Sciatica

Round #1 - the tarte wins. Lecon learned. Do not speak ill of local tartes if you value your health.

So how did a tarte put me in the back of this vehicle yesterday?

Granted I am now permanently in love with FDNY EMTs! New York's finest are the greatest and the cutest!

Firstly I haven't been to the pool for months. Secondly I sit A LOT, but I get up frequently. Evidently not frequently enough. Lastly my two encounters with drawing New York tartes onsite on Sunday and Monday did me in. I was so focused, so nervous, so fraught I sat drawing for 2+ hours straight and forgot to get up at all = not good for sciatica. Tense as a cat grappling with these damn tartes, my brush was my weapon. Another lecon learned. YOU MUST RELAX!

On Tuesday an old sciatica nerve injury complained.

Photo by Sarmdmemt On Wednesday I started doing exercises on YouTube = bad idea when you're in pain. Wait until the pain goes away for before exercising! On Thursday I woke up in worse pain and my left leg caved like a strand of over-cooked spagetti. I had to crawl around the apartment. Time to call 911.

A friend suggested I bring books and sketchpad to the ER.

How right she was! 

It's been a long time since I've sketched onsite except for said tartes, but this was fun and a distraction from the long wait (3-4 hours). The final diagnosis - bed rest, rehab, pain killers and a cane. 

C'est la vie. I've been checking in with a few of artist friends who sketch onsite ALL THE TIME. Rick Tulka draws everyday at Cafe Le Select in Paris and has no back pains to speak of.

My cousin-in-law, William Ternay is never without his sketchbook. Bill said to me:

"You must bring to this new experience "Beginner's Mind" Give yourself permission to be uncomfortable, make errors and go with the old flow! . Easier said than done".

Time to go back to Drawing With The Right Side of The Brain - all about loosening up. Going with the flow whether you draw regularly or even draw at all!

 

Two drawings by a fourth-grader - before & after! This book used to be my drawing bible and I just reordered it. I need to relax and enjoy the process of drawing -

"Don't worry, Be Happy"

Tartes, I'm not done with you yet, even though you knocked me out first round, I'll be back soon and in a better frame of mind.

BONJOUR TARTES!!

Pastry Sketch Crawl Returns!

Yesterday was major. I got my walking papers to venture back into the Big Apple (with a cane but I'm now allowed to climb the stairs alternate steps instead of one-step-at-a-time!)

YAHOO

A chance to return to the Pastry Sketch Crawl and where better than Café Petrossian.

With some reservations bien sur...

NO sitting for hours on end (that upended me in a sciatica episode)

Back to tres chic Cafe Petrossian.

Though Lord knows why I picked out exactly the SAME tarte as last fateful visit. I must have a deep hidden attraction to strawberries.

If not to pate brisee crust. I only stayed a half hour and sketched a bit. No point tempting the Gods of Sciatica again.

I returned home to paint in bed

This seems to be a lucky painting spot for me along with Nom de la Rose teas

Au Nom de la Rose Teas, watercolor, 9" x 11"

I could not resist a quick look in Bergdorf Goodman's windows.
At some 'tartie' shoes I may never venture out in again (not that I did in the past...ahem) Farewell M. Louboutin

BONJOUR PASTRY SKETCH CRAWL Encore!

Sciatica Report

Iris Printemps, 9" x 11"

OK on to BACKS 1st thank you PBers for sharing your personal experiences with sciatica /bad backs. BEAR and I are grateful for your kind tips, and advice.

 You might like to see the exercises we do now everyday.

2 X a day. 

Probably forever if we want to stay pain-free. We just started using 3-pound weights to strengthen the left leg a bit so it doesn't wobble. This stuff is tuff love.

 For Victor or Justine who mentioned the TENS Unit in an email. I'm getting electrical treatment with this at physical therapy.They said it would be fine to self-treat at home whenever I have pain.  Another PBer mentioned the McKenzie Method. I asked about it at PT and they said, That's what you're getting.

I'll look for this Paris a Nous book when I get there mid-March.
I don't know how much dancing I'll do but a mild jump for joy couldn't hurt thanks to your kind thoughts.

BONJOUR BACK to Paris!

Toulouse, Brick City

How many of you have been to Toulouse? Raise your hands 🙌 I forgot to mention I was running 🏃‍♂️ to Toulouse on Thursday.

Every year Urban Sketchers France picks a city to meetup in - Voila Toulouse!

Salon les Thermalies 2024 - Carrousel du Louvre

Have you been to a spa?

Yesterday I went to Les Thermalies (spa) salon at Carrousel du Louvre (the Louvre’s shopping mall).

Bonjour Paris, SNCF, Travel Experiences

 

I came back to Paris Sunday Afternoon. 

Bonjour Notre Dame 👋 Very warm with lots of pleasure boats on the Seine.

Ventimiglia, Italy

Two weeks ago on my last day in Cannes, I went to Ventimiglia, Italy for the weekly Friday market. Nothing like a piccolo taste of Italia before heading back to Paris same afternoon. 

And the colors! The shuttle train took 2 hrs from Cannes (13€ A/R). 

1st stop the covered market. Many small producers with their farm-grown products.

One seller had a bowl of eggs 50 centimes each. Of course there were bigger specialty vender; butcher shops, hazelnut sellers,etc.

Temptation took me in La Bottega dell Olio (box #12). So many anchovies ❤️🤸‍♂️

CHEESE 🧀 

Lordie I asked the Fr woman ahead of me in line if she was stocking up for a soirée? Non,non, just the weekly haul of Gorgonzola, Locatelli, Grana Padana, etc. She lived in MENTON, a 20-minute train ride away lucky duck 🦆 

Limoni 

US perfect egg-shaped citrus are not lemons. Why take away the beautiful bumps?

This pile of limoni is right out of 17th century painting by BartolomeoBimbi.

Further end of the street waits outdoor venders with clothing etc. Those white lacy shorts & tops you see Cannoise wearing can be bought here for 14€ (before bargaining).

Gelato is waits every few steps in Ventimiglia. This is Italy.

My haul:

Red-stripped zipper bag (5€)to carry stuff home

A kilo of 10-month aged Grana Padana cost 10,99€ 

Portable mini hand fan

Sun-dried tomatoes 🍅 

Tube of anchovie paste

Jar of anchovie oil

Not shown: a slice of ricotta cheese cake from formagio. 

Small pizza

2-dips of noisette/cafe gelato

A bowl of sliced watermelon. 

2 hours is enough to do Ventimiglia. The train ride back to Cannes took longer. Plus on the same day the 5 1/2 hours on the non-stop Grand Vitesse TGV back to Paris = about 10+ hrs non-stop sitting. Upshot? Last Friday I was hit with sciatica. The same day I got mild food poisoning (I lost 8 pounds in 4 days..since all returned). And because things come in 3s, my French bank called. They were canceling my credit card. Suspicious online fraud activity; 5€ for car service and 10€ for bike rental. How does my bank know I don't rent bikes or hire cars? They know me better than I do 😳 This is why I've been rather quiet of late. Don't worry. I'm drawing 🎨 standing up and on the mend. PLEASE do not email me. Put any comments on the blog svp 🙏🏻 Still Ventimiglia was worth it...almost. Stay COOL PBers.TMI.Thanks for reading Parisbreakfasts. Feel free to share. If you'd like a personalized cat 😺 watercolor or Paris letters let me know🥂🍾🍒. Love❤️ from Carolg in Paris