some people I ran into from my sketchy-cool neighborhood were going to some midnight show in an old theater building– so I decided to venture out and go too since I knew people I knew would be there. it was a hipster scene, so I got all dressed up in my edgiest clothes– tho I feared they were sadly out of date and low-quality and -rent. it was an enormous old space with industrial galvanized metal circular stairways between levels, and the place was packed with the uberhip, and I started to regret coming.
I also visited my conservative friends in their big suburban houses and left feeling like an alien.
I went to work at a new place in the front offices of something like a sam’s club or costco– and I was busy, but other people were overwhelmed, so I offered to help with checking food in in the back– the guy said, remember, you have to touch it and look at it— presumably to see if it was bad. i went to try to find the bathroom and discovered an entire employee lockerroom facility with a big pool and people swimming laps.
my grandfather picked me up and took me to visit my father– we were driving on side roads– he was driving so slowly it made me nervous, especially as we were coming up on a merge onto the highway– it was clear though, so he cut over without a problem– and seemed to keep going as if he wouldn’t stop before he was in oncoming traffic lanes– I said, stop! here!— and he was already correcting, in the lane for the lefthand turn, I now remembered belatedly that we were supposed to take– he took it, and I realized just how very long it had been since I had visited. I said something about this and how I wanted to more adventures, and he said, you should, it’s good for you to go explore little islands.