Today 9Sept2023

From Lansing, Michigan, Fairfield Inn Eastwood, Room 201.

Again, I was tired last night, so I went to bed and now am writing at breakfast the next day.

Saturday was a sunny, clear day here in Michigan. I started with my alarm at 6AM and considered sleeping in more, but I had slept well and decided to start my day following the new time zone. Breakfast started at the hotel at 7AM. I showered, shaved, took my meds, applied Utterly Smooth (with +20% cow pee) to my hands and feet, and dressed. Today was a mixed day of temperatures, so I wore a dress shirt (slightly wrinkled from travel) under a floppy sweater with dark pants to complete my friendly corporate look (the exact look I use to fly First Class).

I walked down the stairs to the first floor and found breakfast nearly overflowing with adults sporting green and white. An MSU football game is at home today. I managed to find hot food after the hotel staff politely refilled the food. Biscuits (actually fresh) and gravy (industrially made) was an additional item to my first selections. It was a bit heavy, but I did not know what today would bring.

Next, I got into SS Ford, the impossibly huge–just as large on the outside, rental car, unmoored it, and headed into Lansing. I am still getting used to driving it as it all but demands one foot driving in combat boots–my Air Force Ones just slide off the pedal once in a while. So far, I have not had to take advantage of the damaged coverage.

I spotted all this pollution as I walked to SS Ford. It is so disappointing to see that the only clouds in the sky are sourced from this smoke stack. The color suggests coal smoke. It is not water vapor.

I parked in East Lansing despite the dire warning that it would be six dollars an hour because of an event (it was three bucks later). I was still too early for most shops, but I enjoyed the walk and intended to walk for a few hours in the MSU facing Michigan Avenue for old-time sake and to exercise. I found the MSU bookstore was open and supplied a constant supply of green and white team wear to fans headed to MSU, much of it Nike.

I do my usual perusal of the computer and mathematics textbook section–I like to see what we are teaching our new soon-to-be employees and interns. Python is the first language class now, not LISP-like or C. AI is also strongly represented, and Discrete Mathematics has been pushed into a joint textbook of Python. The $71 price used for a pattern recognition two-inch thick book did not impress me. But the mathematics textbook section had two books I wanted, one about Codes and another about Fourier analysis, and less than $40 price tag had me buy the Codes book. The other one, on Fourier analysis, was graduate level. While Fourier transformations always come up in robot and music stuff, I think I will need something more elementary as college math was in the 1980s for me. But, still, I was tempted. I left the MSU bookstore, not covered in green and white, but with a new book.

I walked all over the area, seeing what had changed and what was the same. The number of food joints, both high-end and fast food, was stunning. I counted three chicken wing food places, including two local versions. Beggar’s Banquet and El Azteco survived to continue to support quality food for the area. Pinball Petes, a treasured late-night stop for a younger me, will continue to ruin grade point averages with its basement location filled with video games and pool tables.

A homeless guy aggressively panhandled me, a new experience in this area, but I had no change. He left before I returned to Curious Books, my favorite haunt, and I sat on a bench, read Codes, and waited ten minutes for 10AM to come. Soon, the manager opened the door and rolled out the same carts I remember from years ago with cheap books. I entered to find the same shop, and the same smell of old books, dust, and a hint of mold welcomed me. They should make candles with the same scent and offer them on their website.

I found nothing I needed but bought a few small paperbacks, a Doctor Who, and a mystery for sort of cheap. I have ordered, from Oregon, some of their books on the 1920s and vintage magazines also from the same period. This is the time of H.P. Lovecraft’s stories and often the setting for Call of Chuthlu Role Playing Game adventures. But, today, just a few easy books to travel back.

