Adventures from Home: Leon’s!

The smooth, creamy deliciousness slowly emerged from the spout, making a long tube of glistening delight.  Sliding down the tilted metal pans and into the open freezers waiting below, the fresh custard filled the stainless steel containers.  The young man in his white paper hat reached his scoop into the tubs, piling the frozen custard high on top of cones for the waiting customers.

Melaxid and I stood near the window, watching the frozen trails and the scoop man, reminiscing about our college days, sharing stories of our latest adventures and wondering why the mint custard was coming out of a churner labeled “Butter Pecan.”  Alfred and Munchkinhead stood nearby, slowly devouring their own cones of rich frozen custard.

The reflections of ourselves as we peered into the long, boxy building.  The young man in white with his white paper hats.  The metal freezers and custard churners.  The long lines of patrons stretching from the walk-up windows deep into the surrounding parking lot.  The neon lights at the top of the tall sign-post in the parking lot, blazing “Leon’s.”  It all had a beautiful and surreal 1950’s quality about it.  That’s one of the best things about Leon’s.  The other is, of course, the absolutely amazing frozen custard.

Vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan and the flavor of the day.  Two scoops through five scoops posted on the sign, ranging from less than $2 to just under $5.  Of course, you can always ask for a single scoop, the light-blue clad cashier will turn to the scoop man and say “1 down” meaning one, one-scoop cone.  When I was in high school, I got the five-scoop cones.  Now-a-days, I’m content with the regular two-scoop.  It’s better for my pocket book, too.

We always go to Leon’s when we’re home.  It’s an absolute must.  Sometimes we don’t even go home first; we go right from the airport or the train station.

 

A Doctor, an Engineer and a Vampire Walk into a Metallica Concert...

It sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it was a great night!
(And by "vampire" I mean Munchkinhead, not me!  I'm still just a law student.)

The History

Orgfish and I have been going to Metallica concerts together since we were sophomores in high school.  It seems each time we go, we add someone new.  So we assembled our usual group: Orgfish, me, Alfred, Munchkinhead and Dr. Beaker and added in The Great Ecclestone (and Foo Foo).  6 people, from 6 states, 1 city, 1 amazing band.

Metallica is probably the only show all three of us, my sisters and I, would agree to go see, except maybe for Sesame Street Live.  It's not that we don't have some other musical tastes in common, but those bands don't really tour anymore.  Metallica also has the unique characteristic of being highly loved by each of us.

The Show

The show opened with Call of Ktulu, which is actually one of my favs, and a lot of  special lighting effects.  I was quite relieved when the lazer light show ended and some spot lights came up on stage.  The lazer lights sort of pissed me off, especially when they brought them back at the beginning of Fight Fire with Fire.  The special effects were taking away from Kirk's guitar solo.  A band as good as Metallica does not need fancy light shows and pyrotechnics.

When the helicopter intro to One started in fairly early on in the set, Orgfish and I looked at each other in amazement.  At every concert we have attended, One has always been in the encore.  "What on earth were they going to play for the encore?"  Well, when the encore started, it was an even bigger surprise.  I had just turned to Munchkinhead and said, "they'll never play my favorite song (Loverman) at a concert," because it's off of Garage, Inc.  And right as I'm saying this, the band busts out with Die, Die My Darling!  And then they follow it up with Stone Cold Crazy!  I had always figured they'd never do cover songs at a concert.  Welp, I was wrong!  (For those of you that don't know, those songs are also off of Garage, Inc.   They are covers of The Misfits and Queen, respectively.)

The concert was part of the World Magnetic tour, the title coming from their newest release, Death Magnetic.  As appropriate, they played a lot of songs off the new album.  It was clear the audience wasn't really familiar with these new tracks yet, but it was also clear that we were all willing to get to know them.  This was a lot different than the last concert our big group went to together, where the new album was St. Anger.  I don't recall them playing too many songs off that album at the Summer Sanitarium show, but I do remember Orgfish and I both agreed the songs sounded much better live than on the album.  (For that concert Dr. Beaker, Alfred, a very young Munchkinhead and I loaded into the teen mobile and drove to Ohio where we met Orgfish and her friends Happy, PH and Not-Death (I don't remember his name, but I know it wasn't Death.  My favorite part of the trip was Munchkinhead walking around going "plan-e-tarium" to try to get us to go to the planetarium.)

