Completing the Parting Paris Puzzle
Finally, the "when," "where," and "what" of my upcoming move. Plus, a humble ask, Rubik's Cube and more!
Ready for some riddles? Or let’s call them case studies. They each have the same starting parameter, which is: You have mere months left as a full-time resident of [enter country here] and living in your current apartment…
Case Study No. 1
Your handbag gets stolen right from under your nose at a restaurant. Inside were your Apple AirPods (Pro!), your Kindle, your favorite Guerlain lipstick, and, of course, your wallet with all your cards—including your prized 10-year visa and resident card, which you use as I.D. (Never leave the house without one, amIright?) '
Do you a) say ‘Fuck it! I’m leaving anyway!’ and not replace it? Or, b) go through the bureaucratic motions (and potentially pay a €225 fee) to get one for posterity’s sake? (And because you never know/there’s a good eight years left on that bad boy.)
Case Study No. 2
You have a printer, which you will soon sell, and the black ink has run out—just as you need to print some documents to submit an insurance claim regarding the aforementioned theft.
Do you a) buy more black ink or, b) put the files on a zip drive and find someplace to have the files printed?
Case Study No. 3
The hot water kettle you use to boil water for tea and coffee every day suddenly stops working.
Do you a) start boiling water in pots on the stove? Or, b) buy a new one at the cheap PROMOTION store down the block?
Case Study No. 4
The screen on the TV you purchased six years ago for €50 off of Le Bon Coin (France’s Craigslist) has gone dark and fuzzy.
Do you a) continue to cast shows onto it despite the poor screen quality? Or, b) toss it and watch on your laptop from here on out?
There you have it, ladies and gents: just a few quandaries I’ve been overthinking lately. Is Mercury in retrograde, or does Paris not want to let me go without a fight?
Either way, I’m trying to respire—breathe—through it all, which thanks to a new tattoo of this French word on my left forearm I am reminded to do regularly. Iceberg straight-ahead or not, I am focused on what’s in front of me, which brings us to the final pieces of my parting Paris puzzle: WHEN, WHERE, and WHAT.
I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but there’s one other small “why” that leads to the “when” and it’s logistical: My lease is up at the end of the year. After six years in my first-ever one-bedroom apartment with actual doors (that I removed anyway for space purposes), I have to move out. There was a small moment, about a year and a half ago, when I thought I might just search for a new place in Paris. But then I started feeling some feels and leaning into some other stuff, which you now know about, and decided the hassle of searching for another apartment in Paris as a single foreigner (and freelancer without a steady income) would be another inevitable challenge that I didn’t want to endure.
So! The “when” is Feb. 1 (because my landlord/friend Mira is graciously allowing me to stay an extra month to avoid moving on January 1, however poetic that may have been), and the “where”…is New York. At least for now. I know many of you hoped/assumed it might be California given the success of my spring sojourn in SF and my obsession with being a Tata, and believe me, I did, too. But despite aiming to announce I had everything packed up neatly in a box and tied with a red bow—aka a new full-time job that’d afford me an apartment with bay windows—I do not. And since I do not, I thought it more economical to return to New York where I can continue to figure out the “what” while temporarily camping out with my brother who has a house with extra bedrooms, a fireplace, and, as it so happens, windows that face a bay.
Also, one major (and literal) move at a time is probably best for my stress levels. I’m still applying for jobs every day and hope to find something soon so things could change pretty quickly. But I’m also settling into the idea of transitioning slowly and looking forward to returning Home—with a capital H, as in the OG Home—to winter with part of the Lieberman Tribe. I’ll make regular trips into the city to see friends and get my culture on, and I hope to at least visit the West Coast, especially in the doldrums of March and April.
I’m not sure how to wrap up this letter other than to humbly ask for your support in the process. With the “what” portion of this next life chapter still a bit in flux, I’ve been (over)thinking putting these intros/essays behind a paywall since they take quite a bit of time and effort to produce. Plus, it sometimes feels a bit strange to share such personal disclosures with, well, the world at large (hello, World!) without some sort of a proverbial bouncer managing the velvet rope. As my friend and fellow writer
of the wonderful (and currently public) Substack says, “It feels like I’m having a dinner party with people I know and then suddenly people walking by heard us and came into the room.”I generally tend to err on the side of “the more the merrier,” which is why I’m going to continue pulling up chairs for free—at least for now. I also don’t want to alienate those who can’t (or just don’t want to) swing yet another subscription. There are a lot of content creators out there—especially here on Substack—all vying for your eyeballs and space in your inboxes these days. I get it. There are only so many I, myself, can subscribe to, let alone pay for, in addition to the traditional media outlets I support both for my own consumption and to bring you the Clickable section.
But I’d be remiss if I didn’t share what your contributions as a paid subscriber would mean to me. They’d allow me to continue writing these without stressing over not using the time to hustle and place my writing elsewhere for a fee. They’d allow me to publish additional content such as dining, travel, and Paris guides more frequently. They’d allow me to not freak out so much over the fact that a one-bedroom apartment in NY or SF will cost 3x what I’ve been paying in Paris.
So if you enjoy these letters; if the writing makes you feel something or relate in some way, and the monthly cost of a coffee—or the yearly cost of about seven—is something you can sip on without burning your tongue, I’d be truly grateful for your support. And if you’re already a paid subscriber, MERCI—and feel free to forward it to friends! :) Either way, I remain honored that you’re here, and hope you’ll stick with me in some form no matter what, where, and when I roam.
Whew. I’m done with the Ws now. Bon week-end, friends. xx — Sara
P.S. I renewed the visa, tossed the TV, got a new kettle, and cleaned the printer heads!
Clickable
Memorializing ‘Terms of Endearment’ after a one’s own loss. | The NY Times
Art and politics don’t mix. | The Atlantic
The story of a teenage school shooter and his innocent sister. | The New Yorker
Not-so happily ever after divorce. | The Cut
Deep thoughts with 10-year-old North West Kardashian. | i.d.
The Jews of American theater and their “empathic imagination.” | T Magazine
A lovely tribute to Matthew Perry: Friend and AA advocate. | The NY Times
The dish that formed a fast friendship in Bushwick. | Bon Appetit
Watchable
The subtlety and awkwardness of this Uber ad are what make it excellent. Deniro is the best. I met him once. Subtle, awkward, and excellent, indeed.
I love the song “Pompeii” by Bastille, and found this performance, accompanied by singer Freya Ridings and Hans Zimmer’s orchestra, especially moving.
I missed this SNL sketch with Timothée Chalamet when it originally aired recently, but it had me cackling this week.
Currently Overthinking…
see intro, but also: job follow-ups and connection requests…typos…
Souvenir: Rubik’s Cube
This combination puzzle is still very much around—in fact, I was reminded of it while watching the original Jack Harlow “I’m Vanilla Baby” TikTok trend—but it first debuted in the mid-70s. I’ve never solved it myself (read: never tried very long or hard). Rather, I found it more fun to scramble it up to make sure each side had a mix of colors. What about you? Were you a wunderkind who matched up all the colors?
Sara! Paris is definitely fighting back against your plans, but you will triumph! I loved reading this, and am so proud of you for doing the thing (asking for the very reasonable support of your work). I’m looking forward to New York updates in the near future! I always look forward to your newsletters and this feels like an exciting time of change so I’m looking forward to following along.
Thank you for the kind mention (and quote! 😂).