Mitten Threads -- Days Six and Seven

The last two days I was in MI were fairly low key. I had spent five days running around almost every second, on a roller coaster of emotions as I saw friends, missed others, interviewed for jobs over the phone, and generally tried to cram in all the fun I possibly could...you know how exhausting that is. Sometime in those two days, I did manage to get back up to MSU and had a random run-in with my friend K, and we had lunch together. This was wonderful because I really thought that everyone I knew from MSU had left town. God knows all us 20-somethings are abandoning the state like the financially unstable rats we are. Anyway, the last two days were filled with odds and ends, and lots of relaxing got done.

Here are some pictures from those two days, and probably some others from other times that I loved, but couldn't work into other posts. Enjoy!




































All in all, a very good vacation.

Happy

Driving down Sunset is always a bit surreal for me.

The first time I did it, I couldn't get over it. I was driving My Car down Sunset Boulevard. You know, that street that everyone in the world knows about, that's littered with Hollywood history? Yeah, that one. Sunset, as in "My apartment is a block off Sunset" or later when I moved, "My apartment is five blocks off of Sunset". Yup. Crazy.

So, I coasted down this famous street again, and this time contended with a bus on one side and a crazy-aggressive bicyclist on the other, who had his own lane but kept weaving into mine just to prove a point I guess. I was just trying to get my dirty car to the dollar car wash at Sunset and Descanso. Upon arriving there, I slid into a bay, pulled quarters out of my pocket, and proceeded to spray down my Prius. It slowly turned from dusty brown back into the blue it was supposed to be. When the last soap bubble had been rinsed away, I replaced the hose, and heard "Excuse me?" just as I was doing so.


I turned to find a 20-something guy in a silver pickup truck calling out to me. Being from LA, I scanned the interior of his car as I approached, looking for other people, weapons, or anything wierd. He was alone. His hands were on the wheel. I stepped up, and rested my hands lightly in the windowsill.

"Can you tell me how to get to West Hollywood?" Out-of-towner. Backwoods accent. Slightly nervous, but determined.

"Sure," I began. "The easiest way is to take Sunset or Hollywood that way-"

"I'm on Sunset."

"Yes, you are. But you're going the wrong way. You want to flip around and just follow it down, but it'll take 25-30 minutes, just so you know."

Out-of-town stared back quizzically. "So I go this way?" he asked, pointing in the wrong direction. I corrected him, then asked where he was trying to go. "Well, uh, ummmm...." out-of-town trailed off. I hoped he was here to visit friends, and not to escape some situation back home. We made sure one last time that he was clear on the way to go, then he thanked me and pulled away. I got back into my dripping car, and pulled out. I saw him (this time headed the right way) at the intersection, and waved as I turned left.

I'm glad that I finally know where I'm going.

Day Five -- The Mittenberg Olympics

Every family should have a fun and slightly stupid tradition. My mom's side has found theirs: the Meulenberg Olympics. Each summer, the family gathers for food, fun, and a chance to win bragging rights for an entire calendar year. Oh yeah, and they also get a cheap ugly trophy (or should I say, they are grudgingly obliged to store the thing for a year).

This year's games, hosted by my parents, were:

- Croquet
-Tossing Ping Pong Balls Into A Hula Hoop Floating In The Pool
-Beanbag Tosss (or corn-holing, if you are Midwest and for some reason don't find that to be the crudest term ever)
-"Ball Shot" (which made me laugh much more than I'd like to admit to. It's a "Minute to Win It" game where you roll a ball down a tape measure and into a shot glass. Very addictive.)














There were three types of people who came out that day: those who were after blood, those who played for the love of the game, and those who played a little bit badly on purpose (my dad kept ducking out of the games and saying "I don't want the damn thing" under his breath). My cousin C kept jumping up and down, razzing everyone and yelling "It's mine! Back off, the trophy's MINE!!!" Cousin J played with mild interest until the Ball Shot (tee hee) and then became addicted to it for the rest of the gathering. We ended up sending the necessary game supplies home with his family.

I was one who came out to win, hoping to take the trophy back to the west coast and taunt my relatives for a year by taking pictures of it near the Hollywood sign, on the beach, etc.

Sadly, it was not to be.

My croquet score was 19 (much worse than the winning score of 13 strokes). I was knocked out of the ball toss on round 5. I got 0 points for bean bags, but did manage to eek out a few points for my stunning performance in Ball Shot (That's what she said!). Overall, my score was 12 points, nowhere near enough to catch the bold 21 points scored by Brian from Ohio, who was the proud winner of the day.


At least the trophy went out of state.

I'll be back for the title next year....