I receive lots of emails often with the same questions. Here are thus a few answers…

– Question: Why is your blog not called « Pensées de ronde[1]» anymore, were you ashamed?

– Answer: It happens that I’ve been fat, a little, a lot, extremely, it depends on periods. I’ve been following a therapy for two years with Doctor Zermati, which I told on these pages. I’ve slimmed down, I’m not really plump anymore. This name change is not a renunciation but rather the translation of desire to change. Not because I’ve slimmed down but because it’s not my main preoccupation anymore.

– Question: Do you give advice to slim down?

– Answer: Never ever, I’m against diets because I’ve been on too many. I’m definitely anti-fast, detox and cie. I tell, on the other hand, my ‘Zermati’ journey, because I think it can be interesting for some readers to understand how you can lose weight without starving yourself.

– Question: Before you didn’t show many pictures of you, now you do, why?

– Answer: Because in the end, I’ve come to like, I guess, appearing on these pages, because I like fashion and from time to time I like to show such and such outfit. Because it’s a way to “communicate” as well, to show your face.

– Question: You talk less about politics, don’t you?

– Answer: I’m still left-wing, in the apolitical sense of the word.  From time to time, I don’t hesitate to have a rant. But I’m above all a journalist, not a militant, so I don’t want this blog to turn into a political column. It doesn’t prevent me from not keeping my mouth shut sometimes (my life tragedy, not keeping my mouth shut often enough).

– Question: Why at one point were you calling your daughter Helmut?

– Answer: it comes from a while ago now, she was a few weeks old and, in a departure lounge in Orly, when there was absolute silence, she made a burp no Munich celebrations veteran would have disowned. A destiny was born as well as a nickname… but since then I’ve stopped because she’s now a big girl who doesn’t really like this nickname. But Thingy stays Thingy and Darling stays Darling.

– Question: Do you read all comms because honestly, we sometimes have the impression that you don’t, given that you don’t answer very often…

– Answer: Yes, I read them all. And even sometimes, I answer to all of them. In my head. Because I have a job and I don’t always have time to answer to each of them. On the other hand, I allow myself breaks to read your comms. So yes I read them and yes they really matter to me, even when it’s a small comment or when it comes from someone I don’t know. By the way, I try in general to say welcome. In short, yes yes yes, it’s important for me to know your feedback and opinion.

– Why do you have advertisement on your blog when it’s nasty and you’re left-wing?

– Answer: I’m left-wing but not against a small advance at the end of the month. Furthermore, my blog costs me money. The platform is not free and for example, when I decide to have a designer work on it, I make a point of honor to pay him or her. In short, if I didn’t have the income from advertisement, I couldn’t make this space as beautiful. On the other hand, I don’t like sponsored articles (but sometimes I write some) as much as I’m completely at ease with accepted and clearly displayed advertisement. Without it there wouldn’t be any newspapers and as long as it remains campaigns for products I don’t disapprove of, I’m happy to take advantage of it. No offence to anti-ad… There is also affiliation sometimes, namely link to products that generate a commission if the product in question is bought. In this case the price is not higher for the buyer, of course.

– Why do you nickname you husband the Churros ?

It came from an article where he confided to me what he loved during the week-end was the churros eaten in the park and the blow-job from the day before. One of you, the mythical « Loop of Kurland » then named him El Churros. It has stayed and fits him like a glove!

– How do you earn a living since you’ve left your job?

I left my job but I’m still working! I’m a journalist, I write as a freelance for Psychologies magazine, for Cosmétique mag, for l’Express Style.fr, for Pleine Vie, Le Monde, Challenges, etc. I also make small books (Hachette, Studyrama, etc.), I present colloquiums sometimes, do public relation to make extra cash (colloquium proceedings for example) etc etc etc. Only recently, I’ve started writing scripts for a series which will be broadcasted on France 2 [2].  My blog also enables me to put icing on the cake thanks to sponsored articles or big advertisement campaigns. All this put together make a proper salary, not fabulous but proper.

– What do you take your pictures with? (yes, I swear, some of you are interested)

I have a Nikon D7000 reflex with a 55 – 300 and a 50 mm lenses. I also take many pictures with my Iphone G4.

– Why do you ban my comments, I can’t see them, I didn’t say anything mean though!

I don’t ban anything. Sometimes, if the comment is truly insulting or inappropriate, I can suppress it. But it has happened maybe 15 times in 7 years of blogging.

– Can you please put a link to my blog on yours?

Well, the best way to deter me from putting your blog in my blogroll is to ask me. My blogroll is rather anarchical, it contains blogs of friends from real life, ones I visit every day, others I check less often but of which I like the author, etc. I have no strategy for that matter and don’t do systematical link exchange, so no use asking.