Author: alohawild

My first full day in Lansing started with me rising at 6:30 local time (it still feels like 3:30 PDT) and getting down to the industrial breakfast in the Fairfield Inn Lobby. I rose, made coffee in the machine, reviewed my transactions in Quicken, watched the stock markets go up and down, and doom scrolled (as a liberal reading the news). The news was a strange mix of denials, lies, and outrages. Elon now says he would be lucky to make 15% of his goal, as he seems to have relearned math, and that the part of the government that provides most of the services is only 15% of the total of $6.75 trillion. That includes all the VA services, parks, giving to over governments, and also 15% of the education budget of North Dakota for the year (yes, ND assumed they would still get all the money from the Education Department–soon not to exist–to provide basic services). I stand back in awe of the extreme waste of time. Rumors are that China has agreed to replace all the lost US government payments and tighten its alliances with the rest of the world. Seems a costly loss, Elon.

But I then returned to writing the blog and enjoying my stay here in Lansing. The blog was 1,400+ words and took me until 10ish to finish. I did get to talk to Deborah on her drive in and back from work today. It is nice to be in the same time zone again and start and end our day together on the phone.

With the blog done, I left the hotel and drove to Mom Wild’s place. Mom was sleeping when I arrived, but was happy to see me after she woke. More of my postcards had shown up, and the bulb flowers for Easter arrived, too. Mom was excited to see the plants start to blossom and watered them, so I added more water. Mom loved the Queen Mary postcard and was excited to hear about Deborah and me on the ship for drinks, snacks, and some self-guided tours.

It was soon time for lunch, and Mom Wild agreed to do the dining room, and the staff led her to her seat, and I left. We will meet on Wednesday morning and at dinner for my birthday dinner at The Beggar’s Banquet.

I headed to Leta’s house and picked her up for lunch. Leta never took down her Christmas Tree and continues to decorate it for all the events. Today, it was an Easter Tree.

We decided on Cheddar’s for lunch and a Monte Cristo sandwich. The food, while well prepared, included American cheese and industrial deli-pack ham—it could have been great. But the jam was good, and the sandwich was cut into small parts. Sadly, we forgot Leta’s leftover sandwich in my car, which was not good when I spotted it later in the back seat. Oops!

After lunch, I dropped Leta off and headed to downtown Lansing and the Capital area. The wind was picking up and was brutal. There was snow or sleet (it was hard to tell), so I decided to forgo a stop at the state capital building today—it would have been a freezing walk to the entrance.

I had to do the ritual of parking and paying. The machines work fast now (they were terrible last time), allowing up to four hours of parking. It used to be limited to no more than an hour. This is a silly idea if you want to have lunch there. Lansing finally, after years, realized that you want people to park in downtown, shop, eat, and then leave. Better!

Instead, I found Summit Comics and Games, and they remembered me. I  suspect that not that many hat-wearing gray-haired guys show up. I found a used copy of some Frostgrave material I did not have nor had seen for sale. Another role-playing game (RPG), I wish I had more time to play. I also found some comic books that intrigued me (they were a disappointment). I try to buy only things I cannot find in Oregon, and today they have something.

Next, I went to the Peanut Store. As I walked in, a patron of the store gave a peanut to a squirrel that seemed to be charging at tax for leaving the store, a peanut. Inside, I got a small bag of peanuts and their best mix, all under $10. The squirrel appeared, and I made my payment and then tried to photograph the rodent. It would have nothing to do with that; apparently, having things pointed at it from a human is uncomfortable. It ran into the street. Yikes, I was not going to have that on my mind, and I followed it into the street, blocked traffic, and it then, now that I was no longer pointing anything at it, followed me, peanut still in its mouth, expecting more food. I realized the traffic was the area’s security team, and they were laughing. Apparently, I went nuts! The squirrel was happy with a peanut last I saw it.

I found Ollie’s next to Summit and got some cards there. They had a coloring book of books that should never happen. I read some of the would-be titles to Deborah, who was free for a moment and called me, and we both laughed. If the book is there on my likely return in the holidays, I might get it. I found Air Hyundai Red and headed out.

