Very strange how I used to travel last decade, and I am wondering if any of you have seen similar patterns in your behaviour? In my twenties I stubbornly refused to see any of the sights (lamely using finger quotes when spitting out I don’t behave like a “tourist” as though just slapped across the back of my head), choosing instead to behave as though I lived there.

Never mind that I didn’t.
And never mind that it meant I spent 95% of my time lost and trying to wrangle my way back to wherever I was staying, because I believed that locals never carried maps instead intuitively aware of which buses and trams and horses took them to where they needed to go.

Regardless, it was fun and it clearly suited the 20-something gal in me.

Now however, I find myself drawn to things such as the Eiffel Tower (someone just slapped me across the back of the head again) and Central Park (and again). Seriously. I went to Central Park and stared at it through snow and walked through the snow and over the snow and tried to roll a snowball and sit on a snow-covered bench only instead? Another tourist (ugh…eww…) asked if I wanted my photo taken and so he took my camera and photographed me next to a garbage can and when he handed me my camera there was no image captured.

Creepy.

Just like the habit I can’t in fact shake when I travel, or otherwise, which is to wander around and stare at people. Others are kind and call it ‘people watching’, when in fact it is nothing more than maniacal staring. (It’s how I appease the voices in my head.)

I also went to F.A.O. Schwartz and hopped around on the large piano, quietly wishing for the other children to slip and fall off so I had the piano to myself. Just because I am generous in life, it doesn’t mean I like to share.

I remain amazed by my own behavior, but not nearly as much as I was by the coagulated blood all over the City.

With photos, more gore next entry. (But not Al.)

P.S. It is Page not Paige, apparently. Thanks for your emails, freaks.