Day 25: Chasing Something Else

We arrived back around 4 a.m., which didn't leave much time for sleep. That's OK. I can't remember the last time I crawled through spaces smaller than a slide at a Mcdonald's playland. I woke up at 9:30 and went back to studying at my beloved Portage Lake District Library. I've now come accustomed to sleeping in different spots; my body has now slept in 12 different places over the last 25 days. (25 days. Wow. So so long ago.)

After studying, Andy took me over to the Mineral Museum, we figured it could put into perspective last night's exhibition. As we walked through the classroom, I kept feeling bad for not knowing so much about my state. How could I be just 10 days shy of turning 28 and know so little about a place that made Michigan so famous. We went back to his house and I talked with his parents about the past. His mom gave me reading materials and his father spouted out past stories as I had my first real pasty. I was told about the Torch Lake Tycoon, their late great-grandfather, and the Italian Hall Disaster. Meanwhile, I was able to sit on a couch and do about 30 problems for the MBE. Having a couch is nice. We often read the news about the cruelty occurring in our world, but when you stop and talk to people like the Sarazins you forget all of that.

Tonight's agenda included Andy's 10-year class reunion. It began at the Keweenaw Brewing company. Go figure, I thought another brewpub to be had. As I talked to his former classmates, I remembered how 6 weeks ago marked 10 years since my own high school graduation. Ten years had past by since I left home. I've since been to nearly 30 countries, seen nearly 35 states, and moved to nearly 20 places, all of which my mother would called "shitholes" before asking me when I was going to get a "real apartment she could visit and drop off all my shit in her basement." His friends talked about their 5-year class reunion and recalled that I had missed mine. Instead of reuniting with friends I was chasing a girl in Ecuador. I thought then when is this gonna happen again? That question hasn't changed much. And tomorrow I'd be chasing something else, this time it would be backpacking in the Porkies.