The difference nine months makes

For me, it's utter relaxation and a lot of incredible experiences and stamps in my passport.

I've often thought about nine months being time enough to have a baby, and how my trip can be considered my baby. Perhaps a stretch, but there you go.

And now I've just been sent photos by a friend, and apparently he is now a father. I just received a bunch of photos, including him looking pretty adoringly at a newborn girl (with the message "This is what I've been up to.").

Wow.

How things change.

Whheeeeeee

Everything is moved. Boxes in a friend's basement. [Now] half-unpacked boxes in my new bedroom.

Who knew I had so many pieces of clothing? (especially red clothing) I thought I'd ditched a lot of clothing before moving, but apparently not...or perhaps I just need to ditch even more.

The old house in West Seattle is now empty, save a couple half-consumed drinks in the fridge, a couple rolls of toilet paper and a broom. A moment of silence, please:







Thanks.

So, now time to unpack a bit more.

ps yes, I have gone out this evening -- I'm not just sitting chained to my laptop or being a slave to my boxes... :)

Little updates everywhere

I was offered the job yesterday. No big surprise, but it was still very nice to hear "I'd like to offer you the job" be said. Won't start for a couple weeks, though, which is nice in a way.

One of my best friends yesterday expressed surprise that I still believe in "The One", as in a dating/relationship context. I do. I also believe there is more than just one "The One". I suspect he thinks I was perhaps too finicky and hasty in my handling of the man I went out with. Sometimes I feel this way, too. Che sera sera.

I've had some reasonable responses to my last dating ad, and am in correspondence with a couple people. For some reason, I'm attracting Tall Men. Like 6'4", 6'6". I'm more or less 5'5". The man I went out with last Friday night was 6'2", and I felt like I was barely at his chest level...

And yes, I really am writing this at 6.40am. I woke up an hour ago, and just haven't been able to go back to sleep. Kill me now. Especially since I'm moving today, and was looking forward to spending the afternoon unpacking. Not napping.

Sing along with me: Shana gets to unpack and have her own space! Shana gets to unpack and have her own space!

Wheeeeeee!

On Dating (or at least, trying to)

Whoa. I think it's about time to get myself out in to the real world and try my odds there. Perhaps a couple weeks is too little, but I'm just not receiving the kind of responses that I'm interested in. Yes, I've had what could perhaps be called many responses to my ads, but honestly, I've gone on one date. Most of the guys that respond and I think "wow. Nice email." end with me looking at their photo and thinking "Not so much, even if my only options were you and a lunatic." OK. So maybe the guys aren't *that* bad, but perhaps you understand my meaning. I do believe looks are important, and the guys that respond to my ad are mostly not what I'm interested in.

Now, I look at photos first. If I can't imagine kissing the face, then it's a no. Without exception.

This means, once I move tomorrow, I will be doing things away from the computer. There is a lake not too far from my new place, and I will start walking there and see what happens (I mean, there was something potent in the air around the Seine, so I'm hoping that it was something potent to bodies of water, and not just a French thing...). I also plan on getting back into dancing again soon. In short, I am going to start trying to meet as many new men as possible.

I really don't want to be single now.

Oh. This is sooo much fun! >smirk<

Wheeeeeee...or wait, maybe not so excited

So, I have a job interview this afternoon and a job interview on Tuesday morning. Unless I have convulsions during the interviews, or behave in a Linda Blair-esque fashion, I'm 95% certain both of the jobs are mine.

Wheeeeeeee! I will have a paycheck soon.

Saaadddddddd! I will have to wake up on a schedule soon (and not because the dog wants food at 6am).

These are the very, very last days of leisure.

It's been a very good and very memorable (almost) year.

Jobwise

So, I'm still waiting for a call on the contract job [with the company I did almost the same thing for before I started my trip]. The bureaucracy at this place is amazing -- I think it's been a good two months since I first heard the position would be available, and there was a question of whether I'd be back in time for the beginning of it... In all fairness, though, the extra time has given me more leisure and the opportunity to really go through each and every box to prepare for moving. And I've had tons of time to chill with the cats, spend way too much time online chatting with friends and just surfing in general (I missed my laptop -- dear Edith) and spend a priceless quantity of time with one of my best friends.

