Serge the Concierge

200 Inner City Kids need a Vacation Home in August: Give the Fresh Air Fund a Hand

As time goes by, I get requests of all kind.

When Sara Wilson sent me not one but 2 e-mails requesting my assistance in helping the Fresh Air Fund find Vacation Homes for 200 Inner City Kids, I detected a sense of urgency.

So here's where and when they need help:

There are trip dates set for August 2008 for over 200 children and they need host families to volunteer to host these inner-city children. The dates and locations are as follows:

8/11-8/21

New Jersey:
Warren County, Bergen County, Union County, Somerset County, Morris County, Hunterdon County Pennsylvania:
Lancaster, Akron, Christiana, Denver, Donegal, East Earl, ElversonLititz, Manheim, New Holland, Quarryville
New York:
St. Massena, Ogdensburg, Potsdam

8/12-8/22
Harrisburg, Pa

8/15-8/22
Central Massachusetts:
Acton, Hopkinton, Lexington, Marlboro, Wayland

8/15-8/25

New York:
Western Fingerlakes: Canandaigua, Canal Towns, Dansville
Central New York: Fulton, Marcellus and Oswego

Massachusetts:
Cape Cod

Pennsylvania:
Doylestown, Upper Bucks, Lower Bucks, Chalfont

8/25-9/1

New York:
Columbia County
Red Hook/Rhinebeck (Dutchess County)
Albany County

• Unless all prospective host families are screened and vetted by the end of July these 200 children may miss out on an invaluable experience                              
                             
• Please host a child or help the Fresh Air Fund get the word out that they need folks who can welcome a child from the city into their homes next month                              
                             
• One last thing that is actually very important. The Fresh Air Fund is looking for families who want to extend an invitation to a 9-12 year old. We really need more families who want older children and boys                           
                             
• Please Email Angie, angie@freshair.org, immediately and she'll speed you through the process                                                
• Or, you can call the Fresh Air Fund at 1-800-367-0003 (212.897.8900) -- ask for Angie

Time is of the essence!

Thanks in advance to all those of you who can give a helping hand.

Besides Petanque: 2CV and Solex 'Bastille Day' Rendez-Vous in New York

The Citroen 2 CV and the Solex are icons of the 50's and 60's in France and Europe at least
They would take you from point A to point B in a practical if not luxurious way.

The 'Bastille Day' Rendez-Vous kicks off at 10:00 am at Grant's Tomb (Riverside Drive and 122nd St) on July 13 in New York. Check the full map of the itinerary thanks to the Greater NY Citroën & Velosolex Touring Club site.



This is the Ninth Edition of the Event.

Will Lloyd Cole make a cameo appearance singing 2 CV?

Hard to believe but Velosolex models such as the S4800 (pictured below) can still be purchased in the US.

Even Catherine Deneuve rode one as that 1973 picture (courtesy of Velosolex America) shows.

Check the Velosolex America for details

Thanks to Katia of Pardon Me for Asking for pointing that Event to Me.

Related: Petanque in Brooklyn (at Bar Tabac) and other Bastille Day Events

Learn Japanese Tips and Tricks at the 'Urawaza' Book Party (San Francisco, July 13)

After reading The Maker of Balloons (Water Balloons that is) on PingMag, I wanted to learn more about this Japanese Summer tradition.

By some twist of fate, I landed instead on Tokyo Mango, one of the voices of Lisa Katayama.

She recently published Urawaza (Chronicle Books) where she shares some everyday Japanese tips and tricks such as "Can't find someone to water your plants while you're away? Place the plant on a water-soaked diaper, so it slowly absorbs water over time."

She continues a popular Japanese trend that expresses itself on popular TV Shows and numerous books.

If you are in San Francisco on Sunday, July 13, Lisa has a book signing party where she will demo some of her secrets. It takes place from 1to 3pm at Double Punch a store offering Japanese Toys, Art Books and more in the North Beach district, close to the Bay.

All the way back in May, Try Than offered her own Kitchen Secrets on Bay Area Bites. Let me quote a couple:

"After soaking dried tamarind in water, use the strained fruit and fibers to polish your copper pans and bowls.

