November 14, 2007

Things I Really Miss About The US

  1. Target. As much as I hate to admit it, this shopping at little mom-n-pop joints all over the town sucks. It took me 3 weeks to locate a closet rail and now it needs to go back to the store because it's too large. Being able to pop into one place and pick up housewares, socks, toothpaste and a garden hose is becoming my new version of heaven.
  2. Space. More specifically, the luxuriousness of space. Things here are as small as possible, meeting the minimum standard and not going one spare inch over that. Our flat, which is quite spacious, is the same size as my one bedroom apartment in Dallas. Which was all fine and good until I went to a friend's the other night and realized his bathroom was the size of our kitchen. I'm bursting at the seams in my bedroom and he's got closet space to spare.
  3. Central heat. The radiators are on timers, which means they turn off completely for part of the day. I cannot sleep in a cold room, it makes me very sick, but there isn't a way to simply lower the temperature in the house for nighttime. It's either on or off. Which makes for very cold bathrooms in the morning and very quick showers.
  4. Meeting friends for dinner. The Irish don't meet for dinner; they meet at the pub after dinner, unless it's a special occasion. But it's nice to meet a friend on a Tuesday night and catch up. I miss meeting for lunch on Saturday before a spot of shopping.
  5. Grocery shopping. The choices aren't a plentiful. The stock isn't consistent. The produce isn't as varied. Plus I can't buy more than I can carry unless there is a bus route near by, or I can take a taxi. But some taxi guys will charge you for each bag and that gets expensive.
  6. Owning a car. Hate to admit this one too, but it was dead handy to have a car while people visited over the summer. It costs me 12 euro and 1 hour to go greet someone at the airport, which translates into taking at least a half day off work. Home Depot is only in the deepest suburbs and really, can you imagine me on a bus home with lumber and hardware? Plus I miss putting gas in the car. I have always loved that smell.
  7. Jazz. I don't know anyone that listens to it, anywhere to listen to it regularly, and I am unaware of any champagne brunches with live jazz.
  8. Micro brew beers. I miss Fat Tire. I miss the Old Monk. I miss dark beer that isn't Guinness. A girl can only take so much before she needs some damn variety!
  9. Patio culture. They just don't have the weather here to be able to give space over to outdoor seating. There are a few places that have it, but if it is a nice day, those places are overrun. I miss saying "we need to be on a patio with chips and salsa!"
  10. Mexican food. But I've gone over this one before.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

When you come back I will let you put gas in my Jeep, go to Home Depot and buy some wood and lug it home, go sit on a patio with some good Mexican food for dinner, and finish it off at Old Monk with some good Fat Tire. And you can go to Super Target and get some groceries, and come back to my place and cook in my spacious kitchen! (although it could be bigger) I would say you could turn on the central heat, but it will be far too warm for that, sorry. And I am sure you can find some Jazz...

Mel

B said...

Haaaa.... I'll take you up on most of it at the wedding!