I'm also scheduled to call a woman today, to talk about a couple-nights-a-week job. The second job is easy -- just answering phones for an upscale pizzeria, to take delivery orders. When I was at university, I had a similar job for several months. Low-impact. Easy money. It ain't for forever.

Still haven't decided on what the new blog will be called. I imagine I will focus on that once I've moved.

You can't escape your past

Well, sometimes.

So. I've had several occasions to be using craigslist for various things. Trying a little dating, hiring people to help me move, giving away and selling random things. (And no, I'm not going to mention the various freaks that have sent me rude messages. At least, I'm not going in to details.)

Even with emails to the personal ads, I've found that I still write in the Amazon.com style that was (apparently) embedded into my psyche. That is, emails always begin with one of the following:

Thank you for responding to my email.

I appreciate the time you took to respond.

Thank you for resending your photos.

And now, I have to think of some equally polite thing to write to a guy who I've emailed with a couple times, who finally sent his photo. A fine enough looking man -- just not for me.

I'm beginning to feel like I'm overly picky. Though, I know I won't be fully happy with less than what I desire. I went out with a guy on Friday, and while it was a nice date and he's a wonderful guy, it just wasn't perfect. We've agreed to work on being friends, and I truly hope that happens. (I'm actually a bit sad it isn't going to be more, because he is a great guy. But what can you do when you don't think they're the right match for you?)

Anyway. You may wonder why I brought that up. Well, it's a segue. Another guy responded to an ad I've placed, and he also works at Amazon.com. Though, I'm not going to meet him. Calling me at 11.42pm, kinda drunk, to have a First Chat: Not. So. Smart. He sounds like a former Frat Boy, and that's enough to make me run for the hills.

As a side note, I'm mostly writing about the dating stuff because it's far more interesting than me expounding on the intricacies of going through boxes, marvelling at the amount of random and useless junk I moved (Oh! A Twix wrapper! Oh! Clean paper napkins! Oh! Useless receipts! Oh! Dried up pens! (you get the idea)), repacking and moving said boxes. I move into my new place on Saturday, which I am rather excited about. It's a wonderful house, a great dog and the woman who owns the house seems pretty cool. And I finally get to unpack and have my Very Own Space! This thrills me in ways I don't have the right words for.

So, wish me luck avoiding spiders in the boxes, and in finding the right guy.

(I need to find my Turkish good luck eye.)

More about re-entering my 'old' life

Now, I really can't say that I'm living my 'old life', because I'm so very much not living that life. Though, I don't know how to succintly say it in another way, so there you go.

I've missed my music. I've been listening to Stigmato, Inc; Trainspotting 2; Arabic music. And that's just today. Music is an integral part of my daily life, and while I loved the music I had with me, it wasn't enough.

Next time, I will have an iPod and all of my music. Sin excepcion!

I must say that I'm also highly unused to having recurring items in my schedule. For example, dvd night on Monday's at one of my best friend's house. Yesterday, I told my other best friend that I would spend tonight with her and she said she would take me out to dinner. To make it worse, this happened last week. To make it even worse, her landline is on the blink, and I can't call her... Though as this is her last week in Seattle, I might just cancel on the dvd night and spend the evening with her. I know it hasn't hit me that she will be elsewhere next week.

Won't it be fun when I start working and have a Much Bigger recurring event in my life...?

It was a strange feeling of lost...

...when I was on my way back to the US. I knew what to expect in Seattle -- where I was initially staying, my friends, my mother, perhaps rain, perhaps sun, the inevitable job hunt, moving my things. Though, it still felt extremely odd, and a strange feeling of lost, to be on the flight from London to NYC. It was as if my previous life and what I'd previously known was waving at me from afar, and yet I couldn't recognize it and I pretty much knew I didn't want to re-approach it. [Of course, the exception to this is seeing my friends and my mother.]

It was also weird to know that this Grand Adventure of mine had drawn to a close. The lifestyle of moving around [on average] every 4-5 days was quite normal for me. Imagining being in a city for six or seven months was startling and [not necessarily in a good way] shocking.

