Page 51 - The Bug

With the warm weather over the weekend, and the wandering we did because of it, I've got the travel/get out of town bug again.  I've always loved road tripping and exploring new cities and towns.  I would love to just drive from town to town, stopping wherever and whenever I felt like it for the night/day/whatever.  Unfortunately, that type of life was never realistic.  I've lived and worked in the same metro area my whole life.  With a few vacations and long weekends here or there, I've been able to travel through and see a lot of the states in the U.S.  I've been to 35 states, 36 if you count changing planes in Denver, CO on a couple different trips, and I'm always itching for more.  LM and I have a scratch off map of the U.S. for all the states we've visited together.  We haven't scratched off 35 states yet, but we are working on it....and well on our way to 50.  Hopefully, we'll get at least a couple more to scratch off on our next trip.
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Right now that next trip is making this bug a lot worse.  We haven't locked in on a specific destination(s) as of yet.  So it's something I am really looking forward to....but it's hard to not be able to plan anything regarding the trip just yet.  Normally at this point in February I would probably just be wishing for a warm weather destination, but with this burst of warm weather....I'm not getting that feeling that Spring is right around the corner, and our trips always start in late Spring.

Page 50 - Chelsea

Both LM and I have been all around Chelsea many times....but never went into the city to check it out.  While the above photo is pretty old, I can definitely point out exactly where it was taken from....and the town doesn't look like it's changed all that much.  The road is now paved, thankfully, but the buildings look the same and the clock tower looks almost identical.  We stopped in to have lunch at Cleary's Pub, and both of us really liked the food.  The service was absolutely fantastic, and we left one of the bigger tips (percentage wise) we've left for a meal in a long, long time.  Our server didn't have many other customers, but I don't think we could have gotten better service if we were the only ones in the place.  I would go there again, without hesitation.
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The downtown area was pretty small, and very walkable.  Even though we walked a bit around Plymouth before heading out to Chelsea, and walked around all of downtown Chelsea, neither one of us came close to our Fitbit step goal.  Thanks to the 60 degree plus weather, the streets seemed really vibrant around the city and gave it a little extra charm....to me, anyway.  It kind of reminded me of hanging out up north for the summer when I was a kid and we would go "into town".  Another cool thing about visiting Chelsea was finding out that it is the hometown of Jiffy mixes.  When I looked online at the recommendations for things to do in Chelsea, touring the Jiffy plant was one of the first things I noticed.  I always new it was a local company, but never realized it was in Chelsea.

Page 49 - Visiting the Capitol

Seeing as neither LM or I had ever been to the Capitol, we decided to take a trek out to Lansing and check it out.  The weather was better than expected, and we decided to walk around the surrounding area before going in to tour the Capitol.  After checking with Mr. Google on places to eat lunch, we headed over to Kewpee Sandwich Shop to fill our bellies.  The place was nearly full, but we still got a booth as soon as we walked in.  The fact that everyone came in at the same time just before us, though, slowed down our service a bit....but we had absolutely no problem with that.  Our waitress was fantastic, and we found out in talk to her that she used to live only a few miles from us.  The food was ok.  Pretty standard fries and onion rings, my club was pretty good (really good turkey, good bacon, average ham) but I would have chosen a different bread than the standard Texas Toast if I were going to have it again.

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Aside from the Capitol, we walked around Lansing Community College, as well as the "Old Town" area,  We stopped into Pruess Pets, which is a really cool pet store that we never knew was there.  The only drawback was the Girl Scouts that set up shop right at the entrance of the pet store.  Thankfully they were too busy to bully me into buying some Thin Mints as we entered or exited.

Page 48 - Looking Ahead

This weekend should be another unseasonably warm one.  We will be close to, if not above, the record high tomorrow.  On another Friday where I need something to look forward to, this really helps.  Enjoying the weather is one thing, but getting the feeling that Spring is just around the corner (in the middle of February) really helps combat the winter blues.  We've got no plans for the nice weather as of yet, but even if we just sit outside for a while when we'd normally be sitting inside each day....that will make it a nice weekend.

