Europe. More accurately, UK, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and Germany. I can't even attempt to express how I feel about this. Even thought I have taken this trip before, just being there makes me feel....scholarly, and perhaps a little more worldly, in the good way. I do wish I could live over there, even if just for a few months. I'd actually love for my son to attend school over there for a while. I think being anywhere other than north America just makes the world feel smaller and perhaps in a way more real. The last time I took this trip, I remember thinking
how old, or rather how historical Britain was as we drove through parts of London having prewar and post war architecture side by side. France was remarkably historical, since they sold out to the Nazis in order to remain untouched. I guess what became even more clear was how young the USA is.
I went to DC shortly thereafter and realized how much of France is there, in the buildings and even just the road design. I always thought that being on the Mall in DC was like a time portal, as that was the mall so many leaders looked upon and walked on prior. Europe just amplifies that feeling 20 fold. How can you not be inspired by justp being where such beautiful art, architecture, and the ghosts of great people are?
That being said, the yin to that Yang is the fact that I am not bi or in any way multi lingual. Here, that's neither here nor there. It's most annoying when you can't tell whether the manicurist or the Spanish restaurant folks are talking about you. There, it really makes me feel uneducated. Almost everyone speaks more than one language.
Even as I type this on this idiotic smart phone, I think one of the greatest attractions is to a life of simpler times. Maybe not nicer of more convenient, but simpler.
And I best stop here before this phone flies through the window.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Is it right to write?
Ah the usual time lapse. Time to begin my summer ramblings.
I have reached that time of year where I again feel like I have a life that is mostly my own instead of being lent to me from work. This is the time where I reorganize the house, find the floor that I lost sometime after January, watch more movies than healthy, and sleep to my heart's content. In this organizational frenzy I collect bags and bags of things to be given away, things I had thought lost, and forgotten things.
When I lived on the east coast I was not working full time and I loved to send cards - birthday, anniversary, Mother's Day, Father's Day, funny greetings, brief hellos, etc. I found the box in which I would collect these cards so that I had them to send at a moment's notice - and purchase them when on sale. Be it known that now I cringe at the necessity to purchase a card. $4-$5 for something that will be acknowledge for usually no more than a week and then disposed. I'd rather give the recipient cash or take them for a drink than spend that much money on something so...... disposable. But, I do miss the hand written sentiment.
Do you remember in school when you might relish or fear the thoughts that were passed on notes in the classroom? How you'd love to see the "He likes you" or "Want to meet after school" or "I think you're cute" or fear the "you stink" or "you're mean" or "he doesn't like you". Did you get birthday cards from family in your childhood? I did. Now, we used to always, pettily look for the cash within it, but it was so nice to get the cards too. College - ah, that was the era of writing for me. When I transferred schools, I used to keep in touch via letters containing the news of the time - all the good gossip. We did what Facebook and email are used for today. We never wasted postage on the sentiments on Twitter though. Hehehe, can you imagine that? Getting a letter that says " At the store. Out of Red Bull". That idea cracks me up personally.
But, now that I get to sit and think for a minute, and I sit next to these 3 small rubbermaid containers of stationary and cards, I feel a pang of guilt. When did life get so busy that you can't sit to write someone a brief hello or a statement of missing their presence? When did life get so petty or expensive that the postage for said letter trumps the personalness of writing it? Or have we all become so self protected that emails and Facebook keep things at arms length since it is technology and not from our own hand and meant for the world - or cyberspace?
I love stationary. I love the colors. I love cards - mostly the funny ones, but also the sentimental ones from time to time. I miss them, yet I know come late August I will feel them a burden more than a blessing.
I can't wait to go to Europe!! I can, as when I return that means that half my summer will be over, but I can't as it makes me need to write. My cell phone doesn't work in Europe and, if I manage to get one to use over there, it will be unGodly expensive to use often, so postcards and letters are the best way to communicate. Now, many of the letters written in the last 5 days won't even get to the states before I do, but hopefully the postage stamp will make up for that. Ahhhh, can't wait !!
If you want a letter or postcard, just let me know.I'll send you one. I don't mind the to-do list there, as, how many times do you get mail from London, Paris, Switzerland, Austria or Germany??? If you do get mail from those locals often, well good for you. The most exotic place I get mail from is a little town in Western Maryland. Although you might consider that somewhat foreign, it doesn't count.
When did it become so wrong to write?????
I have reached that time of year where I again feel like I have a life that is mostly my own instead of being lent to me from work. This is the time where I reorganize the house, find the floor that I lost sometime after January, watch more movies than healthy, and sleep to my heart's content. In this organizational frenzy I collect bags and bags of things to be given away, things I had thought lost, and forgotten things.
When I lived on the east coast I was not working full time and I loved to send cards - birthday, anniversary, Mother's Day, Father's Day, funny greetings, brief hellos, etc. I found the box in which I would collect these cards so that I had them to send at a moment's notice - and purchase them when on sale. Be it known that now I cringe at the necessity to purchase a card. $4-$5 for something that will be acknowledge for usually no more than a week and then disposed. I'd rather give the recipient cash or take them for a drink than spend that much money on something so...... disposable. But, I do miss the hand written sentiment.
Do you remember in school when you might relish or fear the thoughts that were passed on notes in the classroom? How you'd love to see the "He likes you" or "Want to meet after school" or "I think you're cute" or fear the "you stink" or "you're mean" or "he doesn't like you". Did you get birthday cards from family in your childhood? I did. Now, we used to always, pettily look for the cash within it, but it was so nice to get the cards too. College - ah, that was the era of writing for me. When I transferred schools, I used to keep in touch via letters containing the news of the time - all the good gossip. We did what Facebook and email are used for today. We never wasted postage on the sentiments on Twitter though. Hehehe, can you imagine that? Getting a letter that says " At the store. Out of Red Bull". That idea cracks me up personally.
But, now that I get to sit and think for a minute, and I sit next to these 3 small rubbermaid containers of stationary and cards, I feel a pang of guilt. When did life get so busy that you can't sit to write someone a brief hello or a statement of missing their presence? When did life get so petty or expensive that the postage for said letter trumps the personalness of writing it? Or have we all become so self protected that emails and Facebook keep things at arms length since it is technology and not from our own hand and meant for the world - or cyberspace?
I love stationary. I love the colors. I love cards - mostly the funny ones, but also the sentimental ones from time to time. I miss them, yet I know come late August I will feel them a burden more than a blessing.
I can't wait to go to Europe!! I can, as when I return that means that half my summer will be over, but I can't as it makes me need to write. My cell phone doesn't work in Europe and, if I manage to get one to use over there, it will be unGodly expensive to use often, so postcards and letters are the best way to communicate. Now, many of the letters written in the last 5 days won't even get to the states before I do, but hopefully the postage stamp will make up for that. Ahhhh, can't wait !!
If you want a letter or postcard, just let me know.I'll send you one. I don't mind the to-do list there, as, how many times do you get mail from London, Paris, Switzerland, Austria or Germany??? If you do get mail from those locals often, well good for you. The most exotic place I get mail from is a little town in Western Maryland. Although you might consider that somewhat foreign, it doesn't count.
When did it become so wrong to write?????
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