Sooo... Two Saturdays ago I flew into Chicago, had lunch with Justine, Karen, and Justine's new found love, Kirk. Kirk was a little odd, but then so is Justine, and she is my best friend. I love her, Im sure I will learn to love him. To his credit, when the bartender made fun of me for ordering a "girly" drink, Kirk, who owns his own restaurant, took it straight to the manager of the restaurant. I wasnt even slightly bothered, but Kirk was, and I admire that. Anyway, Justine and Karen are fabulous as ever and we had a wonderful lunch.
Then took a train downtown, met up with Nate, napped and then went to a house party thrown by his adorable girlfriend, Frances. We had a blast, told absurd jokes and stories and just chilled. We were also joined by Will's old friends Betsy and Ryan, who I think are some of the sweetest people in the world. Betsy willingly becomes the lovable brunt of all jokes. She is an absolute beauty, but some people are just really easy to rib-up a little:
Nate: (says something about how the Gobi desert should be bearable for Will after knowing Betsy)
Betsy: "How am I anything like the Gobi desert?"
Christian: (barely listening up til that point, now piping in) "You're both frigid and barren."
Anyway, we ended up bar hopping and landing in a spot called "Ty's till 4" where we danced till about 4:30 to some of the best music I have heard in a while. Damn fun. It was one of those nights that I was certain I was the best dancer in the room, mostly cause I was at that drunken stage of "invincibility" though: the next morning I realized that I more likely looked like a drunk flailing white guy. No matter, it was still a blast.
After cruising around downtown Sunday with Nate and Frances, I caught a train to Michigan for the family reunion. Staying with Nate is always a blast, and I had a really good time. Thanks buddy!
Once in Michigan, Dad picked me up, and we drove to Douglas, MI where my grandparents had rented a house. Dad and I stayed up late just catching up and talking. Part of me forgets how awesome that is, but then Grandpa said something that made me realize how special that is. Grandpa is somewhat estranged from his son (my uncle) and I think he is envious of the relationship my father and I have. Im pretty lucky that way.
The next few days were very nice. It's interesting, because on this side of the family, there is a bit of feuding, but my branch of the family (Dad, Carey and I) all get along with everyone, so we just get to sit back, enjoy a beer (or several) and watch the drama unfold. I found my way to The Dune's, a local gay bar, almost every night of the week, and that was a nice (if expensive and booty-less) way to just get away from the family element at the end of the day. Kept me sane.
Extremely nice to see my sister, although I dont feel like we truly "connected" over the short time we were together. Usually things click quicker and with less effort for us. It's all good though, we still had fun together. I guess maybe I should have made a better effort. Anna came down for a splendid afternoon in the sun. Great to catch up.
On Thursday I drove Carey's zippy little stick-shift Saab up to TC. I'll tell you, for a car with 260,000 miles on it, it drives damn well. I get a bit jealous. Anyway, I made it up a bit early (read: drove 90), and thought about spending some money on buying Carey a new sound system for her car. I was totally ready to drop some major money, but then the guys at the local Best Buy were HUGE jerks, so I walked. Not something I tolerate well. Bad Best Buy. Bad.
Then to Jeff and Dick's for a wonderful evening with Ian, Justin and Dan. There was another guy there from L.A., but he was pompous and hard to deal with. He started quizzing me on the business plan aspects of my long term dreams... That just seemed so invasive. This is a dream my friend, not something that needs to have data supporting it. Anyway, the night was wonderful as usual, and great to hear the tremendous things Justin and Ian are doing. I would expect nothing less from them.
Friday I woke at Jeff and Dick's palatial log home (for sale... email me if you want to buy a $6 million home) and they made blueberry and banana pancakes before I took off. Then spent some time getting some shopping done along with a haircut. Hopped online and made a new friend in the area, then wound up going to the Double Wide Trailer (gay bar) to meet up with everyone.
The Trailer was interesting because I saw WAY too many people I recognized. Look to the left, there's my old Boy Scout leader. Look to the right, there's my old swim instructor with our maid... Wierd. My hometown is just too small. But it was also nice to catch up with the local crowd. A favorite of mine, Roy, is still all drama, but he has snagged himself quite the handsome man. He's such a dear man.
The next morning I groggily packed my things, went to breakfast with Dad and we drove the convertible down to GR, where I met up with Anna, who drove me the rest of the way to Chicago, where I took the L to the Airport. My plane was late, which was fine except that somewhere near our gate there was a slight dinging alarm that started to arouse some of my more homicidal urges. I just dove into my book, and tried to ignore it. (Im a tumor, Im a tumor... ala Family Guy...)
The NEW roomie gave me a ride back, which was wonderful, as I hadnt seen her in a few weeks. Then wound up at a house party with my friend Mike. Got in a conversation with a guy I was interested in, and proceeded to try and use my best moves on him. Mike gave me the red light a little later that night. "He's not into you..." I am truly puzzled...
"Why wouldnt someone be into me?"
Damn straight!
Musical Fodder for my Writing:"Lonely Stranger" Eric Clapton,
Unplugged
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