Strawberry Bubble Gum

I know there are a lot of things about Michigan right now that aren't great. I know that, economically, it has had bad times and really bad times. But then I think about the amazing experience I had growing up in the Southwestern part of the lower peninsula and I remember that Michigan is pretty darn great.

Today, one of my coworkers said something about the joy of fresh fruit. Right away, I was thinking about the summers I spent working at the farm stand. I thought of the strawberries I ate fresh from the field, still warm from the sun. I thought of our trips down the road to the blueberry farm, tying coffee cans around our waists, and picking many pounds of berries to take home. I thought of the long drives out on the roads that passed by more vineyards, orchards, and road side stands than I can count.

Yes, Michigan is pretty awesome.

I remember being able to ride my bike all over town, visiting the library, visiting the park. I loved hanging out at that park with friends, swinging until our legs hurt (or someone broke a bone) in the dark, drinking in summer air. I remember the video scavenger hunts, the hanging out, the movie marathons. The friendships I made growing up, the amazing adventures we had, groups we were in and championships we worked our asses off for, were all so spectacular that I often can't really explain them to people who don't understand.

Michigan people know, though.

Mmmm Michigan. Pure and simple. Amazing. I love you.

Aunt Jane's Letters

Oh my word. Lately, things have been very whirlwindy. Is that a word? Anyway, here has what's been up:

Two weekends ago, I:
-drove to Michigan
-met Pookie and Al's pup
-went to LT's wedding
-hung with some family

This past weekend, I:
-flew to Michigan
-went to Bananne's bachelorette party
-went to homecoming at Albion
-hung out with some of my favorite people

I came home this weekend with a cold. I think I caught it from Pookie when I saw her. Oh well. It seems to be going away now. I am not going anywhere this weekend, which is nice. I have to work all weekend, but these are the dues I must pay for requesting multiple weekends off in a row. Oh well.

Oldface and Wifers loaned me two dvds when I left. One, a BBC version of Sense & Sensibility, I watched the other day. AMAZING. It was so great. The other, a Masterpiece Theatre presentation of Jane Eyre, I have not yet watched, but I am looking forward to it.

Last Night I Dreamt That I Grew Wings

I just got a serious pang of homesickness. I wish I had been able to go to AC Homecoming. I wish that it hasn't been over two years since I have seen Twist and A. I wish it were easier to get a hold of Cupcake. I wish I could bring everyone I love that is in a faraway place and deposit them in the Burgh so I didn't have to feel sad. Would that be so difficult? Thank goodness for my people here, though. At least I have them.

We Tore The Thicket Down, Vine By Vine

I got a PA driver's license this afternoon. Of course, it is only temporary until the new one comes in the mail, but I am not a PA driver. Weird, right? They punched a hole in my Michigan license. I thought they would take it away. I am glad they did not. I think that the system that Pennsylvania has for dealing with all things car-related is really screwy. You can't go to one place like you can in Michigan. You have to go to one place for this, another for that, and a third for the other thing. I waited in line today for ages. AGES. Thank goodness Buddy came with me. I would have been frazzled. AND! They didn't even make me take the vision test, so I was happy about that. I just handed over my form and my proper forms of ID, had my picture taken and went about my way. The actual process took no more than 10 minutes. For real.

I just wrote out my to-do list. It is kind of annoying. It is all of the big stuff that has to happen before we move: new utility accounts, rent payments, etc. I just want it to all be over! I want to move! I got a free desk and I am super psyched about it. The girl that lives there now didn't want it and it is pretty much exactly what I need and where I wanted to put it, so she's just leaving it there. Nicely done, no? I know that my desire for moving day to come quickly will be lessened when moving day is actually here and I haven't done anything in while. But- I have been trying to make progress on things. I think I'm getting ready. I also am helping CLRG get ready to move. He has way more stuff, though, so I think it will be super fun.

Okay. I just got really sleepy. I hate that! And my blood sugar has been weirded out all afternoon and that is annoying. Rawr.

I Can't Let You Disappear

I was feeling homesick for Da Och this morning. I listened to Cupcake's Ocho mix while I showered. I printed this picture to hang on my wall:

Living in Da Och was sort of like living in a bubble. A bubble within the LBN bubble. Kind of strange, but true. I spent pretty much every moment I had there and it was heavenly. We did crazy things. I miss our board of quotations and our beautifying experiments on A. I miss dancing on chairs, singing into kitchen utensils. I miss our fabulous parties and the campus safety busts. I really do. I mostly just miss living with 9 of my best friends. It was a treat, you know? I haven't seen A or Twist since graduation... almost two years ago. HOLY SHIT. I graduated two years ago. Lord. It's getting hard for me to remember things from college, which makes me feel both very old and very sad. *sigh*

Hold on for one more day.

It's Our God-Forsaken Right to be Loved, Loved, Loved

We were supposed to go to my grandparents' house today, but there is... a blizzard. Rawr. So, the parents, Pookie and I are hunkered down at my godmother's house until morning. Joyful times. I can tell already that the family time is going to be an interesting one. Especially because my uncle, aunt and cousins are going to be there as well and my grandma doesn't seem to be super enthusiastic about anything. Oh boy.

