Mad as hell Remember the scene in Network, with Peter Finch yelling “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take this anymore?” That was me, yesterday, railing over meter madness and an undeserved parking ticket, determined to “fight city hall,” despite the odds. Guess what – it worked! (If you didn’t read this morning’s […]
Meter, meter, tourist eater?
We have a SLEW of sayings to get through days when nothing seems to go right. Life isn’t fair… Tomorrow is another day… When life gives you lemons, make lemonade… and when someone’s “done you wrong” – remember: pick your battles… Then there’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. Parking ticket trauma Yesterday I […]
Fly in the Ointment for Flying Bus?
I do love my daily dose of international internet news… France-Soir and The Telegraph are reporting on Ryanair, the low-cost Irish airline, and its recent service-slashing proposals that would really put the bus into Airbus! Are you ready to climb aboard, fasten your belt, but without seat backs in the upright position? Why? Because there […]
Cruise Control
It’s drizzling, and still only half light, 6:00 a.m. I need to shower and dress, to drink the first cup of coffee. Dreams are drifting in and out: old friends, improbable scenarios, places I’ve never seen that are vaguely European. The dog is sleeping, stretched on the floor next to my bed. I hear her […]
Competitive Kids, Competitive Parents
How much competitiveness should we encourage in our children, and at what age? How competitive should we be with our kids? Our go go go society We know the tales of waiting lists, reference letters and expensive testing – all to get toddlers into the right preschools. Never too early to get our children properly […]
Personal politics, urban dictionary style, six ways from Sunday.
Yep. I love Urban Dictionary. It suits me, despite the fact that its lingo is harder to master than a Slavic soumise. But I can live and learn, look and learn, listen and learn. And examine our political landscape with fresher (albeit irreverent) eyes six ways from Sunday. This morning, staring down a stack of […]
Pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles? Not always.
“Pas de nouvelles… bonnes nouvelles, comme dit le proverbe.” No news is good news, as the proverb says. But is the proverb true? Or is no news just… no news? No news is no news In the case of an overseas friend who hadn’t written or called in awhile, it was true. Tout allait bien; […]
Nek Chand’s Mosaic People, Meg Ryan’s Hair
I am wandering a darkened hallway. Somewhere, the sun is rising. I know it is morning, but the arches and carved stone go on and on like this interminable day of subways and airport shuttles, staring at tracks and walls that begin to tighten around me, more suffocating with each passing minute, the train, now, […]
Word: Le mot juste ou juste un mot
It must be morning, somewhere. But not here. Where then? Where I am. Here. Now. This place. In your head ? Word. What? Word. You know – “you’re good, you’re fine.” WORD. What does that mean? I just told you. You’re good. You’re fine. Well said. Mais qu’est-ce que tu as ? T’as oublié tes medicaments, toi ? […]
The Metamorphosis: Mrs. Kafka and the Storage Closet
Awake at 4:30. Something is awry. Sleep again. Restless. Waking, as I try to roll over. Armor back. Trying to sit up. Burning thighs. Bristling, twitching legs. So many of them. What’s happening? Lifting my head to see. Throwing the covers off. My body appears in brown sections – my abdomen, divided and ridged. My […]