Thank Goodness I’m a (Quasi) City Boy
So I’m trying to make a pot of chili. Because i like to make my life difficult, I made most of the chili Tuesday and then put it in the fridge so that the flavors would meld or deepen or do whatever they do. My plan tonight was to add the beans and actually eat some chili. But it turns out that in my infinite Daveness, I bought a can of refried pinto beans instead of whole pinto beans. So I walked around the corner, picked up the beans and a couple of other things at the local supermarket, and came home.
At which point my can opener promptly broke, leaving me with four sealed cans between a finished pot of chili and me.
OK, a couple of minutes to collect myself, and I went back around the corner. As I was walking to the supermarket, I saw that the door of Alex’s dance school was open and her dance teacher was standing there. So I crossed the street to make some small talk, and as it turns out the DVD of her dance recital was ready so I was able to pick that up. So, bonus errand done, I returned to the supermarket, got my can opener, and now I intend to see these beans stewing in a pot of chili soon after I hit Publish.
I live in a neighborhood that’s sort of a cross between a fully urban area and the suburbs. We have blocks of rowhomes, but also office parks and plenty of shopping centers/strip malls. It’s not fully walkable, but just being able to walk around the corner to buy groceries is something I value. That I can wind up unexpectedly crossing another errand off my To Do list during that five minute walk is a bonus that reminds me that life in a spread-out suburb is probably not something I’m cut out for.
About Dave Thomer
Born and raised in Philadelphia. Studied philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, where I made many great friends and met my wonderful wife. We moved back to Philadelphia, where I studied philosophy some more and became a teacher. Online and off, I'm looking for ways that we can be better citizens and build stronger communities.