The Snow

It started snowing during the show, and for some reason the parking garage was closed unless you had a special pass so everyone was parked in lots outside.  Our big group quickly set to work with ice scraper, drivers license, gloves and whatever else we could find to clean off Mommy's mini-van.  It didn't take long, but it take long to get out of the lot.  (Longer than it took to drive home.)  We were about to go lend our ice scraping assistance to another driver who was scraping his car with what Alfred thought was a Twister box.  (It turned out to be a pizza box; a little more reasonable to have in your back seat.)  But, someone with an ice scraper appeared out of nowhere.  Alfred did help clear off the windshield of the guys next to us, since there were only two of them and so many of us.

(I just had to include this pic even though Alfred's not in it.  You can see FooFoo's shirt, and there's something particularly eerie about Orgfish's eye peering over my shoulder, not to mention The Great Ecclestone's theatrical smile.)

It was a wonderful night with wonderful people and wonderful music.   The performance was great, the frozen custard delicious (you know we went to Leon's first!) and the company great fun.  I can't wait for the next tour!

SPECIAL! SPECIAL!

Announced today, Metallica will be inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame!  The day before my birthday! [(Anybody want to get me a really nice birthday present? ;)  ]
Photo credits: Dr. Beaker

A Very Wisconsin Weekend

What a great weekend!  I love being home.  Last night, after going out for dinner (I had two glasses of milk), we all sat down at the kitchen table to play games.  With Mommy and Daddy's new record player playing in the background, Mommy, Daddy, Alfred, Nathy-Boo and I sat down to five handed Sheepshead while Munchkinhead played Backgammon with herself. 

First we were playing four handed.  Mommy really doesn't like playing Sheepshead with Daddy because he remembers every card played and days later will complain about how you should have let trump instead of hearts on the third hand or something.   But Daddy promised to be nice because we were teaching Nathy-Boo how to play.  (He's not from Wisconsin.)  Besides, Alfred made enough stupid plays to distract Daddy from getting mad at Mommy.

You can see Mommy's concern at Daddy's kibitzing in this picture.  She has the go-first-chapstick and is trying to decide what to lead.  We kept forgetting who was supposed to lead, so we used the chapstick to mark the leader.  (And by "we" I mean I kept trying to lead when it wasn't my turn.)

If you're interested in learning Sheepshead, this is a great book.  My favorite part is the chapter that actually starts, "Did you move away from Wisconsin and now you can't find anybody to play with?"  Nathan's holding the book in the picture.

Today, Munchkinhead, Nathy-Boo and I played board games while the rest of the clan watched the Packer game.  (Yesterday it was us and Mommy while Daddy and Alfred watched football.)  Alfred thinks a Packer game is a good reason to wear pajamas to church!  I think her lack of decorum may be even more infuriating than her lack of fashion sense.  At least the Packers won!
After dinner (homemade pea soup, yummy), the kiddies borrowed Daddy's grandpa car and headed for the epitome of Milwaukee, Leon's. :)

Leon's is an old-fashioned drive-in frozen custard stand.  No indoor seating, just a building with a parking lot.  You drive in, park, walk up to the line, wait for your turn at the window, place your order, plunk down your spare change (Munchkinhead and I each got a 2 scoop cone for a total of $3) and then walk off with the most delicious treat. 

My sorority sisters and I used to drive in from Waukesha (about half an hour) for Leon's, even though we had 3 other custard places out by school.  It is the best frozen custard ever.  You've had Culver's or something and think you've had frozen custard?  Wrong.  You haven't had custard 'til you've had Leon's.  And please, don't call it ice cream.  Leon's is so good that there is always a line, even at 10 pm on a freezing cold night in the middle of December.  (Trust me, I've been in it.)  Or, as you can see below, at 6 pm on a freezing cold night at the end of December.

