April in Paris? Nah....everyday

Fall agrees with me; Summer and I have argued for months.


Growing up, summer was my favorite season. Wasn’t it every kids’ favorite season? It meant the end of school and the end of ‘worries’.  If only we had those kinds of ‘worries’ these days.

When I got older, I fell in love with spring. The end of darkness finally arrived, and I could smell spring. There was/is always such hope during spring. The days get longer, hibernation ends, and the city slowly, but surely, starts to come alive.

In the past few years, I have fallen in love with fall. One of my favorite words and feelings is: cozy. Fall is cozy to me. I can finally pull out the sweaters, socks, sweatshirts, and scarves. (Hmmm…fall’s clothing all starts with ‘s’, I never noticed that before.) I can sit on our terrace with a sweater and scarf and knit and feel so cozy. The pressure of trying to fit everything into a Chicago summer has come to an end, and I can finally relax and take a deep breath of the crisp air. And, I can hide under looser, bulkier clothes, and really breathe because I don’t have to suck in my gut anymore under the less forgiving summer fashions.  Seriously, it is so hard to take a deep breath when you are sucking in your gut.  Whew!  What a relief to let it loose.

Last year my mom, Ignacio and I were in Paris (my favorite place in the world) in October. It was beautiful. Well, hell, when isn’t Paris beautiful? It was my mother’s first trip to Europe. It took a little coaxing, but she finally agreed to go. (I know! Who needs to be coaxed to go to Paris?) She loved it like I knew she would.

In the middle of our trip, we took a bicycle tour to Versailles. It was a perfect fall day and we rode through the grounds of Versailles and picnicked on the bank of the canal (or whatever that body of water is). It was breathtaking and amazing and pictures never do justice.

my mother...on a bike...in France!!

For our picnic in Versailles, we went shopping at a huge farmers' market and bought cheese, wine, bread, sausages, and did I mention cheese and wine??

Here is what happens after I remember I have my FLIP video camera with me after a few glasses of wine.  (now keep in mind:  I'm tipsy, I'm riding a bike with one hand while filming myself....)

Fall in Paris from Natalie Mikolajczak on Vimeo.

If I had my way, I would visit Paris every fall.

And every spring.

Fall has fell (fallen?)

Camel is now ready for fall!

I have finished knitting her this lovely sweater.  Doesn't she look cute?

Well, too bad she thinks this gorgeous sweater is a toy.  If the sweater is on the floor, she attacks it.  If it is on the couch, the little stinker jumps up to grab it, then I chase her while it is in her mouth. 

Doesn't she realize all the love that went into those knit 1 and purl 2s?

The Fall of me

Alrightie then, let's see if I can put this into words.

I am ready for fall. Summer provides so much pressure for me. In Chicago, we cram so much into the three months of summer, and it is a lot of work... and GUILT.

When the weather is nice, we are expected to go out and enjoy it. The warm weather leads to less clothing, sandals, and swimming.

Less clothing: JUST GREAT! I have gained weight and less clothing means less opportunity to hide the bigger butt and abundance of arm flab.

Sandals: OY!! I hate my feet and therefore I don't wear sandals, and it appears I have developed a 'jealousy' of those who can. However, pretty feet or not....flip flops are BAD. They are bad for your feet and, in my humble opinion, do not flatter the legs or your cute summer outfit. And...no one in Paris wears flip flops (and that is how I judge fashion, if they wear it in Paris, then it is A-OK :) ).

Swimsuits: did I mention I have gained weight? My mother has a pool in her backyard. I have two of those "look 10 pounds slimmer" swimsuits (YEAH RIGHT), one has two pieces- a tankini kind of thing, and the other is a one piece. I have gone swimming two times at her home so far this summer. Those slimming swimsuits are hazardous. They are so damn tight, that they wear me out getting in and out of them. The first time, I wore the tankini. After swimming, I went to the bathroom to change my clothes and in the process of removing the tankini, I got stuck. I was trying to get the top half off over my head, and I got stuck. I started to panic. I had to yell for Ignacio to come and help me get out of the torture device (this is not the first time). The second time I went swimming at my mom's house, I wore the one piece. At least the one piece doesn't make me panic, but I do have to take a break mid-way of putting the suit on. It just wears me out. Hey Nat--- just lose weight! Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say.

This summer I have been wearing skirts because my pants are too tight. In order not to have 'chub rub' (inner thighs rubbing together uncomfortably), I wear Ignacio's boxer briefs under my skirts. It's a great relief. Hey Nat-- just lose weight! Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say.


When the weather is nice, if I don't go out and enjoy it, I feel guilty. I welcome a rainy day where I have to stay inside. I can read or knit, and not feel guilty.

The lakefront is filled with happy, healthy people jogging and bike riding in the great weather. I hate them all. Joggers just piss me off. I have trouble running across the street, and here are people running for miles just for the fun of it. Skinny bitches. Yes, I have resulted to calling skinny women 'bitches'. If they are skinny and pretty, they must be bitches, right? They can't have it all, that just wouldn't be fair.

Summer says: you should be outside enjoying the weather and being happy.
I just don't want to. I don't want to feel the pressure of having to be happy. Of having to go outside to take advantage of our short summers.

Fall, please come soon. I want to wear my scarves (to hide my boobs), jackets/blazers (to hide flabby arms and boobs), fuller pants (to hide the hips).

Listen, I could show my ankles all day long. They are hot! But the rest? Meh. Hey Nat-- just lose weight! Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say.

I want to stay inside and read and knit and watch movies. I don't want to feel guilty for doing so.

"Sun, sun, go away, come back another year."

Summer says: be happy! Well, sometimes it's not so easy to be happy.

Let me hibernate. Is there any rain in the forecast? I'm running out of boxer briefs.