Bon voyage to me!!!

Hi Everyone,

One last post here before I switch over to the California blog, Rocking in Cali in a few days from now. It may be a few days as I have to buy a new cord first for my lap top to recharge the battery!

Soooo... Stay tuned, please!

And, after two days straight of MURPHEY'S LAW, I am "almost" ready to go first thing tomorrow at sunbreak!!! It will mean waking up at 3 am no doubt and arriving at CDG at 5 to check in and all... and then to London, THEN..... to LAX!!! Whew!! I'm going to ask for an upgrade to business class!!! I think I deserve it after the past two days I've lived! Anyhow... more later on tonight...

Thanks for your wishes for a safe flight and a good trip.

And, on a Special Note.... To all of you in Paris, I will be oranizing Paris social gatherings for you via the internet from sunny California! From California beach to Paris Plage... Make sure you have me as a friend on FB if you are in the Paris area and want to learn more about events I'll be organizing in Paris for those of you who are still here over the summer!

A big shout out to Barbara, Carolyn, Anne, Dawn, Eliz, Brigitte, Jasmin, Debi, Deb, Ron, Walt, David, Starman, Alisa, Tracey, Isabelle, Opal, Sibel, Animesh, Mira, Justin, Sam, Katia, Kyliemac, Florence, and anyone else I may have missed.... Have a great summer all of you!!!

For Deb

Hi Deb,

Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting! I know you are a friend of my dear friend, Barbara! I am happy to post the recipe for you... I used the recipe for NY cheesecake which I pulled off one of my FAV. baking blogs- The Joy of Baking. You can find the recipe HERE. Let me know how it turns out when you make it...

P.S. As you saw on mine, I used a different topping, but you can also use theirs!

Take care, Leesa

Spitting on the street is GROSSING ME OUT!

For the past three years I have lived in France, I haven't mentioned this in any detail on my blog, but since my buddy, Ron, at Vent has a great post on it, I'm going to direct you to his blog to read what he wrote... He and I share the same sentiments about this unsightly sight! YUGGGGG...

Gross me out and gag me with a spoon... I didn't see much spitting going on in either Vienna OR Budapest... maybe just once here and once there..... Why the HECK do people feel the need to empty there phelgm on the streets we walk on... WAKE UP PEOPLE, and USE A TISSUE, why dontcha?!!! You're GROSSING ME OUT........

Here's Ron's talk on public spit.... "Camel Spitting."

Delicious cheesecake

I made this cheesecake for Mother's Day- NY style cheesecake with substitutions for Philly Cream Cheese with St. Moret (not salty) and crème frâiche: The topping was a coat of melted Nestle's white chocolate (baking chocolate) and raspberry jam (which I heated over a double boiler to melt and make more syrupy. The consistency turned out EXACTLY like a NY cheesecake - rich, dense and creamy! YUMMMMM!!!!!

Come visit Dublin

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently posting my Dublin pictures from May HERE in an attempt to get my vacation photos up to date before leaving for the States on Wednesday a.m. Please visit and let me know what you think. You can leave comments if you like. To see past posts, click on OLDER POSTS.

Thanks,

Leese

Pop Star Legend, Michael Jackson Dies

This is how I will always remember Michael.

By Andrew Blankstein | 3:23 p.m.

The pop star is pronounced dead by doctors after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources tell The Times.

I listened to the music of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 when I was just a kid. He was a talented singer and entertainer.

Farrah Fawcett, Hollywood Beauty dies....

I remember Farrah as a beautiful, sexy and vibrant woman as I watched her on the famed tv series, Charlie's Angels. She was a true beauty and will be missed.

I salute her for her courage and strength while battling this terrible monster called "Cancer." She passed away at the same age my mom passed away 3 1/2 years ago. God bless you, Farah and Rest in Peace.

*First photo taken from CNN.com and the next three from People.com

Haus Haus and St. Stephen's Cathedral

For Mira!

Zanoni & Zanoni - Our FAV ice cream spot in Vienna!

I've been HACKED?!! SAY WHAT?!!!!!

Yep, the day before I leave for a week and just about a week and a half before my big trip to the States, someone got a hold of my CREDIT CARD number and ran up a few charges on my MC/Debit card.... FRAUD!!! It was about $58 or so total so not too much... WHEW!!

A BIG HUGE SHOUT OUT to Chase Manhattan/Wamu for blocking my card the other day! I didn't understand at the time why iTunes wouldn't take my card for my purchases, but now that it's all as clear as day, I'm VERY thankful that they stopped it before my bank account was emptied! Thanks WAMU and to all of your wonderful phone reps who I spoke to today trying to get this straightened out at around 11 pm!

