Jimmy Eat World

Well, Paris is burning. Is this amith's song? Well if not, then it should be. It is damn hot here. I saw a thermometer that said 104 degrees F. And there is little too no respite as the Europeans don't believe in air conditioning. It seems to me they have, over the last 100 years, adopted some more radical notions. I predict a few more summers like this and they will adapt this American monstosity, despite the attendant poor astethics.

Once again, I have distinguished myself as a terrible language student in my week of french here - well I did skip 2 of the five classes, but in the classes I went to, similiar to my experience with Spanish at Columbia, I quickly became an object of ridicule. When the teacher addressed me frequently the only word I qwould recognize was "James." Fortunately, I sat next to this kindly Japanesse housewife, who's husband had been transferred here, and she was a very dutiful student and would feed me the anwsers.

AS always, women are covering for you. I just hope the heat wave ends before I arrive.

i predict a five degree increase in the temp with you two red heads tearing up the city... just when they thought it was cooling off from adam being there.

So tell us at least about the delicious things you are finding at Le Bon Marche, or the dancing all night at Cafe Universal, or your long lazy romantic walks down the Seine in the evening when the music of bohemian's guitar rises past the little bookshops! The heat? What heat!

Well I finally found Le Bon Marche, although I did not buy any food. I have been taking nite time walks alomg the Siene, now that the heat has broken. In Paris, they are trying to recreate a beach along the Siene, without any swimming of course, and at night the thoroughfare is bustling with people, street musicians perform, couples sit along the banks sharing bottles of wine. In addition to this very pleasant cosmoplitan setting, one also can enjoy the iridescent splendor of Paris at night. The horizon behind you is dominated by the gold-plated dome of Les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower.

New York City, in addition to a steady, non-interupted supply of electricity, sadly lacks any similiar urban setting. The powers that be probably accurately recognize that New Yorkers cannot properly police themselves to be able to congregate in masses along the banks atop flowing water while concurrently drinking in public.

The Parisians enjoy one major advantage over us New Jorkers that I see, they possess a vibrant communal respect and appreciation for shared space, one that appears to be consistent and does not have to be trolliped by adversity. Jane Jacobs identifies this as a key compenent of any Great city or urban neighborhhod. Thus, the area along the Siene is not littered with broken glass and beer cans in the morning.

Additionally, for example, the most beautiful inner-city public space I have seen - the Luxembourg gardens - where I take my morning runs. The garden is centered by a truly breath-taking floral area. And the park is dotted with exquisite sculptures. There is no place in Central Park that even remotely compares to this. The park also provides lightweight metal chairs to sit in. Remarkably, these chairs are not attached to the ground. The only way this would ever happen in NYC is if these seats were affixed to the ground via reinforced steel or else people be taking them out by the truckloads.

Reactions to recent catastrophes in NYC, suggests that people are comporting themselves in a more stately manner. So maybe in time we will be able to emulate this a little.

now now - you forget the chairs in bryant park...

of course, free chairs behind a library where you can't remove books.

It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.

Truth is not determined by majority vote

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