We arrived right around 10:30, X dropped us at Campus Central building and we ran in. Chris had indeed been there, been told he did not have to pay, and promptly left, not bothering to pay for us or register us.....that's my boy. After a quick discussion on Danielle should be free (they had heard nothing of kids 13 and under free at the registration desk) they decided she could be admitted gratis, and we were checked in. Debby, aka The X, was hungry so we went into the Continental breakfast only to find it deserted and some warm OJ, water, and a couple of stale dunkin munchkins, as service was over at 10:30. I went to get some cash from the ATM, and then a moment or two later Debby, returning from the rest room, handed me my ATM card which I had left in the machine.
"Didn't you hear that thing beeping?" she queried.
"I sure did!", said I, "I wondered what that racket was about!"
It was good she had heard it though or it would have ate my card....and this is not the first time I have done that though in the past it has been local and the next day I have been able to go to the bank and they have returned the cards.
Debby had wanted to attend a couple of seminars, but we were late for them. Chris walked us up to his dorm (being a little lost on the way, I teased him asking how many times he had spent hours walking around looking for his room), and we finally located it and entered his cell.
I say cell, because the only thing lacking was a set of bars in the small, cramped, and spartan quarters. At least we had found several common rooms in our later wanderings that were spacious, cheery, and with large TVs scattered about plus a nice fireplace area...... back to the size of his room I would go mad in a space that small. How small was it? It was SO small you have to go outside to change your mind!
One of the common areas
So, Chris and Scott began arguing about the Wii, who would get the old one, the split of the accessories, what about that paid downloadable games.....I threatened a couple of times to take the new one and sell it on e-Bay for $100 profit if they did not settle things amicably, and finally they did. Chris also wanted to come home for the rest of the weekend so he could see Kitty and Friends.....family was just a fringe benefit of the arrangement! Debby agreed to drive him back Sunday night with Katie riding shotgun......I get the impression Katie really likes Chris, perhaps more than as a friend, but perhaps Chris is not interested in her that way. he even called another girl on the way home asking if she wanted to hang out with him later when we got back to Grand Rapids.....
We had stopped at one place outside the Campus Center and chatted a bit about fraternities as several frats boys had waved to Chris. Debby reminisced about her time on campus many years ago. During our chat we found out he had been going to some parties at the frat houses and of course the subject of drinking came up. Drinking age is Michigan is 21 so no one on campus should be drinking but we all know how that goes. He claims he has not been drinking and I like to believe my kids and I know he has good sense and upbringing in this area. I also warned him what would happen if I caught him drinking cheap beer like Budweiser........The whole thing reminded me of the movie
Animal House......
Debby asked if Chris was going to introduce us to the fray boys and Chris, standing and starting to walk in the other direction said "yea, that's SO going to happen!" which I thought was quite humorous. he wanted to go and get some cash from the ATM because of the game he wanted to pickup so after asking how much he was short I threw him a 20...well, handed him because we were by a ledge with about a 20 foot drop and you know how hungry college kids are for food and money!
SO, anyway, part of the $12/person registration fee was for brunch at noon. After conclusion of the grand tour including his cell, the facilities and grounds he asked us to take him to Walmart as their was a game he wanted to buy.
I must digress for a moment and talk about Flint where this University is located, it is a very beat and run down area. Sort of like the outskirts of Newark, or Detroit. Chris has said you do NOT go walking off the college grounds after dark, and he has hear more police sirens and gunshots at night in one month than he has in all the time (seven years this month in fact) she we came to Michigan. I have never heard gunshots around our homes here. The university and the little bit of shops and housing within a block or two of it are like an oasis. The reason I brought that up is that when we went to Walmart, you could see the kids being watched like hawks by the store staff; more on that later, and you don't see that in the stores by this area.
Typical of the Flint area by the University
I must also say a word or two about Kettering and don't get me wrong as it is a highly respected school with partnerships to many, many fortune 500 and other companies for their co-op program. The place, particularly the dorm buildings, is somewhat dilapidated and run down in many areas. Painting some varnish, some masonry repair would all be good things and give this place a much more professional appearance. At least the outsides of the Academic and Engineering buildings looked to be in much better shape, and the grounds were pretty well maintained, lawns cut, bushes trimmed, etc. It is also much smaller than other college campuses I had visited.
Courtyard for one of the Dorm buildings
SO, digression about Flint completed, off we went to Walmart, but, Debby first decided that since she had opened up a bank account a month ago in Flint for Chris and he never picked up his checks or permanent ATM card that we would drive there first because they were only open until noon! SO, gee I am starting too many sentences with SO! SO, we pulled out of the parking lot and the first hint of this upcoming adventure hit when Debby asked Chris "right or Left?" when we got to the corner. "Right!" said Chris..."No Left...Uh Right....no Left......", finally we turned left and into town propper we went looking for the bank on the way to Walmart....and looking....and looking, east west, north and south, up and down streets, finally Debby said she would drop us off at Walmart and go look on her own, so drop us she did (after trying to figure out how to even get near Walmart as massive construction was going on.
