Techies in Suburbia and "Stuck in the Middle with You"

On my way to work today I saw my "boss", Jon, driving away from the shop. He saw me and waved me over. About three yards from his truck, I said "What's up?"
"You clocking in?" he asked.
"Yeah..."
"We're going shopping. Hop in."
He needed props for one of the productions going up in a couple weeks and decided to make it a one stop expedition by going to Meijer. He handed me the list to look over. There were three columns typed on the page, one named the item needed, the second the amount, and the third had a space for extra notes. I commented on the note that corresponded with "pizza". It said that Ben, one of the actors, preffered something vegetarian. Jon and I then engaged in a conversation about the contrariness of a vegatarian diet to that of human nature and dietary needs.
Once at meijer, we began in the food section. Three cheese pizzas were first. Twinkies and oreos came next, then bags of chips. Next were two street hockey sticks and pucks. And the final item, a lawn gnome.
Besides the odd fare, I realized the two of us stuck out from the crowd some. Jon Reeves is a singular person in any situation, but his tattoos, skull rag, and Carhart overalls seemed particularly out of place in such a middle class haven. My paint splattered pants and leather jacket didn't exactly blend in either.
At the checkout, I said, "I'm suprised there are so many people here in the middle of the day, on a Tuesday."
"We're in the suburbs," Jon sneered. "Besides, note the average age. You are the youngest thing around, and I'm even on the lower side."
I put the hockey sticks over my shoulder after they'd been scanned.
The lawn gnome was double bagged.
______

So, I'm stuck in the middle of my friends' drama. Nothing new. I'd give the laundry list, but that's not necessary. But once again I'm finding that being "the rock" for everyone, tends to be a bit tiring. It's getting to be that time when I start loosing my own grip. I need my own personal rocks here to stablize me. One is hopefully coming soon, Nassau. The other will be here in a few weeks, Chase. Hopefully, if I just dig my toes in, I can remain grounded for just a little longer.