People sometimes ask me if it is weird to knock on the doors of strangers and ask them who they are voting for. Lately my answer has been that it’s a lot less weird in Ohio. That’s because strangers here are fairly polite and oddly friendly, even if they’re voting for John McCain and they think Obama is a socialist. (There are raging exceptions to this polite rule, of course.)
The “hon” phenomenon is immediately evident upon rolling into town. At the McDonald’s drive-through, at the supermarket checkout, when talking on the phone with Obama supporters, just about anyone you speak with, anytime, is likely to end the conversation by calling you a cute little name. I’ve decided I like it. When you’re feeling rundown, driven for example to hit up the gas station for advil because of a splitting headache, that “have a good day hon” at the register really perks you up. I also have to say this almost never happens to me in Massachusetts. (Yes, I talk to strangers there all the time, but usually about the Red Sox.) Stacked up against the friendliness of Parma, my beloved Boston is feeling a little chilly.
This friendliness might be part of the reason I feel so at home in Northern Ohio these days. Lately I’ve been thinking about the strangeness of planting yourself in an unfamiliar place among total strangers for a small window of time. The things I look forward to these days are very different than they were a month ago: my daily drive through the state park watching the leaves turn red and gold, the 3:00 pm Starbucks run that in our sleep-deprived state seems absolutely like a lifesaver, the fantastic thin-crust mushroom and sausage pizza from Donato’s down the street, Schnitzel Saturdays. And, of course, the “hon.”
Speaking of chilly, the heat isn’t really on in our office, so today I worked with a scarf and hobo gloves on all day. Classy. I’ve also been slugging EmergenC like it’s the water of life to stave off the cold that I feel lurking around the corner. It’s 10:41 pm, we just ordered three large Donato's pizzas, and the evening feels far from over. Tired, hungry, but feeling good. More later.
The “hon” phenomenon is immediately evident upon rolling into town. At the McDonald’s drive-through, at the supermarket checkout, when talking on the phone with Obama supporters, just about anyone you speak with, anytime, is likely to end the conversation by calling you a cute little name. I’ve decided I like it. When you’re feeling rundown, driven for example to hit up the gas station for advil because of a splitting headache, that “have a good day hon” at the register really perks you up. I also have to say this almost never happens to me in Massachusetts. (Yes, I talk to strangers there all the time, but usually about the Red Sox.) Stacked up against the friendliness of Parma, my beloved Boston is feeling a little chilly.
This friendliness might be part of the reason I feel so at home in Northern Ohio these days. Lately I’ve been thinking about the strangeness of planting yourself in an unfamiliar place among total strangers for a small window of time. The things I look forward to these days are very different than they were a month ago: my daily drive through the state park watching the leaves turn red and gold, the 3:00 pm Starbucks run that in our sleep-deprived state seems absolutely like a lifesaver, the fantastic thin-crust mushroom and sausage pizza from Donato’s down the street, Schnitzel Saturdays. And, of course, the “hon.”
Speaking of chilly, the heat isn’t really on in our office, so today I worked with a scarf and hobo gloves on all day. Classy. I’ve also been slugging EmergenC like it’s the water of life to stave off the cold that I feel lurking around the corner. It’s 10:41 pm, we just ordered three large Donato's pizzas, and the evening feels far from over. Tired, hungry, but feeling good. More later.
2 comments:
Sara,
I tried like heck to get some time off to volunteer in NH, but alas, my employer expects me to work - can you beleive that!?!?!?! Here's hoping your journey was a successful one! Looking forward to your return no matter what the election outcome.
Sonny
finish strong, sully
strong like bull, well, lady bull
shit's gonna go down
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