When I was traveling in SE Asia, I took a trip that had two French people on it. They were amongst other Europeans and a couple of Canadians. Everyone on the trip pretty much ignored the older French man and his much younger companion, who I’d talked with a bit (in broken English and really broken French). The second day, though, I came to find out that everyone else on the trip thought they were a couple. Uh, no. It was a dad taking his daughter on a graduation trip. When I let them in on that fact, they responded with, “Well they are French…” insinuating that age is clearly not an issue for men with names like Pierre or ladies named Amelie.
Which brings me to last week. A few friends and I went to “French Tuesday,” which is basically a monthly mixer for Frenchies in New York and their friends. It was my first time to one of these, and another Asian-American gal in my group commented ahead of time that there would be lots of “older” Asian women there…the ones in their 40s (or 50s) going after the young French guys because of said un-taboo-ness. Sure enough…there were a few pacts of these snow leopards on the prowl…and the French blokes were being sussed out like fresh meat. It was like watching an Asian twist of American Pie’s milf scene.
Walking with a couple of teen girls the other day, they started making fun of some guy’s running form who zipped past us. Being the adult, I immediately tried to explain why they shouldn’t make fun of how people run. I told them how I went running earlier that day and people were laughing at me.
After much probing, they found out why. “Um…I don’t know how to tell you this. But maybe they weren’t laughing at the way you were running but about what you were wearing.”
I don’t know. I think I looked pretty hot running in Central Park the other day…
As January is (yet so far) only the second month in the past 20 months or so that my travel has been limited — overnight in DC being the only trip — I am bound and determined to do some traveling for moi soon. And although I will likely be traveling to Florida and India (for work) in the next six months, I want to take advantage of my recent love o’ running to knock off a couple of states that I have yet to see (there’s 15 on that list).
So…looking at my schedule, early May looks like the easiest time for me to run a half-marathon. The two that look the best for me are in Eugene, Ore. and Tacoma, Wa. Whichever one I do, I’d like to fly into either Seattle or Portland and out of the other…
In the meantime, though, I thought I’d get a little input from you, dear readers. Any advice on which city is better? Or better yet, have you run one of these and can tell me which route is better/more scenic?
So, I feel like I have a good reason for not writing all week. My brain has been a little MIA. Need proof?
1. I’ve recently been trying out neighborhood gyms because all the snow and ice made me afraid that running in the Park would be a health hazard. Me running on ice equals no bueno. So of course I try to run to a class at the gym last weekend and slip on the icy curb, plummeting into slushy mud. Alas, I did provide some nice laughter for the 10 people waiting for a bus across the street…and still made it to the class and only got about five bruises.
2. Later that day I accidentally punched a girl in the face while playing basketball. Add a bruised knuckle to the earlier bruise collection.
3. When I got off the train in Jersey last night, I walked more than a mile in the wrong direction. Luckily a friendly gal gave me a ride to the right place (and, yes, I took a ride with a stranger).
Let’s hope the long weekend provides me better coordination/direction.
1. Play games on your BlackBerry, making everyone else around you think you’re e-mailing constantly and are a very important person.
2. Avoid making eye contact with the other people at the bus stop because you don’t want them to think you’re like one of the psychos they see on Law & Order.
3. Pose with your friends by the new Miss America advertisements, making you look like you’re a pageant winner.
Seriously, though…am pretty excited for the Jan. 24 airing of said pageant. I’ve done a little scouting (for the watch party I plan on hosting), and I’m thinking California looks pretty strong this year…
…but reading. I am currently actively in the middle of two books (Breaking Dawn and Yes Man). I’ve got four other books (Love in the Time of Cholera, Obama’s first book, and two Best of American series books) I’ve started but have been taking my sweet time to finish. And just got a notice from the library that Malcolm Gladwell’s first two books are waiting for me there.
In light of last year’s beginning, I figured I’d give you my all-American highs, lows, and random memories from 2008.
Best Movie By/About Americans Watched: sadly Slumdog Millionaire can’t fit into the American part of this section. So I’m thinking that maybe 27 Dresses is the winner…it’s probably the only romantic comedy that’s ever been recommended to me by more than one guy
Best Book By/About Americans Read: Sold by Patricia McCormick
Best New American Pop Song: “Womanizer” by Britney Spears
Best Piece of Americana Found Abroad: probably finding the “Butterfly Song” in the hymnal in the small Indian town where nobody spoke English
Number of Americans Met While Traveling, That I Actually Have Kept in Touch with: 2
Number of Non-Americans Met While Traveling, That I Actually Have Kept in Touch with: 9
Number of Times I’ve Been Asked “Where are you from? No…where are you REALLY from?” (or an Equivalent): approximately 365
Number of Newly Used Pages in My Ol’ Blue Passport: 6
Number of Unexpected American Celebrity Sightings/Encounters: 3 (Rider Strong, Levar Burton, Tyra Banks)
A Quick Comparison
New Year’s Eve 2007: listening to a live concert, had a white-wine toast with colleagues after missing the midnight chime because we were driving around in a car
New Year’s Eve 2008: at a friend of a friend’s place…and despite my fear of missing the midnight toast for three years in a row, we rang in the year with Anderson Cooper…then off for a fun night/early morning at a local pub
the girls at the pub
The All-American Year Behind
(or How US, US, baby did on those things we were looking forward to in 2008)
-returning to the friends and family in the US (check!)
-seeing the Sex and the City movie on its release weekend (saw it later that week)
-voting in a swing state in the presidential election (darn that MO voting law!)
The All-American Year Ahead
(or What US, US, baby is Looking Forward to in 2009)
-letting life take her where it will
-seeing what the new president’s first 100 days are like
-running a pretty long race in another state or country
-finishing the Twilight series
-getting to watch some of March Madness
I have eaten three pickles in the last hour and a half. I bought a quart of new pickles from a specialty pickle shop here on the Upper East Side on Sunday, and they are over 3/4 of the way gone. And I’ve been out of the city for two of those days.
Seriously. I think I might have a problem. I just love them so much because they remind me of one of the roadside snacks we’d get in NE India. Dirty-handed kids would sprinkle salt on quartered cucumbers, and it tasted so good. Just like these new pickles. (Except the guy who handed me these pulled on a latex glove beforehand.)
And as if munching on all these pickles weren’t already enough to push me into a sodium-induced heart attack, Sunday night the ladies I play basketball with were introduced to fried dill pickles. I don’t know how all the others had never had them before. But I shared the appetizer with them, and they all loved them. Even the French gal.
I think I may be able to talk them into getting them every Sunday night.
Oh yeah…and the jar of Claussen’s that I finished last week is still in my fridge because I keep drinking the leftover pickle juice.
