Yes, Michigan! The Feeling’s Forever . . .

I love cheesy state tourism advertising. It tickles my funny bone, you see. Does anyone remember the Michigan sesquicentennial commercials back in the ’80s? Truth be told, I can’t remember if they started in 1986, but Michigan’s sesquicentennial was in January 1987. Anyway, it featured a bunch of Michigan hicks unable to say the word “sesquicentennial.” It was mortifying to me, even as a kid, to see people mispronouncing a word that seemed amazingly easy to me. The English major as a little girl.

Anyway . . . Just so you know, what follows was written on Saturday afternoon, at least until the point where I mention “General Tso’s Chicken.”

I’m relaxing, in the D.C. area, for the first time in two weeks. IP and I did some grocery shopping today for the first time in three weeks. It’s been a busy few weeks.

The first weekend, beginning on June 22, IP and I spent in Michigan at my parents’ house. While he visited friends, I spent time with my family, learned how to play “Guitar Hero” (cool game, but I suck), and just generally lazed about. IP had been hoping to see his thesis advisor from grad school, but that fell through; we instead spent the majority of our time lounging on my parents’ deck. I went to Kohl’s and did way too much shopping for my own good—I spent on the order of $170, but I figure it’s well worth it since I needed some clothes for work (and it was all clothes for work).

But ah! Dominick’s! Of course we headed over to Dominick’s, right after my sister made me buy shoes to match my outfit and I ended up purchasing another blouse for work. Upon arrival, my sister and I joined IP and his friends, and then headed downstairs to buy some yummy, yummy Constant Buzz. I must say, I was very good and did not get drunk. In fact, the sangria tasted very cinnamony to me and I did not enjoy it that much. My sister and IP, though . . . at the end of the night, I had two very drunk people on my hands. My sister was incredibly giggly and astonishingly loud. IP was his usual drunk self—toss in a dash of obnoxious, a sliver of sleepiness, the tendency to speak or do almost anything that comes to mind, and you’ve got IP engaging in highly irregular PDA in front of his friends on South University at my sister’s drunken urgings. Yeah, by the end of the night, I was ready to kick them both.

My sister, given her youth (I remember when I could do this—sigh), was fine by the time we drove home (well, I drove). IP was not. He spent the next day with a hangover. My father had been hoping to share a glass of tequila with IP, but it never came to pass—I think the mere sight of alcohol made IP green. My father, though, was far from offended. I could totally read his thoughts—amateur, he seemed to grin in my boyfriend’s general direction. ;) He’s also happily consuming the Coronas that IP was not able to finish.

A good time was had by all in Michigan. The weather absolutely perfect—not too hot and wonderfully sunny—and my mother continued to take names and kick ass with her cooking. That, however, has the unfortunate side effect of having IP bugging me about learning to cook. I suppose it’ll happen (after all, I just made some moderately healthy General Tso’s Chicken for myself), but my motivation is lagging. I don’t need food to capture IP’s heart anymore—I did that with beer.

The only thing I didn’t get to do while in Michigan was have breakfast with the family at Big Boy. Next time, mathgeek! I might vary it, too, and get some French toast. Aren’t I the risk-taker?