Thank you for your wonderful reaction to our latest Things Daily Connoisseurs Say video. Ben and I had so much fun filming it and laughing along with you!
Today, I am going to update you on my Chic Assignment findings for this month... To see the original Chic Assignment post for this month, click here.
Chic Assignment no. 1 Maurice Ravel's Boléro
I have found the mesmerizing and methodical beat of Maurice Ravel's Boléro to be a wonderful piece of music to accomplish things to. Here is a video of Valery Gergiev, conducing with a toothpick (yes, a toothpick!), and here is a video of the Boléro flash mob, which has 14 million views!
Chic Assignment no. 2 Shakespearean Sonnet
I chose the most famous sonnet to read to you this month... Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Sonnet 18:
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Chic Assignment no. 3 Is it al fresco? Or alfresco? What say you? Actually the Italians don't call it al fresco dining... al fresco means "in jail" now in Italian 😆
The phrase al fresco is borrowed from Italian for "in the cool [air]", although it is not in current use in that language to refer to dining outside. Instead, Italians use the phrases fuori ("outside", "outdoor") or all'aperto ("in the open [air]"). In Italian, the expression al fresco usually refers to spending time in jail.
Funny! This reminds me of about Lucia and her use of Italian in the Mapp and Lucia books.
Chic Assignment no. 4 Drink more water As someone who doesn't love drinking water, I have found fruit-infused water to be a delicious incentive to quench my thirst.
I have been using this pitcher and this stirring rod to create delicious and healthful fruit-infused water. I like combining various herb and fruit combinations such as strawberry mint, lemon verbena blackberry, and orange kiwi.
Have you ever tried fruit-infused water?
I would love to hear your updates on The Chic Assignment this month. Tag me on social media with #TheChicAssignment so others can join in. I hope you enjoy today's video.
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Comment of the Week
On The Chic Assignment, Susanne writes, "With regard to drinking more water, I heard it said that it's easier to drink more if you have a water bottle with a straw, and I've found it to be true--for some reason, the straw makes it easier.
Thanks for another inspiring assignment, Jennifer!"
Hi Susanne, I can see how drinking with a straw could help with consuming more water. It's that comforting sip throughout the day that is key. I know, I like to drink iced lattes that way, so perhaps I can change out my caffeine for more water. Thank you for the tip!
Thank you for joining me for The Chic Assignment check-in. As always, I would love to hear your findings. Thank you and I will see you next time!
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13 comments:
Good morning, Jennifer,
I feel behind...
1. I love that Bolero composition, especially conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
2. I enjoyed the sonnet you read, but I didn't look into many more as I'd intended to do... although I DID spend considerable time one evening looking for a local theater showing Shakespeare, but all I found was numerous showings of "Shakespeare in Love". But that's not what I was looking for. (Do you have any experience with that? Is that even real Shakespeare??)
3. My husband and I had a gift card to a restaurant, the evening was perfect for dining outdoors... but the music was obnoxious! Don't know why I don't take the time to step outside onto our patio with the lovely back woods view! Well, evenings here are usually humid and mosquito infested, but breakfast outdoors once a week is my goal.
4. I have just ordered the pitcher! And they say you can pour boiling water directly into it, so that opens even more options. At first I was thinking "I already drink enough water", but I really don't. This will help.
We have a Mexican friend who takes 1 ripe cantaloupe, purees it in a blender, adds it to 1 gallon of water, (she does add 1/4 c. sugar) and refrigerates it overnight. So you're drinking the fruit, not just the flavor! Delicious!
There are still 10 days in June - I can do this!
1. Bolero: I've heard it so many times but I don't think I have heard it from start to finish isolated before. I listened to all the versions you posted. I'm not sure these are the best words to describe what it was like to listen to it, intentionally, but it has this obsessive-compulsive feeling, or like this trance-like quality...I mean you are hearing the same melody for 15 minutes basically, it is a fascinating piece, and Dudamel always wins my favor, I don't know if it's because he reminds me of my friend (also a musician, viola) or his hair lol. Anyhow, he had me hold my breath for the first 5 minutes. I started being able to breathe after the 5 minutes, he's got that effect on me. (Unrelated, but about music, I told someone two days ago that we listen primarily listen to classical and jazz and I never felt more 'weird' in my whole life lol)
2. I hope I get into Shakespeare one day, it will probably happen when I teach it to my kids lol
3. I've been having my girls have lunch out on the patio when they come home from VBS, it is so fun, also we've had perfect weather this week for that.
