No, this isn't a legitimate update on my life in Ann Arbor. Suffice to say that school is kicking my ass, I don't get enough days at work and at the moment my throat is too swollen to swallow. What this post is about, is something that is very difficult for me to talk about.
I'm having a hard time with money. I can barely make rent (still working on where this month's is coming from), and that means that there has been no way to save up to get me a flight home for Christmas. A lot of negative stuff has been happening in my family's lives lately, and all I really want to do is go home so I can be with them. The problem is that I can't get there, and no one in the family has enough money to lend me themselves.
So what this post is, is a plea to all my friends, family and followers out there. You'll see a little button on the side of my blog that says "Send Kimmy home for Christmas!" and has a "DONATE" icon underneath it. Clicking this sends you to PayPal, a completely secure website, where you can indeed donate whatever amount to my fund. This is in no way a requirement to read my blog, or is it mandatory because I know you. It's just a question, a request.
I would love more than anything to get home for Christmas. This is the longest I've ever been from home, and I grow increasingly homesick every week.
Please don't feel obligated. I have a very hard time asking for charity, but I know when I need help.
God always, ALWAYS provides, but sometimes you have to ask for help first.
Thanks so much if you give, or even if you took the time to read this. I really appreciate every bit of support (financially, emotionally, and in between) that you guys give me. I couldn't have even moved here without you.
I will do my best to update this more often. My other blog (americanhaunts.blogspot.com) takes up a lot of time, as well as school and work, but I really need to be writing down my experiences here more. I'll do my best.
Thanks, again, and I hope to see you all at Christmas!
Kimmy
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Holidays, Haunts and Hotel Rooms (part 2)
Well! Friday was such a success, that I knew Saturday would be as well. Having decided to slough off the Pictured Rocks in exchange for seeing more than one thing in a day for free, we set out for Paradise (the town. This wasn't some Thelma and Louise adventure, and certainly no one drove off the side of the Grand Canyon), meandering our way through the UP. First, however, we had to make a little pit stop in Calumet (Cal-you-met, apparently), MI. Just a little north and east from Houghton, Calumet looks like it comes straight out of the old mining days. In fact, it looks exactly like old mining towns out west. I was immediately enraptured by this place. Every building seemed to be older than one hundred years old! The church looked like a miniature copy of St. Louis' Cathedral in New Orleans. The gift shops, and even the Curves had fronts that defied modernity. I kept telling C how much I felt I was under dressed. Surely this kind of town warranted costume all year round. I needed to be in a long, probably dusty, dress. Something sort of frilly, but not too expensive.
Every building seemed better than the last, until we walked up to what we had been searching for- The Calumet Theatre. When it opened in 1900, it was said to be the "greatest social event ever known in copperdom's metropolis." Or, so it says on the plaque just outside the building. It is really beautiful- the architecture is very Spanish and very old- arches everywhere, brick and what I assumed to be adobe, or something like it. The inside, or what little we got to see of it (there was an event going on at the time), is still done up like it would have been when it opened- there are ornate moldings everywhere, mostly done in white with red trim. The stadium seating overlooks a small, but big enough stage. The bathrooms look.. well, like bathrooms. Those weren't so impressive. What is impressive, however, is the ghost. All theatres have them, whether they be terrors in the night, or helpful, comforting presences. Thankfully the ghost in the Calumet is one of those comforting ones.
