Currently March 2021

Currently | 3.29.21

Life in the Age of the Queen

[Explaination of the name in April's Currently.] The month started on a good note. Mr. Misadventures and I spent a weekend in beautiful Beaufort, North Carolina and it was a nice reminder of what life used to be like. We were very cautious. We stayed in a room that had a sliding glass door and kept it open for ventilation (and did not run the HVAC). We brought our own food or ordered takeout and we stuck to outdoor activities. It was still low season so not so crowded. We are returning next week before the Easter holiday. In our minds, it is the last chance to peek out head out before spring and summer travel gets hot and heavy. We will go back inside and wait it out until the crowds subside again. We will stick to outdoor activities, like visiting our bears in Alligator River and Pocosin, and hope the vaccine continues to proliferate. 

Now, onto March and what's been going on in the Misadventures world!

Watching | Speakerine

> One positive benefit of The Queen is the lack of new content which means Netflix/Amazon Prime are licensing more foreign content including French shows and movies. Normally we have to find more creative ways to get to French-language content, but it is so much easier for us and we get them faster.  I thank Netflix for exposing me to Call My Agent (Dix Percent), (which we already re-watched after seeing it for the first time in February) and for The Bonfire of Destiny (Le Bazar de la Charité) and of course Lupin (see my post about the film locations if you are interested!), And to Amazon for Speakerine,  Engrenages (Spiral), A French Village (Un village français) and  Blood of the Vine (Le sang de la vigne).

Speakerine takes place in the 1960s a time I love (along with the '50s, another reason I also love Les Petits Meurtres d’Agatha Christie/Agatha Christie’s Criminal Games (also on Amazon Prime with English subtitles) – even if the story was terrible I would watch it for the clothing and the furniture! The series occurs during the early years of broadcast TV and revolves around a female announcer (called a speakerine) who is smart and ambitious, as she tries to fight for a career in journalism. It is a mini-series, so 6 episodes only, but it is really interesting to see this time period. A lot of the TV studios headquartered in the Buttes Chaumont area in the 19th arrondissement. I also enjoyed seeing Grégory Fitoussi again (from Engrenages!).

Reading | The Paris Library

> I am halfway through The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles which is based on a true story. The takes place in 2 main locations: the American Library in Paris during World War II) and Froid Montana ( in the present day). I had previously said that it was like Code Name Hélène with librarians, but that really isn't the case, or I am not seeing it yet. I am enjoying it, particularly the quirky characters in the library and the little universe that existed there. I will no doubt finish it before next month and will tell you what I thought after finishing it. I have 2 more books that are “burning a hole in my pocket” including The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron so I am determined to make time to read!

Best Bite | Black Sheep Pizza

> It really is a tie, but first pizza. We are not big pizza eaters in the Misadventures household but after our first wild horse shoot on Carrot Island in Beaufort we were famished and right next to the ferries in the marina is Black Sheep Pizza. When I looked them up I saw that they do thin-crust wood-fired pizzas (our preference) that lean towards European meats and cheeses. Their combinations sounded mouth-watering, so despite having our own food, we decided to go for a pizza and crossed our fingers that it would live up to its description. It did!

Considering the first week of March I was on vacation, and while on vacation we are less restrictive about carbs, I also had a to-die-for bite at Layered Croisssanterie in Raleigh. My stylist raves about this place and while we were downtown shooting for my Jambu spring shoe post, we decided to try it out (curbside pickup). Mr. Misadventures stuck with the classics trying the croissant (which he deemed excellent) and the Kouign Amann (a favorite Brittany pastry of ours). I was enamored by this vanilla layered donut that I spotted on Instagram. I might have had my own photo if I hadn't demolished it in 4 bites! Now I am dreaming of having another one!

Working On | French

> I continue to take courses with Alliance Francais in Raleigh (via Zoom) and we have now started the future tense and it eludes me. I need more practice and more exercises, and I need more travel to France to practice!

Feeling | Grateful

> I am feeling grateful for the highly engaged employees at the company that I work for (my day job!) they are always a source of balanced information and local resources. It was because of them that I was made aware of doses of the magic potion to fight The Queen that was going to waste in rural North Carolina. They had more supply than demand and for anyone willing to make the 2-hour drive outside of Raleigh then you could have one. Mr. Misadventures and I were willing and we had our first morsel of potion this month and will get our second in April. I will say I was slightly proud to have the “M” dram. It is an American company, but the CEO is French, so “Vive le Frenchie!”

Planning | On Painting

> We've now been in our home for 1 year, had our 10-month inspection and 1-year warranty work, and can now finally start painting and decorating. I am tired of looking at plain white walls with nothing on them! So as the weather warms up and people head out and summer high-season crowds begin to show up everywhere, we will be painting!

Loving | Warmer Days 

> The weather is pretty erratic still, but there have been some very nice days as of late and I love nothing better than to end my workday with a glass of wine before dinner on my back porch listening to the birds and the squirrels. Last spring we had just moved into our house and I didn't really appreciate our back porch as much as I should before it got too hot and then too cold to use. I am going to take advantage of every moment I can this year! This past weekend I read (The Paris Library) for several hours just so I could get away from my home office for a while.

My Favorite Photo | Jambu

> As always, I was super excited to partner with Jambu again. I have been working with this shoe brand for 3 years/5 seasons and appreciate their long-term investment in Misadventures with Andi. I wear a pair nearly every day and have traveled all over the country, the world, and for this season, the North Carolina coast with them, and love their comfort and versatility. I never know if I am going to be hitting concrete or dirt trails when Mr. Misadventures and I head out but I rarely worry because these shoes are comfortable and durable. If you haven't had a chance to try them out, head over to my blog post, grab my promo code and give them a twirl. You will not be disappointed!

Published in March

• Paris in March
• J’adore Frenchie Finds March 2021
• Shoes for Spring 2021 – J’adore Jambu
• Beautiful Beaufort North Carolina
• Paris Profiles – 7th Arrondissement with Landen Kerr
• 5th Arrondissement (Latin Quarter) with Selene of Celine Concierge

That’s my month, what’s CURRENTLY going on with you?

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