Thanks for these post Barry - I enjoy them.
________________________________ From: turquoiseb <no_re...@yahoogroups.com> To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 4:29 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Le Cafe des Affiches Here I am in Yet Another Cafe, this time a new one, in new 'hood. It caught my eye when I was wandering around last night, as did the fact that it had free Wifi, so I decided to come back tonight and spend some time here at a table in front of it. The cafe itself is not terribly crowded, which is a plus for me, but probably a bummer for the owners. I like it because, true to its name, its walls are covered with posters, from all eras of French poster art. I happen to own the originals of some of the copies on their walls, from the late 1800s series "Les Maitres de l'Affiche" and "L'Estampes Modernes" collections, so for me this is a little like being at home. Except for the people passing by, that is. If I sit outside my house in Leiden, I am not nearly as likely to be entertained by a street performer juggling while balancing a large bowl of goldfish on his head. Or by women competing for the obviously coveted Who Can Wear The Shortest Skirt Award. Or see hordes of tourists from all parts of the world walking by, gawking at all the shops, restaurants, and cafes like this one, many adorned with people sitting at tables like mine, also writing -- either in their paper notebooks, or on tablet computers or laptops. Guess I'm not the only person to gain some inspiration from people-watching. Hey, some people have weirder fascinations. Today was a *very* busy day at work, so I haven't checked out FFL since my last post, and haven't missed it in the least. I didn't even bother to go back and "catch up" tonight when I sat here. What's the point of doing that, after all? The people who talk *about* me are never going to say anything new, and the ones who actually talk *to* me haven't been posting much lately anyway. Meanwhile I get to sit here and just watch the crowds, relax after another Deadline Day, and really, really enjoy Paris At Its Best. Warm summer nights like this one are a delight. I get off on just watching everyone out and about, walking by. And if someone interesting sits at the next tables, I'll probably get off on chatting with them -- in English if need be, but if not, I'll stumble through a conversation in one of my many other not-quite-mastered languages. And to think...somewhere out there in FFL Land, there are people who can only get off if they can entice other people into arguing with them. I somehow think I've got the better deal...