From there, with some chaos from construction, I found Hoplite, another gaming store off of Michigan Avenue, and looked at their stuff. The store was more run-down than I remember, and the old gaming stuff was much reduced. I found nothing I could not get in Oregon. I heard a parent say that it was kids’ gaming day, that one of the kids had a rash, and there was concern. With measles now active in Michigan, too (where there is also a strong religious-based denial of vaccination), this was no minor issue. Hearing that and finding no unusual items, I left.

Aside: I had the measles, a very light case, in Middle School when it hit the school band, effectively spreading it to everyone. I also remember getting new shots for it and polio. Vaccination is the cheapest way to stay safe after avoidance; avoidance is not always possible, as my visit to the gaming store shows. I take all vaccinations; I am too busy to get sick, especially avoidable serious illnesses. Lastly, I have already done cancer, a brain tumor, and the death of a spouse. My life has already cost me pain and grief, and I am not losing it to a cheap thief like a known virus. Or in simple terms, RFK F**k Off! And I will remind you, dear readers, that this is toxic and not a cure: here.

Next, I return to my hotel, eat my peanuts, and read my comic books (which are not that interesting). I then travelled and met Jesse and Meg at Bobcat off of Michigan Avenue again within sight of the capital. Jesse is Linda’s (my sister) spouse, and Meg is their child. We enjoy some drinks and a meal in a train car. The car is from the 1900s and shows the ironwork and rivets of the early 1900s. It is hard to imagine that every one of those rivets was hand-carried in hot buckets and driven. The same metal and process as the Titanic, Queen Mary, and all the American Battleships. We had a lovely meal (though my food was odd), and soon I was back at my hotel, reading and trying to sleep. It was my first night having trouble sleeping. I should have walked more.

Thanks for reading.

(sunrise over the hotel in Rochester Hills/Troy)

Monday is a change day, and I leave Rochester and the Greater Detroit Area for Lansing and East Lansing. I will miss Rochester and Deborah, but the bathroom door that can’t stay open and hits me will not be missed. I rise at 6:30 (3:30 PDT), and there is no coffee as the room was not reset the day before. I soon shower, shave, dress, and get ready. I had already started packing, but as this was a week trip, there was no need to do more than toss the clothing in. I started the blog, but it is a travel day and likely will be finished late. I also collected all my goods and made two trips to Air Hyundai Red. Soon, I had the laptop and wrote the blog while waiting for Deborah.

Soon, her blue mini drives by, and I meet Deborah for breakfast at the hotel. We spend part of the morning together eating breakfast. The last time we ate breakfast together was in February in Oregon. Off to work for Deborah, and me driving to Lansing. I checked out, and the staff remembered us from my last trip in the holidays.

The drive to Lansing has no direct route, so I headed north to Flint on Highway 75 and then cut over to Highway 69. Most of this was at speeds ten over the speed limit (or more), and the Hyundai often flew with traffic at 85. The roads are not smooth, and I did slow to 60 (the legal speed) for some construction, but they worked well at over 70 mph. Unlike the Portland Area, where a few miles can seem to be a lifetime of slow driving, the distances disappeared quickly, and I was in Lansing in ninety minutes.

I took a picture of the old hometown sign, Laingsburg, on Highway 69. I grew up with the repairs of Woodbury Road and the completion of Highway 69. Yes, we both are showing a bit of age now, but we can still move fast and get ‘er done.

I had stopped at the rest area before Lansing, proved the impact of too much coffee, and reset my Nav to head to Mom Wild’s new place. I finished 69 and entered Lansing and Haslett. I entered the wrong number into Nav but found the correct place after turning around. I use CarPlay and my phone map app to find my way in the red car.