Page 47 - Miller's

So thankfully, my "Bro..." was able to swing by yesterday while I was selling the jukebox to the guys who came by to look at it.  I was very happy to hear that they want to fix it up and give it life again.  He seemed very happy with what he was getting for the price, so I figure that it was a great transaction on both sides.  We got more than the least that Uncle Dwaine would have taken for it, we didn't have to move the heavy old thing, and the guy is a collector who will probably get it running again and enjoy it for years to come.
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After they were gone, Bro suggested we head to Miller's to have a burger and hang out for a bit.  We talked a lot about a wide range of things and he ate more than I did....which I don't think anyone would have bet on, lol.  It was nice to be able to just chill and hang out with him again.  It seems like forever since we've had a chance to do that.

Page 46 - Juke Joint Jezebel

This afternoon I'll be taking a detour on my way home to (hopefully) sell my Uncle's Juke Box to some random guy my mom found on Facebook.  It sounds like this guy is serious about buying it, and it would be nice to get it out of the basement and out of my mom's hair.  If it happens, it'll definitely be worth the short detour I'll be taking.

Page 45 - Valentine

Look at that....another national holiday, less than a week from the last.  Again, far be it for me to not celebrate a holiday.  While I'm rarely a fan of holidays that pressure you into buying things you don't need, just to keep the bottom line of the companies pushing that holiday healthy....I don't think Valentine's Day really fits into that category for me.  Most of us have busy lives.  Rarely do we take time to show the loved ones in our lives that we appreciate them.  Ideally, we would do that on random days throughout the year for no reason at all.  I try to do that, but am not always all that great at it.  Today is one of those days that kind of forces me to do that, though.

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And I'm not saying that in a bitter way, but more out of appreciation.  I don't have to buy anything to show that I care.  And if I do, I can do so mindfully.  It's rarely the object that carries any meaning or value, it's the action.  The experience.  In the end, that's all life really is.  A collection of experiences.  I could give LM dozens of gifts and spend hundreds of dollars in the process.  I could also spend zero dollars, and do something for her.  Both would be very memorable. 

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In the end, one mindful gift is all that I gave.  I know LM loves fresh flowers, so it was a perfect day to bring flowers into the house again.  Although that was easier said than done..  It took me three cycles of the traffic light for people in traffic to allow me to turn into the florist, and when I finally got into the parking lot....the dude that pulled in behind me and parked further from the shop ran past me as I was approaching the door, just to make sure to get in before me.  The guy thought he was pretty slick too when the woman helping him told him that he got the last dozen red roses left in the shop....but when she cam back, she let him know she was mistaken and that he had to change his order, because they were out.  It was even better when I picked up my waiting order, gave him a smug look, and walked out before he got anything....while he watched the Doctor who had bought all the roses he wanted, walk out the door with them right in front of me.

Page 44 - Back to the Dead

Yesterday was the first Sunday without any NFL football since September, more than 5 months ago.  It's amazing how quick the season is over, once it finally starts.  That being said, the season ended with a fantastic Super Bowl and we have the Walking Dead back now to fill a little bit of the gap left by the absence of football.  While this mid-season premiere wasn't anything special, it's setting up for bigger and better things down the road.  In a few weeks, things should get really interesting in the show.

Page 43 - Wander Weather

Yesterday was seasonably warm, so LM and I got a little antsy and wanted out of the house.  While we wouldn't have been the only ones on a bike yesterday, I am not ready to pull the X out of the garage just yet.  There's still plenty of salt on the roads, and while it's warm for February....it ain't exactly warm just yet.
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So we ended up aimlessly driving in a general SW direction.  After finding some interesting areas that neither of us had ever been in, we made our way into Tecumseh and walked around there a bit.  We had lunch and also found a really cool hobby store that I think would be a good place to help find a nice home for Uncle Dwaine's train set.

