Hard Day's Write

Eat Play Louvre: Day 5- Sacré-Cœur ❤️

Posted on June 1, 2017August 19, 2017 by RhymesWithAnge

After breakfast, we decided to explore Montmartre. At the foot of the hill, there is a vibrant neighbourhood of wonderful vintage clothing shops. I found a hand-made vintage dress that my daughter is going to just love!

After exploring the shops, many of which were built over ancient stone cellars, we stumbled across a quaint little café. I just love the energy here! We have cafés at home, and many have patio seating, but there is something so romantic about drinking coffee with this amazing architectural backdrop and surrounding by sophisticated people speaking French. It’s like being in a dream! Continue reading “Eat Play Louvre: Day 5- Sacré-Cœur ❤️” →

Eat Play LOUVRE: Day 4-Meeting Mona

Posted on May 31, 2017July 23, 2017 by RhymesWithAnge

Our organized “tour” of the Louvre came with a confusing map, and an even more confusing audio guide. After frustratedly trying to work it out, we left the museum in search of lunch to soothe our hungry hearts and minds. The lunch was surprisingly good! Actually one of the best I had in Paris! It was a pretzel baguette. Magnifique!

The museum, of course, was breathtaking. Particularly when a pre-recorded message and alarm sound instructing “all guests to proceed to the exits immediately.” I was truly scared, but it seems I was the only one. Everyone else was chilling there taking in the art and beauty. The security guards assured us it was nothing, but the message repeated several times that it was anything but. Continue reading “Eat Play LOUVRE: Day 4-Meeting Mona” →

(All Posts), Culture, Travel

Eat Play Louvre: Day 3 – A Birthday in Paris

Posted on May 30, 2017July 23, 2017 by RhymesWithAnge

My birthday! I woke up early and excited. I was the first to arrive in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. After I ate, I went back to sleep for a couple of hours. Then, I showered and went exploring. The neighborhood is nice in parts, un peu risqué in others with sex shops and lap dance bars. The Moulin Rouge is steps away from the hotel. The strip is sexy and provocative. There are sex toys shaped like the Eiffel Tower. Some shops cater to straight sex, some bondage, some gay. Mannequins wearing butt-less chaps, thong underwear, feathers and latex rule the day here.

I walked in a slightly different direction on my birthday morning toward Continue reading “Eat Play Louvre: Day 3 – A Birthday in Paris” →

(All Posts), Culture, Travel

Eat Play Louvre: Day 1-2, London to Paris

Posted on May 29, 2017July 23, 2017 by RhymesWithAnge

This is travel day!

It was a little stressful and I hardly had time to do anything to get ready yesterday because:

A. Our power was out from 11:30 pm until 5:00 pm the next day! And

B. We had a wedding to go to at 5 pm. So, we had to get ready in the dark, and with lukewarm water. It was a challenge; we were late to the wedding and almost missed the ceremony! (That’s me hiding in the gauze.)

After the wedding, I forced myself to stay awake until 3 am to try to turn my internal clock around. I was mostly successful.

I flew into London early on Monday morning. I was incredibly lucky to have this ridiculous seat next to the window. I don’t think I’ve ever had this much leg room in my entire life. Thanks, Edwin (who changed my seat!) My flight was delayed (of course) so I only had about two hours to look around London. It was just enough time to take the above photo of me with the red telephone box and then I wasn’t sure where to go, so I ended up at the Covent Market (next to Covent Gardens.) The only things I ended up buying were a tiny replica red phone box and double decker bus to decorate my bathroom… Yes, I said my bathroom.

There had been an attack at an Ariana Grande concert days before in Manchester, so security was through the roof. In addition to the heightened security, there was also a major computer breakdown at British Airways, so cancelled flights had magically been transformed into train trips, significantly increasing ridership for a couple of days. Below is a photo of the queue to get into the queue (or the line up for the line up, for those who only speak American.) People were shouting, fighting, crying… It was all kinds of crazy. This pic is before even entering on the left. There were about three times this many people on the other side of the doors, but NO CAMERAS.