I was soon checked into the facility, Brookdale Meridian Assisted Living, and met the director, Derrick, and he took me to Mom Wild’s room, A-9. The place has carpet and none of the terrible smells of these places. Excellent! Derrick woke Mom, who had slept in. I spent a few hours with Mom and gave her the sugar egg from Eastern Market. She had my cards and postcards, but the Easter bulb-based flowers had yet to arrive (it was delivered a few hours later). We talked for a few hours, and the staff carried away the ignored breakfast. Mom introduced me as her brother and referenced her hometown. We discussed Dad Wild and family items, but she remembered I was her son. All good. The words were just mixed up a bit.

Mom Wild said she was accepting the place now. At first, she told me, it was hard, but she now likes it, and her room is comfortable and arranged with multiple recliners. She also told me she apologized to my sister for being angry, and she is happy now.

It was time for lunch, and I got a text from Leta, Susie’s mother, that I could meet her at the usual Panera by Lansing Mall. Linda texted me, and we had set up dinner at Bravo, Mom’s fav. With dinner now on the schedule, we made our goodbyes (these trips I make are always full of hellos and goodbyes), and I set Nav for Lansing Mall and soon crossed Lansing with my memories of each location coming as I drove by. I always miss ‘Elric’ Anderson (he passed away unexpectedly last November) when I drive through all the places we used to visit in the distant past, which often seem like just yesterday. Susie is always with Leta and me when we meet (Susie has been gone for a while now).

Leta and I had a nice lunch together, and I had soup and half a chicken salad sandwich. We talked about the impacts Trump and DOGE were having on people and the fear that I might not get my Social Security next year. However, the Republicans in the Senate are not headed that way. Though Elon and company may mess up the government enough to prevent my application from being processed or, more likely, the processors will find non-existence errors in my application and then refuse me. That is the typical process of an authocratic government. I will be sixty-one on Wednesday and drawing immediately next year (62), assuming I can complete the process. I will also need health care from the end of 2025 until I am 65. I am now paying about $730 a month through a COBRA offering from Nike.

For my political friends, I am trying to be positive, and I understand the emotions of my Republican supporting readers. However, I do not agree with most of Trump’s agenda (I can’t find anything to agree with so far, but I will use the lighter wording as something might show up that I like). I believe the DOGE process, having been through the matching process of layoffs at Nike (every two to three years over 27 years), only increases chaos and expenses but allows for some very shallow claims of victory and some promotions of idiots. Sorry, my few Republican readers (and I value them), but it looks too familiar and wasteful to me. I never saw a layoff produce good results in the multinational company I worked for, Nike (and I remember a few missing critical backups of computer systems when responsible folks are lost).

I got a message that my room was ready at the Fairfield Inn at Eastwood, and I said goodbye to Leta (I will see her for my birthday). I headed to East Lansing and parked by MSU. I decided to finish the blog at El Azteco 2, an old fav. I invested in two house margaritas to finish the blog. The college year was winding up, and it was a warm, if windy day, and the town was full of college students walking and running. Different than my mid-winter visit last year. As usual, I headed to Curious Books, and the owner, Ray Walsh, was in the store. Now, a wreck of boxes of books were blocking the narrow walkways, as they were closing (still) their other location. Ray apologized to me for the mess, but it has been this way for years. I could not find the Elric book I was looking for (I will have to head back to Seattle’s Pike Place Market book store), but I found some other Elric books, a 1920s history of a Drake (I think), and a water stained $20 book of facimilies of letters from H.P. Lovecraft. Ray told me it was priced to move (I think he was thinking $25-$30, and I would have still bought it). He showed me a rare book he has for $2500, which covered more of H.P. Lovecraft’s writing. I took a picture to share it.

Ray took my business card and will have the books mailed to me for $7.50. Perfect. We shook hands, and I told him to look for me again in the winter. Another hello and goodbye.

I checked the MSU textbook store, but no intriguing math or computer books were for sale. I always check what is in the graduate level stuff. I still plan to pick up mathematics again.

With that, I returned to Air Hyundai Red and soon checked in at the hotel with a friendly staffer, Eli. We talked about Opera for a while. He might check out the movie theater presentation of the Met Opera on Saturdays or Wednesday night repeats. One of the elevators was broken, but these are still faster than the ones in Rochester!

