Ar-i-zona

I went to Strawberry in Union Square to buy sweat pants. I handed the guy my ID as I checked out and he said, “Ar-i-zona!” The way he accentuated the syllables made it sound far away. He asked what it’s like there and I said “It’s nice, but I like this better since I moved here.” And he said it must be so hot there. And I said, “You know when your baking something in your oven? Well try living in there.” “It’s like Texas,” he said. “It be steamin’ there.” He wanted to go there. I only want to be here.

I think I'm getting more used to things. I no longer freak out when I walk in the subway. Everyone looks calmer to me and I'm calmer too. Which is not to say I have things figured out.

But it rained a lot tonight and I noticed I didn't think much of it. A month ago it was a big deal. "Oh! Rain! What do I do about this? Where can I get an umbrella? etc." And this time, I knew how to carry my bags so they didn't get wet, where to step, and how to hold my umbrella so it wouldn't blow inside out. I got home before I realized I hadn't even given it a thought. It was kinda strange, to not care.