How did I get here?

What I'm missing right now... "pretty" describes an element of my former life that is no longer present in my current life. There was a glimpse of it when Bella Sera was novel. I don't know how to describe it, other than a date on a warm night in October, where the lights in the trees lining the streets are reflected in the ... puddles on the sidewalk (11 PM or so) and restaurants without televisions open 6-7 nights a week with a full menu and going somewhere else to see music, or a show, or (gasp) going to a bookstore (what kind of nerd goes to a bookstore on a date) and instead of going to a participant's residence to make out, you get a cup of coffee (somewhere other than Denny's - do you know there are cities where non-franchised coffee shops are open after 6 pm!) and talk, or read out loud to each other. How did I get here?