I soon dragged all my stuff into the room, took off my shoes and sweater, and rested. I nodded off. I rose again after some chirps from my phone. Linda was headed out soon. I called Deborah again, and we mainly chatted about health (as we get older, we find this a more persistent topic); we miss each other already. Linda called, and I needed to move.

Linda beat me to Bravo, which is minutes away from the hotel. Mom was sitting in her rollator. Dinner was a bit industrial Italian with bits of greatness. The desserts were huge, bright, and perfect. The wine was overpriced but good (the glass cost was half the price of a bottle at a store). I could have done the salad and piccata better, but it was not terrible. Mom’s shrimp dinner, an appetizer, looked excellent (she ate them all).

With dinner and dessert inside us, yet another goodbye, I was back at my hotel. Mom Wild and Linda will see me again soon. I soon was in my PJs, reading and then sleeping. I missed a goodnight message from Deborah as I was asleep already. The rush of days and travel was adding up, and I got my first long sleep from the trip. I woke to adjust the heat and prove hydration. I remember dreams, pleasant, and woke without an alarm.

Thanks for reading.

We had plans for the Opera Cosi Fan Tutte at the Detroit Opera House at 2:30 today. You can read about the Mozart opera’s re-staging to a near-future Apple/Musk-like fictional company demo of a new AI-based robotic companion here. I think the opera has aged poorly, and a new staging and plot worked for me. The original music seemed to be retained. While there were only three performances, I believe this re-staging will appear elsewhere soon. I recommend it if you don’t mind dropping the dated setting, costumes, and the use of many updated jokes.

Returning to the start of the day, I rose at about 7, ignoring the alarm at first. It was early for me (4AM in PDT), and I made coffee as I showered, shaved, etc., and soon was ready. The Keurig uses rainforest-supporting coffee pods. Even in Michigan, I am drinking liberal coffee! Next, I grabbed my laptop and went to the lobby for the industrial breakfast that Thomas was serving. I greeted him, and he asked me about my plans for the day. Everyone wants to be seen and not treated as invisible.

The eggs were the same as every day—industrial—but the potatoes were better. The sausage was crunchy, slightly overcooked, but that did improve it. The coffee while not good, was thick and strong. My stomach rebelled a bit. I published the blog and headed to see Deborah.

At her house, I petted the dogs, and we skipped lunch as we would get some food at the Cadillac Café at the Opera. I had dress shoes, a whale tie Deborah gave me in Long Breach, and a dress shirt and vest. Deborah was lovely in a black dress. We took Air Hyundai Red to the Detroit Opera House, paying only $5 more to park at the Opera. I did not know the Opera House was across from the newish Tiger Stadium.

We were twenty minutes early and unfortunately left our coats behind; we discovered Detroit colder than expected. We were relieved when the door opened only five minutes late, and soon, we had a drink and food at Table 3 in the cafe. The box of snacks and first drinks were covered. We could also return at intermission for another drink and finish our food. We got coffee, and Deborah finished her lunch at that time.

We met some of Deborah’s friends who were enjoying a box. Eric and I were happy to finally meet.

The opera tonight was a re-staging (and replotting) of Mozart’s awful (I think it too dated) Cosi fan Tutte leaving the music, some of the usual confused identity, but tried to reframe it part of the Corporate Demo of robots that are imbued with AI and thus learn to love. The Musk/Jobs CEO was fun, and it often seemed like a corporate meeting. There were even the corporate feel-good videos that reminded me of Nike presentations.

The music, songs, and most of the words (but not the jokes) were original and wonderfully sung. Like the original, the plot and action become confused in the second act, but the darker themes take over, and we end in a Terminator-like ending. Seems perfect, and the audience cheered when Musk/Jobs style-CEO met his just reward. But the robots let the audience know they, too, have to pay. Then, it ends by singing the bright, everything will be an OK song that is actually the original’s ending. Even the late CEO is back, singing. Excellent. We loved it. The Detroit Free Press did not–recommended.

