Handle with care ...

For two weeks I have been trying to pack up my apartment in Belleville. Earlier this year, my girlfriend and I decided to start shopping around for places to live. A lot of people told us that now would be a good time to buy a home. In hindsight, they are probably right. However, we wanted to wait until she graduated from college in February to make any decision like that. My old childhood home in Allen Park is up for sale. It would be nice to buy that house, but I do not think that will happen. Hopefully it will hit the market again when I am shopping around for a house.
For now, we're content moving into a cozy two-bedroom apartment. I have already begun making plans to turn one of the rooms into a joint office. The part that I am quickly losing patience over is packing.
For one, I HATE packing and moving. It's so tedious and annoying. I have spent most of my free evenings packing and sealing boxes in preparation for the big move on Saturday. My girlfriend reassures me that I do not have that much stuff (and that she has a lot more). The fact that I stare at boxes filling my current living room frightens me. How much more could she have? Can we cram it all in one small apartment?
We are purging some stuff and next week I have to meet the Salvation Army guys so they can take my couch, loveseat, chair, kitchen table and coffee table. I apparently lost the battle on whose stuff is going with us to the new apartment. Again, she assures me, her stuff is nicer anyway and in better condition.
I'm not too much at a loss though. Most of my furniture I've used for the past two and a half years was donated to me.
I will be glad when this week and next week are over and I can rest in my new apartment. Then again, if it took me two weeks to pack everything up, how long is it going to take for me to unpack everything? Indeed, I already forgot which box contains what appliance.
That being said, at least we're not trying to move around the holidays. The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year and I do not want anything affecting that.

Christmas shopping can add up

Okay, so this week I bit the bullet and decided to start shopping for Christmas. Usually I start shopping toward the end of November, but this year I did it on a whim. Infact, most of it I did last night online waiting for my girlfriend to get home. This afternoon I am going through my reciepts to see just how much I decided to fork over. Already I am over what I allocated to spend this year and I still have three more people to shop for.
Since when did Christmas shopping become so expensive?
I remember the days when my brother, sister and I would shop at the local store a few weeks before Christmas. Because we were too young to have jobs, mom and dad would give us our allowance ($20 for the month), and we would have to figure out how to spend $20 on four people. That was never too hard -- an action figure for my brother, a diary for my sister, a video for mom and dad.
Now, Christmas shopping is a lot like a chore. You are expected to get a gift for everyone and their mom and your list grows expotentially larger every year. And of those on your list, half of them say, "Don't get me anything; I don't need anything this year." All that does is make my job A LOT harder.
This year I decided to do 95 percent of my shopping online. Amazon.com had virtually everything I was looking for (and at a good price). Within 40 minutes I had gifts purchased for seven out of 10 people.
The catch is, I am still shopping for the three HARDEST people in the universe. My mom, grandma and girlfriend must sit around the kitchen table together and plot new ways to make my life more stressful. None of the " Christmas trifector," as I call them, will give me a hint of an idea for Christmas gifts.
Luckly, Bon Jovi is going on tour in March. And since the GF very much enjoys Bon Jovi, her name can be scratched off the list (thank you Ticketmaster).
The rest are probably going to gift cards. Yes its less personable, but for someone who has no patience when it comes to shopping, it's the best option. After walking around Meijer and Target for a combined two and a half hours last night browsing for gifts, I'm done.
At least, as they say, Christmas comes but once a year.

D.L.

Thrills and chills await Manchester kids

This weekend the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce will host its annual downtown Halloween celebration. The event is always a lot of fun because local kids and teenagers come out dressed up in their costumes to get candy from the local downtown merchants.
This year there is going to be some new activities like "Pumpkin Bowling" hosted by the Manchester Lions Club. Children of all ages have a chance of winning some pretty neat prizes for knocking over a set of "bowling pins" with a pumpkin.
For the adults looking for a little fun on Halloween, just a short drive to Ann Arbor, the Quarter Bistro and the Delirious Love band are hosting a "Monster Mash Bash" featuring costume contests, live music, a Halloween-themed dinner menu and more. The top prize, a copy of The Beatles Rock Band for Xbox 360, will be awarded to the best dressed costume.
We hope to see everyone there!

~D.L.

So long, farewell

By Alexandra Sondeen
Guest Writer

It’s times like this when I’m not sure what to say. Well, I’ve never known a time like this in my short 22 years but clichés came about for a reason.
After working with The Manchester Enterprise in one form or another for over a year, I have to say goodbye. I’ve said goodbye before, but it’s a hard farewell this time, as I’m not just going back to college.
I’m leaving Manchester for a job in Jasper, Ind. as a general assignment reporter for The Herald. This is a big step out of what I’ve always known and into the unknown that is life as an adult. And frankly, it’s terrifying.
In uncertain times for print journalism, I’ve managed to land a good job for which I am eternally grateful though I have not yet even laid claim to my desk. And I have The Manchester Enterprise to thank for my success.
It was through our community newspaper that I was able to stretch my legs and get a footing in journalism. I came to the Enterprise just after my junior year of college looking for an internship that would increase my chances of getting a job after graduation. I found far more than that.
I found a family.
I enjoyed working for the paper so much I came back as a freelance writer and photographer after graduating from Eastern Michigan University in April. I’ve had a blast working on local stories for the last seven months and learning what community journalism is all about.
It was The Manchester Enterprise that gave me my first shot at professional journalism. The stories I wrote and spent hours covering led me to my first full-time position in the field and this giant step into real life.
But if there’s one person I must thank above any other, it is Daniel Lai. As the former editor, he let me in the door as an intern. He was my sounding board for ideas and my guidance when writing. Daniel let me pester him to death with questions and e-mails and tag along to production so I could see how everything was put together.
He taught me how to layout the paper using software on the computer and how to dance around sensitive issues when writing. His e-mail was routinely flooded with far too many of my photos for the paper, but never mentioned it. The man is tireless and I see great things for him in the future.
Last but not least, I must also thank the Manchester community. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and learning new things while on the job. They were your stories that I told which led to this life-changing move. Thank you for the privilege of telling them.
From the deepest part of my heart, thank you all. I hope to visit often and will always harbor a vast love for my hometown, its people and The Manchester Enterprise. It’s so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen and goodbye. Goodbye, and I’ll see you around.
Alexandra Sondeen
Manchester

There's the teeth you've been waiting on

Yesterday and today I have been out of commission due to minor oral surgery to extract two wisdom teeth. Of the four teeth, one grew in sideways and had to be taken out. Its partner tooth also had to be taken out. Despite everyone's attempts to calm my nerves (I do not the thought of someone cutting into me), I was nervous well up until the point where the medicine knocked me out. Luckly, everyone was right. Except for this afernoon, nothing seemed to hurt. Now the mouth wounds are starting their routine throbbing. It isn't bad though. I have something wrapped around my head with ice packs. It also gives me a day to catch up on some work and sleep. In two weeks I am due back for a follow up exam. I never thought I would get tired of ice cream and pudding, but I've definitely had my fill for awhile.

Office notes

Since moving from Manchester to the Saline Reporter's office, it has been a nice change of pace to have more collegues and friends around. All of us work extremly hard to put out quality products. Behind the scenes we are all great sources of support for each other and friends. One of my collegues issued a challenge to all of us recently to be more friendly to our neighbors and more optimistic. I think that's a great challenge and I will attempt to embrace that.
I also enjoy the friendships I have forged here. Everyone in the Saline office has a unique personality that brings it to life. To the staff members who read my blog posts, thanks for your feedback.

DL

Manchester Oktoberfest 2009 highlights