Midnight walk

So much great graf around the Oberkamf neighborhood.

Without a guest, I have no excuse to run around eating out on a weekday. On the other hand, my time in Paris is running out fast, so I want to run around the city like PacMan.

I could definitely live in Paris. There's a gang of teenage thugs that loiter outside my building at all hours. As I walked home with a pizza today, they non-ironically called out "bon appetit" to me.

I'm missing Pina Bausch, who's coming to the Theatre De La Ville just after I leave. Dang. John, I'm jealous of you.

I'm missing a huge family reunion this weekend, which reminds me of all of the things I'll be missing this summer. No croquet, gosh-dang-it.

On the upside, I just watched Roman Holiday, which got me 100% in the mood for my next city. Mouth of Truth, here I come. I leave in a week - I'll be spending the weekend in Florence (Firenze) on the way down.

I realized this week that though I came to Paris for the museums, its the food and the people I've met that made it special. This might seem obvious to everyone else, but it definitely took me by surprise. I'm actually quite sad to leave people behind.

If any of you are considering coming to Paris, I can definitely attest to the fact that a) its quite easy to live here - even the language barrier presents few difficulties and b) its affordable as well. Let no one discourage you with tales of the weak Dollar. Dead presidents are still almighty.

Song of the Day: the outrunners- Blazing Speed & Neon Lights With You. 80s ultra-cheez madness.

Bonus Beat: Neutral Milk Hotel - The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two & Three.

There's an infestation of large, black spiders somewhere around here. Is this bad? My dad was bitten by a spider last year while my mom was away on a trip. He laid on a couch for 3 days without getting up, wracked by fever.

The first incursion of the spiders into my house came while I had a guest. The guest (who will remain nameless) shrieked like a girl until I killed it. This spider was about the size of littleneck clam - it took 10 blows with a wooden broom to bring it down. At the time, I laughed.

Tonight, a spider climbed up onto my bed. I didn't notice it until it was inches from my face. When you're really scared, you can go from lying down on your back to standing up without even bending a knee. You simply become vertical.

The spider is somewhere in my room and I'm afraid to go to bed. I'll see you all in 3 days.