Friday, March 4, 2011

Categories

*I have two things to make recompense for before I go any further:

1.       I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written….although I don’t know if I want to get in the habit of apologizing for this because, well, refer back to this earlier post and my thoughts on my aversion to committing to a regular routine.
2.       As a good friend pointed out, I failed to mention how many leeks and how many fennel bulbs I used in this recipe – it was 2 leeks, 1 bulb. Cook away Caroline!

My mittens, a.k.a. a fantastic conversation starter

I’ve been acutely aware the last couple of weeks of one aspect of living in a city and just how different that is from anything I’ve ever experienced before: the sheer number of people that I am routinely around. It’s an odd thing. Fiance Sven has been even more busy than usual the past couple of weeks with school, so I have, in actuality, been spending a lot of time alone. But being “alone” in Philadelphia is vastly different than being alone in a rural setting.

There are several categories of people that are a part of my life here in Philly.

First, there are my actual friends. I’m still very new to this city, and don’t have many folks in this category yet. Those friends that I do have live just far enough out of the city to make it an effort to get together with them, so we don’t do it as often as I’d like. 

And then there are the people that I know simply from seeing them every day (my commuting cohorts), but who I have no idea what their names are or anything about them other than their daily routines.

And then there are the crowds of nameless, faceless people that I am nearly constantly surrounded with as I walk the streets, ride the subway and the trains, run my errands, live my life. This is an odd category – a category that drives home the point of just how lonely one can feel even if they’re not technically alone.

And then there are the folks that fall into the wonderful category of complete strangers on the street that decide to have a conversation with me about any random topic, including how they really like my mittens but maybe I should put some duct tape on them since things can get pretty crazy in Philly. Of which I have no idea what on earth they’re talking about.

 And that’s the category that makes living in a city the unique experience it is. And probably the category my mom wishes I would do my best to avoid altogether. But then what would I blog about?