2002-08-25
What I did on my summer vacation, posted at 9:54 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com My summer is officially coming to a close. My summer vacation was all of ten days, but that's okay. I hate that stupid joke that the three most important reasons to become a teacher are June, July, and August. I certainly didn't do the job for the summers off. I'm not sure if I'll ever be in a financial position to be able to take a couple of months off. But that's okay. People with normal jobs don't get to take two months off every year. I also definitely feel like the teaching profession doesn't get the respect it deserves because of that too-lengthy break in the summer. As I've said many times before, I'm a proponent of longer school years and more breaks sprinkled throughout - better for students and better for at least this teacher.That being said, one of my current frustrations with the ten-month system is that my school district doesn't offer a 12-month contract. A lot of districts do, but not mine. It'd be nice not to have to scrape so much in the summer. I have to ask my mom for $50 tomorrow morning so I have gas money to get home, and that sucks.
Anyhow, back to the vaction. It was everything I hoped it would be. A not-so-quick recap: I spent the first couple of days in Baltimore, spending my birthday with my closest friends in that city at my favorite neighborhood pub. I then went to the Orioles/Tigers game the next night and found myself on the front page of the Baltimore Sun on Saturday with a sign about the baseball strike and Ernie Harwell. Not bad for a start to the vacation.
I then drove up to Detroit, where I got to spend time with Jake, Anne, and their adorable baby Aurora. It's so great to see Jake (my college roommate my freshmen and sophomore years), because he represents a lot of what I'm hoping to be in life: a good husband, a good father, a home-owner. I don't feel less worthy than him for not having all that at the age of 25, though. Jake made the good point while I was there that he has now what most people don't have until they're 35, but that somehow it just feels right. Where I'm at right now feels right to me. I still want to enjoy my youth a bit and a lot of me feels good not to be settled down. It's sort of cool to have next year planned out, but to be able to toss around the idea of moving the year after again - to another cool city that I'd like to know better (current fantasies: Seattle, Providence, or Chicago). Jake doesn't have that luxury, though I'm sure he wouldn't trade that luxury for what he does have - a beautiful wife and child. I feel no envy for him, only pride. I'm glad he's gotten to where he wants to go so quickly, and that he's found a soulmate. Hopefully I'll find one sometime soon, although I'm content right now. Twenty-eight is still on target as my "oh shit i'm still single" age.
After Jake and Anne, I spent a lot of time with Hugasoul. We had a great time together, and I'm very grateful for all our travels together this past week. Go read her entry about it. Monday we worked out at her gym, she gave me an awesome tour of her place of employment, and then we took my grandma out to lunch. Because Grandma has Alzheimer's and is in sort of a nursing home (or, a dorm for old people, as I like to describe it), she doesn't get out much, but she did just fine with us. I ordered her a big bowl of strawberries at the restaurant and she at it all. What amazes me about Alzheimer's is that there is so much life still to be lived. Everything I ever read or see about the disease is what it takes away, but there's a lot to be said for what it leaves - my grandma still enjoys laughing, hearing stories, and spending time with her family. Unfortunately, all of her other grandkids besides my sister and I have completely ignored her since she was placed into the home. They say things like, "I can't stand to see her that way." I hate that sort of BS. She's your grandma. You don't just cut off communication because she's got a disease. It's made Heidi so angry that she swears she's not going to talk to any of them at her funeral.
Afterwards, we dropped in briefly at Berty and N-medias-res' house, and it was great to see them. I hadn't seen her in years, and was meeting him for the first time. We especially had some laughs at Holden's expense, as he obsessively licked the carpet at one point and was terrified by their two cats at another. We could only stay there for a bit, and later we met up with Gale to have an excellent meal at Heavy Traffic. I spent the night on Gale's couch, and Holden hopped up there as well. Luckily, Gale's nephews wet the bed, so the fold-out bed in the couch had those plastic sheets on it and Gale didn't mind a 70-lb dog up there.
Tuesday was a day spent with Hugasoul and her fiance, Rocco. I was actually friends with Rocco before Hugasoul, and I - (insert false modesty "ahem") - sort of brought them together. The three of us had a great day, and I was able to prove my tongue-in-cheek hypothesis that good ethnic restaurants have people of that ethnicity eating there, and poor ethnic restaurants have all Americans eating there. Now, this isn't a scientific rule, but try it. Rocco, Hugasoul, and I spent a couple of hours in Fashionable Ferndale, where we shopped (I bought CDs by Bruce Springsteen, Dashboard Confessional, and Howie Day, though I later regretted it even though they were used because now I'm out of money), and I somehow managed to drop my single car key on the floor at an Old Navy outlet store. Luckily, we found the key while retracing our steps before visions of finding a Pontiac dealer to order me a new key danced too furiously in my head.
