Crossing Kevin's Crossing

Hello Dear Readers, For the first several weeks of living in Kevin’s Crossing the center of my universe has been the coffee shop, the Steaming Mug.  It has fed me, been the source of social interaction, and provided me with a connection to the larger world(free wifi).     But like any small town, the true heart of my new hometown is local mini-mart/gas station.  About 1.2 miles from my apartment is Ziggy’s, part of a local franchise found in this area.  Ziggy’s provides essentially everything a person needs to survive.  From food to gas, to basic home essentials, to cold cuts, and sandwiches.     Now that I’m settled into my apartment I’ve been making regular trips on foot to Ziggy’s for supplies.  This is an important milestone since it signifies my new universe is expanding.  My trips are frequent since I can only carry a few groceries at a time(I think I will be investing in a bike soon).  That’s perfect because every time is an adventure.  So many interesting people, so man

Hello Dear Readers! Today I was fortunate to participate in the great American pastime, antiquing!  With my friend Vic!  I met Vic last week after the unfortunate incident that sent me to the local urgent care, where Vic works as the intake coordinator.  Let us speak no more of this.     Vic’s partner, Jason, is visiting his mother at hospice care today, but Vic refuses to go because he says Jason's mother is “bigoted old coot’.  So I get the benefit of his company.  Hooray for bigotry!     Vic is taking me to Mitchell’s Antique Barn, near the highway.  Vic’s knowledge about antiques comes mostly from Jason, who inherited his grandfather’s antique gun collection.  Mine comes mostly from watching Antique Roadshow. He picked me up in his 1997 Ford Taurus at my apartment.  On the drive across town, we discussed the strangest things he's ever seen working at urgent care(Ewww!), the ending of Lost(awesome!), and the best cheese for making grilled cheese sandwiches(smoked g

Hello Dear Readers! I haven't been able to buy any groceries yet because my fridge doesn’t work.  So I decided to go down the coffee shop, the Steaming Mug to start my morning off with some Earl Grey tea and breakfast.  This works out great since Comcast had rescheduled my wifi installation for the third time, now I can use the cafe’s free wifi. The coffee shop has a brick exterior with a mural on it.  The front of the building had two large plate glass windows, both crowded with plants.  The interior is filled with old mismatched couches and chairs.  Most of the customers are locals.  The college in neighboring Telford is too far away for most students, except for the few with apartments in Kevin's Crossing because it's cheaper. At the counter was a barista named Gemma who had taken my order several times before.  She has a warm but gruff demeanor, like a scratchy wool sweater.  She has a nose ring and heartagram patched pinned to her apron.  This is how it went w