A stranger in my homeland

Moving back here has been relatively easy. I've settled in quite nicely. I am no longer the largest person in the room, the one with the least amount of makeup, or the one with Target purse. Everyone has welcomed me back with open arms and kindness. I feel at home here.

Then why to I feel like an alien sometimes? Maybe its the looks I get from my parents when I question why they buy their meat at a meat auction?! Or the look of confusion when I don't want to eat expired foods that they bought at a local discount store.

Perhaps its the look I receive when I ask people what they love about their Vera Bradley purses. Or maybe its the look of shock when I ask someone about a new movie.....apparently people don't really go to the movies here like back in LA. They wait months for the DVD or pay-per-view. They are much more interested in the Phillies or Eagles.

My cousin Carl asked me the other day what I missed about LA. And for the life of me I couldn't really think of anything except for my friends. But then, after thinking about it longer I realized I missed better dining opportunities. When I said this, he kind of looked at me strange. The thing is, if you want pasta or sandwiches............this is the land for it. But if you want Chinese, Mexican, Thai, or just healthy.....this is not the place for it.

I also miss my single friends. Now, I'm sure there are lots of single women around here my age, but so far I haven't come across any. Ladies.....if you were feeling bad about being single in LA don't. This is not the place to be single. People are married here....for better or worse (although I think most for the worse and are just hiding that fact). So, everywhere you go, people are couple up. I get sort of a pass because of my divorced with child status. But still, I see their pity, and I feel lonely when they are sitting in couples.

I'm also not as conservative as the rest of my family. My dad for instance knows that I don't particularly agree with the views of the current White House, yet he has Fox News channel on everyday. Of course its his house, so I don't say anything, I don't even try to have a dialogue about it.....but he tries to bait me.......tries to throw out the craziest ideas about current events and its hard for me to keep quiet. So, when we have a dialogue, he looks at me like I am a complete stranger. So, does the rest of my family if you must know. I mentioned that Hillary Clinton might not be such a bad president and was almost hung up to dry by several members of my family.

But for all the stares of confusion that I get, I am still glad I'm here. I love it here.......if only to stir up the pot a little bit.