It's Been Too Long

Since my last bulleted list.

And it's also been over a year since the move from Michigan to Manhattan.

Hence

How I've Changed Since Moving to Manhattan
(Shallow Edition)

• My purse is bigger. I now have a serious amount of junk that accompanies me everywhere. Antibacterial wipes. A paperback. My ipod. A small collection of toys, including but not limited to: silly putty, legos, a matchbox car, and crayons. (For the kids, not me. Really.)
• I own a more expansive selection of outerwear and accessories. Rain boots, hats, down coats of three different weights. Absolutely necessary when a person spends as much time as I do walking from subway stop to subway stop.
• I cook less with cream of mushroom soup and more with olive oil. Though a can of C of M still comes in handy in a pinch. And, to be truthful, I cook less in general.
  
• I now can simultaneously watch the sidewalk for hazardous materials (read: dog poop, vomit, and Wet Patches of Unknown Origin) and also look ahead to avoid colliding with other pedestrians . It's a skill that can only be learned from experience. Ask Michelle.
• I eat more Indian food. Also Vietnamese food. Also gelato. And pastries, and cheesecake, Brooklyn-style pizza, gyros... (sigh. It's all so tasty.)
• I'm more assertive. It's a good, self-protective skill to have here, really, or you might not ever get your turn in line or your opportunity to board the bus. Not to be confused with Aggressive or Absolutely Annoying.
  
• My sense of smell has become less discriminating. Also a self-protective adaptation. I'm looking forward to the less humid weather of fall, when the smells of the city aren't trapped so close to ground level.
• I've developed a sort of guidance system via hand-holding with my kids. They know now that if we're walking down the street holding hands, and I move my hand to the right or the left, that they need to follow. It's somewhat like a horse with a bit, I imagine. But it works well.

I know I've changed in more ways than that, and the ways affect my character, my faith, my attitude. But that's another post for another day.