October 30, 2004
villa borghese
One thing I notice– when you can’t understand or speak a foreign language very well, suddenly you start paying WAY more attention to body language, facial expression and gesture.
And you listen a lot more, of course…
Ther first line in Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer is “I am living in The Villa Borghese.”
The Villa Borghese is about 2 minute’s walk from where I now live, about 3 minutes from the cybercafe from where I’m writing this.
The neighborhood is called Montparnasse. It’s on The Left Bank. Here’s a nice wee photo.
Everybody asks me about George Bush. You’d think I knew the guy personally. As an American friend living in Paris recently said to me, “When I talk to a French guy for the first time, I don’t immediately start asking him all about Chirac.”
[RANDOM:] I have about 12 items on my list of things I want to do or see before I die. Just scratched one off the list. I find it almost hard to believe it actually happened. Hint: I lived in Boston as a boy in 1975. What happened in Beantown (and Cincinnatti) that year scarred me emotionally “for life”. Suddenly I find myself rather unexpectedly healed.
You mean you dont know George personally. Well if you meet my friend Peter (he moved out there a year ago) say hi for me.
how is Chirac?
a little tardy on that red sox news, i guess it takes awhile to cross over the pond…
the city is one big jubilant smile these days.
Bet they’ll blame you if Kerry or Bush wins and ask you why it happened!
Best change your accent pdq
I love this blog! I found it as a link on another blog I was surfing on Blog Explosion. Could you please send me your blog address so I can add it to my blogroll.
Thanks
Coco