My kingdom for a latte
As noted in my previous entry, I'm still at home for turkey day. Other than the fact that I don't really have anything to do, I'm having a fine time indeed. I won't pretend I didn't enjoy growing up here (I did), but I also won't pretend that I don't enjoy living in the Bay Area (I do).
As ever, it's the little things that matter. First, the movie situation is pretty grim. I went with my little brother to rent the excellent Croupier (Nate enjoys Clive Owen but thought the latest BMW films were a bit stale) but the only video store handy was Blockbuster, which as a matter of course does not stock any movie whose title requires spelling assistance on the part of the clerks. (I am told the Moline Super Saver theatres have been bought once again and there is the chance of some smaller-run films.) Next, coffee. When I was a college lad my friend Laura and I would convene at the Java Hut when at home from school for conversation and a cup, but now that Laura is married and in Portland I've been forced to make do with chain establishments. The gingerbread latte at Borders was fairly tasty, but too sweet. I would have gone to the Hut for a french toast latte (with cinnamon and vanilla, milk slightly singed), but the smoking is pretty fierce and not worth battling in the absence of good company. Finally, what is up with all of these megastores? The old Wal-Mart apparently just wasn't big enough.
The food situation is looking up, fortunately. Not only was a Krispy Kreme installed last year but there's a new bread store, a sushi joint (not that I'd try it, but its presence is reassuring), even a new Thai restaurant. Plus my favorite pizza joint hasn't closed, so somebody must be rooting for me. We also managed to stop by Prairie Lights yesterday, hooray. I found several books to keep myself busy and grabbed a latte drink for the road (again too sweet, alas). I'll write about at least one of them in a bit, but probably not until after I finish a related book. Plus I grabbed a "100 best mysteries" flyer to guide my mysterical reading for a while.
As I mentioned earlier, I still think this is a good place to live, but not the place for me. It's not that I like the traffic or the rent or the multitudes, it's just that many of the things I do like require a large population to be sustained, like ethnic food or art house films or museums or what have you. I can't say I truly enjoy the complexity of city life, but I do enjoy the diversity. My hometown is building a diversity of its own but isn't as far along in the process, and I'm too impatient to wait for it.
Posted by ned at December 1, 2002 06:01 PM