Tuesday night, the three of us met up with Gale, Janine, Janine's Turkish intern, Nargan, and a number of Hugasoul's co-workers for a dinner at Armando's in Mexican Town in Detroit. The chips and salsa were as good as expected, and I took advantage of the $1.25 drafts of Miller Lite (which has easily become my favorite "cheap beer"). The food was just okay, but I still love the place's atmosphere. Maybe next time we'll try Xochomilco's, which I know I'm not spelling right.
We then headed over to CoPa for the Tigers game. They were playing the Mariners, and the game was an exciting Tigers victory - complete with three homeruns and a decent pitching performance from Mike Maroth, who has become one of my favorite Tigers. I continued drinking Miller Lite at the game, and had two more pretty huge drafts. It was officially my first time ever drunk at a major league baseball game. I wasn't stupid drunk, though; I just had that warm, buzzy feeling that goes so great with the warm summer air and the smell of the grass below us.
I spent the night at Gale's again, and woke up early to pick up Hugasoul to head to Lansing. I had plans to take my cousin Funkbrothap to the movies, but unfortunately our arrival in Williamston coincided with no good movies playing for a couple of hours or so. We didn't have much time - dinner was at the grandparents at 4pm - so instead we hung around the MSU campus for a bit. It happened to be move-in day, which was a pleasant surprise. The campus was buzzing with excitement and the weather was beautiful, so the three of us decided to walk around and pretend we were college students. We walked around the bookstores, took advantage of the free stuff, tried to win $500 worth of books, and almost applied for a checking account so we could get a free collapsible chair but then decided it was too much trouble. It was nice to walk around the Grand River area and campus for a bit. I also found this "old style" football jersey for $7.50 at Steve and Barry's that looked damn good on me, if I don't say so myself. I also told Funkbrothap that I would buy her a CD at my favorite used CD shop in the world, Flat Black and Circular, and she picked out the Ransom soundtrack - showing her obsessive Mel Gibson fandom to an astonishing degree. The soundtrack is all scores, for gosh sakes. She cracks me up.
At Steve and Barry's, Hugasoul bought little baby t-shirt that said "Hottie!" on it as a joke for our mutual friend. We were laughing so hard when we bought it, because it is so not something that she would ever wear or buy, but it was cheap and we thought our friend would get a good laugh out of it because he always calls her "Hottie" since her weight loss. We immediately headed over to his dorm room, where he was going to be greeting new residents on his floor (he's a Mentor, better knows as an RA). He sort of blew us off because he was asleep, and then we headed over to grandma and grandpa's. Dinner with them was good, and I was reminded why I love my grandparents so much. Here's a sample exchange:
Grandma: Oh yes, you wouldn't believe Uncle's Jerry's new house. It's breathtaking!
Grandpa:Yeah. It takes your breath away just going up the stairs. There's like 70 steps up to the top.
This probably doesn't seem as funny as it did there, but we all laughed out loud. They're both in their mid-70's, but are in great mental and physical health. I really cherish my relationship with my grandparents, and look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving. I've promised them that I'm all theirs for that holiday. And they're the type of grandparents that will probably make me a whole tofurkey spread just so I'm comfortable.
That night, I met up with some other friends at BW-3. Janine came out and gave me her birthday present for me (a jazz reference book that will teach me a lot about an art form that I have a burdgeoning love for), and then Michelle and Marques joined us. We all played trivia and chatted, and it was great to catch up. Very few of my Lansing friends came out, which was a bummer, but that gave more time for Pretzel and Tootsie (miniature dachsunds) stories and homemade icecream from around the block. Hugasoul got kind of drunk, and that was amusing. I headed to campus to try to catch my old supervisor, but she was heading up the new freshmen meeting in the dorm I was an AHD in. I listened in for a few bit, reminded myself of some of the things I miss about residence life (new students looking for guidance, the excitement) and some of the things I don't (the stupid terminology games, like "Oh, they're called mentors now" even though Resident Assistant was a much better and much less presumptuous term). I never got to talk to the old boss, but saw Mark B. on the way out. What a great guy he is. The kind of guy who made you feel like you were the most important person in the world while you were talking together.
