Vacation

For the Fourth, I spent spent a long weekend in Milwaukee. I was doing a dual-visit, meeting up with a couple of old friends (Jennifer and her husband Mike) and visiting some family (my aunt, uncle, and cousins) who live there. I was also there to experience Summerfest, a massive annual music festival beloved by Milwaukee natives. At Summerfest, I heard a couple of great bands I'd never heard of, and I heard a few terrible bands whose names I made a point of forgetting! I also got to see Devo (they were wacky--what's the deal with Booji Boy?!) and Modest Mouse (an old favorite from my college days) in concert; they were both excellent! But the best part of the weekend was definitely seeing people I don't usually get to spend time with.

I also enjoyed being away from home and work and my everyday life. I have a theory that vacations are rarely about the experience of seeing someplace new; usually, they're about home. They're about taking a break from the places and people you see every day so that you realize how much you miss the familiar faces, the familiar landscapes, the familiar rooms you usually live with. I usually take vacations less to broaden my horizons and more to re-familiarize myself with the horizon I live under everyday.

Wisconsin was a beautiful place, full of lush vegetation and long, rolling hills and gorgeous, glimmering lakes. But one of my favorite views from vacation was driving down Mass Street toward my apartment on Monday night!