We returned to Rochester Hills, found Lucky’s, and enjoyed a meal of prime rib. We ordered the smaller cuts as we were not starved. Deborah still took half of her home. Mine was smaller, and I managed it. Dinner was great.

We returned to Deborah’s house and watched another Matlock episode (we are just past 1/2 way). Deborah would visit the hotel for breakfast in the morning, and we said our goodbyes.

I reached the hotel without issue and soon read and fell asleep, but I would waken twice to prove hydration.

Thanks for reading.

I rose at 6:30 EDT (yes, that is 3:30 in Portland time), and this time, it was a bit harder, but I was soon writing and talking to Deborah as we started to form a plan for the day. Saturday had no events, and it felt good to just let it happen. I made coffee in the Keurig machine and started on the blog. I showered, shaved, etc., and soon was in the lobby and ate Thomas’s breakfast, the hotel staffer who does breakfast on Saturday, and thanked him. He said he loves to cook and make this happen. I finished the blog in the lobby and posted it.

Next, I got in Air Hyundai Red and found my way to Deborah’s place in just a few minutes. She was ready, and soon we took the car (a red Sonata) to Detroit. We thought it would be fun to try the Eastern Market today. It was a bright, sunny morning with a cold wind blowing off the lakes. It was Saturday traffic; there were only a few challenging moments when a huge pickup truck would not make room for my hot red Hyundai, an eye-roll moment.

We found parking and walked to the market, discovering that our coats were missed when the wind hit us. But soon, we were inside, and if we walked in the sun, it was comfortable. The market was still starting up, and there were empty spots as farms and other sellers’ products were not ready. It still was terrific and recommended.

We found a Taco place, Jose’s, with deep-fried flour shells for their tacos. Wonderful. Two each was a perfect lighter lunch. We were not hungry for hours. Excellent.

We could not resist the dried mushrooms, some cheese and chocolate, and other goodies from DeVries, Germack, the local nut vendor, who supplied us with various treats. Deborah purchased a large planter stuffed full of growing lettuce. We loaded all of our items in the cargo hold of Air Hyundai Red, left Detroit, and unloaded most at Deborah’s house, with me retaining a few treat items.

We let the dogs out, and they got some food. We spent the afternoon together, finishing our day with dinner at D’Marcos in Rochester. I had spotted the place during the last visit, and Deborah had not been to the next place in this space. She was happy to see how updated the place was. We dropped in with no reservation, expecting to eat at the bar, but a reservation was a no-show, and we got a table for two in the window. Perfect.

Grace was our waiter, and she handled everything, even forgetting wine for my dinner (and then making it up by not charging us), with aplomb. We asked for her thoughts on items, and she was clear about which ones were good. She told us she had worked there for two years and had tasted everything on the menu. Excellent service!

Grace also told us that the staff was short and thus service was crazy. Deborah, when using the Women’s room, found some of the wait staff crying. A new staffer was troubled by the chaos and was trying to get her focus back and fix her makeup. Deborah gave her some encouraging words. Still, with the turmoil and Grace handling what looked like an endless line of tables, our meal was superb.

Deborah had the short ribs, and I had the meatballs and pasta. The pasta was freshly made (likely to order) and just cooked enough to be done. The sauces were not overly spiced or overwhelming. Recommended (even with chaos), but not inexpensive (but still not Long Beach prices).

We returned to Deborah’s place, and the dogs, Trixie and Zelda, were happy to be petted and made happy with food and trips outside. We stayed on the couch and watched “Matlock” (the new one) more. We were on the set last month on a Paramount Studios Tour and still recognized parts we walked through and some painted backdrops. The show is also recommended.

With it being near 11, I took the red car back to the hotel and soon was in bed reading. This time, only painkillers. I was tired and soon put away my Canada-based murder/crime book and fell asleep. I woke at 5:30 to prove hydration and then ignored my 6:30 alarm. I rose after that.

Thanks for reading!