On the way out, I said, "Well, that made coming out worth it." Hugasoul misheard me, and thought I said, "He and I were caught making out." The laughs that generated typified the rest of the ride home, which was full of more laughs, along with lots of singing (the 4 Non-Blondes' "What's Up?" has never been done like that before) and beautiful lightning displays followed by a torrential downpour that almost prompted us to pull over and start building an ark to get us home. We made it, though, and we were so wound up that we watched reruns of The Cosby Show until past 3am and marvelled at the parenting skills of the Huxtables.
I'm starting to get tired, so the rest may not be as descriptive. Thursday was another good day. Dad took Hugasoul and I out on the boat, and it was nice. I had to take Hugasoul away that night to set her off on her weekend in Toronto, and we hugged and she cried. I spent the rest of the evening with my parents.
On Friday, Gale arrived, and we set up the campsite together and rented Defending Your Life, which I'd been in the mood to see for a long time. It was raining, so the original beach plans were shot. We watched until the tape messed up, which was a bummer because I had forgotten how it ended. I still love that movie, though. I love how the thesis is basically that fear is what holds people back, and once that fear is conquered, happiness can be achieved.
I need to hear that sometimes.
Gale and I set up the campsite before anybody arrived, and Janine and Jenni arrived later that night. Soon after their arrival, we all went out with my little sister to a hick bar way out in the boonies. There was a decent cover band there, and the girls had a great time dancing to the fast songs. I also got to slow dance with each of them, and didn't hurt anybody. The band did a very nice version of "Crazy." My sister bought me some birthday drinks, and I felt pretty decently buzzed.
My high school friend Dave came with pictures. That guy cracks me up. He reminds me of Mike White, writer/star of The Good Girl and Chuck and Buck. Looks and acts a lot like him.
The next day was pretty much spent all at the beach. It was a good day. Highlights/lowlights included me changing into swim trucks while hiding amongst some long beach grass and under my towel. I returned, and said something to the effect of, "See? I'm not shy" and Janine said, "Since when?". "Since I lost 100 lbs" was my response. Still, I probably won't much of a habit of changing in beach grass. Ouch.
Oh, by this point, Berty and N-Medias-res had joined us. We swam, played frisbee, and read. It was a great day, very relaxing. Gale described it as, "Everything I'd hoped for and more." Last night was another good night, as my former roommate Jeremy stopped by. Things were like old times with him, and we pretty much spent the entire evening sitting around drinking beer around the fire. Berty and I got more wood at one point (otherwise known as "Operation Buzzkill"). Janine and Jeremy got more beer at another point, where Jeremy apparently got hit on by some rough looking country women. Otherwise, it was pretty much just sitting there and drinking. That's all we needed. Janine was a blast all weekend, and we might not be able to make fun of her any more with our sarcastic "Nature Girl" comments, as Gale and I were anticipating plenty of complaints about our very rustic campsite and we heard none. Gale got sort of drunk that last night, too, and it's always nice to see her serious persona turn to something almost bordering on goofy. She even lost some galigation, as she refused to go sleep on the beach. And it was great to hang out with Berty again; I had forgotten how much fun we had together and how much I had missed her. Her boyfriend N-Medias-Res seemed like a cool guy, as he gave me marathon running advice and scared off raccoons.
Today, we tore down the campsite and headed out to breakfast. My friends all departed, eschewing invitations on the boat with my parents and my sister's friend.
Oh my gosh, today was one of the funnest days I've ever had. What we did today shouldn't be legal. We spent the entire day tubing on the back of the boat. If you're not familiar, it basically means towing a large intertube behind the boat and hanging on for dear life. I had the most fun I've ever had, almost. There is not reason to go to Cedar Pointe or ride a roller coaster - all you need is an intertube, Lake Michigan, and a boat. What a fucking rush it all was. I still am sort of disbelieving how fun it was, as I had never done it before. It was so intense that I feel sore and drained right now, like I was beat up. The weather was some of the best I've ever seen, and even the water temperature was a balmy 78 degrees.
I'm sunburnt, though, and wondering how I can get water out of my ear. I'm also tired, and looking forward to getting back to B-more tomorrow. But it was certainly a memorable vacation, full of good times and good friends and good times spent with family.
Teachers report on Wednesday, and kids will be in school a week from Tuesday. I'm nowhere near ready, but I will be.