Said to be the ghost of a Polish actress from the period, the strange goings-on here have been witnessed since 1958, when an actress on stage forgot her lines and a feminine voice whispered them in her ear. Calumet claims to be the home of Helena Modjeska, a famous actress who made a living traveling from theatre to theatre around the country. But wait! I'm saying too much! If you want to know more, check out my other blog. The link will be at the bottom. ;)
We didn't stay long in Calumet, since we wouldn't be able to get a decent view of the theatre anyway. I bought an old key from the copper shop, and we were on our way! Having heard of Copper Harbor, and always wanting to be the "only of my friend to ever do _______", we went as far north as we could in Michigan! Copper Harbor is absolutely beautiful, and the drive is easy and just as colourful. Green was everywhere I looked, and I felt a million miles from people- and it was a good thing. Copper Harbor itself is a little town (does it have that status?) with friendly people and a lot of visitors. We ate at a place right by the water, and I regret now that I didn't take a picture of the name so I'd remember it. But pasties and pizza were had, and all was well. Two of my favourite foods, on one plate. Simply amazing. It was a decent pasty, beef with gravy, and some of the best pizza I have ever had. They put so many spices and garlic and everything on it! I miss it already. We hung out at the Thunderbird gift shop across the street for a little while, and I ended up buying a book on all the hauntings of the UP. Typical me. But afterward, we spotted a candy shop and there was no stopping Crysta.
The place was amazing! It had every kind of candy I used to get as a kid, most of what Crysta used to get, and I'll bet my dad would have a great time reminiscing about candy from his youth. They even had those little candy cigarettes you can't get in California anymore because they look too much like cigarettes! Where was this candy shop all throughout my cosplaying days? Alas, up here. 2,000 miles away in the great north. But! We got a haul, anyway, made up mostly of Bubblicious, because it's ridiculous that no one makes actual bubblegum anymore.
After began our long, long drive to Paradise. Well, Paradise, Michigan, anyway. We're not Thelma and Louise, and all we'd be driving off into is a giant lake. But! I did get to stop and take a picture in front of the house where my mentor's husband grew up in Marquette. That was pretty spectacular. I have a thing for people's backgrounds. This was like getting a glimpse into the past, and it was great! However, all that driving (and we were only halfway there) makes one incredibly hungry. After some driving around, and shaking up my UrbanSpoon app (love that thing), we found Jean Kay's Pasties, a little north of Northern Michigan University. Instead of pasties, however, we opted for sandwiches and, I have to tell you, DILL PICKLE CHIPS.
I cannot stress how good these things are. THEY TASTE LIKE PICKLES. IN CHIP FORM. I'm addicted to them, and can't bear to throw away the tiny bit left in the bag on the counter (still). I had no idea chips like this existed! How glorious! How delicious! How.. odd! But they do! And C says there's a place near us that sells them. What joy can be found!
Hmm.. I digress. After devouring my chips and sandwich, we hopped back in the car, with C at the wheel, and resumed our journey to Paradise. Michigan gets really dark at night. Like.. really. Dark. And seriously, there are too many deer up here. And none of them know what cars are, or why they should avoid them. Thankfully we saw no accidents, but I was honestly scared for my life driving in pitch black with occasional eye shines peeking out from the bushes along the side of the road. But finally, fiiinally, we arrived in Paradise, which is.. well.. not much. Our motel looked like this:
Yeah. It looked like my house in the 70's (okay, the 90's, but back off). The lock was.. minimal, and the bath mat said "bath mat" and was made out of paper. But, it was a cheap room to stay in, so who can really complain? The bathroom was clean, hell the room was cleaner than the one we'd stayed in the night before.
So, without knowing much about our surroundings, we watched The Soup and Fashion Police, then drifted off to fitful nights of sleep in a room in which I was sure we were going to be murdered.
Stick around for Day three!
Every building seemed better than the last, until we walked up to what we had been searching for- The Calumet Theatre. When it opened in 1900, it was said to be the "greatest social event ever known in copperdom's metropolis." Or, so it says on the plaque just outside the building. It is really beautiful- the architecture is very Spanish and very old- arches everywhere, brick and what I assumed to be adobe, or something like it. The inside, or what little we got to see of it (there was an event going on at the time), is still done up like it would have been when it opened- there are ornate moldings everywhere, mostly done in white with red trim. The stadium seating overlooks a small, but big enough stage. The bathrooms look.. well, like bathrooms. Those weren't so impressive. What is impressive, however, is the ghost. All theatres have them, whether they be terrors in the night, or helpful, comforting presences. Thankfully the ghost in the Calumet is one of those comforting ones.