Back to Africa

I can hardly believe that I am really here, back in Africa.  And what seems more amazing is that I am in Nigeria!  Nigeria!  A place people have heard of, and as is true for most of the continent, usually not for anything good.  It's all so very strange, being here.

As I expected, I am a bit homesick for Zambia.  This place is unlike anywhere I've ever been before, but bares enough resemblance to several places I know as to make me homesick for all of them at once.  And although I knew I would feel this way, at least in the beginning, it seemed impossible to really prepare for.  I just have to keep reminding myself, "I'm in Nigeria; I'm in Nigeria."  But that fact is still so amazing to me!
Perhaps the biggest surprise here is how expensive everything is.  The exchange rate right now is about 100 naira to 1 dollar.  This should make things easy.  I ought to be able to just put a . into prices to read them.  If the signs says "350,"  I should think "$3.50."  But it doesn't happen like that.  You see, the prices look just like they did in Zambia, but the actual cost is hugely different.

For example, a box of corn flakes here is #11000 and in Zambia was K11000.  I wouldn't buy them in Zambia because K11000 had the buying power of $11, although it was really was worth about $2.50.  Here however, the cornflakes actually cost $11!

Since the prices look familiar to me, I find myself not thinking in conversions but automatically deciding if something is a good price or not.  We got ice cream today from a little vendor for 300.  I thought, "wow, 300 is a really good price for ice cream," because it would have been in Zambia.  However, $3 is not a good price for ice cream.  (There's a reason I don't do Ben & Jerry's or any of those other fancy schmancy places.  I'll take my very yummy well-priced Leon's, thank you very much.)  The money stuff will just take some getting used to... a long with several other things.


Good news!  Good news!  Since writing the above,  I have learned that the store I was taken to is the most expensive store in the city.  It is not good that she took me there.  It is good that things shouldn't cost that much anywhere else!  Now, why anyone would take someone to the most expensive store is beyond me, but oh well.