I am having an issue coming up with a Christmas gift for CLRG. He has been scheming for weeks now. Consulting Elle, consulting Wifers. Now, he is consulting Pookie, too, and none of them will breathe a word of it to me. It's making me sort of crazy. I know that it will be something immeasurably more impressive than whatever I end up giving him. *sigh* AHH!! Pooks gave me a good idea, though, so maybe I will follow through with that and the one idea that he gave me a few weeks ago.

I got a tattoo on Friday! It didn't really hurt as much as I had been anticipating. I just have to keep lotion on it now until it totally heals, which will be in a couple of weeks. Here is a picture of the process:

I won't have the internet until the 26th, when we travel to Mt. P. to Pookie's apartment, so I hope everyone has a delightful holiday. Merry Christmas!!

But I Won't Hesitate No More, No More

Greetings from the Ville. I arrived here a few hours ago, after a long afternoon of travel. I am exhausted. I didn't get to leave when I wanted to, because of some snafus with the gas company and whatnot. Rawr. That stressed me out. I gave CLRG my key to my house so that he could check on things for me while we are absent. I walked down to his office to give him the key and say goodbye for real, and I felt so, so sad. I had been trying to prepare myself for this for a while, but it didn't work so well. I felt like I was going to cry. I don't know if he could tell, but looking at me with a sad face (puppy eyes and all) didn't really make it easier to contain myself. I think I have separation anxiety. It seems crazy to be feeling this way, given the length of time we've known one another, but I can't help it. I really, really like him. Several consecutive days apart are going to be so hard to handle. When I got here, I saw Pooks, as well as Oldface and JNH and Wifers, which was happy. Wifers was taking care of her evening responsibilities, so Oldface and JNH and I decorated D7. Paper snowflakes, Trey on a tree, ornaments hung with paper clips, etc. It's so festive.

Tomorrow, I am getting a tattoo. It is supposed to snow, but I'll be damned if that's going to stop me. Rawr! I will get it. I am also going to the doctor, getting my hair cut, and having a holiday shindig with the three listed above. There will be champagne, food, Love Actually and presents involved. I am very excited. These things make my absence from PGH seem not so sad.

There is so much snow here, FYI. I can't get over it. Pennsylvania is seriously lacking in the winter precipitation. Michigan could share. Ohio, too. Speaking of Ohio, today I was driving along I-80 and a thought occurred to me: over these next four days, my family is covering almost all of I-80. The parents are going West to East, and I just came East to West. Weird, right? Yes.

I should probably try to sleep...

I Can't Remember When the Earth Turned Slowly

Christmas is going to be so complicated. Half of me will be super excited to get out of here and see my family (Mom! Dad! Pooks! Jack!) and friends, but the other half will be super sad to leave CLRG behind for two weeks.

And Quarterlife (especially Elle!).

And the Factory (yes, I just admitted that).

And school (yes, I know).

*sigh*

It will be really interesting. I do so wish that CLRG and I could work something out so that he could come visit when I am there. I want him to meet my friends and my family and see more of Michigan than Livonia or wherever he went with his band a zillion years ago. I want to not be apart for so long. I'm having separation anxiety already and we still have like 2.5 weeks until I leave. Oh man.

On the bright side, I am getting my haircut when I am in the Ville. I am getting a tattoo! I will get to see some of my dearest friends. We'll go to Bert's. We'll go to Jack's. We will go to the beach, even if it's cold. I will get to see my parents and my puppy. We will visit my grandparents and will snuggle in pajamas. We will watch movies and sit around and I can sleep a lot and maybe detox myself of this caffeine business for a while.

See? It's going to be really, really complicated.

Reason Why

This weekend, I made my triumphant (okay, maybe not quite triumphant) return to the great state of Michigan. I arrived at Chuck's house on Friday and spent the evening hanging out with he, Pookie, Claudio, and RJ. We carved pumpkins, I made applesauce, we watched The Nightmare Before Christmas, ate some pizza. It was a glorious evening. Saturday, Chuck and I went to the wedding of his uncle's stepson. It was held in a beautiful Catholic church, and they had a full Mass. I was kind of excited, because I haven't been to church in a while and it was nice to go. The bride was gorgeous and they looked so happy together, which made me smile. The reception was a lot of fun. The food was amazing. I want to eat it every day. Every. Day. Sunday, I did some homework and then came back to the Burgh in the evening. All in all, it was a good weekend.

I gave a presentation last night in my Intro class and it went 600 times better than I was expecting it to go. I did not sing any of my words, I did not throw my notes across the room and I didn't shake until after I was finished. I'm glad it is over, though. That's just one more thing off the list. Thank goodness. I just marked off the first weeks of October on the calendar that is taped to the wall in front of me. I figured that it would help me to visualize the end of the semester. And, um, it made me realize that there are like 7 weeks (not including this one) until finals week. Awesome?