Said to be the ghost of a Polish actress from the period, the strange goings-on here have been witnessed since 1958, when an actress on stage forgot her lines and a feminine voice whispered them in her ear. Calumet claims to be the home of Helena Modjeska, a famous actress who made a living traveling from theatre to theatre around the country. But wait! I'm saying too much! If you want to know more, check out my other blog. The link will be at the bottom. ;)
We didn't stay long in Calumet, since we wouldn't be able to get a decent view of the theatre anyway. I bought an old key from the copper shop, and we were on our way! Having heard of Copper Harbor, and always wanting to be the "only of my friend to ever do _______", we went as far north as we could in Michigan! Copper Harbor is absolutely beautiful, and the drive is easy and just as colourful. Green was everywhere I looked, and I felt a million miles from people- and it was a good thing. Copper Harbor itself is a little town (does it have that status?) with friendly people and a lot of visitors. We ate at a place right by the water, and I regret now that I didn't take a picture of the name so I'd remember it. But pasties and pizza were had, and all was well. Two of my favourite foods, on one plate. Simply amazing. It was a decent pasty, beef with gravy, and some of the best pizza I have ever had. They put so many spices and garlic and everything on it! I miss it already. We hung out at the Thunderbird gift shop across the street for a little while, and I ended up buying a book on all the hauntings of the UP. Typical me. But afterward, we spotted a candy shop and there was no stopping Crysta.
The place was amazing! It had every kind of candy I used to get as a kid, most of what Crysta used to get, and I'll bet my dad would have a great time reminiscing about candy from his youth. They even had those little candy cigarettes you can't get in California anymore because they look too much like cigarettes! Where was this candy shop all throughout my cosplaying days? Alas, up here. 2,000 miles away in the great north. But! We got a haul, anyway, made up mostly of Bubblicious, because it's ridiculous that no one makes actual bubblegum anymore.
After began our long, long drive to Paradise. Well, Paradise, Michigan, anyway. We're not Thelma and Louise, and all we'd be driving off into is a giant lake. But! I did get to stop and take a picture in front of the house where my mentor's husband grew up in Marquette. That was pretty spectacular. I have a thing for people's backgrounds. This was like getting a glimpse into the past, and it was great! However, all that driving (and we were only halfway there) makes one incredibly hungry. After some driving around, and shaking up my UrbanSpoon app (love that thing), we found Jean Kay's Pasties, a little north of Northern Michigan University. Instead of pasties, however, we opted for sandwiches and, I have to tell you, DILL PICKLE CHIPS.
I cannot stress how good these things are. THEY TASTE LIKE PICKLES. IN CHIP FORM. I'm addicted to them, and can't bear to throw away the tiny bit left in the bag on the counter (still). I had no idea chips like this existed! How glorious! How delicious! How.. odd! But they do! And C says there's a place near us that sells them. What joy can be found!
Hmm.. I digress. After devouring my chips and sandwich, we hopped back in the car, with C at the wheel, and resumed our journey to Paradise. Michigan gets really dark at night. Like.. really. Dark. And seriously, there are too many deer up here. And none of them know what cars are, or why they should avoid them. Thankfully we saw no accidents, but I was honestly scared for my life driving in pitch black with occasional eye shines peeking out from the bushes along the side of the road. But finally, fiiinally, we arrived in Paradise, which is.. well.. not much. Our motel looked like this:
So, without knowing much about our surroundings, we watched The Soup and Fashion Police, then drifted off to fitful nights of sleep in a room in which I was sure we were going to be murdered.
Stick around for Day three!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Holidays, Haunts and Hotel Rooms.
*Well! I just got back from one of the best vacations of my life! I suppose I better recount it now while everything is still fresh in my incredibly tired mind.
