…And when you’re back on the East Coast, where everything is relatively close by, why not take a random drive to Burlington, Vermont? I mean, it’s Sunday! I spent my freshman year of college at the University of Vermont; my cousin, her husband, and their two babies live right by Lake Champlain. What else was I going to do today, sit around my mother’s house in rainy New Jersey? Oh no no, I don’t think so. I wanted to be where the action was — and let me tell you, in the company of two children under the age of two is exactly the kind of hotbed of activity I figured I needed to explore after several days of excessive partying and grave bodily damage.
Sirius radio? Check. Diet Pepsi? Check. I’m not sure if it’s scary or not that I remember the directions from my old house to my old dorm by heart, and that I don’t remember the people’s faces the second they leave my sight. Today’s trek began at about 9:30am, and arrival at the Magic Hat Brewery was at 2:00pm. It was long enough to listen to two or three different episodes of the Howard Stern show. Colin Quin? Bad guest. Seth MacFarlane? Better guest. Non-celebrity interviews? Hilarious.
Greetings, cousin Ramzy! Let’s go inside and get some free samples, shall we? Hi.P.A., Belgian Blonde Summer Ale, Wacko (which is made from real beet extract, pouring pink in color!), and Poppy Agave Pilsner. We picked up a growler of the Summer Ale to bring back to his house, and soon after departed.
When we entered their home, cousin Becky and two-month-old Amina were playing on the couch while big brother Hisham napped. When he awoke, he was very shy. This, of course, after months of hearing stories about how he thinks cousin Evan is the coolest and wanted so badly for me to come and visit him and “baby sistah”. He eventually warmed up to me, sang me some songs, and we strummed our guitars together. I made the mistake of asking who his favorite “artist” was (instead of musician) and he responded, “Jackson Pollack.” He then said he also likes “Andy Warhol” because of the colors. His favorite musicians include Jack Johnson (I guess because he did the soundtrack to a kid’s movie?) and G. Love. Not bad for a two year old, but maybe I can turn him onto Throbbing Gristle and Nurse With Wound years before he’s exposed to really bad music by his peers. He picked up his one tiny drum and banged around on it while he sang and listened to more music. Hisham asked to wear his sunglasses at all times because cousin Evan was wearing glasses. He didn’t comprehend why he couldn’t see out of his and I could see out of mine (answer: Sunglasses at night impair vision). Baby Amina was super-well behaved, and has just entered the baby stage where she is looking around her at all times and taking in everything. It was very weird to watch her eyes darting around the room with a constant, “What the fuck!?” expression on her chubby little face. After finishing off the growler of beer, we decided on Thai food for dinner.
Hisham demanded that I push the stroller wherever we went, which made me feel like a total fag. Oh well. What was I going to say, “No?” Bangkok Bistro (144 Church Street) provided the backdrop for a big family dinner. The pad thai was good, the duck was cooked very well, the appetizers were yum, and I even tried two pieces of sushi with raw fish and roe on top. I don’t know how I coaxed it down my gullet without vomiting, but somehow I managed, and I feel like a bigger man for having survived the meal. Now I just hope I don’t wake up in the middle of the night with food poisoning. I hate raw foods. Dessert was, of course, Ben & Jerry’s. What’s the use in coming to Burlington if you’re not going to eat the most famous of their culinary exports?
Back at the house, Hisham showed me Old MacDonald and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on YouTube (he recommended clicking on YouTube to find them). Then I read him a bedtime story, Each Peach Pear Plum. Stayed up watching TV while Becky waited out the tiring baby girl. Now in hotel suite with a front room office and rear bedroom. Fancy fancy! Jurassic Park is on the television and I’ve just ingested some pills to help me sleep easier tonight. Jetlag is such a bitch. I had no idea my sleep schedule would be so fucked up this time home. Oh well, I’m gonna sit here in my “office” a little while until I start to feel the effects.
Tomorrow will be another hectic day of travel.
Rolling Stones – We Love You
Strawberry Alarm Clock – Birds In My Tree
The Tremeloes – Suddenly Winter
The Smoke – Gold Is The Colour Of Thought
