Saturday, March 7, 2009

Michigan highlights

I've been in Michigan all week.

On Monday, it was so cold that huge chunks of ice were floating down the river. I knew that if I fell in, I would freeze to all that ice and die a horrible painful death. I cannot think of any reason why I might have possibly fallen into the river. But looking at all that ice gave me vertigo.

On Tuesday, my hair was so full of static electricity that I thought I would stick to the ceilings. Lucky for me, the ceilings I encountered were all eight feet high. Had my head really brushed any ceilings, I'm sure I would have stayed there suspended, like a balloon.

On Wednesday, I ate salmon for dinner. Yummy.

On Thursday, I drove to Ann Arbor. I've never driven in Michigan before, in spite of having lived here for nearly a year. It was a year without a car. Anyway, the drive was very boring. I suspect it must be lovely in the fall with all those trees.

When I arrived in Ann Arbor, my host instructed me to meet him at a restaurant nearby. I had no idea where this restaurant was located. He told me to walk to Church Street and South University. I turned the wrong way onto Church street. He spotted me, called my cell phone, and told me to turn around. "You lived in Ann Arbor for a year, and you don't know these things?" he asked. Well... it was 10 years ago.

On Friday (tonight), I called home to talk to Jonathan. I asked how his day had been. He started laughing, and told me that Sponge Bob closed the window when Patrick said they weren't best friends anymore. And then proceeded to give me the highlights of the day's Sponge Bob episode. And he said that he laughed until dinner, it was so funny. A totally inspirational conversation. Like this post.

On Saturday (that's tomorrow), I will fly home. I hope I don't have to spend five hours in Chicago, like I did on the way out. However, since I haven't actually prepared any of my classes for next week, maybe some extra time in the airport wouldn't be all bad.

Home tomorrow. Life back to normal. Or whatever.

2 comments:

Letterpress said...

When I came home to Riverside after a year away in DC on our sabbatical I decided to run out to Costco to stock up the larder.

I got lost going to Costco. Where it had once been a lone warehouse in the middle of empty fields, now it was surrounded by apartment buildings, other fake (read: chain) restaurants, and drive-throughs.

So don't feel bad about Ann Arbor. Have a safe trip home.
E.

Tiffany said...

Fantastic post. Glad you didn't fall in the river or stick to the ceiling.

You have no idea how many of the conversations with my kids include detailed retellings of Spongebob episodes. I try to find a happy place until it's over.