36 Hours in Paradise

No matter where I'm coming from, no matter how long I've been gone, landing at General Mitchell International Airport always makes me cry. I'm just so happy to be home. The plane comes in low over the city. I look out the window down to the land and water below. There's the Hoan, and the Firstar building. We continue east out over lake Michigan and begin our turn towards the airport. As the plane descends, it seems as though we could just reach right out and touch the deep blue waves. A full 180 and the land comes into view again. There's my high school, and the football field. I can name the streets below like its a google map. There's Lake Shore Drive, and Packard, and Ramsey. There's my parent's house! And as we graze across the telephone poles on Pennsylvania, I know we'll soon be on the ground.
It wasn't any different this weekend. And also as usual, the trip felt far too short. But, it was absolutely wonderful! Before we were even in the out of the airport parking lot, before I could even ask, my sister piped up, "should we go home before we go to Leon's?" And that's how the weekend began, with frozen custard and my favorite people at 9:30 on a beautiful balmy night. And the weekend just kept getting better. The next day was Grandpa's surprise party! Where do we start? The gorgeous 80 degree weather, or the hundred-something relatives that came to my grandpa's birthday party? The weather speaks for itself. Even though it rained a bit twice, the sun quickly came back out and our spirits were not dampened.
By far, the best part of the weekend was sitting around listening to my grandpa's cousins, i.e. my first cousins thrice-removed!, talking about when they were younger, the relationships in the family and the cultural rivalries of their day. I was particularly amused that my great-grandparents were upset when my grandma and grandpa started dating because my grandpa is Polish and my grandma is German. Now it seems half the South Side is Polish/German! I certainly had plenty of friends growing-up who's mix included Polish and German. The really ironic part is that we're not quite sure what country some parts of the family are from because of constant wars and border shifts.
The old photos cousin Claudia brought were especially delightful. She even had the passports/entry documents from my great-great grandparents. These were my grandfather's maternal grandparents. The papers were from Ellis Island, dated 1918, and my relatives had marked the signature lines with their "x"s because they couldn't read or write. My great-great grandmother's had a picture in it. My great-great grandfather's did not. She looked to be a portly woman in her 50s or so, but I really have no idea on her age. Mommy tells me this is about as far back as we can trace this branch of our family. (I would like to point out, for my readers who may think that all "white" people can trace their families back super far and know where they've come from, that this date is only the beginning of the 20th century, we don't know exactly what the last name was because of spelling variations, and we're not actually sure what country they're from.)
Cousin Claudia's being there was in and of itself a very special treat for Grandpa. At first I didn't understand why Mommy introduced herself to Cousin Claudia and then took her around and introduced her to everyone and explained who they were. Then I found out, my grandfather's family had sort of split back when he was a kid. Her parents the the parents of the other cousins lost contact. Standing in the background, I listened to the cousins try to sort out what had happened.
One of the cousins was talking about how her parents always fought, and how her dad was only nice when he wasn't drinking, which wasn't often. Others had similar stories. Cousin Claudia figured that's why the family got split. She knew her mom didn't like all the drinking and stuff. It appeared Cousin Claudia had been quite young when the parts of the family lost contact, yet she still remembered some other relatives that the other cousins knew. It was neat to hear them exchange stories. It also turns out that Cousin Claudia knows all my grade school teachers (we moved when I was 10) and may have even served on the same committee as Mommy back in 1988!
Other excitement of the day included following around my adorable second cousins (my cousins' children), taking pictures of them; eating cheese, snaps and shampoo raisins; and answering questions with things like "yes, I'm the one that was in Africa," "no, I'm not the one that just got back from China, that's Katrina, she's over there."
After getting home from the party, Mommy, Wendy, Katrina, Nathan and I played games! We were up 'til past midnight. Nathan does a very good Elmer Fudd, and Mommy does a great Mae West.
The next morning, it was off to the airport. Far too soon. As we soared higher and higher into the sky, I watched the familiar places shrink away from me. Goodbye Daddy's office, goodbye 794, goodbye church, goodbye home.
(Original Post)
Bed
Cheerful
Lena Horne - The Lady is a Tramp (especially the part that says "hates California, it's cold and it's damp)

I'm Melting

But why?
When I first started losing weight after returning from Africa, it was a good thing. After all, none of my clothes fit. I averaged around a size 12, 16 in some sewing patterns. Mommy was wearing all my old clothes and I was either stretching things out in my stubborn determination to wear them, or using skirts for tops.
The funny thing is, I don't think I ever felt as beautiful as I did in Zambia. Maybe it's the whole fat is good culture-thing, or maybe it's my adoration of 40's pin-up models, who happened to have a lot more curves than modern models. I certainly had curves. Now, I'm sort of pointy.
Last week, I was fixing my outfit. Something was sticking out on my skirt, so I went to smooth it down, thinking my shirt was tucked in funny. Boy was I surprised; it was my hip bone. The other day I wore a really cute pair of pants that Mommy helped me hem during the school year. When I got them, I could barely button them. This week, I spent much of my time pulling them up because they kept slipping down. Getting ready for Harmony Fest on Saturday, I pulled out my favorite pair of dress shorts from last summer. Grey wool with red and yellow speckles. I wore them often last summer in Venice, out to the club, because they made my ass look so nice. They didn't go to Harmony Fest. They were far too big; I had no ass. My Apple Bottoms look like potato sacks and my wife beaters like I've beaten them up. Even some of my clothes from high school look too big!
Yes, I'll admit it, I was super excited to discover I fit in a size 5. My 5'4", 19 yr old sister wears a 5. I think I might have worn one once before, when I was about 14. I was definitely bigger than that when I started modeling. I wonder what the agency that told me I was too big when I was 17 yrs old would say to me now? I'd probably still be too big for them. After all, I still have that extra chin.
Society says I should be grateful - look how many people are always trying to lose weight. I'll bet I get plenty of comments (written or thought) along the lines of "I wish I had your problem" or "lucky". But it sucks when your favorite clothes don't fit. And I don't want an excuse to buy more. I'm 27, where's my Schlaikowski-family heirloom Daddy promised me?
Back to my original question: why? I can't figure this one out. I eat so much one of my good friends has taken to calling me "cow". I have a diet in the sense there are things I'll eat or won't eat, but I'm not on a diet. I just only eat things that make me happy. Soda, chips, fried stuff - doesn't make me happy. Cheese, milk, salads - make me happy. I started making a conscious effort to eat more protein in order to avoid the weak spells that make me cranky and lethargic. I thought that would equal gaining weight, not losing more. I was wrong. Protein fills me up; I eat less carbs. I drink those meal shakes, but not as a meal, as a snack between my 3 or 4 meals to hold me over. And I don't try to exercise. I just do my regular stuff - walking a little under 2 miles a day as part of my work commute, dancing around my room, etc.
The question becomes, when do I need to be concerned? If I'm eating balanced meals and not getting sick, is it enough? Maybe I should go on an ice cream diet. Or just only eat Leon's when I'm home this month.
(Original Post)

