Sabine’s Blog

In July 1990, I had just passed my baccalaureat successfully. In my village, there was a couple: an Englishman and his Polish wife. They had moved to the village from an urban life in London, deciding to become farmer. She had a master’s degree in philosophy and literature. She loved to drown me in her discussions about life, literature and politics which I was too young and imature to counter with any possible arguments. He was a grumpy and disrespectful architect whom I feared and avoided as much as I could. Since they had lived in London, they knew people there, friends that belonged to the same milieu of art and design.
I don’t quite remember how it all happened, but the idea of me going to London came up and materialized. I was to stay with two families and friends of the Englishman and Polish woman, one week with each.
I was only 18 and thought of me as so big and grown up! I was very excited to go there and looked forward to it.
The first family I stayed with lived in Croydon in a big gothic looking house with a big yard in the back, filled with flowers, herbs and a pond containing a newt.
The house inside was rather dark and filled with-what seemed like junk to me- a plethora of ancient pictures and non matching frames, antique objects. In the living room, one wall was all bookshelves, various classics of English literature.
There were two children: a boy and a girl Holly, both of them shy and I talked little with them. I had most of my converstation with Brian and Ruth but mostly Brian. We talked about literature and art and his trips. I was a bit nervous and shy. He was typically English in his discreet ways almost wispering.
Then they had dogs too. Max, a short haired dashhund and Alice a stinky terrier. They were both ravenous and watching my mere moves for food. Once they managed to enter my bedroom and find a bar of chocolate that they devoured savagely with the foil!
I was sleeping in the upstairs frontroom, a messy and dusty storage room where I had a sofa. I bought a rose perfumed pot-pourri and I listened to the radio late at night. I liked the room even if it was really messy.
The second family was completely different. It was Bruce, an American jewish architect and Naomi, a design manager who spoke a little French. They lived in a big terrace house in Westminster only minutes from the Tate Gallery and Pimlico subway station. The neighborhood was white and pristine.
Where are the contingencies?
About two months ago I looked up the second family and found that their daughter Lisa is a professor in psychology. She is also an accomplished writer and lesbien filmmaker and lives in New York City. I could have bumped into her while living in the US… I could have seen one of her movies… I could have studied with her.
I wonder if she remembers me since we only spent one evening together. She made me listen to Joan Armatrading and Cat Stevens. The following day, we went to the Portobello Market and the market. Before she left, I told her that she was sweet and she smiled.

En avril 1997, on passait Carlito’s Way de Brian de Palma dans la grande salle du cinéma l’Odyssée. Je suis allée le voir plusieurs fois car j’avais soudain été sujette à un emballement pour Al Pacino…! L’automne précédent j’avais malheureusement oublié de m’inscrire au CAPES, un contretemps qui s’avéra être une chance plus tard. J’avais eu la bonne idée de me réinscrire en maîtrise pour l’année scolaire. Le CAPES aux oubliettes, je me suis donc entièrement consacrée à la maîtrise. Cela se traduisait par des journées assez légères car je passais beaucoup de temps à l’Odyssée, le cinéma d’art et essais de la Rue des Francs Bourgeois. Je me déplaçais dans les rues étroites de Strasbourg avec mon petit vélo rose pliable Raleigh que j’avais rapporté d’Angleterre l’année précédente. Ces heures passées seule au cinéma étaient de véritables plaisirs solitaires ou je rêvais, m’évadais dans les mondes imaginaires du 7e art. Je connaissais le centre de la documentation grâce à Cieutat, le seul et unique prof de cinéma de Strasbourg qui a engendré bien des passionnés de cinoche parmis les rangs de ses étudiants. C’est aussi un peu à cause de lui que je me suis mise à aller au ciné si souvent.
Sous le charme de Pacino, j’eus donc l’idée de me constituer un carnet contenant des articles, photos et document sur l’acteur. C’était comme quelques douze ans auparavant. Alors une fan de Clint Eastwood, j’avais eu l’idée adolescente de créer un cahier contenant toutes les photos et articles découpés dans des magasines divers. J’y avais religieusement collé les deux photos noir et blanc dédicacées que la star m’avait envoyée depuis la Californie! J’en avais été folle de joie! Cette fois-ci j’était donc reparti sur le chemin de l’idolâtrie, mais avec Al Pacino. Je n’ai jamais fini le cahier.
J’ai passé mon été à rédiger des analyses un peu superficielles des films de Hal Hartley. Mais réussissant à finir, j’ai soutenu mon mémoire de maîtrise le 13 octobre obtenant à ma plus grande surprise et plus grande joie la mention “bien.” Cieutat m’encourageant à préparer un DEA.

Le cinéma l’Odyssée de Strasbourg où je passais mes journées en 1997..

In december, coming home from a julebord around midnight, I saw a taxi driver stopped by the curb; he was looking up at the sky. I looked and saw strange moving green lights. Intrigued, I continued walking. Only when I was at the bottom of the hill we live on, nearing the top, did I think about northern lights! It was as if a genie had been released by the forest: it was swirling and flowing, green fluorescent with smoke above the houses.
I tried to wake Kaspar but he was fast asleep, groaned, tuned over and continued to sleep.
So from our balcony I enjoyed the spectacle for a little while with our cat.

Nordlys i Oslo i december

Eight months in Norway, eight months in Oslo.
Huit mois en Norvège, huit mois à Oslo.

Maridalsvannet about 20 min walk from home… First Christmas in Oslo. Minoul in the wintery sun.

Frosty Mornings… Subtantial winter dish: traditional Alsacian Baeckaoffe!

Snow at Easter! Spring finally! And my own homemade birthday cake!