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Saturday, January 30, 2010

snow

You know one thing I love about snow? Besides the obvious of course, of it just being snow and so warranting my love to begin with.

The quiet.

Logan Circle by you.

It has been snowing now nearly all day since I've been up, and shortly after it started, I shut off my computer and curled up with my book to read. And a calm quiet settled in my apartment, and even in the hallway where I hardly heard anyone stirring. It was as though my building decided to stay inside with the heat, our large windows and just enjoy a day of...well...doing nothing.

But even when I stepped outside to pick up a few items for the rest of the weekend, it struck me just how quiet it was outside. With the snow still falling, there weren't many cars out, and those that were drove slowly. The people around kept their voices down, like talking would break the mesmerizing spell of the snow.

And you know...it's kind of nice.

I'm back home now, I've finished my book and am sitting here with a cup of sipping chocolate, back at work on editing, and the snow is coming down harder now for a spell. And while it has been an extremely unproductive day, it has been one of the best days I've had in awhile.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

pedestrian friendly

I generally try to keep complaints away from here, but there have been two very similar incidences within the last few weeks that I feel like I should share. Those of us who live in very pedestrian heavy cities have, I'm sure, had the few encounters of people ignoring the pedestrian right of way. And now I'm not talking about the given, but the hard-to-deny right of way. You know, when the traffic going the direction you're going has a green light and you have the little white man. Not even the flashing orange hand. Hard to argue that.

The last two weeks, I have had two instances where the driver with a red light wanted to turn right. So not only have they inched forward to almost obscure the crosswalk, but they're not even looking on their right side, only the left. Once there's a break in traffic, however small, they drop a weight on the gas and speed forward to make their turn.

Only...there's a person there. Namely me.

In all the years I've lived here, there have been several similar instances. But both of these were very, very close and happened so close together. And in both instances, had I not stepped back (or more appropriately, jumped back with a shout of surprise) I would have gotten clipped. Now in the first case, the driver did see me even if she'd already nearly hit me, and apologized through the windshield profusely. This driver also stopped and let me continue crossing (how nice since I had the 'green' light).

The second instance was a little different. After about three cars had turned right, well before I reached the point of collision, the fourth driver who nearly hit me swerved only a little (and I also sped up the second I got over my initial surprise) and sped past me. And did I even get a "sorry," through the windshield from the driver or the passenger? Nope.

My point is this. If you live in a pedestrian heavy area...please pay attention to us. Even a small clip to one of us can do some heavy damage. We don't have the protection of 3,000 pounds of car with air bags to protect us. It's just us and...well, your 3,000 pounds of car. If you have a red light and are trying to make a right turn...please remember to check your right side. Because there might just be one of us trying to get to work just as quickly as you are. We understand your hurry.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

first day in Paris

Only once can you experience Paris for the first time. I feel like I'd heard that somewhere, or read it, but it was what went through my mind as my plane descended into Charles de Gaulle and I was finally going to see the city that had captured my imagination and my heart for so many years.


And it didn't disappoint. Once you step out of the metro onto the street in the Latin Quarter, turning the corner to the tiny side street where the hotel is, you see the boutiques, the buildings with the iron balconies practically right up against the street, the narrow roads with the motorcycles and vespas, and then you think that...yes, I'm in Paris. Finalement!

I'd been expecting it to rain pretty much the entire time we were there. But this first day turned out to be a beautiful day. After dropping our bags and changing at the hotel, we headed up to the Seine to the Pont Royal and the Tuileries. This was from the start of a walking tour of the bridges that we thought would be a good introduction, only we got distracted by what was on the right bank after crossing the bridge. Across from the Tuileries was the Louvre, and then walking through the garden, after many pictures, of course, was the Place de la Concorde just before the
Champs-Élysées.

It turned out there was a holiday market there, and so we purchased a chocolate crêpe and then a cup of hot Christmas wine and strolled along the avenue, looking at all the trinkets for sale or the store fronts. And up ahead was the Arc de Triomphe, not yet lit up in the sunset. However, when we crossed to the other side, underground of course and not through that traffic, the sun had fully set and the Arc was lit up with the moon just above it.


The last stop of the night was the Tour Eiffel. You can't come to Paris without seeing it, at least not the first time. And now granted, you can see it from so many places around Paris, kind of like the Washington Monument here in DC. But it's not the same as looking up at it from its base.

Walking around Paris was not only a nice introduction our first afternoon there, but it was also a nice way to begin to get acclimated to the metro system. We took the metro to the Eiffel Tower and then back to our hotel, switching lines as needed. And of course there was the initial ride in the morning from the airport where we had to switch to the RER and then to the metro.


Even from just that one afternoon, I knew that I wanted to come back. The first trip to Paris is spent seeing all those wonderful things that have been talked about, filmed and photographed...all those images of Paris I'd seen throughout the years. But walking around, there are many more places to explore. And even of those places that everyone knows, there are more wings in the museums to discover, more boutiques to shop in, more cafes to try...


So yes. I'll be back. But in the meantime, I can relive my trip vicariously through these p
osts.

Saturday, January 02, 2010

new year

Happy New Year!

I know, I'm a day late, but I took yesterday off from pretty much everything to just chill. Well, I cooked and I wrote...and caught up on some reading too. I know...tough day, huh?

But I didn't make any resolutions. I think I've talked about this in year's past, but I'm not big on resolutions. If there's something I want to change, I'll try to just do it, no matter what time of year. But if I am trying to pick a day to start, I prefer my birthday. To me it just seems to make more sense thinking of what I want to accomplish during the next year of my life, rather than the next calendar year.

I also have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a good year, and that's not just hoping that there's truth to the power of positive thinking. For one, it just sounds good. You know? Twenty-ten, vs. two thousand and nine. Although I do have to say that last year's going to be a little tough to top. For starters...I finally went to Paris in 2009, something I'd dreamed about since before the two-thousands. That alone is going to be hard to beat.

But it's a new year...a decade marker. I'm sure I'll come up with something. Italy? Or I've been leaning towards Ireland too.

I'm looking forward to it. It just seems kind of surreal to be writing 2010 already. Where did the last year go?