September 7, 2018

Jet-lag.  In Paris. I’m happy.   The flight on Air France was nice but very long.  10 hours in a small seat.  Due to Lun*na’s need to sit on the aisle, I have to sit in the middle.  When eating, I’m always concerned about keeping my arms away from my neighbors - whoever has the window seat, and of course Lun*na.  Also, the fact that I’m left-handed makes the eating in that particular seat even more difficult for me.  I wanted to read more, but my politeness won’t allow me the pleasure because I feel putting a light on; also it’s facing my direction is too bright for the person next to me who is trying to sleep.  Which brings up another issue is that I can never fall asleep on a plane. It’s impossible.  So basically I’m in this weird meditative state, and I’m just trying to focus on ‘nothing.’

The trip went smoothly.  I met Anna who works with Frank in the gallery (Galerie Frank Elbaz, 66 rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris), and she took care of the little details for us.  The place we’re staying at is in an ancient building, and on the 5th floor.  There is an elevator, but it’s small.  Lun*na and I can barely fit together, and she’s tiny.   As the elevator goes up, one can see the staircase, which is creepy looking, and the building itself doesn’t seem that great in shape.  The place itself is small, with a bedroom, a living room with a kitchen attached to that room, and a tiny bathroom with a shower.  

As you can gather Lun*na is already sound asleep at 3:17, and I sort of doubt she will wake up in a couple of hours. Meanwhile, I will go back to the gallery to see Sophie, oh and I did walk with Anna back to the gallery.  The Wallace show looks excellent.  Frank walked me back to our place, and here I’m working on my journal. 

It’s interesting to note that the apartment has books both French and in English.  What’s particular is that they every novel by Bret Easton Ellis.  Not sure if its the taste of the owner, or some renter left it here for guests.  There is also a large volume of Genet’s works as well.  You can tell the owner’s personality by his or her book collection.   Which I may want to secure the lock before going to sleep tonight!

Around the corner from us is the Paris Circus.  They have a building where they do nightly shows, and on top of that, there is a Clown Bar, which is where the clowns hang out.  I need to go there as soon as possible.   I have to imagine that the clowns go there as soon as their performance is over.  They probably keep some of their make-up on or at the very least their red ball noises.  

Later that afternoon, where I desperately tried to stay awake, we went back to the gallery to meet up with the wonderful gallery crew, as well as Sophie who curated the Wallace show.   With Sophie and gang, we went over the pieces and prepared for tomorrow night's talk and issues regarding the exhibition.  As we walked back, we both discovered that we wanted dinner.  

A few years ago I had lunch with Frank at an Italian restaurant Fulvio, (4, rue de Poitou, 75003 Paris) which was excellent. I found the place by hunger instinct, and it's not far where we are staying.  When we came in around 7PM they were still setting up for the evening.  They officially open at 7:30, but they weren't too fussy about us getting their early.  Most Parisians have dinner around 8:30 and up, so being an early diner is a good excuse to get a table almost anywhere.  As a starter, we had artichoke salad which was unusual for us.  The artichoke itself was the heart and not the leaves, and it had a firm texture.  The dressing was simple and served with loose lettuce leaves that soaked up the sauce as well as adding an exciting context with the firm artichoke.  I ordered Salmon penne, with vodka sauce, something I had many times, but what was unusual for me, is that the salmon was prepared and cooked differently in the plate.  It's a combination of creamy and robust, and it was delicious.  Also, the portions are enormous.   I think two people with a reasonable hunger can share both the starter and main dish easily. 

As we ate a Japanese couple sat next to us, and we started to have a chat, which is something I never do in a restaurant at home or anywhere else.  He's an artist who is having his first show in Paris, and he often paints his wife (his partner-in-crime, and his date for dinner), and he showed some of his work on his phone.  His name is Madsaki.  What he told us is that his current paintings in the exhibition were all aerosol paint on canvas as well as acrylic. For this show, his work is based on classic French iconic images or figures.  Jacques Tati, Godard imagery, Cléo from 5 to 7,"  Delacroix, and so forth.  For me, he and his work hit my cultural interest in one setting.  A Japanese contemporary artist, whose current paintings, is focusing on French pop culture and art.  The paintings were intriguing, and I'm for sure going to check out his show at Perrotin Gallery (76 rue de Turenne 75003 Paris).  The show is up until September 22. 

As we got back from dinner, we went shopping for soap, shampoo, and of course wine.  The first thing I did when I came into this apartment was to make sure that the premise has a proper wine opener.   I also forgot that most hotels and apartment buildings are utterly dark after the sun goes down.  To save electricity one has to turn the lights on as they wander through the hallways.  The tricky thing is to find the light switch in the hall in complete darknes