4. I put essential oils (lemon & grapefruit) in my water and helps me to drink more water. The pitcher, though, is very romantic and beautiful with the fruit.
-Evangelia
(I've been following the blog for so many years and I may have commented once before. I thought maybe I will start commenting so If I ever run into you again I won't be tongue tied lol, it's worth the try :))
I enjoyed the Chic assignment once again, and like the new look of your Author website! Congratulations on your new book!
Jennifer, I am SO enjoying these chic assignments, it has added a little sparkle to each month. I am keeping a list of each month in my planner. It will be fun at the end of the year to look back to see what music, art, poetry, so on I have dabbled in during 2019. Thank you so much.
Jennifer, the glass pitcher- do you find that it is difficult to pour from with the glass handle? I had a glass tea kettle and it never felt balanced. I love flavored waters! Have you ever tried lemon balm I water? Subtle, delicious flavor. It looks like mint and grows like mint- it can take over a garden, so grow it in a container. Have a great day!
Hi Jennifer!
I have been enjoying the chic assignment so much this month! I would like to add a short anecdote about drinking more water, as I had a rather scary experience last week as a result of NOT drinking enough water.
I am a diabetic, and one of the medications I’m on is a diuretic. I had been drinking too much coffee, and not enough water, and wound up becoming violently ill in the wee hours of the morning—so much so that my husband had to drive me to the ER! Turns out, I was very dehydrated and my glucose numbers were high. After a unit of fluids administered via IV and lots of monitoring, I have now become one of those “reusable water bottle people,” and never leave the house without one. Additionally, I always have a large glass of water nearby for sipping at home.
So please, fellow Connoisseurs, stay hydrated! Being sick in the ER due to self-inflicted negligence is SO not chic!
Let me solve your alfresco/al fresco confusion. In the US, it's the former. In the UK, the latter!
One other tip for drinking more water is not to actually have it ice cold or even add ice at all. I'm not a doctor, but both Chinese medicine and Ayurveda suggest that cold drinks slow down digestion and that liquids consumed at room temperature will be held by your body longer and therefore hydrate it more effectively. It makes sense when you think about it.
summernight concerto in Schönbrunn. The Vienna Philharmonica Orchestra with Mr.Dudamel!! Watched it on tv!
Jennifer, Ravel's Boléro is one of my mother's favorite pieces. Throughout my childhood, she used to talk with rapt excitement about how that was the song the US Olympic ice skating team used to win the gold in 1984.
Do you ever watch the Classic Arts Showcase (either on TV or online)? Once I turned it on and was mesmerized to see something called "Stairway to Lenin," a video short depicting dramatized/metaphorical scenes from the USSR's history. The performers climb an everlasting staircase with - you guessed it - Boléro as accompaniment. You can do a Google search for it, and though the film is a bit grainy, I find it absolutely fascinating to watch every now and again. Great choice for our music this month.
Please keep doing these Chic Assignments - they are great fun and, of course, elegant!
Dear Jennifer,
In Spanish, one says "Al Fresco" with the meaning of outdoors, in the open air, in the cool air (literately). And indeed it is usually applied to eating outside.
Have a nice day,
WR
Hi everyone,
Thank you for commenting!
Deborah- don't worry... you're not behind! I don't want the Chic Assignment to cause stress :) Just pop in and do it as you please.
Evangelia- it was so fun seeing you at the convention!
Unknown- Thank you so much!
Anon- you are so welcome!
Melanie- No, I don't have trouble pouring from the glass handle. I have really liked the pitcher so far...
Gypsy Liz- I'm sorry you had to go through that. Yes, drinking water is so important!
Kgirl- yes! I like drinking room temp water too but for some reason the fruit-infused waters taste better chilled to me. You can definitely have them at room temp.
Beate- thank you!
LEF- thank you for that recommendation!
Weisserose- Thank you for sharing the Spanish version of al fresco!
Much love,
Jennifer
Shakespeare in Love is a fictional "bio" of Shakespeare when he was writing and performing. It is not a production of a Shakespearan play but within the film he and is company are producing a play at his Globe Theatre. It's a very good film, gives you great historical perspective and setting. Of course the personal story (his falling in love) is imagined but by an excellent screenwriter. I'm not sure what you mean by "real Shakespeare" but this film sets his plays and life in history, shows you who his real contemporaries were, how they lived. It enriches your experience of seeing his plays. I say "watch it!" A lovely imagined story within a real historical setting. Earned some Academy Awards, too, as I recall.
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