First, there are a few terms you'll need to be acquainted with before I start the story of my past four days:
1. UP- Upper Peninsula; this is the other half of Michigan that no one on my side of the country seems to remember. It's that part of land that's not Wisconsin.
2. Yooper- This is the name for the natives of the UP.
3. Pasty- (Pass-tee, not Pays-tee); these are like pot pies, but a million times better and can be hand held. Also, the gravy goes on the outside, like it should.
4. Mackinac/Michillimackinac- Pronounced Mak-in-aw and Mish-ill-i-mak-in-aw.
Alright, are we good? Great! Let's begin.
We left Friday morning around 8:30, after stopping by the office to retrieve C's lost credit card. The entire trip up to Houghton, Michigan took about ten hours, with us stopping along the way for gas and doing our best to not stop for food. The trip up was a rather uneventful one, save for a few teeny towns (villages, more likely) and my first time driving over the Mackinac bridge! If you've never seen it, the Mackinac bridge is a sight to behold. Spanning much, much longer than our famed Golden Gate, this bridge is a lovely shade of green and crosses over one of the deadliest pieces of water in America. I also consider it to be one of the most beautiful. Standing in front of the bridge, on either the Lake Michigan or the Lake Huron side, is both humbling and awe-inspiring. I truly felt small, which is a hard thing to make me feel. I fell in love with the Mackinac bridge last July when I first visited Michigan. It was right there! I stood underneath it! If only I could've driven over it... but that would have to wait a year and a month. I took pictures in front of it, and that was fine then. We had an island to scurry off to. But I finally got my chance to drive over it (I have a thing about driving over bridges) Friday afternoon. It took so much longer than driving over the Golden Gate, and the view was spectacular! But where I really wanted to be lay over the six minute route over the bridge.
I fell in love with the UP long ago, when the two people I knew from there would use the accents and tell me stories of life up north. It's seemed like this mysterious other country to me (and apparently to a lot of people), and somewhere I would instantly love. And when the wheels of C's Honda Fit touched the ground on the other side of the bridge I knew just how in love I would be.It really does feel like you're crossing into Canada. There is a toll for the bridge, and I half expected the nice woman in the booth to ask for my passport. But we paid the $3.50 and zipped on in!
There are two things I immediately noticed about the UP: 1. That everyone is incredibly nice and everyone goes the speed limit (thank goodness. Michigan was starting to give me a complex), and 2. That Yoopers only eat pasties, pizza, smoked fish, ice cream and jerky. Sometimes at places that offer all of the above and have a moose on the sign out front. Yoopers, feel free to disagree, but you can't deny that as soon as you cross the bridge you're bombarded with pasty and ice cream shops all along highway 2. We were determined not to spend anything but gas money on the way to Houghton, however, so we forewent the pasties and played in Lake Michigan instead! The weather was perfect, slightly cloudy and with a strong wind. The water was chilly, but still felt nice on my tired feet. C took over driving, and we sped to Houghton. After all, we were on a time schedule.
Houghton is like any college town should be. It's full of students (especially when you get there the weekend before classes start), places to eat and shops to buy in. We stayed at a Travelodge that was less than ideal, but that's not the part I want to tell you about. We had just enough time to change, grab a bite to eat from a fast food place and hightail our way to Paulding, and the mysterious, freakishly regular light.
