Bizarro Boston
So we've been in West Roxbury for two months now, and I feel pretty settled. Our prescriptions are moved, I know where the bus stops and ATMs are, and we've already amassed an impressive collection of take out menus.
The one thing I'm having trouble getting used to is how nice people are. Right after we moved, the baby started teething and I had to make an emergency run for orajel. At the counter, the saleswoman said, "Do you have those teething toys you put in the freezer? Those really helped my daughter." And I was like, "Uuuuh," before remembering my words and telling her that yes, we have pretty much every teething toy on the market (because Gen hates them all).
I realized as I left the store that after four years in Southie, I had completely lost my ability to make pleasant small talk. I'm not saying Southie was unfriendly...no, wait, that's exactly what I'm saying. Not mean. Just not at all friendly. The most pleasant interaction I could hope to get from a stranger or service person was "hi," with possible eye-contact as a bonus.
So the other day the baby and I were on another Walgreens run, and I was running through my list in my head as I crossed the parking lot, so I was a little spaced out as I stepped out from between the parked cars. Of course there was an SUV coming and both it and I stopped short.
The driver leaned out the window, and I thought, Oh crap, I'm gonna get yelled at. Instead he called, "Sorry! I was going too fast."
I have clearly moved to Bizarro Boston.
The one thing I'm having trouble getting used to is how nice people are. Right after we moved, the baby started teething and I had to make an emergency run for orajel. At the counter, the saleswoman said, "Do you have those teething toys you put in the freezer? Those really helped my daughter." And I was like, "Uuuuh," before remembering my words and telling her that yes, we have pretty much every teething toy on the market (because Gen hates them all).
I realized as I left the store that after four years in Southie, I had completely lost my ability to make pleasant small talk. I'm not saying Southie was unfriendly...no, wait, that's exactly what I'm saying. Not mean. Just not at all friendly. The most pleasant interaction I could hope to get from a stranger or service person was "hi," with possible eye-contact as a bonus.
So the other day the baby and I were on another Walgreens run, and I was running through my list in my head as I crossed the parking lot, so I was a little spaced out as I stepped out from between the parked cars. Of course there was an SUV coming and both it and I stopped short.
The driver leaned out the window, and I thought, Oh crap, I'm gonna get yelled at. Instead he called, "Sorry! I was going too fast."
I have clearly moved to Bizarro Boston.