“Lansing sucks.” I have heard that for years about the Lansing area and I believed it. People would talk about how there is nothing to do. I began to realize that I just was not looking in the right places. Within the last few years there has been a surge of various forms of entertainment. I know, I know, we are a long way from being a great Mecca such as Los Angeles, New York City or Atlanta but I am one that definitely appreciates what Lansing has to offer for little cost. The beauty of being in a small city with big city attributes is cheaper cost of living, ease of travel, convenience and opportunity.

Neighbors

House

Poetry

I can feel it coming. I can smell it coming. The scent is so strong that I can taste it. You know that damp, musty, Michigan basement smell that has a lingering effect on your nostrils? It is also similar to that smell that happens when you do not take care of your camping gear right away. When you come back to your tent and sleeping bag a week later to air it out and you smell that wet outdoorsy smell. I know it is coming because I can see it in people’s attitudes.

Her

I do not like snow. I especially do not care for cold weather. Once I get cold I do not warm up until spring. The coldest activity I have consented to is cold sitting with a shotgun on my lap, otherwise known as deer hunting. At least while I am doing that I am in a hunting blind with a heater.

I do not like the holidays. I do not like the fact that I do not like the holiday season. I have tried very hard not to be a Scrooge. When my mother died ten years ago everything I knew changed. I was nowhere near ready for the changes that would happen. No more Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners at my parent's house. My sister has since moved to Portland, OR. My father has since become a vegan-like raw food health food militant, except for special occasions like funerals and weddings then the man eats regular food like his life depended on it. It is hilarious watching this five foot seven ultra skinny man chow down on some “real” food. The stories he has about the aftermath to his body are stupendously amazingly intense. I will spare you the dirty details.

How many different ways is loved defined? It would seem that love is indefinable. Unfortunately I did not listen to my mother so I did not learn Latin. I am picking up a little as life goes on. I would like to bring your attention to the Latin word Eros which is partly defined as sexual yearning, love, or desire. One of my favorite things about this Eros type of love is seduction.

I am a waiter. It is not really by choice that I have this job. It is a necessity for me so I can make my car payment and other bills that are not covered by my moderately paying day job. It is a pretty good day job for not having a college degree. I am lucky. I live alone with a mortgage, car payment, insurance, and maintenance of everything that I own. I do not have any credit card debt and I do not want to begin to have any now, especially to pay things like utilities. I am not crying the blues, and I do not want you to feel sorry for me. For the most part I do not mind being a waiter.

There are so many types of relationships. I thought about trying to list examples. However the variety seemed almost infinite. Of course I could categorize them simply by saying there are family, friends, romantic, and professional relationships. When I look at the words it seems pretty black and white but when I think about how many different ways they can overlap it seems almost daunting to sort it all out. I did not even mention those relations that are developed through the World Wide Web. Technology sure has changed things extraordinarily hasn't it? I am beginning to wonder if that is for our benefit.

It feels good when someone shows appreciation for something that you have done. A simple gesture of gratitude can promptly put a positive spin on an otherwise mediocre day. I have always felt that positive reinforcement goes a lot further than any negative feedback. I do understand sometimes someone might have to just break it down to brass tacks. That may be necessary but uncomfortable, however if done skillfully it can still be a favorable transaction. I believe that you would agree that being positive is good. Am I wrong?  

When I was eight I remember my mother walking into the kitchen where I was sitting and announcing, “This is my week to be mean.” Nothing else. I was utterly confused. I understood the parent child relationship that every week, no everyday, had the potential of mom being mean. What made this week any different than any other? Being at that age I did not get the connection when she made that announcement about once a month. I would just politely get up from where I was hearing that announcement and send myself to my room. If mom was going to be mean I was not going to be the one to bring her there.

Life is a drag isn't it, getting up every morning to go to work? Or for your second and third shifters you have the added pressure of your schedule being not quite like everyone else’s in your world. You probably work at a job that you don’t mind but it’s not really a dream job is it? On top of that if you have kids you have the added pressure of dealing with that 25/8. You love them but you had no idea it was going to be so taxing some times.

There was a point in time in your life that you had an impossible dream. Only at the time nothing seemed impossible. Your dream was pure. In your mind there was not anything that could deter you from reaching your dream. You had unbridled enthusiasm. You spoke about your dream with pride and confidence. If anyone were to ask you what was in your future you were able to answer without hesitation a profound statement that spoke on your ultimate goal in life.