New Door, New Sounds
This past week, we had our front door replaced. It was time, since the old door was warped and you could see daylight coming through the edges of it. The new door is a similar colour but a different style and I am enjoying most of the differences — including the fact that it lets in more light and keeps in the warmth so we should save on heating bills.
What I’m not enjoying as much? Re-learning all of the sounds of the very small amount of street noise that passes by our house. Because now that the door keeps more of it out, everything sounds different. From cars passing by to pedestrians. I’m very sensitive to noises and it feels like my anxious thinking was both soothed by the silence and kicked into overdrive by the change. It’s strange the way even little things can really have an unexpected impact.
Wandering Paris
Jean-Paul Clébert truly lived the life of a vagabond, rejecting his middle-class life by running away from school and never looking back. After the Second World War ended, Clébert settled into life in ‘The Zone’, a ribbon of land around Paris, France, where it’s military wall used to stand, but during the time served as kind of a liminal zone where those living in the margins eked out some kind of existence. Paris Vagabond (Paris insolite) is sketches of a life lived on the fringes of society and a guide to what bars were generous with their wine and leftovers and where the best places were to sell found objects and rags. Clébert doesn’t shy away from any part of his experiences, no matter how ugly, but he also paints a portrait of community and belonging among those that traditionally do not belong.
The photographs by Patrice Molinard (a close friend of Clébert) included in this edition bring the sketches to life, and there is a more than generous amount of them so you can travel back in time to Paris in both words and images.
A Window to Elsewhere and Elsewhen
The Zone that Clébert writes about no longer exists. It has now become just another part of Paris with the liminal space all turned into streets and buildings. Books like Paris Vagabond are important because they preserve these ephemeral spaces and their customs and geography. It’s true that most of the places that Clébert describes are not ones I would choose to frequent (especially the attic lined with bottles of piss marked with years as ‘vintages’), but all the same I am interested in different places and times that were unknown to me before picking up a book. I never knew the Zone existed until I read Clébert’s words. Also, for all of the sordid moments, there is some beauty contained here too. I loved reading about the sunrises and sunsets and the tranquil evenings in the midst of a chaotic and unpredictable existence.
Keep Wandering
I’m not one for travelling, but Paris Vagabond was a nice vacation outside of my day-to-day experience and to the environs of a drastically different Paris. The book made me remember why I love literature. Because I love to read about places and people and thoughts and concepts so that, even if I’m in my armchair, my brain is far away and always learning something new. Clébert encourages the reader to stay curious and to push their reading into unfamiliar places. He encourages you to keep wondering and exploring the urban landscapes around you. To love the phenomenon that is city life.
Worries Over Wesker
We’ve been struggling with feeding Wesker since before the holidays, and we have finally hit on a solution of offering her a buffet of kidney foods. She’s eating more than she has in a long time, but, unfortunately, she seems to naturally prefer lower calorie options, which means her weight isn’t where I want it to be. It’s so hard not to be a panicked parent and freak out over every gram. But there’s no reason for it. She’s happy and she’s fine. And hopefully she’ll cycle back to the higher calorie options soon.
