A Weekend in the Wilderness

After a very stressful and painful Thursday, Hugo and I made it into da UP in about 7 hours. We arrived in time to wander down to the Base, meet a pal (MTY!!!) and watch the Pistons lose. *sigh* Did I mention I got to see MTY? [insert giant grin here]

Saw more folk on Friday -a few at the coffee shop, then at the HPO. Went out to a tasty dinner and a few bars. I got to DANCE!!! Oh, the joy! JD and I hustled in the Shammy, then really rocked to Phat Funkadelic at the UpFront. All the ladies joined us, as did one's new boyfriend. He was a fun and wild dancer, accentuated by his crazy thinness and wireyness. It was just fabulous. Just fabulous! Got to meet the band (duh!) and harass them a bit. Bunch of cuties from Wisconsin.

Saturday involved time at the beach, mmmmmmmmmmm, time shopping, mmmmmmmmm (I got green pants!), and then cooking a damn fine salmon dinner. Again, we went out to the bars. Back to the UpFront, cause the boys promised to play Super Freak for me. Turns out they were right, they can't play it! But they were sweet to try it. Then the Matrix - I walk in and meet a buddy, stand talking with him for a moment. A minute in, some guy walks up and asks, 'do I know you? from (some city I've never heard of)?' Nope. Not a clue. He is barely gone when this other guy walks up and half hugs me, then realizes I'm not who he thought. Immediately apologizes and swears he thought I was some chick from Skandia. Nope. So, my buddy starts to tell a friend of his who just walked up about all these guys, when I feel this hand on my back. I turn around, and this time I actually knew the guy! Used to be the keg supplier for the Fitch House Fiestas. We hit Remies to cap off the bar scene, where the 'tender came up, hugged me, said he missed me, and got me a free drink. Fa' shizzle! The night was capped (?) at 231, in the dying embers of a party. I found my old swing partner (swing dancing, you freak) on the floor, so we spun ourselves sick to the techno beat. Now, swinging to techno is *fun*.

Sunday was more mellow. A climb up Sugarloaf (didn't have the time/supplies for Hoggie, and didn't seem the same without my JLB) that included an encounter with a hummingbird and my neon yellow nalgene was first on the list. Then to see my favorite boys at the boss' house. Man, they need a haircut! I was skritching Max the Marmalade and having gobs of fur come flying off. Good thing this was all outdoors! Then, more beach, lunch, more beach, dinner and some peaceful around-the-house-bsing.

All in all, it was great. Soooo good to see the people that I have missed. Soooo good to get out with my girls and dance and dance and dance. I was reminded of why we endure a UP winter -to be a part of the UP summer. And what a welcome break to the paved cage in which I reside. I was reminded of the vast potential in Marquette. There were times, living there, it seemed a dead-end place, but, I wonder if the paint hadn't just faded with age. Coming back was like seeing your childhood home, familiar and nostalgic, with a fresh new coat. All that potential was there the whole time, I just... didn't always realize.

Tidbits

1. I have a major crush on Kenneth Brown. I just want to grab him and cuddle him and make him tell me stories about how we'd decorate our love nest. Those pictures aren't very good; I just couldn't find a better one. Trust me, he's hot.

2. I got a haircut last night. It was with a new lady, our first time together. She mighta been a little rough, a little forward, a little... much? But then, I wasn't good at communicating, either. I didn't express my needs or my boundaries. *sigh* You just can't rush into a new relationship. Totally new styles on a first appointment... only leads to broken hearts or painful misunderstandings. We'd have been better off taking it slow, getting to know one another with a simple trim-session. But: at least there is no confusing "mystery" to deal with, and I think we both know I won't be needing to call her for a long while. Although, ...something tells me she'll make a Great rebound!

3. For those who are interested in a bit of reality, there has been no updates on the Peace Corps situation. Still in a holding pattern as the good folks in D.C. review my medical history. I will post as soon as I know anything more.

Week, In Review

My summer employment has taken a step forward. I'm an office girl now, joining the commuters Monday through Thursday. My boss is so laid back, he doesn't care when I show up or take off, so I've been able to plan my day around rush hour. It's not a fun or smooth drive (my god, the potholes and construction site are going to EAT MY CAR), but it could absolutely be worse. I'm still in the recruiting business, but now I'm strictly in the IT field, and I get to make calls and send emails. oooooohh.

The office is below a Starbucks, which would be a major hazard, if not for the killer coffee machine in the kitchenette. I drink the 'Dark Magic' blend, which is not quite espresso strength. I'm thinking, and this is just a hunch, that the amount of crazystrong coffee I consume at work is related to the insomnia I suffered all last week. There *may* be a connection, but the report is not yet in. I'll let y'all know.

I'm road-tripping this weekend (24-27) to the great white north. I'm hoping for nice hot weather again, as I'm dying to be on the beach. All I keep reading about here is the bacteria levels in the nearby lakes and beaches, and how it's not safe for anyone to swim or, as of today, even play in the sand. And that's, of course, if you feel like driving to find a people-beach and then want to pay to get access. I like free, clean, safe to use beaches with safe to use water and room to spread out.

