That kind of Monday

April 26, 2010

Today was that kind of Monday. Do you ever have those? I’m so tired of being the new girl in town! I wish I had a friend that I could just call up and go grab some coffee with, go catch a late night movie with, or take a spur of the moment run with. Everybody here has there somebody it seems. I know that this is only temporary. I know that I will meet my friends. I do worry though if I will ever find my Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. All my life I’ve had different types of friends. I don’t like to subscribe to just one group or a certain image. I like my people the way I like my music… I don’t limit myself to one specific genre; I have favorites all over the place. I like this aspect of myself, but sometimes I wish I did have that one spot, or that one group, that I really fit into. I wonder if a lot of people feel this way?

Anyways, so my rules of engagement in a new city are to make sure I go out and do something everyday, try new things, introduce myself, and discover some swanky new joints that I can subscribe to being a regular. On today’s outing, I decided I would go local, because it seems everybody who is anybody here supports local. I figured I might possibly make some friends that I would see more often than once if we shared a neighborhood.

After spending 30 minutes on the computer this afternoon researching places featuring free Wi-Fi, I decided on the ‘Green Bean Coffee Shop’. It supports locally, is non-profit, and features weekly support groups for unemployed professionals... how apropos. After spending 20 minutes looking for it, getting lost, and meandering my way through random traffic, I accepted the fact that I was Joe Schmo sans my Joe, and gave up. I found another spot, walked in, while all 15 or so patrons stared me down… “Yes I am the new girl in town, and Jesus, do I have a tail that nobody told me about?" They only accepted cash. So I left, as 15 pairs of eyes escorted me back out the front door. I drove further on back to where I came from, with my new tail between my legs. Just before I completely gave up I decided to check out the neighborhood market and see if by some amazing chance they had coffee and free Wi-Fi. It was pouring rain as I got out of my car so I decided to leave my laptop and purse while I checked on the Wi-Fi and caffeine arrangement. A sign on the door looked promising as I was getting out of the car, and I got so excited that I all-too-quickly hit lock and shut the door-- In the process, locking my keys, computer, and purse in my car, and leaving myself stuck out in the rain. So I tucked that offensive tail back between my legs and trudged home on slick sidewalks and high heals. Today, you see, I dressed up, because I was trying to dress for the job I wanted, not the job I have, which is an 'unemployed professional'.

I eventually made it back to the market, introduced myself to the owner ‘John’, got myself a Chai Latte (because it was raining, they remind me of Christmas, and I deserved it), and settled down to write. At the end of the day, which had taken way too long, and felt way too short, I decided that I like the Phinney Market with it’s expensive groceries, and two sided windows that overlook the rainy intersection of 60^th St. and Phinney Ave. Another plus, they have $5 glasses of wine… so it would only be fair to admit that, yes, I am still in love with Seattle.