Concrete Jungle

I'd been feeling a bit restless after spending most of my weekend ensconced in blankets in front of my computer so I made two rather desperate bids for freedom. Last night I dragged HY to a show at a truly charming venue downtown, affectionately referred to as "the Meatlocker"... it was just as dim, dirty, and graffitied as it had been when I frequented it two years ago, and was noticeably emptier (probably because it was a weeknight). Not exactly what I had in mind when I decided I needed a change of scenery, but R's band was really, really good, better than I remembered, and as HY said later, sometimes you just need really loud music to shake you up and take you out of your zone a little. And then today instead of cleaning my room (like I wrote in my beautiful new calendar) I ended up going into the city and searching for Koreatown but only finding a 99cent store, and then going to Columbia to meet S and J for Vietnamese food. Columbia is nice. I really like how compact the main campus is, and the trees covered in Christmas lights were beautiful! I can't help thinking about how life would be different if I had chosen to go to school in the city instead of in western Mass. I'd probably be an expert at using the subway, instead of perpetually worrying that I was going the wrong direction or accidentally making eye contact with sketchy-looking passengers. I'd be able to see all my grade school friends whenever they were home, not just whenever both of us were home. I'd probably have a busier social life and I'd probably be able to take Zumba classes as often as I wanted! But at the same time, the sense of relief I feel every time I step off the train and recognize the parking lot, the gas station, the restaurants I grew up with serves to indicate that I'm meant for a smaller town and a smaller scope, at least for now.

P.S. I can't stop listening to "Islands" by The xx.