A Few Things I'm Still Getting Used To

I've been pondering a lot lately of things that I miss from living in CA and surprises that I have come to appreciate living here in the Big Apple. But mostly, there are just a lot of things that I'm still having to get used to altogether:

1. Folks crossing the street without adhering to the signal or looking for oncoming traffic; I've had to swing out my soccer mom arm a few times to save a life or two.
2. Having to make several trips to the hardware store to make "little" purchases since I can't carry everything that appears on my shopping list walking to/from my apartment.
3. Men staring at or down my chest during my commute to work--oh how I long for my four door sedan that only allows onlookers to stare at my singing along to the radio instead of my size D breasts!
4. No longer being able to eat a meal at Taco Bell for less than $4.00, for which that brand name has become synonomous in my 31-year old brain.
5. Calling my family in a time zone that is behind me now instead of in front of me; some evenings, I'm still on the phone at midnight.
6. The absence of day laborers outside Home Depot and the stockpile of them hitting on me outside the midtown subway stations.
7. Having to carry my "cute" shoes wrapped in a plastic bag and walk in my comfy sneaks--two reasons: 1.) I do too much walking to be able to to wear the "cute" shoes and 2.) the streets are just too dirty to wear them everywhere. (I secretly long for rainy days that will wash away the leftover dog excrement on the sidewalks.)