Werther

Werther, Jules Massenet
@ Opéra Bastille

...avec Abdellah Lasri au lieu de Roberto Alagna dans le rôle de Werther, apparemment une bonne idée :-)

Beaucoup, beaucoup de drame, ah, les malheureux amants!
Et à la fin il meure bien sûr, mais elle ne se suicide même pas!

The modern sense of comfort

Notions like taste and practical chic are way too complex to sell today, when much of the world’s population is consumed with either acquisition or basic survival. For that reason it’s tough to talk about comfort and a moral economy of style without sounding grim or like one is trying to promote a car with three wheels (hey, but it drives!). On the other hand, this idea is not so far from something Coco Chanel offered when she arrived in New York, in March 1931. Asked by a reporter to define the fashionable woman, Chanel said, “She dresses well but not remarkably. . . . She disobeys fashion.” Then, perhaps thinking of her rival Elsa Schiaparelli, Chanel added, “But she is not eccentric. I hate eccentricity.” So she was extolling understatement and ease, yes, but also suggesting these choices reflected virtues like self-control and seriousness.

[Sign of the Times | Slave No More, by Cathy Horyn, New York Times]

Dom Juan

Dom Juan, Molière
@ Comédie Française

Pas seulement l'histoire de l'épouseur éternel, mais surtout un l’éloge de l’hypocrisie au pouvoir.

Still do, no matter how... darkest, lightest...

Happier

1. Exercise more – 7 minutes might be enough
2. Sleep more – you'll be less sensitive to negative emotions
3. Move closer to work – a short commute is worth more than a big house
4. Spend time with friends and family – don't regret it on your deathbed
5. Go outside – happiness is maximized at 13.9°C
6. Help others – 100 hours a year is the magical number
7. Practice smiling – it can alleviate pain
8. Plan a trip – but don't take one
9. Meditate – rewire your brain for happiness
10. Practice gratitude – increase both happiness and life satisfaction

Quick last fact: Getting older will make yourself happier

[Social Consciousness - Ten simple things you can do today that will make you happier, backed by science]