This started out as a comment that I wrote on my gay husband's blog. I think we've both been missing each other quite a bit, and as we struggle to find communities of friends who understand us (and, in my case, stay put for more than six months at a time) in the new places where we live, we have both been longing for the "urban family" that we left behind in Phoenix.
Here's my comment:
Yeah, Drinko de Mayo just isn't the same after you've lived in Phoenix. I've been taking many a stroll down memory lane recently. We had some good times there. I'm looking forward to living in the same place as you again and eating brunch and talking about Nietzsche and taking Susie for power walks. It's been pretty lonely here lately and I'm rather homesick. I miss road trips to Springerville and apologizing profusely for my drunken ridiculousness (looking back on it, I don't know why I got so worked up about all of that). I miss Campari and my green Volkswagen Beetle and Monroe's (which totally reminds me of The Roadhouse from Twin Peaks). This comment is getting long and ridiculous. I'm going to finish the rest of it on my blog....
I miss getting pedicures and the garden in the house where you and Max lived. I miss getting wasted and staring at your fish tanks. I miss going for long runs at night when the weather finally cooled down and I miss eating Taco Bell (well, ok, not really all that much) and speaking Spanish. I miss your encouragement and how you were always on my side about EVERYTHING. I miss the Sisyphusian rock of your Airstream and getting Baskin Robbins before going to the dog park.
Phoenix is a different place now. The light rail is installed, the apartment where I lived is now a condo, and most of the urban family has moved away. It's hard to plant strong roots in the desert. But still, it's nice to be able to miss a place and people and know that feelings of loneliness are only temporary. I'm just glad that Cambridge will be our united stomping ground in the not too distant future. And then I can miss Bangkok and write posts like this about it.
About Me
WELCOME!!
My name is Brooke, and this is my blog! This blog provides a glimpse into my life as an expat in Bangkok, Thailand, where I am currently developing the curriculum for a new international school. My talents include: planning trips at the spur of the moment, the ability to live out of a suitcase for months at a time, being both a nomad and a homebody, riding in taxis, surprising people with my sailor's mouth, making eggs benedict, riding horses while they jump over things, making up songs while teaching, making my hip scarves jingle during belly dance, and burning the candle at both ends. I have a hard time with: commas and semicolons, walking in high heels, opening pickle jars, untying knots in necklaces, and taming those crazy flyaways. I am utterly enamored with travel, believe in happily ever after, and consistently celebrate National Left-Handers' Day. This blog is meant to be a space for sharing my own personal observations and fine-tuning my writing. Comments and suggestions are always welcome, as long as they are posted with kind intentions and the understanding that this is much more of a monarchy than a democracy. This blog is definitely best enjoyed with a martini in hand, as that's how I prefer writing it. Thanks for visiting!! It is lovely to meet you. If I have left you wanting more--100 more things about me, to be exact--please click here.A Helping Hand: Your Daily Click!!
2 comments:
You're so right... it is nice to miss places. And to make new memories. With all the moving I've done I've found myself missing places. The key is to remember that you can't (and probably don't want to) go back. Of course, there are certain things that you take with you. Like how we've taken our friendship and we're going to terrorize greater Boston with it :)
Yeah, you really never do step in the same river twice. I certainly would never go back to Phoenix. That time is definitely over for me, and that was abundantly clear as I looked over my shoulder at it one last time while Petunia, the VW Beetle, pointed her cute little headlights at Flagstaff. BTW...looking over your shoulder while driving is NOT something I recommend. And I know that Boston will be very different when I go back there. Sure, a ton of my friends from grad school will be there, but the context will be very different. The year I spent was one of the best of my entire life, but that had as much to do with life as a student at HGSE as anything else. But you're right: there are some things that you CAN take with you, and I'm glad you are one of them :) BTW...pretty much ALL of the bars here in Bangkok sell Campari cocktails galore. It definitely makes me miss you when I see them on the menu.
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