Friday, December 31, 2010

Howdy Y'all

It's official -- the Man and I are residents of Kentuckiana.

And if I have to open/close/breakdown/move/lift/touch one more box, I'm going to lose my mind.

As we currently do not have internet at home, (I'm trying to convince the Man that while I support his simplistic approach to life, I cannot function without some sort of connection with the outside world other than the mailman and Wal-Mart greeter), I am writing this post in a Starbucks overlooking Churchill Downs. Not too shabby, eh?

I'm slowly adjusting to life down here. We don't have a GPS, so finding ANYTHING outside of the interstate and Veteran's Parkway is an adventure. I still haven't found our local bank branch and I almost ran out of gas trying to find my way home from Target. I've managed to forget my debit card at an ATM in downtown Louisville and I'm pretty sure my neighbors think I'm a hermit.

But it's not all bad. There are some really nice people around here; genuinely nice people. Today, when I was almost run over by a giant pickup truck in the Aldi parking lot, the guy jumped out to apologize. "I'm so sorry, ma'am. I didn't see you. Are you alright?" I'm pretty sure anyone in Chicago would have yelled and flipped me the bird. And just a few minutes ago, the guy sitting at the table next to me asked if I wouldn't mind proofreading the introduction to his paper. A complete stranger asked me to edit his paper. In a Starbucks. A stranger! I can't wrap my mind around this.

Complete strangers will strike up a conversation with me as if we've been friends for years. The Wal-Mart associate's brother in Atlanta is trying out for America's Got Talent. The Starbucks barista loves sweeping and mopping floors but hates cleaning bathrooms (can't blame her). The other Starbucks barista was born with his heart on the opposite side of his chest. The woman in line at Target can't seem to find twin-sized Colts sheets for her grandson's bedroom. Such nice people.

So...we're here and we're trying to find our niche. I feel much better about life now that my living room is put together and I only have to unpack a few more fling-flangin' boxes. I still can't find garbage bags or dishwasher detergent, but we'll survive. At least I know my way to Starbucks and Chic-Fil-A.

Until next time...

1 comment:

Jen said...

We are trying to live more simply, too. We happily got rid of cable, but I don't think I could do without the Internet. I'm glad that you have Starbucks Wi-Fi availabile to you. :) And I'm so glad that you're running into so many nice people. Hope you're enjoying your new place!