Use the edge of a small spoon to peel the crooks and crannies of knobby ginger."

Are you hooked on the Urawaza trend?

Want to share your own kitchen and home tricks?

A side trip in the Bay Area for Tokyo Thursdays #46

Last Week: Slew of reviews on 'Japan Cuts' (New York), Could not make it to Opening Night!

Petanque in Brooklyn (at Bar Tabac) and other Bastille Day Events

Feel Tricolore as Bastille Day approaches. If you look forward to an afternoon of Pastis and Petanque, Bar Tabac in Brooklyn, New York holds its annual Petanque Tournament.

Merguez, frites and Ricard are on the menu as well as music by the Baby Blue Orchids and the Francois Wiss Ensemble.
A Bal Musette maybe.
Bar Tabac is located at 128, Smith Street  and Dean Street.

Want to keep abreast of Petanque News in the New York area, La Boule New York is the place to check.

On the New Jersey side (even though Brooklyn is closer to me), Frenchtown has a Bastille Day Festival on July 12 and 13 (my illustration).

Washington DC celebrates Bastille Day at the French Embassy (my illustration).

For events in other U.S cities such as Boston, Austin, Seattle and more, take a look at the TV 5 Listing.
Most of them take place on either Saturday 12 or Sunday 13 not July 14 as in France.

I first heard about the Brooklyn festivities thanks to Katia of Pardon Me for Asking.

As for my plans after reading Hail to the Chef (FT Week End) recounting a backyard party at Daniel Johnnes home, a Sunday afternoon cookout sounds great.

Related: Celebrating Bastille Day, Gourmet Food and Wine in Franschhoek, South Africa and A glass of Petanque...Close encounters with Bastille Day

Inflation Bubble! Even Snails Prices are Shooting Up in France

How much worse can things get when French are forced to shell out more for snails reports Angelique Chrisafis for The Guardian.

She says that "Snails, France's national delicacy, are the latest menu item to panic consumers after the industry warned a shortfall in the 2008 harvest would send prices soaring".

To give you an idea of the scope of the problem "France has the highest consumption of snails in the world, cooked in Burgundy's famous butter, garlic and parsley recipe or in variations with wine and cheese. Last year, the French processed 14,300 tonnes of gastropods, including snails and whelks. But 99% of France's snails come from abroad, notably eastern European countries or the Balkans and Greece" according to her piece.

This worries Jacky Pommier organizer of one of the biggests summer slugfests in Digoin .

PT Ford, an American Expat called the 2007 edition a Snail Chow Down Festival on Why Travel to France.

It also made news on the Taipei Times.

Related: Fresh and Juicy Snails To Go at 'La Maison de l'Escargot' (Paris)

Is 4th of July (Independence Day) All About Shopping and Bargains at the Mall?

On the Eve of my first 4th of July as a U.S citizen, I had to say it loud.
Is Shopping and Bargains at the Mall all that Independence Day, the national holiday stands for?
Could it be if nothing else a chance for a day of rest and time spent with family and friends?

A short July 3rd musing in the Consumed to Thrifty mindset.

Slew of reviews on 'Japan Cuts' (New York), Could not make it to Opening Night!

Unfortunately I could not make it to the opening night of Japan Cuts, July 2nd at the Japan Society in New York so I set my fishing net wide and large in search of detailed pieces about what's on the program of this Film Festival.

In Japan Cuts Above The Rest Peter Gutiérrez (Firefox News) picks some favorites such as United Red Army a docudrama on the leftist group, Dainipponjin which he describes as "a mockumentary about “Big Man Japan,” an ordinary guy who expands to Gojira proportions when gargantuan critters threaten to trample the skyline" (my illustration, below) and the closing night film Kisaragi, one of the best on offer in his view as a "fandom-set whodunit is that rarity in a movie mystery—the kind whose ample surprises never seem forced".

