Hi, everyone! Well, today is my last full day back in America. While it was only three weeks, it actually felt like a lot longer for me. I feel nice and relaxed having spent so much time with my parents – eating good food, spending time together, and relaxing. It was a proper vacation, which is funny considering despite working in Aotearoa New Zealand… living there is a vacation, too.

The Burbs

After my last blog post, my dad drove me in to Darien, where I would spent two nights in my childhood home with my brother Dan, Maisie, Bambi, and Maia.

Upon my arrival, Dan had to head out to get groceries and then to a doctor’s appointment. In his absence, I went through my bins of winter clothes and sorted through what I wanted to bring back to Queenstown with me. Afterwards, I took Bambi and Maia for a walk. Actually… I took Maia for a walk. Dan was in between errands and as I was walking out with the dogs, he was also pulling out of the driveway.

Bambi got very unsettled and refused to walk after Dan drove away. We went inside so she could confirm he had left and then we tried again. And still, she refused to walk. I ended up just walking Maia instead. Once we got back, I went to see if the third try was the charm, but nope!

Close to 4pm, Dan and Maisie were back from work/errands. We caught up for a few moments but we were interrupted by a large hound at the door! HUD! Maisie’s parents stopped by with their St. Bernard Hud(son) for a little over an hour. It was nice to see them and chat about my travels as well as theirs.

Afterwards, Dan and Maisie prepared a french onion soup which was a nod to a few years back. I would often stay with them for a week or so during the pandemic and they were always making food. One night, they attempted to make a french onion soup starting around 7pm and it wasn’t ready until like midnight haha. Maisie recalled that we didn’t even eat it that night and had something else instead.

We talked about their recent trip to Tokyo, Japan – they’ve confirmed it is their favorite place to travel. Dan got some new knives there and is showing them off in the photo below.

In the evening, we watched a hilarious movie called Bottoms and then crashed. I was pretty exhausted since I didn’t sleep well the night before.

The next day, Dan and Maisie were finished up with their workload around noon. We decided to take the dogs for a walk in Bolingbrook, where the two of them used to live. It was a warmer day but quite windy. As we began our walk and passed the playground, I said, “this is where you guys signed your marriage certificates,” thinking back to 2020. Time is weird.

Maisie told me about this incredible bakery called Cake ‘n Bake and after the walk, we drove to Palos Hills to get some sweet treats. Needless to say, I was in heaven. So many yummy looking treats! All types of flavored croissants – biscoff, pistachio, chocolate, cherry, blueberry cheesecake, etc. Everything looked delicious.

Dan & Maisie ended up getting us three flavored croissants and then a pistachio cheesecake.

In the evening, we chopped up veggies and made kebabs, paired with a cous cous salad, and pita. We started watching a series called Fallout which I’ve since finished and is an awesome post-apocalyptic show. Highly recommend.

My favorite part of the night was finally eating the desserts I mentioned earlier. Damn were they good!

In the morning, I said my farewells to Dan, Maisie, and the dogs. It was a brief visit but that has been the case with everyone. Next time I’m home, I plan to stay for longer so I can spend more quality time with everybody.

“The Best Ramen in America”

My brother Mike picked me up and we drove up to Naperville. The idea was to get lunch with my nephew and to spent a little bit of time together before I took the train to Chicago.

We picked up Dillan, where we chatted with his mom and new partner. From there, we went to get ramen for lunch. Dillan insisted this was the best ramen in the world. I asked, “better than Japan?” “Okay, the best ramen in America.” He really spoke highly of the ramen and I couldn’t help but snicker to myself when I realized that boy was he wrong. The ramen was fine but it basically was fast-food ramen. However, if Dill thinks this is the best ramen in the world, he will be amazed when he tries some proper ramen. We also got bubble tea, spring rolls, and gyoza. Now those things were really yummy!

The lunch was a treat from my parents – so thanks, Mom & Dad for the meal! (The ramen wasn’t bad… it just didn’t live up to Dillan’s claim haha.)

I asked Dillan if anyone else from his school had gone to see the solar eclipse. He excitedly told me that he was the only person in his whole school to go and when he came back, everyone was asking him questions about it, even his teachers. How cool is that? I’m thrilled he was able to experience the eclipse with me. So special!

After lunch, we drove to a nearby park to hang out for a few minutes. Dill and I climbed around the playground but before long, we had to go. I had a train to catch and Mike had to take his dogs out before that.

We dropped Dill off. We talked about how the next time I’ll see him, he’ll be a teenager. Again… time is weird. We hugged and then he went back to the house, waving at me with a huge smile on his face. The kid loves me so much – and I, him. Such a special bond we have.

Mike and I drove to his place in Lisle and I was able to see the renovations in his apartment. He recently got rid of the carpet and replaced it with wood. The space looks much larger with wood! He has a really nice set-up there. We took Fred & Cudd for a fast walk around the apartment complex and then we had to jet to the train station.