So, if you're friends with me you've probably heard me talk a lot about the paranormal. In fact, if you've known me for five minutes you probably have heard me talk of the paranormal. The Paulding Light is something I've been researching over the past year, pretty much when I decided to move to Michigan. If you haven't heard of it, the Paulding Light is a phenomenon that happens on a nightly (or near nightly) basis out in the wood between Watersmeet and Paulding, just off highway 45. Said to be an old railroad brakeman who died on the job, the Paulding Light is his lantern signalling long gone trains on the old railroad tracks. While I don't know if that's true or not, I can tell you that the light itself is very real. It came on a little after sunset, shining brightly in the distance (I'm terrible with distance, but it could have been a mile away), and then fading and flickering out. It repeated this process for some time, and eventually an entire crowd of fifty people had gathered to watch with us. Where we had been the only light at sundown, by the time we left around ten o clock, tens of people had come and gone and were still watching. That's not the only amazing part, however. The light (and this happened only after more people had arrived to see it) changed colour! Much like the lights on a train, or the lanterns a brakeman would've used (I'm guessing), the light changed from white to red more than a few times. It really looked like a train coming and going! I have no idea how long the light went on after we left, but we stood there for a good two hours, watching the light flicker, get brighter and change colour. Honestly, it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen! I've had my fare share of ghostly experiences, but this one goes right to the top!
Afterward, we made the hour and a half trek back to Houghton and got some sleep. Well, sort of. I don't do well the first night in any new place. I didn't sleep much, but that's no matter.
I'll be posting Day 2 of our haunted adventure through the UP soon!
*note: Picture not taken by us. Just hilarious.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Crysta stole my title!
It really sucks when so much is happening around you that you can't write it down later because it's all jumbled in your head. I'm stuck with Writer's Block even though there's so much to write about.
Mom coming for the day a few Saturdays ago was a blessing. I know it seems weird for a grown adult to want parents around... but I really miss them. Mom (Teri, Crysta's mom, to those of you who think I'm going nuts) is a perfect substitute for my dad and Pat. She's absolutely wonderful, and spending the day with her in downtown A2 made me happier than I've been in a while. I love being out here on my own, but I really enjoy being in the company of a parent. Yeah, that's weird, but true. We ate at my favourite pub (the shepherd's pie is brilliant. Not Chelsea's, but brilliant). We stayed around town due to Crysta's hurt finger and the weather, but it was more than I could've asked for. I was more than sad when she couldn't stay the night, or go to Game Night with us. We ended up not going, but still!
Something I hadn't ever done before was pick blueberries! I must say, other than the mosquitoes being absolutely atrocious, I had a lot of fun! Crysta and I drove out to Dexter to a blueberry farm where you can pick your own (for a really cheap price). We got our buckets and set off into the groves. A lot of them had been picked over, but us being taller than most of the children that usually went picking, managed to snag quite a bit from the back of the bushes. Crysta made deeelicious blueberry scones. I think I've got one left, but I demand more. They, despite being small berries apparently, are really tasty. I hope I can do that again, if/when I'm here next year. Hopefully the foreign strain of mosquitoes around here will have died off come winter. I loved being outside in the field like that, carrying my bucket and picking berries. It felt homey and important somehow. Work that felt meaningful, even if we were just out there picking for fun. Plus, going to an A&W for floats after donuts from the Dexter Bakery earlier in the day was brilliant.I must write a story taking place in Dexter. It's the perfect small town that's not too small and not too out of town.
For now, that's all I seem to be able to write. It's short, but I'm documenting my time! Next time, more on my job, and the dreaded chicken story. Plus! Rearranging furniture and anything else I can dig up out of my cluttered brain.
Also, the Hunger Games are some of the best books EVER.
Mom coming for the day a few Saturdays ago was a blessing. I know it seems weird for a grown adult to want parents around... but I really miss them. Mom (Teri, Crysta's mom, to those of you who think I'm going nuts) is a perfect substitute for my dad and Pat. She's absolutely wonderful, and spending the day with her in downtown A2 made me happier than I've been in a while. I love being out here on my own, but I really enjoy being in the company of a parent. Yeah, that's weird, but true. We ate at my favourite pub (the shepherd's pie is brilliant. Not Chelsea's, but brilliant). We stayed around town due to Crysta's hurt finger and the weather, but it was more than I could've asked for. I was more than sad when she couldn't stay the night, or go to Game Night with us. We ended up not going, but still!
