Cheese, it's what's for dinner

Dinner on Friday night:

salad and wine
 
and CHEEESE.   A cheese plate dinner is called soiree vin fromage (say it with me swahrey vahn fro majjj) wine cheese evening. 

I know my cheeses.  I can identify them now by site and taste.  This means a lot since at last count there were 350 of them.  I think I should say that the next time I have to go to the Prefecture.

Coming home last night

Friday cheese surprise

The Friday before Christmas we stayed at B's grandmothers house like we usually do.  She is spunky and full of laughter and, like most Grandma houses, it is a walk back in time.  Her room is cotton candy pink, our room is lime green and white, the bathroom is canary yellow, 
and the main floor is all textured wall paper.  

So the day before our 10 hour marathon eating, we eat a nice sensible egg and cheese cocotte, chicken in cream sauce and green beans, 3 cheese plate and chocolate mousse for dinner.
2 things happened during dinner:  we found out everything is made in China (yes news to us) even the truffles on the french cheese.
And this little beauty....

Do you see it?  The leg of the beast?  (Or more likely an adorable little woodland fawn).  I didn't notice it when the cheese plate arrived and absent mindedly picked up the knife only to be shaking hands with a ...hoof? 
No!
But yes, indeed.

 I could not contain myself and had to take a photo.  I did, however, restrain myself from asking about it until after we were safely in our lime green bedroom.  Apparently it was a gift 20-30 years ago.
Which only contributes to my time warp theory - that there is a one generation difference.
No one would ever have given your parents a hoof butter knife in the 70s, but they would have given it to your grandparents in the 40s.

Previews to blow your mind

We watched this movie after B saw it on the news. 
I get heart palpitations when the guy jumps.  Which guy?  yea - you'll know which guy.


I think doing something that scares the poop out of you every once in awhile is good. 

Watch the whole 40 minutes if you get a chance.  It might make you want to walk on wires too. 

Best. New Years. Ever.

Hotel Pullman Versailles

Steam room and sauna
Food on command
Cheers in bed at midnight.
No crowds.  No people having an overly good time and punching eachother.  No messy transportation. No lack of fireworks (Paris had no program this year hoping to dissuade the turblions and fauteurs de trouble -agitators and trouble-makers- from burning cars) 


Hotel room in a nice, quiet neighborhood?  Best. New Years. Ever. 

Overheard during the Stockholm weekend

"You know that girl from my wedding - the blond one." 

Yes the one blond Swedish girl at your wedding...

my mother always said I was extra smart

Our floor is freezing because we are on the 2nd floor (1st floor if you live here) - thus, no heat rising from the apartment below us.
Because I am a genius, we bought a heated blanket and put it under the rug in the living room.
Heated floor.
Genius.