Concerto for Cello and Springs
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
An infant boy in red-footed-pajamas races down the moving sidewalk. His curly locks bounce as he bounds. Bystanders cringe as he nears…
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
It Takes One to Waltz
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
A boy in a hooded sweatshirt tips back his generic energy drink, then pauses under the illuminated sign for a dance studio.…
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
The Lost Tourist as Herself
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
Mothers walking with daughters needed time to assess whether to engage strangers, especially strangers who smiled too much and managed to turn…
The Hamam Opt-Out. Istanbul.
Because the idea of sitting in a hot room and being scrubbed by a stranger sounds more like Dante than vacation, I’m parked in the waiting room of the Turkish … 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
Bitte Schön
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
He stands up when the little old lady comes through the doors, since there are no available seats in his section of…
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
Packs of Blondes
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
Granted, it was a small sample, but from the Turkish TV dramas I’d watched in passive attempts to learn the language, all…
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
For the (Mean) Professor who told me to be Realistic
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
On a brilliant November day, my students talked me into teaching outside. So we were at an outdoor amphitheater on the Danube…
Just Enough
Post-fender-bender, the two men pull into the bus station parking lot to inspect the damage. Those of us waiting for buses watch with delight any activity that may pass the … Continue reading
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