Listening to Paris

I am listening to Malcolm McLaren's Paris. Like so much of McLaren's work and inventions, it is ambitious. Through music he tried to encapsulate the feelings he has for a city that has enraptured so many, so many decades before. His recent death reminded me of this very notion, the notion of expressing something which can be rather impossible to express, the feelings of a place, a person or a thing. Since moving here almost 3 years ago my ideas about beauty, art, even expression have changed, if not for the typical romantic notions of a city transforming one, but more simply how often we all try to express these feelings and being in a city that cocoons itself in the expressions and declarations of love to it, like a old woman clinging onto the many love letters from lovers. She hopes that the letters will remind her she was always loved, an effort to keep her young in some way. Artistically my life has changed tremendously since living here. I tend to work a little more frequently, on a painting, photographs, or whatever. I can not say the reasons for this, but it has happened. Now in the new Spring, there seem to be new opportunities. The Winter was harsh and cold. I did not get out much, nor did I have the motivation to do much of anything. The past few weeks have presented the most beautiful days I have seen here in some time. This past weekend, I finally ventured into the city center and saw smiling faces, another sight seldom seen as of late. I went without my camera. I really wanted to be free without the thought of taking a photo or going down a street for the sake of getting a good shot. I had lunch at a restaurant I like a lot, but have not been to in quite some time. I ate my once usual steak tartare for the first time this year. It was heaven. I went to the Lalanne exhibition which was delightful. At the Musée Cartier-Bresson, I saw a wonderful exhibition of Robert Doisneau. It would be so nice to capture moments as he did. Now, today I am sitting at home trying to decide how to spend the day...it is 2:30 in the afternoon. I am listening to Françoise Hardy sing. What shall I do today?