Becoming a Regular

Last night, in typical Friday night fashion, I went to a bar to hang out with a bunch of my fellow graduate students to celebrate the ending of the week.  We always go to the same bar, and every week I show up with my wallet in hand, ready to show my ID to the man at the door.

So, when I went to pull my ID from my wallet, I was surprised to hear, "It's okay. I recognize you."

It's official...I have become a regular.

Now, this might not seem like a big deal, but I am rarely a regular.  There are a few restaurants back home that recognize my family and know me well enough to say hi to me when I am not with my parents., but I am just known by association.  I realize there are some coffee shops, bars, restaurants or other stores that might recognize me, but they never mention that I am familiar to them.  The ONLY other time I have been greeted with familiarity is by a worker in Taco Bell.  TACO BELL, of all places.  I can't say I am particularly proud that one of the drive-thru workers was able to say, "Hey! It's you! I haven't seen you in awhile," but there is still a welcoming feeling to being recognized.

I can now ad one more place to my regular hangouts...at least my life has some consistency!