A Few Things

Hello, Friends. How are you? How are things going? We’ve got an exciting day ahead of us. We are closing on our French House today! (It’s the house with the stairs pictured here.) I can not wait to get to work on this house. It’s a really special place and I can’t wait to make it our home.

If you’re curious, I’ve been sharing all about the house on my Instagram stories (there’s even a highlight called French Home), and I’m working on shooting some photos so I can give you a tour here on the blog.

On a completely different topic, I know I haven’t mentioned it, but I’ve been watching the impeachment hearings as closely as I can over the last two weeks. I was emotional to realize that the strongest, best, most patriotic testimony has come from immigrants to our country — Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, diplomat Maria Yovanovitch, and Dr. Fiona Hill.

Did you get to hear Dr. Hill talk about her accent and how it would have held her back if she lived in England? Seeing these brave public servants is a beautiful testament to the potential of America, and a wonderful reminder of how important and valuable immigrants are to the fabric of our country. We should celebrate and welcome them.

And now, here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:

-Comedian Sasha Baron Cohen, as himself (I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him out of character), was given an award by the Anti-Defamation League. In his speech, he called Facebook “the greatest propaganda machine in history.” Related, take a look at the sources of top Facebook posts on the topic of impeachment.

-The Baltimore Museum of Art has decided to only purchase works made by female-identifying artists next year — an effort to correct the gender gap.

-On that devastating interview with Prince Andrew.

-Related, have you been watching the new season of The Crown? I’m really into it.

-Are you worried about skewed coverage of candidates? In U.S. publications for 2019, news outlets cited Buttigieg’s Rhodes scholarship 596 times. Cory Booker, also a Rhodes scholar, had just 79 mentions.

-The strongest predictor of whether or not someone has access to clean and safe water in the United States is race.

-The Secret Service paid Trump’s business $250,000 for his first 5 months in office, as agents followed Trump to his own courses. And that was just the first 5 months. (WP)

-Is baldness a deal breaker for you?

-No one ever actually cared about Hillary’s emails, they just needed an excuse not to vote for her.

And here are some tweets I saved for you:

-Typology of pencil sharpeners.

Recipes written on ancient tablets. Decades ago a woman suggested that’s what they might be, but her male colleagues didn’t believe her.

-Related, here’s a thread with more accomplishments of women that changed our perspective.

-A thread about the experience of trying to visit a loved one in person.

-Wait, is there really a blind date show called Flirty Dancing? Is this a thing?

https://twitter.com/justinkirkland4/status/1196103145639890950

I hope you have the best weekend ever. I’ll meet you back here on Monday. I miss you already.

kisses,
Gabrielle

7 thoughts on “A Few Things”

  1. Thanks for taking us along on your home ownership journey in France! I just love hearing about it all. You said how much more affordable the home prices were in Normandy vs. Oakland, but I also wondered how utility costs and other living expenses compare. Gas, electric, water, internet, property taxes, insurance, etc– Are they more affordable in France than in the states as well? Are the labor costs of hiring say a plumber or electrician comparable to the US? Are there things that are remarkably more expensive in France? We had a French exchange student recently and she seemed to think things like nice kitchen appliances and food were cheaper in the US, but clothing was cheaper in France. Do you notice if the strength of the dollar is stronger now than when you were there 6 years ago? So many questions!! I have a tiny fantasy living abroad in retirement–perhaps for part of the year :).

  2. I loved Dr. Hill’s testimony and everything she said about being a naturalized citizen of the US. She is right. Almost all of us immigrated from somewhere else. This should never be forgotten.

  3. Ironic how his supporters are talking about the cost of impeachment and whether or not it’s worth it. Yes, regaining our integrity is worth it. Wish they would see costs incurred since he’s taken office. Infuriating.

  4. Hello from the coast of France. I didn’t click on your baldness link, but I will say: I hope baldness isn’t a dealbreaker because my daughter is bald, a condition she didn’t choose — as did no one else, I reckon.

    1. As a 42 year old women, I’m grappling with alopecia on my scalp (sudden hair loss that starts with one or more circular bald patches that may overlap). Ever since my second daughter was born (six years ago!) my skin has been problematic in different ways, though I’ve always had sensitive skin, I’m a redhead w/ freckles. I definitely avoided going to the doctor for this, but actually went just last week and was diagnosed. I’ll be getting treatment soon. It’s been difficult making efforts to style my hair certain ways, and additionally I have most certainly noticed thinning hair around my crown. Anyways, at least I know my husband still chooses me, bald spots and all.

  5. While I wasn’t totally bald, I lost a lot of my hair in the first grade. I was a super sensitive kid. That same year my mom was the volunteer on a school trip and was sitting next to me on the school bus. A classmate stood on the seat behind me and looked down at my head and shouted “eeewww! You are bald!” Not missing a beat, my mom stood up and smacked that girl’s hand. This was the 80s…so, different times.

    I hope kids are nicer to your daughter, but I suspect she has a champion in you.

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