East Lansing, MI

You know, there are just those cities you go to that there's really not that much to say.

East Lansing.

The name pretty much says it all.

The discovery for the week was Woody's Oasis. Because really, when you think Mediterranean, you think East Lansing. And when in East Lansing, where else does one go for a "falafurger" at 11:30 at night? Angie and I also sampled some local brews there. Not surprisingly, Michigan has some good local beer. And Woody's offers buckets of six at a time, and you pick from a list of bottled local varieties to be kept on ice until you get around to them with your meal.

Our hotel, the Candlewood Suites, was not particularly promising at first, to say the least. We moved in, only to find ourselves in a small studio "suite" directly - and I mean DIRECTLY - below the tile-covered lobby floor. Every high-heeled shoe, every wobbly-wheeled rolling suitcase, every sliding back or forth of the refrigerator door in the "Candlewood Cupboard," keeping Lean Cuisines & Hot Pockets cool for the next customer - we heard it all. And Tag, who at this point, after a day-long drive in a car with two strangers and then unloading in the cold, dark, Michigan night, was wondering just what the hell he'd gotten himself into.

However, the next morning, Candlewood generously made amends by not only moving us but placing us, at no additional charge, in a one-bedroom suite at the end of the hall. This suited everyone MUCH better, especially Tag, who now had two rooms to run back & forth from. Or, if not run, at least to stretch his legs between.

What else to say, really? The theater, oddly enough, was under construction - or renovation - WHILE we were still performing, which led to some difficulties: concrete dust everywhere, the need to have the 'airborne particulate' count counted, and all sorts of difficulties on the part of the crew during their load-in & load-out.

There was an evening viewing of "The Big Lebowski," white russians included, that helped to pass one cold winter night. And Tag enjoyed the golf course next to the hotel which was on winter hibernation, resulting in the absolute PERFECT terrain for fetch ever dreamed by man or beast. You can see the video here, on the Dog-Swap Blog.

Other than than...I got nuthin'. You know, it was East Lansing. I mean.... East Lansing.... I mean..... oh.... man, it was a week that just came & went... Sometimes a week's just seven days...