catch up

I remember a joke from maybe first grade, that I used to think was hilarious. A mommy tomato and a baby tomato are walking down the street. The baby tomato has fallen behind, and is dawdling. The mommy tomato gets angry, stomps on the baby tomato and yells, "Catch up!"

Catch up, ketchup . . . get it?

Every so often I just stop writing, for no particular reason, and then find it really hard to start up again. But right now, on my fourth day of insane jet lag, the snow is coming down exactly like powdered sugar, and it's really beautiful. So even though I'm so sick of sleeping in WAY too late, I'm pretty happy.

I spent two weeks in New York, and spent a lot of time with my mom, which was great. But for some reason I'm having a REALLY hard time getting back on Paris-time. I've been sleeping in ridiculously late every day, even if I set my alarm(s) and/or have people to meet. I seem to be simply unable to wake up before noon. Maybe this is just my body making up for the sleep I lost in New York? I was finally able to sleep in my old bedroom again, since the live-in aide is gone. But good lord! I have no idea how I slept when I was younger! This was my childhood bedroom from the age of 8 or 9, and it is LOUD. Buses, garbage trucks, shoveling, construction, dogs, horns . . . I barely slept at all. And my room in Paris is so lovely and calm. Right now I'm sitting in bed, watching the snow drift over the trees in the garden I look onto. No noise at all.

I start tutoring again tomorrow, and I have mixed feelings about it. I'm sure once I start up I'll be fine, but right now the thought of another six months of trekking back and forth to kids' houses, preparing lessons, and all the rest of it just feels exhausting. This is only a partial week, though, with a total of six hours. Easing my way back in . . .