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Better Things

Roughly 100% of what I've seen from the internet this week has been bad news. I don't want to contribute to that flux. Chin up, world, we can't all be that bad. The fact that a lot of people are angry and protesting and showing that they actually give a shit shows that, well, people are angry and protesting and showing that they actually give a shit. Giving a shit is a great thing. Continue. Fight the fights that deserve to be fought.

Being 4000 miles away from the US is weird, especially when I'm reading about the states all the time and what's going on there. I don't really want to write about the things I'm reading because everyone has, so I'll trust you (people who are so obscenely smart as to read things that *I* write) to make informed opinions about life and try not to generalize everyone and everything.

Three things have happened to me that were really note-worthy this week and I'm gonna tell you about them now.

Number 1: Someone asked me for directions and I actually knew the answer to their question. This is not a drill, nor a false alarm, nor anything else like that. Jenna and I were walking around the neighborhood this morning (ok, you caught me, it was afternoon) and someone rolled down the window of their car and asked where the supermarket was. I pointed ahead and told her the cross-street. Now, granted I hadn't the foggiest clue what road we were on, how to say "it's that way." or how to not sound like a complete and utter moron, I think pointing ahead and saying the cross-street - which was about half a mile ahead) was pretty damn good.

People in Milan stop and ask strangers for questions all the time. This is one of the weirdest things about living here. It seems to have slowed down as the weather gets colder, but neither of us have gone a week without being asked for directions, input, or how to best marinate a turkey to feed a family of six (that's what I'm guessing they're asking. I don't understand the language very well). It's as if they don't have the technology that we see them using in the palms of their hands. Very strange.

At any rate, the woman drove about 400 feet and asked another stranger on the sidewalk for directions. Whatever. I was right.

Number 2: Ha! Get it? Number two? Ask a kid, they'll get it.

Number 3: I got recognized on the street.

In Chicago, especially being part of the improv/comedy community where I knew a lot of people, it was a fairly common thing to see someone I knew on the streets. In the last few weeks I lived in the city, it seemed to happen at least twice a week and it was delightful, as if the city was saying goodbye. I'd heard that it happened occasionally elsewhere too, or at least people who look just like people you know. Example: if you look back through photos I'm tagged in on Facebook, you'll find a gem from Nick Waetjen of a guy in LA who looks literally nothing like me, but he took the picture anyway and I hope the guy noticed.

In Milan, it's a little harder. I don't know many people, I don't speak Italian, and I am usually too busy telling strangers that I don't know how to get to this random street, let alone how to get there while speaking Italian.

So imagine my surprise as Jenna and I were on the sidewalk as she was about to head to a lesson when some woman walked up and said hello. She shook my hand, and again, she said "hello." How she knew we were American and to speak English was beyond me, but I began to roll my eyes with a "please don't try to sell me something right now" look. Suddenly she says "you don't recognize me!" and I thought "why in the world would I recognize - OH MY GOD YOU'RE THOSE TWO KIDS' MOM!"

It was the mother of two girls who I've had a few lessons with. She was just happening past and spotted me and thought it would be a lovely thing to say hello - and it was! The best part was that she was on her way to the gym for...are you ready? Laughter yoga.

Amazing. I love it.

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