The Joy of Forgetting
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
This morning I took my notebook out for a date at the park. We had a delightful time. I ran a pen…
The Anticipation of Memory
To a certain extent he took comfort in the inevitable and when they sat down to dinner he could already, a little, look upon her as a lovely fragment of … Continue reading
Shoulder to Shoulder
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
On the winding road down the Croatian coast, a couple gazes toward the turquoise sea one usually only glimpses in movies. She…
The Nod
Waiting in the Arrivals Lounge, they stand, they gaze toward the gate area. A woman in bright white shoes tugs at the hem of her shirt in the wait, adjusts … Continue reading
Get It Back
“Happiness, that’s what life’s about, it’s your job to be happy, not to spread gloom and despair all round. Don’t be so selfish. Get your courage back, get your narcissism … Continue reading
Palms
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
Two small boys track the line of workers trimming the palm trees. The men in green jumpsuits stare up at the man-lift. The…
The 400th Post: Something So Perfect.
The fact that I am publishing the 400th blog post is totally amazing to me. This all started as a way to sort through notes from my travels. Since then, … Continue reading
Hip
A little old man offers to take their picture. He’s exiting the restaurant with his wife. Outside, a woman is snapping a shot of a very tall man who just … Continue reading
Weight Weight…Don’t Tell Me
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
Waiting for a three a.m. flight after their vacation, the couple weigh themselves on an airport baggage scale. She giggles before stepping…
Your Easter Dresses, Love Grandma.
Grandma is buying the girls a pair of Easter dresses–the fluffier the better. Her two granddaughters stand close and grin. They love the dresses; Grandma adores the dresses. One is … Continue reading
The City of Strangers
He had this voice so deep it rumbled along the back beams of the bench we were sharing. I arrived very early for an appointment and thought I should sit … Continue reading
So, Thank You.
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
Flirting with the narrator was a sure way into the story. He must have known this, though certainly half her age. He…
Office Decoration and The Pencil
Pnin purchased for three dollars a faded, once Turkish rug. With the help of the janitor he screwed onto the side of the desk a pencil-sharpener–that highly satisfying, highly philosophical … Continue reading
There’s No Crying in the Vienna Airport
I’m crying in the airport. Just returning from a trip, feeling a bit overwhelmed with heartbreak and worry, it is nice to be back in familiar Vienna. I know how … Continue reading
Say Peynir!
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
From a spot in Gülhane park, one can keep a clear sight of the lines of people posing with the Atatürk statue.…
The Opportunity of Everyone
For the time being, by reflecting on what exactly the culture of human cooperation is, a culture that has, at its foundation, the idea that the other person has much … Continue reading
The Smartphone Slaughter of Small Talk
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
This was a job for the large round table in the sportsbar. The Grandmother seated herself between the mother-type woman and her…
Respect
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
I get to sit by him! The little old Japanese man I spotted back in the glacial airport check-in lines–he’s in my…
Finding Your Field
Life is whatever we conceive it to be. For the farmer who considers his field to be everything, the field is an empire. For a Caesar whose empire is never … Continue reading
Swiss Miss
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
The Zürich airport thinks it is better than you. It refuses to be a mere place for waiting to depart, refuses to be…
The Nice Thing About Strangers 