Next, I headed to the capital area after paying my parking cost at a station to avoid hanging out the window of SS Ford trying to pay at the exit. There is a gaming store there, Summit Comics, that I always visit. I used Nav to get there and parked in front of the Bail Bondsman (A function we do not have in Oregon) and the old nut shop. I got some freshly roasted peanuts and a pound of cashews for Linda’s Party (my sister). Next, I wandered a bit. I was threateningly panhandled and was thus uncomfortable in the area. I did get a nice photo of the capital (I put that on Facebook). I found Summit Comics; I was there when the panhandler threatened me, and I walked by the shop, not seeing it as I was focused on not getting hurt when leaving the frustrated and screaming guy. Off my game by events, I did not find anything I needed, but I am always impressed by the store. They even had an old Dungeons and Dragons Judges’ Guild original adventure, one I used to have, for $30 for a mint copy. I demurred.

Leta, Susie’s mother, called me while I finished shopping, and I agreed to visit her. I acquired her address for the Nav; I don’t remember Lansing enough to travel from the center to Leta’s place without Nav. I managed to unmoor the SS Ford and found my way around some construction that the Nav did not recognize.

I soon found Leta’s house. The area was filled with broken trees piled by the roads. The storms of w few weeks ago had heavily damaged the area. One home still had a tree on it, and I saw an abandoned building with its roof ripped up and covered with a tree. Holmes Road was being resurfaced with gravel being glued to it–not my favorite road repair. I managed to get through the construction and arrive at Leta’s house. Leta was thrilled to see me, and we soon sat on her fantastic new deck. She was happy she had the trees taken down a few years ago, as the storm of a few weeks ago would have wrecked them. Apparently, further south, the damage is worse–I was impressed with what I saw. Trees were broken everywhere.

Leta grabbed her step stool and climbed into SS Ford. Pretty good for someone 95 years young! I will keep the stool in the SS Ford until my last meeting with Leta on Sunday when I take her to the wedding. We had lunch together at Panera Bread near the Lansing Mall, a few minutes from Leta’s home. I had soup and a chicken salad sandwich. We chatted over lunch. I then returned to Leta, braving the gravel again, to her home. We agreed she could use SS Ford for the wedding day.

Next was a nap; I rested briefly after SS Ford carried me back to the hotel. I was eating peanuts while driving, sometimes in the shell, but mainly opening them. I was getting more comfortable piloting SS Ford.

I called Mom Wild (Barb) and headed over to her house. Arriving without issue, I moored SS Ford. Mom Wild climbed into the bridge, and I loaded her walker into the cargo hold. We stopped to get some cigarettes for Mom Wild, but I forgot the carton (it was in a black bag that made it invisible at night) and will need to deliver them to Mom Wild later.

We took Highway 69 after driving to the end of Park Lake Road. We could have gone for the more scenic route, but 69 is a 75-mile-an-hour drive, and I wanted to drive SS Ford fast. You could not even feel that 80 I was driving–so smooth. This model is about $85,000 new, so I wanted to enjoy it. Unfortunately, the construction (lowered the speed to 60–not the 45 in Oregon but down to 60–yes, the midwest) more tested the handling and suspension than the speed.

The roads to Laingsburg, also with gravel glued to them, were as I remembered, except all the trees were taller. We arrived and soon lost the walker (I forgot to put it in SS Ford). Linda’s wedding party was meeting together for the first time for a low-key party at Linda’s home in Laingsburg.

As this is Linda’s party, I will just cover a few items. We had Greek food that was wonderful in a tent outside. I met the Best man, Jacob, Jesse’s (the groom) brother from North Carolina. I met Jesse’s family and some of Linda’s close friends. It was a pleasant, understated affair. I received a coaster with my name and the wedding date, plus a tie to wear.

Linda blocking a good photo. Jesse is sitting next to her.

After dark, it was time to leave (the mosquitos loved exotic Oregonian food), and I took Mom Wild home. There we had a crisis as the keys to the house were missing. They were found in the house after opening the unlocked door.

Today, Sunday, I have to print some pictures of Grandma Bailey (gone some time) to the memory table. I will get Mom Wild to the wedding (in her dress and me properly dressed for my role as family and spare groomsman.

Thanks for reading.