[As a side note, I must admit that I was looking forward to being able to unpack my bags and not have to lock them up every day before leaving my hostel or hotel.]

Though, it goes without saying that I am looking forward, very much so, to putting some much-needed cash in my bank accounts. All the signs indicate I will be working probably within a week, and I'm strangely looking forward to that (see money note above). Of course, I had some money set aside for my return stateside. The quicker I start working, though, the more of that money will be siphoned into my Pay Off Part of the Credit Card Debt and Return to Europe funds. I know I plan on teaching, yet I still want to have more money than will cover my airfare and a month or two of living in Eastern Europe.

But back to my US re-entry. I managed to beat the worst of the jetlag within 24 hours. Initially, travelling from early in the UK morning until midway through the PST evening seemed like a horrid way to spend a day (I really loved the British Airways flight from NYC to London -- leaves at 9pm EST and arrives at 9am GMT). In the end, my flight back worked out quite well. My hideous NYC layover was eased by the arrival of my oldest friend at JFK, and we went to lunch and spent about two hours together. I love my friends. By the time I boarded my flight from NYC to Seattle, the initial jetlag was already hitting, and once I arrived in Seattle, I was able to stay up for a few hours and go to sleep at a normal time for me (midnight-ish+). Woke up at 5am the next day, took a couple naps, and by Wednesday was back to my 'normal' schedule.

Perhaps that was a little long in the description, but there you go. I don't know that I've ever mentioned it, but I do not compose these entries in advance, and I very rarely go back and alter anything other than a typo. I just sit and write and whatever is written is just that.

I pretty successfully avoided most culture shock my first week by not venturing outside of my friend's house, unless I was with her or on my way to see friends. I did precious, precious little wandering around downtown or anywhere else. And I tend to believe that by secluding myself in that way, I managed to help beat the culture shock I knew was waiting for me. I must admit, though, that I am still shocked at the outright rudeness and imperialistic attitudes sported by much of the population here. As an example, earlier this evening I walked to the local grocery store, and a woman and I were about to walk into each other. She moved slightly, I moved a little more. My hand-carried basket lightly touched hers. I looked at her and said 'sorry'. She didn't look at me and said 'yes.' Hunh?

So, I know this is probably not the level of detail some of you may have expected or wished for, but this is at it is right now. If you really want to know more or have specific questions, please do write to me via the link on the sidebar.

As to my last week or so, I've house/dog-sitted for the last few nights (for the woman I will be moving in with (in a truly wonderful house, on a street about nine blocks from the street I grew up on); gone on a date; finished Harry Potter 6 (and absolutely can't wait until the final one -- it will be truly amazing); found out I will be contacted for an interview for a couple month contract job (and I've been assured the interview is more of a formality, as I'm a shoo-in for one of the positions); sorted and got rid of more of what I packed from my apartment; moved most of the remaining boxes to their new home in another friend's basement (again, behold the power of good friends -- especially ones who say that if they sell their house, they will personally move your boxes to a storage facility). OK, so while I really didn't move the boxes, I hired the guy who did that and hired a van that a friend drove. [as another side note: I've learned the beauty of hiring people to do the things you don't want to be bothered with. If for $12/hour, you can hire a strapping young man to handle the work of moving boxes heavy with books or other items, why on earth would you do it yourself?? !que bombone!

So now, I'm off to hopefully find a copy of my last resume on my computer and spiff and update it up a bit so I can have a fresh copy for my interview. It also sounds like I would likely start working within days. Oh, the joy expressed by my bank accounts!!!

And yes, dear reader, that means that I must finally decide on the new blog name, as this blog will definitely end when I begin working. For that will mean no more leisure for me.

For the time being, that is.

Back in the USSA

Heh. So, sorry I haven't written this week.

Though, I've decided to maintain this particular blog until I start working. It makes sense, as that will most officially be the end of leisure for me...

This week has been filled with some lovely, non-jetlagged sleep, seeing a few friends and buying the Harry Potter 6 book last night at midnight. Oh, and I've thrown myself into a little online dating. The first round was a bust, though I think there is at least one [rather attractive by his photos] guy that I will be meeting. He dances.

