So, this weekend I had my first real Brooklyn-y experience since the move. During the week, I'm working in the mornings (from home, which IS weird, but sort of enjoyable at times), and then I usually take a nap, go to Foodtown, cook dinner, etc. Yeah, it sounds dull, but everyday life IS dull.* Regardless of where you are, you still need to sleep, to eat, to clean the house and wash the dishes. If you're me, you still need to knit and play video games. Routine is what keeps you grounded when everything else in your life is changing; it helps you accomodate change because you still have all of these familiar things going on around you. I experienced the same routinization lust when I first got to Japan, and after beating myself up about "not fully appreciating the new experiences open to me," and blah blah blah, I eventually decided to just embrace it. A PLACE isn't going to change or go away while you get used to the fact that you're in it. Neither can a location make you happy or sad--that shit is internal, so better to make yourself happy first, and then worry about what you're doing on Saturday night.
Anyway, Sunday I traveled out of Bay Ridge (my 'hood) to Fort Greene, to check out the Gifted holiday craft fair one of the Brooklyn blogs has been pimping. Clint warned me that my destination subway stop, Atlantic-Pacific, was very confusing and that I would probably get lost. Luckily, this is a feeling I am used to. I have a TERRIBLE sense of direction, the upshot of which is that being lost no longer holds any fear for me, especially when I'm walking. Amazingly, I barely got lost getting to the Masonic Temple from the subway. The little bit of lost I did get was due to some second-guessing on my part, which I would say is the reason for my getting lost about 60% of the time. After spending an hour or so at the fair, and picking up some nice little presents for most of the people on my list, I started making my way back to the trains, and got superbly lost.
I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that I walked in a big circle, passed in and out of one of the adjoining neighborhoods, and ended up right back where I started before I managed to burrow underground and find the R. It was all worth it though, because when the elevator opened up to take me down into the bowels of the subway, these two people came out, having a massive fight. The man was accusing the woman of being a liar and a cheater, and telling her that he couldn't believe anything she said. It took him a while to get out of the elevator because he had to maneuver a huge baby carriage out first. It was so incredibly awkward, but also kind of amazing to hear a couple having a huge fight right out in public, pushing their baby (I assume) along in front of them. To balance out the bad vibes, an adorable family got on the elevator with me. There's something about seeing a father out with his cute little kids that just warms the cockles of my heart.
When I finally got home after my Sunday excursion, I was ready to put it in relax-mode. One Coke Zero and some Chinese leftovers later, I settled in for a couple of hours of video games before bed. It's all about balance, I tell ya!
*Unless you're a cowboy or pirate captain or something. Even then, I bet there's plenty of boredom mixed in with the excitement.
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