My hotel in Paris is pretty swanky! It’s an old apartment building converted into a hotel. My room is on the fifth floor, and I learned that there was an elevator only after climbing the stairs with all my luggage. It’s in the weirdest location just floating in the middle of the lobby and disguised as a Coke Machine. The interior of the elevator is mirorred on all sides to give the illusion of being bigger than an elevator with a two-person (or person + suitcase) maximum capacity.

Now I’m in my hotel room. I’m hot & hungry, but happy. Time for a shower and a bite to eat!

Gotta conserve my energy for tomorrow: MY BIRTHDAY IN PARIS!!!! 😆

Peace out, world!

(All Posts), Culture, Travel

Eat Play Louvre: My Solo Trip to Europe – Prologue

Posted on May 28, 2017May 27, 2017 by RhymesWithAnge

So the backstory to my sudden, radical decision to travel alone to Europe is a good one.

Back in December, my younger sister and I decided to take a trip together. At first, we were imagining backpacking around Southeast Asia, or hitting up some beaches somewhere, but in the end we settled on Europe. We were going to fly into Paris, then travel to Spain, see the Italian coast and finish in Rome. Sadly, circumstances shifted and the plan ceased to be a plan. My beautiful sister went on to travel elsewhere with her lovely new man, and I had a hard time letting go of my dream.

Where I work, we have personnel management software that we use to book time off. I had heard that May was the best time to see Europe, so I booked off two weeks well in advance so I’d be sure to secure the best dates. I was reluctant to give up such a perfect two-week break that would include my birthday. However, I did eventually delete my time off request, I just neglected to tell anyone at work. The proper thing to have done would have been to send an email alerting the powers that be that I’d changed my plans. I didn’t do that, and nobody knew I wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe I was secretely hoping the following would occur…

My workplace MADE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS and found a replacement for me while I’d be gone. In other words, I had a “vacation,” without having a vacation if you catch my drift. Oh noes! I panicked and called my husband. I was sure he’d be angry with me. “What are you going to do with two weeks off work?” But he shocked me. Instead, he said, “You know what? You deserve the break. It’s been a tough year for you. Why don’t you fly off somewhere? Enjoy yourself.” I was speechless.

I immediately contacted my HR person, and she was cool with letting me shorten my vacation by a week, but to still take part of it. So now, I had less than a week to plan something! Holy crap! Most people suggest planning a Europe trip at least a year in advance. I’ve got five days to put this together. Oh. Em. Gee.

Of course, it’s all planned, and I have written this in advance. I will publish this the morning of the day that I’m leaving. First stop: London, England.

Stay tuned….

(All Posts), Music

Carpool Karaoke – The (Almost) Complete Song List!

Posted on April 28, 2017April 29, 2017 by RhymesWithAnge

Sometimes I lie in bed at night hating on James Corden a little. That dude has my dream job. If there’s one thing I am good at, it’s belting out a tune in the car (much to the chagrin of my teenaged daughter. She’s even filmed me at it more than once, but I digress.)

I just did a thing so you don’t have to. I watched EVERY SINGLE episode of Carpool Karaoke and made a list of all of the songs found therein. Why? Because I discovered Spotify two weeks ago, and was saddened to discover that no one had made a playlist based on the show. I have since remedied that serious flaw in the world. My playlist (username angelair75) can be found on Spotify under Carpool Karaoke – James Corden should you care to sing in the car like James Corden (or myself.)

So, without further ado, here’s the song list! Click on the artist’s name to watch the Carpool Karaoke epidode!

