Tuesday, April 24, 2001

I notice that my list of things that I will miss (latest additions: Movie Night, watching Maryland games with people who care about them, and the old man who walks his corgi through our neighborhood every morning) is growing faster than my list of things I won't (latest additions: the trumped-up Maryland/Virginia division and the Beltway).

More interesting, though, are the differences between the types of things on each list. The "will miss" list, of course, consists of all the people and things that I started taking for granted - stuff I assumed would always be there, and now I wish I could take them all with me.

On the other hand, the "won't miss" list is mostly made up of long-standing grudges, things I've hated since I got here, and can't wait to escape. They also tend to be gripes that other folks here don't quite get. If you were raised here they are just facts of life - irritating but not dealbreakers. It reminds me of how lobsters, if placed in cold water and heated to boiling, won't notice that they're being cooked. The ones who are dropped in after the water is at a full boil will bang frantically on the sides of the kettle, and are no doubt baffled that their compatriots can sit there so calmly.

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