Why, Yes, I Did Drop of the Face of the Earth...

(This is a long blog.  Long blog, honey...)

So, yeah, I totally need to get better about blogging regularly.  Like I used to.

It's been three weeks(!) since last time I blogged.  How on earth did that happen?

August has been magnificently busy.

Two weeks ago, I trekked up to Saugatuck for a Chicago Chamber Choir retreat.  I'm really glad that our next season is starting.  Having weekly rehearsals really helps to center me, and I feel a lot better having it than I do when I don't.  I'm also easier to get along with, which should make Jerry happy.

Speaking of Chamber Choir, I correctly guessed who most of our newbies are, I think.  When I see them all on Thursday, I can confirm that I remembered their names or faces.  There might be a mild surprise or two, but I don't think I'll be utterly shocked by any of them.

Last weekend, however, was the Big August Event.  Jerry and I went to the Michigan Fiber Festival.  It was quite interesting, to say the least.

It was held at the Allegan County Fairgrounds, and you know what?  I had forgotten what it's like to be surrounded by rural people.  We pull up, I look around, and say, with a little fear in my voice, "This is where I'm going to die."  However, once we got the tent set up, and started looking around, I started getting into it more, and then the sun came out, and the day improved.  We quietly mocked the folk singers by making frequent references to A Mighty Wind, and that kind of snarkiness can get me through just about anything.   It was fun to see the alpacas and the sheep and the angora rabbits.  For the record, angora rabbits are FREAKY looking.  I didn't realize how...unnatural longhair bunnies could look.

We went to the "fashion show," which had plenty of mockability, although there were some really impressive patterns created by people who have entirely too much time on their hands.  Also, Jerry and I noticed that we were the only thin people at the entire festival.  Since I've gained about ten pounds this month (I'm going to the gym this evening; it won't be pretty), that's saying something.

I also learned that Jerry had never spent the night in a tent before.

There he is, on the air mattress, with the stuffed alpaca I bought him.  Unfortunately, my batteries went dead after this picture, so I don't have any other photos from the fiber festival.  (We bought batteries before the end of this blog.)

Next morning, we got up, struck down the campsite, and walked around a little bit before heading out.  We left early enough to do two more things.  The first was to go to Michigan City.

Michigan City, Indiana, is apparently known for its outlet mall.  At least, both Jerry and I have heard lots of things about the outlet mall there, though neither of us had ever been.  Now, I will grant that it was a pretty good outlet mall.  120 stores is pretty good.  However, there were two problems.

One, I firmly believe that outlet malls have a commercial obligation to be within one mile of an Interstate Highway.  We drove for miles and miles after we got off the interstate trying to find this place.

This was the second problem.  Actually, I don't suppose it's so much a problem as it as something that no one ever bothered to mention to us.

I have never been that close to a nuclear cooling tower before.  This was also unexpected:

Ah, Indiana's industrial corridor.

After this, we went to Indiana Dunes National Seashore.  This was kind of fun.  I actually managed to get a very slight amount of color on my scrawny little chicken arms and on my neck.  And it was fun playing in the waves and challenging the surprisingly strong undertow.  Jerry got a light sunburn that turned into a tan the next day.  Bastard.

*whew*

This past week, my friend Michael from college came through town.  I haven't seen him in about four years, so his visit was a good one.  He's spent most of the summer just travelling across the country (lucky bastard - I so want that kind of trip) before starting seminary.  I was on his way back to California.  Michael and Jerry hit it off almost too well.  But then, they were able to talk in Episcopal to each other, and they're both pretty dorky.

Dang.  The good news is that things are going to start to go back to normal for me, now that summer and its madness are drawing to a close.  There are a couple things this week, but they should be mostly low-key.  And after Labor Day, normalcy shall return.

Will this mean that I'll start blogging regularly again?  I hope so.