Page 42 - The I in Detroit

It's really tough to put into words how much Mike Ilitch meant to the city of Detroit.  Although he was nearly 90 years old, and it was pretty apparent that he was nearing the end, it was still somewhat of a shock when we heard yesterday that he had died.  He brought us multiple Stanley Cups over the years, but never got that World Series win that everyone knows he wanted so much.  He never stopped trying though.  There weren't many years after he bought the team that the Tigers weren't playoff contenders.  I'd love to see it happen soon, but if it does....it'll be bittersweet without him.

Page 41 - TGIF

It's been a really long week.  It's rather normal to look forward to Fridays when you have a 9-5 job....but this week was particularly long for so many reasons.  5pm can't get here soon enough and I think, looking at the picture above, that having a root beer or two tonight would be an excellent idea.

Page 40 - National Pizza Day

So I wasn't planning on having Primo's again so soon after the Super Bowl....but I also had no idea that today was National Pizza Day.  It's not like I am complaining, I just wasn't expecting to eat it again that soon....but who am I to go against a national holiday???

Page 39 - Santa Clarita

LM and I found a new show on Netflix to watch.  I had heard something about it in passing, I believe it was while we watched an award show recently, then saw it on Netflix and looked into it a little bit before trying it out.  My wife loves Drew Berrymore, and we both watch things about the undead, so it seemed a decent chance that we'd like it....and we did.  It was a little outrageous, and at times super funny.  No matter what, though, it was always entertaining.  Episodes are only 30 minutes long, so it's not a huge commitment.  We binged all 10 of the episodes from season one in a couple of nights, and will definitely check out the second season whenever that comes out.

Page 38 - Misguided

Sometimes it seems like I'm surrounded by people that want to add to the confusion and prolong the race, rather than getting to the finish line.  I understand having reasonable concerns, but going to the extreme about everything....le sigh.

Page 37 - The Aftermath

Staying up late, while eating a lot of bad food and drinking a lot of calorie dense soda is probably not the best way to prepare for the busiest day of your work week.  Then again, the Super Bowl only happens once a year....and this year it was a fantastic game.  It's really hard to argue against Tom Brady being the best QB to ever play in the NFL after last night's game, and at 39 years old he looks to be playing as good as ever.

Page 36 - The Storm

There was a lot to get done today for the party, mostly done by LM, but it wasn't too hectic.  Even with changing the start time of the party to 30 minutes earlier, only two hours ahead of time as noted by one of the attendees, we got it all done before anyone showed up.  We did very well too.  With 12 people and a dog coming over, we had almost the exact right amount of pizza.  Only five pieces were left at the end, and I ate probably about 3 or 4 pieces less than I normally would have....partly because of our prop pool.
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I thought it would be cool to have everyone pick a few props off a sheet, and see how well we'd do. However, that meant that someone had to keep track of the correct answers during the game....and that got in the way of at least one refill run to the kitchen.  In the end it was a huge success, even with the printer problems I had right before the party, and LM was the winner....getting 20 of the 30 props correct.  I still can't believe that Peyton Manning wasn't in a single Super Bowl commercial.

Page 35 - The Calm

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl, and our annual party.  Today is a day of rest for the most part, but we'll do a little bit here and there to make the preparations tomorrow a little bit easier.  It's a grilled cheese and milkshake kind of day.  Thankfully that came before the heating element went out in the electric fireplace....and even more thankful was the fact that we were awake and aware of the wire failure in the heater.

Page 34 - Responsibility

Some responsibilities are welcome, others are not.  Lately I've been presented with more of the former.  While in the long run, I know I will organize things in a way that it will barely be noticeable....in the short term, however, this could get a little overwhelming.  Although, if being overwhelmed means I get to sleep in an extra hour or so....I think I can handle that.

Page 33 - Groundhog Day

Page 32 - Deadlines

I'm usually pretty good at hitting, or beating deadlines.  I plan too much to not be, really.  But every now and again, I have to count on someone else to make my deadline.  Those days aren't all that fun.