Something I hadn't ever done before was pick blueberries! I must say, other than the mosquitoes being absolutely atrocious, I had a lot of fun! Crysta and I drove out to Dexter to a blueberry farm where you can pick your own (for a really cheap price). We got our buckets and set off into the groves. A lot of them had been picked over, but us being taller than most of the children that usually went picking, managed to snag quite a bit from the back of the bushes. Crysta made deeelicious blueberry scones. I think I've got one left, but I demand more. They, despite being small berries apparently, are really tasty. I hope I can do that again, if/when I'm here next year. Hopefully the foreign strain of mosquitoes around here will have died off come winter. I loved being outside in the field like that, carrying my bucket and picking berries. It felt homey and important somehow. Work that felt meaningful, even if we were just out there picking for fun. Plus, going to an A&W for floats after donuts from the Dexter Bakery earlier in the day was brilliant.I must write a story taking place in Dexter. It's the perfect small town that's not too small and not too out of town.
For now, that's all I seem to be able to write. It's short, but I'm documenting my time! Next time, more on my job, and the dreaded chicken story. Plus! Rearranging furniture and anything else I can dig up out of my cluttered brain.
Also, the Hunger Games are some of the best books EVER.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Art Fair and Writer's Block
Holy crow (like it? People say it around here. I think it's fun) it's been a while since I've updated. Sorry about that! Every time life gets interesting, I seem to forget about the internet and especially blogs. There's so much to talk about. I hope I can do everything justice. Life has been incredibly interesting these past few weeks. There's a lot to talk about, and a lot I hope I remember!
First, the art fair. I had no clue what I was getting into with that one. I figured the art fair was like a Friday night on Myrtle Ave- vendors selling slightly-overpriced, but well-made crafts and such, food from many of the restaurants around Downtown, a bunch of people walking around... and not enough to see to occupy an entire day. Well, three out of four of those was correct. Art fair is HUGE. Like.. takes up entire blocks of streets and all of downtown HUGE. There were vendors of all shapes and sizes selling art of the same. Everyone who's anyone (or even some no ones) were there showing off what they had made over the past year. It was so overwhelming! I could only think of how great it would be to have a booth there, and show off my own work. I know it would take years to make so much, but it's definitely a cool goal to have in the meantime.
That day Crysta and I also found my new hangout spot- Connor O'Neil's Pub. Outside is blue and quite welcoming, but inside feels like I've stepped into the past... or into a Lord of the Rings-era tavern. Filled with dark wood, rustic tables, and old Post Office furniture from who knows when, O'Neil's is absolutely perfect. It's so befitting of fantasy, that I have to use it in some story. I sit in there and expect to see all sorts of shady characters making unspeakable plans up against the painted and mural-ed walls. One of these days I'll have to go in with the intention to write.
The afternoon of the art fair was by far my favourite part, however. Just as we walked out of a closing Borders (RIP), it started to pour. I mean, rain harder than anything back home can produce. Crysta and I ran for the car, but there was nothing we could've done to prevent how soaked we got. It was SO much fun! Yes, Pina Colada song, I DO like getting caught in the rain. It was exciting to be stuck in such a downpour. Weather is awesome (you know, original sense of the word).
It's difficult now to even remember what happened after the art fair. I want to say camping, but honestly... that might have happened before the fair.
In any case, I'll be handling it in another entry. I haven't felt like writing at all lately, and everything I write sounds terrible. Hopefully I'll feel better the closer I get to school.
First, the art fair. I had no clue what I was getting into with that one. I figured the art fair was like a Friday night on Myrtle Ave- vendors selling slightly-overpriced, but well-made crafts and such, food from many of the restaurants around Downtown, a bunch of people walking around... and not enough to see to occupy an entire day. Well, three out of four of those was correct. Art fair is HUGE. Like.. takes up entire blocks of streets and all of downtown HUGE. There were vendors of all shapes and sizes selling art of the same. Everyone who's anyone (or even some no ones) were there showing off what they had made over the past year. It was so overwhelming! I could only think of how great it would be to have a booth there, and show off my own work. I know it would take years to make so much, but it's definitely a cool goal to have in the meantime.
