*5 days in Detroit with Nicholas
*5 days there with Emily's family
*3 days in Philadelphia
*3 days in New York

About a week before Christmas, I set out from Madison to do #1. I listened to 'Cymbeline' by Shakespeare on CD. I got the basic gist of it, but having footnotes for 16th century slang is awfully helpful. Random memories include: stopping for gas to see a roughly metric fuck-ton of people on snowmobiles, the usual quiet back stretch of country at some random gas station, and how strangely easy it was to get through Chicago.

Nicholas had let Steven move back in with him. They do this on occasion, punctuated by Nick kicking him out for one good reason or another (which happened after I left). My main goal was, as always, to get a lot of photography done in the freeze of winter. This time I took the initiative and researched a whole slew of sites. The Universal Artists theater, some 32 story buildings downtown that'd once housed a bunch of businesses, all kinds of goodies. As I found out while looking for a way in, however, my lithium batteries for my camera are pretty much dead. I get 10 minutes max between 3 of them.

Even so, Nicholas and I tried the Packard plant in town. It's this war-torn, gargantuanly desolate heap of holes, paint, rusted metal shutters, and neglect. It was quintessential. Textbook abandoned. Nicholas briefly posed for some shots on the 1st floor, then hunkered down while I surveyed the 2nd one alone. I'd missed the eerie quiet. I'd nearly forgotten the trickle of fear dripping in the back of your mind, how you can hear everything. I was pretty sure no one would be there given the snow and teens temperature. I was right. I'd also sadly been right about my battery power, and I wasted it all on some shot focusing through a sluice, looking into machinery.

Nick is Nick. Dot had to be put down by a veterinarian, due to her kidneys failing. Bug seemed good and cheerful as always. The biggest change was getting used to Steven being there. I'm well familiar with their routine. It was just like, fuck, 6 years ago it must be. Here's a scene of Nicholas half-heartedly listening to some earnest bit. There's Steven cooking delicious food, somehow making non-fried fish taste good (and I hate it normally). And every so often there'd be a small argument. They were now just roommates, though. Steven had found a Chinese guy online who he wanted to help import. Nicholas thought it was horseshit and said as much. Through it all, as is my modus, I took the tack: 'we all get into a routine, we all want something to aspire to. Who am I to care or judge?'

I didn't see Joe, which was strange. I got to talk to Adrienne, a friend of Nick's and a long-time admirer of my work, which was cool. And I spoke with Brook and Aaron--dating still, working at Majestic still, still getting into drama. Aaron wanted to take me into some tunnels someplace, with the entrance 150 yards from the front of a police station. Sounded like fun.

Maybe in the summer when my nuts and kidneys aren't having cocoa.

Every time I go to Detroit I just want to live there. Granted, Nicholas has bad health days where he doesn't get off the couch, and who the fuck knows what I'd do for a job with a doctorate up my ass, but I enjoy life when I'm around him, around the lady love Detroit, just doing whatever at whatever time.

The big art thing I DID do was another install on Cooper's site: My Stuff, Volume 2. I hadn't yet bothered to load the software I got with my new computer, so I ended up editing stuff with a splash of Paint and a Microsoft product.

Emily came with a family friend on Christmas Eve. There's a now funny story about her not bothering to get directions for buses from Milwaukee to Chicago, and texting then calling me about needing times but not exactly making it sound urgent, let alone her only source of information for a time critical plan...but yeah at the time I just thought: 'why are you bothering me? This is ME time. I do shit for you constantly, with you constantly. Leave a message and the next available bottle of beer will answer you.'

Seriously it is actually funny now.

So that takes us to Detroit, days 6-10.

* * *

I drove from Nick's to the residence of Emily's parents later on Christmas Eve. I was dutifully informed by Emily I was late, that I'd been expected in the morning. In kind I likewise informed the kitchen that the morning had been suggested, but that I should come when it's convenient.

Around 5pm was just that time. I didn't exactly cherish transitioning to structured days and family stuff. I mean I like it well enough, but it's stressful and to me a vacation should be getting drunk someplace, more often than not, and doing something creative.

So I went about trimming the tree (which is now my annual duty), having egg nog, and sitting down to Christmas Eve dinner. The turkey was good, but I especially loved the stuffed clams. I can still taste those bastards.

Christmas 2008 with the Popes was good fun. I got lots of bowling gear, a camera from Emily (which we're returning so I can get my semi-pro rig), winter stuff from Rebecca, and an all-in-one car crash survival to-do book from the Mick (i.e. family friend who'd driven Emily). The latter won the Most Practical But Weird award.

Highlights included buying two new sweaters at Macy's (around 'me' prices), spending time in shopping malls or writing while others did so, playing Guitar Hero because Emily got it as a Christmas present, seeing the Pistons win by 2 points to the Thunder, which was bad enough, then attempting to negotiate a lunch date with Tania and Nicholas which was worse. The whole guilt trip thing about most anything I'm used to, but it was a lot of unnecessary drama--especially because she cancelled and Nick and I ended up having brunch.

And all I wanted to do was discuss equipment investment options and catch up. To this day I still don't know what the hell, but what the hell.

Eventually we headed back west, parked the car in the 16/day lot (unknowning there's a 9/day one not clearly marked because O'Hare clocks Uber Cock on the Fuckhead scale), and flew out to Philadelphia.

The mission: 1) to see Daniel/The Captain and Selene/Acacia again after 2 some odd years, the last time being their wedding. 2) To meet a lot of Emily's friends from college.

I underestimated the sheer volume of social traffic.

I've been writing for an hour, there's an absurd amount of detail I can go into, and it may well be Emily is done with May at around 6, whereafter we'd begin the 2nd part of what's been a kinda shitty day.

Granted, we got a lot accomplished chore-wise for her apartment, like putting up some of my framed shots, bleaching the sink, yadda yadda. But we're both off today. I am in 0 energy expediture mode and achy like all get out.

So I'm going to continue writing for the game project. Hopefully--and I emphasize hope because you all know my track record on this shit--I'll get to the 2nd half.

If not, rammed sentence: saw my old friends awkward at first but eventually fun learned about covance from emily friend lovely times major drama with Emily on New Year's Eve drunkedness people people more people train to NYC with Esther big ass apartment ritzy restaurants walk walk talk walk walk spend people people extended Emily family wine talk walk done.

Just in case.

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