Today, while walking along Parisian streets, I see my friend Kevin from San Francisco. Mysteriously, his wife Michelle and three children have been replaced by a different wife and children. Upon closer look, it is clear that Kevin is not living a double life but, rather, that I have encountered his doppelgänger, his evil twin, roaming the Latin Quarter eating street crêpes with his children (how dastardly!).
So I think of you frequently, my friends and family, but how can I miss you when I feel like I am still seeing your lovely faces? Check out my cousin Neal, and you can see why I do a double take when I walk by the portrait of Henri de Lorraine, duc de Guise (1549-1588), dit Le Balafré (a.k.a. "Scarface") painted by François Quesnel, hanging at the Musée Carnavalet. If, in a former life, Neal lived as a nobleman in 16th century France, then my poor cousin; the Duke was at one time considered likely to ascend the throne of France, until he was assassinated by King Henry III (who was, in turn, assassinated a year later). My God, how I would love to photoshop in a big ruffled collar over Neal's T-shirt.
In the metro, I am regularly greeted by a larger-than-life sized poster of singer Ben Mazué and feel like I've got my dear friend Rey right there with me.
So I think of you frequently, my friends and family, but how can I miss you when I feel like I am still seeing your lovely faces? Check out my cousin Neal, and you can see why I do a double take when I walk by the portrait of Henri de Lorraine, duc de Guise (1549-1588), dit Le Balafré (a.k.a. "Scarface") painted by François Quesnel, hanging at the Musée Carnavalet. If, in a former life, Neal lived as a nobleman in 16th century France, then my poor cousin; the Duke was at one time considered likely to ascend the throne of France, until he was assassinated by King Henry III (who was, in turn, assassinated a year later). My God, how I would love to photoshop in a big ruffled collar over Neal's T-shirt.
Wait, wait a second. Quick lesson from my dad on how to (ab)use photoshop. Here it is...
In the metro, I am regularly greeted by a larger-than-life sized poster of singer Ben Mazué and feel like I've got my dear friend Rey right there with me.
Ben Mazue photo from:http://blogs.paris.fr/pousseleson/2011/09/14/ben-mazue-je-parlerai-quand-meme-un-peu-de-toi-ici/
One day while dining with my new very good friend Béatrice (whose country home I visited in Bretagne), it suddenly occurs to me that one of the reasons I must be so drawn to her is that she reminds so much of my old very good friend Trina, back in the Bay Area. In this case, it's not just how they look, but also so many other things about them: their family backgrounds, warmth, humor, attitudes, professional interests and experiences, parenting styles (they've got 9 kids between them!). Really, it's uncanny, and once it hits me, I feel like I've known Béatrice for a decade. I expect that they'll meet someday. Will they see the similarities?
My real mom (below left in red) and my French "mom" (that is, the mom of my friend Christine, who hosts us when we go to Normandy) are both retired teacher/school directors, and they remind me so much of each other in terms of demeanor and interests. I believe they will have a chance to meet this spring here in France, and that means I have half a year to improve and correct my grammar in both English and French.
And if you know my daughters, and know that they occasionally model, you can understand why I do a double take in Picard, when I see this face peering out at me from a cookbook.
In this case, her doppelgänger (left) got the modeling fee and the glory that should have been Gigi's (right). Bummer.
So when will I next see your smiling face, and where? Only your doppelgänger knows...
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