"So if you care to find me, look to the western sky...."

Well, here I am. Back in Michigan.
Have I ever mentioned my despise for this state?
It's not so much Michigan specifically. Actually, I quite like its unique shape, Great Lakes, greenness (for those three months that aren't a frozen death trap), and definitely the people it contains. I like the grid-shape of the country roads so that everywhere leads everywhere whether you start off knowing where you're going or not, and I like that everyone questions the existence of my town when I say, "I'm from Kalamazoo." And the endless amount of memories I contain from the village of Richland is far too great to deny my affection for the tiny place.
But folks, everyone loves Michigan's Adventure... until you go to Cedar Point. Or Disneyland. Or Universal Studios. It's a comparison thing. When you take green trees and put them next to mile-high mountains, it puts things into perspective.

Something I've noticed lately about other people's blogs is they have a lot more pictures than I do. I'm feeling a little incompetent in that area, so here are some edited (I'm addicted to editing pictures lately) pictures from Colorado for your viewing pleasure. There would be a ton more if any of the other trillion people that took pictures there would put theirs up on facebook already....

 

So, I'm moving to this place in approximately four months and it's freaking me out. I'm excited beyond belief but also, as previously stated, extremely freaked out. Why? Well let me tell you.
I'm moving into a house with four small children and am being forced to go to college and work.
Sounds like a normal life, you say? Doesn't sound scary at all, hm? Well, let me explain via pie charts:

 Do you see where this could be slightly (mind-blowingly) intimidating (paralyzing) to me?
I've never freaked out on any of my four trips to Colorado until this time. Probably because every other time it's seemed really, really far away still. But not anymore. I also had to go visit the community college I have to go to and all schools just smell like failure to me, so that probably contributed. Failure tends to freak me out. Even just the prospect of failure. I mean really don't get me wrong here, I am totally, completely pumped to move and live in Colorado and all that. It's more the practical areas of life like work and the aforementioned college that have suddenly hit me with a massive load of petrifying terror.
But anyway.

Oh, here's a funny story. I puked while I was there. Yeah, there were like a thousand of us Michiganders there this time and one of them puked the day he arrived. And you know how it goes, when one person pukes, the rest of the people tend to start scurrying about like ants, trying to ready their defenses and put up their magical disease-deflecting barriers. I'm no different. Of course, if I'm going to get sick, I'd prefer it to be sooner rather than later. And that's what I got. I'd had a stomach ache all day already but blamed it on the seven cookies I'd eaten the night before. But then like an hour after Peter puked, I reaaallly started feeling it. And you know what, other than my drastically fluctuating temperature, painful regurgitation, passing out, and feeling like I was about to disintegrate into a horrible pile of death, it wasn't that bad. You know why? Because I found out that there's a certain level of invincibility that comes along with being sick first. I mean, I can't think of a much worse feeling than the anticipation of sickness. Like, when one person who you've been around and who you'll continue to have to be around for the coming days gets violently ill, you pretty much feel like you're trapped in a house with death itself and it's only a matter of time before it devours you. You're just a tiny, helpless bunny stuck in a cage with an enormous, bloodthirsty tyrannosaurus. But then, once you just come down with the sickness yourself, then you are the T-Rex. You are feared. You are untouchable. Invincible. Powerful.
However, your sense of power becomes very limited when you are trapped in a tiny bathroom for three hours because certain people in the house are beyond psycho when it comes to their phobia of germs. Seriously, I went from a T-Rex to an African-American in the 1950's in a matter of minutes. And I'm really not being racist. Admittedly, I have never been black, nor have I lived in the 50's... but I imagine I now have a slight understanding of what they must have felt. And let me tell ya, being ostracized is not the most fun thing that could ever happen to you.

Well, would you look at that, it's almost 4am. Mmmm goodnight.



P.S. This post sort of sounds like I spent 10 days in Colorado feeling scared out of my mind and sick and ostracized. This is false. It was a great trip.