Another Thursday Night in the Upper Valley

Yesterday a student asked me whether I enjoyed living in the upper valley.  He asked the question full of the undergrad desire for big cities and more options.  I remember that feeling.  I remember feeling trapped here in the wilds of Hanover as an undergraduate student.

Now that I am "grown" and have lived in New York and enjoyed all its glory, I have to say that I like living in the Upper Valley quite a bit.  It surprises people when I say that for several reasons. First, I'm a brown woman...there aren't very many of us in this community.  Second, I'm single in a world full of couples, so finding a mate is also complicated.  Third, I hated it as an undergrad.

While, I am sure that I will either grow weary of this place or end up here forever...right now, it is where i should be.  I have really good friends here.  I have started to make a place in the community.  I have discovered that while I love the city in small doses, I grow tired living with the pace.  I like having people know my name.  I like that the bar I go to knows my drink without me having to order it and they know I'll cash out at the end of the night, so I don't have to leave my card.  I like knowing local vendors.  I like community libraries.  I kind of like small town life.  If I start getting involved in local politics and enjoying the outdoors then I may become an upper valley lifer.  I'm not quite there yet.

So, my Thursday night is an example of why I was able to tell my student that I really do enjoy living here.    It was nothing out of the ordinary but a great night.  Browsed the shelves of Borders with NB checking out ridiculous magazines, marvelling at the monstrosities that pass as runway fashion and taking self-help quizzes to discover our personality type.  I also had the song "Telephone" by Lady Gaga and Beyonce stuck in my head and wandered around singing it.  NB then graciously drove me to The Cave for Thursday karaoke.

As I have already said....I love Karaoke.  The Cave is the place where people know my name, my drink and my table.  LOL  I love it.  I miss MdS something awful since she departed to wedded bliss but it is still one of my favorite places.

Like I said, it wasn't an extraordinary evening but it was my life.  Good people, good fun and lots of laughter...