We entered the store and immediately I noticed the kids (and perhaps me) being shadowed by store personal, security, and undercover shoppers. After several wrong turns of Chris' bat-like navigation sonar we ended up in the video game section. A store person immediately descended on us and got the game Chris wanted, and then walked him to the register to make sure the game was paid for. Since we still had time before Debby would be back, I decided to look at some t-shirts and found two decent ones for $5 each which I bought. We headed outside, avoiding the barriers of bike racks and bikes standing by the doors. The check out girl had told us we could not exit there, I thanked her stating I had been planning on getting out my acetylene torch and burning through the massive barrier for egress. She looked at me quizzically and I decided my joke was not appreciated or perhaps not understood!
Fvvvvvvvvvvvvv <------(Tails did this by walking across the keyboard!)
I celled the X to find out where she was and she said look to your left and I saw her waving as she walked down the parking lot towards us. We head back to the University but first she informed us that our (Tails is now peeking up beyond the edge of the keyboard and swiping at my typing fingers! The volume of her purring is very loud and she is SO fierce as she stalks and attacks my fingers! Ouch!) driving adventure is not done as she deciding to try and find the bank a different way since had not located it after leaving us at Walmart. Well, after assorted groans and teasings, we continued on. A Miracle! She DID finally find it and she and Chris went in. Again the nature of Flint was evident by the NO GUNS logo (for real!) on the bank door and the "Warning Metal Detectors in Use" "Walk Single file, one person at a time" signs on the bank doors. There was also a patrolling security guard that Katie and I remarked was more like a old Charles Bronson's father type figure. Deb and Chris finally emerged (and they could not find Chris' card so he has to call them Monday), we went back to attend the buffet. It should be noted on the way back, instead of taking the way back, to try and save some distance, Debby said "Let's be adventurous!" and she tried to go back the shortest way, and of course got us lost. "Let's be adventurous!" I heard Chris mimic his Mom's voice from the back which got a chuckle from everyone. We were soon back to a street we recognized and continued back to the parking lot at Kettering.
There was a fair amount of food, I had just a small waffle egg, ham, sausage, and cheese sandwich and some Diet Caffeine Free Pepsi. The fare, Chris said, was typical of what they offered every day which had breakfast items, omelets, chicken, pizza, cold cuts, salad bar, burgers, etc. Typical college campus food and not too bade. Debby and Scott took advantage of the make your own waffle station. They were giving out assorted prizes such as Traveled the farthest to get there, Oldest grandparent, Youngest sibling attending, Birthday closest to August 11th. Debby won the birthday one as hers is August 2nd, and Danielle the youngest sibling. Deb got a nice pewter Kettering letter opener which Chris wanted because it was sharp and pointy and Danielle a Kettering Frisbee which she gave to Katie. With the assorted moaning and groaning of Scott, who had stated numerous times over preceding days and many times while there that he did not want to be there, and Chris who really wanted to head home, we headed out, stopping lastly in the Engineering building garage because they were supposed to have some kind of concept car exhibit which turned out to be a single vehicle that was a cross between a go-kart and a car.
The Engineering Building
We headed out, forcing the X to make a detour through White Castle....I am sorry, diet or no diet WC cannot be ignored when I have not had it in three years. Chris and I had burgers and I bought shakes for X, Katie, and Danielle, Scott declining because they did not have vanilla. With the windows rolled down as we were in Deb's parents van we headed out. Deb had mentioned she did not want to backtrack into town to get back on i-69. We were right by the entryway to I-75, I asked if this didn't just intersect with I-69 a short distance away, and Deb seemed to think so but was not sure. "Let's be adventurous!" I said, and, after a glance form the X, we were on our way, and soon intersected with I-69. After driving for almost an hour we stopped where I-69 joins I-96 to get gas, I procured a large diet soda, and I drove the rest of the way home, stopping at the X's as that's where Katie's car was. Scott, Chris, and I were dropped at my place where they had to divvy up the Wii accessories and Scott had to move his save games to a memory card as it had been decided Chris would get used Wii as he had bought and downloaded $50 of games .vs. Scott's $10.
Chris LOVED new kitty. Scott left, taking his bike back to his mom's, Chris and I watched some TV, Chris played with Kitty and computer and Wii, around 5:30PM he and I went back t his Mom's where once again I fixed their Internet service and changed the password to something the X could remember. Chris and I stooped at the store and picked him up some snacked and came back here. We alternated playing with Kitty, TV (Monk and Dr. Who), computer, until around 9:30, when his four friends (I had been told one friend would be coming but did not hassle him about it) arrived. they chatted and only stayed around an hour. I went to bed around 12:30AM.
Chris loves the new kitty - and he is smiling! A rare shot indeed!!