While it may be surprising, I haven't experienced much in the way of culture shock. Though, I've also done a rather nice and effective job of sheltering myself this week. I'm staying at the house of one of my best friends, and have only been leaving to meet other people.

I can tell you though, that I'm still disgusted by the level of morbid obesity here and the level of blatant and careless rudeness here.

Though, I've also been rather culture shock'd by the homeless population here in Seattle. There is a lot less homelessness in Europe and the beggars there behave a lot differently than in the US. They tend to be more docile and humble, instead of breathing fumes of cheap booze in your face and looking you in the eye.

In any case, I need to get going on HP. There's a contest going between a couple friends and I, as to who will finish first...

The one cool thing of travelling so much yesterday

...is that I saw friends in three cities, on two continents, in three different time zones yesterday. I shared hugs with all three.

This is really, really cool (and unusual for anyone).

Safe and sound and jetlagged

So, I lied. There will be more than one more post to this blog. There is just so much to say and I don't want to just work on writing the Mother of All Blog Posts.

I'm back. I'm jetlagged (woke up at 5am...though, part of that was do to a cat licking my neck (and no, that isn't a metaphor for anything, it really happened)). It's weird to be back in the US. Very weird. So many people are incredibly fat and incredibly rude. I can already feel the culture shock waiting to rear its head once I go out and about in the city.

I wrote on my flights until my pen exploded, and left with with massive ink stains on my hands and the seat next to me (thankfully unoccupied). I don't quite know how I will divide what I've been writing about between this blog and the next, but it's coming. I promise.

I'm piggybacking on someone's wireless right now. I think it's my friend's immediate neighbor, but I'm not sure.

Back in the US less than 24 hours and I'm already breaking rules...

Last Saturday in Europe

Today, went to visit St Paul's Cathedral with my friend here in London. He illicitly took many photographs in the Cathedral (insert Mission Impossible theme music here...). It's an incredibly beautiful cathedral, and even burnt-out-as-I-am on cathedrals, I'm glad I visited.

I've bought a new suitcase, and it is full. Which is scary to think I've bought that much stuff. Especially since I have sent a couple small packages back to Seattle, here and there. So it goes.

Tonight, not exactly sure what I'm doing. Definitely going to dinner, maybe a movie and another walk around.

London seems back to normal. Though, I rode the tube a couple times today, and it was remarkably empty for a Saturday. It even went through the Edgware station, which was a bit uneasy for me, and my friend and I just looked at each other when the station was announced.

So. I'm off to call one of my best friends (and probably, I'll be waking her up...heh), and then write in my personal journal and then decide what I'll be doing this evening.

I suppose it's obvious I'm a bit tired. Went out for dinner and a couple drinks with my friend last night, and stayed up much later than necessary, watching British tv.

I will definitely be kicking the tv habit when I return to the US....

The morning after

...and most things seem back to normal. Bus service re-started yesterday evening, and the tube is running in several places.

Not like I'm planning on taking public transport right now, though.

It seems like I heard an above-average number of ambulance sirens this morning, from my hotel. Though, I'm fairly close to St. Mary's Hostpital, which is where most of yesterday's casualties were taken.

I've also heard helicopters flying over Paddington several times so far today. The Paddington tube stop is only one stop from Edgware, where one of the bombs went off.

It looks like most everyone is going about their business as normal, and I intend to do the same. Which means buying a couple dvds for a friend, and a suitcase for all the things I've bought and stored at my friend's flat.

As a side note, I will admit to being more than a little bit nervous about flying to NY on Monday. Though, I try to reassure myself that:

1. Now is the safest time to be flying from London, what with the massive extra security everywhere now;
2. British Airways has an impeccable flight record;
3. Once I'm on the plane, there's very little I can do. If fate steps in, then fate steps in.

So. Am off now, and will write something more later, after I've been out in the city.

These shoes were made for walking, and they're going to walk London again.