Mike waited with me until the train arrived. “It’s kinda sad, man,” he told me. As with everyone, it was such a brief visit. I reassured him that next time I’m home, I will spend a lot longer with everyone so we can all get our fill before I’m off to Asia.

As the train pulled to a stop, we shared a hug and parted ways. I’m very glad I was able to see Mike & Dill again before leaving.

The City

So many times in my life, I’ve taken the BNSF from the burbs to the city. When I went to DePaul University for two years, I would take the train five times a week… and the commute dragged on and on. Now, it went quickly. The once familiar train ride felt both new and nostalgic at once.

From there, I should have taken the L, but vied for the bus instead. In my later years living in Chicago, I preferred the bus over the train. Less crackheads, less homeless people, less people screaming. Everyone always seems to behave on the bus. However, at 4pm, traffic is… awful. It took much longer to get to Michael’s apartment than it should have. Along the way, we passed through Michigan Avenue, drove parallel to Lake Shore Drive, next to Lincoln Park Zoo. The nostalgia amplified. I remembered certain moments in time. The apartments I passed by when I attempted to be a dog walker for a day, my recent visit to the zoo with Gooby/Lauren, my ex’s apartment, etc.

Eventually, I arrived at Michael’s place, where I was greeted by Michael, Brandon, and their dogs Koda and Toph.

We caught up and then took the dogs for a long walk.

In the evening, I had plans to go to a Mexican restaurant to meet up with whomever wanted to come see me during my “One Night Only” in Chicago. Following, we would be going to dance at Roscoe’s. I swore, I had mentioned the dinner was supposed to be at 7.30pm…

After arriving at Kathy Ostermann Beach and watching the dogs run around for a while, it was time to head back so I could get to my party.

We hustled back and after grabbing my phone, I was off. Not two minutes later, I realized I had forgotten my wallet. DAMN IT!

Michael and Brandon were supposed to be going to our friend Cassandra’s birthday party and would be joining me after. However, moments after I was out the door, they had already hopped in the shower. It was 7.10pm and I was running late… and now, they weren’t answering their phone.

Around 7.30pm, Michael’s head popped out the window. I called up, “I forgot my wallet!” and he buzzed me in. I was in and out in a flash. I arrived to the restaurant at 8pm… an hour late. I didn’t realize until people started texting me that I’d actually said the get together was supposed to be around 7pm. Yikes!

And yes… I got myself another burrito. I think every time I’ve gone out to eat since being home, it has been for burritos haha. I love my burritos.

The gathering consisted of David, Erica, Terra, Rachel, Kate, Jason, Michael, John, Erika and her partner (Janel?), Joey, and Rob. I list them in the order of which they arrived haha.

Erica had cross-stitched me some art in exchange for a piece of my art one day. So sweet! Thanks, Erica.

Michael and John, and then also Kate and Jason had gone to see the eclipse. It was cool to relive the moment and hear about their experiences. Kate told me she cried which was really sweet. I love to hear that people find the phenomenon as important and awe-inspiring as I do.

At gatherings like this, it is sometimes hard to make everyone feel I’ve given them equal attention. I tried my best, but it isn’t the easiest thing to do haha.

After dinner, some people ended up leaving. Terra, Rachel, Kate, and Jason had left a little earlier to get to Roscoe’s before cover started.

I talked with David, Joey, and Rob outside for a few minutes and then they decided to walk me to Roscoe’s even though they wouldn’t be attending.

We got to the door at 9.58pm and I was trying to get in before $10 cover started at 10pm. Unfortunately, this meant our goodbyes were somewhat abrupt. But that’s okay – Joey, Rob, and I talk every day and next time I’m home, I intend to stay at their apartment for a week or two so we have more time together.

Roscoe’s

Once at Roscoe’s, I met up with Rachel, Terra, Kate, and Jason. We took turns answering a list of funny questions Terra had shared with us. Kate and Jason talked about their trip to Iceland and I ended up talking with Jason for a long time about a wide array of topics. It was good to properly catch up with him because it has been a long while. I’ve seen Rachel, Terra, and Kate more recently and have had more in-depth conversations with them. For Jason, we haven’t spent much time together probably since before covid. It was a good time.

Maybe forty minutes later, Elliott arrived with some of his friends. At the same time, the others were getting ready to leave. We all walked outside to say goodbye. Just then, my friend Jen and her friend Mya arrived, too.

One group goes, another comes.

We all went into the bar together and then after ordering drinks (and a water for me), we went to dance. The crowd was much younger than the last time I’d been at Roscoe’s. The music, sometimes unfamiliar. But… dancing is dancing. Boy, was the dance floor crowded. Yikes!

Elliott and his friends didn’t end up staying long. As they’d left, Michael and Brandon had arrived. And shortly after they arrived, Jen and Mya had left haha.

Michael, Brandon and I danced for some time but then went out to the courtyard to talk and secretly vape (even though you’re not supposed to vape in the courtyard). Once upon a time, people smoked cigarettes in the courtyard and it was the best way to take a break from dancing for a little while.

