Leaving B, hot stuff in Poland, Paris/Texas, Mexico&More, NYC

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Hello ghostly readers,

I haven't told anyone about this blog, so if you're reading this it's a great anarchistic triumph moment for me.

I've been gone for a while -- after years of studying and writing I was quite pleased to ditch my computer and run away with friends & lovers.

An update: I finished whatever I was doing in Berlin and moved away. I miss it, and think I will move back again in the future. I can't say I miss going to university, though... YEAH!

I sold all my clothes and some of my books and - after quickly going to France to say ciao to my family - went for a tour in Poland and Russia with some musician and street perfomer friends. It was very cold, and we were very bad, singing, drinking, making out and making trouble all day and all night.

Then I moved to NYC, not too far from the Bowery in NoHo and lurred my boyfriend into our bedroom and didn't let him leave again for quite some time (ooh, I forget to put Parental Guidance into the blogpost title :)

It was cold cold cold here for a while, and my little pale body felt the need to live beneath the covers and only go out for dancing and making merry.

(this is my jammin' away, cool no?)

I had to get away, so I went to Texas (and yes, I did visit Paris,Texas, just like in that film, you know the one), Mexico, Guetemala, Central America, all the way down to Ecuador....

And I was able to lie in the sand, letting the warmth of the sun and love trickle over me, my eyes adjusting to looking at the horizon rather than tiny little letters in very long texts.

At the moment, I'm back in NY, where it's starting to get warmer.

I feel a bit dazed leading a life with recurring routine after my travels, and I have to say that this city is still a bit of a dangerous jungle for a naive Euro girl like me... BUT, I'm already planning my next expedition: a friend is shooting a documentary film in Niger, and I'm going to tag along (and maybe help out a little).

Until then, waking up in the morning is hard, all I want to do is snuggle into my chéri's arms a bit longer, rather than face the dangerous streets of Manhattan.

huh????

Des bises
Nadine

FOTD 1

Today's face is one of my sweetest, dearest friends: A.

A. is visiting from London at the moment and we're busy slacking off, going swimming in art nouveau public bathing houses, walking to bars and the theatre and openings at night swigging Jägermeister to try and keep warm and cuddling up on the sofa, eating four different flavours at once (have you ever tried Japanese candied prunes? weird!).

Something about A. inspires many of the people around her: all of a sudden they start making music, climbing trees in the rain or heading on foot from Odessa to Northern Spain...

Forever yours, A.!

ICONS

While I do like the way some contemporary celebrities dress, style and present themselves (e.g Lou Doillon, Chloe Sevigny, Cat Power/Chan Marshall and the enchangtingly whimsical Agnes Varda...) I'm much more drawn to fictional heroines and historic superstarts.

Here's a little selection:

(NB: you'll have to click on two of the pics as they are too big to be viewed in full and I don't know how to re-format them. Aah, help me!)

This is Else Laske-Schüler, a German poet who is infamous for her bizarre apparel. Her style was so batty that it lead to her being arrested -- twice. Sadly, there are only very few photos of her floating around the ether, but her style is described wonderfully by several of her contemporaries (including Franz Kafka, who loathed her poems) and, if you're a true fan, you can look at pictures of her in hardcopy publications.

This is Dominique Swain as Lolita in the 1997 film adaption of Nabokov's novel. Seeing this film when one is 14 years old can lead to a serious addiction to cherries & raspberries, skimpy shorts, braids, red lipstick and naked feet.

This is Jane March as The Young Girl in the 1992 film "The Lover". Though I find Jane March stunningly beautiful is this movie my love for the character's style came whilst reading the novel by Marguerite Duras when I was quite young, perhaps 13. I was androgynous looking, with very short-cropped hair, army boots and my grandfather's old military coat, but after reading about The Young Girl's uniform - which consists of a silk slip dress, her mother's high heeled shoes and a man's fedora hat - I was inspired to adopt a more feminine style.



Bombshell! I know, right? Patricia Arquette as Alabama in "True Romance". I never dressed quite as crazysexycool as her, but I love her whole personae to death.



And here is Maria Schneider in "The Passenger" by Antonioni. For about two years I had the same haircut and wore similar clothes (blouses and shirts tucked into trousers). In fact, I feel an urge to wear a shirt and trousers right now!

And who could not adore Carmen Miranda? Muaa!

Let it be known that whilst making this post I am wearing a tiny jumper which I've had since I was 13 (complete with fake leather Tom Sawyer patches at the elbows... I should toss it out but it's just so cute and dwarf-like), a pair of my mother's cast-off grey silk cocktail trousers from the early 90s and San Francisco "gold toe" socks. A great style icon indeed, over and out.

Nadine in the nude

This is me with the exceptional cat Manfred, taken by my boyfriend the last time I visited him, in the morning after breakfast.

I like cereal, fried rice with pinto beans & cilantro, rye bread with taponade, bananas or croissants for breakfast.

I love animals.

I sleep really well at night and have psychedelic dreams.

The nightie I'm wearing belonged to someone else before it belonged to me.

The remote control lying on the table is for one of my boyfriend's stereo systems. He's a musician and has a vinyl collection of over 900 records.

I've never counted his records, but have heard him brag about it several times. People are always impressed.

Manfred the cat is already 9 years old. He has a tiny, ladylike voice.

just saying hello

g o o d m o r n i n g e v e r y b o d y