Deborah dropped me off at my hotel around 10PM. We had been cooking (with some waiting for the beef) for hours in a kitchen at Detroit’s Eastern Market. The market was closed, but Chef Evelyn, who was in a commercial kitchen, was waiting for us. From 6 onwards, we spent time cooking and helping. Bœuf Bourguignon requires a few hours to finish. We would wait an hour for that to get near perfect. I helped with some dishes and got to try it twenty minutes out; it was still a bit fresh, and the meat was just pulling apart. Another twenty minutes and it was perfect. We skipped the pearl onions (which were not missed). This is Chef Evelyn’s reworking of a Julia Child’s recipe. She dropped the pearl onions, bringing the mix to a boil on the stove before baking, and instead put the carrots and mushrooms in after the first hour of baking to keep them fresh. It was excellent.

I tried to carry the Bœuf Bourguignon to the oven. It was so full that I spilled some of the hot liquid. We had to clean up the floor. Chef Evelyn explained that it was not a severe loss (I did change pants today; I did not want to smell like French food all day).

Back at the hotel, I found my room, 233, and soon was in my PJs. I read some more Canadian Crime/detective novels and soon fell asleep. I am using painkillers and some Benadryl to help me sleep. This makes the time change easier for me. The book and the pills help. I did rise later as I was very warm and then woke cold in the morning.

Previously, Deborah had found the classes at Evelyn’s Midtown Kitchen online, and we agreed it would be an excellent birthday present for me and something fun to do together. I looked forward to tonight.

Back to the cooking: Musrhoom Vol-au-Vent was a side for the main. Deborah used a microplane on garlic. It’s mushrooms with onions cooked in a cream sauce and served over puff pastry bowls. It was terrific; chef Evelyn added fresh thyme and some nutmeg to the sauce, adding to the flavor.

We did cut little bowls out of puff pastry for this. Deborah did some rolling and then used an interesting cutting ring set (I have to get one of those!) to make a bottom and an outer ring for the bowl by cutting another circle in the same size again with another small cutter. We would then take the middle and add that to our baking. They made terrific pastry bites. I did the brushing with egg wash.

Other than the chef, none of us handled the knife well. We had some lessons, which helped a bit. There were at least no cuts, bleeding, or worse, poorly cut veggies. I will have to get better at that. The knives were wickedly sharp.

Deborah and I got to play with the mixer and make Crème Chantilly. Another couple was with us, and they cooked the meat and cut up berries to go with the whipped cream we made (Grammarly put the zest in the whipped cream, I wrote that it was in the berries). The lemon zest really added to the flavor and cream. Some of us thought it was the best item. I would nominate the beef as best, but the other items were all good. The salad with the dressing made from some mustard that Chef Evelyn brought from Paris was fresh and good.

It was fun and worth the wait for dinner to let the beef finish. The company, Chef Evelyn, and the food were all great: Recommended EMK.

Returning to the start of our day together, Deborah picked me up in her mini for lunch. It was Friday, a work day, and she had spent the morning doing other things, like taking the dogs out, checking work-related emails, and doing other work tasks. We headed to Dogwood’s, just inside Pontiac, Michigan, and had a good lunch. Deborah had a California wrap while I had the steak and salad.

We spent the afternoon together. I needed to move a bit to shake off the time change and the impact of the Benadryl. It can leave you fuzzy-headed. We did the river walk in Rochester Hills downtown. The walk helped.

(I learned later that Rochester Hills is the nearby area and we were in Rochester. )

For dinner, we picked up three bottles of wine, deciding to pick a theme and buy all Michigan wines. One bottle, a Malbec, was from Argentina but was bottled here in Michigan. We drank the white wine while cooking and at the meal’s start. I tried the Malbec, which was good with food but not so good alone, while Deborah stuck with the white. We never got to the sparkling wine.

Deborah popped home to let the dogs out and feed them and then we headed to Eastern Market. We arrived and I walked around building 5 until I found the kitchen and met Chef Evelyn. We moved the mini to be insight of the kitchen and then started in learning from the chef.

That is the full circle.

Thanks for reading!