Shyness is Nice, But…
I watched the boy watching the girl. He is cute, but with a very young face. He’s outfitted with the narrow black jeans and black hooded jacket of most guys … Continue reading
Nervous Vienna Notes.
Well, I confess: I’m working on a longer something-or-other that may-or-may-not be book-shaped, and it’s been taking a lot of my energy. I found this week I wasn’t really watching … Continue reading
When It Begins
I always loved twilight: it was the only time I had the feeling that something important could happen. All things were more beautiful bathed in twilight, all streets, all squares, … Continue reading
Seatmate
On the train from Novi Sad to Budapest, a woman parks herself right next to me, though half of the train is empty. Perhaps she wants a guaranteed seat next … Continue reading
What the Heart Wants
“I’m weak when I fall in love,” she says. “I walk on air. I lose my appetite. I can’t think straight. I’m not one to be sensible. My heart has … Continue reading
The Impatient Italians and the Fighting Irish
In Medjugorje, there’s a crowd of people entering the church, praying at the grotto, climbing steep hills in prayer. It’s a place of retreat, usually quiet, usually peaceful. This morning … Continue reading
Prints
It’s the Department of Motor Vehicles, so no one is really crossing any items off their Bucket List around here. The lack of enthusiasm shows in glum faces, distant stares, … Continue reading
Why My Nieces Get Books for Christmas (And My Eerie Paul Street Boys Coincidence)
The influence of early books is profound. So much of the future lies on the shelves… -Graham Greene. A Sort of Life. On my last trip to Europe, one of … Continue reading
You Can Lead Your Friends to Water, But You Cannot Make Them Mmm.
The girl is drilling her classmates, a circle of international students sharing at a table at the university food court. She wears black hipster glasses and a puffy coat. Her … Continue reading
Booklove
Lost in my dreams, I somehow cross at the traffic signals, never bumping into street lamps or people, yet moving onward, exuding fumes of beer and grime, yet smiling, because … Continue reading
Give It Away
They arrive in a giant collection truck with the charity name printed on the side. When the man throws open the back door, it is already half-full of bags of … Continue reading
The Top Ten Search Terms: Seek and Ye Shall Find
Last year, I posted the most frequent search terms that led people to my blog. It used to seem quite random–for example, “Chuck Norris Drowns a guy in Rice” led … Continue reading
Visiting Hours
At the prison outside Vienna, Austria, the visiting room is an open space: a sort of junior high craft room with long tables and church-like wooden benches. There is no … Continue reading
Cheers.
At the border crossing from Croatia into Bosnia, my bus pulls to a stop next to a bus parked and pointed in the opposite direction. There’s an elderly couple in … Continue reading
Charge!
The most pernicious aspect of procrastination is that it can become a habit. We don’t just put off our lives today; we put them off till our deathbed. Never forget: … Continue reading
Poll: What Might Make The Nice Thing Nicer?
This week I realized that The Nice Thing About Strangers has been up and running for just over two years. Glory! I started this project hoping to get some use … Continue reading
Sweet Kids. The Airplane Edition.
Before we board, the mother in the pink Adidas t-shirt leaves her two daughters with her husband as she storms away to take a call, announcing to the gate area, … Continue reading
Without a Hitch
You only get married for the first time once. –Zlata’s Diary. Zlata Filipovic
Places I’ve Gone on Account of a Book
I read a book one day and my whole life was changed…Where were the kindred spirits with whom I could talk? Where was the country in which I’d find the … Continue reading
Tell Me.
There was a storytelling code of solidarity—you did not sabotage someone else’s narration if it was satisfying to the audience, or you could expect one of your stories to be … Continue reading
The Nice Thing About Strangers 