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one of us
I get to go shopping for food with a car. This may not sound like anything special, but to me, it is very, very special. It�s a treat to be able to buy whatever I want, and not worry.
Not worry if it will be too heavy to carry home, if it will melt, if it will freeze, if it will get bruised up, if it will break open in the bottom of my backpack. We get to stock up on canned foods and frozen foods and get some treats (I hope) and maybe try some new things that we can�t ever justify buying because it�s just one more thing we have to lug home. We live just under two miles from the store. It�s been almost 4 years since we had a car.
We are renting a car so we can go to Minneapolis on Sunday and see Saul Williams + three opening acts. We are going to a part of the cities neither of us has ever been to, so this will be an adventure. We got the car a day early so we could specifically get groceries and maybe go to the North side of town and get some mock duck at Pho Tai, a Vietnamese restaurant. The North side of town is as foreign as Minneapolis. It looks different, smells different, the people are different, and I have no idea where I�m going.
I rarely go anywhere in town that is not within walking distance. We have chosen where we live and where we work based on if we can get there on our own merits. Most people who don�t have a car rely on other people to get them where they need to go, including work. We don�t. We rarely take the bus, either, because the bus system here is FUCKED. I always feel like I need a shower when I ride the bus. The few places we can�t walk to, we bus to, and so we plan those trips specifically and try to go out to those places only a few times a year (the arts and crafts store, the hardware store).
I�m excited about this weekend. It�s going to cost some money (gas and car rental and show tickets aren�t free) but it�s our last big celebration of the year. I took this weekend off work (thank god I won�t be there, but that�s less cash in the pocket). This weekend is a belated bday present for Pat (the husband). The big 3-0. After this weekend, it�s winter for us, officially. Poor and cold and quiet. It�s snowing today, just a sign of what�s to come. Tomorrow the snow will be gone.
It�s fun to live like an Amerikan once in a while, but I prefer my non-polluting non-vehicle lifestyle for the most part. By the time we bring the car back, I am always ready. I breathe a sigh of relief that I don�t have to be in traffic, breathing exhaust, dodging accidents.
This society is so totally fucked and no one even sees how deep it goes. Enough.
This weekend is our time to party.
6:22 PM - Friday, Oct. 23, 2009
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