I'm Back! (literally and figuratively)

Hello, readers. As you can surmise from the title, I'm back! "Back" referring to both back from Michigan - I flew home for the weekend to visit friends and family - and back online, thanks to Eric Crowley, who should be nominated for sainthood after dealing with the spyware-laden mess that was my computer (if not sainthood, he should at least be knighted - my machine was a disaster).

Going back to Michigan always makes it a little harder to return to Connecticut. Although I am finally starting to find some good friends here and have established several favorite places to hang out, I still miss my friends at home terribly - namely Becky. Luckily I was able to get my Becky fix satisfied by seeing her all three days I was home. We were more or less inseparable from the time she picked me up at Metro until we ate lunch with my parents at the Sidetrack.

We kicked off the weekend with a trip to Boogie Fever in Ferndale. While some might call Boogie Fever a "night club", those of us who have been there know that it is really a "disco". Seriously - it has a light-up dance floor and everything. Don't go to Boogie Fever expecting to booty-dance to the newest hip hop songs. The music and the crowd are reminiscent of a giant wedding reception - in other words, cheesy.



Why do we go there, you ask? Because my friends and I are the type of people who point when we dance. We know the words to the Grease Mega-Mix and I Will Survive. We think ABBA is a good band. This type of music bodes well for those of us lacking rhythm.

(Not to mention the fact that most of us are married, engaged, or have been seriously involved with the same person for several years...in other words, not really looking to hook up or make out with random guys.)

Perhaps the greatest part of this particular Boogie Fever extravaganza was the other Amy. Being married with three children, she doesn't get to go out very often. Not only did she come to Boogie Fever with us, she drove three of us there in her mini van. When we got back in the mini van for the hour-long drive home, she had platters of cookies, Rice Krispie treats, and bagels with cream cheese awaiting us. Forget the limo - THIS was riding in style.

Obviously, it was hard for the rest of the weekend to live up to such a great start, but it was fun in its own right. Saturday was taken up mostly by a haircut with Dwight (yes, I still fly home to get my hair cut and you would too if Dwight were your stylist) and then dinner at La Shish with Sophie and Anthony. Unfortunately, I did not get to see baby Cornish, as I had come down with a fairly severe cold right before my trip. But I did get to satisfy my long-standing curiosity over whether or not Sophie named the baby after her family's old cat (she didn't, in case you were wondering as well.)

Sunday was rather packed as well. In keeping with the theme of gluttony that I seem to stick to every time I go home, I started the day with a great breakfast of dad's homemade French toast and thick-cut bacon from Picnic Basket (or was it Dearborn Sausage Company? So much good meat in Michigan I can't keep track of it all...) Then it was off to Jen's birthday brunch at the Sheraton.



(Just to clarify, I did NOT eat breakfast AND brunch. I eat a lot when I go home, but not that much! And I did manage to squeeze in a three-mile run in between.)

Of course, no trip home would be complete without a trip to my favorite bar/restaurant ever, the Sidetrack. I like to go to Sidetrack en route to the airport so that I am still full and don't spend ridiculous amounts of money on airport food (unfortunately there is no remedy for spending ridiculous amounts of money on airport magazines and beverages).

Not only does Sidetrack still have the best burger in the world, but - just to make my weekend a little more perfect - Oberon has arrived for the season! For those of you who are unfamiliar, Oberon is the signature beer of the Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan. If you've ever had Blue Moon, it is similar to that - but better. Plus it's seasonal, so you can only get it in the summer. Luckily for me, summer starts early at the Sidetrack and I got to enjoy a pint of my favorite beer in the world before coming back to CT, where sadly it is unavailable (nor does Bell's ship beer to consumers).

So that was pretty much my entire weekend in a nutshell. Normally I try to stay away from these diary-like lists of activities, but I have so much fun whenever I go back to Michigan that I just can't help it. But the main focus of this blog is adjusting to life in Connecticut - and now that my computer has adjusted from it's numerous viruses, we can get back to that focus.

Check back tomorrow for another new post!