Labor Day was an interesting day. Matt and I went to Arts Beats and Eats in downtown Pontiac on Monday. The food wasn't good and the cider was overpriced. The real excitement on this trip was meeting up with Matt's friend and ex-girlfriend Ann. Ann is now married to a guy named Stan (boy what horrible things love will do to you). Here's just a little emotional background related to Ann. I never liked the idea that her and Matt still talked and that he considered her a very good friend. I was playing typical jealous girlfriend. I especially never wanted to hang out with her. So for almost five years now I have carried a bitter foaming rock of anti-Ann in my heart. It was a real sore spot between Matt and I. He always wanted me to like her and I never wanted to hear her name again.

Anyway, back to Arts, Beats and Eats. So we're walking toward the Pepsi stage to see Jill Jack play and who do we see on the very hill we were planning to park our asses on?....You guessed it.

Immediate mean and angry thoughts entered my mind. "I can't believe Matt would set me up like this!" "He is so dead". Later I would find out that Matt knew just what I was thinking and was attempting to give me "I know you think this is my fault" looks. So being a polite individual, I went along with the idea of sitting next to them on the hill. I began to talk to Stan (who I have less problem with - a longer more personal story) about the violin bow that was in his bag. Things actually went well from there. This was rather surprising to me. While I was talking and interacting and enjoying myself, I kept having those mini-out of body experiences we all have when strange, monumental or uncanny things happen we can't deal with. I saw myself talking to a person I had loathed for years and inside I felt myself not hating her anymore, in fact, I found myself identifying with her and liking her.

We all decided to go to Ram's Horn together (this was one of the areas I slipped up on, I made fun of Ram's Horn and then found out that's where Ann and Stan had met...oops). There we had even more fun talking, drinking at least five cups of coffee apiece and smoking. We talked about old friends, scars, accidents and vacations. I haven't had that good of a conversation in months at least and to have it with A&S, wow. There was even more fun to come, we moved on from Ram's Horn and went to the Lamphere Hill to sit and talk, which we did and this is where I made my next slip-up. I passionatly told them how much I hate Wyland. Stan LOVES Wyland. He forgave me I think.

So the next day, Matt gave me a big hug and thanked me and told me how much Ann and Stan had liked me. He told me Ann thought I had done a brave thing, something she would have never done. I was still mystified by the fact that I did have a good time, but I am happy that I did because it made my suspicions and anger disappear.

Sorry for the relationship story, but it was a big thing for me.