Friend From The Hood

I don’t think I am a lot different from most of the people living on the planet. Out of seven billion I figure that 6,998,999,997 people are more or less just like me. That small percentage that aren’t like me are those super successful people that use their time wisely and think things through before they act. You might call them the yeast that keeps society growing. We need them, but you don’t want them as friends.

I live my life for the most part in a relatively small area that circles my house. I worked pretty close, I buy my cars and have them serviced in the neighbourhood, I shop pretty close by, the kids went to school close by, my friends all live in the neighbourhood for the most part. Yes, there are exceptions but my comfort zone is pretty close to home, maybe a few square miles. I have friends that have moved away, and now they are Christmas card and facebook friends. There are some stores that I like to go to that are in a different part of the city and my doctor and dentist are both twenty minute drives away. I can’t seem to make them understand that it would be advantageous for them to move their practices because it would be better for me. Some people are just inflexible.

This weekend, I drove my son and his wife to a wedding that was in the far southern end of the city. In the old days it would have been two or three days travelling on horseback and at least a week by foot to get there. When we arrived in the general vicinity, they needed a coffee. Why they needed a coffee I don’t know, but need one they did. I pulled into a shopping plaza that I had never been in before and watched people as they went about their business.

I have a theory that people in more affluent parts of the city dress better to go shopping. For the most part the people in my area can wear baggy sweat pants, stained, dirty t-shirts and worn out runners or flip flops. There is a mall near my dentist that I always feel underdressed in. I suspect that the women plan their shopping for just after getting their hair, nails and botox injections. Their clothing is freshly pressed, clean and is co-ordinated. In my area “freshly pressed” refers to sitting on your pants to get the wrinkles out of your ass.

This particular plaza fell somewhere in the middle. I wouldn’t have felt under dressed or over dressed. I was underdressed, but I doubt anyone would have made a comment. I may take Louise down their sooner rather than later just to check out some of the stores and there happens to be an IHOP just down the road. I don’t have to dress up or comb my hair, but I probably will and I just may trim some of those stray hairs that stick out from the beard. Louise always looks nice so she won’t be a problem.

No way am I taking my friend from the hood, he would embarrass me.