That day Crysta and I also found my new hangout spot- Connor O'Neil's Pub. Outside is blue and quite welcoming, but inside feels like I've stepped into the past... or into a Lord of the Rings-era tavern. Filled with dark wood, rustic tables, and old Post Office furniture from who knows when, O'Neil's is absolutely perfect. It's so befitting of fantasy, that I have to use it in some story. I sit in there and expect to see all sorts of shady characters making unspeakable plans up against the painted and mural-ed walls. One of these days I'll have to go in with the intention to write.
The afternoon of the art fair was by far my favourite part, however. Just as we walked out of a closing Borders (RIP), it started to pour. I mean, rain harder than anything back home can produce. Crysta and I ran for the car, but there was nothing we could've done to prevent how soaked we got. It was SO much fun! Yes, Pina Colada song, I DO like getting caught in the rain. It was exciting to be stuck in such a downpour. Weather is awesome (you know, original sense of the word).
It's difficult now to even remember what happened after the art fair. I want to say camping, but honestly... that might have happened before the fair.
In any case, I'll be handling it in another entry. I haven't felt like writing at all lately, and everything I write sounds terrible. Hopefully I'll feel better the closer I get to school.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Won't it be great to go Downtown?
Again, I know that I've got Steam Expo and Canada backed up, but I wanted to share a little piece of my heart here in Ann Arbor.
I practically live in the downtown area of A2. It consists of Main street and some of it's cross-streets right in the heart of the city, and directly next to U of M. It's bustling nearly all of the time (minus early mornings of course. You know, when you'd expect a coffee shop to be open, but isn't?), and is filled with so many great shops and restaurants that it's contributed to my big lack of money. Downtown is where all the artists go, me included, to be inspired and meet people like them. It's a great place to people watch, to write, to draw, and (in the case of Violin Monster), a fantastic place to perform for the masses.
My favourite shop down there is the Chocolate House of Ann Arbor. It serves all kinds of cafe style drinks, many different flavours of ice cream, and has a full assortment of chocolate and chocolate-covered goodies. While I was tutoring, I spent every Monday and Wednesday within the CH's walls, nibbling on delicious chocolate brownies and sipping on caramel blended coffees. I'd sit in the main window and look out at the Seafood Co, M Den and many jewelry shops. It is my favourite place to get some writing done, and even a little tutoring. The music is always great, and never too loud. The decor is simple, never cluttered and with plenty of space to imagine and daydream. All of the baristas are incredibly friendly, and don't mind if I hang around there for hours at a time. Unfortunately the place is usually dead, but occasionally there's a huge wave of patrons (usually with children in tow) who keep the place in business. It's been there for a long, long time (starting as a sandwich shop), and I really hope it's there for another age or two.
I've shamelessly promoted 826 Michigan before, but I can't stress how amazing that place is. Robot supply shop in front, free homework help in the back. Once I get more money I can start sending Miles more robot parts, but until then it's still fun to look around and see what's new in the shop. The homework help is only during the school year, and so I won't be back there until August for volunteering, but the shop stays open all year. It's on Liberty, a perfect spot for a tutoring center. It's not as loud as Main, but still one of the prominent streets and very close to the parking garage on Fourth and William.
My absolute favourite shop in all of Downtown is Vault of Midnight. Owned by the son of one of Crysta's coworkers, it's the local comic and boardgame shop. It is huge and has everything a comic nerd could ever want. The comics are on the main floor with the boardgames in the basement, and everything is open, friendly and blessedly nerdy. I ask to be hired every time I walk in the store, but to no avail. Once you're in a comic book job, you never leave. This always makes me one sad panda. I wish I could go more often and buy more games/comics/plushies/shirts/posters/etc. Everyone in there is exceptionally nice, and more often than not covered in tattoos and piercings. It is my kind of place. Vault is on Main street, just past Liberty. After tutoring I love to just pop in there for a minute or two, just to look around at all the pretties I can't have!