Outside of beaching, there's the bars. I miss the bars. A couple of my girls are still in town, and I am so ready to get out and dance. I know the town will be near empty, but, I also know that my friends aren't the type to care if the dance floor is full or not. We will make it full. ...And being able to afford the drinks...!! $2 instead of $4, liquor you can taste, ... oh man!

Marky-Mark isn't going to be there, and I'm not pleased. He's promised to try and visit soon, though, even if it's somewhere north, in the middle. Damn, I miss that boy. The gas prices are actually rising again, and I'm not pleased. We are taking Hugo's auto, Hannah, and she gets better miles than Bonnie at last check. In Bonnie, I can usually get from the driveway to the university on exactly one tank of gas. She's been losing that though, and it has taken a tank and a half the last coupls of trips. Maybe a miracle will happen and prices will drop for the weekend, and gas will only cost $1.50. Imagine!

What's new?

Hmmmmmm..... What's new?

Went downtown yesterday, for the Detroit Festival of the Arts. The plan was to learn how to dance zydeco, but we got late and only caught the very tail end. Bummer. The music was good, though. A dude named Dexter from N'Orleans and a band from Somewhere, Illinois, and then CJ Chenier. The last guy was fun, as I had seen him play in MQT. Quite a different vibe here. Not indoors, no snow... Maybe less dancing here, but, it could just be the space difference, too. Much more room when you play outdoors.

Ballroom dance classes are officially over. *sigh* We learned to do the West Coast swing, Fox Trot, Waltz and Salsa. The dancing was a lot of fun, but mostly, it's just nice to get out and do something different.

Other than that... Hugo and I are planning a trip to the North Pole in a few weeks. Anyone wanna come along?? It should be a good time; it's warmer now and the beach will be FABULOUS! Unlike these southern lakes, good ol' girl Superior is crisp and clean and pollutent-free. You will NOT grow extra limbs for accidently ingesting her as you swim. (That's a good thing, by the way) So, yea, give a holla if you want to tag along. Everything's better in groups!

Busy busy

Busy day today. Well... a full day. How's that?

Hit up the Salvation Army. I've been getting some good stuff from there lately. Had 2 things in mind: a beer mug and some plain shirts. The mug was gone, of course, but I nabbed 3 shirts for $4. It was awesome. I'm jazzed. One makes me look awesome bronzed. Another has been decorated already, and the last is just awaiting a method of decoration.

Then to the Red Cross. I was *just* able to give, with my iron right at the minimum. I'm so happy! It feels good to be a pint short. They all keep saying how blood runs shorter through the summertime -a combo of higher need and less donated. Y'all make a point to get out and give, at least once this summer. Do what you can to help save someone's life.

I did some stuff, then stopped by my grandpa's pharmacy. Today is the 40th anniversary of legal birthcontrol for married couples. Can you believe? It's only been 40... To know our parents were born and raised without what is now such basic health care. I stopped to ask if they filled BC & EC scripts. Dude, that guy was SO uncomfortable talking with me. I'm not sure why, cause I was nice about it. No reason not to be. There is so much shit these days, with the politicians making it legal for pharmacists to refuse to fill a woman's birth control or emergency contraception for "moral" reasons. It isn't their job to decide what is morally right for a woman. It IS their job to fill a prescription written by a doctor who has the education and knowledge to decide the appropriate medication for their client. And while some of us, in the bigger cities can say, 'yea, go to another pharmacy and quit complaining', not every woman has that choice. Not every town has multiple pharmacies, not every woman has access to drive all over the place finding one that will give her pills. And why should anyone have to fight so hard to get a legal medication??

And for any of you Antis out there, remember that controlling one's fertility leads to more wanted children and less unplanned pregnancies. That's a good thing, no matter which side you are on.

Movie Review

This weeks MOVIE REVIEWS!

The Terminal with Tom Hanks as an eastern European man stuck in the New York airport, waiting for the beurocracy to set him free. I rate it high, for a number of reasons. Hanks manages to let us see the character, and not the actor. Anyone who has spent time in an airport can identify with a lot of what he goes through in this. There is character bonding, building and a little bit of love. Go out and rent it, it's worth the couple bucks.

Gigli with Bennifer as a pair of thugs trying to do some contract work with a new Rainman. Yea, yea, yea, I know... it's gotten the worst reviews by the professionals. We just needed something brainless and wanted to see if being drunk would make it good. It didn't. The plot was ... empty. The writing was out-of-the-box with excessive obviousness and elaboration in all the wrong places. See it if it's free, just to say you did, but try to make sure there is a lot of alcohol involved. Anyone know a drinking game for this film yet?

Hitch with Will Smith as a dating contractor. A sweet, funny movie, good writing, good timing. It came close, at times, to hitting the cheese, but always danced just around it. Well done! Make an effort to get out and see it, especially now that it is at the dollar show.