Yes, there are some things I miss...

This afternoon, I got on my old friend TM10 and headed from the coast to the mountains. Usually when I board TM10, I do one of two things. Either I pull out the laptop and start typing something (usually this blog) or I get comfortable and prepare to sleep for an hour or so.

Today was a bit different. To lighten the load I had to carry, I didn’t have my laptop with me, instead leaving it in my locker in the Main Media Center. And I had slept in this morning so I wasn’t especially tired.

So, I pulled out my iPod and found the country music playlist. Taylor Swift, Sugarland, Tim McGraw and a few others filled my ears on the drive from the coast. It got me thinking about things I miss from home.

See, here, if there is Russian music playing, it is very pop like and if there’s American music playing, it’s either new pop music or classic rock music. I enjoy both kinds of music at certain times, but my favorite kind of music is country music and aside from my iPod, that’s not the easiest thing to find over here.

I also miss cheeseburgers. I know, I could go to McDonald’s and get a cheeseburger right downstairs from where I am writing this now, but so far, I’ve resisted that urge. Now don’t get me wrong, I have gone to McDonald’s, but I’ve kept my orders to chicken McNuggets, salads and shakes. I know that’s not terribly healthy, but I fear getting back into my massive fast food habit if I go to the next step and start buying the cheeseburgers I used to devour. And I will say, the McDonald’s in the media center, while yes, working on a limited menu, would put any other McDonald’s to shame anywhere as far as speed goes. The orders come up incredibly quickly. It’s pretty impressive.

I miss driving. That sounds a little weird, because when I’m home, I usually get tired of all the driving I do. I am on the road all the time and it can get to be a drag. But I miss just being able to get in my car and go somewhere without having to worry about the bus schedule. Here I am always concerned about what time I need to catch a bus or what time the next shuttle rolls. But give me a week back and I’ll already be tired of driving.

And finally, I miss Mountain Dew. I love Mountain Dew. If I had no self-restraint, I’d drink gallons of the stuff every day (and I used to drink a lot more than I do now). Regular, Code Red, Throwback, Livewire, it doesn’t matter. But of course, Coke is a major sponsor of the Olympics so everything here is Coke products. I have made due with a few Sprites and Fanta orange soda, but I am pretty sure that as soon as my car gets out of the Logan parking garage and I see a convenience store, I will be stopping to get my fix of Mountain Dew.

That being said, don’t get me wrong, I’m having a great time, there are just a few things I miss. I could probably live without every single one of those things, but still, I do miss them.