London, interrupted...but only temporarily

So, I've just spent the last two hours or so walking around part of London. Not as many people are walking down the streets; the buses are running again and packed with people; TONS of people are crammed into the pubs and bars; many shops and restaurants and other businesses closed early.

I've been taking pictures of all the closure signs on businesses. None of them actually say they are closed because of the "bombings", but because of the "incidents" of the day, or the "transportation difficulties", or something equally polite and oblique. I have about ten so far, and I hope to get some more before heading back to my hotel.

I didn't get a great deal of sleep last night (I was enjoying an evening alone...), and after walking for miles and miles today (I did a lot of walking after initially getting here), I'm rather exhausted and my ankle can't take much more.

I'm very interested to see how London is tomorrow. My sense is that as much as possible, everything will be at normal. Otherwise, obviously, the terrorists will have succeeded.

OK. Off to find a snack and then back to my hotel so I can climb the three narrow, semi-steep flights to my tiny room and watch tv that I can actually understand when the dialogue is rapid...

Again, Long Live London.

I'm in London and safe

I took the Eurostar from Paris to London late this morning. The main bombings happened before I left Paris, and I didn't hear about them until well after the train departed from Paris. All the information I had was gained by eavesdropping on some phone calls of a British couple in the seats in front of me.

All public transportation in Central London is closed, and the streets are flooded with people walking and trying to catch taxis. I had to queue for nearly 90 minutes (at the train station) for the taxi I took to my hotel.

One of my friends here in London went through one of the bombed tube stations less than an hour before it was bombed. My hands were shaking when I got off the phone with him.

It's such a bittersweet day, as yesterday was so full of jubilation because London won the bid for the 2012 Olympic games.

Long Live London!

From the mailbag: aka, what I really think about the end of my trip

So, I just responded to an email from a friend, and as I was writing my response, I realized it would make a good post for the blog.

The question was:

"How do you feel now that your trip is coming to an end?"

Now, I know I've written about being listless and the shopping, but I don't know that I've concisely or fully answered this question for you, my dear blog readers.

In general, I'm (of course) sad that this is ending. On the other hand, I'm greatly looking forward to seeing my friends and my mother, and putting some money in to my bank accounts. Since I'm also planning on returning to Europe in February (yes, I'm personally aware of how cold it is then...) to try my hand at teaching English in Prague, it feels like this return to the US is merely a little interruption of my Grand Adventure. And as C-E pointed out a couple times, when one thing stops, another thing starts, and that when returning to Seattle starts, I can start planning the beginning of the next holiday/my teaching adventure in Prague.

Which brings me to: while I was writing the email to my friend, I realized that the beginning of this trip marked an enormous turning point in my life. This may sound obvious and I think I had an idea of this when I started the trip, yet it's now just really sinking in, just how big this change is and how much this trip has affected my life. Even if for some reason (brilliant job, grand love affair, ???) I don't return to Europe as planned in February (or so), my life is forever changed. Especially if I return to Europe, it will further illustrate how much my life has changed since I came up with the idea for this trip while sitting on the malecon one morning in La Paz, Baja (Mexico). While I could be sitting reading someone else's blog, in a condo that I've recently purchased (which, if I haven't mentioned it, was the option I had -- put money into property or take this trip...taking the trip was a very, very quick decision), I'm not. And I am so very, very glad that I didn't let anyone sway my decision to take this trip (and people tried) and that I didn't let anyone else's doubts that I would actually make this trip (several people either said this or behaved in a way that made it obvious they felt this way) influence me with their views. I'm eternally thankful to the friends who stood behind me every step of the way, and never once doubted that I would make this dream of a trip a reality. Granted, this trip is not the original version I planned (that involved hitchhiking on sailboats...), but I made the trip. I created a Grand Adventure for myself and lived a life I had only read about and dreamed about before. Yes, I had a certain amount of [healthy] fear about making this trip. Though, I feel stronger for having jumped into the unknown and created the life I've lived.

I also know now, more than ever, that living in a foreign country is a high priority for me. Whether I do it by teaching English, or by finding an international job, or by marrying a foreign national (hey, it could happen) or finding a couple million dollars somewhere, this is the next Big Thing that will happen in my life.

