Obsessive Michigan State Fan Visit and Dinner with Friedman's

I write this back on the trip, in the R.V. at an R.V. Resort in Albany, GA. We will make to Tallahassee. Yesterday and the day before we went through some audacious adventures, of which you will hear about later in other blogs. For now, let me tell you of January 2nd, before we went on the trip, where we went to Brenda's house and watched the Michigan State vs. UGA game. That was interesting. We would then have that day a dinner with The Friedmans, which would be pretty fun. It was to be a good day. But a dark cloud overshadowed it. From two different peers (not naming names) I had seen a change in behavior. Oh well. Anyway, they had given me lists of "what you can and cannot do" saying watching educational T.V. shows and being smart is a part of the cannot. Which isn't true. They gave people ratings, including me, and I realized that that was a shallow representation of 6th graders. That that is all that matters. As we were at Brenda's, and while at the Friedman's, I saw a difference in two good friends. As we got chicken nuggets, Alyssa and I pondered over this change by way of text. What happened to them? Middle School? And then my Mom said a very smart thing: On the scale of those people were using, she would want me to be a one, and that you can be popular with the people you like. Also, that if you be yourself and stick with your friends, you'll be fine. And I couldn't of said it better myself.

So as we woke up and did our things, blogging, reading, getting ready, cleaning, I thought about this as I answered texts after typing words on the computer, picking it up and pressing send. I shared openly these things with my mom, and she gave me ample good advice. We then got ready to leave to Brenda's house, and so drove together with a few different appetizers in the silver suburban. We got to her neighborhood, and turned left to her house. It's a little one by many others. Modern and simple. We knocked on the door, and she came out with her Michigan State Green Jersey on. I wished instantly that I had brought something of a UGA premise, a hat, or shirt or something. She said we should get ready to lose. She has black hair and is pretty tall. Right around Mom's age. We walked in, and saw her office on the left with desk, splattered with pictures and paintings, some of France and some of her, a lot of papers, cabinets, stuff. On right was a table set with lamps and statues. Then a white bathroom (left), a laundry room (right), the door to the garage (right, by the laundry), stairs to the upper part of the house on the right, and a kitchen area with counters on the left adjoining to a dining room and a table on the right by the back deck. This is where our appetizers and Dad would sit. The kitchen had granite and books in one part by a stove which hadn't been read yet. A little farther away to the left was a couch, and chair by fire, also a chair right by the T.V., where I sat. Brenda and Rebecca on the couch, Mom by the fireplace on the same side as me. The huge T.V. was on, as the game started.

I admit I didn't really watch much of it, but became attentive when we scored a touchdown and Brenda kept saying it was early in the game. I listened a little to the annoying announcers as Brenda hooted and yelled when Michigan State scored a point. She went to school there for college, and even though she lives in GA she will vote for Michigan State if UGA and them face off, naturally. She's very obsessive about games, and competitive in games. While Dad ate the appetizers and did some things on his iPad, Mom and Brenda talked about how Mom would love a thing where you stand on glass over the Grand Canyon, Mom not wanting to go. Rebecca showed Brenda pictures of massive dogs, great Danes and a mastiff. Not to mention an Irish wolf hound. They are very big animals. I discovered her office a little, and looked at a map of the world. At the bottom it said something like Brenda McIntosh's Travels in the World. All around were pins of where she had been. Most of America, the east and west coast had a lot of pins. The farming states were not even touched. Well, she had a few pins in Japan and India, I believe some in Australia, and some in Europe. South America was not visited, especially Cuba. It was cool she had a map of places she's been. And she's been a lot of places. She said she absolutely loved Paris.

She had pictures of the Eiffel Tower, one of the process of making it, one in the first stage, another in the next, a third in the second stage, and a fourth when it was finished. It was cool to see the old picture of all the people and machines building it, and the dates were interesting. Apart from talking a little and seeing her office, I read the biography of Benjamin Franklin, and watched a BrainPop movie about Frankenstein, because that day was National Science Fiction Day. Frankenstein is credited not as a horror, but as the first science fiction. It told about how it was in a series of letters by a captain in the Arctic, how he meets Dr. Frankenstein and Frank tells him the story of his life, how he created a monster and it killed off his family because he made it mad. It was interesting, because I didn't know of this. I showed it to Brenda, and she was just as interested and surprised. I love the BrainPop movies.

As the second quarter ended with GA in the lead, we had to leave to get ready for the dinner with The Friedmans, so we would have a lot of time before to get ready. We bade her farewell and took our stuff and left, getting in the car. I made up for lost time by telling her more about Benjamin Franklin, as in the house she wanted to watch the game and talk to Brenda. I told her about how he was a printer and stuff like that, how he went to England and was disappointed because a guy promised money and didn't deliver.

We went home, and were told to clean up our rooms and then after that clean up the basement. I didn't really want to, but I put some stuff in my closet and picked up my clothes, then closing it and turning the light off. Rebecca did her room rather fast, and generously helped me out, making the bed with me. We put the blankets and sheets and pillows all on. Thanks Rebecca. We went downstairs and did a little of the basement, almost finishing my part. Rebecca told me if I wanted to I could leave, and then I said I still had some stuff I needed to finish. When that was finished I got ready to go, but now she didn't want me to go. MAKE UP YOUR MIND! Mom called us for lunch, or rather, we called her for lunch. We then ate lunch, as we hadn't had much at Brenda's. After eating in the office Rebecca went upstairs in her room with the dogs, saying she was waiting for her food to digest before cleaning the basement. Which probably was to get out of work for a while. Oh well. Rebecca's will be Rebecca. As I helped out Mom a little with cleaning Lauren arrived. I showed her where Rebecca was. We talked in there and made a plan to go to Barnes and Noble on Thursday, to buy books using the gift card she got me for Christmas. We also watched videos on YouTube and other things, talking. Made dates on our phones. Watched YouTube on phone, and saw parodies of Rebecca Black. You can make parodies of her very easily.

