Characters.

I mentioned before that I read Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird during my time spent in Paris. Her book covers both an approach to life and an approach to writing. I find that since reading it, my attention to detail in the people I encounter on a daily basis is heightened. Everywhere I look, I see characters, or pieces of characters, that I want to use in my writing one day.

I'm going to jot down a few of them here, so I remember:

(1) the thin and slightly nervous-acting man, probably gay, who prefers to adopt older dogs so that he can make their last years peaceful and happy ones;

(2) the trio walking across a not-at-all-well-to-do street that I took on my way home tonight, who crossed the street walking so close together I could barely tell there were three of them, until I saw that two of them were a couple, the woman having her arm looped through one man's arm, as if he was escorting her down a flowered path;

(3) the barrista at my favorite coffee shop, who draw pictures or writes names that relate to the Cubs when he makes my non-fat latte every day;

(4) the African-American, drew herself out of poverty, religiously fervrent (or fervrently religous) secretary that I seem to continue to draw--this strikes me as interesting mainly because I find irony in the fact that I so often seem to work with those who are the polar opposite of my Caucasian, solidly middle class, agnostic/atheist self, but who are in so many other ways very, very similar to me;

(5) the slouching brown-haired guy in a once-starchy white (untucked) dress shirt, who ordered a very spare salad at Eatzi's tonight; and

(6) the guy who tells everyone he has green eyes, when his eyes are actually so brown that no one could ever think they are another color.

Just jottings . . . obviously, lots of details to be fleshed out.

Here's another Paris pic for ya, because I simply do not have the energy to create another account of the trip until I make it through this long-feeling work week:



This one is for those of you who lacked a white Christmas.