Roscoe’s was Michael’s and my old haunt when we lived together. We realized this was the first time we’d danced there together in probably ten years. And so I say again… time is weird. The vibe is different now. People take videos on the dance floor, something which didn’t really happen back in the day. I realized the lack of photos/videos at these gay bars in years past was likely indicative of the fear of being outed back in the day. Progress, in many ways.

After Roscoe’s, we went to an interesting bar called Cell Block to hang out for a bit longer. We had a lot of laughs there but didn’t do much dancing.

Around 3am, we ended up heading back to Michael and Brandon’s apartment. I was getting ready to expire. It had been a long day. From Darien to Naperville to Lisle to Downtown to Uptown to Boystown and BACK to Uptown. LET ME SLEEP!

Michael cooked a pizza on his old Pizazz and for no reason, we sat on the floor of the kitchen, eating pizza and joking around. Reminiscent for me, because after all of our late nights dancing together in our early 20s, we always would have either late night burritos or cook a frozen pizza on the Pizazz.

At 4am, it was bedtime.

We woke up around 10am and took the dogs for a walk. After chilling for a few hours, Michael walked me to the red line station to head back to the train station.

I had missed the red line train by probably thiry seconds and because Chicago public transportation SUCKS sometimes… there were no more trains that would be getting me to Union Station before the Amtrak was leaving for Michigan. Annoyed, I ordered an Uber instead haha.

Despite the briefness of my time in Chicago (and time with everyone during this trip), I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone. It was short, but sweet, and I’ll be back soon enough. Thank you to everyone who hosted me and came to see me while I was in town!

Return to Michigan

Arriving back in Michigan in the evening, I was greeted by my parents, by Gizmo, and by some (always-present) yummy food cooked by my mom.

We have our own little chill routine here in Michigan, which I love. We take Gizmo for walks, to the park, and otherwise we typically hang around the house and watch shows or movies in the evening. We watched Ripley and Baby Reindeer which were really good shows. Baby Reindeer was dark as hell and a complicated show, but very well done.

Yesterday, we went out for lunch with my parents’ friends Lori & Colleen. I got… yes. A burrito haha. Lori & Colleen surprised us with a photo of Dillan, my parents, and I from the eclipse. The photo was blown up and stretched out on canvas to go on the wall. So kind of them! It’s really nice to have that special day immortalized as a photo on the wall now. And I’m so glad my parents have awesome friends like Lori & Colleen.

Today is my last full day in Michigan and despite blogging at the moment, we don’t have much else planned. We’ll eat a presumably delicious polenta pie my mom is currently cooking and in the evening we’ll go to the lake for sunset. We’ll watch some shows and tomorrow they’ll be driving me to O’Hare so I can fly back to Aotearoa New Zealand.

While it has only been three weeks, it feels like I’ve been here for two months. I don’t know how that could be. But… for the last time, I’ll say – time is weird.

I’m so grateful for the time I’ve spent with my parents here. So, so many amazing meals. Laughs, walks, talks, and a goddamn ECLIPSE! It has been a great time. Mom and Dad, thank you for everything! Best hosts ever. Love you both so much!

Miscellaneous

I realized the other day that I’ve spent majority of my time back home… walking dogs haha. From Gizmo to Fred and Cudd to Maia and Bambi to Koda and Toph. And yet – I wouldn’t have it any other way! I don’t get to spend time with dogs in Aotearoa New Zealand very often, so it’s great to soak it up while I can.

I was on Reddit recently trying to see what people had been saying about the eclipse and was reading some posts from people in Texas. Such a shame that lots of people weren’t able to see it but it reinforces that my worries weren’t COMPLETELY unjustified… and makes it that much more special that we were able to see it!

My mom also ordered a T-shirt and a new phone case featuring my art from my RedBubble website. The shirt hasn’t arrived yet but the phone case just did and it actually looks like such nice quality! I am very pleasantly surprised. Thanks to my mom and to everyone else who has supported my artistic endeavors and has purchased some merch from the site!

One thing I realized recently that kind of sucks is that the time zone in Aotearoa “fell back” for fall and here in America it sprang forward which makes the time difference a little more complicated. Alas!

Art of the Week

Reflections

I think I have talked about a lot of my reflections within the body of this post. Mostly, I suppose the thing to note is the unique nostalgia I experienced while in Chicago. A place I lived in for so many years, where I had made so many memories. While Chicago will always be my home, it feels like it’s not mine, right now. It will be again some day, but not now.

It is odd to be at an age now where I can see what things were like “then” and compare it to what it’s like now. I think the oddest thing was acknowledging the passing of ten years since Michael and I last danced together at Roscoe’s. Where were we then? WHO were we then? And now? It’s all so different. It’s not a bad thing. Just different.

Am I ready to go back to Aotearoa New Zealand? I guess. It is so easy to slip back into life in the Midwest. Yet, I know I have a lot ahead of me still. Next up: Stewart Island.

I still have so much of Aotearoa to see – and I’m looking forward to that. However, I plan to stop back home after my time in Aotearoa which will be sooner than later.

Until next time… sending you all my love. xx