Martin Tsai (New York Observer) introduces his review Japan Cuts: Far Out in the Far East by asking:

"Do you ever wonder what the Japanese think of Hollywood's interpretations of "Speed Racer," "Transformers," or even "Memoirs of a Gesiha"? For those who want to experience that reverse lost-in-translation feeling firsthand, the second annual Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Film, which begins today at Japan Society, offers a healthy swath of selections that will do the trick. What's more, the lineup is reflective of how the country's film industry is grappling with its global reach while struggling to defend its home turf"

As part of a broader New York Asian Film Festival overview The Brooklyn Rail adds to the list of must see Japan Cuts movies, Fine Totally Fine which "follows horror-obsessed slacker Teruo and the menagerie of square pegs that satellite around him. A gardener by day, Teruo spends his free time scaring his friends in clever ways and aspires to open a haunted house" and Adrift in Tokyo in which actor Joe Odagiri plays Takemura "a scruffy young law student with a serious amount of debt. Suddenly Fukuhara, a threatening debt collector, bursts into Takemura’s shabby apartment with a one day ultimatum: payment or intense pain. But the next day, calm, cool and collected Fukuhara shows a change of heart".

Hopefully this roundup for Tokyo Thursdays #45 will broaden your view of Japan Cuts.

The festival runs until July 13.

My previous piece: 'Japan Cuts', Not Sandwiches, New Japanese Films Festival, New York, July 2-13

Summer Reunion Concerts: The Feelies or Return to Forever?

I know I show my age here.
I had the pleasure to see Al Dimeola, the ever friendly guitar player (not sure he got a seat on guitar hero) a day before he left for the European leg of the Return to Forevever reunion tour.
He had a couple pictures he took recently om his I Phone. I was surprised to see how changed (heavier?) Chick Corea was.
Al invited me to attend one of their local US shows later this year.
In the back in time music capsule in a different zone, I read today that The Feelies will be Reborn for the Fourth of July with concerts in Hoboken and in New York with Sonic Youth.
I would have liked to see if their guitars can still sing.
Unfortunately, all the tickets are gone.

So what groove has got you going?

Travel, Don't Tour and Please, Slow Down: Eco Friendly Vacation Tips

While picking up a few things at Whole Foods, I noticed a new magazine on the racks, Green Guide.
I did not buy a copy.
I did like the cover story, 'Green on a Budget' (with matches my Consumed to Thrifty thread) so I checked Green Guide online and realized that it was published by National Geographic.

They have a very timely story in the second issue Going for Green: Eco-Friendly Family Vacations   by Kathy Shorr.
Her most sensible tip is Travel, don't tour as she reminds us "Vacations give us a chance to do something our daily lives don't: slow down. By choosing one spot and staying there for your whole vacation, you can become absorbed in the experience".
Second is Get on The Train, the least polluting transportation and besides that you can see the scenery in between places. I also like the rhythm of the train on the tracks.
Third Propel yourself "Instead of driving a hundred miles a day, why not try walking 5, or biking 15, or paddling even just 1? " Helps you clear your head as well as the toxins in your body.

A short Green Day #33

Related: In Europe, Drop Plane for Train with 'The Man in Seat 61'.
and Greek and Green: the Levendis Estate on a Ionian Island

 

When was the Last Time you Wrote a Letter, a Thank You Note?

That's the first thought that came to mind, a few weeks back when I wrote not one but two letters.
One was to my mother who is computer less and the other to one of my cousins who recently lost her mother.
Using pen and paper made me realize how few letters I have written and mailed in the past few years.
Even getting a Postcard from a distant locale might be nice from time to time.
A handwritten thank you note or request might carry more weight than an electronic message these days.

Clueless as to the proper way to couch your thoughts and words, The Morning News offered some How to Write a Thank You Note advice back in October of 2003.

On The Sideroad, Lidya Ramsey offers her 8 rules of Business Note Etiquette.
Number 5: Poor penmanship is no excuse unless your handwriting is totally illegible especially applies to me.

As she puts it: "The person who receives your note will appreciate your thoughtfulness and will not be grading your handwriting. If your penmanship does not meet your standards, it is never too late to improve. There are numerous resources at your library or on the Internet to teach you to write legibly".

I personally write a draft and then a clearer (neater?) second edition.

What is your solution?

Thanks to Lucy Kellaway for putting this on the front burner with Shock of BPC: before personal computers (FT, June 29, 2008)

That's it for Monday Work Etiquette #44

Last week: Rude Customers (Paris Hilton Syndrome)...Fire Them?