large glass window, they may well have been created by some divine entity.  according to my macaron recipe book (en français), the base contains a simple combination of eggs, almond powder, sugar & powdered sugar.  the combination of fillings, however, are anything but simple & are only limited to the imagination (or lack thereof) of the baker.  the vibrant powdered dyes they use to color these petite sweets are as varied as an artist's palette & although they are not on display in the prestigious louvre, i have similarly found myself in awe when beholding the bold silvers, brazen violets, crimson oranges & every other hue in the color spectrum used to create these masterpieces!

sacre bleu (i didn't need to move almost 5000 miles to learn this little phrase...as a child with unlimited tv access, a click of the tv dial presented me with pepe le pew & my inauguration into the french language)!  all this cookie talk has got my sweet tooth demanding it's fix!  since it's way too late to take the 15 minute train ride to versailles to snag some savory delicacies like the ones pictured above, i will just have to creep across the hall to infiltrate my cache of nutter butters :) :) :)

bon appetit & a bonne nuit too,

your little cookie monster

pic of the day for friday, 03-19-10

trianon palace, versailles, france, 11-15-09

heidi ho, peeps!!! 

it's another beautiful day in the neighborhood...well, not really, but i am practicing mind over matter :) :) :)  all stretching of the truth aside, what truly are beautiful are the unedited leaves in the above photo!!!  i sooo heart leaves...which leads me to my next confession:  i.am.a.tree.hugger.  now, before your mind wanders to patchouli & unshaved armpits, let me remind you that i am an incessantly vanilla scented girl who is most comfortable & happy when wearing my treasured stilettos!  nevertheless, trees contain a certain magic & i have yet to pass one that doesn't somehow shake it's leaves at me, as if it were beckoning me to dance!  i'm rather aloof & fresh out of rhythm (this white girl certainly can't dance!) but i'm not too proud to stop & heartily embrace a tree here & there! 

as for the leaves, my fascination has yet to expire!  in fact, one of the most thoughtful & beautiful gestures performed in my honor was by an ex, who shall remain anonymous.  he went to the trouble of gathering hundreds of fall leaves in a rainbow of magnificent colors & then managed to secretly slip them into my car while i was at work.  upon exiting my place of employment, i was greeted by an onslaught of these cheerful little buggers after opening the door of my white misubishi eclipse.  awww, my eclipse...what a car...uh-oh!!!  distraction alert!!!  focus, melanie, focus!!! 

so where were we?  LEAVES, LEAVES, LEAVES (insert blissful sigh here)...i am completely captivated by their changing colors!  the last 10 years living in my paradise of perpetual summer presented me with very few opportunities to behold the radiant reds, oranges, golds & variations thereof that i used to encounter with the changing seasons in YEW-TAHH.  now in france, i am making up for lost time & was totally tickled to find these wicked purple beauties last november while staying at the trianon palace in versailles, courtesy of my generous & overwhelmingly considerate hubby's birthday gift!!!  my little mini netbook is filled with a multitude of leaf snapshots that have managed to tug at my heart & given me reason to pause, but the aformentioned on display are hands down my favorite :) :) :)

well, kiddos, as much as i'd love to continue to profess my love for above-ground plant organs specialized for photosynthesis, (shout out, wikipedia!), i need to sign off, set the edamame aside & get my bed ridden ass movin' to prepare for our dinner plans tonight.  here's wishing you a weekend as wonderful as you are, dear reader :) :) :)

tune in next time!  until then, with an attitude of gratitude, i remain,

your ever happy hugger of perennial woody plants (& life in general!)

pic of the day resurfaces for it's red carpet debut!

       

cathédral saint pierre, saintes, france, 08-09-09

greetings, dear ones!


after enduring exactly 9 months in france, i am finally giving "birth" to my pic of the day!  as some of you already know, i have experienced a roller coaster of emotions since my arrival abroad, most of them being of the non-positive variety.  by giving my pic of the day it's re-red carpet debut, i am taking action to be more productive while simultaneously providing an outlet for one of my greatest passions!  i still continue to dream of publishing "the world as i see it" & feel that i am back on track towards having the motivation to accomplish this!  i will also be sharing these random glimpses from my perspective via my facebook wall, where i can be found under melanie marie piron.


ok, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let's chitty chat about this photo. i snapped this breathtaking shot on august 9th of 2009, while vacationing with my husband in the south-west of france. with my dear friend, sophie, as our tour guide, we witnessed beauty that will forever be etched in my heart (& will subsequently be featured as subjects in future pics of the day)! in this historic country, old churches are about as common as corner starbucks in america, though i have yet to tire of viewing them & immortalizing them "on film" from every possible angle! cathédral saint pierre is located in saintes, a town founded in 20 bc & known in roman times as mediolanum santonum (the aformentioned information was brought to you courtesy of wikipedia, lol). i was so mesmerized by this beauty that i think a pool of drool managed to form at my feet before i was able to begrudgingly tear myself away.

now that i think about it, i also had a hard time vacating the church because i wanted to give all the money i had to my name (20 euros) to a homeless man in exchange for his scruffy little dog. it was just about the cutest thing ever & i was plotting madly as to how i could whisk it away to then let it reside discreetly in my pocket during our 5 hour train ride home. unfortunately, (or luckily, depending on your viewpoint), my husband does not share my same desire to rescue every filthy animal running astray & hence i trudged away empty handed :( :( :( alas, i digress, which is not so unusual for this a.d.d. addled author, but it will put a fire under my butt to wrap this up!

so without further ado, i bid you farewell for today. i eagerly await your feedback, whether it be of the positive or "constructive" variety, & thank you in advance for taking the time to share a little glimpse with me of the world as i see it :) :) :)

sending you much love & adoration, while simultaneously beaming my razzle dazzle smile your way,

little miss motography