Weekend Conversation Starters

[Messy Nessy Chic]   “That is one good thing about this world...there are always sure to be more springs.”  –L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea In honor of this week’s Spring Equinox, let’s take a moment to appreciate the natural world as it wakes back up. First, join [Marilyn Monroe on a hike]( and then maybe discover somewhere we’ve never been, like [Palestine’s Paradise: A Mediterranean Valley of Vines](. As we spend more time stretching our legs outside, why not consider [the Curious Career of Living as a Real-Life Garden Gnome](?! And smell the roses. Doctor’s orders! Starting with [this 1970s French fairytale]( that’s guaranteed to perk up your senses. Are you planning for Spring in Paris? Oh, you should. Pas d’excuses! Just remember [Don’t be a Tourist in Paris]( and make sure you’ve got [me by your side](. And don’t forget the MNC [Destination Directory]( is always here for all of your exploring needs…. As always, your Weekend Conversation Starters await, and remember, springtime is a state of mind. Also, wine. Stay curious, [Nessy]   [Her Comics were Everything Jim Crow America Never Wanted Black Women to Be](  [tumblr_9385001ac0ff02e03ee1d9359573c0c2_2df3758f_1280]( In the comic strip Torchy Brown from Dixie to Harlem, a spunky Black teenager leaves her Mississippi home for the bright lights of Harlem. She’s glamorous, ambitious, clever, and so self-assured that when she sees a sign pointing one way for COLORED and another way for WHITE, her response is, “I’ll just pretend I can’t…  [Continue Reading](   [The Camp Culinary Adventures of TV’s First Celebrity Chef](  [p05q2c0f]( You can’t beat a bit of Fanny, especially in the kitchen. Overshadowed by modern day macho MasterChefs, Fanny Cradock paved the way as the first ever celebrity chef and remains one in a million, like a dish you can perfect just once and never recreate. Spicing up British TV from the mid-1950s-70s, folks tuned in…  [Continue Reading](   [The Woman Who Slept at the Top of the Eiffel Tower](  [9812125905_6c081a26b9_o-1-edited]( It started out simply enough. At the age of 17, the artist Sophie Calle dropped out of university where one of her professors was Jean Baudrillard – yes, the philosopher – and spent the next seven years travelling through the French mountains, then Crete, China, the United States, and Mexico. When she returned to Paris,…  [Continue Reading](   [The Strange, Unspoken Glorification of Sexual Assault in Art History](  [Rape_of_Prosepina_September_2015-2b]( There’s something not quite right about that painting, wouldn’t you say? The many depictions of Leda and the Swan are hanging on the walls of some of the most prestigious museums and galleries across the world, and yet, there’s a conversation we’re not having. The Greek myth in which the Spartan queen Leda is seduced…  [Continue Reading](   [13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. DXCIV)](  [m]( 1. When Architects design Dollhouses  [Continue Reading](  Interested in Becoming a MessyNessy Keyholder? [Apply now to unlock the Vault!](    [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( [Blog]( [To read more from MessyNessyChic visit the Blog]( and make sure you keep getting these email by adding contact@messynessychic.com to your address book or whitelist us. Our postal address: In a Café, Paris 75001 Want out of the loop? [Unsubscribe](.