So, here's to me having created something fantastic and incredible, and to me planning the next stop of the Grand Adventure I started last year.

Cheers. Salute. Sante. Salud. Chink chink.

It ain't over yet.

How very funny

I'm sitting in an internet cafe in a Paris suburb. In the cafe, a couple people are arguing in a mix of French and Arabic, and the woman uses "Que boluda!" in the middle of the argument. Of course, that got my attention...since I know what that is.

I've used the masculine form of this in my blog, back in the Buenos Aires Days. It's not very nice, and it's a particularly South American (or so I've been led to believe) insult. The Lonely Planet (boo, hiss) guide to Argentina lists it as a particularly Argentinian insult, and a Colombian guy I met knew what it was, too.

It's just particularly funny to listen to an argument in Arabic and French, and then hear a South American insult thrown in.

Though, I want to learn how to swear in Italian, so maybe it's not all that strange.

Or, learning some insults in Arabic would be really cool.

The possibilities are elegant and boundless!

New blog: Coming Soon!!

In anticipation of this "year" of mine coming to an end, albeit a month or two early, I've created another blog. I've enjoyed recording my life via this blog, and from what friends and virtual friends have said, they've enjoyed reading about my life, too. So, this is to say that mid-July will not be the end of my blogging days!

The new blog is linked on the sidebar, and content will start appearing in it in a couple weeks. I know people forget things, so I'll post another message about this after my final YOL post.

Please update your links!

On needing a break from vacations

So, I am starting to realize I have travelled a little too long without a proper break. Granted, there was the two-week stretch in Varna, but one of those weeks was spent critiquing a manuscript, so it wasn't all Lie In the Watery Sun and Pretend The Beach and Sun is Hot kind of week. You can only travel so long without stopping for a little while. Or, at least this is what I have discovered is true for myself. I've become a bit numb to seeing beautiful things, and this feels like a crime when I'm in cities with many beautiful things to see.

I'm back to listless again. I have no desire to see any of the monuments or museums in Paris (whether I've visited them before or not). Well, I kinda wanted to revisit the Musee d'Orsay today, but I've been fairly tired and fighting a tiny cold...so I didn't go.

Though, I will admit going in to the city with the express desire of buying a handbag I saw a few times and have thought about frequently. I bought the last one (though, not in the raspberry-red color I coveted). I also sent a few lightweight, but bulky clothes items home. The backpack is just about bursting, after the shopping I've done here, and I just don't feel like getting the extra bag [I know I will need before flying back to the US] here, and lugging them both to London. The lazy bit of me would rather pay to mail things back, and deal with buying the extra luggage in London. I just can't be bothered with such things right now.

I also realize that had I not needed to change my return date by a couple weeks, that I would be languishing on the beach in Portugal.

So, now I'm off to languish on the bed of my Paris hotel room, and think about things like "do I go to London tomorrow or Thursday?" and "do I call C-E and see if he is free tonight...?"

Decisions, decisions.

Merci beaucoup!

So, it goes something like this:

After lunch, a movie [Sin City] and a walk through the Tuileries, I stopped and sat on a bench next to the Seine. When I started to walk towards the train station, a guy on a bike [that I couldn't see] said something to me in French. I ignored it. Then he said something to me in English. And I ignored that. Then, he started walking his bike alongside me. My, I was pleased to discover how attractive he is! Of course, we went for a beer, and it was a MUCH nicer time than the beer I had on Saturday night. All I could think about was kissing him...(that he bears a resemblance to Liev Schrieber only made me want to kiss him even more...)

And yes, this was the prelude to Holiday Romance 3. It was wholly different from my other experiences, and I did new things and enjoyed them all. It was filthy in the best possible way...and that is all I will say about that. Though, he also played the guitar for me, and made me honey tea in the morning. Merci beaucoup C-E!

Now, the decision is whether to go back to my hotel to change my clothes and come back to Paris in the evening, or whether to continue walking around and just return in the evening. Je ne sais pas.

Vive l'amour a la 19ieme arrondissement!!!!

Saturday night in the St Germain

So, lazed about most of yesterday. Though, I did make it to a lavaderie so I could wash some clothes and have clean underwear.