**One a funny note, the manager of Fraud Control was telling me what the charges were and asked me about the "Virgin Love Magazine." HUH??!!! HUHH??!! This was a bit funny... and I thought that surely some amateurs had hacked into my credit card info and were trying to buy sexy magazines of the internet!

There are more details to this story, but let's just say that when I was on the phone with a Claim's rep and we were going over the "false" charges to my account together. I was looking at my online banking when it dawned on me that it was actually- "Virgin Louv Mag Paris" for $102.90 - I ran to get my concert ticket that I purchased on June 5, and sure enough- that was the culprit... Virgin Louvre Mag Paris" = not Lov magazine... WHOOPS!! That's funny! It was, in fact, my own charge.... to see Eros Ramazzotti in concert in March 2010.

Oh well, I had to cancel the card and the manager was also nice enough to say he'd FedEx it to my bank in San Diego so that it will be there by the time I get there on the 1st July! Wheew!!

What GREAT service.. CHASE/WAMU--- YOU ROCK!!! MERCI BEAUCOUP!!!

Fun store window displays!

For Mira!

More pics up on my vacation blog...

Hi Everyone!  I'm trying real hard to get the last of my Budapest pics up in the next two days so I can put up my Dublin pics, then the ones from Strasbourg and Colmar.  Alex and I are going to Vienna and Budapest for a week so I'll have even more pics to add!!

Check out Our Vacation Photos

Colorful entry...

Just in front of Walt and Ken's front door

Grape vines getting ready for the summer...

Twines, Grapes, and Vines... chez Walt et Ken

Françoise's retirement at Moving...

Anna and Marco.. Two of my buddies from biking class!  Anna is Irish and Marco is Italian. 

Alex and Anna.... 

What's Marco looking at?

A few months ago, Alex and I attended a retirement party for one of the gals who works at the reception desk at my gym, Moving.  She's such a sweet lady!  She's worked there for 25 years- WOW! Anyhow, it was a really fun night and we stayed for a few hours to enjoy music, good company and a really GREAT LOOKING spread of healthy food!

A few pics from the comedie musicale "Cleopatre"

Such a beautiful show.

After the show, I had to use the restroom and by the time I was out of the arena, the actors were outside signing autographs and taking pics with their fans.  I got a few autographs and got to talk to a few actors about tell them that I really enjoyed the show.

Adorable Octavie, actress Amélie Piovoso. 

This is actor Florian Étienne, who played the role of Marc Antoine. A very handsome young man!

Here's a pic I took from the internet of the main cast without their customes/makeup.

More cute duckies from Strasbourg!

The Doormouse and the Teapot with Barbara and Patricia!

Dear friends, Barbara and Patricia at the Doormouse and the Teapot cafe taken a few weeks ago.  This time, we had a delish lunch and passed on dessert.  But, of course, I couldn't resist taking a picture of my fav- the Lemon Meringue Pie! YUMMMMMM!!!!!

AC/DC For Those About To ROCK.....

... we salute you!!

Going to the long-awaited AC/DC concert! I haven't seen them in concert since high school- the Back in Black Tour at the L.A. Forum!  Not long after Bon Scott passed... Now, it's a few decades later and I am super hyped for the concert-- It's tonight at Stade de France.  I just hope it won't rain!  

More pictures from the Parc de Sceaux

Vampires are in the air....

     I've ALWAYS been a great fan of vampires- ever since I can remember!  From the old films of the 40s to the books of Anne Rice and Stephanie Meyer- vampires have intrigued and excited me!   That said, I just finished reading the fourth book in the Vampire Chronicles today and I am feeling withdraws already!

     Fortunately, one of my instructors at the gym told me about a vampire series (HBO) called "True Blood," and I am now downloading the first season from ITunes!  It looks pretty good- kind of corny but good enough to keep me entertained- just like "CALIFORNICATION" did!

A wet succulent (chez Walt et Ken)

Flowers and insects

INCONSPICUOUS!

WHO??? Me (taking the picture) or HIM??

I was "trying" to be as inconspicuous as possible while taking this hilarious picture!

Then, I said, "OH, what the heck!" And snapped away as he lay dozing!!

For Mira!

Me, Barbara, Anne, and Caroline in Sceaux

My FAV coffee house in Strasbourg

This place has the BEST pain au chocs in France, hands down! And, their coffee is EXCELLENT!!! 


Cute decor!

Their choice of desserts looks heavenly- I didn't try any, though!