my own beat

My apologies for not writing sooner. I have been in Paris for the past four days for work (I go home today) and either too busy or too tired to write. And watching the global news doesn't get me as perturbed as watching the news at home (the bird's eye perspective? why is that?), so I also haven't thought to write.

The being in Paris thing sounds more exciting (and, yes, pretentious) than it is. I am here for a conference, which is situated directly across the street from my hotel. This means that I have actually seen very little of the city while I have been here - beyond the crosswalk and the construction on the road that divides me from either destination. Plus, well, traveling alone ain't what it used to be. The romance of the brave young traveler has been squashed by the desire to have someone around to laugh at my jokes.

Last night I realized I hadn't listened to music (my own, not the crap that was piped into the hotel lobby), which I am sure has contributed to my less than joyful state of mind. Thank G-d (and Steve Jobs) for enabling me to carry my entire music collection on my iPod (and my laptop). Really, Steve, I can't thank you enough.

On this same (music) note, this morning I realized that I had not seen a single person walking down the street with an ipod (or any other music player), quite different from my daily walk to and from work in DC, where everyone seems to be, literally, marching to their own beat.

G-d bless the US of A.