Paris is not burning

Four days later and I'm finally done with all the photos. There are 34 pics of me and the family in Paris uploaded here. Contrary to popular opinion, Paris was NOT burning during the first part of November. Many of our friends left us emails and voicemail messages expressing concern, but all the conflagrations you saw on the news were in the suburbs, not the city center. See for yourself. The most drama we had was when JC was pickpocketed by a little Gypsy girl on the subway in Rome.

Tonight I had a short text message conversation with a friend from Thailand who recently moved to the U.S. to marry a guy in Kansas City. I've been wondering how she was adjusting, since she'd never been out of Thailand before and now all of a sudden she's married and...in Kansas City.

Thai Friend: Hey Man what r u doing on friday night?Otake care.
Me: Hi! Just got back from Europe, still jetlagged, going to gym. How've u been?
Thai Friend: we going to the elk club...again. Oh god!!
Me: HAHA! Don't really know what that is, but I feel sorry for u.
Thai Friend: Elk club is drunk old man with funny had.

I really do feel sorry for her, but still, the thought of her in an Elks lodge with a bunch of "drunk old man with funny had" made me LOL.

Home again, home again, jiggidy-jig!

Back to LA, after a few weeks in Rome and Paris. I've uploaded 48 pics of Rome, and I'll do Paris soon, too. It just takes awhile to resize them in Photoshop, since sometimes I get carried away with cropping and adjusting contrast levels. Goddamn, I feel low. Post-travel weltschmertz never gets any easier. In fact, it seems to get harder with every trip.

The loft is in dire need of a thorough autumn cleaning, but I just can't find the motivation to get anything done.