Bed
Worried

Roommate in the Fridge

Wasn't bad news

So the small envelope was just a letter letting me know the application is complete. Whew!...
An update on what I know so far:

I move out of my village one month from today. Not sure when I'll be home, but think April.
Everyone with intentions of 'always meaning to write', don't, it probably won't get to me before I leave. Of course, you could send it to my Mommy's house, but then, you could call me there, too.....
Anyone up for Leon's?

School answers:
Caradozo :)
Emory :)
#3 ?
#4 ?
#5 ?
#6 ?
#7 ?

(Original Post)

Eh, who needs a subject

Hello! Third trip to Monze, got up at 4:30 to get here early but we didn't leave until 5:30 and then had to stop at Ba Bonifus' to borrow a bicycle (Ba Lenix's is in many pieces) so we didn't get on the road until 6 - but we were here by quarter after 8!

I got to talk to Emily! and it made me so happy (I'm glad I brought a handkerchief). She sounds just like I remember and hearing her voice it was as if I'd just talked to her yesterday.

JJ (my boss) came to visit this week and brought me mail from Kitwe (from April). There're letters from Wendy and Anthony and the Lewins and Grandma & Grandpa and Nelson and my Big Big and even Uncle Tom & Auntie Gail! I'm so happy and excited! I haven't opened them all yet - trying to be good and savor them, Hanukkah instead of christmas - but it's hard. I have to be careful though, letters give me the most joy and the most sorrow - I love hearing how everyone is but I miss everyone sooo much.

Whenever I think of my friends back home I start crying - but not tears of sadness, tears of joy. I am so incredibly blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life - I can't even express how much you all mean to me *tear, smile*.

And something I've been working on sitting in my hut:

Things to do When I get Back (This list is by no means exhaustive and will probably change many times.)
Go to Chili's w/ Em
Visit Katie wherever she's living
Buy Wendy a drink (cause she'll be old enough to have it)
Go shoe shopping and to Leon's w/ Katrina - make her drive
Get a job - at least for the summer to start with
Hug Matt
Talk physics with Daddy - catch-up on everything I'm missing
Meet Ant - providing he be willing
Sew with Mommy

Will add more in future

Miss everyone, Love you all lots

- Nchimunya [that's me :) ]

(Original Post)

Ecstatic

Dinner as Usual

A Dinner Story
We went out to dinner tonight, the whole family. Here are some random pieces of conversation:

Wendy: God,....
Me: Job. Oops! I mean goodness

Mommy: Did you see that when you were living?
(Yes Emily, even when you aren't around we can pick on you)

Katrina: (singing) I put my teeth back in, I have teeth again (notices we are all staring at her), I'm done.