If I've got the money and the friends, The Jolly Pumpkin is a great place to eat and drink. It's atmosphere is very me- dark, stained wood, elaborate wallpaper and pictures all over the walls. It reminds me of being in the hull of a very fancy ship. The food is excellent, and I love their hamburgers. They're so juicy and you can get all kinds of toppings. They have many kinds of drinks, all of which are fabulous. Unfortunately, I've only been there once, but I can't wait to have a job that lets me eat out more often!
Downtown is very near and dear to my heart. It's a huge part of where I live, and when I leave Michigan I think I might miss it most. Southern California is severely lacking a little district like this, and it makes me sad to think that all I have to go back to are Starbucks and Coffee Beans sitting along massive boulevards being completely corporate and expensive. I'll miss my little Downtown full of artists, performers, vegetarians, hippies and parents. For now, I'll spend as much time as I can down in the CH, writing my little heart out and dreaming of the day I'm good enough to perform on the street for change.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Cause I'd get a thousand hugs from ten million lightning bugs...
Wow. It has been nearly a month since I've updated. So much has gone on- Memphis swallowing a needle, World Steam Expo, meeting Chris Hardwicke, my birthday... but what has me completely enraptured right now are tiny insects with bio luminescence.
As you probably know, since most of you are in the state currently, California doesn't have fireflies. I've searched the internet, and there doesn't seem to be any good reason for it, either. Some say it could be too dry for them. I've lived in Oregon during the summer, and stayed in Washington for a week in the summer and they don't have any fireflies. They're not the driest states ever, so why don't they have any? Whatever the reason, I have grown up firefly-less.
Now, I have seen plenty of movies and TV shows, and heard a lot songs that mention the little bugs. They have a certain symbolism in my head of serenity (ha, so many Firefly jokes in here...), of classic childhoods I wasn't in the right place or time to have. Fireflies are very antique to me, nostalgic. Lightning bugs are what grandmas and grandpas talk about to their children's children when they speak of how they grew up "way back when." Fireflies aren't something modern children get to enjoy. They were only of an era long past.
So to my surprise, as you can imagine, last July I had a heart attack over the little balls of light in the grass as Crysta and I sat in her car waiting for a phone call. Crysta, probably thinking I was nuts, told me they were fireflies. I proceeded to freak out more. Fireflies? REALLY? they exist? They're not just made up be the media? I was overjoyed at the thought. Had there not been a thunderstorm on the horizon, I would've been out of the car and in the field.
But I left Michigan and came back to California, and to my lightning bug-less life. I forgot about them. I visited again in October, but summer was long gone and so were the fireflies.
Then, in April, I moved to Michigan to finish school. And now it is the end of June, and the first day of summer. Man, were those fireflies on top of it! They showed up for the first time last night- just boys, out early and lookin' for love. Crysta came in and nonchalantly said there were fireflies out! And that it must be summer.
And I freaked. FIREFLIES! Finally! I get to see them again! Not only that, but I get to live with them! So we went out to our little courtyard and she caught the teeny bugs while I took pictures and video. I went back out tonight to feed the little lost kitty that lives by the park, and to take more pictures of the only bugs I will ever like. There are so many more out tonight! I took a few videos and just stood and watched. Had it not been lightning I would've stayed out there for a lot longer.
I am completely enamoured by Fireflies. They represent so much to me that I can't even find words for. I'm in awe of the things, and all they do is glow and have sex (not a bad life, really). But seeing them flitting around the courtyard, or the park... I'm stuck there. Crysta said it's like a Toreador, and I'm inclined to agree. Just like they could stare at a painting until the sun burned them to ashes... I could stare at a group of fireflies until dawn. They make me more appreciative of where I am, and why I'm here.
Summer won't be such a bad thing with them around. If I get lonely, all I have to do is walk out my back door and stand in the midst of fireflies.
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