I've just realized I've been abandoning the blog, especially with posting my favorite sketchbook pages, etc. Most of the people in my group probably know this by now, but coming back was pretty tough for me; even now that it's been almost two weeks since our return, the trip is still fresh in my mind, and to be completely honest, I've probably not felt this way since leaving home. The big city atmosphere was more than a nice change, it was like reliving childhood, in a sense, or having to learn to ride a car after the bike: a familiar thrill. It's weird, but the smallest things are the biggest reminders, like still making typos when I write (Qs and As the most), looking at some of the photos, and even the sketchbook... And as for the sketchbook, my expectations were, for the most part, totally different from the outcome: I remember even before planning to go to Paris, I thought the sketchbook I'd bring back would be a kind of masterpiece, each page overbrimming with architecture and famous places and people, and would be something so unforgettably beautiful, I'd pass it on as a family heirloom. Realistically ...while there, I was sometimes thrown off by the assignments, sometimes took too long on one page, but 99% of the time just walked around, sometimes aimlessly and other times hopelessly lost! (I still remember having to run through Chatelet or running around looking for the nearest bus station when the metro shut down; now - some of my fondest memories). By that time I expected an artistic miracle to happen by the end of my sketchbook (which by that time got to be too heavy to carry around, so I wasn't feeling too friendly toward it anyway), but in the end nothing impressive happened. I tried to cheer myself up, and bought a nice little compact book at Sennelier, a good investment that could handle pencil and marker and watercolor and industrial strength acrylics, pretty much all you could think of (but in the end was strong enough for light washes and not much else). I decided to leave it for later, but started it on the plane to Dublin anyway; it's still the one I use right now. And what a difference! I guess the change I was expecting all this time ended up happening only after Paris. Can't say I'm disappointed: after all, it's better than nothing; and I suppose there had to be a "sinking in" period to properly sprout the necessary creativity. All it proves is that Paris won't leave us for much longer than we expected!