Wisconsin

So I never knew where Wisconsin was except maybe in 3rd grade. I guess the only thing I thought about with the state was that people ate a lot of cheese. And that's about it. It was kind of one of those places when you're playing games picking where your friend lives in the future. You try to pick the most random place like Iowa or Arkansas...or Wisconsin.

But I'm so glad I'm here! It really is a great place. The people are so nice...real Wisconsinny. Slower, more laid back, unpretentious. People wear more flannel here because it's functional, not simply going with the latest fashion trends. And, of course, they just have the best accents. When Mom and Meghan and I first got here, we went on a few errands. Every time we got to the checkout line, I almost laughed in the checkout person's face because they sounded so funny. One of the first nights here I was talking with one of my roommates, Brenda, who is from Minnesota. She kept saying something about a "bage." (short g, not long g) I had to ask her to keep repeating herself until finally I said, "I'm really sorry. I just don't understand what you're saying." She pointed to my bag and said "bage, bage" Ohhhhhh. Her e's were long a's. Funny. It was like I was talking to an international student.

Anyways, I think northern people are so cute. Hmm. Other random things I've encountered: a log in the town pool area to practice log-rolling...amazing. The discovery of West-Mex...seriously? Poor, uneducated Mexican food eaters. People here say "fantastic" more than I've ever heard it in my life in genuine praise of things. And there's pretty farm land pretty much wherever you go...cool.

Oh yeah. Um. A quarter of the trees have already dropped a lot of their leaves, and it's September 24. Looking forward to that winter ahead...

There's a snippet of what you always wished you knew about that state somewhere up north.


My home.