The Cincinnati Blues

There are hills everywhere. Metaphorical, sure, but also LITERAL hills EVERYWHERE!

When your grandpa talks about walking to school uphill both ways he is referring to his childhood in CINCINNATI.

I got a library card today. The Clifton (my part of town) branch has some lovely eccentric staff that loves reading and life!

And then they saw my driver's license (you have to show ID to get a card), and the comments came pouring out:

"Oh, you're from KANSAS?! I bet you hear 'You're not in Kansas Anymore' a lot."

"Did you ever have a dog named Toto?"

"Do you click your heels to go home?"

"Are you as corny as Kansas in August?" (An obscure Rogers and Hammerstein reference I was surprised and delighted he knew)

I suffered through it all good-naturedly before picking out a Steve Martin book and heading on my way. They were very helpful, though, they even ordered a book for me.

It just hit me, as I was sweating profusely on the climb ("walk" seems too mild a term) home. I miss Kansas. Beautiful, FLAT Kansas.

There really is no place like home.

I miss the gang (the people at the group home for the developmentally disabled that I worked at). Of course I was watching Hulu and one of my favorite shows had a DD character on it. I bawled like a baby.

I miss my friends.

I miss improv. I miss laughing really loud and not getting weird looks.

I smashed my finger in a door a week ago and it is still numb. It's starting to freak me out.

At least my roommates are cool. One is teaching me French, one is a lover of fine Bourbon, and and the third is a delicious, yet healthy, cook. They all go to bed REALLY EARLY, though.

We went for a wine tasting tonight. It was fun.

Now I'm at home with my $1 Turkish Coffee ice cream that was on sale at the IGA in my neighborhood (really, THIS is my Firday Night in the Big City?!). I have a neighborhood now, for the first time, a distinct section of town known as Clifton, or my area, the more refined Gaslight District of Clifton; but I don't feel at home. Not yet anyway. I am either in awe of my surroundings or feeling like I'm barely treading water.

What I really need is something to do. Some good, old-fashioned WORK.

And maybe a trip to the doc about my finger....