( or listen HERE – All original song recordings only)

Bruno Mars

24 K Magic
Locked Out Of Heaven
Grenade
If I Knew
Uptown Funk
Perm
Versace on the Floor

Madonna

Vogue
Bitch, I’m Madonna
Papa Don’t Preach
Express Yourself
Music (Hey Mr. DJ)

Lady Gaga

Perfect Illusion
Bad Romance
The Edge of Glory
Born This Way
Poker Face
Million Reasons

Britney Spears

Oops!… I Did it Again
Toxic
Womanizer
Make Me
… Baby One More Time

Selena Gomez

Same Old Love
Keep My Hands to Myself
Love You Like a Love Song
Kill ‘Em with Kindness
Come & Get It
Shake it Off (Taylor Swift)

Adele

Hello
Someone Like You
All I Ask
If You Wanna Be My Lover (Spice Girls)
Monster (Nicky Minaj)

Mariah Carey

Always Be My Baby
Vision of Love
Thirsty
Rolling in the Deep

The First Lady Michelle Obama & Missy Elliott

Single Ladies
This is For My Girls
Signed, Sealed Delivered
Get Ur Freak On

Demi Lovato & Nick Jonas

Heart Attack
Stone Cold
Confident
Close
Jealous
Chains
Cake By the Ocean

Stevie Wonder

Superstitious
I Just Called to Say I love You
Sir Duke
Signed, Sealed Delivered
Isn’t She Lovely?
For Once in My Life

Jennifer Hudson

Trouble to Me
Spotlight
And I’m Telling You I’m not Going

imgres-8 Carrie Underwood

Smoke Break
Jesus, Take the Wheel
Before He Cheats
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

images-5 Chris Martin

Adventure of a Lifetime
Yellow
Hymn for the Weekend
Viva La Vida
Us Against the World
Heroes
Paradise

Elton John

Tiny Dancer
Your Song
I’m Still Standing
Circle of Life
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Crocodile Rock
Looking Up

Gwen Stefani, Julia Roberts & George Clooney

Don’t Speak
The Sweet Escape
I Used to Love You
Rich Girl
Hollaback Girl
We Are The Champions

One Direction

What Makes You Beautiful
The Story of My Life
Best Song Ever
No Control
Perfect
Drag Me Down

Iggy Azalea

Fancy
Black Widow
Trouble
Pretty Girls

Jennifer Lopez

Love Don’t Cost a Thing
Booty
Jenny From the Block
Waiting for Tonight
Qué Hiciste
On the Floor
Locked Out Of Heaven (Bruno Mars)

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Give it Away
Californication
Can’t Stop
Under the Bridge
Dark Necessities
The Zephyr Song
By the Way

Rod Stewart and A$AP

The First Cut is the Deepest
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?
Maggie May
Ooh La La
Everyday

Justin Bieber (1)

Baby
Boyfriend
Where are Ü Now
End of the Road

Justin Bieber (2)

Never Say Never
What Do You Mean
Stronger (Kanye West)
Ironic
Sorry

images-3 Sia

Chandelier
Elastic Heart
Alive
Titanium

I’ve added 117 (original) songs so far (not featuring James Corden) with more to come. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions or edits. I used the app SoundHound on iOS for the songs I wasn’t familiar with. I apologize if I’ve made any goofs to both the artists and their fans. ❤

(All Posts), Relationships

20 Things You Should Ask Your Lover Right Now!

Posted on April 2, 2017 by RhymesWithAnge

I’ve always loved a good relationship quiz. This one is better thought-out than your typical Cosmo quiz. It comes from a book that I picked up a few years ago. It’s a New York Times bestseller by Dr. Phil (Phillip C. McGraw) entitled “Relationship Rescue.” The quiz centres around the question “How well do you know your partner?” As Dr. Phil points out, “Changing the way you consider another person can result in profound changes in your behavior and reactions toward him or her. When you challenge your own fixed beliefs about your partner, and replace them with new and fresh knowledge, you can close the distance between you.”

I hope that you can use some of the questions from this quiz to start a conversation with your partner and reconnect. Have a glass of wine, maybe laugh or cry together, but most importantly, share.

True or false?… Continue reading “20 Things You Should Ask Your Lover Right Now!” →