End of Holiday

The rest of my vacation here in Michigan went well. I spent late Tuesday night in Grand Rapids, where I slept on my little sister's couch and snuck off with her to Steak & Shake at midnight for banana and eggnog milkshakes. On Wednesday, I spent the day in Lansing, seeing my younger cousin Victoria, my aunt Tonja, and then spending a great night out with Gale and Erin. It was a night fueled by cheap wine and good friends, and much of it now is a fuzzy blur. I remember telling my dick jokes, which is usually a sign that the night has been a good one. I also remember heading to BW-3 to see Alan, where we watched the rest of the MSU basketball game and where I (thankfully) suppressed the drunken urge to rub his big bald head.

Earlier in the evening, we partook in half price night for bottles of wine at Beggar's Banquet, a restaurant I never went to in East Lansing but one whose reputation preceded it. My bill was $21, and I bought two bottles of wine and an appetizer. The fact that I had an appetizer and no meal probably strengthened the effect of the wine, but that's okay. It was a good night.

I'm back in South Haven now, after a day spent in mutual hangover with my little sister, who was out until nearly 3am, as she's the party animal of the family (I was in by 11). This afternoon, back in Grand Rapids, she took me out to eat at Applebee's, the restaurant where she works (and the stories about which make me glad I don't work at a hellish corporate chain like that). Now I'm back at home with my folks, spending the last night with them before I take my journey back to Baltimore tomorrow. It's 670 miles driveway to driveway, and I've got plenty of toasted almonds, books on tape, newly purchased used CDs, and caffeine to get me through. I'm hopeful I can fit the one last load into my car; it will be a tight squeeze.

I should be back by 10pm or so. Hopefully I can get a good night's sleep tonight and tomorrow, because I'm pulling a 3pm to 3am shift on New Year's Eve, plus am working the next morning at 9am for the vanuted New Year's Brunch. Thank goodness we don't start school until Jan. 3, because Monday would have been tough.