from the starbucks in royal oak, mi
May 24, 2011
i’m sitting in a starbucks in royal oak,
a town where i spent many an hour in my youth
watching movies,
eating middle eastern food,
and smoking camel lights.
you know.
kid stuff.
a lot has changed. (camel lights don’t even exist anymore)
i’m not sure if it’s just living in pittburgh for a the past two years,
or the fact that it looks like a bunch of money got poured into this town.
but somehow,
i feel very underdressed.
like someone’s going to ask me to park their car or something.
i miss the dirtier, poorer royal oak of my youth.
i digress.
this is my third trip to michigan in as many weeks,
doing the whole family duty thing.
mowing grass.
chopping up trees.
moving old people around,
both automotively and manually.
i’m hoping to make this my last trip
before i actually move back here.
last week, while driving home,
i wrote a hilarious little blog post on my iphone,
but the wordpress app ate it.
fucker.
it felt dishonest to try to reconstruct it,
so i’ll just say this: it involved heartfelt comments about my family,
observations about michiganders’ relationship to food a the road,
my current knitting project,
and a cinnabon.
don’t you hate my wordpress app as well?
now, i’m going to eat dinner with this fine lady.
this is mallory (non-knitter),
a good friend from college,
and soon to be doctor.
(i’ve been calling her dr. mally mal since she got into med school)
it’s been almost two years since we’ve been in each other’s company,
but she’s that kind of friend where you pick up right where you left off,
laughing and gossiping like we were 18 all over again.
it feels good to know i have a friend like her in the world.
i hope you do too.
**tomorrow, i’ll show you my big bag o yarn. promise.
May 24, 2011 at 12:40 am
yarn… drooling…
Michigan has good friends and family. Miss the post that could have been.
May 24, 2011 at 7:37 am
Awww Glad to hear you’ve been able to meet an old friend. I have some that live quite close but never see them. It’s always felt as though we never parted. Even when I lived in Sweden and I would come back to the states for a visit…it was as if I never left.
May 24, 2011 at 7:42 am
I really just want to see your Cinnabon.
May 24, 2011 at 9:02 am
i have a best friend in Minnesota that we had lost touch for 10 years and when we reconnected it was as if we had never been apart!! Safe travels back and forth! Can’t wait to see the yarn and boo on the app that ate your post!
May 24, 2011 at 10:37 pm
OOOOHHHH Big Bag of Yarn? What have your been doing boy? (wish i could make it naughtier but can’t think how)
You have done a great thing to do the family thing such a wonderful act from a very thoughtful person.
It is great you have a “pick it up friend” everyone needs on.
May 24, 2011 at 10:59 pm
Wait. You’re in Royal Oak now? Good. I’m very close. Ferndale, actually. Let’s be friends.
May 27, 2011 at 1:47 pm
I’m from Royal Oak, but it did not look like that when I was growing up either!
Bean & Leaf is my fav coffee shop downtown, although Commonwealth in Bham is amazing if you can find parking!
Hope you’re enjoying your time in the mitten!
May 27, 2011 at 5:28 pm
You’re eating at Beirut Palace! I’m so jealous!