We went downstairs as we HAD to clean it sometime, and I put all my toys in the engine generator spot under the stairs, which also has metal shelves and other things. I put away board games, made blankets go back, and we all made everything good. I continued to text and speak out against the determined things you have to do to be popular, pointing out that that's not good to judge and tell people what to be, and I admit I became pretty fiery in that conversation. I later a few days later learned that it was only the one person on the other person's phone, that they manipulated the one who didn't type it and made it appear as if she did. That's bad. I only found that out later though. Way later. But now I was crazed that that was the person I had been a friend to. As Dad and I went to the grocery store and got some stuff, we also went to Chick Filet and got yet another chicken nugget thing. We had gotten the first on the day we had the Bourne's over. I waited in the car again. I listened to the radio a little, the faint voices, and looked at the cars passing and the sunset going down. It was warm and easy to fall asleep in. I texted Alyssa and decided not to align ourselves or become one of those popular snobs, to stick with our real friends and not make them change us. If we did not, we would be eaten by alligators. Further more, we sweared on the nest of chocolate peanuts. And it's very serious when you swear on that. There's no breaking it. Lest you be eaten by an alligator.

Dad came back out, and this time I didn't have to have the nuggets on my legs, and escaped the hotness of it. Mom called us as we drove back, wondering where we were. The Friedmans were about to come. But I thought she said they were already there, and asked if they were annoyed we weren't there. I was comforted to know they had not arrived yet. We drove home, and I quickly didn't say hello to anyone as I put on nice jeans and a good shirt, different from my regular shorts and white t-shirt. I then went downstairs and kind of chilled with Lauren, her saying she didn't want to be here when the Friedman's came. Then she left. We looked outside for the car, over the sink out the window and on the front porch. Then I saw a green car drive in. "THEY'RE HERE!" I yelled as I ran out the back porch. They got out of their car and I said hello, Happy New Year, thanks for coming, stuff like that. Henry said hi to me as I led them all in. Hugs and shook hands happened. Charlie and Henry came upstairs with Rebecca and I. I wanted to share to him about the whole snob and popular situation, but Rebecca and Charlie were tagging along, little parasites. We were allowed a good twenty minutes as we talked on the play side of the basement, getting up every few minutes when we heard breathing or sounds on the stairs. Then we would run out and either see they were there, or shut the door, and become reduced to a small whisper. We talked about it pretty much.

We went back upstairs and had an argument about the difference between Steven Spielberg (my favorite director) and Tim Burton (Henry's), about which one was better and if you knew something was a 'Spielberg' or if something was a 'Burton'. He said how Burton's movies were art and how Spielberg's were just regular movies. I made the argument that some of the most famous and household movies were made by S.S. (what I will from here on out call Steven Spielberg). We showed each other magazines, and videos on YouTube making different points. We came to a standstill. Neither side would budge. We both just abandoned the subject. We later left the littler kids in the basement, while we talked in the den about presents and stuff like that. Also what he wanted for his birthday and what we would do. I was going to his birthday party two days from then. Henry got hungry as we went downstairs and got some chicken nuggets, but nothing else. We ate it in the den. We went in the basement, and with Rebecca and Charlie we played wii and talked on the exercise balls, talking and such. Rebecca showed Charlie and Henry her barbies and dolls, making braids. Oh well.

I went upstairs to check on the adults, see what they were doing. I walked up as I heard laughter and talking. Dad had asked Mr. Friedman to make him a CD of good songs for the road. I was asked to get my guitar, and got it from upstairs in the hallway where I usually keep it. I got it out of the hard case which had a lot of stickers from different places on it, and Mr. Friedman tuned it by ear. He showed me some cords as I sung the song "I'm a Believer". It was fun to learn the lyrics and cords that go with them, and I got out of my shell after I got comfortable with singing in front of some quirky adults. Off of the Wowee speaker Mr. Friedman then did some songs, one called "West Virgina" I really liked and even "Hit the Road Jack". I sang along with Mrs. Friedman as we clapped and stomped. I felt kind of cheesy and weird, but, you know, it wasn't too bad. Eventually I wanted to be back to my peers and friends, so I took up my guitar and left. It was fun though. Singing and stuff. Back downstairs I came with a cheesecake, and a chocolate truffle. I admit I didn't have much of a dinner, I just didn't really have a big appetite. I sat at the high table by the door as we all agreed to watch "Mr. Popper's Penguins" the movie I got from Debbie and Bill starring Jim Carrey.

Charlie was playing throughout the movie as Rebecca sat by the T.V., Henry at one place by the table at one point and I on the couch after I finished my dessert. It was a good movie. Kind of predictable, a little far fetched, but it was interesting and fun, about a salesman who is trying to get a deal and he gets closer to his kids by these penguins coming along from his dad in Antarctica. Henry didn't like it much, and I wasn't a total fan, but it was an alright movie.

As we finished it we found out it was 12, yet again, and so we said goodbye to the Friedman's as they got up and left. I would see them again though, at Henry's party. They would return, at least one more time.

Goodbye for now.

Dogs moving about in crate, Dad snoring in sleep, kid typing on keys, the life of an evening in an R.V.,

Andrew.

(P.S. I wrote this all day, and by the time Mom edits it it will be tomorrow. Just saying that I STARTED it in Albany, and that the time it was posted it not the real time it was written.)