In the evening, I took the train in to Paris, with the plan of walking around and perhaps seeing a movie. Seeing a movie was out, because the last train back is at midnight... So, I started walking down the St Germain. I paused to watch a sculptor sculpting vegetables (very lovely -- think of it as temporary art, like a bouquet of flowers), and was fairly promptly asked by a man to join him for a drink.

No, dear reader, this recent convert to the pleasures of Holiday Romance did not have a Parisian HR. There were different little red flags that came up, and I decided that he was not the best man for more HR for me. He was nice enough and interesting enough, but the seduction technique (if it can even be called that), was rather poor, and mentioning that you think you might be an alcoholic: not the best way to pick up a woman...

Still, it was a nice evening and it was pleasant to drink a couple drinks in a cafe on the Rue St Germain, have an interesting a varied conversation (art to politics to travelling to jobs to me explaining what Amazon.com is to a non-computer user) and watching the people walk by the cafe.

Am now off to go in to Paris and see a movie, and (probably) visit Les Tuileries -- aka My Favorite Paris Park.

Bon journee!

Bits and pieces

I have discovered it *is* still possible for me to walk too much and have a sore foot. I've walked quite a bit the last few days, mostly without my ankle/foot brace, and I'm paying the price. And, I was walking with the brace today. I'd had a thought of going to a movie tonight (I haven't seen a new one in ages, mostly because the countries I've been in dub foreign movies, instead of subtitle them). Though, I'm feeling rather tired and the muscles are a bit sore (and no, they're not sore from me perusing the sale racks in the shops...), and I'm thinking French tv and an early night are just the thing.

Today, I also met the friend of a friend for lunch and a bit of a walk. Interesting to meet someone who is just starting a 13-month trip -- and at this point he's planning on spending all the time in Europe. My mind boggles at the possibilities of that. To be able to have so much time here, and to be able to stay someplace for a few weeks or a month, and still have plenty of time for other places....mmmmmm....blissful!

A little bit about the neighborhood of my hotel: [I mean this in the nicest possible way] It is Immigrant Town. I am certainly one of the few white people walking around. Though, it is different than the immigrant neighborhoods I saw in Italy or Germany, as the residents here are not first generation immigrants, as they all speak French as native speakers. I've found some lovely Turkish food and I have a very nice relationship with the guys in the internet cafe. They charge me about 1/2 the going rate for the internet, and round down when I use for less than a 30 minute block of time.

During my time in Paris, I've managed to avoid running in to many tourists. The main exception to this is when I'm going to or from my RER (regional transit train) stop in Paris. The station is located very close to Notre Dame. Otherwise, I've mostly been brushing elbows with French ladies in the shops, and random French people on the streets. I've been mistaken for French more than a few times, and I've had a couple very brief conversations in French (thankfully, my French has resurfaced in my mind, since I arrived in Paris, and it hasn't been mixed with too much Spanish...).

Every time I go in to Paris, I see the Eiffel Tower from the train, and cross the Seine in a couple different places.

I saw a parked car with a window bashed in, and with a stereo conspicuously absent, on my way to the internet cafe just now.

While I've received a number of comments from men on the street (along the lines of "vous etes tres jolie"), I have not found a Frenchman for romance. Which is just as well as I'm PMS'ing a bit and have been periodically cranky over the last few days. I've stocked up on chocolate from the local grocery store.

There has been very cool weather, and some rain, the last two days in Paris. It makes it easier for walking around, and certainly for trying on clothes (since it is certainly no fun to try and determine if something is just a bit tight, or if it's just stuck to your skin...). It's also nice to sleep under the covers, instead of just lying on top of the comforter.

So. Sorry if this seems like a bit of a telegraph post. I realized I've only been writing about shopping-related things, and wanted to add a little variety. And I readily admit I'm rather tired and flow of writing is not high on my list of abilities right now. I haven't written in my personal journal since my last full day in Milan. Shame on me!

And finally, I'm off to call my mother, as it's her birthday today and while I'm on the other side of the world from her, I'm not a neglectful child...

Happy Birthday Mom!