Gray Christmas
Having not really been in Michigan very much in the past two years or so, there are a couple of characteristics that seemed to have slipped my mind. Thankfully, this break has reminded me.
Snow & Cold
So I didn't really forget that snow and cold existed, but the last time I really spent any time in a hat and gloves was on a glacier, so I'd say I've been a bit removed from the experience. I am not sad that I no longer live in a place where I have to bring fifteen extra articles of clothing (gloves, hat, scarf, etc.) just to leave the house.
Clouds
I have been home for a week and half now, and have not once seen the sun. It is gray all the time. This could not be more opposite from my move to the Bay Area where it took over a month before I actually saw a cloud.
Semi-Trucks
I've been wondering why my 50-minute commute between Palo Alto and San Francisco every day doesn't seem even half as bad as the half hour one I used to make between Ann Arbor and Novi. Making that old Michigan commute again the other night and almost getting run over as soon as I got on US-23 made it clear: I don't think there are semis on 280. Semis are obnoxious and scary and generally in the way, so a drive without them is inherently superior.
Smoking Indoors
Not to sound all I'm-so-much-better-now-that-I've-moved-to-the-big-city, but seriously? There are still places where they allow smoking in bars and restaurants? I'd definitely forgotten how gross it is to come back from a night out with my clothes and hair reeking like cigarette smoke, and it's definitely not something I was hoping to be reminded of.
But on the upside... I do love coming back to a place where everyone recycles their pop cans and marshmallow fluff is abundant.
3 comments:
There's no recycling of pop cans in CA? That seems so weird! I hope you've had a good break. ;-)
I miss the ten-cent deposit too--it's that much more incentive to take the cans back to the store instead of just putting them out with the rest of the recycling. But the smoking ban definitely puts us miles ahead of parts of the country--I can't believe Ann Arbor hasn't enacted one yet.
omg! i didn't know you were back in michigan. dammit. i should have called. i just got back from a week in mi yesterday. though it's sad that now that you live about an hour away i'm upset i missed you in michigan. lmao. i'm so lame...
but i totally feel you on everything. i could have written this post!
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