New Fall's Resolutions

Hi everyone,

I took a bit of a blog sabbatical recently. I've been settling into Fall, which is my favorite transition of the year. I've been in the city much more consistently lately, and without all the weekend trips I've been able to get a more solid look at my life here.
In the literal sense, I've been cleaning my room and beginning the Herculean task of switching out summer for winter clothes. This wouldn't be a huge deal for a more normal person, but it's shocking, given how small my room is, how difficult it is to find things that I squirreled away six months ago. For example, two nights ago, I went to sleep positive that the huge shopping bag filled with all my pairs of boots had been stolen by someone who had a serious penchant for Fryes (hence the fact that only my boots were gone...not jewelry or money or anything that actually made sense). This illusion was shattered when I woke up with a start a few hours later, remembering the bag had been tossed into the very top part of my closet that I can only reach with a stepladder. It's been one of those kind of weeks - productive, but also a confirmation of my own craziness.
I've also been getting in touch with my inner child more than usual, thanks to a new babysitting job I've picked up. I babysat a lot in college, and I've learned that Manhattan children can be a mixed bag (although I've been very lucky overall). One thing that's certain is they all have differing levels of dependence on TV, Guitar Hero, various Apple products, and all sorts of Wii games - except for this new charge of mine. He would rather act out complicated battle sequences with Star Wars legos or listen to my stories about Timothy the Invincible Frog (trust me, that one's a winner) than watch some sort of offensive cartoon on Comedy Central. It's unbelievable refreshing. When I picked him up from school the other day, he went on and on about the alligator he'd made in Crafts class (and all the special powers he had) like it was an iPad or something. As someone whose childhood was dictated almost entirely by their own imagination, I feel such a strong sense of camaraderie when I hear him whispering dialogue between two Lego figures as he jumps from the bed to the floor.
So, there's been a lot going on lately, and I'm back to the blog, among other things. Since I should probably reference the title at some point in this post, I've never been someone who's put a lot of stock in New Year's Resolutions, but this year I am way into New Fall's resolutions. There's something about the change from Summer to Fall that feels much more transitional than Winter into more Winter (as it is at New Year's). Blogging regularly again is one of several New Fall's resolutions I've made. Where the job search fueled my blogging before, I'll have to figure out something to take its place - hopefully writing (of which there will be more up here later today - fingers crossed).
Anyway, even though it's 83 and humid in New York today, there is a slight breeze in the air that signals Fall's maybe-arrival. There are some brown leaves on that tree out there - is it the change of seasons or maybe some sort of arboreal disease? I'm choosing to think it's the start of something new.

BIG PARISIAN NEWS

So, instead of wistfully thinking of the day when I would be able to sit down and plan this trip, I have decided, along with my former Paris roommate and partner in crime, to plan a trip to Paris next Spring.
I am beyond excited. Just the prospect of booking flights and making this journey a reality is a thrill. I so crave the way I felt about my life when I spent those seven months in Paris, traveling every other weekend, and feeling so completely open to experiencing whatever I could. I didn't have to schedule time for myself to write or make a conscious effort to depart from my routine to pursue new cultural realms. Writing, being inspired, and constantly seeking out new things to do was my routine. Obviously, being in Paris for a limited amount of time and as a student allowed me to commit to the experience in a temporal way - sort of like a long intellectual and cultural vacation. In any event, at a time when I'm trying to (figuratively) slap myself awake and live in a way that makes me feel as if I'm accomplishing things and moving forward, it's nice to know I'll be able to revisit a time when I was surrounded by new experiences. Even though I certainly had my challenges while living abroad, and I'm surely looking back on it wistfully now, there was something about having a relationship with a place like Paris that made me feel particularly alive and appreciative of everything around me.
I've felt this way about New York, too. I used to get this great feeling every time I saw the skyline on the train or bus coming back to the city after being away. A sort of wistful familiarity, mixed with the excitement that there's always so much about New York that's hidden or just our of reach. It's an aspirational place, but I guess I've become a little disenchanted over the past year. I don't have those butterflies in my stomach anymore, and probably can't force myself into magically getting them back.
I'm staying in New York for Labor Day weekend (probably one of the 5-7 people doing so), and I'm having this movie-montage vision of me skipping down 5th avenue, going to MoMA, drinking coffee at Joe, shopping at the Brooklyn Flea, getting a tan on the Great Lawn-all these "I love New York, and I'm going to fall in love with this place again" type of activities. Even though I'm pretty positive I can't trick myself into having that old love for the city again, I want to make the most of my solitude. After this weekend, everyone flocks back from summer retreats and Fall will bring with it a different ambiance all together. I love Autumn in New York, don't get me wrong, but I feel like this weekend might be a certain moment in time before things quickly change. It's wishful thinking, maybe, but, like Paris, I'm trying to appreciate the places and times that take me out of my routine and let me truly experience what's around me.
More after Labor Day.x.