Some Things I Miss About the South

In no particular order:

- The friendliness of people. Yes, I harp on this alot. It's just that it's very difficult to form relationships here. People are distant, cold and condescending.

- The food. You would think that a booming metropolis like Seattle would be a veritable smorgasbord of culinary delights. 'Taint so...or at least we've not found them. Our favorite places to eat are mostly chains because the restaurants people rave about out here are not so great. Plus, sometimes you just want to go out and get fried chicken or grits or something southern. Can't do that here or at least not conveniently. We passed a Popeye's Chicken way down south (figures) of Seattle last weekend. I'm not a huge fan but I was almost salivating for some good ole' southern friend chicken. The good thing about it is we eat out less. (good for our finances that is)

- The darkness and the light. In the summer it doesn't get dark here until after 10 pm and it gets light again between 4 and 5 am. In the winter, it gets dark at 4:30 pm. I feel almost like I'm living in Alaska sometimes.

- Free parking. And I don't mean winning the stash in the middle of the Monopoly board. Parking is expensive in Seattle and you have to pay to park most everywhere you go. Sarah and I are learning the cheapest places and the hours you have to park to get the best rate. But I miss those bygone days of just showing up and parking. I laugh at myself now about getting upset that it cost $1 to park in downtown Asheville. That's a drop in the bucket compared to here.

- Folks who like to share a meal after a church service. Man, in the south, there was hardly a Sunday I didn't spend time with friends after a church service. It was one of the highlights of my week to hit a favorite haunt, eat some comfort food and shoot the breeze before the grind of the work week hit.

- Just plain folks. It seems like there is an overabundance of people in Seattle who are trying just a bit too hard to be cool. You know the type. The conforming non-conformist. The ones who try so hard to be different but, in their own way, they are conforming more than anyone else. It takes a great deal more effort to be a goth than to be a "normal" person. I'll bet it's exhausting.
I kind of want to be cool but I don't have what it takes. I've tried sitting in a coffee shop with a book or my sketchpad but I get distracted too easily by what's going on at that table or behind the counter. I'll just stay home to read and draw. There. I've made a decision. I'm not going to conform any longer either. I'm just going to be me. That's exhausting enough.