Paris, C'est La Pluie...

I arrived in Paris today and have already been delighted with a brief torrential rain storm that took me somewhat by surprise while I was taking a walk through the Trocadero. I was deep in jet lag mode this afternoon and the commentator on TV only encouraged my heavy eyelids to droop further down. In preparation for my overseas trip, I had learned that fresh air and outdoor activity is a great remedy for jet lag, and indeed it is. So I wasn't upset by the unexpected rain fall at all. I quickly found some protection near the Musee de la Marine, underneath a round concrete kiosk-looking sitting area. Although the area smelt strongly of urine, I was fortunate to not get soaked like many of the frantic passerbys looking to escape the rain. For me, I had the time to sit down and enjoy it.

Once the rain died down, I was reminded why rainfalls are so beautiful. I walked back up to the Trocadero and saw the most breathtaking portrait. Fresh and clean, the landscape was painted with a wide arching rainbow stretching graciously from somewhere beyond the Musee de L'Homme to the Eiffel Tower. Needless to say, my eyes aren't drooping anymore. Welcome to Paris.

The Blogosphere

The blogosphere is an amazing concept. Some keepers of the blog create faux-journalistic fronts to expound opinions and ideas that would otherwise be kept in furtive minds. Others simply recognize the blog’s potential as an advertising avenue– The popular fiction novelist (Jennifer Weiner), the socially relevant academic (Barbara Ehrenreich), and the otherwise mea culpa journalist inculcate the internet sounding board for this reason.

Then there are blogs that are virtual diaries. The creators share their daily lives with friend and stranger alike, at their discretion. This is a byproduct of the reality TV phenomenon – Reality is boring unless it’s shared and commented upon - Viewed from the comfort of a television monitor, or in the blog’s case, a computer screen. These virtual diaries have faithful followers – very very faithful. There is a certain personality-type that gets glued to the electronic life portal of someone else's day – One that requires great “patience” and "time".

It’s interesting how some visitors find their way to a blog. Some are completely accidental. Blog writers can spot the accidentals. Fiji did not mean to come here, but here Fiji came. For many, the blog, virtual diary and all, is a way to stay connected with friends. Especially when they are far away. Thank you Paris, Berlin and Taipei.

Mainstream media uses the blog to create a sense of community. Online 'zines have blogs. Virtual celebrity rags have blogs. It's online democracy in a state of tempered anarchy. Sometimes it's perverted or overrun by the same old serial-blog readers. You know the kind. The ones with sophomoric monikers especially. A popular celebrity dish blog is hounded by San Francisco's finest who one-up each other with the same distasteful puns. It's their own strange virtual community - uncensored.

For whatever reason wherefore bloggers blog, there will always be a captive audience. For reasons both valid, normal, irrational, or eerie, for the blogosphere, this is only the beginning - and we’re already in the middle of it.