Me: Put the hat over your face, put it right back in place
W: Tilt the hat foreword
K: Tilt the hat back
Me, K & W: Move the hat up and down up down up and down, now you're set to go to town
Me: A looking good
M: a 2, 3 4

W: My friend, Lis's mother is goddess of the universe and when she retires Lis will be the goddess. So Nathan asked to be ruler of the world and she said ok. But, he wants to kill the Texans and the French. So Melissa and I convinced them that she gets Venus and we get to move all the Texans and French there. And he hates pro-football players so I get them on Mars.
Me: Wait, wait, when do you get Mars, what are you going to do there?
Daddy: She'll be the first paleontologist on Mars
W: Yeah, i'm gonna do my expeditions there. I don't really get it, I'm just the guardian.
Me: What pro-football players going to do on Mars?
W: (quite serious and as though I asked a stupid question) Play football on Sundays
Me: (exasperated)Of course!
M: Duh
K: But the days are different because Mars is closer to the sun

Again singing the hat song,
Me: Wave the hat up high, trade it with the next guy
Mommy took Katrina's visor and put it on her head and proceeded to follow the directions
Me: Put the hat over your face, put it right back in place,.......wave the hat up high, trade it with the next guy
Mommy put hat on my head, I put it back on Mommy's, Mommy put it on Katrina's
Daddy: Wait, put that back on it makes you look sexy like your glasses do
K: (freaking out) Ewwww, ewwww, my hat, my hat
Me: Yeah, well it's our shower! (strange looks from everyone) Nevermind

W: You have to help me take Nathan to Leon's, I don't care if we have to bind and gag him
Me: Can we tie him to the roof of the car?
W: No
Me: Like a Christmas Tree, and paint him green (weird look from mom) If we paint him green it will be less conspicuous cuz he'll look like a tree

Me: (Wendy forgot to ask for her meal w/o mushrooms) That's just like how Kathleen always forgets to ask for no tomato on her salad
D: Tomatos are good for you
Me: No they're poisonous. Gram, watch out a poiiiiisonous fruit!

W: Nathan doesn't like Chip's Challenge
Me: How can he not like Chip's Challenge?
K: That's it, he can't be a member of this family

W: I'm only part vampire
Me: Since when are you part vampire?
W: I tell Nathan I'm part vampire everytime I bite his neck
Me: I'm closing my ears
K: I'm the only full-vampire, and Mommy's half vampire so then if Mommy and Wendy are half-vampires, and I'm full...(she stopped)

"Room temperature Wooley Mammoth"
"I'm done"

And to top it all off, a list of all the people mentioned during dinner (I think):
Nathan, Melissa, Lis, Justin, Mike, Joel, Dan, The Trusses, Pat, Kathleen, Emily, Santa, Oprah, Bush, Clinton, Sadam, Joan of Arcadia, Mrs. Lewin, Amanda, Whoopi Goldberg,....

(Original Post)

Chipper

Leaving

This isn't really a story, this is a list, in no particular order, of
things I will miss very much.
Mommy
Munchkin-head
Daddy
Talking to Wendy on aim (I already miss her)
Aim
Talking to Ant on aim
Emily
Emily's stupid comments that keep me rolling with laughter for days
My roommie
Electricity
My stereo, my stereo, my stereo
Pat
My really old friends that I have known forever, even though we tend to
loose touch for months at a time anyway
Katrina's friends, they amuse me
Sending kidnapping threats to Nathan - ha ha she's mine for almost a month!
Angel dinner
The computer lab
Joe sightings
Aim triangles
The phy plant guys
Barnes & Nobel
My dorm room
Seesters
Herb, at least a little bit
The ability to always go shopping when I need to, no matter the time of day
My car
My shoes
Plumbing
Soda, chips, pizza, even if I don't eat them very much
Leon's
The Airport
The Lake
Freeways, heh, paved roads for that matter
All my friends
Vicki's
Noodles
Hot showers, gee, showers in general
My pink poodle purse
Church, esp. sitting in front of Nelson's mom
Phones
Maple trees
Singing at the dinner table
Stairs
Cement
Roof volleyball
The pool
The ability to hear "would you like a glass of Liebfraumilch?" whenever
My relatives, holidays at Grandma's
Chili's
Army men
Reading stories with Mommy (Bendamalina get that pot off your head!)
All my friends at work
Hiding blankey, the bat, abominable, etc...
Game nights

(Original Post)

Sad